
People Can Fly cancels two projects and will lay off workers
'Today we made the very difficult decision to suspend the development of project Gemini and project Bifrost,' wrote People Can Fly CEO Sebastian Wojciechowski on the studio's LinkedIn page. 'As a result we have to significantly regroup as a studio and scale down our teams.' Little was known publicly about either project.
The Warsaw-based studio known for Bulletstorm and Outriders has been having difficulties with some of its in-development projects for a while now. In December, a notice from the company stated it would suspend production on a project codenamed Victoria and reduce the team working on Bifrost. In today's announcement, Wojciechowski wrote that cancellations were due to an unspecified publisher's failure to present necessary publishing agreements, and a 'lack of communication' regarding whether or not the publisher wants to continue with development.
The statement also attributed the cancellations to issues with the publisher's cash flow stating it, 'showed a lack of prospects for securing organizational resources and funds necessary to continue the production.' And the name of the publisher? It isn't exactly a mystery. In the developer's statement from December, People Can Fly named its collaborator on Project Gemini as Square Enix.People Can Fly — which was acquired by Epic Games in 2012 before going independent again in 2015 — will continue development on Xbox's next Gears of War title, Gears of War: E-Day, as a partner studio working with The Coalition.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Foxconn, Softbank to establish joint data center equipment factory
This story was originally published on Manufacturing Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Manufacturing Dive newsletter. Apple product maker Foxconn and Japan-based conglomerate Softbank will establish a joint data center equipment manufacturing facility in Lordstown, Ohio, Foxconn Chairman Young Liu announced Monday, according to a transcript obtained by local station WFMJ. 'For the data center equipment part, we and SoftBank will each hold 50%,' Liu said. 'As for the equipment itself and the site, those will be 100% owned by SoftBank.' Foxconn announced earlier this month that it had sold the facility to an undisclosed buyer for $375 million and aims to further develop its artificial intelligence business in the United States, according to various media reports. Last week, Bloomberg reported that Softbank bought the Lordstown facility as it looks to accelerate its plans to jumpstart its $500 billion Stargate Project. The four-year project, announced in January, aims to build new AI infrastructure for OpenAI in the U.S., according to the Jan. 21 press release. Software developer Oracle and tech company MGX are also involved in the project as investors. SoftBank will take on the financial responsibility, while OpenAI will oversee operations. Additionally, Oracle, Nvidia, and OpenAI will collaborate to build and operate the Stargate computing system, according to OpenAI's press release. The buildout is currently underway and started in Texas, with plans to establish more campuses in the U.S. as the companies finalized agreements. The project's progress has been 'going slower than usual,' Softbank SVP and CFO Yoshimitsu Goto said during an Aug. 7 earnings call. One reason, at the time of the call, is the selection of a site to house the project. 'There are a lot of stakeholders,' Goto said. 'To build consensus, we need to have a lot of discussions and also technical issues and construction issues. There are a lot of things that we need to look at.' However, the joint facility plans with Softbank have been moving 'for some time,' more than 'half a year ago,' Liu said on Monday. 'We know that this cooperation project, first of all, requires electricity and land,' Liu added. 'Timing is also very important — if we wait too long, it won't work. Considering all these factors together, we feel that Ohio is a very suitable location. SoftBank feels the same way.' The joint project aligns with Foxconn's shift to AI as demand continues to grow in the U.S., rotating CEO Kathy Yang said during an Aug. 14 earnings call. 'We will utilize our Ohio campus to expand into the manufacturing of cloud and networking products,' Yang said regarding the Lordstown facility. 'This investment will further strengthen Hon Hai Precision Industry's position in the global AI industry and demonstrate our strong partnerships and comprehensive global presence.' The 'overwhelming' customer demand for AI servers had led the company to invest in expanding production at its server manufacturing facilities in Texas and Wisconsin over the next year or two, Yang added. Foxconn also aims to expand production capacity for liquid cooling and testing. Additionally, the company plans to increase production capacity for its cloud and networking-related products at its facilities in California and Ohio, Yang said. 'The U.S. is a vital part of our footprint, enabling us to better serve the rapidly growing demand from our customers for AI and data solutions across the world,' Foxconn Chief Product Officer Jerry Hsiao said in his keynote address at Taiwan Expo USA in Dallas last week. 'Foxconn invests heavily in [research and development] to innovate in areas like cooling technologies, energy efficiency, and modular server design, helping to advance the capabilities of AI infrastructure.' Earlier this year, Foxconn launched its own AI large language model, designed to support various manufacturing-related functions, including data analysis and decision support. Then in May, the Apple product maker expanded its partnership with Nvidia to build an AI Blackwell Supercomputer factory through Foxconn's subsidiary, Big Innovation Co. Foxconn previously acquired the Ohio facility from electric vehicle maker Lordstown Motors in May 2022. The electronics manufacturer initially planned to produce EV battery packs in Lordstown and Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. The plans changed as Lordstown Motors filed for bankruptcy and sued the electronics manufacturer in June 2023. Also in the same year, Foxconn began selling some of its Mount Pleasant land, with Microsoft as one of the buyers. Elsewhere in the U.S., Foxconn has more than 40 operational sites across 12 states and employs more than 6,500 people, according to an Aug. 14 press release. Recommended Reading Foxconn launches own AI model Sign in to access your portfolio


Tom's Guide
an hour ago
- Tom's Guide
Google Pixel 10 is stuffed with AI features — here are the 7 we're most excited for
