Tag Archives: creators

Technology

Take-Two Files Lawsuit Against Creators Of The GTA Reverse Engineering Project

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Image: MVG

There have rumours recently about a Grand Theft Auto Trilogy remaster coming to the Nintendo Switch either later this year or at some point in 2022.

Today’s GTA news is a tad different. Rockstar Games’ parent company Take-Two Interactive is now taking legal action against the 14 programmers behind the re3 project – making games like Grand Theft Auto 3 and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City playable on the Nintendo Switch.

As explained by Kotaku, Take-Two’s Manhattan-based firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp filed the lawsuit in California’s Northern District on Friday. Take-Two is seeking a preliminary injunction and a jury trial, and wishes to halt the behaviour before a ruling is determined.

In the complaint, MSK’s attorney noted how the source code enabled players to install and run games on multiple game platforms – including games that have never been released on Nintendo Switch.

“Perhaps most notably, Defendants claim that their derivative GTA source code enables players to install and run the Games on multiple game platforms, including those on which the Games never have been released, such as the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo Switch.”

The lawsuit follows on from Take-Two issuing a wave of DMCA takedowns in August – aimed at some of the series’ most popular mods. If the rumours about the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy remaster are true – it’s likely to be the main motivator here.



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Entertainment

South Park Creators Trey Parker & Matt Stone Say They’ve Agreed To Buy Casa Bonita – CBS Denver

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DENVER (CBS4) – “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone told Colorado’s governor they’ve tentatively agreed to purchase Casa Bonita, the Colorado landmark in Lakewood that is both a restaurant and a beloved small entertainment center. The conversation took place on Friday morning and was livestreamed by Gov. Jared Polis’ office.

(credit: State of Colorado)

“As of about an hour ago, pending bankruptcy proceedings, we’ve come to an agreement with the owner and we’ve bought it,” Stone told Polis.

(credit: Evan Semón/CBS)

Stone and Parker grew up in Colorado and one of the most popular episodes of their animated hit TV show about a fictional small Colorado town takes place at Casa Bonita. (The show is celebrating its 24th anniversary and is a production of ViacomCBS.) They said Friday that their plan to buy the restaurant has been in the works for a while.

RELATED: ‘South Park’ Brings 14 New Movies To Paramount+, 3 More Seasons On Comedy Central

The restaurant hasn’t been open to diners since the COVID-19 pandemic started and has filed for bankruptcy protection.

The group Save Casa Bonita had been working to do whatever it can to get the restaurant fully operational in recent months. Right now, the arcade and gift shop are open with tours of the facility being conducted throughout the day.

“We know that there have been a lot of people in Colorado that love Casa Bonita and have been working on this and we’re excited to work with everybody and make it the place we all want to make it,” said Parker, who was wearing a Colorado Rockies T-shirt during the conversation with the governor.

Polis asked the creative pair if they plan to improve the quality of the food offerings — the restaurant is known for having great sopapillas but not much else worth writing home about — and both said that is a priority.

“I think everyone knows the potential of what that place can be and we certainly do, and I think it’s going to be an awesome Colorado thing,” Parker said.

See the entire conversation below:

More About Trey Parker and Matt Stone

The writing/producing/directing team met when they were attending the University of Colorado at Boulder. Comedy Central hired the pair in 1997 to create the popular animated series “South Park,” a show that Steven Kroft of 60 Minutes said in September 2011 “changed the face of cable TV.” Their pair’s popular 1999 movie “South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut” followed. Then in 2011 their giant hit Broadway musical “The Book of Mormon” became a big winner at the Tony Awards. In the summer of 2012 the traveling version of the musical debuted in Denver. The pair at one point owned a multi-million dollar mansion in Steamboat Springs and have been spotted in the past in the attendance at Denver Nuggets games.



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Entertainment

Comics creators accuse Marvel and DC of unfair payment practices

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Spanish Captain America comic
Photo: PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images

From Al Jaffe to Jerry Siegel and Joel Schuster, there’s no shortage of comics artists, creators, and writers getting screwed by publishers. Pretty much as soon as the likes of Marvel and D.C. realized that they could cheat creators out of money, they began doing so. And according to a new report by The Guardian, the big two are still playing the hits, preventing creators like Ed Brubaker and Jim Starlin from reaping the benefits of introducing the world to the likes of The Winter Soldier and Thanos through ridiculous contract agreements and pitiful bonuses.

