Embracer sells a big chunk of Saber Interactive in a deal worth around $500 million

As expected, the Embracer Group has sold much of Saber Interactive, which is known for the Metro series, Gloomhaven and remakes of classic Star Wars titles. The buyer is a group of private investors under the umbrella of Beacon Interactive, which is run by Saber co-founder Matthew Karch. 

Although Embracer says the deal is worth $247 million, it's actually worth around $500 million once liabilities are factored in, according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier. That’s because Beacon is said to have taken up an option to buy 4A Games and Zen Studios (the developers of the Metro and Zen Pinball series, respectively) as well.

As you might imagine given those latter points, the details of the sale are a little convoluted. Along with 4A and Zen, the sale includes all Saber-branded studios, Nimble Giant (Star Trek: Infinite), 3D animation studio Digic, support studio Fractured Byte, PR agency Sandbox Strategies, Mad Head Games (Scars Above), Slipgate Ironworks (Graven), New World Interactive (the Insurgency series) and publisher 3D Realms.

Embracer is hanging onto 34 Big Things (Redout), Shiver (which ported Mortal Kombat 11 to Switch), Snapshot (Phoenix Point) and Aspyr, which is behind the recent remaster of the original Tomb Raider trilogy and Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, which came out on Thursday. The publisher is also retaining Tripwire (Maneater), Beamdog (Mythforce), Tuxedo Labs (Teardown) and Demiurge (Sega Heroes). Embracer-owned publisher Plaion will keep the long-term license and publishing rights for PC and console games in the Metro series too.

Overall, Beacon is scooping up at least 38 ongoing game development projects, along with some proprietary engine technology and game tools. Saber says it will retain 14 games, including Killing Floor 3. According to reporter Stephen Totilo, Beacon is taking on 2,950 workers and Embracer is retaining 800 (it has 14,140 workers overall).

"Embracer is now able to discontinue all operations in Russia, according to a previous board decision, while safeguarding many developer jobs under new independent ownership," Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors said. "At the same time, we keep key companies, valuable IPs and future publishing rights."

Embracer bought Saber for $525 million four years ago and it slotted some later purchases, including Demiurge and New World Interactive, into that division. Since last summer, Embracer has been on a major cost-cutting drive after an expected investment of $2 billion (reportedly from a group backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund) fell apart. The company has shuttered several studios, and it laid off 1,387 people in the second half of 2023. It also canceled 29 unannounced games over a six-month period last year. It's believed that Gearbox (of Borderlands fame) may be set to leave Embracer too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/embracer-sells-a-big-chunk-of-saber-interactive-in-a-deal-worth-around-500-million-143713156.html?src=rss

Prime Video’s latest Fallout trailer deftly captures the tone of the games

Amazon has released a full trailer for the live-action Fallout series that's coming to Prime Video soon. It's our most in-depth look yet at the show and early indications suggest that the creative team has captured the distinct blend of irreverence and violence that helped Bethesda's game series become so successful.

The clip focuses on Lucy (Ella Purnell), a young woman who emerges from a fallout bunker into what used to be Los Angeles, 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse. Lucy quickly discovers that life on the surface isn't quite as cushy as staying in a luxury vault. "Practically every person I've met up here has tried to kill me," she says, seconds before we see a robot attempt to harvest her organs.

The trailer (and the show) gets a helping hand from the otherworldly charm of Walton Goggins as a pitchman for living in a fallout shelter. His character somehow survives the apocalypse and is still around two centuries later, carving out a life as a mutated bounty hunter called The Ghoul. The trailer has a ton of other references to the games for fans to drink in.

Amazon also took the opportunity to reveal that Fallout will arrive on Prime Video on April 11, one day earlier than previously announced. You won't have to wait a week between episodes either, as the entire season will drop at once.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/prime-videos-latest-fallout-trailer-deftly-captures-the-tone-of-the-games-170210309.html?src=rss

Prime Video’s latest Fallout trailer deftly captures the tone of the games

Amazon has released a full trailer for the live-action Fallout series that's coming to Prime Video soon. It's our most in-depth look yet at the show and early indications suggest that the creative team has captured the distinct blend of irreverence and violence that helped Bethesda's game series become so successful.

