Microsoft is expected to experience another wave of layoffs next week. The development division is affected.
What is happening at Microsoft? A report by Jason Schreier for Bloomberg anticipates another round of layoffs for Microsoft employees.
This affects the Xbox Gaming Division, which includes Xbox Game Studios among others. A significant portion of the workforce is expected to be laid off.
Layoffs are unfortunately not a rarity in the current gaming industry. Studios are constantly being downsized or completely shut down. In Microsoft’s case, this would be the fourth wave of layoffs in the past 18 months. For example, in January 2024, 1,900 employees were laid off.
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Fable – Xbox Games Showcase
The community believes it knows the reason for the problem
What does the community think? On Reddit, the news is already being discussed vigorously. Many users express their regret and emphasize how depressing it must be to constantly fear the next wave of layoffs. Even if one may keep their job at the moment, things could look different in a few months.
That there will again be numerous layoffs surprises few. Many users cite Microsoft’s large acquisitions as the reason. Expensive acquisitions like that of Activision Blizzard in 2023, which cost $69 billion, would be creating financial pressure.
This is what users think:
“The fourth layoff in 18 months? If they keep this up, there will be no employee left in the gaming department,” writes Muakaya18.
“I guess the billion-dollar acquisitions didn’t bode well for the bottom line. No game developer has made so many layoffs in such a short time. Too bad Phil (Spencer) & Co. at Microsoft are always protected,” finds IsamuAlvaDyson.
“I really wonder what the point of these acquisitions was in the end. They hardly make exclusives from these companies anymore, have either closed some studios or laid off a boatload of people, and it feels like they hardly try anymore,” says RJE808.
“After Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin, no layoff from Xbox will shock me anymore. It’s still incredibly annoying, but that’s just normal for them,” writes alyssa-is-tired.
The developers of Dune: Awakening have spontaneously announced the shutdown of the servers for the survival MMO. MeinMMO provides you with all the known information.
Why is there maintenance? The developers of Dune: Awakening announced the shutdown of the servers for the survival MMO at 3:30 PM with only 22 minutes of notice.
The reason for the server downtime, according to the developers on Discord, is disappearing vehicles that are getting lost in several sieches. To fix this problem, the developers are deploying a hotfix.
How things will continue in the future with the survival MMO can be found here:
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Dune: Awakening – Das ist die Zukunft des MMOs
Disappearing vehicles and little information
How long will the maintenance last? So far, the developers of Dune: Awakening have not announced how long the maintenance will take. The servers will be shut down at 3:30 PM German time, and only afterwards do the developers want to inform the players with updates about what will happen next.
The upcoming changes also include a divided endgame area. The Deep Desert was previously only accessible to PvP players, but now the developers have announced that they will open the endgame of Dune: Awakening more for PvE players and split the endgame map into two. How this will be implemented and what other changes are to follow in the endgame can be found here: Players complain that the endgame in Dune: Awakening consists only of PvP – Now the developers respond
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With Rogue Trader, Warhammer 40,000 has had a strong representative on Steam for over a year now. MeinMMO editor and Warhammer expert Benedict Grothaus has already completed numerous playthroughs of the game and soon another will follow, as the role-playing game is getting a new DLC. Initially, it didn’t sound that exciting at all.
Now, on June 24, 2025, the second DLC, Lex Imperialis, will be released, and this time I couldn’t get a look at it beforehand. Although I was initially a bit disappointed by the new companion, I am now sure that I urgently need to start (and finish) another playthrough.
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Der Trailer zu Lex Imperialis, dem 2. DLC zu Warhammer 40.000: Rogue Trader
New Companion, New Class, and 15 Hours of Story
Owlcat is known for the consistency in the DLCs. Typically, a new companion, around 15-20 hours of additional story, and new gameplay content such as a new class come into the game. That’s exactly what Lex Imperialis brings:
Solomone Anthar, a former officer of the Adeptus Arbites, comes as a new companion. He brings a personal quest line with him and will be available as a romance option.
Appropriately for the Arbites, the Overseer comes as a new archetype in the second tier. Thus, there is one class less than with Void Shadows, but “tier” companions come into play:
Overseers have the Cyber-Mastiff, a cybernetically enhanced dog.
Psionics get a “Psyber” raven that enhances their powers.
Cyber-eagles accompany officers and agents to debuff, attack, or hinder opponents.
As well for officers and agents comes a servo-skull swarm that masters area attacks and protection skills.
The Overseer comes with various playstyles but will apparently be a kind of tank – especially with the new weapon that is also coming into play: Shields. With shields, you can completely block attacks, but they cost two weapon slots (the off-hand in the first and second weapon set).
Special skills come into play for shields that are built around the new block mechanic. This new weapon type is available for all players, not just DLC owners.
A Coop Shooter Excites Me for Space Police
What personally surprises me is how much the new companion has fascinated me in the past weeks. When Lex Imperialis was first announced and I heard about the Adeptus Arbites, I was initially … not particularly impressed.
Any temporary judges with oversized pistols, an inflated ego, and a sense of justice that only distinguishes between “my opinion or execution” usually don’t appeal to me at all.
Then Darktide came along, the coop shooter set in Warhammer 40,000. Arbitrators are available as a new class in Darktide just one day before the release of Lex Imperialis. I tested the class there and am absolutely thrilled:
“By default”, Arbitrators come with classic police equipment like batons, pistols, and shields, something you would also expect from real-life police.
But since this is Warhammer, the Adeptus Arbites also hands thick shotguns, assault rifles, and even bolters to their enforcers.
In addition, there’s the cyber-dog. Normally, I find animal companions boring, but a cybernetically enhanced attack dog with steel jaws is incredibly metal.
Oh, and just for background: The Adeptus Arbites also has tanks, combat aircraft, and other military equipment …
A complete second playthrough has so far been absent, especially since I already knew the end of Void Shadows. Now … the new DLC is completely unknown to me.
As the story of the expansions is always embedded in the main story, Lex Imperialis gives me a reason to start all over again and see what has changed. To my delight, a second season pass has already been announced with two more DLCs, so starting again will be worth it at the latest for the Definitive Edition in 1-2 years.
