Embracer Group, the company forging one IP portfolio to rule them all, explained

Image: New Line Cinemas

The Embracer Group is a doozy of a media company. It’s 11 parent companies in a massive trench coat that are themselves composed of several more parent companies that own publishers and developers and the rights to video game franchises both AAA and indie. Earlier today, it added a bunch more companies to its roster including Limited Run Games, Maneater developer Tripwire Interactive, and the intellectual property rights to parts of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit universes.

To list all of Embracer Group’s companies and assets would take an unreasonable amount of time and space and would get kinda boring. So here are the high points in the company’s portfolio.

What video game franchises I’ve heard of does Embracer now own?

Embracer...

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How to send a confidential message on Gmail

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge

Google uses TLS (what is called standard encryption) to keep your emails relatively safe in transit. (The service does also have the more secure S/MIME encryption, but it’s only available for business and educational institutions.) There are, however, other ways you can keep your personal data a little safer, and one is by using Google’s confidential mode.

Google introduced its confidential mode for Gmail in 2018. The setting allows people to send messages that can expire and prevents recipients from copying their contents, forwarding them to others, or downloading them.

You can use confidential mode on a desktop or through the Gmail app on mobile, though whichever you use, you’ll need to activate confidential mode each time you send a...

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Gummies are the next teen nicotine threat, feds say

Image: Krave Nic

Flavored gummies are the new nicotine product in the crosshairs of the Food and Drug Administration, which is continuing its years-longcrackdown on nicotine use by teens and young adults.

The agency announced today that it issued a warning letter to Krave Nic, which sells gummies containing 1 milligram of nicotine each in three flavors — Blueraz, Cherry Bomb, and Pineapple. The company needs FDA authorization to manufacture or sell this type of product, the agency said in its statement.

“Nicotine gummies are a public health crisis just waiting to happen among our nation’s youth, particularly as we head into a new school year,” said FDA Commissioner Robert Califf in a statement.

This type of nicotine product is a relatively new entry...

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Instagram gets mean about sending video clips to TikTok

Kristen Radtke / The Verge

Instagram is tired of creators making their videos in Reels and then heading over to TikTok. While using Reels this week, The Verge discovered that when trying to download an edited clip to an iPhone, the audio from the clip disappeared. This means if you want to export the footage from Reels to use in another app, you have to actually post the Reel first in order to save the sound. As recently as late July, it was possible to download the clip with audio and use it in a separate app — like, say, TikTok — without posting it first.

The audio was stripped out on three iPhones we tested, though exports with audio were still possible with Instagram on Android. Instagram did not respond to multiple requests for comment on whether this was a...

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Verizon’s Visible is ending its incredible Party Pay deal

A lower starting price in theory but a $5 increase in practice | Image: Visible

Verizon is making some big changes to its Visible cell service, which is meant to be a simpler and more affordable alternative to the carrier’s mainline options. On Wednesday, it replaced Visible’s single plan with two options, called Visible and Visible Plus, and is doing away with the Party Pay discount that let most of the carrier’s customers get the now-legacy Visible Unlimited plan for only $25 a month.

Current Visible customers will still have the option of sticking with the old plan and price, though there are some details about that we’ll get into in a moment. (Side note: annoyingly, I’m one of those customers, and I first heard about these changes from 9to5Google — as far as I can tell, I haven’t gotten any emails or texts...

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The James Webb Space Telescope runs JavaScript, apparently

I look to the stars, and I see semicolons. | Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

It turns out that JavaScript, the programming language that web developers and users alike love to complain about, had a hand in delivering the stunning images that the James Webb Space Telescope has been beaming back to Earth. And no, I don’t mean that in some snarky way, like that the website NASA hosts them on uses JavaScript (it does). I mean that the actual telescope, arguably one of humanity’s finest scientific achievements, is largely controlled by JavaScript files. Oh, and it’s based on a software development kit from 2002.

According to a manuscript (PDF) for the JWST’s Integrated Science Instrument Module (or ISIM), the software for the ISIM is controlled by “the Script Processor Task (SP), which runs scripts written in...

