News of the Week; October 17, 2018

GAMES

1. John Carmack and ZeniMax have ended their legal dispute
2. Epic sues YouTubers for using and selling Fortnite cheats
3. Epic Games files suit against YouTubers over Fortnite cheats: Lawsuit alleges defendants promoted cheats in videos, violating copyright and terms of use
4. Epic sues two YouTubers over Fortnite cheats: Brandon Lucas and Colton Conter stand accused of promoting and selling cheats for the hit game
5. Fortnite, GTA V hackers face legal action for online cheating
6. GTA V cheaters’ assets frozen following Australian court ruling
7. Epic Games Likely DMCA’d Its Own Fortnite Trailer, Showing The Problems With YouTube’s DMCA Process Yet Again
8. Fortnite’s Android version is no longer invite-only
9. GTA cheat developers have assets frozen in crackdown: Australian federal court approves search and seizure orders against creators of “Infamous” cheat
10. Developers drag Rockstar over 100-hour weeks on Red Dead Redemption 2: Where studio management sees dedication, creators from across the AAA and indie spectrum see mismanagement, abuse
11. Dan Houser: “We have some senior people who work very hard purely because they’re passionate” – Rockstar co-founder provides additional context to earlier statement about “100-hour weeks” on Red Dead Redemption 2
12. Former Rockstar and Telltale dev says “time for change” on crunch culture: Job J. Stauffer recalls harsh work culture on GTA IV, cites “dozens” of other devs with similar experiences
13. Crunch isn’t required, claims Rockstar co-founder after 100-hour weeks comment
14. How the West Was Digitized: The making of Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2.
15. Sega reports ‘long overtime’ hours cut by 80%
16. Sega credits strong localizations for jump in worldwide game sales
17. Rockstar debacle prompts devs to spotlight their crunch-free games
18. Valve under investigation by Brazilian government over violent political game
19. Brazilian government opens investigation into Valve, Steam, and developers behind Bolsomito 2k18: Game features character based on Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro punching minorities with the aim of purging “the evils of communism”
20. German regulator warns Outfit 7 and Green Tea Games over in-app purchases: Consumer protection body concerned by how studios are targeting minors with microtransactions priced at up to €109.99
21. Discord’s problem: Which Nazi group were you reporting again? – A year after promising to take action against all forms of hate, gaming-focused communication platform’s follow-through is lacking
22. Discord Store enters global open beta: Service launches with 23 store titles, new Nitro subscription service
23. China’s new game approval process could hurt indies most – Vicarious: CEO of PR firm specializing in bringing Chinese titles to the West talks about potential knock-on effects of new regulatory system
24. China’s Huawei thinks it can capture Switch market…with a $1,000 phone
25. The Witcher Saga: the author’s quest for additional royalties from video game developer 
26. Starlink: Is this Christmas’ riskiest video game? – In a period awash with major sequels, Ubisoft’s Starlink is the only new IP coming out. Can it survive?
27. Ubisoft to partner with EGAL at UC Berkeley to research industry diversity: Company to provide support and research materials for MBA student projects
28. Ubisoft issues call for third season of incubator program at Station F: Blockchain, AI technology start-ups encouraged to apply for six-month support program at Paris campus
29. Ubisoft Massive COO: “We don’t want to take a stance in current politics” – Speaking during Sweden Game Conference 2018, Alf Condelius discusses the separation of games and politics with The Division
30. Ubisoft Joins Blockchain Game Alliance as Publishers Anticipate Death of the Video Game Console
31. Ubisoft has a free-to-play mobile Assassin’s Creed game on the way
32. Sega’s Genesis (and more) get an HDMI upgrade with the Mega Sg: $190 FPGA-powered hardware also supports Master System, Game Gear, and more.
33. The Xbox Tanker is turning: It takes years for a console platform to win back hearts and minds, but Xbox is finally getting there; now it needs to find and promote its unique difference