A new animated movie by Sony Pictures Animation and currently number 1 on Netflix is exciting fans. But how many references to K-Pop culture are actually in the film?
Which film is being discussed? The animated movie “KPop Demon Hunters” is currently the number 1 in the top 10 movies in Germany on Netflix and has a rating of 7.9/10 on IMDb (based on 5,307 reviews), 3.8/5 on Letterboxd (based on nearly 84,000 ratings), and 96% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics (23) and 90% (about 500) from audiences.
While the film is receiving good reviews from audiences outside the genre on Rotten Tomatoes, K-Pop fans are especially thrilled. One fan even admits that the film “truly understands the fans and the industry” (rjcooper14 on Reddit) – but how many references to the culture surrounding the music genre can actually be found in the film?
Here you can see the trailer for KPop Demon Hunters from Netflix:
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The trailer for ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’ on Netflix shows action in the exciting animation style of Sony
An animated film that did its research well
What references can be found in KPop Demon Hunters? In a post from the “kpop_uncensored” subreddit, NatureSimple729 mentions various fandom references that appear in the film:
Fan signing event: At a signing event, fans line up to meet the two K-Pop groups in the film, “Huntrix” and “Saja Boys,” to get autographs.
Fan wars on Twitter/X: Fans express themselves loudly and in large numbers regarding the rival groups.
Music shows: The groups compete weekly, with one weekly winner.
Viral dance challenges: The Saja Boys’ dance to “Soda Pop” goes viral after their first public appearance and starts its own dance challenge on social media.
A K-Pop idol at the Met Gala: Huntrix member Mira was dressed in a sleeping bag as a guest at the Met Gala.
“Shipping”: Despite their rivalry, fans start to read and (mis)interpret the smallest signs, leading to Rumi and Juni, as well as other members of the groups, being interpreted as a couple. Shipping (from the English term “relationship”) is used when two people are seen as a couple, or when someone would like to see them as a couple.
TWICE poster: In one scene, the Huntrix idols walk down a hallway where a poster of the real K-Pop group TWICE hangs.
What influence did the culture have on the character design? In an article from Forbes, the film’s director, Maggie Kang, talks about the design decisions regarding character development. In response to fans’ speculations that the film’s characters resemble real K-Pop personalities, she says the following:
I think I enjoy discussing that there are so many specific archetypes that every group has. It’s fun to see how this conversation evolves, as everyone selects the right member that fits this archetype and this kind of role and look for each group.
Maggie Kang, Director of KPop Demon Hunters (Source: Forbes)
The protagonists of the film, the Huntrix idols, are meant to resemble members of groups like ITZY, BLACKPINK, and TWICE.
For the Saja Boys, inspiration is said to have been drawn from groups like Tomorrow X Together, BTS, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, BIGBANG, and Monsta X.
KPop Demon Hunters has been available on Netflix since June 20, 2025. If you have seen the film and are also interested in other animated projects from the streaming service, you can read our suggestions for more animated series on MeinMMO here: 5 great animated series for adults that you can currently stream on Netflix
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Pokémon GO Fest 2025 is approaching. And depending on how well the trainers perform here, there will even be rewards afterwards.
This coming weekend, on June 28 and 29, 2025, the global GO Fest 2025 will take place, the biggest event of the year in Pokémon GO. In addition to various monsters and new forms of Zacian and Zamazenta, there are many other contents.
Part of this are the global challenges that take place every hour. To participate in these, you must have purchased a ticket for the GO Fest. If all trainers worldwide successfully complete these challenges together, there will be up to 3 events after the GO Fest.
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Pokémon GO starts new season Pleasant Days – Trailer for the season
Hyper Bonuses after the GO Fest
What kind of events are these? A total of 3 events can be unlocked by trainers who have purchased a ticket for the GO Fest. These events will then be available to all trainers, not just those with a ticket.
The first event is called Hisui Celebration. If it is unlocked, it will be active from Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at 10:00 AM until Sunday, July 13, 2025, at 8:00 PM. The name suggests that Hisui monsters will be in the spotlight.
The second hyper bonus is the “Steel and Scales” event. If it is activated, it will take place from Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at 10:00 AM until Sunday, July 27, 2025, at 8:00 PM. Exact contents of the event are not yet known. Steel might refer to Steel monsters, while Scales could refer to Dragon or Water monsters.
The last hyper bonus is called “Primal Raid Day.” When this event is unlocked, it will take place on Sunday, August 10, 2025. The name suggests that Dialga and Palkia in their primal forms may be the focus of this event.
How are the events unlocked? In order for the events to be unlocked, all trainers worldwide who hold a ticket for the GO Fest 2025 must complete a certain number of global challenges.
If 15 are successfully completed, the Hisui Celebration will be unlocked. At 30 global challenges, the “Steel and Scales” event will be added. And if 45 challenges are completed, the Primal Raid Day will be added.
Since the launch of the Dawntrail expansion, the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV has been receiving negative feedback. In the last livestream, producer Naoki Yoshida addressed the feedback and admitted: They have become too complacent.
Why has Final Fantasy XIV been receiving negative feedback since Dawntrail? Final Fantasy XIV is currently under criticism because many players are dissatisfied with the quality of content since the launch of the new expansion Dawntrail. In particular, the comparatively weaker story, the lack of endgame content, the excessive simplification of classes, and the lack of activities that feel fresh and new are under fire from critics.
Even after the latest patch 7.2, which brought Kreszentia, a particularly highly anticipated content and was a hope for many fans, there continues to be negative feedback from the community. In particular, fans complain about technical issues, balancing problems in the latest content, and an overall decline in game service quality.
For example, the new content in Kreszentia was perceived as too difficult and unbalanced – it was completed worldwide only about 400 times in the first 23 days, which is extremely low by FFXIV standards (via Gamesradar+).
The head of Final Fantasy XIV, Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P), apologized in the last producer letter (via YouTube) and promised to focus more on quality, accessibility, and community feedback in the future. Many players see the apology as a right step but now hope for noticeable improvements in the upcoming patches (via Reddit).
