Episode 116: The Real NFT Was the Friends We Lost Along The Way (News Show)

Another week, another round of companies thinking they can make NFT fetch happen. Also: 35 states back Epic against Apple. Wordle has a new owner, Activision is actively union busting, a bunch of investment stories, and a double dose of FAFO goodness… badness… FAFOness. You can watch the streamed VOD of this episode at Twitch.tv/VirtualEconomy and support our growth via our Ko-Fi and also purchase Virtual Economy merchandise! TIME STAMPS [00:02:31] - Epic Games Store Year in Review [00:16:43] - Update on Epic vs. Apple Suit [00:26:54] - Investment Interlude [00:41:54] - Quick Hits [00:57:34] - Labor Report (Activision, Ubisoft, and some GOOD news) [01:10:31] - FAFO Award  SOURCES Epic Games Store 2021 Year in Review Dozens of states side with Epic in Apple App Store appeal | Ars Technica Activision Blizzard to reorganize Raven QA workers amid union efforts Request for Investigation of Inaccurate and Misleading Disclosures in Activision Blizzard, Inc. Agreement and Plan for Merger With Microsoft Corporation Activision Blizzard Vice President of QA Union Busting Message on Company Slack | Jessica Gonzalez (@_TechJess) on Twitter Investigation into Ubisoft Singapore concludes misconduct reports are handled appropriately | GamesIndustry INVESTMENT INTERLUDE Epic Games Incubates New Studio in Poland Epic Games joins Spire Animation’s $20M round for animated metaverse films The New York Times Buys Wordle | New York Times An update on Wordle | Josh Wardle (@PowerLanguish on Twitter) MTG DIVESTS ESL GAMING TO SAVVY GAMING GROUP FOR USD 1,050 MILLION TO COMBINE WITH FACEIT AND CREATE GLOBAL LEADER IN COMPETITIVE GAMING Saudi Wealth Fund Boosts Gaming Bets With Capcom, Nexon Stakes | Bloomberg (Paywall) Nexters invests $100 million into acquiring three gaming companies NetEase Games establishes Nagoshi Studio, led by Yakuza series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi | Gematsu Activision Blizzard vets launch community-centric publisher New Tales | Game Developer VIRTUOS FURTHERS GLOBAL GROWTH AMBITIONS WITH NEW STUDIO IN KYIV, UKRAINE Virtual reality game studio Alta raises $12.4M | GamesBeat Lost Lake Studio raises $5M in funding for game development team | GamesBeat Tilting Point Acquires Leading Korea Based Game Developer AN Games