In a recent newsletter, Brubaker, who was already not feeling great about a Winter Soldier TV show, lamented about being so closely related to the world of the Winter Soldier while being left out of the part that puts food on the table: the money. “For the most part, all [co-creator Steve Epting] and I have got for creating the Winter Soldier and his storyline is a ‘thanks’ here or there, and over the years that’s become harder and harder to live with,” Brubaker wrote.

“I have a great life as a writer and much of it is because of Cap and the Winter Soldier bringing so many readers to my other work. But I also can’t deny feeling a bit sick to my stomach sometimes when my inbox fills up with people wanting comments on the show.”

The Guardian goes on to explain that “according to multiple sources, when a writer or artist’s work features prominently in a Marvel film, the company’s practice is to send the creator an invitation to the premiere and a cheque for $5,000.” This is one option. Several sources said that they could also receive nothing or a rare “special character contract,” which allows creators to claim payment when their characters or storylines are used. One anonymous Marvel creator said, “I’ve been offered a [special character contract] that was really, really terrible, but it was that or nothing […] And then instead of honouring it, they send a thank you note and are like, ‘Here’s some money we don’t owe you!’ and it’s five grand. And you’re like, ‘The movie made a billion dollars.’”

Sometimes, even actions that should amount to polite business dealings, such as invitations to premieres, slip through the cracks. The Guardian reports that Brubaker and Epting showed up for the Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a film very much indebted to their Captain America run, premiere party in tuxes, only to find out they weren’t on the list. Sebastian Stan, who plays the character they created, had to get them in.

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The Guardian explains how these contracts work:

Comic creators are “work-for-hire”, so the companies they work for owe them nothing beyond a flat fee and royalty payments. But Marvel and DC also incentivise popular creators to stay on with the promise of steady work and what they call “equity”: a tiny share of the profits, should a character they create or a storyline they write become fodder for films, shows or merch. For some creators, work they did decades ago is providing vital income now as films bring their comics to a bigger audience; they reason – and the companies seem to agree – it’s only fair to pay them more. DC has a boilerplate internal contract, which the Guardian has seen, which guarantees payments to creators when their characters are used. Marvel’s contracts are similar, according to two sources with knowledge of them, but harder to find; some Marvel creators did not know they existed.

The whole report is very much worth reading as it breaks down the fraught history between the people who create comic book characters and the companies that profit off those creations. Read the whole article at The Guardian.

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Entertainment

‘South Park’ Creators Want To Buy Real Casa Bonita, But It’s Not For Sale

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Trey Parker and Matt Stone want to buy a beloved Colorado restaurant featured in “South Park,” but it’s still just a pipedream … because we’re told Casa Bonita is NOT for sale.

Here’s the deal … the “South Park” creators made it pretty well known this week they want to buy the Mexican restaurant they often shout out in their sitcom, in part because the real Casa Bonita has remained shuttered since the outset of the pandemic.

But, as flattering as their desire to buy Casa Bonita might be, honchos at the restaurant’s parent company, Summit Family Restaurant Inc., tell TMZ … they’re not interested in selling, despite filing for bankruptcy.

Since the bankruptcy filing, we’re told tons of people have reached out to Summit about purchasing Casa Bonita — but Trey and Matt weren’t among them.

We’re told the decision-makers at Summit plan to reopen Casa Bonita ASAP once the current bankruptcy process wraps, with the goal being to get folks back to work in the next month. Summit’s owned Casa Bonita for 25 years.

The door’s not shut completely on Trey and Matt owning Casa Bonita one day … we’re told if Summit ever wants to sell the joint, the “South Park” creators will be at the top of the list of potential buyers.

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Business

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong Responds to Dogecoin Creator’s Bleak Outlook on Bitcoin and Crypto Industry

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Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is responding to a viral tweetstorm from Dogecoin co-creator Jackson Palmer, who recently offered a bleak outlook on Bitcoin and the entire crypto space.

