strategic shift Archives

AppWizard

July 17, 2025

Codev giant Virtuos making layoffs

Virtuos is reducing its workforce by approximately seven percent, equating to around 300 positions. The layoffs will primarily impact its Asian operations, with 200 employees affected, 70 roles in Europe, and fewer than ten positions in France. The company aims to realign its global capabilities to enhance high-value co-development services. Virtuos will provide separation pay, job placement assistance, and opportunities for affected employees within its network. This decision reflects broader job cuts in the gaming industry, as seen with Microsoft's recent layoffs.

AppWizard

July 17, 2025

Beeper Updated With On-Device Accounts, Support for End-to-End Encryption

Beeper has merged with Texts.com under Automattic and now allows users to access chats from multiple services like WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and Google Chat. The platform is shifting to support on-device accounts for enhanced privacy and will eventually discontinue support for Beeper Cloud accounts. On-device accounts provide end-to-end encryption without storing personal information on cloud servers. Users can set up on-device accounts for platforms including WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Google Chat, Messenger, Signal, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter), with support for Discord and Slack coming soon. Beeper has a subscription model with the Beeper Plus plan at .99 per month, offering features like support for multiple accounts, message scheduling, and voice message transcription. There is also a "Beeper Plus Plus" plan for .99 per month, providing unlimited account support. Existing users can access 12 accounts for free, and early backers receive free permanent access to Beeper Plus features.

Winsage

July 15, 2025

Microsoft to Freeze Microsoft 365 Features on Windows 10 in 2026, Pushing Users to Windows 11 Upgrade

Microsoft will stop delivering new features for Microsoft 365 applications on Windows 10 starting in August 2026, while continuing to provide security updates until October 2028. Users on the Current Channel will be the first affected, followed by those on the Monthly and Semi-Annual Enterprise Channels in October 2026 and January 2027, respectively. After these dates, all Windows 10 devices will only receive essential security patches. Microsoft is encouraging users to upgrade to Windows 11, which will have exclusive new features, while Windows 10 will remain secure but stagnant. Windows 10 will reach its end of support on October 14, 2025, after which users will need to pay for Extended Security Updates.

AppWizard

July 14, 2025

DICE and Goodbye Kansas vet Loving takes over LEGO game arm

Fredrik Loving has been appointed as the Senior Vice President and global head of LEGO's gaming division. He previously served as president at Spin Master for over five years and has experience at Rovio and DICE, where he worked on the Battlefield franchise. Loving founded Goodbye Kansas in 2017 but left after two years. LEGO is shifting its video games division in-house, moving away from reliance on licensing agreements.

Tech Optimizer

July 1, 2025

Fluent Commerce’s approach to near-zero downtime Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL upgrade at 32 TB scale using snapshots and AWS DMS ongoing replication

Fluent Commerce utilizes Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition as its OLTP database engine to manage complex customer search queries. The company migrated to AWS Graviton instances to enhance performance and cost-efficiency, requiring a major version upgrade from Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible 10.14 to 12.4 or higher. The migration involved upgrading over 350 production databases, some as large as 32 TB, using AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) and various upgrade strategies to minimize downtime. The migration process included configuring replication slots, creating snapshots, and validating data between source and target databases. AWS DMS was chosen for its cost-effectiveness, seamless integration with AWS services, and capabilities for ongoing data replication with minimal downtime. The cutover process involved updating application configurations, managing sequence numbers, and ensuring optimal performance through vacuuming and analyzing tables.

AppWizard

June 24, 2025

MindsEye maker BARB confirms it is making layoffs

Build A Rocket Boy has announced a reduction in its workforce following the launch of its game, MindsEye. The company confirmed it has begun making certain staff members redundant but did not disclose the number of affected employees. They are seeking to reassign roles for impacted employees and have initiated a formal consultation process that may lead to further redundancies. The studio expressed its commitment to handle the situation with transparency and respect for employees, stating they will provide further details in the coming weeks. The decision aims to allow the company to focus on ongoing updates and performance optimizations for MindsEye and ensure its long-term success.

Winsage

June 23, 2025

Linux users are finally realizing what it takes to help others make the switch

Microsoft will cease all support for Windows 10 on October 14, including software and security updates. In response, advocates have launched the End of 10 website to assist users transitioning to Linux, highlighting advantages such as no new hardware costs, enhanced privacy, environmental benefits, community support, and greater user control. The Linux community, including organizations like GNOME and Debian, supports this initiative, emphasizing local community resources for users. Despite its appeal, Linux remains intimidating for many, but distributions like Ubuntu and Pop!_OS aim to create user-friendly environments. Valve's Proton has improved gaming on Linux, allowing users to play thousands of games easily. Linux powers a wide range of devices beyond desktops, and while not every user may switch, the community's efforts are increasing its adoption as an alternative to Windows 10.

AppWizard

June 22, 2025

Almost a year after launch, Frost Giant’s StarCraft wannabe has finally added the feature it’s named after: ‘We called the game Stormgate, yet we didn’t actually have any stormgates’

Stormgate faced skepticism upon launch due to its aesthetics, narrative, and gameplay mechanics, which some players felt lacked polish. The game had limited single-player missions and a push for additional purchases. Developer Frost Giant has since overhauled the campaign, introducing a new feature called Stormgates, which are dimensional rifts on 1v1 maps that provide randomized rewards affecting gameplay dynamics. Examples of rewards include the Soulforge Relic, Sky Hunters, Void Prowlers, Swarm Mother, and Stormcaller Relic. These elements significantly impact match strategy, prompting players to adapt their tactics. Frost Giant is replacing traditional creep camps with Stormgates based on community feedback, and while creep camps have been removed from three ladder maps, they remain in other custom settings. The Stormgates are now integrated into 1v1 gameplay, with plans for expansion into other modes.

AppWizard

June 13, 2025

Google to Sunset Android Instant Apps by End of 2025 Due to Low Usage

Google has announced plans to phase out the Instant Apps feature by December 2025 due to low usage and engagement levels. Instant Apps, launched in 2017, allowed users to access lightweight app versions without installation but struggled to gain widespread adoption. A warning message in Android Studio confirmed the discontinuation, stating that Instant Apps support will be removed, and all related APIs will no longer function. Google aims to invest in more effective tools for app discovery, as developers are increasingly using alternatives that align better with user behavior.

AppWizard

June 7, 2025

Elon Musk Confirms New ‘XChat’ Messaging Option Rolling Out This Week

Elon Musk announced the rollout of a new feature called “XChat” for select X Premium subscribers, set to reach all paying users within a week. XChat includes enhanced messaging features such as full encryption by default, vanishing messages, the ability to send file attachments, and audio/video calls without a phone number. The service is built using "Rust with (Bitcoin style) encryption.” Musk envisions integrating messaging with financial transactions, aiming to launch X Payments later this year, similar to WeChat's model in China. Despite challenges in attracting Western consumers to comprehensive platforms, Musk's experience in payments may help make XChat appealing. The updated XChat begins its rollout this week, subject to potential scaling issues.