Latest news with #Vice
Engadget
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Video Games Weekly: Censorship, shrinkage and a Subnautica scandal
Welcome to Video Games Weekly on Engadget. Expect a new story every Monday or Tuesday, broken into two parts. The first is a space for short essays and ramblings about video game trends and related topics from me, Jess Conditt, a reporter who's covered the industry for more than 13 years. The second contains the video game stories from the past week that you need to know about, including some headlines from outside of Engadget. Please enjoy — and I'll see you next week. This week, I'm fried. Maybe it's the plodding and ever-present crumbling of society and human decency, or maybe it's because Love Island USA just ended so I'm feeling extra listless. It's a familiar summer sensation, but this year everything is exaggerated and extra tense, the stakes of every action seem higher, and instead of melting into the warmth of the season with a popsicle and a smile, I often find myself frozen and numb. I am the popsicle, coo coo ca choo. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement I'm not sure exactly what I'm trying to convey here, but I think it's clear that I shouldn't be writing anything too serious at the moment. I'm working on a few reports and trying to keep my composure amid the chaos, and all the while, the video game headlines keep rolling on. I've included a few more than usual this week, as penance for my popsicle state. The news UK studio The Chinese Room, creator of Still Wakes the Deep and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, is independent once again. The Chinese Room leaders completed a management buyout with help from VC firm Hiro Capital to fully split the studio from Tencent subsidiary Sumo Digital, which acquired it in 2018. A number of people were laid off as part of the transition and the studio is left with a total of 55 employees. The Chinese Room is still working on Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 for Paradox Interactive, and it also has original projects in development. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Still Wakes the Deep was one of my absolute favorite games of 2024. Whether you're a fan of beautiful paranormal horror or you're just really into oil rigs, give it a go. Vice's owner, Savage Ventures, doesn't want you to read this story . Or this one . Vice removed two articles about Steam's new ban on certain 'adult-only' content and the organization that pushed for the change, Collective Shout, which has the support of prominent anti-pornography groups with conservative religious foundations. The stories were written by contributor Ana Valens, who said the removals were 'due to concerns about the controversial subject matter — not journalistic complaints.' Valens has vowed to never write for Vice again and a handful of reporters there have resigned in solidarity . Censoring stories about censorship is certainly a choice, Vice. The home of Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology, Supermassive Games, is laying off 36 people, restructuring its team and delaying one of its projects into 2026. A statement from the studio says the decisions were in response to the video game industry's 'challenging and ever-evolving environment.' It's estimated that Supermassive had more than 300 employees before the layoffs. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Directive 8020, the fifth installment in the Dark Pictures Anthology, is now due to come out in the first half of 2026, rather than this fall. Honestly, I'm not surprised to hear Supermassive needs more time to work on Directive 8020. I watched Engadget UK bureau chief Mat Smith play the demo at Summer Game Fest in June, and while it looked great, we were both surprised by how short and non-interactive the segment was. He summed up this feeling in his preview with the line, 'Finally, I got to play (but only for a few minutes).' Supermassive is also working on Little Nightmares III, a series that it took over from Tarsier Studios. Tarsier created Little Nightmares and its sequel, but lost the rights to the IP when the team was acquired by a subsidiary of Embracer Group in 2019. Series publisher Bandai Namco kept the Little Nightmares brand and commissioned Supermassive to build the third game, while Tarsier is working on its own project, Reanimal . It makes sense that Supermassive would prioritize Little Nightmares III in order to fulfill its obligations with Bandai. The game has already been delayed once, and it's set to hit PC and consoles on October 10. I still have high hopes for FBC: Firebreak to be the Left 4 Dead revival we've always wanted, but fact is, it's not quite there yet . Remedy Entertainment is aware of this hard truth and has a plan to fix it. The studio laid out its pipeline for making FBC: Firebreak easier to jump into, more fun to play and less confusing overall, with most major changes coming in an update this winter. PCGamesN published an interview with Counter-Strike co-creator Minh Le, who left Valve years ago to try out independent development. One sentiment stuck out to me. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement 'They didn't force me out or anything,' Le told PCGamesN. 'But a part of me kind of regrets it. Looking back, my decision to leave Valve was, financially, kind of a poor decision. If I had stayed with Valve, I would have been able to retire by now.' It's not presented as an indictment of Valve, but I find it notable that Le describes the studio as a place to retire, rather than a space to innovate and create the next generation of video games. At this rate, Valve will never outrun its reputation as the studio where talented game developers go to die (professionally speaking). But, hey, at least they're not getting laid off en masse. Which, unfortunately, brings us to the next headline. Cyberpunk 2077, Sea of Thieves and Dune: Awakening support studio Virtuos is laying off 270 developers, which is about seven percent of its staff. Virtuos is currently best known as the studio behind The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered alongside Bethesda, and it has more than 4,000 employees across Asia, Europe and North America. The cuts affect developers in Asia and Europe, with 'fewer than 10' in France, where work on Oblivion Remastered was headquartered. Make sure to pin this one on your calendar. Saber Interactive is making Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival, a first-person, action-survival horror game that features actor Doug Bradley as Pinhead for the first time in nearly 20 years. Barker himself provided input on the story, too. It's coming to PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox Series X/S, with no release date yet. "The Hellraiser universe is defined by its unflinching exploration of pain, pleasure, and the thin and terrifying line that separates the two," a description from Saber Interactive reads. "That essence is at the heart of our game." Game Developer reporter Chris Kerr spoke with a number of employees at Zenimax who are still reeling from the layoffs that Microsoft enacted in early July . The vibes there sound pretty terrible. 'This carcass of workers that remains is somehow supposed to keep shipping award-winning games," one senior QA tester told Kerr. The developer continued, 'Microsoft just took everything that could have been great about the culture and collaboration and decimated it. Morale is terrible. It's grotesque. People are stressed. They're crying.' When Xbox isn't firing thousands of employees in one blow, it's quietly laying the groundwork for the future of video game distribution. An update for Xbox Insiders this week introduces cross-platform cloud support, bringing your cloud library and play history to the Xbox PC app. This means you can access cloud activity on an Xbox console, PC or Windows handheld, and seamlessly play cloud games across devices. This is just how video games are going to work in the coming decades, and it's interesting to watch our future slowly roll out in blog posts and software updates. Did you miss all of the mess around Subnautica 2 last week? Or, more accurately, this past month? To quickly summarize, Subnautica publisher Krafton is being sued by the series creators after it fired them and then delayed their game, allegedly sabotaging a $250 million bonus payout due to developers. To not-quickly summarize, see my complete breakdown of the drama . I don't know who else needs a little levity in their life right now, but I certainly do. Thankfully, the stop-motion show My Melody & Kuromi is coming to Netflix on July 24, and there's already an adorable tie-in music video by LE SSERAFIM to enjoy. Zen out, watch all of the Sanrio sweetness and finally settle the debate: Are you more of a Kuromi or a My Melody? Additional reading Have a tip for Jessica? You can reach her by email, Bluesky or send a message to @jesscon.96 to chat confidentially on Signal.
