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☆ Millennial Internet Is Dead; RIP Neopets, Club Penguin, and Webkinz
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Aimee Pearcy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

At Club Penguin, I adopted colorful pets called puffles and purchased kitsch furniture for my virtual igloo. "I was big on Club Penguin, Wizard101, Moshi Monsters, and this obscure one called Ourworld," he told me. Club Penguin, which ran from 2005 to 2017, stands out as one of the era's most beloved virtual worlds. "That same generation logged into Club Penguin to play with friends." In 2017 it shut down Club Penguin and replaced it with a mobile version, Club Penguin Island.

Persons: millennials, Gen Zers, Dylan Maleno, Lance Priebe, I'd, Jake Hahn, they're, Sara Grimes, weren't, Flappy Bird, Disney, Toontown, they've, MMOs, Roblox, Ashley Hernandez, " Hernandez, Neopets, Dominic Law, Aimee Pearcy Organizations: Penguin, Disney, University of Toronto's, of Information, Fortnite, Facebook, The New York Times Locations: Pennsylvania, Wizard101, Moshi, Illinois, Fortnite, New York City

☆ Angry Birds Take on Drones at New York City Beach
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Michael Levenson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

One is a distinctive shorebird, slightly smaller than an average sea gull, with a bright orange bill that pries open clams, oysters and other shellfish. The other is a remote-controlled gadget with rotating blades. In the skies above Rockaway Beach in Queens, bird and drone are not, it seems, coexisting in harmony. Just as New Yorkers flock to the beach to escape the sweltering summer heat, American Oystercatchers have taken to attacking a fleet of drones deployed by city officials to scan for sharks and swimmers in distress. The aerial conflict between animal and machine is raising concerns about the safety of the shorebirds, as they aggressively pursue the buzzing drones in defense of their nests, city officials and bird experts said.

Locations: Queens

☆ YouTube just made over 75 games available to everyone
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

YouTube launched a free gaming platform, called Playables, with over 75 games. Playables includes popular mobile titles like "Angry Birds" and "Cut the Rope." Netflix also launched a gaming platform in 2021 focused on mobile games. It's now an actual gaming platform that lets you play dozens of popular games — for free. YouTube launched its new gaming platform, called "Playables," earlier this week, making over 75 games free to play.

Persons: — Organizations: YouTube, Netflix, Service

☆ Sonic the Hedgehog helped revive 63-year-old Sega. The firm wants a repeat with its other classics
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"Sonic is reviving," Utsumi told CNBC's Arjun Kharpal, alluding to the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog adaptations in the box office. It comes as Sega is set to launch a new Yakuza game, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, next year. watch nowSega recently launched the latest iteration of its Yakuza game. Collectively, the Yakuza game series has sold 21.1 million units since its debut in 2005, according to Sega. Buying more studiosSega is also on the hunt for more acquisitions as it seeks to expand its ownership of gaming studios, Utsumi said.

Persons: Shuji Utsumi, Utsumi, CNBC's Arjun Kharpal, Sega Sammy, that's Organizations: Paramount, CNBC, Summit, Sega, Rovio, Angry Birds, PlayStation, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft Locations: Libson, Portugal, lockdowns, Japan

The puzzle game on his Android phone had been interrupted by a video showing Hamas militants, terrified Israeli families and blurred graphic footage. Reuters has not been able to establish how the ad came to her son's video game, but her family isn't alone. In at least one case, the ads were played inside the popular "Angry Birds" game made by SEGA-owned developer Rovio (ROVIO.HE). Google ran more than 90 ads for the foreign ministry but declined to comment on where it displayed those ads. In the Cassis family's case, the ads appeared in a game called "Alice's Mergeland" made by a developer called LazyDog Game.