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Final Fantasy XIV: Launch trailer for Dawntrail prepares for the adventure in Tural
“It feels like we’ve gotten a little too used to things and have grown too complacent.”
What does Naoki Yoshida say about the criticism? In producer letter 87, head Naoki Yoshida directly addresses the latest criticisms and admits that they rested too long on their success and became accustomed to too many things:
I feel that the quality of our service has declined lately. I am truly sorry. […] It feels like we’ve gotten a little too used to things and have grown too complacent.
Yoshida explains that the team has grown significantly, and the processes did not function as they had envisioned. They want to refocus on this. They want to continue offering entertaining and exciting content and are committed to improving this in the future.
What is supposed to change in the future: The team aims to respond more frequently and faster to feedback from the community, particularly regarding technical issues and imbalances in content balancing. Additionally, they want to align more closely with the community to ensure content that is also well-received in terms of quality.
Following this explanation and the promise of improvement, he directly addresses recently received feedback on the two major new contents “Kreszentia” and “Kosmo Exploration“. The listed problems are to be solved with patch 7.3 at the beginning of August.
In addition, a “whiteboard” tool is in development that could benefit raiders and players of other challenging content. It is intended to provide the ability to devise strategies in advance and possibly also display them within the content. However, this will not be part of the next patch.
The Spring EM in League of Legends concluded on June 21, 2025, crowning Twitch streamer Caedrel’s team as champions for the second time in a row. However, despite these successes, his team cannot play in the LEC.
Which team is involved? In November 2024, Twitch streamer Caedrel founded the LoL team Los Ratones. Already in their first EM in March 2025 (via lol.fandom.com), Los Ratones showed what they are capable of and won the tournament with a 3-0 finale. In June 2025, they followed up with the Spring EM (via lol.fandom.com), where Los Ratones again dominated and secured the finale undefeated.
Why can’t Los Ratones compete with the greats? The EM of League of Legends is a so-called Tier-2 tournament. The tier describes how good the respective teams and their players are. A Tier-1 tournament would be the LEC in Europe or the largest LoL tournament in the world, the Worlds.
To compete in the LEC, the team needs an official spot. These spots cannot be earned through play but must be acquired by paying a million-dollar amount. In the case of Los Ratones, founder and coach Caedrel stated that he would need to put down 20 million euros to bring his team into the LEC. In an interview, Caedrel (via esports-news.co.uk) discussed the system behind the LEC and the spots for the teams:
“The problem we have now is: We play Best-of-Ones in the NLC, then go to the EU Masters, win, and that’s it. That’s the ceiling. And currently, we keep running against this ceiling because everything above is franchised and revolves around business. It’s all about sustainability and profitability. There are no tournaments, no third-party competitions, no qualifiers, nothing.”
In the video, you can see the trailer for the current Season 2 2025 of League of Legends:
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The launch trailer for the new Season 2 2025 in League of Legends
Another way would be for Los Ratones to be signed by a large team or organization to secure a spot in the LEC. Caedrel commented on both paths in the interview with Esports News UK:
So these are the only options we have: Sitting here and repeatedly hitting this damn ceiling unless A) you pull 20 million out of your ass and flush it straight down the toilet or B) a generous hand reaches down and says: Give us your brand.
On June 21, 2025, the penultimate episode of Game Two aired live on ZDFneo. On June 23, 2025, there was an update from the editorial team regarding the future of the popular gaming show.
The TL;DR: Game Two will continue, but differently than before.
Despite much support and promising discussions, the team was unfortunately unable to find a potential partner for the continuation of the format.
As they believe in the project and its relevance in the German media landscape, they now want to ensure that Game Two has a future through their own efforts, but also with the support of fans. Anyone who wants to help can now support the project through a membership in the Rocket Beans Supporters Club with a monthly contribution – more about this on rocketbeans.tv.
However, without secure support from public broadcasting (ÖRR) or a comparable partner, the Game Two team will have to adapt and scale back. A sad consequence of this: a large part of the editorial team will unfortunately have to leave Game Two.
Editor-in-Chief Tim Heinke emphasizes in the video how difficult this is for everyone involved: “This is really, really bad, because we as a team have become very, very close, and of course Game Two would never have been possible in this form without all these people.”
Here you can watch the entire statement from Tim Heinke:
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How are fans reacting to the announcement? Under the video on YouTube, many viewers explain that they want to financially support Game Two in the future. At the same time, the ÖRR is receiving quite a bit of criticism from the community.
sephentos21525 comments on YouTube: “I can hardly understand that millions of euros are invested monthly in mostly outdated formats (some would call them retirement formats), while at the same time there are complaints about the diminishing influence of linear television. In a time when video games have surpassed the film industry in economic importance, their potential remains largely unrecognized by the ÖRR. The fact that formats like Game Two, which capture the spirit of the times and reach young target groups, are not financed shows a deep misunderstanding of societal developments. A disgrace for the ÖRR in Germany.”
Dandolos98 adds on YouTube: “I find this very weak from the ÖRR. Exactly this money serves to preserve art and culture, and editorial processing of video games is a part of it because video games are art.”
elschlonzo8746 laments on YouTube: “I have been watching the show for almost 20 years. Spending less money and doing more hack jobs won’t change anything. But the departure of the crew breaks my heart.”
YunaMoon_93 is also visibly emotional: “Honestly, I have a few tears in my eyes. I feel infinitely sorry for everyone who cannot continue to be part of the team. My husband and I look forward to a new episode of Game Two every week; for so many years it has always been a joy. It is a real shame that such good formats, which really interest people, especially younger generations, are not supported! We will continue to support you and keep our fingers crossed for the future!”
Games are art and move millions of people – and one of the biggest blockbusters of the future will certainly be GTA 6:
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Gaming expert fears: GTA 6 will be so big that it will consume all the time and money of gamers
The weekly episodes of Game Two have summarized the most important gaming topics of the week since 2016 and more than 380 episodes. In doing so, the team presents new games in an equally entertaining and informative manner and reviews them.