The clip focuses on Lucy (Ella Purnell), a young woman who emerges from a fallout bunker into what used to be Los Angeles, 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse. Lucy quickly discovers that life on the surface isn't quite as cushy as staying in a luxury vault. "Practically every person I've met up here has tried to kill me," she says, seconds before we see a robot attempt to harvest her organs.

The trailer (and the show) gets a helping hand from the otherworldly charm of Walton Goggins as a pitchman for living in a fallout shelter. His character somehow survives the apocalypse and is still around two centuries later, carving out a life as a mutated bounty hunter called The Ghoul. The trailer has a ton of other references to the games for fans to drink in.

Amazon also took the opportunity to reveal that Fallout will arrive on Prime Video on April 11, one day earlier than previously announced. You won't have to wait a week between episodes either, as the entire season will drop at once.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/prime-videos-latest-fallout-trailer-deftly-captures-the-tone-of-the-games-170210309.html?src=rss

Facebook is using AI to supercharge the algorithm that recommends you videos

Meta is revamping how Facebook recommends videos across Reels, Groups, and the main Facebook Feed, by using AI to power its video recommendation algorithm, Facebook head Tom Alison revealed on Wednesday. The world's largest social network has already switched Reels, its TikTok competitor, to the new engine, and plans to use it in all places within Facebook that show video — the main Facebook feed and Groups — as part of a "technology roadmap" through 2026, Alison said at a Morgan Stanley tech conference in San Francisco.

Meta has made competing with TikTok a top priority ever since the app, which serves up vertical video clips and is known for its powerful recommendation engine that seems to know exactly what will keep users hooked, started exploding in popularity in the US in the last few years. When Facebook tested the new AI-powered recommendation engine with Reels, watch time went up by roughly 8 to 10 percent, Alison revealed. “So what that told us was this new model architecture is learning from the data much more efficiently than the previous generation,” Alison said. “So that was like a good sign that says, OK, we’re on the right track.”

So far, Facebook used different video recommendation engines for Reels, Groups, and the Facebook feed. But after seeing success with Reels, the company plans to use the same AI-powered engine across all these products.

“Instead of just powering Reels, we’re working on a project to power our entire video ecosystem with this single model, and then can we add our Feed recommendation product to also be served by this model,” Alison said. “If we get this right, not only will the recommendations be kind of more engaging and more relevant, but we think the responsiveness of them can improve as well.”

The move is a part of Meta’s strategy to infuse AI into all its products after the technology exploded with the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT at the end of 2022. The company is spending billions of dollars to buy up hundreds of thousands of pricey NVIDIA GPUs used to train and power AI models, Zuckerberg said in a video earlier this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/facebook-is-using-ai-to-supercharge-the-algorithm-that-recommends-you-videos-033027002.html?src=rss

Facebook is using AI to supercharge the algorithm that recommends you videos

Meta is revamping how Facebook recommends videos across Reels, Groups, and the main Facebook Feed, by using AI to power its video recommendation algorithm, Facebook head Tom Alison revealed on Wednesday. The world's largest social network has already switched Reels, its TikTok competitor, to the new engine, and plans to use it in all places within Facebook that show video — the main Facebook feed and Groups — as part of a "technology roadmap" through 2026, Alison said at a Morgan Stanley tech conference in San Francisco.

Meta has made competing with TikTok a top priority ever since the app, which serves up vertical video clips and is known for its powerful recommendation engine that seems to know exactly what will keep users hooked, started exploding in popularity in the US in the last few years. When Facebook tested the new AI-powered recommendation engine with Reels, watch time went up by roughly 8 to 10 percent, Alison revealed. “So what that told us was this new model architecture is learning from the data much more efficiently than the previous generation,” Alison said. “So that was like a good sign that says, OK, we’re on the right track.”

So far, Facebook used different video recommendation engines for Reels, Groups, and the Facebook feed. But after seeing success with Reels, the company plans to use the same AI-powered engine across all these products.

“Instead of just powering Reels, we’re working on a project to power our entire video ecosystem with this single model, and then can we add our Feed recommendation product to also be served by this model,” Alison said. “If we get this right, not only will the recommendations be kind of more engaging and more relevant, but we think the responsiveness of them can improve as well.”