GMA Network
a day ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Awra Briguela pens message of gratitude for Vice Ganda
Awra Briguela just graduated from high school and among those she thanked was Vice Ganda, her manager and 'Lovely Muder.' As seen in her Instagram post, Awra wrote her letter on the back of her graduation photo, dedicating her accomplishment to Vice. "Para sa 'yo 'to. Hindi ko 'to mararating kung hindi dahil sa 'yo," Awra said, adding 'Salamat sa walang sawang paniniwala at pagmamahal. Pangako, patuloy akong magsusumikap. Mahal na mahal kita.' Vice Ganda also wrote a message for Awra, addressing her as "My Lovely Dowter." "I've always believed in you! And I'm prouder that you try hard everyday to redeem yourself. I'm just here rooting for you. To more wins, anak ko," Vice said. In the caption, Awra said "every milestone feels better when you know you didn't walk alone." "I love you always and FOREVER, My Lovely Muder," she added. Awra graduated high school from the University of the East this month. Ahead of the ceremony, she proudly showed her grades to Vice and said it was all for her. In 2024, Awra also thanked Vice for being there during difficult times. Awra's accomplishments are hard won, especially after the troubles she went through in 2023, when she was detained by the Makati City Police after her involvement in a brawl. After posting bail, she filed a counter-affidavit in connection with the complaints she faced. — Nika Roque/LA, GMA Integrated News
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Prisoner escapes jail by hiding in cellmate's LUGGAGE as officers left baffled
A prisoner managed to make a mad-dash escape from a French prison, taking the opportunity of his cellmate's release to hide inside his fellow-prisoner's luggage A 20-year-old prisoner made a daring escape from jail after seizing an opportunity during his cellmate's release - and no-one even noticed he was gone until the following day. The prisoner - who was reportedly serving multiple sentences in France - climbed inside his cellmate's laundry bag, in what has been called an "extremely rare event" caused by a "accumulation of errors." Sébastien Cauwel, the director of France's prison administration, told AFP that the lag, who has been identified by local media as Elyazid A, "took advantage" of the moment of his cellmate's release on 11 July to stage his escape from Corbas prison, near Lyon. Inside Ronnie Biggs' prison escape more daring than audacious £2.4m robbery Three 'possibly dangerous' prisoners escape HMP Springhill as public warned "This is an extremely rare event that we have never seen in this administration and which clearly shows a whole series of serious failures," the official said. According to the BBC, the escapee was under investigation in a case linked to organised crime, and there is even the possibility that his getaway itself was "part of an organised gang and criminal conspiracy". Remarkably, after Elyazid climbed inside the large canvas bags used by prisoners upon their release, and his cellmate rolled the luggage out of the prison. There were no checks by staff, and the incident occurred entirely unnoticed. The bag was so large and heavy that the cellmate to who it belonged requested a trolley to use as he left the prison, with guards even reportedly helping him get the duffle bag onto it before sending him on his way. Once the prison staff had finally realised someone was missing the next morning, a manhunt began across France, and according to Vice, the escapee was picked up pretty quickly. A mere 24 hours after the manhunt had been launched, the prisoner was found climbing his way out of a cellar in Sathoney-Camp, just north of Lyon. He did not resist when the police arrested him, French authorities confirmed. However, his cellmate - who is now alleged to have plotted the escape with him - has not been found since. Corbas Prison has been under scrutiny recently due to overcrowding - with critics claiming that the likelihood of this kind of escape only increases with prisons operating over capacity. As of May this year, there were around 1200 prisoners in the maximum security facility of Corbas, which has a capacity of 678. This means the facility is holding nearly double the amount of prisoners than it has capacity for. The number of prisoners being so high, "obviously makes the prison officers' job somewhat more difficult than it might otherwise be," prison service chief Cauwel told the local media. He added that there was a possibility officers had not noticed the escape for an entire day, because as soon as a space becomes empty, the cells "are immediately refilled".
