Blizzard Raises Over $1M to Help Fight Ebola
Through a recently-announced fundraiser, World of Warcraft developer Blizzard has raised a large sum of money to help the American Red Cross fight Ebola.
Funds were collected through the sale of Argi, a space goat players could purchase as an in-game pet in Blizzard's popular fantasy MMO. The sales of Argi earned $1.9 million, which will be sent to help fight the Ebola outbreak in Africa.
"In December, we announced that for every Argi purchased by December 31, 2014, 100% of the adoption fee would be going to assist in aiding in the fight against this deadly disease -- and the community embraced this cute little intergalactic nibbler, helping out a great cause in the process. Thanks again to everyone who helped make a difference," reads a post on Blizzard's blog.
App Store Update: February 11
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Voxelvoid – (Free, For a Limited Time!)
When chunky, blocky pixels step into the third dimension, they become cubes called voxels. When an old-school, 2D arcade shooter steps into the third dimension, you get Voxelvoid:
EverQuest Studio Suffers Layoffs
Daybreak Game Company, formerly known as Sony Online Entertainment, has been hit with layoffs.
In a statement to IGN, Daybreak spokesperson Michele Cagle said the move is a "strategic decision to rationalize the business," with both its San Diego, CA and Austin, TX studios seeing the elimination of positions.
"This alignment of resources better positions the newly independent studio for future growth opportunities and developments," Cagle said, adding that the reductions will not affect current game operations. "The company will continue on its mission to partner with its player community to drive the future."
EverQuest franchise director of development David Georgeson was among those affected, saying on Twitter "Yeah, I'm sorry folks but it's true."
Google I/O 2015 Set For May 28-29
Google's annual I/O developer conference will take place on May 28th and 29th in San Francisco's Moscone Center this year.
Registration for the event begins on March 17th at 12:00 pm Eastern and ends on March 19th.
Those who sign-up will have their names thrown in a lottery and selected at random, with winners permitted to purchase tickets. This system was created one year after tickets for the event sold out in less than an hour.
Several parts of the event, including the keynote and select sessions, will be livestreamed for offsite attendees.
Google hasn't announced specific topics for the convention yet, but watch its official I/O event page for news. We'll also keep you updated.
It’s Black Canary vs. Black Canary on Tonight’s Arrow
In this week's new Arrow, Oliver gets back to Starling City and finds that the dynamics of Team Arrow have changed in his absence. They've had to make their own decisions with Oliver gone and falling back into the previous hierarchy isn't simple. And then there's the matter of Laurel taking on the Black Canary mantle. Oliver is not a fan.
Laurel doesn't listen to Oliver and goes against his wishes to face Vertigo (Peter Stormare). He unfortunately gains the upper hand, and the hallucinations Vertigo causes make Laurel see and fight her sister Sara (Caity Lotz). Canary on Canary. See photos from the episode in the below gallery.
Arrow: "Canaries" Photo Gallery:
Report: Samsung Will Release 2 Versions of the Galaxy S6
A new report suggests Samsung is gearing up to release both a curved-display and standard-display version of the Galaxy S6.
According to Bloomberg, the curved-display version of the smartphone will have a "display covering three sides." The report states that both versions of the Galaxy S6 will have 5.1-inch screens and will use Samsung's most advanced processor chips. Each version will also have an "all-metal" body, compared to all-plastic build of the Galaxy S5.
It should be noted that the report doesn't explicitly mention the Galaxy S6, only Samsung's "top-tier Galaxy smartphone."
New Hero, Puppy Companion Coming to Dota 2
After teasing the next update for Dota 2 for the past few days, Valve finally has released the patch notes for the upcoming 6.83c update.
The "New Bloom" update will see several balance changes hit the game, along with a New Bloom version of the standard map being introduced into play for a short time. The new map will not be changing gameplay, and will simply act as a cosmetic change of the existing 5v5 map that Dota 2 currently uses.
Other updates include changes to Juggernaut's agility growth and mana costs, Phantom Lancer's addition to Captain's Mode, and updates to Axe's ability functionality. Along with these changes, 6.83c will be adding a new character: Winter Wyvern.
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Resogun Defenders DLC Release Date Revealed
New details have been revealed about Resogun's second piece of DLC, including a release date and a free, supplemental content update.
In a post today on the Playstation Blog, developer XDEV Studio Europe announced that Resogun: Defenders will come to PlayStation 4 on February 17. The DLC can be picked up for $4.99 on it's own, or for free as part of the game's season pass.
Resogun: Defenders features two new game modes, Protector and Commando. In Protector Mode, you must save the last remaining human colony by utilizing new power-ups, such as Super Boost and Teleport, while maneuvering through planet flips and environmental hazards. In Commando, you play as the last Human left behind on a distant planet with only a mini-gun to defend yourself. Commando mode features both cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes.
Abandoned Games Could Get a Second Chance
Consumer advocacy group The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed for an exemption to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, or DMCA, that would allow enthusiasts to play online games that are no longer supported by publishers.
Enthusiast servers set up for games such as Mario Kart Wii may violate the terms of the DMCA. According to the EFF,changing a game so it doesn’t need to connect to a server that no longer exists could violate Section 1201," of the act, which prohibits circumventing "technical protection measures."
The EFF's proposed exemption covers games where "single-player or multiplayer play is no longer possible," because the game’s developers have shut down or outright abandoned the game's servers. Experts from the Internet Archive, Stanford University, MIT, and the Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment filed statements in support of the exemption, the EFF said.