CEO News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Just a few days after Google Gemini's inaccuracies while generating AI images came to the fore, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has said that the results generated were “completely unacceptable” while also admitting that their AI chatbot got it very wrong. The issue came to light when Gemini users on X shared screenshots of Gemini inaccurately depicting people of colour, while declining to generate images of white people.

When will it end? According to GamesIndustry.biz, Electronic Arts announced today that it will be laying off approximately 5% of its workforce which equates to around 670 people. In a note sent out to EA staff, CEO Andrew Wilson indicated the move is part of the company “moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry.”

Today, Remedy announced the acquisition of the full rights to the Control franchise from publisher 505 Games for €17 million, which is basically what the publisher had paid for the development of Control 2 and codename Condor to date. 505 Games will remain the publisher of the original Control through a transition period that will end on December 31, 2024.

Remedy Entertainment has acquired full rights to the Control series from 505 Games. The developer said it is now in the position to make better long-term decisions of Control’s franchise growth.

AI roundup: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is currently on his Asia tour where he met LG Electronics executives in South Korea. The discussions included partnerships to expand mixed reality devices and AI development; in a move that has shocked the tech world, Apple makes AI a priority and abandons its plans for developing self-driving cars. Reports say many employees from the project will be shifted to the iPhone maker's artificial intelligence (AI) division. 

A few hours after it was revealed that Apple had severed all work being done on its autonomous car project, Tesla CEO Elon Musk decided to take advantage of the platform that he acquired and renamed to X as he responded to the latest news. However, Musk’s reaction was thoroughly subtle and included just two emojis, opening a wave of speculation on what exactly he meant.

Sony Interactive Entertainment is cutting around 900 members of staff from its workforce.

With the recent boom in artificial intelligence (AI), companies have been making efforts to incorporate this technology into their suite of services. Apart from legacy companies adopting AI, new AI applications have also emerged, aiming to make our lives easier. One such tool is Superhuman AI, which simplifies sending emails, making the process easier and more efficient. Now, Superhuman AI has rolled out a new feature called Instant Reply that further improves upon its capabilities, automatically drafting replies for your email.

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

Tech companies showcased countless connected gadgets at the world's biggest wireless telecom fair, the four-day Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 in Barcelona, which wraps up on Thursday.

It’s been confirmed that 10 Chambers, the studio behind the horror shooter GTFO and upcoming cooperative heist shooter Den of Wolves, has laid off a number of its staff amid changes intended to “benefit the long-term development” of its next game.

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced today that the corporation will cut around 8% of its workforce, or more than 900 jobs. Also, in the announcement, they stated that PlayStation Studios London will be closing.

After more than two weeks of hammered servers and lengthy queues, Helldivers 2 players and developer Arrowhead have a reason to collectively sigh in relief. Helldivers 2 server issues seem to have finally let up during the weekend, and now the studio is ready to go back to the “original plan” and prep new content.

Sony Interactive Entertainment is laying off around 900 workers, or 8% of the company, outgoing president and CEO Jim Ryan said in a news release published on Tuesday. Employees from all regions — North America; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; Japan; and Asia-Pacific — are impacted by the cuts, including several PlayStation development studios. London Studio, the in-house team that created the SingStar series, will close entirely, Ryan said.

Sony is the latest company in the video game industry to announce massive layoffs in 2024. We’ve learned that Sony Interactive Entertainment is letting go of about 900 people across several studios; PlayStation’s London Studio will shut down as a result.

Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen has responded to several community questions, which mostly just ask when players will be able to enjoy modding and why it wasn't available at release. 

PlayStation has announced the intention to lay off roughly 8% of its current staff, affecting employees at multiple first-party studios around the world.

PlayStation is laying off 900 workers. As part of this, it will shut down its London Studio entirely, likely cancelling its announced new IP. There will also be layoffs at other Sony-owned studios in the UK, including Firesprite studio, which it acquired in 2021.

