VentureBeat reports: “Ubisoft has a knack for getting ahead of major trends in the gaming industry. The publisher embraced live-service games, and that has paid off with hits like Rainbow Six: Siege. But the company is also wants to avoid settling into a rut. To accomplish that, it’s planning to shake things up by creating some new intellectual properties.”
The Verge reports: “How do you get rid of hate speech on social platforms? Until now, companies have generally tried two approaches. One is to ban individual users who are caught posting abuse; the other is to ban the large pages and groups where people who practice hate speech organize and promote their noxious views.”
TechCrunch reports: “Spotify’s battle with Apple Music is continuing to heat up. On Monday, the company introduced upgrades to its Premium Family plan which now offers parental controls and other exclusive features, like a family playlist. Today, Spotify is going head-to-head with Apple on its free trial offer.”
Hollywood Reporter reports: “Movie ticket subscription service MoviePass confirmed that a data breach may have exposed tens of thousands of customer card numbers and personal credit cards.”
VentureBeat reports: “Ask any Oculus Quest or Rift S user to name the headset’s most impressive new feature, and there’s a good chance they’ll point to Insight, the tracking system that accurately senses your head and body movements without external cameras. In blog posts today, Facebook is revealing some of Insight’s little-known technical details while making an interesting prediction: ‘the future for this technology is in all-day wearable AR glasses that are spatially aware.'”
Deadline reports: “While it remains the dominant force in streaming, Netflix has seen its market share erode slightly in a trend that is likely to continue, research firm eMarketer predicts. In a new forecast issued Wednesday, the firm said Netflix’s U.S. viewership is currently 55.3% of the population, or 182.5 million people.”
Forbes reports: “With more than 32 million paid subscribers, Amazon Music is reportedly growing rapidly, surely aided by its deep ties to the Amazon ecosystem and a promotion here or there. Spotify and Apple Music are still formidable rivals though, so Amazon would be best placed to make its audio streaming service as easy to access as possible. That’s where its first smartwatch app comes in.”
VentureBeat reports: “The esports market will reach 443.1 million people this year, according to the Global Esports Market Report from research firm Newzoo. But 71% of those fans only watch one game. Newzoo also identifies a large chunk of the esports audience that watch competition for games that they don’t even play.”
Variety reports: “The Pinewood Group is pulling out of its Atlanta facility as it refocuses its international strategy. The group announced Wednesday that it has sold its equity in Pinewood Atlanta Studios to River’s Rock, its joint venture partner in the facility. The joint venture was set up in 2013 with Pinewood Atlanta Studios now the second largest purpose-built facility in the U.S.”
TechCrunch reports: “SiriusXM is making its streaming service more affordable for younger consumers with the launch of a new subscription package for college students. While SiriusXM’s Premier package is $12.99 per month, the new streaming-only student offering will be just $4 per month — a 69% discount.”
