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Recommended Reading: The political media machine on Facebook
Inside Facebook's (Totally Insane, Unintentionally Gigantic, Hyperpartisan) Political-Media Machine John Herrman, The New York Times Magazine A barrage of political links, ads and other content has filled up your News Feed over the last few months. With each new election, the amount of noise seems to get worse and now that we have two candidates who both have quite a list of shortcomings, the chatter is at an all-time high. The New York Times Magazine takes a deep dive into how Facebook is serving as a massive political media machine and its influence on democracy in the US.
Spotify welcomes new apps from Warner, Def Jam, Matador, more
So, now that Rdio's got itself a fancy redesign, it's time for Spotify to fire back, right? The Swedish streaming service announced a new round of third-party apps, including selections from some big industry names, like Warner, Def Jam, Domino and Matador Records. The list also includes Classify, an app designed to help users discover classical music on the service, The Complete Collection, which offers up supplementary images, lyrics and liner notes and Fitr, which lets you build playlists based on Facebook friends. Also new is Hot or Not, which offers a song-based take on the internet voting site and [PIAS], which provides some curated playlists. In all, the site is rolling out a dozen new apps. Check the press release after the break for more info.
EA shutting down Chicago studio
Well, so much for "routine" restructuring. Gamespot reports that monolithic publisher EA has decided to close down its EA Chicago studio. Over 150 employees are affected by the decision, as are future Def Jam games (oh noes!) and a second attempt at a Marvel fighting game. Citing an internal memo from EA Games president Frank Gibeau, the article notes that EA is looking to offer many EA Chicago employees opportunities at its other studios, as well as outplacement assistance."We're willing to take risks, make long-term investments, and to support teams and individuals between launches," reads Gibeau's alleged memo. "But each team is responsible for staying on a reasonable path to profitability. Sticking to that strategy is what gives us the financial resources and flexibility to take risks on new projects. Unfortunately, EA Chicago hasn't been able to meet that standard." If left unchecked, EA Chicago was not expected to become profitable until FY 2011 "or later."
Mad Catz finally appoints new CFO
Mad Catz has named journeyman financial exec Stewart Halpern as its newest CFO, replacing Cyril Talbot III who left the position nearly four months ago. Halpern will officially join the company on January 15.Halpern leaves Rockstar, where he was head of finance, to join the peripheral maker. Previously, he was CFO for Def Jam's holding company Rush Communications. After posting a net loss of $6.7 million back in June, Mad Catz is looking to Halpern to turn things around in the New Year. Good luck with that.
Def Jam: Icon to rap and brawl its way onto the PS3
Are you a fan of the rap/hip-hop movement? Do you like fighting? How about games about one, or both? ...Play the other iterations of Def Jam? How about another question? Anyway, seems the PS3 will be receiving the next Def Jam (not "deaf", because spelling things inkorrectlee is kewl) and it's promising to be awesome to your ears and your fingers. Needless to say, you can expect some of the big names of the field to pop in (Ludacris, Big Boi, T.I...) The game is slated for a March 2007 release (how convenient, just in time for Europe's launch...) for both the PS3 and XBox 360.The game is developed by EA Chicago (the brains behind Fight Night Round 3) and are intent on using the environments and music as vital points during matches. How this exactly works is still up in the air, but we've a quote from executive producer Kudo Tsunoda: "we are changing the way fighting games are played! We are completely innovating the role of the environments in the games, moving from the typical lifeless arenas the hip-hop celebrities are fighting in to environments that play an instrumental part in the fight where they will react to the music and interact with both characters like a third fighter." Like a third fighter? Maybe like the Songstress class in FFX-2? Mostly buff your fighter and hinder the opponent? Or, you know, it could be this. Keep your eyes and ears open for any new developments on this title!
