Steam Gets Mobile

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Valve has announced that Steam will have a mobile version and it is in beta right now. The app can be used for Steam chat, general information on elements of steam and the ability to browse Steam offerings.

“The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers,” said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. “Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale – these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone.”

The Steam app will be available for free on Android and iOS.

Facebook IPO Coming Early February – Report

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According to sources, Facebook is looking to file for it’s IPO within the next few days. Timing is being discussed, but it could happen as early as Wednesday, and could land a valuation between $75 billion to $100 billion.

Morgan Stanley is said to be a strong frontrunner for the coveted “lead left” position on Facebook’s IPO documents to be filed with the SEC. The Facebook’s IPO could raise as much as $10 billion for the social network with over 800 million members.

Source: online.wsj.com

Spry Fox Jumps Over 6Waves Lolapps, Files Suit

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Spry Fox has announced that it will file a lawsuit against 6Waves Lolapps. They are asserting that developer’s Yeti Town is infringing on the copyright of Spry Fox’s Triple Town.

“We (Spry Fox) have filed a copyright infringement suit in federal court against 6Waves Lolapps in response to their release of Yeti Town, their blatant copy of Triple Town. This was a difficult decision for Danc and I,” writes David Edery, CEO of Spry Fox. “We are not enthusiastic about the prospect of spending our time in court as opposed to making games. And in general, we believe that only in the most extreme circumstances should a video game developer resort to legal action in order to defend their creative works — the last thing our industry needs is frivolous lawsuits. Unfortunately, it is our opinion that 6waves has behaved in a reprehensible and illegal manner, and we can not, in good conscience, ignore it.”

The developer cited specific quotes from the media that state the similarities between Yeti Town and Triple Town. They cite specific in game values and prices, items and UI elements and they don’t stop there.

“What most people don’t know is that 6waves was in confidential (under NDA) negotiations with us to publish Triple Town at the exact same time that they were actively copying Triple Town,” added Edery. “We gave 6waves private access to Triple Town when it was still in closed beta, months before the public was exposed to the game. We believed those negotiations were ongoing, and we continued to give private information to 6waves, until 6waves’ Executive Director of Business Development sent us a message via Facebook on the day Yeti Town was published in which he suddenly broke off negotiations and apologized for the nasty situation. His message can be found in its entirety in the body of our legal complaint.”

“It’s bad enough to rip off another company, he added. “To do so while you are pumping them for private information (first, our game design ideas, and later, after the game was launched on Facebook, our private revenue and retention numbers) is profoundly unethical by any measure.”

For it’s part, Lolapps does not consider it’s game an infringement, saying, “Lolapps is disappointed that David Edery has chosen to file a lawsuit, and believes his claims are factually inaccurate. We respect others IP and did nothing to violate any contracts our team had in place. The copyright infringement claims are unjustified.”

Source: edery.org

Google Privacy Changes Prompt Congressional Letter

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U.S. Congressional Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has sent a formal letter to Google’s CEO Larry Page following the company’s announced changes to their privacy policy. The letter is signed by eight lawmakers, all but one of which is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

“We believe that consumers should have the ability to opt out of data collection when they are not comfortable with a company’s terms of service and that the ability to exercise that choice should be simple and straightforward,” wrote the lawmakers.

Google has until February 16 to respond to questions put forth by Congress about how it will use the information it collects, who has access to it, whether it will be sold, how long the company will keep the data, whether there are specific provisions to protect children and teens, and how Android users will be affected.

Google’s Power Pushes More Towards FairSearch.org

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Google is often accused of anti-competitive practices, and FairSearch.org is broadening its membership as a result. They have now added adMarketplace, an ad net that delivers pay-per-click inventory to marketers and the Paris-based online shopping platform Twenga, and the online marketing tool provider ShopCity.com.

The group has launched an ad campaign this work that is designed to show how much control over what Google has online. Running in print and online in Washington, D.C., and Silicon Valley, the ads mock Google’s new “Good to Know” Web safety campaign.

“Google has a monopoly on the search business, but the question is how they leverage the search business to monopolize their other businesses,” said James Hill, CEO of adMarketplace. “We have agencies that are dying for an alternative.”

Hill pointed to tactics Google uses to push out competition, including paying publishers 80 percent of revenue share per click compared to the market standard of 60 percent. “Google can artificially raise rates. A level playing field does not exist,” Hill said.

Source: AdWeek

Kinect Star Wars ‘Duel’

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The duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader is one of the iconic moments from the original Star Wars . . . so, it’s ripe for parody! Here, Moneyball and Parks & Recreation star Chris Pratt messes with Vader for Kinect Star Wars.

The Darkness II Launches From The Shadows

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The Darkness II is a continuation of one of the darkest (literally and figuratively) shooter titles of the past generation. Now Jackie fights off a cult that wants the Darkness for their own, he must reluctantly rise up and use its power…

 

Binary Domain Sets The Stage

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Binary Domain is set in the later half of the 21st century where robots are prevalent and laws exist to prevent them from looking too human. That legislation has violently been broken, and it’s set up in this well acted video.