On the YouTube channel, there are also lively panel formats where editors discuss specific topics in catchy takes or have to guess top lists. Or it will again be Unspielbar where a colleague is tortured in a game where they have to master a particularly difficult passage.
On Steam, a studio is currently celebrating a big hit, even though the project was not taken seriously. The game has now sold over 1 million copies and the developers can hardly believe their luck.
Which game is so successful? This is PEAK, a new game on Steam. The game throws you either solo or in a co-op squad on an expedition. The goal: reach the peak of the mountain located in the middle of a deserted island.
Although it is not a major AAA title, PEAK managed to sell over 1 million copies in its first 6 days – surprising even the developers (Source: x.com). What’s interesting is that PEAK was not a planned game, but rather a fun project by the developers.
The studio initially had other plans regarding their future games, but they faced some issues.
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PEAK zeigt sein spaßiges Gameplay auf einer spannenden Expedition mit Freunden
Afterward, they intended to move directly into the development of another big game, the sequel to Going Under. They even had a partner for funding. However, as development progressed, the studio’s opinions diverged from that of the partner, and he dropped out.
After several months of the studio unsuccessfully searching for a new partner, they scrapped the sequel to Going Under. They admitted that the team was burnt out. It was not a good idea to jump from one big project to the next – the developers were exhausted.
To bring back the fun in development, they implemented a new tactic. Instead of creating a large game, they realized two smaller projects, one of them even in less than a month. These games were meant to serve only as fun projects. They were Crashout Crew (not much known yet) and PEAK, which is currently a successful game.
What does the future hold for the studio? The new tactic has borne fruit, as the team plans to work on a third project, this time a big game. What the title is supposed to be is still unknown, but the fact is that the developers have found their passion again.
They are already looking forward to what the future will bring, urging their fans to follow them on Steam and social networks to not miss any news about their future plans.
The candidates of the new season 7 vs. Wild have been announced and also a first livestream with clips from the preparation was shown. However, what was shown does not please the fans and Fritz Meinecke explains directly how much he has contributed to it.
Why are the fans upset? The selection of participants for the new season of 7 vs. Wild is facing criticism from fans and former participants. Instead of a fancy announcement video, the participants were simply announced without notice with a picture on Instagram.
Under the post on Instagram, many fans and former candidates express their displeasure:
LetsHugo (Season 4) writes: ‘Fortnite Random Squads’ referencing that all candidates appear in completely different outfits.
CommanderKrieger writes: ‘Success can’t be bought… Too bad, it was really a cool format.’
NiklasOnFire (Season 1) writes: ‘Hahahaha, I have to miss this! But it was also clear what would happen when Fritz, Max and Johannes have nothing to do with it anymore.’
NaturenSöhne (Season 3) say: ‘We are curious to see what will become of the format and remain skeptical. The question is, why isn’t the community being listened to…’
Also fan @sabrinaxhbe is dissatisfied: ‘I guess that’s it for 7 vs. Wild, sad for the format. You immediately notice that without Fritz and the rest it is.’
Former contestant Joris Rudy (Season 2) also judges harshly: ‘Oh wow… except for Joe [Vogel] nobody has a profound understanding of the jungle. You send the participants into one of the most exciting and biodiverse areas in the world – and at the end of the day, it’s up to Joe to offer exciting perspectives alone with a fraction of the broadcast time. The draft could have been very versatile especially in this season and it was once again only focused on reach and classic survival.’
One of the former candidates is Jens “Knossi” Knossalla:
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From the Witness Stand with Barbara Salesch to the King of Twitch – Career and Life of Knossi
Fritz Meinecke’s role in 7 vs. Wild Season 5
What does Fritz Meinecke say about the new season? In a new video by YouTuber Nykesname, a livestream of the preparation for Season 5 is shown. The new participants can be seen at a briefing. However, the quality of the livestream and the sound are not good, but some viewers have the impression that the new season would again take place as group exclusions and there would be a ‘camp’.
Whether that’s true or not remains unclear, yet it’s enough for many negative comments. Fritz Meinecke has also watched the video from “7 vs. Wild” YouTuber Nykesname and left his opinion in the comments. There he writes:
I have been out for a long time and have nothing to do with all of this.
What is different about the fifth season? The new season of 7 vs. Wild is no longer under the leadership of the founders Fritz Meinecke, Maximilian Kovacs, and Johannes Hovekamp; instead, Season 5 is being filmed solely by the production company Calivision Network GmbH, which acquired the rights to 7 vs. Wild after Season 2.
The participants of the new season are:
Fibi Evelyn Pfeifer (Fibii or xFibii): Content Creator (focus on gaming & lifestyle), streamer
David Leichtle: Outdoor expert, winner of the survival show ‘Alone – Surviving in the Wilderness’
Jeannine Michaelsen: German television presenter (known from ‘Joko and Klaas – The Duel for the World’)
Imke Salander: Presenter, influencer (focus on fitness & lifestyle)
Lucas Michels (AviveHD): YouTube content creator (main focus on Minecraft)
Kristian Grippo (Kris8an): TikToker, content creator (focus on comedy & dance)
That Fritz Meinecke has nothing to do with the new season at all and his ideas have likely not been included in the series makes many viewers find his reactions to the series even more exciting. Fans hope for insights behind the scenes and show solidarity with the outdoor influencer. However, he is no longer allowed to react to another format: ‘I make many enemies’ – Fritz Meinecke receives a ban for the money cheat on Twitch
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Twitch streamer Max “Trymacs” Stemmler banned one of his fellow streamers, Domenic “Chefstrobel” Strobel, in his chat on Twitch, and for good reason, as Trymacs thinks. Chefstrobel insulted one of his favorite games.
Who banned whom? The Twitch streamers Trymacs and Chefstrobel are friends and occasionally stream together on Twitch, working on projects together. They are currently in a trio soullink challenge in Pokémon FireRed with Wieland “Rumathra” Welte.
In the process, Chefstrobel pointed out that he is banned in Trymacs’ Twitch chat. However, it’s not because he didn’t follow specific chat rules, but because he insulted the game that Trymacs was playing.
