Maestro Media and Gamegenic Announce Partnership to Enhance Tabletop Gaming Experience

gamegenic-maesetroMaestro Media and Gamegenic have announced a new strategic partnership designed to enhance the tabletop gaming experience through high-quality accessories and innovative design. The collaboration will begin with the upcoming Clash of Clans: The Epic Raid, launching soon on Kickstarter.

Maestro Media, known for adapting popular franchises into tabletop formats, will work with Gamegenic to introduce premium accessories that support and elevate gameplay. Since 2019, Gamegenic has gained recognition for its durable and well-designed products, including the Convertible Deck Boxes and Sidekick Pro XL.

Both companies cite a shared focus on quality, innovation, and fan engagement as the foundation of the partnership. Future projects will see Gamegenic products featured across Maestro Media’s growing lineup of branded games.

The partnership signals a continued effort to raise standards in tabletop gaming, combining functional design with fan-centric storytelling.

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Star Forest Launches Mobile Video Game

beam-onStar Forest has launched a new mobile video game, ‘Beam On: A Star Forest Quest.’ Beginning today, January 31, players can download the game in the Apple App Store and begin the heart-pounding arcade action with a vibrant, music-infused universe as they guide Twig, the bearded dragon guitarist, on his epic quest for glory, rhythm, and the legendary Unicus — the mystical star guitar that calls to him. (The ‘Beam On’ game tutorial with Twig is available here.)

In this mobile video game, players will navigate through the ever-changing landscapes of Star Forest with rhythm and flair. With only a homemade jetpack and sharp reflexes, Twig must dodge swarms of cat-eye fly swarms, glowing Slugzz, and other obstacles on his journey to reclaim the elusive Unicus and shred the ultimate solo.

Beam On: A Star Forest Quest serves as a companion piece to the Star Forest virtual band’s “Beam On” music video, giving fans a chance to directly interact with the same world and characters they’ve come to love. Fans may also notice an easter egg in the music video as this is the same game Twig is playing at the end.

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Laika’s Launch Of Official Caroline Gaming Experience On Roblox Nears 18 Million Visits Since Thanksgiving Day Debut

CarolineOn the heels of LAIKA’s 15th Anniversary re-release of its first film Coraline, which took in a record-breaking $56M at the global box office last Summer and Fall, the award-winning studio launched its first official immersive experience on the Roblox platform, Coraline: Evade the Others on Thanksgiving Day, November 28th, 2024.

Since its release, the gaming experience has been played by over 10 million unique users, earned a 90%+ rating, and regularly exceeds 5,000 concurrent players. The experience is playable on iOS, Android, PC, Mac HERE. A brand new, playable Coraline avatar is now available for purchase in the game and the Roblox Marketplace.

Coraline: Evade the Others, developed in partnership with Toya and the support of Roblox’s Partnerships team, quickly gained traction with players to become one of the top film-based games of all time on Roblox. Rather than a limited promotional experience, Coraline: Evade the Others is an ‘always on’ gaming experience with regular monthly updates that expand gameplay, characters, and environments. In under six weeks, the game has attracted over 17.5M visits, with over 300,000 average daily active users.
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Official trailer for “The Witcher IV” Revealed

The-Witcher-IVAfter almost a decade, CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 4 is finally here, and with the unveiled six-minute trailer, it confirms Ciri as protagonist.

Here’s the official blurb:

The Witcher IV is an upcoming single-player open-world RPG from CD PROJEKT RED, the creators of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The beginning of a new saga, and a follow-up to one of the most acclaimed RPGs of all time, Ciri takes center stage as the protagonist, embarking on her own journey to become a professional monster slayer.

Check out The Witcher 4 trailer below:

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Cyber Monday Hits Record $13.3 Billion in Online Spending with Majority of Sales Driven by Mobile

adobeToday, Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) released online shopping data for the 2024 holiday season covering Cyber Week, the five-day shopping period from Thanksgiving through Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Based on Adobe Analytics data, the report provides the most comprehensive view into U.S. e-commerce by analyzing commerce transactions online, covering over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, 100 million SKUs and 18 product categories. Adobe Analytics is relied upon by the majority of the top 100 internet retailers in the U.S.* to deliver, measure and personalize shopping experiences online.

