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March 8 2023

Twice opens Roblox world where fans can play games and buy digital merch

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Fans of South Korean girl group Twice have a new digital hang out in Roblox. In celebration of their new EP Ready to Be, which drops on Friday, the group has collaborated with the global gaming platform to create “Twice Square.”

The design takes strong inspiration from the group’s “Yes or Yes” music video,(Opens in a new tab) replicating entire sections of the video’s set, right down to the popcorn machine. Fans can collect plushies and buy Twice-inspired digital clothing and accessories. I snagged myself a white and pink sweat set, purple crown, and Twice light stick. Emotes inspired by the group’s dance moves are also available.

According to Billboard(Opens in a new tab), Twice members themselves will be making appearances in Twice Square, and a part of the map called “Twice Pier” has yet to open. (Its grand opening is slated for March 24, member Mina’s birthday.)

Credit: Roblox

Visitors can write and pin notes for the Twice members, play an escape room mini game called “Set Me Free” (named after the group’s forthcoming single), and try their hand at a trivia challenge. I tried the trivia game this morning and found it surprisingly difficult. Your avatar has to run its little butt between different colored answer squares in a matter of seconds. Even if you know the answer, it can be hard to get to the right square in time.

Roblox is calling Twice Square its “first-ever persistent fan hub,”(Opens in a new tab) which just means that the world will be around for an extended period of time.

Roblox previously collaborated with South Korean group NCT 127 on a temporary world and concert, and the gaming platform also hosted a Spotify activation called “K-Park” featuring artists Sunmi and Stray Kids.

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March 2 2023

8VC raises $880M in new fund that aims ‘to fix a broken world’

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Austin-based venture firm 8VC, led by controversial Palantir founder Jon Lonsdale, has raised $880 million in its fifth fund.

In a blog post published today, Lonsdale — who serves as 8VC’s general partner — said that his firm’s mission is “to fix a broken world.”

While he did not specify which industries the new fund would target or average check size, Lonsdale did reveal that 8VC now manages “over $6 billion in committed capital” and that it plans to invest “at every stage,” as well as build companies itself. He also shared that the 8VC team has grown to more than 60 people.

In 2020, 8VC famously moved its headquarters from San Francisco to Austin, Texas. At the time, Lonsdale tweeted that Austin was “*far* more tolerant of ideological diversity than SF.” He added: “It’s generally a good idea to have awesome left hippies around for great culture / music / food etc … just rather they don’t all run the state.”

Today, he wrote that 8VC’s new headquarters in the Texas capital have “become a magnet for entrepreneurs and builders from the world over.”

The fund is believed to be the biggest Texas-based venture fund for startups, according to AustinInno.

Lonsdale’s post about the new fund struck a philosophical tone. “There are huge challenges facing our civilization, to be sure, and challenges to entrepreneurship as well,” he wrote. “But as entrepreneurs, broken things present opportunities. and when we look deeper we see amazing transformations taking place all around us. AI is transforming the world inside and outside of computers; genomic engineering and new scientific knowledge are transforming the world of cells; advanced manufacturing is transforming the world of machines; new business models, incentives and innovation are transforming how we receive our healthcare. These are a few of our frontiers.”

Over the years, 8VC has invested in companies spanning a variety of industries such as logistics, life sciences, healthcare, IT infrastructure, government and defense, financial services, consumer and enterprise. According to PitchBook, it has made around 500 investments altogether. Among its portfolio companies are Asana, Blend, Flexport, hims and hers, Mammoth Biosciences, Elon Musk’s The Boring Company, Qualia and Wish.

At times, Lonsdale has attracted as much attention to himself as his portfolio companies. Early last year, he made headlines and ruffled more than a few feathers after his tweets about “woke” tech diversity. Other controversies in which he has been embroiled include a breakup with earlier investing partners and a high-profile lawsuit filed by a former Stanford student that was later dropped.

Lonsdale also, in relation to the paternity leave of Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, tweeted in late 2021 that “any man in an important position who takes 6 months of leave for a newborn…a loser.”

He has often defended himself against subsequent backlashes, saying his words were misconstrued or taken out of context.

In a New Yorker article this month on the transformation of Austin in recent years from liberal bastion to “closer to libertarianism than to liberalism,” Lonsdale talked with the article’s author about his adopted city, telling him that part of its enchantment is that politics can be discussed in a civil manner.

“In San Francisco,” Lonsdale is quoted as saying, “when I would go against someone, they’d be, like, ‘You’re an evil person.’ So there’s something still very healthy about Texas. I really hope we can keep it this way.”

According to SEC filings, 8VC closed its last flagship fund with $640 million in capital commitments in 2021; it has also raised numerous special purpose vehicles in recent years, show filings.

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February 19 2023

‘Horizon: Call of the Mountain’ PSVR2 trailer: A spectacular dive into the ‘Horizon’ world

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‘Horizon: Call of the Mountain’ PSVR2 trailer: A spectacular dive into the ‘Horizon’ world

The idea of losing one’s self in the Horizon world in VR is the stuff of dreams, exploring those stunning, wild landscapes and hoping a killer machine isn’t lurking in the grassland. Now, Horizon: Call of the Mountain, the new PlayStation VR2 game set in the same world, will let you do just that.

In the new trailer out today, you’ll get a peek at the VR game — in which you play a disgraced Shadow Carja solider called Ryas — yes, you’ll also meet Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West protagonist Aloy in your travels, she’s in the trailer. Ryas needs to solve the mystery of why the machines are attacking to earn his freedom, which will involve seriously impressive-looking battle sequences. and as far as game mechanics go, you’ll be able to use your own bow, careen down flying foxes, and grapple up mountains all in VR.

Horizon Call of the Mountain will be released on Feb. 22, 2023 only on PSVR2 via PS5, which lands the same day. They’ll be available through PlayStation Direct — and here’s how to preorder one.

Meanwhile, not sure whether to go with a PSVR2 or a Meta Quest 2? We put both of them to the test.

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