Some unusual new game releases from Konami highlight the strange state of one of gaming's most legendary companies.
Why it matters: Konami was once as revered as Capcom, Sega, Square, Nintendo and other Japanese game-makers, but it has drifted into other businesses and lost the confidence of many players, particularly in the West, who are no longer quite clear what it stands for.
The world will have to spend four trillion dollars a year to solve the climate crisis, Tom Steyer, the billionaire founder of Farallon Capital, said at an Axios virtual event on Thursday, but private businesses will play a crucial role.
Why it matters: Steyer's comments come two weeks after the billionaire launched Galvanize, a climate tech investment platform that will back companies from the seed-stage through private equity and project finance.
How much would you pay for "a sleek, if pleasantly confusing, package of moods" or "a confusing tangle of disjointed installations" or even "the total erosion of meaning itself"? The answer, according to the current market-clearing price, seems to be about $35.
Why it matters: Investors are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into ticketed experiences — immersive, interactive museum-like spaces that don't have the d0-not-touch stuffiness of traditional museums.
Facebook confirmed Wednesday that CTO Mike Schroepfer will leave that post next year and become a part-time adviser, while longtime engineering executive Andrew Bosworth will assume the CTO role.
Why it matters: It's a major leadership shift that has one veteran engineering leader cutting back his involvement and another getting a significant promotion.
Since I was in Seattle anyway, I managed to pop over to Redmond Wednesday to check out the array of Surface hardware Microsoft debuted earlier in the day.
Why it matters: Microsoft is rolling out Windows 11 on Oct. 5 and the new products give it a fresh lineup to accompany the biggest update to its operating system in years.
The European Commission proposed legislation Wednesday that would require mobile phone manufacturers to adopt a single charging method in an effort to boost convenience for consumers and cut down on electronic waste.
Why it matters: If the European Parliament passes the legislation, USB-C will become the standard charging port used in all newly produced smartphones, tablets and other chargeable consumer electronics sold in the European Union.
Consumers who rushed to use delivery services during the pandemic won't abandon them even though most restrictions have eased, says Instacart's new president, Carolyn Everson.
Thousands of green cards are about to go to waste, leaving Google, Microsoft and other tech companies fuming — and pushing the Biden administration to ensure it doesn't happen again.
Why it matters: Tech workers have waited years for green cards that will grant them permanent legal status in the U.S. — but because of pandemic-related processing delays, they will have to wait even longer.
Eidos-Montréal's upcoming entry into the Marvel gaming universe, "Guardians of the Galaxy," has big shoes to fill — but may just be on track.
The details: A recent demo given to the press covers part of the game's fifth chapter, where the Guardians find themselves exploring an oddly deserted Nova Corps station.
Epic Games CEO and founder Tim Sweeney said Wednesday that Apple has "blacklisted ['Fortnite'] from the Apple ecosystem until the exhaustion of all court appeals," a process that could take up to five years.
Why it matters: It appears "Fortnite" won't be returning to the Apple store any time soon.
Microsoft unveiled updates to its Surface line, including laptops, convertible tablets and an improved versions of its Android-based dual screen Surface Duo.
Venture capitalist David Pakman is leaving Venrock after nearly 13 years, to become managing partner of crypto-focused CoinFund.
Behind the scenes: Pakman has backed several crypto startups via Venrock, including NBA Top Shot creator Dapper Labs, but regulatory limits make it hard for traditional venture firms to dive too deep into crypto without becoming a registered investment adviser.
Facebook said Wednesday that changes to Apple’s new privacy terms will continue to cause headwinds for its ads business in the third quarter.
Why it matters: Facebook doesn’t typically provide these types of updates outside of earnings calls. The update signals to investors that the company is seeing numbers in the current quarter that reinforce previous warnings about impact from Apple’s changes.
Facebook is ditching apologies and taking a more combative stance against its critics as it faces a new barrage of negative coverage and leaked internal reports.
Driving the news: As part of the new posture, Facebook started testing placing positive messages about itself in users' News Feeds last month, according to a New York Times story Tuesday.
Federal law enforcement agencies are purchasing surveillance drones from a Chinese company the Pentagon has deemed a potential national security threat, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Efforts to purge military and law enforcement agencies of potentially compromised Chinese technology have stalled amid bureaucratic red tape, and experts worry the federal government is needlessly exposing itself to snooping by malicious foreign actors.
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