Supreme Court Says Nah

Good Morning. The GTA 6 trailer has reached over 168 million views, passing the 2011 Minecraft trailer to become the 2nd most-viewed video game trailer ever. The GTA 6 trailer is still almost 200 million views behind the most-viewed video game trailer, which belongs to the mobile hit Subway Surfers, and its 2012 trailer which has more than 361 million views.

—Tim Rhyne, Jason Liu, Derek Neville

MAIN QUEST: Supreme Court won’t be hearing Apple vs. Epic

The U.S. Supreme Court recently decided not to hear the appeals of both Epic Games and Apple in their ongoing legal dispute over App Store fees. This decision leaves both companies without a clear victory, although it does uphold a previous ruling partially favorable to Epic. The conflict centers on Apple's policy of taking a 30% cut from all purchases made through its App Store, a practice Epic Games has challenged as anticompetitive and in violation of antitrust laws. This disagreement has led to Fortnite, Epic's popular game, being unavailable on iOS devices since August 2020.

The Supreme Court's decision effectively maintains the 2021 ruling by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, later affirmed in 2023 by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. This ruling found Apple's actions not to constitute an illegal monopoly. However, it did determine that Apple was breaking the law by not allowing developers to include links for external payment options, thereby circumventing the App Store. This development could potentially cost Apple a significant portion of its revenue from in-app purchases, which are projected to hit $182 billion in 2024.

Step back: The broader implications of this decision extend beyond the U.S., as Apple and Google face growing antitrust challenges in the European Union. Microsoft, anticipating a shift towards more open mobile platforms, is preparing to launch its own Xbox-branded mobile game store, leveraging its acquisition of Activision Blizzard to bolster its presence in this emerging market.

HUD

• ®️ Alan Wake developer Remedy Entertainment and Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive are involved in a trademark dispute over Remedy’s new logo, which Take-Two claims is too similar to the Rockstar Games logo. Take-Two has filed opposition to Remedy’s trade-mark applications in both the US and UK.

• 👂 A new scientific study published in the British Medical Journal has found that gaming for extended periods can lead to hearing loss and tinnitus later in life. The study is a review based on a 2022 WHO study and guidelines on the time duration someone could safely listen to sounds without suffering hearing loss.

• 👑 Billy Mitchell’s Donkey Kong records have been reinstated to Twin Galaxies’ historical record database. The scores were removed 5-years ago due to a dispute about the legitimacy of the hardware and video tape submissions being copied rather than originals.

MAJOR W

• 🐕️ Peanut Butter, a Shiba Inu, successfully speedran Gyromite for the NES in 26 minutes and 24 seconds. This was done as part of the ongoing Awesome Games Done Quick 2024, which has already raised over $600k for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

• 🏈 According to recent rumors, EA Sports College Football is set to release on July 12th, 2024. This will mark the first college football game in a decade. EA announced the series revival back in 2021.

F IN THE CHAT

• 💩 MWIII’s Ranked Play was delayed due to “critical issues” following the Season 1 Reloaded patch. The update brought several bugs to both multiplayer and Warzone, ranging from load-outs forcing game restarts to people not being able to access the main menu at all.

• 👎️ Thunderful Group is planning to restructure. This will result in layoffs of approximately 20% of its staff and “divestment of non-strategic assets.”

CAREER CORNER

• Lead Environment Artist — DON’T NOD (Remote, CA)

• Senior Gameplay Animator — Final Strike (Bellevue, WA)

• Executive Producer, League of Legends — Riot Games (Los Angeles, US)

HIVE MIND

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