Latest news with #Proulx
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Splitgate 2 Boss Says $80 Skin Bundle 'Slipped Through The Cracks'
1047 studio head Ian Proulx courted controversy at Summer Game Fest last week by taking shots at Call of Duty and wearing a hat with the MAGA-infused slogan 'Make FPS Great Again.' But it was his new multiplayer shooter's eye-popping microtransactions that subsequently turned Splitgate 2 into an online punching bag, and Proulx is now blaming some of those prices on an ex-employee who he says used to work on Call of Duty. One item in particular, an $80 skin bundle called Nano Swarm, quickly made the rounds. While Proulx talked on stage at Geoff Keighley's showcase about his love of old Halo LAN parties and wanting Titanfall 3, his free-to-play arena shooter was plastered with expensive microtransactions and about to get a new battle royale mode, undercutting his critiques of other modern live-service games like Black Ops 6. A silver-colored portal animation from the Nano Swarm bundle alone was originally priced at $34. Proulx has been taking the opportunity to keep posting through the controversy over the weekend, including slashing the prices on all cosmetics and releasing short video diaries updating players on the status of 1047's post-launch priorities for Splitgate 2. 'I've had a lot of people ask me, 'How the hell did this happen in the first place, like an $80 bundle, that's not the 1047 way?'' he said. 'I agree and I thought I would just candidly tell you exactly what happened. So I'll start by saying no excuse of course like I should have been on this, we should have been on top of this. He contionued: The second I got off that stage I called Derek our lead game designer and I said 'Derek did you know we had an $80 bundle, this is news to me, like what the heck, that makes no sense,' and he didn't. Essentially what happened out former head of monetization who happened to come from call of duty was with us for less than a year and was very aggressive on price. Actually prior to his departure we actually originally had founders packs for $100 and battle passes for $10 and the first thing Derek and I did when we revaluated everything a month ago was slash those things so founders went from $100 to $60 and we actually added in game currently that the game originally wasn't going to have we decreased the battle pass from $10 to $5 but unfortunately things slipped through the cracks. In addition to shifting the blame to a past employee and once again trying to beef with Call of Duty, Proulx's explanation doesn't entirely square with the studio's defending of the pricey cosmetics just days prior. 'This pack features our most unique skins with complex animations & artwork,' the official Splitgate 2 account posted back on Friday. 'We have a variety of cheaper options. The game is free to play, & you don't need to buy anything to enjoy it to its fullest. Nothing is pay to win & never will be.' So did the bundle 'slip through the cracks,' or is 1047 just backtracking now in the face of players revolting against a hostile monetization strategy that violates the 'old school' ethos Splitgate 2 wants to cultivate? People have pointed out on the subreddit that the problem isn't just that the prices started out to high. The shooter's in-game shop is also full of slimy practices like fake inflated discounts and currency mismatches so players always have to overspend to get what they want. 'Honestly, the store and its prices really feel like something out of a gacha game, except for the fact I don't think I know of any gachas that have you preorder [battle] passes,' wrote one player. 'Great gameplay, terrible business model,' wrote another. Splitgate 2 is currently sitting at mixed reviews on Steam, though Proulx said the free-to-play shooter reached over 2 million players over the weekend. We'll see if the sequel can stick around longer than its predecessor did. . For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Hamilton Spectator
17-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
B.C. man gets hunting ban, $13,000 penalty after illegally killing bighorn ram
NORTH VANCOUVER - A British Columbia man has been banned from hunting sheep in the province for three years after he illegally killed a bighorn ram and lied to authorities about where the hunt took place. B.C.'s Conservation Officer Service says in a statement posted to Facebook that Heith Proulx of Kelowna killed the ram in October 2023 near Pavilion Lake, 28 kilometres northwest of Lillooet. The service says Proulx had the animal inspected as required by law a month later and told inspectors the ram was harvested from an area where it was open season on bighorns. But the service says global positioning co-ordinates showed it was killed in a closed area. The service says Proulx admitted to lying about the location of the hunt when officers spoke to him in March 2024, and he has since pleaded guilty to making a false statement to official record keepers under the Wildlife Act. Proulx was fined $13,000 and cannot hunt or accompany other hunters for hunting any type of sheep for the next three years in B.C. The service says much of the fine will go to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, while Proulx had to forfeit all wildlife parts seized in the case to the Crown and retake an outdoor recreation conservation program. 'The harvest of a mature ram from this closed area is contrary to conservation objectives and resulted in an overall harvest that exceeded the annual allowable harvest established to guide sustainable harvest levels,' the service says in its statement. The service says the Fraser River area, which includes Lillooet, supports about half of B.C.'s California bighorn sheep population. It says a provincial senior wildlife biologist who submitted an impact statement to the courts in this case found that the value of an opportunity for non-resident hunters to harvest one wild bighorn ram in B.C. has risen to more than $150,000 in the last few years. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
16-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
B.C. man gets hunting ban, $13,000 penalty after illegally killing bighorn ram
