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The rumors were true: Warner Bros.'s platform fighting game MultiVersus will shut down online services after Season 5 ends on May 30. The upcoming season, which begins February 4, promises two new characters: Aquaman and Lola Bunny. Real money can no longer be used for microtransactions as of today, but players with premium currency in-game can use it until the shutdown. The game had 20 million players less than a month after the open beta began in July 2022, but the developing studio Player First Games also took it offline for 10 months in March 2023, only fully launching on May 28, 2024. Despite the strong start, the player count dropped sharply in 2023, and the hype died instantly, as seen on Steam Charts. The open betas promise was seemingly undermined by predatory microtransactions and a long grind to unlock content. MultiVersus will remain playable offline after Season 5 ends, though the game will be removed from Steam and other stores. While disheartening to see a once-promising platform fighter head to the landfill, Brawlhalla, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 and Fraymakers remain viable alternatives, as does the obvious poster child for the genre, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/season-5-of-multiversus-will-be-its-last-154839513.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
In a bid to demystify skincare science (and promote its new GF 15% Solution), The Ordinary just launched a free digital library of beauty industry white papers. The initiative, developed by creative agency Uncommon and dubbed 'The Wikileaks of Beauty,' makes peer-reviewed studies and research accessible to consumers worldwide through a searchable database at thetruthshouldbeordinary.com. Articles tackle commonly misunderstood topics like parabens, natural ingredients and sunscreen formulations, accompanied by expert explanations that help translate complex scientific findings into clear, actionable information. The database represents a significant shift in how beauty brands approach transparency, moving beyond ingredient lists to share the deeper scientific context behind formulations and industry claims. By revealing that some widely-held beliefs may be misconceptions such as the assumed dangers of parabens or the superiority of natural ingredients The Ordinary encourages people to make more informed skincare choices. The Estée Lauder-owned brand has also committed to expanding the archive by funding access to additional paywalled research papers and inviting scientists worldwide to contribute their work, creating an open-source knowledge hub that could reshape how consumers engage with beauty science.
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Marketing and Advertising
The Meta Safety Advisory Council has written the company a letter about its concerns with its recent policy changes, including its decision to suspend its fact-checking program. In it, the council said that Meta's policy shift "risks prioritizing political ideologies over global safety imperatives." It highlights how Meta's position as one of the world's most influential companies gives it the power to influence not just online behavior, but also societal norms. The company risks "normalizing harmful behaviors and undermining years of social progress... by dialing back protections for protected communities," the letter reads. Facebook's Help Center describes the Meta Safety Advisory Council as a group of "independent online safety organizations and experts" from various countries. The company formed it in 2009 and consults with its members on issues revolving around public safety. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the massive shift in the company's approach to moderation and speech earlier this year. In addition to revealing that Meta is ending its third-party fact-checking program and implementing X-style Community Notes something, X's Lina Yaccarino had applauded he also said that the company is killing "a bunch of restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that are just out of touch with mainstream discourse." Shortly after his announcement, Meta changed its hateful conduct policy to "allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation." It also removed removed a policy that prohibited users from referring to women as household objects or property and from calling transgender or non-binary people as "it." The council says it commends Meta's "ongoing efforts to address the most egregious and illegal harms" on its platforms, but it also stressed that addressing "ongoing hate against individuals or communities" should remain a top priority for Meta as it has ripple effects that go beyond its apps and websites. And since marginalized groups, such as women, LGBTQIA+ communities and immigrants, are targeted disproportionately online, Meta's policy changes could take away whatever made them feel safe and included on the company's platforms. Going back to Meta's decision to end its fact-checking program, the council explained that while crowd-sourced tools like Community Notes can address misinformation, independent researchers have raised concerns about their effectiveness. One report last year showed that posts with false election information on X, for instance, didn't show proposed Community Notes corrections. They even racked up billions of views. "Fact-checking serves as a vital safeguard particularly in regions of the world where misinformation fuels offline harm and as adoption of AI grows worldwide," the council wrote. "Meta must ensure that new approaches mitigate risks globally."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-safety-advisory-council-says-the-companys-moderation-changes-prioritize-politics-over-safety-140026965.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
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