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Damning Resurfaced Video Reveals Just How Evil Stephen Miller Is
A resurfaced video of a younger White House deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller shows the president's ghoulish policy adviser raving that 'torture is a celebration of life.' In a video dated 2003, 17-year-old Miller sits backward on a school bus speaking about the United States' invasion of Iraq. 'To the issue of the Iraqi civilians, I think that as many of them should survive as possible, because the goal of any military conflict is to kill as few people as possible,' Miller said. 'But as for Saddam Hussein and his henchmen, I think the ideal solution would be to cut off their fingers.' 'I don't think it's necessary to kill them entirely, we're not a barbaric people, we respect life. Therefore torture is the way to go. Because tortured people can live. Torture is a celebration of life and human dignity,' he continued, as teenagers off screen burst into laughter. 'We need to remember that as we enter these very dark and dangerous times in the next century. And I only hope that many of my peers and people who will be leading this country will appreciate the value and respect that torture shows towards other cultures,' Miller said. Twenty-three years later, Miller is a central figure leading the United States, and his inhumane immigration policies have marked the way for hundreds of people to be detained in tortuous conditions and deported to dangerous third countries and foreign gulags. Speaking to Vice in 2017, former White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders dismissed the video as being inauthentic. 'This is clearly a sketch comedy routine performed by teenagers and for teenagers as part of a video yearbook,' she said. 'This teenage skit does not reflect any policy position, past or present, held by Stephen Miller. This is another comical overreach by the media.' But there's plenty of reasons to consider Miller's heinous statements legitimate. Miller was raised in California, where his 'evolving political views could not have been more at odds with those of progressive, inclusive Santa Monica, a fact in which he delighted,' wrote Vanity Fair special correspondent William D. Cohan in 2017 after Miller had helped craft the Trump administration's travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries. Miller's former classmates recalled that he would challenge Latino students to speak English and loudly opposed putting student announcements in multiple languages—an attitude that mirrors the Trump administration's recent policy to end all multi-lingual services purporting to promote the use of English. In 2002, Miller wrote a whiny op-ed for the Santa Monica Lookout, railing against the 'political correctness' he believed had taken over his school, and declaring that 'Osama Bin Laden would feel very welcome at Santa Monica High School.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stephen Miller Has Always Been an Evil Little Gremlin, Video Reveals
A resurfaced video of a younger White House deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller shows the president's ghoulish policy adviser raving that 'torture is a celebration of life.' In a video dated 2003, 17-year-old Miller sits backward on a school bus speaking about the United States' invasion of Iraq. 'To the issue of the Iraqi civilians, I think that as many of them should survive as possible, because the goal of any military conflict is to kill as few people as possible,' Miller said. 'But as for Saddam Hussein and his henchmen, I think the ideal solution would be to cut off their fingers.' 'I don't think it's necessary to kill them entirely, we're not a barbaric people, we respect life. Therefore torture is the way to go. Because tortured people can live. Torture is a celebration of life and human dignity,' he continued, as teenagers off screen burst into laughter. 'We need to remember that as we enter these very dark and dangerous times in the next century. And I only hope that many of my peers and people who will be leading this country will appreciate the value and respect that torture shows towards other cultures,' Miller said. Twenty-three years later, Miller is a central figure leading the United States, and his inhumane immigration policies have marked the way for hundreds of people to be detained in tortuous conditions and deported to dangerous third countries and foreign gulags. Speaking to Vice in 2017, former White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders dismissed the video as being inauthentic. 'This is clearly a sketch comedy routine performed by teenagers and for teenagers as part of a video yearbook,' she said. 'This teenage skit does not reflect any policy position, past or present, held by Stephen Miller. This is another comical overreach by the media.' But there's plenty of reasons to consider Miller's heinous statements legitimate. Miller was raised in California, where his 'evolving political views could not have been more at odds with those of progressive, inclusive Santa Monica, a fact in which he delighted,' wrote Vanity Fair special correspondent William D. Cohan in 2017 after Miller had helped craft the Trump administration's travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries. Miller's former classmates recalled that he would challenge Latino students to speak English and loudly opposed putting student announcements in multiple languages—an attitude that mirrors the Trump administration's recent policy to end all multi-lingual services purporting to promote the use of English. In 2002, Miller wrote a whiny op-ed for the Santa Monica Lookout, railing against the 'political correctness' he believed had taken over his school, and declaring that 'Osama Bin Laden would feel very welcome at Santa Monica High School.' Once a wildly conservative wunderkind, now simply a seething racist, it seems that Miller hasn't changed at all.
