Lil Snack secures $3m in funding

Yes, it's been a particularly rough start to 2024, especially for studios seeking funding. Finishing out 2023, it felt like venture capital funds closed the faucets of years' past, and publishers hit the pause button. Thankfully, the vibe at GDC was slightly more positive, with new deals being announced by both publishers and VC funds.

In my attempt at trying to ween my kids off mindless mass-market games (a la Trouble or Candyland), I’m always on the lookout for games in the “My First” or “My Lil'” lines. My tykes have cut their teeth on a number of HABA games throughout the years, and lately have really been into Catan Junior, so I was hoping My Lil’ Everdell would be a good next step for them.

In this digital age, privacy is a crucial issue, and while having a digital identity is important, it is equally important to take all the steps necessary to protect it. Tackling this becomes a headache, especially on social media and instant messaging platforms, places which have been privy to allegations of data exposure in the past. Helping navigate these waters is the Privacy Checkup feature on WhatsApp which offers a one-stop shop for all privacy preferences, including options to choose who can contact you, control your personal info, and more.

AI Roundup, April 19: In today's AI news, Cisco announced their new security product called HyperShield which uses AI to safeguard applications, devices, and data of businesses. The system primarily focuses on protecting the IT environment. In other news, HarperCollins has partnered with audio AI company ElevenLabs to develop audiobooks. All this, and more in our AI Roundup today.

This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.

So-net Entertainment Taiwan Limited is all set to release the highly awaited global version of Assault Lily Last Bullet W. Yes, finally, after years of waiting! You can now pre-register for the game and even grab some pretty awesome goodies while doing so!

New developer Red Rover Interactive has scored $15 million in Series A funding.

Red Rover Interactive has closed a $15 million series A funding round led by PUBG firm Krafton.

Skybound Entertainment has opened a crowdfunding campaign to make a triple-A game based on its Invincible IP. The campaign, available on Republic, is not meant for users but for investors. The minimum amount you can invest is $100, while the maximum is $5 million, which is also the maximum funding goal of the campaign. So far, the campaign is sitting at $450K with 13 days left to invest.

At the Game Developer Conference last month, Glow Up Games co-founder and CXO Latoya Peterson contributed to a series of micro-talks around sustainability, calling out the fundamental flaws of games funding.

A Pokemon fan has recently recreated seven creatures from the franchise using Lilo and Stitch’s art style. Both Pokemon and Lilo and Stitch are beloved franchises that started decades ago, and combining them makes for a pretty entertaining result.

Alongside a new vignette trailer featuring Adam in Stellar Blade, Shift Up released another focusing on Lily. Like Eve, she’s a member of the Airborne Squad but in the fifth division and provides engineering support. She’s rescued from a drop pod by chance and quickly becomes friends with Eve and Adam.