NORTH VANCOUVER – A British Columbia man has been banned from hunting sheep in the province for three years after he illegally killed a bighorn ram and lied to authorities about where the hunt took place. B.C.'s Conservation Officer Service says in a statement posted to Facebook that Heith Proulx of Kelowna killed the ram in October 2023 near Pavilion Lake, 28 kilometres northwest of Lillooet. The service says Proulx had the animal inspected as required by law a month later and told inspectors the ram was harvested from an area where it was open season on bighorns. But the service says global positioning co-ordinates showed it was killed in a closed area. The service says Proulx admitted to lying about the location of the hunt when officers spoke to him in March 2024, and he has since pleaded guilty to making a false statement to official record keepers under the Wildlife Act. Proulx was fined $13,000 and cannot hunt or accompany other hunters for hunting any type of sheep for the next three years in B.C. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The service says much of the fine will go to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, while Proulx had to forfeit all wildlife parts seized in the case to the Crown and retake an outdoor recreation conservation program. 'The harvest of a mature ram from this closed area is contrary to conservation objectives and resulted in an overall harvest that exceeded the annual allowable harvest established to guide sustainable harvest levels,' the service says in its statement. The service says the Fraser River area, which includes Lillooet, supports about half of B.C.'s California bighorn sheep population. It says a provincial senior wildlife biologist who submitted an impact statement to the courts in this case found that the value of an opportunity for non-resident hunters to harvest one wild bighorn ram in B.C. has risen to more than $150,000 in the last few years. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta faces landmark trial which could break up its tech empire
A trial which could see social media giant Meta forced to sell off Instagram and WhatsApp begins in the US later on Monday. The tech giant, which also owns Facebook, faces an antitrust lawsuit from the US government which alleges the firm bought Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 to eliminate competition, creating a social media monopoly in the process. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved the acquisitions at the time but as a competition watchdog has continued to monitor the outcomes, and experts say if it wins the case and forces a sale to break up Meta, it could change the landscape of the social media sector. Mike Proulx, vice president research director at analyst firm Forrester, said the case's possible ramifications, and the ongoing uncertainty around the future of TikTok, could see a 'new social media world order' appear. 'The ramifications of this trial, coupled with TikTok's future in limbo, potentially puts the very core of the social media market at play. No longer would Meta be its centre of gravity. 'We haven't seen anything like this since around 2006-2011 – social media's earliest days. 'We'd likely see a renaissance of social media start-ups looking to grab a piece of new social media world order.' Proulx said that, although Facebook is the original and centre pillar of Meta's empire, it could struggle to compete as a social media power and may need to redirect its focus. 'Meta is trying to make Facebook cool again, but the company's social media 'insurance' is – and has been for a while – Instagram. 'Without Instagram and WhatsApp, what really is Meta? Could Facebook seriously compete with a stand-alone Instagram? Can Threads monetise at scale? Doubtful. And the company absolutely should not hang its hat on its fledgling metaverse ambitions. 'Its AI (artificial intelligence) glasses are a bright spot, as is its broader AI work. 'That means, in a broken-up Meta, the company's AI initiatives would usurp its social media roots.' The trial, which begins in Washington DC on Monday, is expected to last several weeks, with Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and former chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg both expected to give evidence. Meta is not the only US tech giant under scrutiny over holding an alleged monopoly, with Google also facing the prospect of being forced to sell its Chrome web browser and break up its online search empire. After a judge ruled that the firm does hold a monopoly in online search last summer, the US Department of Justice demanded that a court require Google to sell Chrome, among other remedies to end its market dominance – a position it reiterated last month.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dozens gather for POW/MIA Remembrance Day in Taunton
TAUNTON, Mass. (WPRI) — Dozens of people gathered at the Vietnam Memorial Fountain on Church Green in Taunton on Sunday afternoon for the 43rd POW/MIA Remembrance Day. The names of soldiers who are missing in action were read one by one. For over four decades the Taunton Area Vietnam Veterans Association has come together on the last Sunday of March and held this remembrance ceremony, honoring MIA soldiers, many of them were prisoners of war. 'We're here no matter what. If it rains, snows, sleet. We're here,' said Dennis Proulx, Vice President of the Vietnam Veterans Association He is one of the organizers and says the goal is to bring every missing soldier home to Massachusetts. 'It's the least we can do for all the suffering that the families are going through waiting all these years,' Proulx added. Through prayer and song, the crowd remembers those who made the ultimate sacrifice, gathering around the city's Veterans Memorial on the Church Green. This year's ceremony holds a deeper meaning as Taunton welcomed home the remains of Army Private Joseph Travers, a Korean war soldier and prisoner of war. His family laid the Taunton native to rest on Saturday, and was honored at Sunday's ceremony. Remains of Korean War POW laid to rest in Taunton 'He's been missing for seven decades and finally he's come home. Now the family can put that to rest. They know he's buried in the cemetery and he's on united states property,' Proulx said. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