34. Microsoft has pulled the plug on Minecraft’s Apple TV version
35. Microsoft kills support for Minecraft on Apple TV: “We need to reallocate resources to the platforms that our players use the most,” says Microsoft
36. Creators Going Pro: Gary ‘RageElixir’ Yong Has Built A Top ‘Minecraft’ Channel By Seizing Opportunities
37. Bethesda Softworks opens new office to expand global operations
38. Bethesda teams up with West Virginia Tourism Office forFallout 76 promo
39. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 more anticipated this holiday than Red Dead Redemption 2 – Nielsen’s season interest rankings also show hype for Spider-Man, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Super Mario Party
40. Call of Duty children’s hoodies are a “consequence of success”: Activision Blizzard exec Philippe Bost assures that official merchandise is only ever targeted at adults
41. Players are exploiting Black Ops 4 emotes to peek around corners
42. Starlink: Battle for Atlas review: Cool toys, solid spacefaring
43. Report: Blizzard considering bringing cross-platform play to Diablo 3
44. Educational games startup Kahoot valued at $300 million: Valuation follows $15.4 million in fundraising, company’s worth has tripled in seven months
45. War Child UK partners with Bandai Namco on 11-11: Memories Retold: “Together we can work to end the suffering of children caught in the violence of war,” says Elijah Wood, star of 11-11: Memories Retold
46. Bandai Namco agrees to European distribution deal forCyberpunk 2077
47. The uphill battle of getting Katamari Damacy noticed by Namco
48. Conde Nast owner Advance buys majority stake in market researcher Newzoo
49. Blog: Working with local devs to gain experience in games user research
50. Panic Button and the search for “design fun”: GM Adam Creighton shares how the studio hailed for Switch ports approaches broadening its portfolio, tackling hardware challenges, and accessibility
51. “It felt like the reality of the world was fighting against this game”: Greg Lobanov talks about trying to make the relentlessly positive Wandersong during relentlessly turbulent times
52. Roblox acquires PacketZoom: Mobile performance improvement start-up will bring its technology to MMO studio as it pursues international growth
53. Fighting Esports Group closes $15m funding round
54. Ninja Continues Bid To Take Gaming Mainstream With ‘Ellen’ Appearance
55. The Division developer: Politics in games are ‘bad for business’
56. Feel better about your PlayStation VR with sweet new games Astro Bot, Firewall
57. ‘Astro Bot’ Ranked 6th Best PS4 Game of 2018, #1 PSVR Game of All Time
58. Sony has fixed the messaging bug that’s been crashing PS4s
59. VR design principles in RIGS: Mechanized Combat League
60. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: ‘Oculus Quest Completes Company’s First-Gen Lineup’
61. Facebook is testing a mobile app for watching Facebook Gaming streams
62. Magic Leap wants to avoid a takeover and go public: CEO Ronny Abovitz believes an IPO would be “the best thing for the creative community”
63. The Magic Leap Con
64. Cloudhead’s The Gallery crowned game of the year at VR Awards 2018: Meanwhile, HTC takes home the gong for best headset with Vive Pro
65. CVAA Compliance Waiver for Video Games Set to Expire in December 2018
66. How Landfall Games finds the fun in physics engines
67. Q&A: Inside the tools and techniques used to build The Crew 2’s open world
68. Blog: Self-determination theory and player affect
69. Ars on your lunch break: This is your brain on video games
70. Loot Crate now offers a monthly indie game subscription service 
71. Loot Crate launches monthly indie game subscription: Loot Play subscribers will get five games each month for $10, but only one will be revealed before launch
72. Video Game Monetization (e.g., ‘Loot Boxes’): a Blueprint for Practical Social Responsibility Measures (Daniel Luke King & Paul H. Delfabbro)
73. What developers say Apple needs to do to make the Apple TV a gaming console
74. Why Paradox is bringing visual editing tools to its next engine update
75. Canceled version of a Shenmue HD remaster shows what could’ve been
76. Video: BioWare’s postmortem look at the making of Star Wars: The Old Republic
77. National Videogame Museum to open in Sheffield this November 