Palmer, who created Dogecoin (DOGE) as a joke cryptocurrency with Billy Markus in 2013, asserted that crypto assets are designed to primarily “amplify the wealth of its proponents.”

 

“Despite claims of ‘decentralization,’ the cryptocurrency industry is controlled by a powerful cartel of wealthy figures who, with time, have evolved to incorporate many of the same institutions tied to the existing centralized financial system they supposedly set out to replace.”

In response, Armstrong says that the technology behind cryptocurrency broadens access to opportunities and facilitates wealth mobility.

“Crypto is not going to solve wealth inequality. It’s not trying to create the same outcome for everyone. But it does create wealth mobility and more equality of opportunity for everyone. It levels the playing field, at least to some degree.”

The Coinbase CEO also says crypto suits libertarian-minded people who prefer a free-market economic system.

“If you believe government solutions are often inefficient, overpromise/underdeliver, and come with unintended consequences, and that personal responsibility mixed with free markets will create better outcomes for everyone, then crypto is a much needed breath of fresh air.”

Armstrong adds that Bitcoin has generated riches for many people because it is not under the control of any government or regulatory authority. Government solutions, such as investor laws, are counterproductive and make it hard to obtain wealth through investments, according to Armstrong.

“Accredited investor laws are a good example. They were created with the best of intentions, to protect regular people from scams – a noble idea. But what has been the actual result? They’ve often made it illegal to get rich via investment, unless you’re already rich.

This is part of why Bitcoin has made so many people wealthy. It was not a security, so regular people could invest early on.”

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Technology

Phoenix Point: Behemoth Edition Brings XCOM Creator’s Latest to PS4 and Xbox

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Phoenix Point, the 2019 PC turn-based strategy game from X-COM creator Julian Gollop and his studio at Snapshot Games, is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 1 with Phoenix Point: Behemoth Edition. The console release includes the three previously released DLC packs, the new DLC4, an updated UI and controls to optimize for the console experience, a DLC weapons pack, as well as a free next-gen update for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S that is due out after Behemoth Edition launches.

Existing PC owners, meanwhile, will also be able to get DLC4, titled “Corrupted Horizons,” on October 1. Take a look at the trailer for the Behemoth Edition at the top of the page, and a teaser for DLC4 at the bottom of the page.

We called Phoenix Point “good” in our review, saying it “has a lot of interesting ideas to contribute to the revitalized turn-based tactics genre but many of them are in need refining and balancing.” If you don’t want to wait for the Behemoth Edition, you can play Phoenix Point now on PC through any of the following storefronts: Steam, the Epic Games Store, the Microsoft Store, GOG.com and Google Stadia.

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Entertainment

Tyler, the Creator’s ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ Tops Billboard 200

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The new July 10, 2021-dated chart (where Call Me debuts to No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Wednesday, July 7 (one day later than normal, owed to the post-July 4 Monday holiday in the U.S. on July 5). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of Call Me If You Get Lost’s 169,000 equivalent album units earned in the tracking week ending July 1, SEA units comprise 114,000 (equaling 152.96 million on-demand streams of the album’s tracks), album sales comprise 55,000 (largely from deluxe box sets sold exclusively via the artist’s webstore) and TEA units comprise less than 1,000.

Call Me was released on June 25 as a 15-track standard digital download album, as well as in a 16-track deluxe digital and a streaming edition with one bonus track (“Safari”). The 16-track physical edition of the album, on CD and cassette, added a different bonus cut (“Fishtail”). Of Call Me’s total album sales for the week, 40,000 were CDs, 10,000 were cassettes and 5,000 were digital downloads. A vinyl LP release has yet to be announced.

The CD and cassette were exclusively sold via the artist’s webstore and sold out within a day. They were available a la carte, as well as in four limited edition deluxe box sets that sold for $25 each. (The box sets included either a CD, shirt and poster or a cassette, shirt and poster.) It has not been announced if any further CDs, cassettes or box sets will be manufactured, nor if they will become available to any other retailers.

While Call Me’s sales were sturdy, it’s worth noting that the album would have still arrived at No. 1 without any sales thanks to its solid streaming figures. It tallied 114,000 SEA units — which would have been enough to make it No. 1 by about 5,000 units over the No. 2 title of the week, Doja Cat’s new studio album, Planet Her.

