Blizzard Entertainment is being sued by former Chinese publishing partner NetEase after servers shutdown in January when the two failed to reach a continuation agreement. NetEase is seeking ¥300 million Yuan (roughly $43.5 million) in damages, which the company says will be put toward issuing refunds for discontinued games and recouping investments from unsold merchandise inventory.

The suit has multiple components. NetEase says Blizzard was supposed to handle customer refunds with regard to discontinued games and that it got stuck with the bill. NetEase also alleges that the original contract was worded in such a way as to grant Blizzard “unequal terms and conditions” in favor of the publisher’s “unilateral rights,” as reported and translated by MMO-focused gaming website Wowhead. A representative from Blizzard’s parent company Activision told Engadget that it has yet to see any formal paperwork announcing the lawsuit and said that NetEase is “contractually responsible” for refunds and anything else that falls under the “operations” umbrella.

NetEase also alleges that it provided Blizzard with a large advance to make future titles. The Chinese developer says that not only were these titles never finished or released, but that Blizzard never returned any of the seed money. Again, Activision had no comment as it has not seen the suit. 

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. Now there’s an alleged lawsuit to add even more fuel to the fire. This is a developing story so we will update this post when and if Activision/Blizzard receives a copy of the lawsuit.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/blizzard-sued-by-former-chinese-partner-after-messy-breakup-175023726.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Blizzard sued by former Chinese partner after messy breakup

BeReal, Apple’s iPhone app of the year for 2022, wants you to know that it’s still going strong. The app sends users a notification at a different time each day, prompting them to drop everything and share photos taken with their phone’s front and rear cameras simultaneously. You have a two-minute window to do this, with the idea that you’ll share authentic updates from your life (you likely won’t have enough time to fix your hair or find a spot with great lighting first). Your friends are notified when you post late or retake your photos.

This approach has caused some teething issues. It has led to people sharing mundane photos of their computer screens or taking out their phones simultaneously during a class, as The New York Times reported recently. Citing data from an analytics company, the publication suggested that the app’s user numbers have nosedived by around 61 percent in recent months to under six million as the novelty factor waned and biggerrivals started to copy BeReal.

On its new blog, BeReal claims it actually has more than 20 million daily active users. In its inaugural post, the BeReal team notes it has been quiet as it’s been busy. “But [that] means people have been guessing about what we’ve been up to and how things are going, and not always accurately,” the post reads. 

Meanwhile, BeReal has debuted a feature that could lead to an uptick in engagement and perhaps keep wavering users onboard. Bonus BeReal, which the company is testing in the UK before expanding to the rest of the world soon, allows users to post two extra snapshots per day at times of their choosing — as long as they share their regular BeReal on time.

The move could undercut the spontaneous authenticity that BeReal strives for, as it will give users a chance to pose for and edit their extra posts. However, BeReal notes that it may make changes to the feature.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bereal-says-it-has-more-than-20-million-daily-active-users-172721921.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – BeReal says it has more than 20 million daily active users

For those who prefer an Android phone to an iPhone, we think Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 is the best smartwatch you can get. Right now Amazon, Best Buy and Samsung are all selling the 40mm size for $219, which matches the all-time low price we saw earlier this year. In addition to being the top Android pick in our guide to smartwatches, the wearable earned an 85 in our review, thanks to its solid build, ample health tracking capabilities and a clean design that looks much more like a traditional timepiece than the square Apple Watch. 

The Watch 5 doesn’t look much different from its predecessor, maintaining the clean lines and minimalist design, but it now has tougher Sapphire Crystal glass. Our reviewer, Cherlynn Low, found the Galaxy Watch 5 did a better job than an Apple Watch at tracking sleep. It also beats out other WearOS-based devices at tracking activity, quickly recognizing when you’re moving and suggesting to record your activities. The battery will give you a little over a full day on a charge and the recharge rate is speedy, so a 30 minute charge will give you another half day of juice. 

The improved, curved sensors get closer to your skin to give you body composition readings and take EKG for better health tracking. And of course, it’s a capable companion for your Android phone, controlling your music, sending notifications, letting you reply to messages and delivering on-wrist navigation. 

For those with larger wrists, or who simply want a larger display, the 44mm Galaxy Watch 5 is also on sale. Amazon is selling it for $249, which is a $60 discount and the lowest price the watch has gone for since its debut last year. Both Best Buy and Samsung are currently matching that deal, so if you’d rather buy from those outlets, you can. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-galaxy-watch-5-is-cheaper-than-ever-at-amazon-171523806.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 is cheaper than ever at Amazon

Canadian synth-pop artist Grimes says AI artists can use her voice without worrying about copyright or legal enforcement. “I’ll split 50% royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice. Same deal as I would with any artist i collab with,” she tweeted on Sunday. “Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no label and no legal bindings.”

The musician’s declaration comes in the wake of streaming platforms removing an AI-generated song using simulated voices of Drake and The Weeknd. Universal Music Group (UMG), which represents both artists, called for the purge after “Heart on My Sleeve” garnered over 15 million listens on TikTok and 600,000 on Spotify. UMG argued that publishing a song trained on its artists’ voices was “a breach of our agreements and a violation of copyright law.”

Grimes takes a considerably more open approach, adding that she has no label or legal bindings. “I think it’s cool to be fused [with] a machine and I like the idea of open sourcing all art and killing copyright,” she added.

This isn’t Grimes’ first time weighing in on AI. The artist collaborated with mood music startup Endel to launch an AI-generated lullaby app in 2020. She was inspired to create “a better baby sleeping situation” for her son, X Æ A-XII. In addition, she predicted in 2019 that generative AI could mean “the end of art, human art,” continuing by saying, “Once there’s actually AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), they’re gonna be so much better at making art than us… once AI can totally master science and art, which could happen in the next 10 years, probably more like 20 or 30 years.”

In addition to music, generative AI is already disrupting numerous industries, including visual art, writing, online media and voiceover work. After its sudden arrival — and rapid improvements — within the past year, AI content creation has set off numerous legal, ethical and copyright firestorms. Unfortunately, it will likely worsen before society and copyright laws settle on any consensus. In March, the US Copyright Office said AI art, including music, stemming from a text prompt couldn’t be copyrighted. But it left the issue far from settled as it left the door open to granting copyright protections to works with AI-generated elements.

Grimes’ offer to split royalties says it would apply to any “successful” AI song using her voice, leaving some confusion over where that cutoff is. Either way, she sounds ready to back up the offer with tools artists can use, promising, “We’re making a program that should simulate my voice well but we could also upload stems and samples for ppl to train their own.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/grimes-invites-ai-artists-to-use-her-voice-promising-50-percent-royalty-split-165659578.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Grimes invites AI artists to use her voice, promising 50 percent royalty split