Project U Closed Test Announced for PC, Starts February 1st

Apple iPhone was the top-selling smartphone series in China for the first time last year, a surprisingly strong showing in the face of fierce local competition and expanding government prohibitions against the American company's technology. The iPhone ranked first in shipments in the fourth quarter and 2023 overall, market tracker IDC said. It came after several analysts, including Jefferies, said iPhone sales tanked in the fourth quarter due to a lull in enthusiasm for the Cupertino, California company's latest generation of hardware in the world's biggest smartphone market. IDC also noted rising competition from domestic names like a resurgent Huawei Technologies Co., but timely discounts and promotions helped reduce the harm for Apple. 

Black Forest Games, a German video game developer subsidiary of THQ Nordic, which Embracer Group owns, is reportedly planning to lay off around 50% of its employees. Last December, two Danish developers owned by Embracer Group, 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks, announced that over half of their staff would have their roles eliminated. With that announcement, around 1000 people were laid off by Embracer in the second half of 2023. Now, Black Forest Games is seemingly the latest developer to be affected.

Game developer People Can Fly has laid off around thirty developers from an unannounced Square Enix game codenamed Project Gemini. The news was broken yesterday by Kotaku, which obtained an email sent by Development Director Adam Alker to his fellow employees. Alker chalked the layoffs to budget limitations and a decision to shrink the game's scope.

Planet Coaster studio Frontier Developments will host a new monthly showcase beginning next week, on 31st January at 6pm UK time, with updates on the what's next from the company.

FuRyu subsidiary Studio Lalala has announced Kemono Teatime, a game that combines Kemomimi, cafe management, and ASMR. It will launch for PC via Steam in 2024 with English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese language support.

A California startup using artificial intelligence (AI) and satellites to spot fire and weather risks on power lines, AiDash, reported on Tuesday it had raised $50 million in new funding, reflecting Silicon Valley efforts to create products that help energy companies adapt to climate change.

The full list of nominees for the upcoming 96th annual Academy Awards was officially announced this morning, Tuesday, January 23, 2024.

Developers SimonCreative and Storia have announced roguelite strategy game Sakura and the Airyvixen for PC (Steam). It will launch in Q2 2024.

With support for Cyberpunk 2077 having finally ended, CD Projekt RED is moving on to its next projects, and while it looks like The Witcher 4 will take precedence as it enters full production later this year, work on the next Cyberpunk game is also underway.

The people who founded Rocksteady Studios have started a new development studio.

In a groundbreaking move, Google has unveiled an advanced AI-powered multisearch feature in the United States, reshaping the way users engage with their mobile devices. The innovative Google AI multisearch feature is set to roll out on January 31. It caters to users of cutting-edge smartphones like the Google Pixel 8, Google Pixel 8 Pro, and the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S24 series.

Did you know that not all asteroids have the same composition? According to NASA, the three primary classifications of asteroids are C-type, S-type, and M-type. C-type asteroids, which are composed primarily of carbon-rich substances, are the most frequent. S-type asteroids, which are made up mainly of silicate minerals, are less common. M-type asteroids, which are primarily composed of metal, are the least prevalent. One asteroid, whose composition is still unknown, is set to pass Earth today, January 18. Know all about this close encounter.