metaverse Archives

AppWizard

July 2, 2025

Hideo Kojima goes in hard on AI and is worried we’ll all ‘be unknowingly led into a predetermined lifestyle’

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach has been released on PlayStation 5, with a PC version expected. Hideo Kojima has expressed disappointment that playtesters found the game too enjoyable and has shared insights on the impact of technology on human connection. He believes that being "too connected" may not be beneficial and cautions against making decisions influenced by technology. Kojima emphasizes the importance of genuine human experiences and spontaneity, warning that excessive online connectivity could lead to a predetermined existence. He acknowledges the role of the Internet but urges reflection on how it is used. His views are echoed by a character in Death Stranding 2, encouraging players to consider their choices regarding technology. Kojima values physical experiences over virtual ones, highlighting the richness of real-world adventures.

AppWizard

May 30, 2025

Ready at Dawn and Ubisoft vets found new studio Atlantis

A new gaming venture, Atlantis Studio, has been formed by former employees from Ready at Dawn, Ubisoft, and Midgar Studio. It is led by Ru Weerasuriya, founder of Ready at Dawn, and writer Nico Augusto. Weerasuriya previously worked at Blizzard and was the studio head at Ready at Dawn until March 2025, after its acquisition by Meta. Atlantis Studio aims to create a collaborative environment for game development and will focus on titles for PC and console platforms using Unreal Engine 5.

AppWizard

May 7, 2025

Minecraft officially kills support for VR

Microsoft has discontinued support for virtual reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) in Minecraft with the release of Bedrock Edition version 1.21.80. This decision is part of a broader strategy to phase out its MR technology. Players can still use the Vivecraft mod to play Minecraft on Oculus or Windows MR devices, but this requires the original PC Java version of the game. Microsoft announced that VR/MR support would end after March 2025 and assured players that updates for the non-VR version would continue, along with access to Marketplace purchases.

AppWizard

February 21, 2025

“If we can do it… This will be something groundbreaking”: PUBG creator Brendan Greene is five years into making a 10,000km “realistic Minecraft” – but there’s still a decade to go

Brendan Greene, known for creating PUBG, is working on a new project called Prologue, which tests innovative terrain generation technology for his larger vision, Project Artemis. Prologue aims to refine machine learning algorithms that can produce over 4 billion unique map configurations. Greene acknowledges past leadership challenges but credits CTO Laurent Gorga for fostering a collaborative development approach. He estimates that achieving Project Artemis could take up to a decade and emphasizes the importance of Prologue's commercial success for securing resources. Greene envisions Project Artemis as a vast, player-driven universe, inspired by games like Minecraft and No Man's Sky, with a world measuring 10,000 square kilometers. He aims to create an environment where players can craft diverse experiences and distances himself from commercial interpretations of the Metaverse, focusing instead on genuine user-generated experiences.

TrendTechie

February 7, 2025

Торрент-империя Meta: Цукерберг подарил миру теневую библиотеку с 160 ТБ книг

Meta is alleged to have unlawfully used pirated books for training its AI models, downloading at least 81.7 terabytes of data from torrent sources, including 35.7 terabytes from Z-Library. Internal communications reveal employee concerns about the legality of downloading pirated content, while leadership reportedly obscured their activities and operated in "stealth mode." Plaintiffs are seeking renewed interrogations of Meta personnel, claiming previous testimonies were misleading, and asserting that Meta's copyright infringements may involve distribution of pirated books. Meta defends its actions as falling under "fair use" and intends to challenge the allegations. Additionally, Meta and its products are prohibited in the Russian Federation due to being designated as extremist.

BetaBeacon

February 7, 2025

The Meta Quest saw Wii-like growth in 2024, but that spells trouble for some games

Nintendo's shift to a Blue Ocean strategy with the Wii led to higher sales than competitors, attracting new gamers. Meta's Meta Quest platform is seeing a demographic shift, with more young users and a decrease in interest in AAA games. The platform is focusing more on free-to-play titles and social apps, leading to challenges for developers of big-budget games. Indie games are becoming more prominent on the platform, signaling a shift away from big-name titles.

AppWizard

December 12, 2024

Are Facebook, Instagram Down? Users report problems with Meta

Since 1 p.m. ET, users nationwide have reported outages affecting Facebook and Instagram, with over 105,000 reports for Facebook, 11,000 for Messenger, and 70,590 for Instagram by 1:20 p.m. ET. Most issues are linked to the mobile app, with 78 percent of Instagram users reporting app-related problems. Chicago is particularly affected, although reports come from various regions. Meta confirmed the outages, stating they are aware of the technical issues impacting user access and are working to resolve them. WhatsApp reported 8,234 outages, with 82 percent experiencing message-sending issues, while Threads had 892 outages, with 70 percent attributed to the app. This is not the first outage for Meta, which previously faced similar issues nine months ago.

AppWizard

October 17, 2024

The 2025 game release calendar is going to tower over this year with constant major launches

The gaming landscape is set for significant changes in 2025, with many new titles expected to be released. Notable upcoming games include Avowed, scheduled for February 18, 2025, alongside Civilization 7 and Assassin's Creed: Shadows on February 11, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. GTA 6 is anticipated for a 2025 launch, though no specific date has been confirmed. The January 2025 release schedule includes: - January 16: Assetto Corsa EVO (Steam) - January 16: Dynasty Warriors: Origins (Steam) - January 28: The Stone of Madness (Steam) - January 28: Warside (Steam) February 2025 releases include: - February 11: Civilization 7 (Steam) - February 11: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (Steam) - February 14: Assassin's Creed: Shadows (Epic) - February 14: Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered (Steam) - February 18: Avowed (Steam) - February 28: Monster Hunter Wilds (Steam) March 2025 will see: - March 4: Two Point Museum (Steam) - March 20: Atelier Yumia (Steam) - March 25: Tales of the Shire (Steam) Several games are generating interest without specific release dates, including Grand Theft Auto 6, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. Other notable upcoming games include Control 2, Fable, and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.

AppWizard

October 9, 2024

Epic detail plans for Unreal Engine 6 and share vision of a metaverse spanning “Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite”

Epic Games has experienced significant layoffs, with over 800 employees let go last year, but has since stabilized its finances. CEO Tim Sweeney acknowledged that the company's previous investment strategy for Fortnite was overly ambitious. Epic is now focusing on Unreal Engine 6, which aims to create an interoperable metaverse platform that allows developers to sell digital assets transferable across various games. The company plans to launch the Fab digital assets marketplace, enabling assets to be compatible with non-Unreal Engine games like Minecraft and Roblox. Sweeney emphasized the importance of seamless content movement for the metaverse's success. Epic is also collaborating with Disney to merge their universes and is involved in ongoing legal disputes with Google regarding Fortnite's mobile access.

AppWizard

October 8, 2024

Epic Games To Create Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox Metaverse

Epic Games aims to create an interoperable metaverse by integrating popular games like Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox, with the upcoming Unreal 6 gaming engine as a key component. CEO Tim Sweeney highlighted the importance of a game-agnostic digital assets marketplace for player interaction and investment in digital items. He noted the trend of players preferring games that allow them to engage with friends and invest in lasting digital goods. In 2022, Epic Games raised significant funding to support its metaverse ambitions and invested in metaverse infrastructure developer Hadean. Executive vice president Saxs Persson expressed a vision for seamless connectivity between different gaming platforms to enhance player engagement.