Bungie raises $1.6m through Game2give campaign
gamesindustry.biz reports: “Bungie Foundation, the developer’s official charity, has raised $1.6 million for children in hospitals in the US and Canada.”
Shari Redstone: ViacomCBS ‘Can Compete With the Best of Them’
Variety reports: “Shari Redstone is emphatic: ViacomCBS has plenty of resources and the scale to compete in the new world order for media giants.”
Redbox Agrees to Never Again Sell Disney’s Movie Download Codes
Hollywood Reporter reports: “On Thursday, Disney and Redbox informed a California federal judge that it had come to a settlement to end a two-year-old lawsuit that raised novel issues regarding sales and licensing restrictions in the digital age.”
Why More Stars Are Joining Video Games (It’s Not Just a Paycheck)
Hollywood Reporter reports: “Better scripts, nuanced characters and realistic performance-capture techniques are drawing Keanu Reeves, Norman Reedus and others toward the $43 billion-plus industry: ‘There are increasingly blurred lines between what is a film and what is a game.'”
The world is waiting for Google Stadia to flop
The Verge reports: “On November 19th, Google will officially become a game company, one with its very own console, controller, and distribution platform for the latest triple-A games. If all goes well, it may stand shoulder to shoulder with Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo and Steam, or even surpass them someday.”
The Attention Economy Has Peaked. What’s Next? [Mark Mulligan, MIDiA]
Hypebot reports: “Attention saturation. Peak Attention. The attention economy. What do these buzz words have to to with the music of making music? Everything.”
CAA to Raise $393 Million to Buy Equity From Employees
Billboard reports: “CAA is in the process of raising about $393 million largely to buy back equity from agents and top executives, The Hollywood Reporter learned Wednesday.”
Mobile Games Hotspot: ‘Frozen’ Storms Onto Phones; ‘Archer’ Spies Handheld Market
Hollywood Reporter reports: “Elsewhere in gaming-on-the-go: An early access release of ‘Minecraft Earth’ is now available in most countries; ‘Pokemon Masters’ celebrates launch of new console offerings; and five new titles for Apple Arcade.”
Instagram tests hiding Like counts globally
TechCrunch reports: “Instagram is making Like counts private for some users everywhere. Instagram tells TechCrunch the hidden Likes test is expanding to a subset of people globally. Users will have to decide for themselves if something is worth Liking rather than judging by the herd.”
Viacom’s Paramount Returns to Full-Year Profit After Three Years of Losses
Hollywood Reporter reports: “Viacom, the company behind Paramount Pictures and such cable networks as MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, Comedy Central and Paramount Network, on Thursday reported better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and a return to a full fiscal-year profit for the Paramount studio for the first time in several years.”
