Here are the top trending news from the world of technology
1)
New York Times is acquiring Wordle
The New York Times announced on Monday that it is all set to acquire Wordle, an online game that became overnight global sensation this month. The acquisition underlines the importance that New York Times attaches to its gaming business. Its gaming unit boosts popular games like Crosswords and Spelling Bee. Times did not disclose the financial details of the deal. The company said that Wordle will be available freely, at least for initial months, for online gamers. Wordle was founded by software engineer Josh Wardle (Read more).
2)
Meta officially winds up its crypto project ‘Diem’
After three years of relentless trying, Meta officially brought the curtains down on its high-profile crypto project Diem (earlier known as Libra). This news become official after Meta sold Diem’s assets to crypto focused bank Silvergate for around $200 Mn. Diem became an botched up project from the initial month itself after many high-profile partners like Visa, Mastercard and PayPal left the project. Besides, the Diem project was facing several hurdles on the regulatory front as well (Read more)
3)
Sony buys Gaming studio Bungle – the gaming war heats up
PlayStation maker Sony has announced it has reached an agreement to buy U.S based gaming studio Bungle for $3.6 Bn. This development comes weeks after Microsoft unveiled a landmark $69 Bn deal to acquire Activison Blizzard. Bungle, which is a creator of hit games like ‘Halo’ and ‘Destiny,’ will give much needed muscle power to Sony and stay ahead of Microsoft’s Xbox (Read more)
4)
Meta rolls out improved 3D avatars
Meta has taken a small yet concrete step towards Metaverse after it launched improved 3D avatar creations on Facebook and Messenger. Meta has also allowed Instagram users to use their custom avatars on Instagram stories and DM. Meta had also rolled out 3D avatars earlier but this time its 3D avatars looks more refined and offers more customization features. Currently, these 3D avatar features are likely to be available in limited markets (Read more)
5)
Many popular musicians are boycotting ‘Spotify’ (Here’s why)
Spotify is facing flaks from several popular musicians for refusing to ban the show of popular podcast star Joe Rogan. Rogan has been accused of spreading COVID-19 misinformation through its podcast show. With Spotify refusing to put any curb on Rogan, many popular musicians including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell have announced that they would boycott the streaming platform (Read more)