Consumers spent a total of $13.3 billion on Cyber Monday, up 7.3% YoY, and surpassing Adobe’s initial projection of $13.2 billion. In the peak hours of 8 pm to 10 pm, consumers spent $15.8 million every minute. Cyber Monday remains the biggest online shopping day of all time, as shoppers took advantage of bigger-than-expected discounts in categories such as electronics (peaking at 30.1% off listed price), toys (26.1%), apparel (23.2%), televisions (21.8%), and computers (21.5%).

Cyber Week (the five days from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday) brought in $41.1 billion online overall, up 8.2% YoY. It was bolstered by record spending online during Thanksgiving ($6.1 billion, up 8.8% YoY), Black Friday ($10.8 billion, up 10.2% YoY) and over the weekend of Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 ($10.9 billion, up 5.8% YoY). Adobe expects the full holiday season (Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2024) to hit $240.8 billion, up 8.4% YoY.

Deals are expected to linger in the weeks ahead. After Cyber Week, discounts will come down from their peaks, but shoppers can still find good bargains through December 2024 in computers (peaking at 18% off listed price), toys (18%), electronics (17%), televisions (17%), apparel (17%), sporting goods (16%), and appliances (14%).

“While Cyber Monday remained the season’s and year’s biggest online shopping day, year-over-year growth was stronger on both Thanksgiving and Black Friday,” said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst, Adobe Digital Insights. “Early discounts were strong enough that many consumers felt comfortable hitting the buy button earlier on during Cyber Week, with Cyber Monday becoming ‘last call’ for shoppers to take advantage of big holiday deals.”

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Apple reveals 45 app and game finalists for the 2024 App Store Awards

Apple-reveals-45-app-and-game-finalistsGlobal App Store Editors recognize developers who delivered the highest levels of user experience, design, and innovation

Every year, Apple honors the very best apps and games of the year through the App Store Awards — a recognition of exceptional user experience, design, and innovation from developers across the world. With 45 App Store Award finalists across 12 different categories, these apps and games have helped users accomplish more, be more creative, and better connect with friends and family.

This year, the App Store Awards include a new Apple Vision Pro category, highlighting stunning achievements in the world of spatial computing. App Store Award winners chosen from this distinguished group of app and game developers will be announced in the coming weeks.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate this year’s App Store Award finalists, whose imagination and craftsmanship have produced amazing apps that users love,” said Carson Oliver, Apple’s head of Worldwide App Store. “From games that transport players to fantastical new worlds, to apps that fuel creativity, these developers are delivering remarkable experiences that captivate and inspire.”
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New SAG-AFTRA and Ethovox Agreement Empowers Actors and Secures Essential A.I. Guardrails

sag-aftra-and-thovoxSAG-AFTRA and Ethovox today announced a new agreement that ensures performers are protected and empowered in the A.I. age.

Co-founded by BAFTA Games Award-winner Cissy Jones, Ethovox is building a fully-authenticated foundational A.I. model for voice. In addition to ensuring performers can participate in Ethovox’s consensual foundational model knowing that they will be protected and compensated fairly, the voice model will reflect a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Further, the SAG-AFTRA-Ethovox contract leads the field in performer compensation as it provides both session fees and ongoing revenue sharing for the life of the foundational model.

A foundational voice model provides the basis for digital replicas. It requires volumes of underlying voice data to enable the replicas to function properly. The Ethovox model will not be user-facing, and the voices included in the model will not be identifiable in any of the speech generated.

“What will safeguard voice actors’ livelihoods in the A.I. age is more contractual protection, not less,” said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “That’s why SAG-AFTRA will continue to recognize A.I. companies, like Ethovox, that agree with our union’s A.I. guidelines. Not everyone will want to work with an A.I. company, and that’s understandable. But for those who intend to utilize the opportunities A.I. offers, it’s important that agreements require companies to secure informed consent, and provide fair compensation. Without informed consent and fair compensation, this new era will become a ‘Wild West’ of A.I. misuse and exploitation.”