Google has had a lot to say about the Pixel 10 at Made by Google, but without a doubt its major focus is, once again, AI features. Google is upgrading and introducing several with the new generation of its phones, which work whether you have a Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro or Pixel 10 Pro XL, or the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. But we've picked a lucky seven that we like the sound of the best. You can read our hands-on impressions of these phones in the links above, but if you're more focused on what intelligent features unite all of the Pixel 10s, here are the top features you'll want to pay attention to. Google wants Magic Cue to be your phone's live-in butler — always there with what you need, and out of the way the rest of the time. This manifests as a new Daily Hub briefing screen, and as suggestions and details from bookings, messages, screenshots and more when Magic Cue detects you're referring to one. It looks an awful lot like autocomplete, but with extra Gemini-powered smarts. You can control which apps Magic Cue can draw data from, or turn it off entirely if you wish, if you decide you'd rather take matters into your own hands. Using your camera in Gemini Live lets you share live images with the Google chatbot so you can show exactly what you're referring to. And Gemini can do the same, using a new highlighting tool to draw your attention to a specific object. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. The example Google shows is trying to find the right pair of sunglasses from a selection on a shelf, with Gemini Live putting a box around the one the user's looking for. This looks like a wonderful tool for people who tend to lose things they know they put right in front of them, but we look forward to finding out what else this tool can do. This one may be more uncanny than fun to use, but it's still quite a technical achievement. When talking to someone speaking a foreign language, Voice Translate uses on-device AI to translate your speech and then play the translation in an approximation of your voice. There are only 11 languages supported currently, and English has to be one of them. This will increase over time, as will hopefully people's tolerance for strange robotic versions of people's voices. With the help of Gemini, the Pixel 10 will nudge you towards more artistic shots. That includes improving the composition of something you're already trying to frame-up, or the suggestion of a brand-new angle if you'd rather use the Inspire Me feature. This is only a preview feature at the time of launch, so it could change by the time you get your hands on it. But it's something we can't wait to try out. Once you have your photo, you can make generative edits. But if you'd rather leave the hard work to Gemini, you can give it text prompts to make the changes for you. This sounds great for inexperienced editors who know what they want to change but don't know what to do. Equally, it can make the kind of wild changes that you associate with AI editing, like turning your pets into deep sea divers or giving yourself a big glittery stetson, with only the power of words. You may remember Best Take from previous Pixels — this combines multiple frames together so everyone in the shot looks their best. But what's new this year is that it now happens automatically rather than on request. Google says Auto Best Take can combine up to 150 frames to help get the best out of your photography. It also works with either regular JPEG images or RAW files, so if you're trying to take pro-grade shots, you can still benefit from this feature. Like last year, buyers of a Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL or Pixel 10 Pro Fold will get a year's free subscription to Google AI Pro. That's a saving of 240 bucks, and is arguably worth it for the 2TB of cloud storage alone. If you do like AI, then you'll love being able to try Google's more advanced Gemini models to help with your queries. AI Pro also unlocks the Flow video generation tool, the Jules Coding agent and Google app integrations to help you out as you work in Docs, Gmail, Photos and more. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.


CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
These little robots are changing the way solar farms are built, saving time and money
Private renewable energy projects are still moving forward despite a pullback in government support, and new technology is making that construction more efficient. Solar farms, for example, take meticulous planning and surveying, involve long hours and require significant labor. Now, robots are taking on the job. CivDot is a four-wheeled robot that can mark up to 3,000 layout points per day and is accurate within 8 millimeters. The machine can ride over rugged terrain and work through rough weather. It is the brainchild of California-based Civ Robotics. "Our secret sauce and our core technology is actually in the navigation and the geospatial -- being able to literally mark coordinates within less than a quarter inch, which is very, very difficult in an uneven terrain, outdoor surfaces, and out in the desert," said Tom Yeshurun, CEO of Civ Robotics. The data for manual surveying is uploaded into the Civ software, then the operator chooses the area they want to mark and presses go. The robot does the rest, saving both time and money. "The manual surveying equipment, if you use that in the field and you have three crews, they will need three land surveying handheld receivers. That alone is already equal to how much we lease our machines in the field, and all the labor savings is just another benefit," Yeshurun said. Civ Robotics has more than 100 of these robots in the field that are primarily being used by renewable energy companies, but they are also used in oil and gas. It is currently working with Bechtel Corporation on several solar projects. "These were usually pretty highly paid field engineers that we would send out there, and they might be able to do 250 or 350 pile marks a day. With the CivDot robot, we're able to do about 1250 a day," said Kelley Brown, vice president at Bechtel. Brown said the company has used the robot in thick and muddy terrain in Texas and out in the deserts of Nevada. "And so you have to think about things like the tires, or you may have to think about clearance. Are you trying to get over existing brush and such, across the solar field? So that's one thing that we contemplate. I think the other is, you know, this runs on batteries, so you've got to contemplate battery swaps," she added. Civ Robotics is backed by Alleycorp, FF Venture Capital, Bobcat Company, Newfund Capital, Trimble Ventures, and Converge. Total VC funding to date is $12.5 million. There are other robotics solutions for markings, but the competition is mostly doing work on highways and soccer fields. Yeshurun said those rivals can't handle the terrains that the solar industry faces as it expands into new territories.