Despite some signs of possible industry slowdown, money is still pouring into video game companies big and small.
Driving the news: Some 651 gaming M&A or investment deals were announced or closed in the first half of the year, totaling more than $107 billion, according to a new report from Drakestar Partners.
Twitter's trial for its lawsuit against Elon Musk will take place over five days in October, the Delaware Chancery Court decided following a hearing in which both parties made the case for their preferred timelines.
Why it matters: This is much closer to Twitter's preferred timeline. The judge sided with the company's arguments that delays will further harm its business.
Apple has agreed to a $50 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit over the company's faulty "butterfly keyboard" design.
Driving the news: The settlement covers customers who bought MacBook, MacBook Air and most MacBook Pro models between 2015 and 2019 in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Washington, per the settlement.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Tuesday that the FBI and Department of Justice recently "disrupted" a ransomware group backed by the North Korean government that targeted U.S. medical facilities.
Why it matters: In one of the group's attacks, Monaco said a Kansas hospital made a $500,000 payment to the cyber group after being hit by ransomware known as “Maui.”
The Russian hackers who breached dozens of U.S. government agencies in the 2020 SolarWinds incident are using a new technique involving Google Drive and Dropbox to break into diplomatic offices in other countries.
Driving the news: Cozy Bear, the Russian state-sponsored hacking group, shared malware-infected files with foreign embassies in Brazil and Portugal in May using Dropbox or Google Drive storage, researchers at Palo Alto Networks said in a report Tuesday.
Twitter on Monday filed a reply to Elon Musk's Friday response to the company's lawsuit against the billionaire, saying Musk's request to delay a trial "fails at every level."
Why it matters: A Tuesday hearing at a Delaware Chancery Court will determine whether the trial moves forward in September.
Twitter on Monday labeled but refused to take down a pair of highly transphobic tweets attacking Adm. Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary for health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Why it matters: Twitter has a practice of often labeling — but not removing — tweets from elected officials that would otherwise violate its terms of service.
It took months of testing and a partnership with an award-winning mobile game developer to release one of the most interesting fitness video games in recent years.
Why it matters: From Nintendo’s Wii Fit to Microsoft’s Kinect Sports, industry leaders have often tried to gamify exercise. Peloton’s Lanebreak is a notable example of an exercise company adding games to its product.
The metaverse is well worth building, even if we don’t know exactly what will come of it, venture capitalist and tech evangelist Matthew Ball tells Axios.
Why it matters: Part of getting ready for an epochal internet change is realizing that what we expect it to be is probably very wrong.
Twitter, weakened and distracted by months of conflict, faces a raft of global problems that won't wait while a Delaware court decides the fate of Elon Musk's acquisition deal.
Why it matters: Whoever ends up owning it, Twitter remains the world's nervous system for news, and its policies on elections, extremism, misinformation, harassment and censorship affect billions around the world and in the U.S.
FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel is seeking to raise the internet connection speed considered "broadband," according to a notice posted on Friday.
Why it matters: The FCC set the current standard for minimum broadband speeds in 2015 and has not updated it since then, despite the increasing demands placed on internet connections.
There's a big-dollar arms race in high-tech cat waste "solutions," from color-changing litter that can detect diseases to AI tech that tracks Fluffy's toileting habits.
Why it matters: As COVID-era cat ownership has surged, companies large and small have flooded the market with products aimed at improving pet health and reducing the top reason people return cats to shelters: Litter box unpleasantness.