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Vom Pizza-Lieferant zu einem der größten deutschen Twitch-Streamer – Leben und Karriere von Trymacs in 2 Minuten
“You are banned forever and ever”
What kind of game is this? In a Twitch stream, Trymacs played the game Foundry, a factory game. In factory games, players build their own factories using conveyor belts, machines, and robots.
According to Trymacs, Chefstrobel watched the stream and wrote “Gammelgame” in the chat. Trymacs was so angry about it that he subsequently excluded his Twitch colleague from his chat.
Why is this bad for Trymacs? Factory games are not really mainstream, like RPGs, but enjoy their niche. Trymacs himself says that he usually has 20,000 viewers on a Twitch stream, but only 4,000 when playing a factory game. However, the fewer viewers enjoy the content very much, and so does he.
Actually, a downward trend in Trymacs’ Twitch stream can be seen here in this example, whenever he plays Foundry (Source: SullyGnome).
Chefstrobel asks if his ban can be lifted, but Trymacs remains stubborn:
“You remain banned. You made a huge mistake. Nobody insults factory games. I play the biggest niche games. This attacks my channel. (…) And then people like you come and want to destroy it just because you don’t like factory games. Foundry has 1,800 followers on Twitch. It’s a dead game. It’s in the trash, but it’s incredibly good. And then you write in there, as ‘n good friend of mine and as a verified Twitch partner: ‘Gammelgame’. You are banned forever and ever.” (Source: twitch.tv).
Demons Hunters in World of Warcraft receive a new specialization – this indicatesat least many pieces of information from the new patch.
With patch 11.2, we are heading to the devastated world of K’aresh. Here, not only was the World Soul devoured by a Void Lord, but the entire planet is also infused with the Void. But it is exactly there that we find a lot of clues that demons hunters in WoW will soon experience innovations. In the “worst” case, Void Elves will become new demons hunters; in the best case, there will be a completely new specialization.
Start video
WoW mal so richtig ehrlich erklärt
What was found? In Patch 11.2 Ghosts of K’aresh, there are several clues that something will change for demons hunters in the future. The clues are:
The optional boss fight in the raid Manaforges Omega is a triumvirate of demons hunters. One is clearly identified as Vengeance, the other as Havoc. However, the third seems to be in league with the Void, as he has a cosmic-blue exterior.
Data mining also revealed a new ability icon with the name “Demonhunter Metamorphosis Void” – so “Demon Hunter Void Metamorphosis.” While this could merely be the icon for the boss fight, it is also easy to infer that it will be accessible for characters of the demons hunter class.
In the story of K’aresh, there is also a demons hunter and a Void Elf who help each other. The demons hunter teaches the Void Elf the “ways of the Illidari” and is in return enhanced with the powers of the Void.
Why demons hunters specifically? So far, demons hunters as the only class in the game have only two specializations – namely Vengeance and Havoc, which are a tank and a DPS specialization. The only other class that briefly had only two options was the Evoker after its introduction in “Dragonflight.” However, during the course of the expansion, the “Enhancement” variant was added – and something similar could now also be introduced for demons hunters.
YouTuber Bellular also addresses the topic in one of his latest videos:
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What else could be hidden behind this? Another possibility is that behind these very clear hints lies merely the new option that demons hunters can also be played by Void Elves in the future. This interpretation is also possible.
This would also be relatively low-effort for Blizzard, as Void Elves have the same animations and models as Blood Elves, who can already be demons hunters. For all other races, it would mean much more effort, as animations and assets for the various models would have to be created.
When could this happen? A likely date is patch 11.2.5. This could also be the time when we will see “Legion Remix”. Even though Remix is a somewhat wild mode, it was woven into the story of the expansion last time. If the same is true for Legion Remix, it would be the perfect time to explore what powers a “Void Demon Hunter” could have on a journey into the past.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
An influencer has caused a stir on TikTok by tracking what happened to his donated shoes with an AirTag. The surprising journey of his old shoes is now putting the Red Cross in a tight spot.
How did the self-experiment unfold? For many, donating clothes is an act of charity. You throw your old but still wearable clothes into a container and hope to help someone in need. The TikToker @moe.haa put this system to the test – in a rather mundane but clever way.
He hid an Apple AirTag in a pair of shoes, specifically in the sole, and threw them into a container of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK). What happened next was documented on TikTok: the shoes traveled across Europe, passing through Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia, until they eventually reappeared in a second-hand shop in Bosnia. There, they were displayed for sale – complete with a price tag.
The TikToker subsequently flew to Bosnia to find and buy them with his own eyes. He then confronted the store with his own research, but the staff denied that it was donated goods.
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The Red Cross didn’t stay silent for long
What was the response? The video went viral, and the criticism didn’t take long to surface. Many users felt cheated: hadn’t they donated to help those in need in Germany? Why are donations sold – and where does the money go?
The Bavarian Red Cross responded promptly and published their own response video on TikTok.
Only a certain part of the donated clothes would actually be given to those in need for free. The majority is sorted, resold, or recycled – this is necessary to finance social projects, it is stated.
The proceeds from the sales flow into aid projects such as food banks, homeless assistance, or senior work. This is no secret – it is transparently documented on the DRK website. According to the website of the Red Cross, it states:
The DRK collects 70,000 to 80,000 tons of old clothes annually. Of this, only about half is still wearable clothing; the rest can only be used as raw material. 4,000 to 5,000 tons of clothing are given directly to those in need. Considering the still wearable clothing, that is about 10 percent. The rest is sold. Important: These numbers represent the federal average. There can be significant variations in recovery rates from one regional association to another.
The action by @moe.haa demonstrates what social media and superficially short TikToks can achieve today: In just a few seconds, complex processes are highlighted, outrage ignited – but also debates sparked. The original video can no longer be found on the platform. Instead, the content creator has spoken out with a second part and incorporated the context of the BRK (via TikTok).
And while a TikTok video shows how surprisingly far a simple clothing donation can travel, a transparent insight is also causing a stir on Twitch: A streamer revealed how much money she really earns – and how little of it actually ends up with her:28-year-old cries tears, Twitch takes half her money – she works so much
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Anime have become increasingly popular in recent years, and even classic franchises like Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings have now received them. Experts behind a well-known anime studio, however, are not too pleased about it.