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Corsair’s first gaming laptop is the start of something good

The Voyager A1600 is full of potential that doesn’t go far enough

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HBO Max is offering 30 percent off a one-year subscription for new and returning subscribers

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

New HBO Max owner Warner Bros. Discovery has been playing fast and loose with content recently on the streaming service as a result of fallout from the messy megamerger. Even though it’s been shedding shows and movies from the service to save money — and even canceling late-stage projects — it’s trying to course-correct any lost subscriptions by offering a new deal to bring in subscribers.

New and returning subscribers can get 30 percent off a one-year subscription to HBO Max when signing up and prepaying the full year by October 30th. This knocks the ad-free plan down to $104.99 instead of $149.99 for the year (equivalent to $8.75 per month), and the ad-supported plan goes from $99.99 to $69.99 (equivalent to $5.83 per month).

It may be...

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The Big Ten’s new deal makes sports streaming rights more confusing than ever

Want Big Ten football? Good luck finding it. | Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Big Ten Conference announced a new slate of sports TV and streaming deals on Thursday, which will reportedly bring the conference more than $8 billion over the next seven years. It’s the richest rights deal in the history of college sports, with most of the money coming from Fox, CBS, and NBC — and most of the games coming to linear TV. There’s a streaming element, too, mostly through Peacock and Paramount Plus. But the big takeaway from the latest big-money deal? Watching sports is only getting more confusing and more expensive.

Here’s the basic rundown of the deal as it pertains to the upcoming football season: Fox got the best package of Big Ten games, which will kick off at noon on Saturdays during the season. CBS gets a handful...

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Microsoft’s adorable Xbox Series S is $50 off at Adorama right now

The $50 discount also comes with digital currency for Fortnite and Rocket League_._ | Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge

If you’re still on the hunt for an Xbox, our deals team has got you covered. The Xbox Series S, the slimmer and paler cousin of the Series X, is on sale right now at Adorama for $249.99 instead of its usual $299.99. Discounts as steep as this are pretty rare, making this a great opportunity to pick up the disc-less variant of Microsoft’s next-gen console if you’re okay with making a few compromises. The current $50 discount also applies to the Fortnite and Rocket League Bundle, which comes with codes for 1,000 Fortnite V-Bucks and 1,000 Rocket League credits (a $16 value in total).

The Series S touts many of the same features as the Series X but lacks a disc drive, which may be an annoyance for some players. Some more notable differences...

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All the YouTube Shorts you repost to TikTok will now tell on you

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

YouTube knows you’re resharing videos you made on YouTube Shorts — and the company wants to be credited.

In a post about new features shared yesterday, a YouTube representative said that the company would start adding watermarks to Shorts videos when a creator downloads them. Some creators will make short-form videos in one app, download their video, and repost the same clip to other platforms. In the post, YouTube is clear about why it’s adding watermarks.

“We’ve added a watermark to the Shorts you download so your viewers can see that the content you’re sharing across platforms can be found on YouTube Shorts,” it reads.

All the major short-form video platforms are fighting for creators and viewers, and other companies have gone about...

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Google search updates will prioritize real reviews over clickbait

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google is making a series of updates to Search that aim to tackle clickbait and improve the relevancy of search results, prioritizing original and authentic reviews over recycled information that passes around aggregator sites. The changes in the form of two updates are being rolled out in the weeks ahead, according to a blog post announcing the ranking updates.

“We know people don’t find content helpful if it seems like it was designed to attract clicks rather than inform readers. So starting next week for English users globally, we’re rolling out a series of improvements to Search to make it easier for people to find helpful content made specifically by and for people,” reads the announcement. “This update will help make sure that...

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Snap is giving up on its Pixy drone after just four months

This will be the one and only Pixy model. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Snap just introduced its selfie drone, Pixy, in April, but the company won’t be developing any future versions of the product, according to The Wall Street Journal. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel apparently told employees at a Q&A session about the choice to no longer develop the Pixy line. A source told the publication the company plans to sell the current Pixy, and that model is still available for purchase on the Pixy website.