DIGITAL

1. Twitter releases archive of 10 million tweets from state-backed troll accounts: Over 9 million of those originated from Russian-backed accounts 
2. Twitter Offers Up Semi-Public Database of Known State-Sponsored Accounts 
3. New research suggests Twitter’s strategy for fighting misinformation is ineffective 
4. Twitter Under Formal Investigation for How It Tracks Users in the GDPR Era
5. Netflix Reminds Everyone That The Internet Isn’t A Broadcast Medium With New Choose Your Own Adventure Shows
6. Why is a Lisbon soccer team trying to unmask Portuguese bloggers in US court?
7. Facebook Portal’s claims to protect user privacy are falling apart
8. Here’s how to see if you’re among the 30 million compromised Facebook users
9. Facebook confirms 30 million people had personal data stolen in breach
10. Advertisers allege Facebook hid the fact that no one watches video ads
11. Help Wired Track How Political Ads Target You On Facebook
12. How to Do Everything But Delete Your Facebook Profile 
13. Facebook Tempts Political Backlash With Massive Purge of 810 Pages and Accounts
14. Already facing an uphill misinformation fight, Facebook loses to scammers, too
15. Please Don’t Post Your Potentially Felonious Crimes to Facebook
16. A New Facebook Lawsuit Makes ‘Pivot To Video’ Seem Even More Shortsighted
17. Facebook Now Dominates YouTube For Video Content. Here’s How Brands Should Respond
18. Looking beyond Facebook and Instagram, DTC brands try Snapchat
19. Amazon patents Alexa tech to tell if you’re sick, depressed and sell you meds
20. Amazon launches online store featuring ‘Shark Tank’ products 
21. Amazon overtakes Microsoft to top intangible value ranking; research calls for “revolution” in accounting
22. Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, dies at 65
23. Paul Allen—Microsoft co-founder, Seahawks owner, and space pioneer—dies at 65
24. PC market flat, as Surface becomes a top-5 computer brand in the US
25. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki Addresses Continuing Concerns About Conspiratorial Content, Says Platform “Is In A Much Better Place” 
26. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki: Despite Its Problems, YouTube Is Growing Up 
27. Creators In YouTube’s Partner Program Can Now Be Kicked Out For Posting “Duplicative Content”
28. YouTube is cracking down on creators who post duplicated content: Changes to YouTube’s Partner Program are afoot 
29. Mamrie Hart And Grace Helbig YouTube Show ‘This Might Get’ Gets Axed, But Will Live On As A Podcast
30. After $5 billion EU antitrust fine, Google will start charging for Android apps
31. Google’s YouTube suffers a major outage
32. Google Is Finally Ready To Talk About Its Chinese Search Engine 
33. Google Chief Sundar Pichai Explains Early-Stage China Plans
34. Senators to Google: Why didn’t you disclose Google+ vulnerability sooner?
35. The Good Censor Document Shows Google Struggling With The Challenges Of Content Moderation
36. Chinese Professor Argues Google Should Launch A Censored Search Engine In China
37. Report: Former top Waymo engineer altered code to go on “forbidden routes”
38. Creators Face Brief Existential Crisis Amid Temporary YouTube Outage 
39. Pioneering YouTuber Gigi Gorgeous Has Penned A Memoir About Her Transgender Journey
40. YouTube Premium Moves Forward With Logan Paul Film 10 Months After Suicide Controversy 
41. This 2-Year-Old’s YouTube Cooking Tutorials Are Scoring Hundreds Of Thousands Of Views
42. Former YouTube Exec Launches Incubator Initiative For Education Creators 
43. WarnerMedia To Launch Streaming Service In 2019, Comprising Content From HBO, Warner Bros., More
44. Fullscreen Offers Advertisers New ‘Shield’ Tool To Ensure Brand Safety 
45. Uber CEO backs out of Saudi conference after suspected state-sanctioned murder of Washington Post journalist
46. Anand Giridharadas On Saudi Money And Silicon Valley Hypocrisy
47. Turkish Paper Claims Evidence of Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder Was Transmitted by His Apple Watch
48. Apple Will Reportedly Make Original Video Programming Free For All Device Owners
49. Apple Acquires Music-Analytics Startup Asaii
50. Mixcloud and Universal Music Announce Multi-Year Licensing Deal
51. Portal A, Kevin Hart, ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Honored At First ‘Streamys Brand Awards’
52. Jay Shetty To Host 2nd Annual ‘Streamys Purpose Awards’, Followed By Creator Summit On Mental Health
53. The Rise of the Influencer: Advertising Standards Agency release clear guidance for ‘Influencers’- #AD not #Spon? 
54. Jeffrey Katzenberg Announces Shortform Subscription Service’s Name, Confirms Deals With Guillermo Del Toro, Antoine Fuqua, Jason Blum
55. Snap could go private if it can’t get people to stay on its app for longer, analyst says
56. Snapchat Just Released A Meme-Filled Set Of Lenses For Cats
57. You Have No Idea What Artificial Intelligence Really Does: The world of AI is full of hype and deception.
58. Art, AI & Infringement: A Copyright Conundrum
59. A Shortage Of Trained Job-Seekers Is Holding AI Back
60. Roborace wants the future of racing to be AI plus humans, working together 
61. The Boston Dynamics Robot Atlas Is Now A Parkour Master
62. Glimpse: Man’s Best Friend, Forever? We May Love Robot Dogs As Much As the Real Thing
63. Cryptocurrencies “on the brink of an implosion” – Juniper: Research firm sees further falls likely with market cap of blockchain currencies already 75% down within the last year
64. Cryptocurrencies Just Plummeted $13 Billion in Value Over the Course of a Few Hours
65. Reports: Crypto Is A Threat To Your Savings Account, But Not World Markets
66. Everything You Wanted to Know About Blockchain in One Infographic 
67. NBA & NextVR Announce 2018-19 VR Livestream Lineup
68. Internet Relay Chat turns 30—and we remember how it changed our lives
69. Palm rises from the dead as a zombie brand, launches tiny smartphone
70. Disrupting the Reaper: Tech Titans’ Quest for Immortality Rages Forward – Silicon Valley’s war on death continues—as does the uncomfortable, spreading psychology of those rich enough to fight it. 
71. Goodbye NAFTA, Hello USMCA: A New Framework for Investment, IP and the Digital Economy
72. The Full “Culture Exception” That Isn’t: Why Canada Caved on Independent Cultural Policy in the USMCA (Michael Geist)
73. Tech firms to SEC: We want the option to pay non-employee workers in equity
74. What do we actually know about the risks of screen time and digital media? 