The move is a part of Meta’s strategy to infuse AI into all its products after the technology exploded with the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT at the end of 2022. The company is spending billions of dollars to buy up hundreds of thousands of pricey NVIDIA GPUs used to train and power AI models, Zuckerberg said in a video earlier this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/facebook-is-using-ai-to-supercharge-the-algorithm-that-recommends-you-videos-033027002.html?src=rss

Microsoft engineer who raised concerns about Copilot image creator pens letter to the FTC

Microsoft engineer Shane Jones raised concerns about the safety of OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 back in January, suggesting the product has security vulnerabilities that make it easy to create violent or sexually explicit images. He also alleged that Microsoft’s legal team blocked his attempts to alert the public to the issue. Now, he has taken his complaint directly to the FTC, as reported by CNBC.

“I have repeatedly urged Microsoft to remove Copilot Designer from public use until better safeguards could be put in place,” Jones wrote in a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan. He noted that Microsoft “refused that recommendation” so now he’s asking the company to add disclosures to the product to alert consumers to the alleged danger. Jones also wants the company to change the rating on the app to make sure it’s only for adult audiences. Copilot Designer’s Android app is currently rated “E for Everyone.”

Microsoft continues “to market the product to ‘Anyone. Anywhere. Any Device,’” he wrote, referring to a promotional slogan recently used by company CEO Satya Nadella. Jones penned a separate letter to the company’s board of directors, urging them to begin “an independent review of Microsoft’s responsible AI incident reporting processes.”

An image of a banana bed.
A sample image (a banana couch) generated by DALL-E 3 (OpenAI)

This all boils down to whether or not Microsoft's implementation of DALL-E 3 will create violent or sexual imagery, despite the guardrails put in place. Jones says it’s all too easy to “trick” the platform into making the grossest stuff imaginable. The engineer and red teamer says he regularly witnessed the software whip up unsavory images from innocuous prompts. The prompt “pro-choice," for instance, created images of demons feasting on infants and Darth Vader holding a drill to the head of a baby. The prompt “car accident” generated pictures of sexualized women, alongside violent depictions of automobile crashes. Other prompts created images of teens holding assault rifles, kids using drugs and pictures that ran afoul of copyright law.

These aren’t just allegations. CNBC was able to recreate just about every scenario that Jones called out using the standard version of the software. According to Jones, many consumers are encountering these issues, but Microsoft isn’t doing much about it. He alleges that the Copilot team receives more than 1,000 daily product feedback complaints, but that he’s been told there aren’t enough resources available to fully investigate and solve these problems.

“If this product starts spreading harmful, disturbing images globally, there’s no place to report it, no phone number to call and no way to escalate this to get it taken care of immediately,” he told CNBC.

OpenAI told Engadget back in January when Jones issued his first complaint that the prompting technique he shared “does not bypass security systems” and that the company has “developed robust image classifiers that steer the model away from generating harmful images.”

A Microsoft spokesperson added that the company has “established robust internal reporting channels to properly investigate and remediate any issues”, going on to say that Jones should “appropriately validate and test his concerns before escalating it publicly.” The company also said that it's “connecting with this colleague to address any remaining concerns he may have.” However, that was in January, so it looks like Jones’ remaining concerns were not properly addressed. We reached out to both companies for an updated statement. 

This is happening just after Google’s Gemini chatbot encountered its own image generation controversy. The bot was found to be making historically inaccurate images, like Native American Catholic Popes. Google disabled the image generation platform while it continues to work on a fix.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-engineer-who-raised-concerns-about-copilot-image-creator-pens-letter-to-the-ftc-165414095.html?src=rss

Microsoft engineer who raised concerns about Copilot image creator pens letter to the FTC

Microsoft engineer Shane Jones raised concerns about the safety of OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 back in January, suggesting the product has security vulnerabilities that make it easy to create violent or sexually explicit images. He also alleged that Microsoft’s legal team blocked his attempts to alert the public to the issue. Now, he has taken his complaint directly to the FTC, as reported by CNBC.