A smartphone operating system’s popularity stems from its large app ecosystem, providing a massive repository of programs that can run on mobile devices seamlessly, but suppose all of that work was done by AI instead of applications that had to be downloaded through a dedicated store? Deutsche Telekom believes that in the future, smartphones will rely on artificial intelligence instead of apps for task completion and has collaborated with T-Mobile and Qualcomm to showcase a concept smartphone that runs just AI.

 Deutsche Telekom on Monday showcased a futuristic smartphone concept that relies on artificial intelligence rather than applications (apps) to handle users' specific needs. Smartphones today typically use apps for everything from messaging and social media to video games and banking.

Google plans to relaunch in the next few weeks its AI tool that creates images of people, which it paused last week after inaccuracies in some historical depictions, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said on Monday.

It took just over two weeks and some loss of sleep, but Helldivers 2, the smash hit co-op shooter from PlayStation and Sweden’s Arrowhead Game Studio, now actually works. Which is to say, the game cruised through peak play hours over its third weekend with minimal login issues, and with the majority of players able to get online and work together to save managed democracy, eliminating one bug (or robot) at a time.

The CEO for Arrowhead Games, developer of Helldivers 2, caught some flak for a controversial take on nowhere else than X (formerly Twitter), saying that Nvidia’s DLSS is “cool tech, but not necessary.”

The developer of Helldivers 2 has declared the weekend just gone a success, insisting the game’s servers handled all players “without problem”.

After the previous concurrent player capacity was raised for the busy weekend, Helldivers 2 servers are once again getting buffed to support players buying the game in droves.

The eagerly anticipated Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 is just around the corner, and tech enthusiasts are buzzing with excitement. This annual event promises a glimpse into the future of mobile technology, with major players like Xiaomi set to showcase their latest innovations. Among the highlights is Xiaomi's much-anticipated unveiling of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, and here's what you need to know.

NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang sees Huawei as a potential AI competitor in the Chinese markets, claiming that the firm is rapidly progressing in semiconductors.

AMD is expected to launch a refreshed MI300 AI accelerator with HBM3E memory this year followed by the Instinct MI400 in 2025.

A new Helldivers 2 patch has been deployed, and developer Arrowhead has confirmed that the Helldivers 2 server cap has been raised to 700.000 concurrent players.

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

A hot new update for Helldivers 2 has dropped just in time for the weekend, and it’s a big one. Helldivers 2 update 1.000.12 is all about raising the server cap to allow for more concurrent players, hopefully putting the ‘Servers at capacity.’ errors and waiting queues to bed over the next few days.

Helldivers 2 is the new must-play shooter in town, and it turns out the engine it was built on is already extinct. 

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

In a move that has set the tech industry abuzz, Elon Musk, the CEO of X, has officially confirmed the upcoming launch of Xmail. The announcement has triggered widespread speculation about the potential competition it could pose to Google's dominant Gmail service. Musk's revelation follows a whirlwind of rumors surrounding the alleged impending shutdown of Gmail, which had ignited a storm across the internet.

It took Steam's most wholesome dwarf game one year to shift 500,000 copies, though releasing a roguelike spin-off hit the same milestone in one week. 

In a press and analyst session following the IFS Direct 2024 event, Intel's CEO Pat Gelsinger confirmed that Chipzilla is leveraging TSMC's advanced process node technology to power its upcoming CPUs codenamed Arrow Lake and Lunar Lake.

NVIDIA's CEO Jensen Huang has hinted the "custom chip" market will be the next place for the firm as AI-fueled demand attracts massive interest and potential.

The latest Helldivers 2 patch has raised the server cap again, but Arrowhead Game Studio's CEO says this likely won't eliminate wait times - just make them "more bearable." 

After some pretty hefty wait times and server issues, Helldivers 2 CEO Johan Pilestedt finally confirms that concurrent player counts have been increased. 

Helldiver 2‘s popularity has drawn in players from around the world ready to spread democracy across the galaxy. Unfortunately, Arrowhead’s servers weren’t prepared for just how popular the game was going to be, which has led to frustrating issues.

