LinkedIn Archives

AppWizard

May 5, 2025

The PC Version of Stellar Blade Will be Powered by Unreal Engine 4.26

The 80 Level team is seeking official confirmation from Shift Up regarding recent developments and will provide updates once a response is received. Users are encouraged to add Stellar Blade to their Steam wishlist and join the 80 Level Talent platform and Discord server.

Winsage

May 2, 2025

Pushing passkeys forward: Microsoft’s latest updates for simpler, safer sign-ins

The tech community is celebrating the first "World Passkey Day," moving away from "World Password Day," with Microsoft and other organizations committing to the Passkey Pledge to promote passkey adoption. Microsoft has developed passkeys as a secure authentication method, replacing traditional passwords and allowing access via facial recognition, fingerprints, or PINs. Over 99% of users now prefer Windows Hello for sign-ins, and hundreds of websites support passkeys, which are resistant to phishing. Last year, there were 7,000 password attacks every second, highlighting the urgency of this transition. Microsoft has introduced passkey support for consumer applications, achieving nearly a million registrations daily, with passkey sign-ins being three times more successful and eight times faster than traditional methods. New Microsoft accounts will be created without passwords by default, and the sign-in process will prioritize passwordless methods. Currently, over 15 billion user accounts can use passkeys, with a goal to transition billions more.

AppWizard

April 24, 2025

RuneScape: Dragonwilds has sold over 600k copies

RuneScape: Dragonwilds, launched on April 15th, has sold over 600,000 units and became the No. 1 selling game on Steam among premium titles in its debut week, while ranking as the second highest-grossing game overall, behind Counter-Strike 2. It has received an 84 percent "Very Positive" rating on Steam. Jagex CEO Jon Bellamy expressed gratitude for the positive response from players and emphasized the company's commitment to player communities.

Winsage

April 24, 2025

Microsoft security patch opens up new security vulnerability

Microsoft's recent update aimed at fixing a security vulnerability (CVE-2025-2104) has unintentionally created an "inetpub" folder on the system drive of Windows operating systems. This folder's creation has raised concerns among IT security researchers, particularly Kevin Beaumont, who warns that it could lead to issues with Windows updates. Users can create junctions that redirect to the "inetpub" folder, potentially causing failures in installing updates and leaving systems vulnerable. Microsoft has stated that the "inetpub" folder should not be deleted and that its presence is part of security enhancements.

Tech Optimizer

April 24, 2025

Meet Xata Agent: An Open Source Agent for Proactive PostgreSQL Monitoring, Automated Troubleshooting, and Seamless DevOps Integration

Xata Agent is an open-source AI assistant designed for PostgreSQL database site reliability engineering. It monitors logs and performance metrics to identify issues like slow queries and unusual connection counts, helping to maintain database integrity and performance. The tool automates tasks such as vacuuming and indexing and provides actionable recommendations through diagnostic playbooks and read-only SQL routines. The architecture is built as a Next.js application using TypeScript, organized in a monorepo structure. Developers can set up their environment using Node, install dependencies, and configure a local PostgreSQL instance with Docker Compose. Production deployment involves using Docker images and configuring environment variables in a production file. Key functionalities include proactive monitoring, configuration tuning, performance troubleshooting, safe diagnostics, cloud integration, alerting, LLM flexibility, and playbook customization. Developers can create new tools and integrate them into playbooks for cohesive workflows. Future plans include custom playbooks, support for Model Context Protocol, evaluation harnesses, approval workflows, and a managed cloud edition. The architecture promotes extensibility and community contributions, standardizing incident response and reducing human error in database management.

AppWizard

April 23, 2025

Devolver lays off 40% of Nerial workforce

Indie publisher Devolver Digital has reduced its workforce at Nerial, the studio behind the Reigns series, by 40 percent as part of a strategic response to challenges with recent releases. Nerial currently has 13 employees listed on LinkedIn, though it is unclear if this reflects pre- or post-layoff numbers. The Reigns franchise has generated over a million in revenue. Additionally, Polish developer Artificer has seen a workforce reduction exceeding 50 percent, and other Devolver labels, such as Good Shepherd and Big Fan, have also experienced layoffs affecting more than half of their staff in 2024. Overall, Devolver has reduced its workforce by over 30 employees between 2023 and 2024. Cult of the Lamb has generated over a million in lifetime revenue, Astroneer has surpassed the million mark, and the Gungeon series has earned over a million and sold more than five million copies. Devolver's average expenditure on third-party titles is projected to decline from approximately .99 million in 2022 to .73 million in 2025 and further to .04 million in 2026.

AppWizard

April 16, 2025

Which brand’s crafty ‘A Minecraft Movie’ collaboration blows your mine?