“I have repeatedly urged Microsoft to remove Copilot Designer from public use until better safeguards could be put in place,” Jones wrote in a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan. He noted that Microsoft “refused that recommendation” so now he’s asking the company to add disclosures to the product to alert consumers to the alleged danger. Jones also wants the company to change the rating on the app to make sure it’s only for adult audiences. Copilot Designer’s Android app is currently rated “E for Everyone.”

Microsoft continues “to market the product to ‘Anyone. Anywhere. Any Device,’” he wrote, referring to a promotional slogan recently used by company CEO Satya Nadella. Jones penned a separate letter to the company’s board of directors, urging them to begin “an independent review of Microsoft’s responsible AI incident reporting processes.”

An image of a banana bed.
A sample image (a banana couch) generated by DALL-E 3 (OpenAI)

This all boils down to whether or not Microsoft's implementation of DALL-E 3 will create violent or sexual imagery, despite the guardrails put in place. Jones says it’s all too easy to “trick” the platform into making the grossest stuff imaginable. The engineer and red teamer says he regularly witnessed the software whip up unsavory images from innocuous prompts. The prompt “pro-choice," for instance, created images of demons feasting on infants and Darth Vader holding a drill to the head of a baby. The prompt “car accident” generated pictures of sexualized women, alongside violent depictions of automobile crashes. Other prompts created images of teens holding assault rifles, kids using drugs and pictures that ran afoul of copyright law.

These aren’t just allegations. CNBC was able to recreate just about every scenario that Jones called out using the standard version of the software. According to Jones, many consumers are encountering these issues, but Microsoft isn’t doing much about it. He alleges that the Copilot team receives more than 1,000 daily product feedback complaints, but that he’s been told there aren’t enough resources available to fully investigate and solve these problems.

“If this product starts spreading harmful, disturbing images globally, there’s no place to report it, no phone number to call and no way to escalate this to get it taken care of immediately,” he told CNBC.

OpenAI told Engadget back in January when Jones issued his first complaint that the prompting technique he shared “does not bypass security systems” and that the company has “developed robust image classifiers that steer the model away from generating harmful images.”

A Microsoft spokesperson added that the company has “established robust internal reporting channels to properly investigate and remediate any issues”, going on to say that Jones should “appropriately validate and test his concerns before escalating it publicly.” The company also said that it's “connecting with this colleague to address any remaining concerns he may have.” However, that was in January, so it looks like Jones’ remaining concerns were not properly addressed. We reached out to both companies for an updated statement. 

This is happening just after Google’s Gemini chatbot encountered its own image generation controversy. The bot was found to be making historically inaccurate images, like Native American Catholic Popes. Google disabled the image generation platform while it continues to work on a fix.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-engineer-who-raised-concerns-about-copilot-image-creator-pens-letter-to-the-ftc-165414095.html?src=rss

Instagram finally lets you edit DMs

Instagram launched direct messaging tools way back in 2013, but there hasn’t been a way to edit them after the fact. That changes today. Meta just rolled out a software update for the Instagram app that finally allows for DM edits, with one major caveat. You only have 15 minutes to make any changes.

Here’s how it works. Once you send a direct message and realize you made a huge blunder, like “accidentally” professing your love to an old college buddy, just press and hold on the sent message. This will create a dropdown menu. Look for “edit” and make the required changes. Nobody will ever be the wiser, as long as you got there within 15 minutes.

The Instagram pin feature.
Meta

This isn’t the only change to DMs found with today’s update. You can also pin up to three of your favorite direct messages on top of the feed, which is useful in the case of ongoing conversations. This can be done with standard one-on-one chats and group chats. Just hold on the conversation tab, look for the dropdown and tap “pin” to make the move.

The update also makes it easier to toggle read receipts on and off, depending on personal preference. The rest of today’s new features are cosmetic. There are new DM themes, and some include unique animations. Finally, the update features a way to save your favorite stickers in your DMs for easy access. Just hold on the sticker and it’ll be there next time you want it.

Meta’s constantly making changes to Instagram. Back in January, it began testing a feature that lets users access a secondary photo grid that only close friends can see. Late last year, the app got customizable story templates.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagram-finally-lets-you-edit-dms-183412692.html?src=rss

Instagram finally lets you edit DMs

Instagram launched direct messaging tools way back in 2013, but there hasn’t been a way to edit them after the fact. That changes today. Meta just rolled out a software update for the Instagram app that finally allows for DM edits, with one major caveat. You only have 15 minutes to make any changes.

