Fresh off its legal victory in the years-long courtroom battle with Apple, Epic Games is getting ready to relaunch “Fortnite” in the App Store with a Rewards program offer that encourages people to use its own payment option rather than the iPhone maker’s system. Gamers who make purchases in “Fortnite,” “Rocket League” or “Fall Guys” using Epic’s payment system will get 20 percent credited back as Epic Rewards. The global offer for those in-game purchases is good in perpetuity, whether made using iOS, Android, a PC or the Web, as long as Epic’s payment system is used. Continue reading Epic Games Rewarding Players for Using Its Payment System

Former Bungie developers have formed teamLFG, a PlayStation studio housed within Sony Interactive Entertainment. Hermen Hulst, CEO of the Sony Interactive Entertainment Studio Business Group, said teamLFG has “rallied developers from across the industry to bring to life an ambitious incubation project” that the company is “very excited about.” The first game from teamLFG will see players inhabit “a lighthearted, comedic world set in brand-new, mythic, science-fantasy universe,” the principals hinted, noting it was a multiplayer actioner “that draws inspiration from fighting games, platformers, MOBAs, life sims, and frog-type games.” Continue reading Sony Interactive Spins Out New PlayStation Studio teamLFG

Apple had a legal setback last week when a federal judge in California ruled in favor of Epic Games, which sued the tech giant for violating a court order to stop demanding commission fees for purchases outside of the Apple App Store. In a ruling last week, Apple was found to be in “willful violation” of a 2021 injunction prohibiting it from anticompetitive practices involving pricing. U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers went so far as to refer the case to prosecutors for a possible criminal investigation. Apple has already filed a notice of appeal. Continue reading Stakes Escalate for Apple as Epic Scores Lower Court Victory

LG has revealed more information about its 2025 premium QNED evo lineup of LCD smart TVs in sizes ranging from 50 to 100 inches. QNED evo is the branding for LG’s 2025 LCD and LED TVs, which compete in the mid-range and high-end with models from Samsung, Hisense and TCL. The new QNED9M, the first LG QNED TV able to transmit audio and video wirelessly using LG’s True Wireless technology, allowing set-top boxes and gaming devices to be placed away from the TV for a clutter-free look and easier wall mounting. Last week LG announced it was adding direct access to Xbox gaming to its webOS portal. Continue reading LG’s 2025 QNED TVs Feature Mini-LED and a Wireless Model

The Walt Disney Company, which last year invested $1.5 billion in Epic Games and its “Fortnite” online gaming franchise, has unveiled plans for what is being called its biggest “Star Wars” collaboration with the platform “Fortnite: Galactic Battle.” Rolling out beginning May 2, the new battle royale season is a five-part saga where players will experience new “Star Wars” gameplay each week through early June. While Disney-owned Lucasfilm and Epic’s “Fortnite” have joined forces before to mount battle royale seasons with “Star Wars” characters, the “Galactic” effort is said to be its most expansive collaboration to date. Continue reading Star Wars Coming to Fortnite in New ‘Galactic Battle’ Season

Instant messaging and VoIP social platform Discord is experimenting with a feature that requires some users to verify their age by scanning their face or a photo ID. The technique is being implemented in Australia and the United Kingdom, where recently passed laws seek to crack down on minors accessing potentially harmful online content. The safeguard applies only to users who haven’t previously verified their age on the chat platform. Discord says age verification aims “to help users manage content filter settings and sensitive content visibility,” explaining it is a one-time process that can be completed when users first adjust their settings. Continue reading Discord Testing Facial Scans to Verify Age in UK and Australia

Gamers have been waiting for years for Nintendo’s new gaming device and now they only have to wait until June 5 when the Switch 2 hits shelves starting at $450. The device has a larger, 1080p LCD screen, and supports 4K and in-game chat. Details were revealed during a Nintendo Direct online presentation. Nintendo, which announced details of the new console in January, will over the next few months be holding a series of global roadshow events aimed at letting people have a hands-on experience with Switch 2. The original has sold more than 150 million units. Continue reading Nintendo Switch 2 Out in June with 4K Support, In-Game Chat

Roblox is working with Google to scale-up advertising, adding the search giant’s immersive ads and allowing users to opt-in to watch full-screen spots of up to 30-seconds to earn in-game perks. The program, known as Rewarded Video, was announced at the IAB PlayFronts where Roblox also touted new partnerships with measurement and brand lift firms including Nielsen, Kantar, IAS, Cint and DoubleVerify “to enable brands to better understand the impact of their investment.” Rewarded Video will be implemented by Google Ad Manager, which offers its own metrics. Gamers will be able to accrue benefits including virtual currency and power-ups. Continue reading Roblox Teams with Google Offering Immersive Ads in Games