Which experts are being referred to? Animes no longer focus solely on new stories or manga adaptations. Even big franchises are now getting animes. Major examples include The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim or the first season of Star Wars: Visions. In the case of Star Wars: Visions, there was even collaboration with well-known Japanese studios.
However, not everyone is happy about it. Recently, Noritaka Kawaguchi, the CEO of CoMix Wave Films, and Mie Onishi, a consultant of the company who deals with international business, also expressed their views on the matter.
CoMix Wave Films is the production company behind the anime hits of director Makoto Shinkai. These include the films Your Name, Weathering with You, and Suzume. The two are less positive when it comes to the topic of Hollywood and anime productions.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Battle of the Rohirrim – The next film in Middle-earth will be an anime
Onishi believes Hollywood does it because it’s simply cheaper
What do the two say about the topic? In an interview on Anime Corner, both talked about franchises that are getting animes, mentioning Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. Onishi, in particular, expresses her views quite negatively. She says it is not a good idea to animate everything. Anime is a method, not a genre.
What I hate nowadays is when I talk to people in Hollywood, and they ask me: ‘Can’t you make this as an anime?’ Behind that is something like: ‘It’s cheap if it’s an anime,’ and that really annoys me.
Mie Onishi on animes from Hollywood
The two further joke that companies approach them explaining that live-action is expensive, so why not just make an anime. Kawaguchi adds that people from Hollywood do indeed like directors such as Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) or Makoto Shinkai.
For Onishi, these new anime films are just a cheap option to make money.
Does Hollywood really only make anime because it is cheaper? Star Wars: Visions was a short film series where many Japanese studios were allowed to experiment with the franchise. While this is cheaper than a large live-action series, it also naturally addresses a smaller audience.
For smaller stories, the format anime is also quite suitable, although one can assume that the commercial aspect is at the forefront. However, this is also the case for all major productions.
From a creative perspective, the anime format offers great potential. Series like Star Wars: Visions or even Cyberpunk: Edgerunners would not have been feasible as live-action productions.
The romances in Baldur’s Gate 3 have their own quirks, which we, as players, learn to love. However, one possible romance defines the term “toxic relationship” more literally than one might think at first glance.
Which character is being referred to? It is Minthara, the Drow companion in Baldur’s Gate 3, who can be recruited for your party with the right approach. However, she is not only a potential team member, but can also become a romantic partner for the player character if she takes a liking to them.
A player and Minthara fan shared on Reddit that he experienced a strange situation in the game: “I kissed Minthara after a long rest when I woke up. After the kiss, I got the effect ‘poisoned’ and took 2 damage… Was her morning breath that bad?”
However, the community explains to him what Minthara would have said upon inquiry. The poison was not, in fact, a coincidence.
Here you can see the animated short film to Patch 8 of Baldur’s Gate 3:
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Der animierte Kurzfilm zu Patch 8, dem letzten Update für Baldur’s Gate 3
Poison that is supposed to benefit you
Why is Minthara’s kiss poisonous? In fact, the poisoned state after Minthara’s kiss is a rare situation but does not occur without reason. Because if you explain to Minthara that you feel strange after the kiss, she is not surprised at all.
This is because she still had a bit of poison on her lips. She explains that she always takes a little bit of it with her meals to build her own immunity. Moreover, she thinks it would benefit the player character as well. So this is, at least according to Minthara’s mindset, a specific, somewhat strange form of care.
How do players react to the scene? Under the post of the confused player, it becomes clear how rare, yet sought-after, this interaction with the Drow is:
TheCrystalRose writes: “Congrats, you just received a very rare kiss. Apparently, there is only about a 1% chance that it gets triggered.”
Lonely_Misfortune replies: “The gods were right to chain Prometheus. I’ve been kissing Minty for 10 minutes just to get this 1%. Some knowledge should never be shared.”
Minthara is perfect for a “dark” campaign or as a companion in a “Dark Desires” playthrough due to her ambitions and goals. However, even if you play a good-aligned character, you don’t have to miss out on having the Drow as a team member. There are various methods for both play styles, but in both cases, you have to forgo different things. Here on MeinMMO, you can learn how to recruit Minthara and what the consequences for your gameplay are: Baldur’s Gate 3: Player creates overview of Minthara’s recruitment, showing everything you lose and gain
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Pokémon GO celebrates its anniversary and brings along some Shinys and strong bonuses with a fitting event.
What kind of event is this? Pokémon GO was released in July 2016 and therefore celebrates its 9th anniversary in July 2025. There will be a “9th Anniversary Pokémon GO Party” event in the game from July 1, 2025, at 10:00 AM until Sunday, July 6, 2025, at 8:00 PM.
In addition to some new and familiar costumed monsters, some of which also have an increased Shiny chance, there will be a Shiny debut and many strong bonuses.
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9th Anniversary Pokémon GO Party – All Content
Which Pokémon is available for the first time as Shiny? During the event, you can obtain Gierspenst in its Shiny form for the first time. To obtain Gierspenst, you need to use the coin pouch, for which you must connect Pokémon GO with Scarlet or Violet. You can also receive the monster at golden PokéStops.
What new costumed monsters are there? A total of 3 Pokémon will be available in new, costumed variants during the event. These are Bisaknosp and Bisaflor with party hats and Gierspenst with the 9th anniversary coin. This variant of Gierspenst can also appear as Shiny.
What bonuses are there at the event? There are some active bonuses during the event:
PokéStops can become a golden PokéStop without using a Gold Lure Module
increased chance of encountering Pikachu with cake hat and Evoli with party hat as Shiny
Gierspenst with the 9th anniversary coin can receive a special background
increased chance to become lucky friends
increased chance of obtaining lucky Pokémon when trading
Friendship levels increase faster when opening gifts, trading Pokémon, and through joint battles in raids and gyms as well as trainer battles against each other
you can receive 9, 99, or in some cases even more Gierspenst coins when spinning golden PokéStops
Party hats on the map that trigger items or encounters with event Pokémon when tapped
halved hatch distance for eggs (from July 1, 2025 at 10:00 AM to July 3, 2025 at 10:00 AM)
double catch XP (from July 3, 2025 at 10:00 AM to July 5, 2025 at 10:00 AM)
double catch Stardust (from July 5, 2025 at 10:00 AM to July 6, 2025 at 8:00 PM)
Which Pokémon are available at the event? You can encounter costumed event Pokémon both in the wild and in raids during the event.
