Noxcrew is a full game studio making content for Minecraft Marketplace

Minecraft’s Marketplace is growing fast enough that it has enabled several creators to focus on the platform as their full-time work. The Noxcrew team, which makes popular Marketplace content like Summer Mini-Games Festival, has taken that even further by employing the equivalent … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Killing Floor 2 gets endless mode in upcoming Infinite Onslaught add-on

Tripwire Interactive has maintained excitement for its cooperative Killing Floor 2 shooter through regular updates, and that is continuing with the Infinite Onslaught patch that is due out before the end of the month. This new content features a much requested endless mode and mo … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

AI-driven data could be the music industry’s best marketing instrument

GUEST: The music industry is learning a new rhythm through the instrument of artificial intelligence. AI is revolutionizing insights and business strategies and fine-tuning the way we work, connect, learn, and play around the world. Expected to become a $70 billion market by 2020 … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Blockchain, IoT, and the health data revolution (VB Live)

VB LIVE: The business potential of block technology unlock new business model use cases is huge. Join the latest VB Live event to learn about how the security offered by distributed ledger technologies is transforming businesses from IoT to healthcare and unlocking real ROI in br … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

MidBoss and GaymerX CEO exits after allegations of misconduct

GaymerX Foundation‘s Matt Conn has stepped down from his role as CEO of the nonprofit that runs a series of LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual) game events. He is also leaving the indie studio he founded, MidBoss, after a series of allegations ha … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Twitter to start banning cryptocurrency ads, joining Google and Facebook

Twitter, following in the footsteps of Google and Facebook, will now ban ads for ICOs and token sales. Reuters first reported the ban. A Twitter spokesperson told VentureBeat that the new policy will roll out starting tomorrow, and will be fully enforceable to all advertisers wit … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Microsoft brings Edge to Android tablets and iPads

Microsoft today launched its Edge browser for Android tablets and Apple’s iPads. You can download the app now directly from Google Play and Apple’s App Store. Microsoft launched a preview of Edge for Android and iOS in October and then released the app out of preview in November. … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

FCC plans to ban U.S. carriers from using federal money to buy Huawei or ZTE gear

On April 17, the FCC will vote on an proposal to stop U.S. phone carriers from using federal funds to buy Huawei or ZTE products or services, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced today. The proposal is an effort to stop small and rurally-focused carriers from using inexpensive but pot … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Blockchain Project aims to disrupt hedge fund investing

SPONSORED: Presented by CG Blockchain  According to Coinbase CEO, Brian Armstrong, “There is $10 billion of institutional money waiting on the sidelines to invest in digital currency.” However, considering the existing trading infrastructure and high demand, conventional investor … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Atari pressed the reset button on its Atari VCS game console

Atari made a lot of noise last year when it announced its Ataribox game console. But in December, just as it was about to launch its crowdfunding campaign and preorders for the box, it hit the pause button. The company postponed its preorders, and its project general manager Fear … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

FTC confirms Facebook investigation over data privacy concerns

Less than two weeks after allegations emerged that data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica improperly harvested user data from Facebook in 2014, the Federal Trade Commission announced today that it is investigating “substantial concerns” about the privacy practices of Facebook. T … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Nyriad and Advanced HPC unveil GPU-accelerated storage system

Nyriad has built resilient storage systems that are accelerated using graphics processing units (GPUs), and today it is unveiling one of those systems in partnership with Advanced HPC. These storage systems are built to handle such problems as the simultaneous removal or failure … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Tera brings high-speed MMORPG action to PS4 and Xbox One on April 3

En Masse Entertainment announced today that Tera is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on April 3. Tera is a free-to-play massive multiplayer online role-playing game. It focuses on fast-paced, real-time action. The PC version came out in 2011 and has over 25 million registered … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Spotify expects its paid subscriber ratio to hit 46% by the end of 2018

ANALYSIS: Spotify is ramping up a promotional push ahead of its initial public offering (IPO) next week by issuing its first ever stock market guidance for analysts and prospective investors. The music-streaming giant filed for its direct public listing on the New York Stock Exch … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Lenovo’s VR-ready Mirage Camera with 4K 3D video arrives May 4 for $300, preorders now open

Lenovo’s Mirage Camera, a portable VR-ready video camera with twin lenses and 4K recording capabilities, has finally received a firm price and release date. Originally announced in January, it will arrive on May 4, 2018 at a $300 MSRP. Preorders are now available on Amazon. The w … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Why Wooga is focusing on story-based hidden object games

Berlin’s Wooga rose to prominence in mobile games on the strength of casual games like Diamond Dash and Bubble Island. But the company had another round of layoffs in February as it decided to de-emphasize casual and focus on what has become its core strength: story-based hidden … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Apple reportedly launching video service around March 2019