Here’s how it works. Once you send a direct message and realize you made a huge blunder, like “accidentally” professing your love to an old college buddy, just press and hold on the sent message. This will create a dropdown menu. Look for “edit” and make the required changes. Nobody will ever be the wiser, as long as you got there within 15 minutes.

The Instagram pin feature.
Meta

This isn’t the only change to DMs found with today’s update. You can also pin up to three of your favorite direct messages on top of the feed, which is useful in the case of ongoing conversations. This can be done with standard one-on-one chats and group chats. Just hold on the conversation tab, look for the dropdown and tap “pin” to make the move.

The update also makes it easier to toggle read receipts on and off, depending on personal preference. The rest of today’s new features are cosmetic. There are new DM themes, and some include unique animations. Finally, the update features a way to save your favorite stickers in your DMs for easy access. Just hold on the sticker and it’ll be there next time you want it.

Meta’s constantly making changes to Instagram. Back in January, it began testing a feature that lets users access a secondary photo grid that only close friends can see. Late last year, the app got customizable story templates.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagram-finally-lets-you-edit-dms-183412692.html?src=rss

Saber Interactive may escape Embracer’s death hug and become a private company

Saber Interactive has reportedly found an exit strategy from the death grip of its parent company, Embracer Group AB. Bloomberg reported Thursday that “a group of private investors” will buy the studio in a deal worth roughly $500 million. Saber would then become a private company with about 3,500 employees.

Engadget emailed a spokesperson from Saber for confirmation about the alleged buyout. The studio declined to comment.

The alleged agreement would be one of Embracer’s most significant cost-cutting moves since the collapse of a reported $2 billion deal with a group backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. Some criticized the imperiled deal as the gaming equivalent of “sportswashing,” using popular sporting acquisitions and partnerships to boost beleaguered governments’ global images. That followed US intelligence’s conclusion that the Saudi regime murdered The Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi in late 2018.

Other cost-cutting moves at Embracer have included laying off about 900 employees in September, cutting another 50 or so jobs at Chorus developer Fishlabs and implementing more layoffs at Tiny Tina’s Wonderland developer Lost Boys Interactive, Beamdog, Crystal Dynamics and Saber subsidiary New World Interactive. Embracer also closed Saints Row studio Volition Games and Campfire Cabal.

Still from Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic. Two people and a droid stand outside on a bridge in a very Star Wars-y environment. Buildings, ships, towers.
LucasArts / Aspyr

According to Bloomberg, Saber’s sale won’t affect the studio’s role in developing an upcoming Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) remake. That game has already changed hands once: One of Saber’s Eastern European studios took over from Aspyr Media in the summer of 2022.

Aspyr had reportedly already been working on the game for years before providing a demo for Lucasfilm and Sony in June 2022; a week later, Aspyr fired its design director and art director. (Reports of the KOTOR demo costing a disproportionate amount of time and money may indicate a possible reason for the fallout.) By late that summer, Saber had taken over the development of the highly anticipated — and indefinitely delayed — remake.

Embracer bought Saber for $525 million in 2020 as it scooped up gaming studios left and right. It acquired at least 27 companies during that period, folding some of them (Demiurge Studios and New World Interactive) into Saber. Bloomberg reports that the deal to sell Saber to private investors includes an option to “bring along multiple Embracer subsidiaries.”

One studio that’s far too big to be included in this transaction is Borderlands developer Gearbox Entertainment. However, Kotaku reported Thursday that Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford told staff this week that a decision about the studio’s future had been made. He allegedly said he’d be able to share more details with them next month.

In the meantime, a cloud of uncertainty envelops Gearbox — and Embracer’s other remaining studios. “I’ve personally been looking for roles elsewhere not just due to the Embracer layoff fears, but due to pay,” an anonymous developer reportedly said to Kotaku. “Vague and in a holding pattern is definitely par for the course at the moment and has been for most of 2023.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/saber-interactive-may-escape-embracers-death-hug-and-become-a-private-company-203623311.html?src=rss