Axios

Ukraine’s most prominent video game studio, GSC Game World, appealed to the game industry and its fans to donate money to support their country’s military.

Why it matters: The unprecedented plea came hours after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began.

What they’re saying: “The future is unknown, but we are sure of our Armed Forces and country,” the studio said in a tweet.

• “We thus address all of our colleagues in the gaming industry: players, bloggers or anyone who sees this post in their newsfeed: share this, do not stand aside[.] And help those in need.”
• Last week, a rep for GSC declined to comment to Axios about the Kyiv-based studio’s preparations for a possible invasion, but any caution has given way to a plea for support posted to the game’s Discord, Reddit and Twitter feed.
• GSC’s newest game, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl was meant to be a marquee PC and console release this spring, before it was delayed last month.

Between the lines: Game developers and tech workers, like millions of other people in Ukraine, have been grappling for weeks with how to deal with what used to be just the threat of Russian invasion.

• Last week, some told Axios they were leaving the country, hoping for the best and despondent about leaving their home.

More industry reaction to the invasion:

• “We call on everyone to force Putin to withdraw from our lands“ — Tweet from Kyiv-based studio Frogwares, makers of Sherlock Holmes video games.
• “We will not able to answer or help you that much with the game atm” — Tweet from Ukraine-based developers of Serpent Rogue, noting Russian attacks on Ukrainian citizens.
• Publisher Ubisoft, which has multiple studios in Ukraine, reiterated to Axios that they are “providing assistance to aid all team members.”
• Riot Games’ Valorant esports division said it was suspending a tournament that involves teams in Ukraine and Russia.
• Polish-based 11bit Games says it will donate the next seven days’ worth of revenue from its hit anti-war game This War Of Mine to the Ukrainian Red Cross.
• Game studios and developers, including Bungie CEO Pete Parsons and Poland-based Draw Distance, expressed solidarity with Ukraine.
• And this from Kyiv-based Vostok Games:

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Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to note that Draw Distance is based in Poland (not in New York).

Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) have pressed TikTok about content that promotes disordered eating on the platform, per a letter to the company sent Wednesday shared exclusively with Axios.

Why it matters: As TikTok's popularity booms, the video-sharing app is getting more attention from lawmakers concerned about content that circulates on the platform that could harm vulnerable teens and kids.

• TikTok executives have previously appeared before Congress to discuss the impact of its platform on young people.

Details: Klobuchar and Baldwin cite Wall Street Journal reporting about TikTok's algorithm serving 13-year-olds tens of thousands of weight-loss videos soon after joining the platform. Their letter notes that TikTok's stream of videos exposes users to harmful content even when they haven't sought it out.

What they're saying: "We are deeply disturbed by this report and believe this content violates TikTok's policies related to self-harm, suicide, and dangerous acts," the senators wrote in a letter to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.

• They asked the company to answer questions by March 9.
• The letter asks TikTok how many of its users have seen content promoting unhealthy eating in 2021, and seeks more information about TikTok's planned changes to its algorithm aimed at curtailing how much material on the same theme it sends users' way.
• The senators also ask TikTok if it prioritizes videos with high numbers of views while moderating content, and if the company has any plans to introduce new features aimed at reducing harmful content.

Background: The senators recently introduced a bill to provide training and assistance for health care workers, teachers and parents for identifying eating disorders and supporting recovery.

Facebook parent company Meta on Wednesday detailed several research efforts that it insists are key to its project of building a metaverse.

The big picture: While some of the work, like a new type of haptic gloves, is closely tied to virtual reality, a number of the efforts Meta talked about on Wednesday predate the company's metaverse push and have wide use beyond it.

Russia's Ukraine invasion, seeded by a web of state-backed disinformation campaigns, is putting Big Tech in a bind.

Why it matters: How tech firms respond to Russia's disinformation efforts in real-time could shape the role they play in future geopolitical conflicts. But already, experts argue they aren't moving quickly enough.

Activision will not release a mainline, premium Call of Duty game in 2023, the series' first interruption of its annual release cadence since 2005, Bloomberg reports.

Why it matters: A skip in the hit franchise wouldn't just cost Activision Blizzard some short-term revenue but would be felt deeply by video game retailers.

Revel, a New York-based company best known for its rentable, bright blue electric mopeds, has raised $126 million in Series B funding led by Blackrock.

Why it matters: Investors are betting that Revel can build a successful business where others haven't done so well, or have taken a drastically different approach — namely operating mopeds at scale, and a ride-hailing service that employs its drivers. Oh, and it's also running electric car charging stations.

Elden Ring, one of the year's biggest new video games, may also prove to be one of its hardest and one of its best.

Why it matters: It’s part of a multi-million selling series that has made an outsized mark on games over the past decade, spawning a subgenre of challenging, atmospheric experiences.

Cryptocurrency exchange FTX wants to take its marketing beyond headline-grabbing sports deals with the hiring of beauty entrepreneur Lauren Remington Platt as its new head of global luxury partnerships.

Why it matters: For crypto to continue to enter the mainstream, it'll need to get in front of more audiences.

Coinbase got a lot of attention — and new users — after running that Super Bowl ad of a QR code bouncing around the screen.

Yes, but: On Monday night, the cryptocurrency exchange's marketing win lost a little luster, after CEO Brian Armstrong fumbled a Twitter thread bragging about the origins of the ad spot.

Tech companies were among the first to send workers home, and they're likely to have vast numbers of jobs that can be done fully remotely — but they're still betting that offices will be the future.

Stunning stat: Tech companies held 36 of the 100 biggest office leases in 2021, up from 18 in 2020, per a new CBRE analysis.

Nextdoor, the neighborhood-based social network, wants to remind the world that it operates very differently from its giant competitors, as the Wednesday release of its first-ever transparency report underscores.

Why it matters: The report emphasizing Nextdoor's community moderation approach comes as the U.S. and other countries weigh efforts to tighten regulation of the industry.

A proposed class-action lawsuit against Sony over alleged discrimination of women lacks sufficient facts and would put some female PlayStation workers in conflict with themselves, a lawyer for the game maker argued in a legal filing Tuesday.

Driving the news: Sony is asking the court to dismiss the suit, filed by former PlayStation IT security analyst Emma Majo, and is denying any wrongdoing.

With the latest version of iOS, currently in testing, Apple is offering a Siri voice that is less explicitly male- or female-sounding, Axios can confirm.

Why it matters: It's part of an effort by Apple to offer a more diverse array of options for its virtual assistant. Last year it added two Siri options recorded by Black voice actors.