CREATIVITY

1. Woman who bought shredded Banksy artwork will go through with purchase: Buyer of Girl With Balloon, who paid £1.04m for work, says she has her ‘own piece of art history’
2. Banksy’s Self-Destructing “Love Is In the Bin” – A Good Reminder of the Moral Rights of Authors
3. Star Wars Writer Chuck Wendig Claims Marvel Fired Him for ‘Vulgarity’ and ‘Too Much Politics’ On His Social Media
4. Stairway To Heaven Is Not Blurred Lines
5. Can’t Wish Away The Mistakes In The Original ‘Stairway To Heaven’ Verdict
6. PEN America Sues Donald Trump For 1st Amendment Violations In Attacking The Press
7. Another Critic Of Egypt’s Government Gets Hit With ‘Fake News’ Charges
8. One of the Screenwriters of the Original AladdinHas a Big Complaint About the Remake
9. Will mass copyright infringement litigation slow?
10. We regret to inform you that America is now at war with The View
11. Will Donald Trump Support A Federal Anti-SLAPP Law Now That It’s Helped Him Win Stormy Daniels’ Defamation Suit?
12. Warner Media Opposes Trademark Filed By Actual ‘Wicked Witch’ Over Its Wizard Of Oz Trademarks
13. A Modern Melody for the Music Industry: The Music Modernization Act Is Now the Law of the Land
14. Zen Studios alters classic pinball art to protect family-friendly rating [Updated]
15. Boeing Accused Of Covert, Coordinated Op-Ed Smear Campaign Against Space X
16. African Nations Rife With Illegitimate Collection Societies: Nigeria Files Criminal Complaint Against COSON

MEDIA, COMMUNICATIONS & NET NEUTRALITY

1. Up to 9.5 million net neutrality comments were made with stolen identities 
2. 99.7% Of Original Comments Opposed FCC Repeal Of Net Neutrality
3. Oh Look, The FCC Is Lying Again In Its Latest Court Filings On Net Neutrality
4. FCC tells court it has no “legal authority” to impose net neutrality rules
5. Comcast complains it will make less money under Calif. net neutrality law
6. Washington State Laughs At Federal Attack On State Net Neutrality Laws 
7. 34 State AGs Demand The FCC Do More To End Annoying Robocalls
8. Stop Working for Fox News
9. AT&T to launch streaming service after $85b Time Warner purchase
10. DOJ Continues To Point Out A Mega-Merged AT&T Will Jack Up Prices On Everybody
11. WarnerMedia To Launch Streaming Service In 2019, Comprising Content From HBO, Warner Bros., More
12. USMCA Impact on Communications Industries
13. Widespread Cable, Internet, and Radio Outages Mark Hurricane Michael’s Path of Destruction
14. Ajit Pai slams carriers for slow restoration of cell service after hurricane
15. Verizon fiber suffered “unprecedented” damage from Hurricane Michael
16. Wall Street Quietly Warns That 5G Wireless Is Being Aggressively Over-hyped

SURVEILLANCE & PRIVACY

1. Canadian Privacy Commissioner Goes To Court To Determine If Canada Can Force Google To Delete History
2. 21-year-old who created powerful RAT software sentenced to 30 months
3. Another Massive Credit Reporting Database Breached By Criminals
4. Vizio Customers Get A Pittance In Settlement Over Snooping Televisions
5. Winter is coming: Preparing for Canada’s new mandatory federal data breach regulations
6. Does Canadian Privacy Law Apply to Google Search? (Michael Geist)
7. Apple to Australia: “This is no time to weaken encryption”
8. New Internet of Things (IoT) NIST Draft Publication Provides Welcomed Guidance 
9. ‘Do Not Track,’ the Privacy Tool Used by Millions of People, Doesn’t Do Anything
10. Ancestry Sites Could Soon Expose Nearly Anyone’s Identity, Researchers Say
11. Creeps Will Soon Be Able To Find Almost Anyone On Genealogy Sites
12. IBM Built A Menacing Black Truck For “Cybersecurity Incident Response”
13. If Supermicro boards were so bug-ridden, why would hackers ever need implants?

Jon