French video game publisher Ubisoft has created a subsidiary focused on three of its most iconic and narratively cohesive brands: the worlds of the time-shifting actioner “Assassin’s Creed,” anthology mystery “Far Cry,” and tactical combat thriller “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six.” Essentially a spin-off unit, Ubisoft has secured backing from its minority investor Tencent, which is plowing $1.25 billion into the new venture. The Chinese game giant — sixteenth on the Companies Market Cap list of the world’s most valuable companies, at $593 billion as of this month — in September 2022 upped its stake to 10 percent of Ubisoft. Continue reading Tencent Builds on Ubisoft Stake with $1.25B for New Venture

Samsung Electronics has unveiled three new Odyssey game monitor lineup, including the the glasses-free Odyssey 3D, a 27-inch display that achieves an immersive, off-the-screen effect through a combination of advanced eye-tracking and proprietary lenticular lens technology. Also featured is a 27-inch 4K monitor, the Odssey OLED G8 that Samsung says is the first in the industry to deliver a 4K image at a 240Hz refresh rate. The curved G9 series is updated with a 49-inch ultrawide. Samsung also introduced a new professional monitor, the 37-inch ViewFinity S8, a 4K monitor that offers more screen space and meticulous color specs. Continue reading New Samsung Glasses-Free 3D Game Monitor May Cost $2K

The Entertainment Software Association is rolling out the Accessible Games Initiative, a cross-industry reference resource that provides information about accessibility features in video games. The effort launches with a set of 24 “tags” advising of the features. The ESA announced the effort at the Game Developers Conference with representatives from five founding member companies: Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo and Ubisoft. The goal is to have participating companies include the tags with their game product info in digital storefronts, on product pages and elsewhere to help provide players, parents and teachers details about accessibility features. Continue reading ESA Initiative Provides Accessibility Transparency for Games

Speaking in San Francisco during the Game Developers Conference this week, Netflix Games President Alain Tascan discussed how its gaming content can keep the platform’s 700 million-plus customers entertained between seasons. “We are not yet the Netflix of games, but that is where we are headed,” the executive said, calling gaming “the biggest shift in entertainment in the last 30 years.” In light of global youth’s involvement with games, “we see we need to be there,” Tascan said. Netflix added its first mobile games in 2021 and has since expanded by purchasing video game studios and building one from scratch. Continue reading Netflix Execs Discuss a Continued Push into Gaming Business

A new Discord Social SDK allows developers to integrate the platform in-app for games. Discord is massively popular with gamers; the company estimates PC players alone spend more than 1.5 billion hours each month on the platform. This free SDK can extend the user experience beyond the third-party content in which it becomes embedded to reach the platform’s community of over 200 million monthly active users. “Developers can power friends lists, cross-platform messaging, voice and more for all players — with or without a Discord account,” the company announced. Continue reading New Discord Social SDK Integrates Platform In-App for Games

San Mateo, California-based game developer Roblox has released a 3D object generator called Cube 3D, the first of several models the company plans to make available. Cube currently generates 3D models and environments from text, and in the future the company plans to add image inputs. Roblox says it is open-sourcing the tool, making it available to users on and off the platform. Cube will serve as the core generative AI system for Roblox’s 3D and 4D plans, the latter referring to interactive responsiveness. The launch coincides with the Game Developers Conference, running through Friday in San Francisco. Continue reading Roblox Reveals Its Generative AI System Cube for 3D and 4D

CES 2025 welcomed over 141,000 attendees from around the globe to Las Vegas. With more than 4,500 exhibitors, including 1,400 startups, and more than 6,000 media attendees, CES highlights the innovation and technology trends addressing global challenges and shaping the future. This year’s show focused on artificial intelligence, unveiling a wave of innovative offerings — whether practical, visionary or experimental. Among the show’s major trends were AI integration across all industries, shifting demographics and purchasing patterns (with Gen Z the one to watch), sustainability and security, and smart devices and smarter homes. ETC@USC attended the conference for live reporting on products and services. Our post-show report features extensive coverage and perspectives related to key creative, business, and technology areas. Continue reading ETC’s CES 2025 Report: Focus on AI Innovation & Integration