Early Access smash hit Palworld has attracted more than 25 million players within its first month on sale.

The developer of Temtem, that Pokemon-like MMO from a few years back, is now working on a co-op roguelike featuring its collection of creatures, and the news has been divisive. Roguelike fans and some Temtem enthusiasts seem intrigued by the idea, but a vocal part of the Temtem community is upset to see developer Crema seemingly move away from the core MMO. A statement from CEO Enrique Paños – or Kikill0, one of the devs in the Temtem Discord – has fanned the flames by telling disappointed players that they can't expect "infinite content" when putting out major updates is "not feasible" to begin with.

2K Sports has revealed the final roster for WWE 2K24, and it's impressive. Over 204 superstars are playable, including 70 Legends who are no longer on the main rosters and 8 managers, but there's a couple notable absences from the playable roster: former WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and 7-time WWE Champion and 3-time WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.

Intel's CEO Pat Gelsinger has revealed the firm's intention to enter the "custom chip" business, catering to every type of client, including AMD.

The PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S both launched at quite a hectic time in the world. We were dealing with a pandemic, a worldwide hit that forced so many changes and shutdowns. Fortunately, we’re past that and can look back at what we’ve learned both in terms of the virus and how companies can rely more on remote work to continue keeping productive. Jim Ryan, the CEO who stepped down from PlayStation, had the chance to speak more about this time with Variety.

AMD's CEO, Dr. Lisa Su, will deliver the opening keynote of Computex 2024 where we'll get to hear about the upcoming technologies for PC & AI segments.

U.S. writing assistant startup Jasper has acquired Clipdrop, an artificial intelligence-powered photo application from Stability AI, the company told Reuters on Wednesday, as Jasper expands its offerings to corporates.

Uber Technologies Inc. wants to quicken an expansion into the cheaper but potentially larger market for two- and three-wheeled rides in India, extending a long-running rivalry with local provider Ola.

PlayStation 5 and Steam hit Helldivers 2 was built on an engine that was discontinued after work on the game began.

In September 2023, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan announced his departure. He will be succeeded by Sony’s current chief operating officer Hiroki Totoki, who Ryan expresses full confidence in. In an interview with Variety, he lists his favorite titles from each PlayStation generation for a little fun. Can’t say it’s a question that doesn’t pique my curiosity.

Developers who have worked on the likes of Horizon: Zero Dawn, Doom Eternal, The Witcher 3 and Mass Effect have founded a brand new studio called Fun Dog Studios.

When Backerkit’s crowdfunding platform formally launched in mid-2023, the company quickly made strides in the tabletop space, primarily by courting disaffected Kickstarter users. Now co-founder and CEO Maxwell Salzberg tells Polygon that his company already has twice the number of tabletop campaigns committed to the platform in 2024 as it did for all of last year — which isn’t bad for what he calls a “bootstrapped” company. The goal for 2024? Keep the crowdfunding ball rolling while also managing its expansive pledge-management services.

Microsoft has finally laid out when people can expect Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and Grounded to go fully multiplatform.

Intel has unveiled its brand new roadmap for its next-gen process nodes at IFS Direct which now includes 14A & updates on already announced nodes.

People have posted the first pictures of the cast of the Borderlands movie and they’re looking rather good. The first image shows Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart, Ariana Greenblatt, and Florian Munteanu along with Claptrap, who is voiced by Kevin Hart.

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer was interviewed at last week's DICE Summit by journalist Stephen Totilo, sharing some noteworthy comments about the future of Xbox and the industry as a whole. He began by saying he's very confident in the future of Xbox:

Jim Keller has shared a string of posts over at X where he has called out NVIDIA's CUDA for being a swamp and also said the same was true for x86.

Will this year’s Call of Duty launch day one on Game Pass? Xbox boss Phil Spencer has suggested it will.

Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead are still fighting the good fight against the game's servers, working hard to improve them after the game was descended upon by a lot more players than initially expected. Ever since launch, the Helldivers 2 servers have struggled and strained with the game's ever-growing player base and popularity, with Arrowhead going so far as to set a limit on how many people can play at once to try and steady the ship.