A Minecraft Movie, featuring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, has become the highest-grossing film of 2025 with over [openai_gpt model="gpt-4o-mini" prompt="Summarize the content and extract only the fact described in the text bellow. The summary shall NOT include a title, introduction and conclusion. Text: Box Office Success and Brand Collaborations The recently released A Minecraft Movie, featuring the comedic talents of Jack Black and Jason Momoa, has made a significant impact at the box office, emerging as the highest-grossing film of 2025. With over 0 million in global ticket sales, this campy comedy, set in a whimsical Minecraft universe, is not just entertaining audiences but also inspiring a wave of creative brand collaborations. Among the most notable partnerships is McDonald’s, which has introduced A Minecraft Movie Meals, cleverly packaged in designs reminiscent of the game’s iconic font. While the film features a fictional lava-fried chicken vendor, the real-life meals include a classic Big Mac and a 10-piece chicken nugget option. Each meal comes with one of twelve collectible Minecraft toys, such as pink sheep and creepers, or trading cards that unlock in-game items like the Big Mac Crystal and Zombie Hamburglar. The addition of Nether Flame Sauce, a spicy condiment inspired by the game, has already sparked a viral trend on TikTok. In the realm of beauty, NYX has launched a limited-edition cosmetics collection inspired by A Minecraft Movie. This line features blushes, highlighters, and lip balms, all packaged in playful designs that reflect the game’s aesthetic. Shades like “Oh She Baaahd” and “Diamond Drip” are sure to catch the eye, while the compact mirror mimics the blue portal that transports characters between worlds. Adidas has also joined the fray with a stylish clothing line that draws from the film's vibrant visuals. The collection includes track suits adorned with Minecraft landscapes, graphic tees featuring exploding creepers, and even hot pink fringe jackets inspired by Momoa’s character. This fashionable offering caters to both adults and children, and certain items are already flying off the shelves. As the buzz around A Minecraft Movie continues to grow, industry watchers are keen to see which brand's campaign resonates most with audiences. A poll on LinkedIn invites fans to weigh in on their favorite collaboration, adding another layer of engagement to this multifaceted marketing phenomenon. This story first appeared on PRWeek U.S." max_tokens="3500" temperature="0.3" top_p="1.0" best_of="1" presence_penalty="0.1" frequency_penalty="frequency_penalty"] million in global ticket sales. Notable brand collaborations include McDonald's, which has introduced A Minecraft Movie Meals with collectible toys and a new condiment, Nether Flame Sauce. NYX launched a limited-edition cosmetics collection inspired by the film, featuring playful designs and shades like “Oh She Baaahd.” Adidas released a clothing line inspired by the movie's visuals, including track suits and graphic tees. A LinkedIn poll invites fans to vote on their favorite collaboration.

AppWizard

April 10, 2025

Molasses Flood merges with CD Projekt Red

Boston-based developer The Molasses Flood has merged with CD Projekt Red, effective April 1st, ending its status as an independent entity. The studio will continue to support its previous games, including The Flame in the Flood and Drake Hollow. The Molasses Flood is currently working on Project Sirius, a multiplayer game set in The Witcher universe. Following the merger, founder Damian Isla announced his departure from the studio, reflecting on his decade-long journey and expressing gratitude for the experiences and relationships formed during his time there.

AppWizard

April 9, 2025

Brass Lion cuts 13 jobs

Brass Lion Entertainment has decided to part ways with 13 team members to realign their workforce amid game development challenges. The company acknowledged the contributions of the departing staff and named them, linking to their professional profiles to assist in finding new opportunities. Brass Lion encouraged the industry to consider these talented developers for available positions and expressed gratitude for their contributions.

Winsage

April 9, 2025

Exploitation of CLFS zero-day leads to ransomware activity

The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) and Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) identified a zero-day elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS), designated as CVE-2025-29824. This vulnerability has been exploited by the PipeMagic malware, attributed to the group Storm-2460, affecting organizations in various sectors across the U.S., Venezuela, Spain, and Saudi Arabia. Microsoft released security updates on April 8, 2025, to address this vulnerability. The exploit allows attackers with standard user privileges to escalate their access, and it was executed from a dllhost.exe process. The exploit utilizes memory corruption techniques and the RtlSetAllBits API to gain all privileges and inject processes into SYSTEM processes. Post-exploitation, the attackers injected a payload into winlogon.exe, leading to ransomware activity characterized by file encryption and the creation of ransom notes. Indicators of compromise include the creation of a CLFS BLF file at C:ProgramDataSkyPDFPDUDrv.blf, command lines associated with ransomware activities, and specific domains linked to PipeMagic. Microsoft advises applying security updates promptly and recommends strategies for mitigating ransomware threats, including enabling cloud-delivered protection and utilizing device discovery.