Persons: Maria Julia Assis, Hannah McKay, Maria Julia Cassis, Rovio, Lotta Backlund, David Saranga, Saranga, Outbrain, Holland –, Alexandra Marginean, Marginean, Stack's, Raphael Satter, Sheila Dang, Katie Paul, Ken Li, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Reuters, SEGA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israeli Foreign Ministry, Google, West Bank, Palestine, Palestinian Authority, Holland, Stack's Ubisoft, Subway, SYBO, Apple, Standards Authority, Thomson Locations: Israel, London, Britain, Brazil, Europe, Gaza, France, Austria, Germany, Munich, Austrian, Danish, Washington, New York

☆ As internet connectivity plummets in Gaza, ordinary Palestinians struggle to compete with Israel's narrative of the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Internet connectivity in Gaza is plummeting. AdvertisementAdvertisementGaza's already flimsy internet connectivity has been severely impacted by Israel's strikes, according to several outage-detection models. Last Friday, NetBlocks, a watchdog organization that monitors the governance of the internet, noted a steep decline in Gaza's internet connectivity. Fatafta said ordinary Palestinians were able to use social media to challenge some of the messaging coming from the Israel side. But, now, he fears that the fall in internet connectivity is creating a blindspot.

Persons: —, David, Gaza's influencers, Doug Madory, Amanda Meng, Meng, OCHA, Paltel, It's, Liz Throssell, Throssell, Fatafta, Jalal Abukhater, Abukhater, 7amleh, Sims Organizations: Service, Israel Defense Forces, Palestinian Health Ministry, Georgia Tech, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Palestinian Telecommunications Company, IDF, UN, United Nations Human Rights, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CNN, Hamas, Al, Arab Center for Social Media Advancement, Gaza Locations: Gaza, MENA, Israel, Ahli, Palestinian

☆ Israel Launches PR Offensive As It Counters Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Jack Newsham | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Israel has dropped 6,000 bombs on Gaza since October 7 after a Hamas attack killed 1,300 Israelis. "Armed Hamas terrorists infiltrated into Israel via a ground invasion and started going door to door slaughtering innocent Israelis. In the 10 days since the Hamas terrorist attacks, Israel has dropped roughly 6,000 bombs on Gaza . AdvertisementAdvertisementMore than 1,300 people died in Hamas' initial attack on Israel Oct. 7, which also injured 2,800 others, officials said. TikTok didn't respond to an emailed request for comment.

Persons: Israel, —, they're, Israeli Defense Forces didn't, TikTok, It's, didn't, Rovio Organizations: Service, of Foreign Affairs, YouTube, Angry, Apple, ISIS, Google, Ad, European Union, Reuters, Israeli Defense Forces, Hacker News, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, United Kingdom, Washington ,, Europe, Finnish

☆ Breakingviews: Fox is not out of the woods yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, April 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Rupert Murdoch’s Fox will find that a damaged beast attracts more foes. The media company which operates cable network Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit on Tuesday for approximately half of the $1.6 billion sought in damages by the plaintiff, Dominion Voting Systems. In a statement, Fox acknowledged the court’s ruling “finding certain claims about Dominion to be false.”Fox has some $4 billion in cash, so it can easily scratch a check for the $788 million penalty. And while Fox is flush now, Chief Executive Lachlan Murdoch has noted the company needs more scale, given it’s vulnerable to cord cutters and a tepid advertising environment. The $17 billion Fox has survived this round, yet the hunt is still on.

☆ Worldline seeks to crack tough French payments nut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, April 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Worldline’s (WLN.PA) boss Gilles Grapinet has spotted an opportunity to access a hard-to-crack payments market. A partnership with Crédit Agricole will allow Worldline to enter Europe’s top market for merchant payments, which several domestic banks still handle directly. Analysts reckon the French bank will confer its entire merchant acquiring business to the new company. For Worldline, the deal may be a stepping-stone to make similar accords with other French lenders or even purchase the whole of Crédit Agricole’s payments business over time. But this deal shows that payments companies still have some scope for dealmaking to improve their fortunes.

☆ Fox is not out of the woods yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

☆ Wise’s tougher times raise risk of mission drift
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

He now has 6.1 million customers, results released on Tuesday showed, up 33% from a year ago. Wise’s volumes per retail customer dipped 7% year-on-year during the three months ending on March 31. Raising prices and tacking on other revenue-generating services could help to offset the hit to Wise’s top line. But pulling harder on those levers would arguably undermine one of the appeals of Wise’s business model for investors and customers: simplicity and ever-lower prices. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ David’s needs bachelorettes, not just brides
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, April 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - With marriage rates on the decline, David’s Bridal has once again tied itself in a knot. Last time this happened in 2018, David’s courted a group of lenders led by Oaktree to save it. loadingFunding for nuptial-related companies has been on the decline since, as has business at David’s. Modern brides are opting for cheaper casual and secondhand dresses over fancy getups, but they appear more reticent to compromise on pre-wedding soirees. It suggests perhaps that David's fresh start should embrace an old saying, with a twist: always the bachelorette, never the bride.