In the wild:
Bisasam with party hat*
Glumanda with party hat*
Schiggy with party hat*
In 1-star raids:
Pikachu with cake hat*
Evoli with cake hat*
All monsters marked with an * can also appear as Shiny.
Free research and field research: All trainers will receive a free, limited-time research during the event. Rewards include Stardust, experience points, and encounters with Bisasam with party hat, Woingenau with party hat, and Gierspenst with the 9th anniversary coin.
Additionally, there will be field research that can also reward you with encounters with event Pokémon.
Masterwork research: For $4.99 (about €5), you can also obtain a new masterwork research called “Fulfilled Wish”. Here you will receive a Shiny Jirachi. If you purchase the research before the event, the following bonuses will also be active during the event:
double duration of incense and daily adventure incense
double duration of lucky eggs
More event content: For $1.99 (about €2), you can purchase an event ticket, which grants you 1 Super Incubator, 1 Dyna Mushroom, and an encounter with Gierspenst with the 9th anniversary coin.
Additionally, during the event, there will be a bracelet for each team in Pokémon GO for your avatar, as well as event stickers when spinning PokéStops and opening gifts.
MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz extensively played the beta of Chrono Odyssey on Steam and sees primarily one thing that makes this MMORPG better than many other online role-playing games.
While you can find all the currently known information about the new MMORPG on our overview page for Chrono Odyssey, this should be about a personal first impression: what did I really enjoy during my countless hours with the beta version and where do I see potential stumbling blocks?
Unfortunately, there are more than enough construction sites. After the preliminary reports from various content creators, I had already gained the impression that Chrono Odyssey perhaps should not be aiming for a release in 2025. This assessment was reinforced by the beta.
If this wasn’t a several-month-old beta build that all players with an invite tested over the past days, a lot of work still awaits the developers. Chrono Odyssey urgently needs optimization and fine-tuning in graphics, animations, AI, and performance.
Who is writing here? Karsten Scholz is the MMORPG expert of MeinMMO. He has been dealing with the best genre in the world almost daily for 16 years. His private first contact was in 2005. Since then, he has accumulated several years of playtime in various online role-playing games and has played almost every relevant genre representative of the past two decades at least for a while.
The latest trailer from the Summer Game Fest 2025:
Start video
Chrono Odyssey: Trailer from Summer Game Fest 2025 shows action-packed battles and a dark world
Apply, polish, apply, polish …
What worries me particularly is that the challenges and activities on one hand are tough and demand quick reactions and precise movements from us players. On the other hand, the gameplay does not have enough polish to even allow that. As a result, Chrono Odyssey can be quite frustrating at times.
Be it because you get stuck on edges or the inputs for jumps, dodges, and blocking are not responsive enough. Be it because the stuttering animations of the enemies are sometimes hard to read, or because the frames per second drop at the wrong moment.
Here, it unfortunately becomes very clear that the game comes from a new studio that wants to launch an ambitious AAA MMORPG across multiple platforms with their very first project and is likely to be overreaching.
The world of Chrono Odyssey is indeed atmospheric, but not nearly as pretty as the first trailers promised.
A touch of Betweenlands
But the truth is also that despite the numerous flaws, I had fun with Chrono Odyssey. The main reason for this: the game world and how motivating and rewarding it feels to gradually uncover it.
This starts with the setting, which mixes fantasy, science fiction, and cosmic horror. This mix is not only expressed through the story and the design of the creatures, but also through some impressive areas and structures that feel wonderfully alien and already have a strong pull from afar.
As a result, Chrono Odyssey does a great job of guiding me not just through symbols on the map or on the compass but also through the distinctive “Points of Interest” – similar to how its great model, Elden Ring, succeeded in the Betweenlands.
Exploration worth it
But it is not only important how players are guided through the world, but also that exploration feels rewarding. Chrono Odyssey can score points here as well. What I particularly like is that at every corner, you might stumble upon stronger adversaries that are tough but promise good rewards in return.
In a forest area, I encountered a giant spider that was currently engaging with some undead. I took advantage of the distraction to land a few hits on its back. However, not much happened to its health bar; I was still poorly equipped. However, I got caught by its poison cloud. Argh. Dead. Back to the next respawn point.
As deadly as the spider: a giant scorpion.
I marked the location and returned later to take revenge on the spider. With success, although it was a tedious fight. At the last percentage points, another player even helped me. The reward was a hefty armor upgrade. Cool! 10 out of 10. Would do it again.
And if it’s not a special opponent that you find while exploring, it might be a dynamic world event, an NPC that turns out to be a quest giver, the entrance to a trial, a time portal or a labyrinth, or a hidden treasure.
Read the dialogues and quest texts! The strong focus on exploring the world is also reflected in the design of many quests. Although there is a quest tracking via compass and world map, players are not always guided by the hand everywhere and at all times.
Sometimes you have to read dialogues and quest texts carefully to know exactly what you need to do and where. If you always skip conversations, you might quickly miss an NPC’s hint that there are dragon eggs on a nearby hill, for which you can earn a reward – an extra quest that can be tracked is not started through this info.
This mix of an unusual setting, exciting “Points of Interest,” and motivating exploration makes Chrono Odyssey much better than most other MMORPGs, where you often just work from quest hub to quest hub.
But that alone will not be enough for Chrono Odyssey to captivate a sufficiently large number of genre fans at the global launch. Therefore, I hope the developers take the time to address the uncovered construction sites and conduct further tests.
If this then leads to a release in 2026, it would be a shame (because a poor MMORPG year in 2025 would become even worse), but from my point of view, it would still be a step in the right direction. There have been enough mediocre online role-playing games over the past decades that quickly disappear into obscurity.