Longtime advocate for A.I. regulations and guardrails, Ethovox CEO Cissy Jones said, “Ethovox is the only voice AI company owned and managed by voice actors, and we are pleased to be partnering with SAG-AFTRA on building a foundational voice A.I. model that prioritizes the interests of voice actors. A.I. should be a choice. For that reason, we have reached out to the voice actor community throughout this process. Ethovox will continue to do so as we demonstrate that artists can, and should, be compensated for contributing to ethical A.I. development while also maintaining consent and control over their voice data.”

The Ethovox Agreement was approved by the union’s Corporate/Educational & Non-Broadcast Committee and was additionally presented to and approved by SAG-AFTRA’s National Executive Committee.

Visit www.sagaftra.org/ethovox to learn more about what this agreement means for performers interested in this opportunity.

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Lumen Prize Announces Winners of 13th Annual Competition

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Left to right: UchanSun, AI Nüshu; Keiken, Spirit Systems of Soft Knowing ༊*·˚;
Chia Amisola, We Are Only Moving Towards Each Other.


The Lumen Prize—the world’s preeminent award for art created with technology—has announced the winners of its 13th annual competition at a ceremony held at Kachette, London. Since 2012, The Lumen Prize has awarded over 140 artists leading the way in technology-based arts, including Refik Anadol, Sougwen Chung, Mario Klingemann, Malitzin Cortés (CNDSD), Iván Abreu, Operator, and Casey Reas. This year’s winners represent the pinnacle of technology-driven creativity, selected from a pool of 65 finalists and nearly 2,000 entries from 62 countries.

“The 2024 Lumen Prize winners exemplify the innovative spirit and technical mastery that define the intersection of art and technology,” said Gillian Varney, Director of The Lumen Prize. “Their work pushes the boundaries of what’s possible, offering new perspectives on our rapidly evolving digital world.”

The largest International Selectors Committee (ISC) in Lumen Prize history—featuring over 65 members from world-renowned institutions, including Sotheby’s, Royal College of Art, Google, Tezos, and Gucci—selected this year’s finalists. The winners were then chosen by a distinguished Jury Panel, a body of 5 individuals from prestigious institutions, including the Whitney Museum, V&A Museum, M+ Hong Kong, and HeK.
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‘Impulse: Playing with Reality’ Takes Achievement Award at the 2024 Venice Film Festival in Immersive

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The mixed reality experience created by May Abdalla and Barry Gene Murphy and narrated by Tilda Swinton world premiered in the 2024 Venice Immersive Program at the 81st Venice International Film Festival

The Venice Film Festival announced Saturday that Impulse: Playing with Reality, directed by May Abdalla and Barry Gene Murphy, created and produced by Anagram, supported by Meta VR for Good and co-produced by Floréal & France Télévisions, has been awarded the prize for Achievement as part of the 2024 Venice Immersive Program.

Impulse: Playing with Reality is an interactive mixed reality documentary that explores ADHD and how you make sense of the world around you, told through the stories of four people coming to terms with the decisions which have chartered their lives.
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Lucy Liu’s ‘Pirate Queen’ Franchise with Singer Studio’s Expands to Include Graphic Novel and Podcast

pirate-queenSinger Studios has announced exciting expansions to their Emmy-nominated virtual reality experience The Pirate Queen, featuring Lucy Liu. The groundbreaking project, which immerses audiences in the extraordinary life of Cheng Shih—history’s most powerful pirate—will now include a graphic novel series and a podcast. Directed by Eloise Singer and narrated by Liu, The Pirate Queen tells the story of Cheng Shih, who commanded a 70,000-strong fleet during the lead-up to the Opium Wars. The original VR experience, based on a story by Maja Bodenstein, earned widespread acclaim in 2023, winning the Tribeca Storyscapes Award and the Raindance Discovery Award. It is currently nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Emerging Media category.

The upcoming graphic novel, to be published worldwide by Andrews McMeel Publishing, will kick off The Pirate Queen series co-created by Singer and Liu. The expansive project will continue to explore the world of history’s most formidable female pirates, telling the stories of 17 women who led pirate fleets across the globe.

“Launching The Pirate Queen as a graphic novel series presents an incredible opportunity to dive deeper into the legendary stories of these female pirate leaders,” said Eloise Singer, founder of Singer Studios and co-creator of the graphic novel. “We’re honored to collaborate with Andrews McMeel Publishing, whose legacy has helped shape the literary world for generations.”
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