Apple aims to launch its streaming video service as soon as March of next year, or roughly around the summer of 2019, the New York Times reports today. Run by a team formerly from Sony’s TV division, the Apple Worldwide Video studio now has around 40 employees overseeing shows an … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Facebook expands its local news prioritization efforts globally

As Facebook continues to fire-fight the fallout from the data harvesting exploits of Cambridge Analytica, the social network giant is getting back to basics today with the global expansion of an algorithm update it hopes will help foster a stronger community spirit among its user … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Uber’s merger with Grab in Southeast Asia lets it focus on core markets elsewhere

Uber’s great global consolidation exercise continues today with the news that the ride-hailing giant is merging its Southeast Asian operations with local etaxi rival Grab. This news had been rumored for some time, but we now have more details of what the transaction entails. Grab … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Far Cry 5 review — it’s about filling in the gaps

REVIEW: If you’ve ever had a faux Christmas tree, then you know that they are exactly like video games. OK — maybe that needs an explanation. With a fake Christmas tree, you have to get into each branch and fluff out the individual limbs to fill in the gaps to make the “tree” loo … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Facebook logged phone call and SMS metadata via opt-in features

(Reuters) — Facebook, responding to reports in some technology industry media that it has been logging users’ call and text history without their permission, said in a statement on Sunday that the function “has always been opt-in only.” The social media site said that when the fe … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

3 steps to getting started with supply chain AI

GUEST: The modern global supply chain is defined by scale — billions of transactions and terabytes of data across multiple systems, with businesses generating more every moment. Traditional supply chain management (SCM) practices are quickly becoming outmatched by the ceaseless o … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Vacation Simulator hands-on — Owlchemy Labs takes a jolly holiday

It’s been almost two years since the Rift and Vive launched, and to this day Job Simulator is still one of the first things I always stick new VR users in. The combination of a whimsical setting, with simple controls, and quirky gameplay makes it the perfect balance of engaging a … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

When consumer packaged goods start acting like software

GUEST: Historically, consumer packaged goods (CPG) were designed to be sold in a brick-and-mortar retail environment — in packaging flashy enough to catch a consumer’s eyes while presenting the right information to compel a purchase. But packaging doesn’t need to sell the product … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

15 arguments against taxing cryptocurrency trades

GUEST: Last year, Congress passed a law treating every crypto-to-crypto trade as a taxable event. That’s a mistake. Cryptocurrencies are too novel, fraught, and susceptible to unintended consequences to be taxed the same way as stocks and precious metals are. Here are 15 reasons … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Ninja Theory’s masterful Hellblade will debut on Xbox One on April 11

Ninja Theory announced that it will publish Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice on the Xbox One and Enhanced for Xbox One X on April 11. The game debuted last summer on the PC, and it was my favorite title of the year. Hellblade captures the journey of its main character, Senua, into a … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Best Fiends boss Andrew Stalbow: When a hit turns into a brand

Andrew Stalbow, CEO of Seriously, knows that the stakes are getting high in the $48 billion mobile game business. Every company is zeroing in on keeping players engaged with fewer, better, and stronger titles. Stalbow’s biggest hit is Best Fiends, and the Helsinki company has gon … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

IGDA interview: Jen MacLean is relaunching game developers group

Boston area game developer Jen MacLean was named interim executive director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) in September, and her appointment became permanent in February. Now she’s starting to put her own imprint on the 30,000-member game developer’s grou … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

VR is a great destination, not a mere pit stop to AR

If you’ve spent any time reading about virtual reality and augmented reality, you’ve certainly encountered some variation on this phrase: “VR is only a stepping stone to AR.” Just this past week, Epic Games’ chief Tim Sweeney called AR “a superset of VR.” The implication is that … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Fortnite is huge due to consoles, but it exists because of PC

Fortnite is one of those games that forces someone like me — someone who is supposed to see trends coming — to recalibrate. All through 2017, I was playing and enjoying PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and I also loved writing about it because I understood it. It’s a lot easier to … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Oculus Go hands-on: going lean

One of the very first things I did in Oculus Go was lean. I was playing Settlers of Catan at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and where the Experiment 7 studio demonstrating cross-play from Rift to Oculus Go. There was a person sitting to my right in VR, and I ins … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Creed: Rise to Glory hands-on — Friday night at the fights

It feels like we’ve seen a lot of VR boxing games. From Thrill of the Fight and Soundboxing to Knockout League and now an officially licensed Creed: Rise to Glory VR game in partnership with MGM Interactive, the Sweet Science is in and popping right now. While I’ve never personal … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

