GameSpot's Tamoor Hussain: "Star Wars Battlefront 2" Will Win Out Fans
Electronic Arts is in some trouble with its Star Wars fan base.
"Star Wars Battlefront 2," officially comes out on Friday, but many players are already upset over the expensive in-game transactions necessary to unlock certain characters. Tamoor Hussain, editor at GameSpot and Russell Holly, managing editor of VRHeads.com joined Cheddar to discuss the concept of paying extra within a game.
Hussain says that it used to take a significant number of hours to gain points in order to unlock certain characters, which upset players. So, companies began to add the option to buy the power to unlock them. But people are still upset. He says it could impact sales this week, but many people won't be looking into the issue too deeply.
Holly says in-game transactions are a tremendous business for Electronic Arts, which just bought Respawn Entertainment for over $400 million.
To ease some of the pressure, EA said that it will reducing the amount of resources it'll take to access key players in the upcoming game.
"They kind of changed the discoursed around the game," Hussain said, adding that this move will sway public opinion positively.
Technology-driven sustainable waste management platform, RoadRunner Recycling, recently raised a $70 million Series D round from BeyondNetZero, the climate investing venture of General Atlantic. RoadRunner says it creates and manages end-to-end waste and recycling solutions for businesses of all sizes and that its proprietary technology can boost cost savings and improve recycling rates for companies, which in turn drives sustainability for the waste industry and our world. RoadRunner Recycling founder and CEO Graham Rihn joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Tech giant Microsoft is rolling out a platform designed specifically to help retailers manage their logistics on the cloud, amid some very trying times. Shelley Bransten, Microsoft CVP for global retail and consumer goods, joined Cheddar to explain how the cloud-based solution is meant to support retailers, workers, and the supply chain. "It's never been more important with all the challenges that we're seeing with the global supply chain that demand and supply come together," Bransten said. "And we use AI technology to help better predict that old adage of getting the right product to the right place to the customer at the right time."
Apple TV+ is in serious talks for the rights to stream MLB games next season, the first foray into sports content for the platform, according to the New York Post. Lee Berke, president and CEO of LHB Sports, sat down with Cheddar to discuss how such a deal might impact the tech giant and the sports content industry. "Quite often with new media platforms one of the quickest ways to create and implement a programming strategy — and actually one of the most expensive ways — is to offer up sports content," Berke noted. "So, with this package available, it puts Apple literally in the game and gives them an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in offering up a major league sport."
A.I.-enabled fintech company Qraft Technologies recently closed a $146 million investment from SoftBank Group Corp.
The companies say they are entering a partnership to accelerate artificial intelligence in the asset management industry. Qraft has already developed A.I. solutions that have been used by major financial institutions and says its new approach to asset management maximizes investment efficiency. Qraft Technologies U.S. CEO Robert Nestor joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
