Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup - 2/4- 2/10

Disney and Epic Games team up to craft new 'games and entertainment universe'

Google’s Bard AI tool to reportedly get a Gemini makeover

Apple’s spatial audio royalty shift sparks controversy among indie labels

AI features are coming to OnePlus 11 and 12 phones in China

Pixel 8 series gets Circle to Search

Two fees, one game: 'Final Fantasy XIV' on Xbox

YouTube has an Apple Vision Pro app in the works

Android Auto now adds 3D buildings to navigation by default

Apple’s Vision Pro VR headset improves Personas to make them more realistic 

Google's Bard makes way for Gemini

Windows 11's major update arrives this year, not Windows 12

Trudeau slams Bell Media layoffs, citing harm to local journalism

Trudeau slams Bell Media layoffs, citing harm to local journalism

Image: Bell

Prime Minister Trudeau blasted BCE Inc.'s layoffs at Bell Media, including cuts to local newscasts and radio stations, calling it a "garbage decision." He expressed his anger at a press conference, citing a $140 million decline in Bell Media's advertising revenue and $40 million in annual news division losses.

Bell Media announced on Thursday it would end multiple television newscasts and other programming following its parent company's job cuts. It also put on sale 45 of its 103 regional radio stations.

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Spotify announces third round of layoffs this year, affecting 1,500 workers

Photo: @felipepelaquim / Unsplash

Spotify will cut 1,500 jobs, its third round of layoffs this year, CEO Daniel Ek said Monday. He said the music-streaming company needs to slash costs and boost efficiency in a tough economy. The layoffs are part of a big strategy shift that will take Spotify back to its startup roots after a spending spree increased its subscribers but not its profits.

Affected staff will get about five months of severance pay. Spotify, which has more than 9,000 employees, followed other tech giants in reducing headcount as the global economy slowed.

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Ascendant Studios lays off nearly half of its staff after 'Immortals of Aveum' flops

Ascendant Studios

Ascendant Studios, the developer behind Immortals of Aveum, a first-person shooter with magic elements, has announced that it is cutting almost half its staff. The layoffs come just weeks after the game’s launch. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), CEO Bret Robbins said that the company had to make this “painfully difficult, but necessary” decision that would affect around 45 percent of its workers (about 40 people). He added that Ascendant would provide severance packages and job placement assistance to those who were let go. The remaining employees will keep working on the game for now.

Immortals of Aveum is the debut title from Ascendant, an independent studio that boasts veteran developers in its ranks. However, the game faced stiff competition from other major releases. Publisher EA did not choose an optimal launch window either.

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