In Dune: Awakening, players often used a feature for map switching, which might make one think there were also survival elements. A player has now risked their Ornithopter and found out: Everything is harmless.
What feature is it? Those who fly to the edge of the Harkonnen Basin in Dune: Awakening land in a kind of overworld mini-game for map switching. Here, you see your own aircraft on a map with important locations of Arrakis marked on it.
Using mouse control, you can fly your aircraft to regions like the Deep Desert, the cities of Harko City and Arakeen, and the Harkonnen Basin. Later, further locations are expected to be added with updates.
However, there are more places on the map to fly to, namely water and fuel stations. While moving on the map, your aircraft apparently consumes these two resources and must be regularly refilled. At least that’s what one might think.
Now a player has found out what actually happens when you let your tanks run empty.
This is what the future of Dune: Awakening looks like:
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Dune: Awakening – Das ist die Zukunft des MMOs
Survival? Not really.
What happens when the tanks run empty? Many players’ first instinct is likely to be: If fuel runs out or the water gauge hits zero (so the character is dehydrated), then the hero loses their vehicle and dies. But that is not the case.
The YouTuber Vash Cowaii recently tested in a stream (via Reddit) what really happens when fuel and water run out in the mini-game. Instead of a lost Ornithopter or a dead character, almost nothing happens. The video shows that the aircraft with an empty tank simply flies slower. The Ornithopter does not crash, nor does it sustain any damage.
Vash Cowaii explains in the video that when the water tank hits zero, there is just a message indicating that this is the case. Otherwise, the gauge had no effect. More than slower flying and a message from the game asking to refill water is what players need to worry about.
But what if you then arrive on a map? According to a comment from the thread creator on Reddit, you retain the fuel and water levels you had when leaving the previous map after landing on another map. The mini-game itself has no influence on the “real” game world.
Even if the mini-game mechanics will later be supplemented with more points through updates, their purpose at present seems to be more to make the journey between locations fitting for the story in the game.
Do you want to take away the lifetime of friends, family, or even bitter enemies? Then lure them into Anime – with these 5 series, the entry is a success.
Every long-time fan knows that the world of anime can be vast, colorful, and quite confusing. Especially from the outside, anime can often seem like “just kids’ stuff” (Hello, Pokémon!) or “20 minutes of shouting at mountains” (Hello, Dragon Ball!). Yet the world of anime has so much more to offer.
However, sometimes it’s difficult to get others excited about this hobby. The right entry point is tough, and “veterans” in the field often can’t see the forest for the trees.
That’s why we’ve picked 5 anime series that are especially suitable for beginners. With them, you can entice previously reluctant people into your favorite pastime and gradually push them into the wonderfully terrifying abyss that will consume their entire lifetime.
If your acquaintance is a Harry Potter fan, these 3 anime might also help:
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3 Animes that you should know as Harry Potter fans
One-Punch Man
Alternative names: OPM, One Punch-Man Genre: Action, Comedy Episodes: 12 Stream available on: Crunchyroll
One punch is all Saitama needs.
Saitama is an average guy with a quirky hobby – he likes to play superhero. But after years of training, he suddenly gains a power. In exchange for his hair, he has the gift of defeating everything and everyone with just one punch. A seemingly great ability that plunges his life into boredom, as he can no longer enjoy fights. Yet others want to learn under him; after all, he is the strongest superhero in the world – the One-Punch Man.
Why is One-Punch Man suitable? One-Punch Man is a good entry into the world of comedy anime without relying too heavily on well-known clichés from this genre. Since it involves superheroes and is a parody of them, it’s easy to draw connections to other movies or series.
Although One-Punch Man is rather shallow in terms of entertainment, it provides an adequately exciting story and thus a good entry point into the world of comedy anime.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
During a conversation on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast, Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called “Godfather of AI”, warns unequivocally of rapid changes in the labor market due to artificial intelligence, which could cost millions of jobs.
Who is Geoffrey Hinton? Geoffrey Hinton is one of the most significant figures in the history of artificial intelligence. As a co-developer of modern neural networks, he laid the groundwork for many of today’s AI technologies with the breakthrough of AlexNet in 2012.
For his research achievements, he received numerous awards, including the Turing Award – the most prestigious award in computer science – and the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2024. His work at the University of Toronto and at Google Brain made him one of the most important pioneers of AI research (via MIT).
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People can be displaced from sectors
What exactly did Hinton say on the podcast? In the 90-minute conversation with the “Diary of a CEO” podcast, Hinton expressed concern about the speed at which AI could replace human workers. According to him, particularly affected are jobs based on routine and simpler intellectual tasks. He literally speaks of a “10 to 20% chance that AI will completely displace humans” (via Diary of a CEO).
However, Hinton also notes that it depends on future developments. It is a conjecture that could be shaped with enough research and resources to cause less harm to humans.
Which jobs are considered relatively safe by Hinton? Despite the rather gloomy outlook, Hinton also sees areas where AI will increasingly play a supportive role. Especially in healthcare, artificial intelligence could improve the work of doctors rather than simply replace them. A key term here is efficiency.
AI could automate administrative tasks in healthcare or assist in diagnoses, while the human factor – empathy, decision-making ability, and understanding complex individual situations – remains intact.
We could get five times as much healthcare for the same price, and that would be great. There is almost no limit to how much healthcare people can accept.
Geoffrey Hinton
Additionally, professions requiring manual dexterity and physical presence, such as plumbers or caregivers, are considered relatively protected from automation, according to Hinton.
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What else does Geoffrey Hinton say about AI development?
What were the differences in development? In the podcast, Hinton not only talks about possible job losses, but also addresses fundamental differences in dealing with AI safety. His assessment of Google and OpenAI became particularly clear: while Google acts quite cautiously to protect its reputation, OpenAI has consciously taken risks to be faster. Especially regarding safety (via BusinessInsider).
Hinton praises Google’s internal development culture, which, according to its own statement, allows ethical debates, but expressed caution regarding the moral compass of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman – with a “We’ll see”.