☆ ‘Angry Birds’ Maker to Be Bought by Sega
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Ben Dummett | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The success of ‘Angry Birds’ made Rovio a mobile-gaming trailblazer. Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. agreed to pay almost $800 million for the company behind the “Angry Birds” franchise, a deal that would end the independence of one of the pioneers of the mobile-gaming industry. The transaction is the latest consolidation move in the broader gaming industry. Games played mostly on phones boomed during the pandemic but sales have ebbed more recently.

☆ Sega to acquire Angry Birds maker Rovio for $776 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A model of Angry Birds character 'Red' sits on display inside the reception area of the Rovio Entertainment Oy headquarters in Espoo, Finland, on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. Japanese gaming giant Sega announced Monday it has made a 706 million euro ($776 million) offer for the maker of the Angry Birds puzzle game, Finland's Rovio Entertainment Oyj. Meanwhile its Angry Birds franchise has been licensed into other entertainment and consumer products. "Among the rapidly growing global gaming market, the mobile gaming market has especially high potential, and it has been SEGA's long-term goal to accelerate its expansion in this field," said Sega Sammy's Group CEO, Haruki Satomi, in a statement. Angry Birds is "loved across the world," he said.

☆ “Angry Birds” may finally have found right nest
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 17 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The winning trick of “Angry Birds” is to fire your slingshot at just the right angle to knock out the squadrons of enemy green pigs attempting to steal the birds’ eggs. Japanese gaming company Sega Sammy (6460.T) may have found that position. On Monday, Sega agreed to pay about 700 million euros in cash for Rovio Entertainment (ROVIO.HE), the maker of the “Angry Birds” franchise. The 9.25 offer price is a 63% premium to the closing price of Jan. 19, when rival suitor Playtika (8II.F)made a previous approach. Half the investors have preliminarily accepted the deal, and Rovio shares are near the offer price.

☆ Sega Sammy says it is considering buying Angry Birds maker Rovio
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Sega Sammy was nearing a deal to buy the Finnish firm behind the mobile game Angry Birds for about $1 billion. Rovio has said it was in talks with Sega Sammy over a possible tender offer. Sega Sammy shares fell 4.3% by midday in a broader market (.N225) that was virtually unchanged. "Sega Sammy's mobile gaming business is centred on the domestic market, while 'Angry Birds' is well known overseas. "But there has been no big hit (from Rovio) other than Angry Birds, which was originally launched more than 10 years ago.

☆ Sega offers $776 million for Angry Birds maker Rovio
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HELSINKI, April 17 (Reuters) - Japan's Sega Sammy Holdings Inc (6460.T) has agreed to launch an offer for Finland's Rovio Entertainment (ROVIO.HE), the maker of the Angry Birds mobile game, for 706 million euros ($775.8 million), the companies said in a joint statement on Monday. Tokyo-based Sega will offer 9.25 euros per share for Rovio, a 19% premium over Friday's closing price of 7.775 euros. Rovio, which has been conducting a strategic review, on Saturday said it was in talks with Sega over a possible tender offer. The Wall Street Journal had reported on Friday that a deal between the two companies was imminent. Israeli peer Playtika (8II.F), had made a preliminary bid in January to buy Rovio for 683 million euros, but the Angry Birds maker confirmed last month talks had ended.