Planet Her debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 109,000 equivalent album units earned. It’s the singer-rapper’s best week in terms of units earned, and highest charting effort yet, surpassing the No. 9 peak of her last release, and lone prior top 10, Hot Pink. The new album boasts the top five-charting Billboard Hot 100 hit “Kiss Me More,” featuring SZA, as well as guest turns from The Weeknd and Ariana Grande.

Of Planet Her’s starting sum of 109,000 units, SEA units comprise 96,000 (equaling 132 million on-demand streams of the album’s tracks), album sales comprise 10,000 and TEA units comprise 3,000.

Planet Her was initially released as a 14-track standard album on June 25. A deluxe digital and streaming edition followed on June 27, adding five additional tracks. Of the album’s 10,000 sold for the week, 6,000 were via digital download and 4,000 came via CD. (The CD had a limited pressing and was only available via Doja Cat’s webstore.)

A quartet of former No. 1s follows on the Billboard 200: Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour (falling 1-3 with 93,000 equivalent album units earned; down 11%), Lil Baby and Lil Durk’s The Voice of the Heroes (3-4 with 52,000 units; down 9%), Polo G’s Hall of Fame (2-5 with 49,000 units; down 27%) and Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album (5-6 with 47,000 units; down 3%).

Migos’ Culture III descends 4-7 with 37,000 equivalent album units earned (down 31%), Bo Burnham’s Inside (The Songs) rises 9-8 with 32,000 units (up 4%), and Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia dips 7-9 with 31,000 units (down less than 1%).

Justin Bieber’s Justice returns to the top 10, with a 14-10 hike, thanks to its vinyl release on June 25. The former No. 1 earned 30,000 units for the week (up 20%), with album sales comprising 7,000 of that sum (up 618%), of which vinyl LP sales equaled 6,000.

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Technology

Final Fantasy creator’s latest game, Fantasian, launches on Apple Arcade

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Fantasian, a new role-playing game from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, is available now for Apple Arcade. The game is playable on iOS, Mac, and Apple TV.

Fantasian is the latest from Sakaguchi’s studio Mistwalker, which he founded in 2004; the developer has since released games such as The Last Story and Blue Dragon. Although Fantasian uses traditional RPG elements like turn-based battles, it’s been designed with handcrafted physical models — more than 150 dioramas in all.

Fantasian features touch controls but, according to Sakaguchi, is intended to deliver a console-like experience on mobile devices. The game follows an amnesiac hero searching for a way to regain his lost memories. In a previous interview with The Verge, Sakaguchi said that replaying Final Fantasy IV made him want to return to his RPG roots.

The game was released yesterday in Japan. On Twitter, Sakaguchi noted Fantasian has the “same birthday” as one of his other games, Final Fantasy VI — a title that shares similar themes.



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Technology

Clubhouse announces accelerator program for creators on its platform

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During Clubhouse’s weekly town hall on Sunday, CEO Paul Davison announced the voice-chat app’s first creators program. Clubhouse Creator First will help aspiring hosts and creators on the platform build their audiences, connect with brands, and perhaps most importantly, monetize their shows.

The accelerator will accept 20 creators, and Clubhouse is taking applications through March 31st.

Clubhouse celebrates its first anniversary on March 17th, and has had quite the inaugural year. Its success particularly among the Silicon Valley VC crowd, has spawned several similar voice-based apps from bigger competitors, including Twitter Spaces which was announced late last year, and a similar forthcoming voice app believed to be coming from Facebook.

Davison also said during the Sunday town hall that Clubhouse is embarking on a “world tour,” hosting its first town hall in Italy on Monday. It’s also added some product features that users have been asking for, including link sharing and language filtering. The app also won’t require access to users’ phone contacts anymore, now, users can invite new people to the platform directly by using the person’s phone number. Davison said users can reach out to the company to delete previously-uploaded contacts, and that a tool to allow users to delete contacts from Clubhouse is coming soon.

Even though Clubhouse remains invite-only and is still not available on Android devices, during a recent funding round it was valued at $1 billion.

You can sign up for the Clubhouse Creator Accelerator here.



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