Google Paid Apple $1 Billion in 2014 to Make it the Default iOS Search Engine

Google was paying Apple a decent amount of money in order to keep its search engine on iOS devices.

A court transcript obtained by Bloomberg, from Oracle’s copyright lawsuit against Google, reveals that the former company paid out $1 billion to competitor Apple in 2014. The two tech companies made an agreement that would give Apple a percentage of the revenue Google generates from searches made on iPhones and iPads.

The revenue share Apple currently receives from Google is unknown, but a Google witness questioned during the Oracle-Google lawsuit said is was 34 percent "at one point in time." However, according to Bloomberg, the transcript didn't make it clear if that was the amount Google kept, or the amount paid to Apple.

Continue reading…

Life is Strange Limited Edition Box Set Confirmed for PC

Square Enix and DONTNOD Entertainment have announced that the limited edition box set of Life is Strange will be available for PC.

Available from the Square Enix store, the limited edition set includes a 32-page artbook featuring previously unreleased concept art, 14 track soundtrack, eight track original score, directors' commentary, and all five episodes. The box set will cost $40 across all platforms available—PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Continue reading…

Lucifer Cast on Bringing DC Comics’ Devil to TV

Debuting Monday on FOX, Lucifer joins a growing list of TV shows based on DC Comics properties – in this case, the Vertigo title by Neil Gaiman, using a depiction of the Devil himself first introduced in Gaiman’s Sandman comics.

The TV version of Lucifer stars Tom Ellis as the title character, who’s abandoned hell for Los Angeles (insert joke here), where he runs a nightclub. Things change for him though when he meets Detective Chloe Dancer (Lauren German), a cop who is somehow immune to his abilities – and with whom he begins solving crimes with.

On a visit to the set of Lucifer, I spoke to Ellis and German about the series and what to expect.

The past few years have seen many portrayals of anti-heroes on TV, but it seems like the devil himself would be considered the ultimate version of that.

Continue reading…

Microsoft Renews Jet Force Gemini Trademark

Microsoft has renewed the trademark for Jet Force Gemini, a Rare-developed adventure game that first appeared on Nintendo 64.

According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the renewal was filed on June 12, 2015 and published on January 19, 2016. The online document identities the trademark’s use as “game software” related.

The original Jet Force Gemini launched in 1999 for Nintendo 64. IGN’s review called it “wonderfully stylized” and “one of the N64’s most original games” at the time.

Continue reading…

100 Atari Games Coming to Steam in New Collection

Atari has revealed Atari Vault, a new 100 game collection coming to Steam this Spring.

Games in the collection include classics like Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Tempest, Warlords, and more. An upgraded user interface, online and local multiplayer options, Steam Controller support, and Steam Leaderboards are all being added, to boot.

Code Mystics is the developer behind Atari Vault. The studio previously worked on the PlayStation ports of Nidhogg, co-developed Rare Replay on Xbox One, and worked on Atari Greatest Hits Volume 1 and 2 for Nintendo DS.

Atari Vault will be shown off at PAX South, which takes place January 29-31, and will have a playable demo by request.

Continue reading…

New Members Rumored for Guardians of the Galaxy 2

Three new members could be joining the Guardians of the Galaxy in their next film, according to a new report.

Fair warning, potential movie spoilers follow.

Geek.com reports that Yondu, Nebula, and Mantis will join Star-Lord (Chris Pratt,) Drax (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel) in Guardians Vol. 2. We met both Yondu and Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, while Mantis is a newcomer to the cinematic universe. Yondu, played by Michael Rooker, is a space pirate of sorts, and butted heads with Star-Lord in the first film. However, the two did seem to make up towards the end of the film (and Yondu has been a member of the team in the comics).

Continue reading…

Grant Gustin ‘Fully Supports’ Ezra Miller as the Flash

Grant Gustin, star of CW's The Flash, has come out in support of Ezra Miller as the big screen version of the character.

After being accused of bashing the Perks of Being a Wallflower actor by liking several posts by fans saying they'd prefer to see him in a Flash movie, Gustin posted a message on Twitter expressing his full backing for Miller.

"I fully support Ezra Miller as Barry Allen and the Flash on the feature side of DC. I've never met the guy but I think he is a fantastic and interesting actor," Gustin wrote. "Would I have liked to play Barry Allen in a movie? Sure. I love this character and it has changed my life and making movies and TV is something I hope to be fortunate enough to be doing for the rest of my life."

Continue reading…