🕹️ Logan Paul pays

Good Afternoon. Ubisoft Montpellier released a 5-minute video on accessibility for their upcoming Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.

Features include a High Contrast Mode, individual combat attribute settings, and the ability to pin screenshots on the map. Metroidvania fans rejoice at the last one.

—Jason Liu, Derek Neville, Tim Rhyne

MAIN QUEST: Logan Paul Refunding CryptoZoo Backers

Logan Paul, known for his controversial internet presence, has initiated a refund program for his failed NFT game, CryptoZoo. Launched in 2021 and inspired by Pokémon, CryptoZoo was an NFT-based game where players could collect and breed digital animals. Despite initial hype, the game faced allegations of fraud and never materialized. In response to the backlash, Paul has pledged over $2.3 million to buy back NFTs, offering 0.1 ETH per eligible NFT. However, this refund comes with a significant condition: claimants must waive any legal claims against Paul. This move is seen as an attempt to mitigate the damage from a class action lawsuit accusing him of profiting from the game's promotion. The lawsuit highlights allegations of market manipulation and asserts that Paul and his associates misled consumers about the project.

Amidst the controversy, Paul has been accused of scamming by a fellow CryptoZoo developer and is facing a lawsuit for allegedly manipulating the digital currency market. He has counterclaimed, accusing other associates involved in the project of being con artists who sabotaged the project. Paul's response to the controversy has evolved, initially denying responsibility, accepting accountability, and finally offering refunds as a form of restitution. However, the game is considered dead, with Paul citing regulatory hurdles and clarifying that the game's associated Zoo Token was never meant to be an investment vehicle. His recent actions, including the refund offer, seem to be an effort to reconcile with those who invested in the game with the intent to play, rather than as compensation for market losses.

Step back: influencer marketing tends to be a powerful vehicle that taps into higher trust signals than traditional channels. However, things 180’d, and Paul got painted as the villain in this case.

HUD

• 🕹️ MSI is expected to be revealing a handheld device named The Claw next week at CES. MSI posted a teaser on Instagram this week of the device and leaked benchmarks on X suggest that it will be powered by an Intel Meteor Lake chip.

• 💸 The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) issued a maximum fine of $8.9 million to Nexon for altering a paid lottery-type item’s drop rate without informing MapleStory players. The KFTC stated Nexon’s previous fine in 2018 for a similar offense led to the decision to issue the maximum fine.

• 👎️ Layoffs hit VR studio Archiact and Lost Skies’s Bossa Studios. Collectively, about 60 people were affected across the two studios.

MAJOR W

• 🐺 Netflix released a new teaser trailer for the second season of its League of Legends-based show Arcane, which is set to come out in November this year. The trailer circles back to a scene from the end of season 1, and hints that Warwick will be making his debut in the award-winning show.

• 📈 Dave the Diver crossed 3 million units sold since its release in June 2023. Additionally, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty DLC has sold over 5 million units since the September 2023 launch. This accounts for approximately 20% of Cyberpunk 2077 sales.

F IN THE CHAT

• 🚀 Star Citizen’s latest bundle includes every ship every ship ever released in the game — over 175 vessels. It also comes with a price tag of $48,000. Only players who have already spent $1000 in the game can purchase the bundle.

• 🚔 Professional Valorent player som was swatted while live streaming on Twitch at his home yesterday morning. Som’s family was asleep at the time, with a clip from his stream showing armed officers in his bedroom.

CAREER CORNER

• Head of Franchise Strategy & Marketing, Hockey, Fighting & Motorsports — Electronic Arts (Vancouver, BC)

• Chief Operating Officer — Flatter Than Earth (Remote, US)

• Gameplay Designer, Unreal Engine — That’s No Moon (Remote, US)

HIVE MIND

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