Helldivers 2 has received a patch which should help the game better deal with its server capacity issues.

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has confirmed that Xbox will not be moving away from physical media anytime soon, despite the market trending towards digital purchases.

Helldivers 2 has a new patch that takes direct aim at some of the game's biggest issues - including matchmaking - and the head of developer Arrowhead Game Studios is confident you're going to have an easier time getting online after the update.

Helldivers 2 Patch 1.000.10 is starting to roll out on Steam and PS5, which developer Arrowhead hopes will address some of the numerous issues that fans have encountered over the past week.

Arrowhead Game Studios' CEO has told gamers to save their money and wait until Helldivers 2's servers are fixed before they buy the game.

Helldivers 2 has been plagued by server issues since its launch, and it seems like these issues cannot be solved by simply purchasing more servers.

People have posted the first pictures of the cast of the Borderlands movie and they’re looking rather good. The first image shows Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart, Ariana Greenblatt, and Florian Munteanu along with Claptrap, who is voiced by Kevin Hart.

The ballooning popularity of Helldivers 2 has been both a blessing and a curse for Arrowhead.

Helldivers 2 is a huge success, beating Grand Theft Auto 5's all-time peak player count on Steam and holding the number one spot on the PlayStation store, dethroning Call of Duty and Fortnite.

Unseen’s Kemuri received a new Developer Diary recently, providing more details on its setting and gameplay. As an online co-op action PvE title, it sees the human and spirit realms encroaching upon each other. Players control Yokai Hunters that peer into the spirit realm and battle Yokai, ultimately gaining their powers.

Helldivers 2 struggling with player capacities is nothing new, but its game director has a refreshingly new take on new players spending their hard-earned money on the game.

Tabletop RPGs, including D&D, are to thank for Helldivers 2's brand of player-driven comedy. 

As Helldivers 2 continues its struggle to cope with the influx of players, the boss of its developer has cautioned against buying the game right now.

Have you ever been at work and attended meetings throughout the day without getting any actual work done? Such situations lead to a loss of time as well as decreased productivity. However, this problem may well be on its way to being solved and that too very soon. Otter CEO Sam Liang says an AI avatar could soon replace you in meetings and not just that, it would also take questions and handle discussions just like you do.

 Retired Army Col. Farrell Patrick taught computer science at West Point during the 1970s and then at two private universities through the 1990s, so he isn't surprised by the progress technology has made over the decades.

Sam Altman's goal of raising about $7 trillion to make artificial-intelligence chips tells a story beyond his borderline-insane ambitions. First, the infrastructure needed to build AI has become exorbitantly expensive. Second, most of that value is still — still! — held by a handful of large technology companies — and the oligopoly is only going to get worse.

Xiaomi enthusiasts, mark your calendars! The much-anticipated Xiaomi 14 Ultra is poised to make its grand entrance in China on February 22nd, with a global unveiling set to take place at the prestigious Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 in Barcelona later this month. Ahead of the launch, Xiaomi has teased fans by confirming the handset's design, color choices, and offering a glimpse into its formidable camera capabilities.

The latest co-op craze is Helldivers 2, and it has been achieving some impressive numbers on all platforms it is available on.

Back when Xbox Cloud Gaming was still in its infancy, during the late 2019 Project xCloud preview, Microsoft promised via Corporate VP Kareem Choudhry that players would be able to play their owned games via cloud in 2020.

The renowned chip design expert Jim Keller has called the "AI ambitions" of OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman unnecessary, claiming he can do the same with much less capital.

Google India head Sanjay Gupta sees AI as India's economic 'FASTag' for growth and accessibility; India a key player in responsible AI revolution, emphasises need for swift advancement, says IBM's Sandip Patel; AI avatars could replace employees in meetings, says Otter CEO; Rise of deepfake advertising raises concerns over celebrity endorsement scams- this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look.