The wrong way to do AI: A big rollout

GUEST: IBM Watson’s 2011 debut stunned the world by defeating some of Jeopardy’s finest champions. Seven years later, Watson’s greatest achievement is, err, still that Jeopardy win oh so many years ago. The Watson launch was a mass market striptease that had the world in awe of t … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

It’s time for companies to ditch big corporate campuses

GUEST: There’s an unspoken rule that virtually every startup in the last two decades seems to have followed: once they start hiring more people, they lease or build bigger offices. Just ask commercial real estate brokers, for whom tech growth since 2010 has created an unquenchabl … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

It’s time to regulate: The U.S. must make software companies liable for breaches

GUEST: The software industry has failed to sufficiently protect the public from data theft and misuse. It’s time for the U.S. government to get serious about regulation. Last year, multiple U.S. government agencies established guidelines for improved cybersecurity hygiene. In May … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Investigators raid Cambridge Analytica’s London offices

(Reuters) — Investigators from Britain’s data watchdog searched the London offices of Cambridge Analytica, the data analytics firm at the center of a storm over | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Why Apple cares about mobile game developers

If you build it, they will come. For years, it seemed didn’t really embrace the game developers who flocked to the iPhone and filled the App Store with games that consumers downloaded by the billions. After all, Apple’s aim was to get all consumers, not just gamers. But during th … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

iOS game developers tell why they favor iPhone exclusives over fragmented Android

Many mobile game developers launch their titles on both iOS and Android at the same time. But there’s a batch of talented iOS game makers who prefer creating exclusives on Apple’s platform. They think that Android’s fragmentation makes it too hard to do simultaneous launches. In … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Budget Cuts brings its VR robot mayhem to Oculus and Steam on May 16

For more than two years Sweden-based Neat Corporation has been working to turn its robot-killing VR demo Budget Cuts into a fully fledged game with hours of entertainment. We just left the first demo of the game at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and learned how c … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview with Cortana Show Me

Microsoft today released a new Windows 10 preview for PCs, the third this week, with Cortana Show Me. This build is from the RS4 branch, which represents the next Windows 10 update the company has yet to announce (but is expected to ship in April). There is no new build from the … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Rami Ismail’s 1ReasonToBe remains uplifting despite visa troubles

Every year at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Rami Ismail‘s panel #1ReasonToBe showcases diverse voices from around the world. This year, the specter of visa rejections hung heavy in the room, a stark reminder that not everyone has access to one of the industry’s … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Facebook may have a ‘determining role’ in genocide and must be regulated

GUEST: Imagine if an agency came into your neighborhood and starting inquiring about each person’s gender and race, religion, and moral beliefs, political affiliations, social likes and dislikes, who every person’s friends were, what they talked about, and the most intimate detai … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

PUBG Corp. shows off smaller map, which hits public testing in April

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds got its second map in December, and while I don’t mind it, a lot of outspoken fans hate it. Developer PUBG Corp. revealed last month that it is responding to that criticism with a third, smaller map. And now, as PUBG celebrates one year since it debu … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

AI Weekly: For the sake of us all, AI practitioners need a Hippocratic oath

Last week at SXSW, renowned futurist Amy Webb rolled out her 2018 Tech Trends Report, which focused heavily on artificial intelligence. China plans to become the world leader in AI by 2030, but Webb’s presentation warned that the nation, spurred on by heavy investment and the big … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

In Far Cry 5, you heal your dog by petting him

All dogs go to heaven, except for Boomer. Far Cry 5‘s faithful canine companion is just like the real thing — he plays fetch (with guns) and protects his humans (from cultists) — but with one important difference: he never have to die. If your furry friend every gets injured in b … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

How to keep AI from dulling your brain

GUEST: Artificial intelligence is becoming so ingrained in our society that many of us can’t imagine living without it. The most interesting thing about this phenomenon is that because major tech companies have seamlessly enabled AI in many of the apps we use every day, we don’t … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

Saga lands $30 million to create a new breed of stable cryptocurrency

The creation of a stable cryptocurrency is a challenge many blockchain startups are rising to, using various methodologies. The latest entrant is Saga, which just landed $30 million to fund the creation of a new, stable cryptocurrency — with a few tricks up its sleeve. The first … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago

PlayerUnknown Brendan Greene points to PUBG’s future after its smashing first year

In exactly one year since launching on Steam in Early Access, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) has shipped more than 40 million units. That’s an astounding record, and no one is more than PlayerUnknown himself, Brendan Greene. Greene recounted his journey from an ARMA modder … | Continue reading


@venturebeat.com | 6 years ago