It’s not a huge surprise that the Republican National Committee (RNC) had attack ads ready to go whenever President Joe Biden officially announced his re-election campaign. What’s novel this time is that the video uses imagery generated by artificial intelligence to present the RNC’s vision of what the world may look like if Biden wins again in 2024. 

The RNC told Axios it was the first time it had used a video that was made entirely with AI. The ad starts by depicting Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at an election victory party. Although there’s a faint disclaimer in the top-left corner noting that the ad was “built entirely with AI imagery,” there’s a dead giveaway that it’s not a real photo of Biden and Harris — both of the smiling, AI-generated figures have far too many teeth.

On April 24th, 2023, reports circulated that Blizzard Entertainment was being sued by former Chinese publishing partner NetEase after servers shutdown in January when the two failed to reach a continuation agreement. However, a day later, it turns out that NetEase was in fact not suing the company — instead, as reported by PC Gamer, the suit is being brought by a single individual who is known to be a serial litigant with no history with NetEase. It appears the court documents listened NetEase erroneously; the company does not have anything to do with the lawsuit. Originally, MMO-focused gaming website Wowhead noticed the suit.

Since this story was originally published, those court documents have been re-published to reflect that the suits are coming from a Yang Jun; all mentions of NetEase have been removed.

“We haven’t received the lawsuit yet, but we are confident we aren’t in breach of any licensing agreements. The terms NetEase appears to be complaining about reflect standard industry practice and have been mutually-beneficial for years,” an Activision rep wrote in a statement to Engadget prior to the discovery that NetEase was not involved in the lawsuit. “While this persistent campaign by one former partner is disappointing and puzzling, it’s important to note that we have enjoyed nearly two decades of positive experiences operating in China, and remain committed to serving players and protecting their interests.”

Blizzard and NetEase were successful partners for the past 14 years before negotiations broke down to renew the long-term licensing agreement. This led to a complete cessation of all Blizzard games and services in the region, including popular properties like World of Warcraft, Overwatch 2, Starcraft and Diablo III, among others. Millions of Chinese players lost access to their accounts and related data. Some started fresh with new accounts in other regions, but most (112 million people) opted for a refund.

The agreement did not end amicably, with reports of NetEase staffers tearing down the Blizzard offices and livestreaming the destruction of a World of Warcraft statue. NetEase’s president of global investment and partnership, Simon Zhu, also seemed to call out a high-ranking Blizzard staffer as a “jerk” in a LinkedIn post. Despite the seeming animosity, though, the lawsuit does not come from NetEase.

Update, 4/24/23, 3:30PM ET: This story and its headline have been updated to indicate that this lawsuit hasn’t been confirmed yet, as Activision itself nor Engadget has seen a copy of the lawsuit yet. 

Update, 4/25/23, 11:30AM ET: A full statement provided by Activision has been added to the story.

Update, 4/25/23, 2:35PM ET: This story and its headline has been updated to reflect the recent development that NetEase was erroneously named in this lawsuit. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/china-court-documents-incorrectly-showed-activision-was-being-sued-by-former-partner-netease-183534200.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – China court documents incorrectly showed Activision was being sued by former partner NetEase

With nearly 60 million daily active players, Roblox is one of the most popular games on the planet. So it’s surprising then that it’s taken until now for a company like Razer to partner with the game’s creator to release a line of Roblox-branded gaming gear. 

Announced today, the line includes new versions of some of Razer’s most popular accessories, like the Orochi V2 gaming mouse. There’s also a Roblox-themed BlackWidow V3 mechanical keyboard and Barracuda X headset. What makes Razer’s Roblox Edition peripherals different from some of the other collaborative gaming lines released in the past is that each Razer device comes with an in-game Roblox item. The Orochi V2, for instance, comes with the “Razer Cyberpack,” a backpack shaped like a mouse. Meanwhile, the BlackWidow lets you adorn your Roblox avatar with a set keyboard wings. If that wasn’t weird enough, none of the in-game items are one-for-one recreations of their real-world counterparts.

Pricing starts at $90 for the mouse, while the headset and mechanical keyboard will cost $130 and $180, respectively. In other words, each Roblox Edition accessory costs more than you would pay for those devices normally. For instance, the standard black, white and quartz Orochi V2 colorways cost $70 when they’re not on sale. You’re basically paying extra for your kid to show off to their friends on Roblox. The entire line will go on sale on April 28th through the Razer website and select retailers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/razers-roblox-edition-accessories-will-let-your-kids-friends-know-they-come-from-money-180006348.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Razer’s Roblox Edition accessories will let your kid’s friends know they come from money