☆ European shares edge higher ahead of more Wall St earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Shubham Batra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Rate-sensitive technology shares <.SX8P> fell 1.2% tracking overnight losses on Wall Street, while banking shares (.SX7P), which were the biggest gainers on Friday, fell 0.3% . Investors will closely monitor a slew of earnings reports led by Goldman Sachs (GS.N), Morgan Stanley (MS.N) and Bank of America (BAC.N) due later in the week. Last week, Citigroup Inc (C.N), JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) beat earnings expectations, benefiting from rising interest rates and easing fears of stress in the banking system. "Cautious optimism is the Monday motivation mantra, as stronger U.S. corporate news and signs of consumer resilience help to mask ongoing worries about the knock-on effect of higher interest rates," said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets, Hargreaves Lansdown. Shares of Rovio (ROVIO.HE) rose 17.8% after Japan's Sega (6460.T) agreed to launch a 706 million euro offer for Angry Birds maker.

☆ Chegg pitches itself as an AI middleman
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, April 17 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Educational software company Chegg (CHGG.N) is trying to stay one step ahead of artificial intelligence. With its stock down 40% since ChatGPT’s November release, Chegg has a new plan to act as an intermediary between students and AI. To that end, Chegg on Monday announced a partnership with ChatGPT developer OpenAI to build a virtual tutor, CheggMate. With awareness of AI proliferating, schools will face pressure to adapt; Chegg could fashion itself as a safer way to do so. Other companies with domain-specific databases may follow suit, rebranding themselves as middlemen to avoid being made obsolete by AI.

☆ Morning Bid: Banks calm the horses
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

As U.S. banking giants calm the horses, global investors are now concentrated on world growth and earnings signals more than interest rate rises for direction - with an assumption the latter are near an end anyway. Somewhat relieved analysts marginally brightened their dim outlook for first-quarter U.S. results compared with a week ago. Futures markets now see a more than 80% chance the Fed will execute one final quarter point rate rise next month - reversing it by September. That rate rise would bring the real Fed policy rate - adjusted by headline consumer price inflation - into positive territory for the first time in three years. The dollar extended Friday's rebound as the May rate rise pricing hardened.

☆ Angry Birds creator Rovio: Sega makes takeover bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Japan’s Sega, the company behind Sonic the Hedgehog, is buying Rovio Entertainment in a cash deal that values the creator of Angry Birds at €706 million ($774 million). The company’s prime asset, Angry Birds, which launched in 2009, became the first mobile game series to reach 1 billion downloads, according to Guinness World Records. People tour an Angry Birds theme park at its opening on July 9, 2016 in Tianjin, China. Feature China/Future Publishing/Getty ImagesThe story-based puzzle video game has players launching “Angry Birds” from a slingshot at a fortress containing pigs who stole their eggs. The company’s share price closed 4.2% down in Tokyo on Monday.

☆ Angry Birds maker Rovio confirms talks with Sega over tender offer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 15 (Reuters) - Rovio Entertainment (ROVIO.HE), the company behind the mobile game Angry Birds, confirmed on Saturday that it is in talks with Japan's Sega Sammy Holdings Inc (6460.T) over a possible tender offer. Rovio announced the start of a strategic review and preliminary non-binding discussions regarding a potential tender offer for its shares in February, a statement from the group said. "As part of its strategic review, Rovio Entertainment Corporation confirms that it is in discussions with Sega Sammy Holdings Inc," it said. The company added in the statement that there "is no certainty as to when the possible tender offer would take place, or whether it would take place at all". Rovio received a 683 million euro takeover bid in January from Israeli peer Playtika Holding Corp (8II.F), but the talks were called off last month.

☆ Angry Birds maker may soon be owned by Sega if expected $1 billion sale goes through, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sega is nearing a deal to buy "Angry Birds" game creator Rovio Entertainment. After much success launching "Angry Birds" in 2009, the Finnish company reported losses in 2019. Rovio, a Finnish company that went public in 2017, has experienced vast success from its "Angry Birds" mobile game franchise. Since its debut in 2009, "Angry Birds" has inspired multiple spinoff games as well as TV shows and movies. Sega Sammy Holdings — which was formed by a merger of Sega and Sammy Corporation in 2004 — is best known for its "Sonic the Hedgehog" games and films.

An Angry Birds balloon floats during the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. is nearing a deal to acquire the company behind the “Angry Birds” mobile game for about $1 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The Japan-based entertainment conglomerate could seal a deal to buy Rovio Entertainment Oyj by early next week, assuming the talks don’t break down or drag out, the people said.

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