The Pixy is a small, lightweight drone that’s designed to be more approachable than other drones. The $230 device launches right from the palm of your hand so it can film footage that syncs back to the Snapchat app so you can share it with your friends.

In an interview with The Verge, Spiegel had teased that the...

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The Dodge Charger EV’s fake exhaust sound is sure to divide muscle car fans

Image: Dodge

For those bemoaning the imminent demise of Dodge’s gas-powered muscle cars, the automaker has a message: fear not the future, for it is electric.

Dodge revealed its first electric muscle car, the Charger Daytona SRT concept, at an event this week at its Pontiac, Michigan-based headquarters. The two-door coupe is positioned as a preview for the automaker’s first EV, which is expected to go into production in 2024.

“The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept exists because performance made us do it,” said Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis in a statement. “Dodge is about muscle, attitude and performance, and the brand carries that chip on its shoulder and into the BEV segment through a concept loaded with patents, innovations, and performance features...

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Crypto.com laid off 260 employees — then quietly let go of hundreds more

The crypto market has been hit hard by plummeting valuations and trading volume. | Image: Alex Castro / The Verge

In June, cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com announced it was laying off around 260 employees, or 5 percent of its workforce, due to the widespread downturn in the crypto market. But layoffs did not end there.

Sources in and outside the firm tell The Verge thatthe company has quietly let go of hundreds more employees since the initial layoffs. These new layoffs have not been publicized, and it’s difficult to estimate their exact number. Crypto.com has been trying to limit knowledge of the extent of these departures even within the company, with CEO Kris Marszalek refusing to answer a question about the total figure in a recent employees-only town hall meeting.

All this suggests that Crypto.com — one of the most visible players in the...

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How to delete a BeReal

Samar Haddad / The Verge

BeReal is a fun app. But one of its less fun qualities is the element of surprise. You don’t see a preview of yourself while the front-facing camera is shooting, and you don’t know exactly when it’s taking your picture. As a consequence, if you’re in a hurry or otherwise distracted, you may end up posting a photo that you’re unhappy with for the world to see.

Don’t worry: the app doesn’t make it easy, but you can delete BeReals. You can only do it once a day, though — so if you want to make another post, the second one had better be good. Additionally, if you delete a BeReal, you won’t be able to delete the next one you post.

If you’ve thought things through and you’re sure you want to delete your BeReal, here’s how to do it.

How to...

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Apple’s new podcast charts show Amazon at the top

Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

Apple Podcasts is introducing a pair of new top 100 charts today that track subscription podcasts and subscription podcast channels. And as of day one, Amazon is at the top.

Amazon’s stable of shows dominates the new charts. Morbid, SmartLess, and Something Was Wrong, which release early for subscribers of Amazon-owned Wondery Plus, nab the top three spots among subscriber shows in the US. The type of limited-time exclusivity arrangement, which is looser than the platform-exclusive arrangement that Spotify has with shows like The Joe Rogan Experience and Call Her Daddy, appears to be working in driving subscriptions, even if it’s away from Amazon’s platforms.

Wondery Plus, meanwhile, is the top subscription channel overall in the US,...

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Yes, inflation has come for tech products, too

Apple’s new MacBook Air costs $200 more than the prior model, while Apple is still selling the older one for the same price it was two years ago. | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

For many, this summer has been the season of inflation. After fuel prices spiked earlier this year (and have only slowly started to come down), it seems like everything we had to pay for suddenly became more expensive. Outside of the gas station, this is most likely felt at the grocery store, where staples like bread, pasta, vegetables, and other consumables all cost more now than they did a year (or even just a few months) ago.

Inflation has also impacted the price of tech products, like smartphones and laptops, but it can be harder to spot. Unlike food or other consumables, technology products have a long production cycle, often taking 18 months or more to go from an idea to a store shelf. Many companies set a product’s target price at...

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Crypto can’t fix carbon offsets — but crypto fans are trying anyway

Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Shutterstock

Adam Neumann is trying to make it work

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Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review: if it only had a better battery

It’s the best Android smartwatch you can get... for now

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Motorola’s latest Edge phone aims to be a $499 5G disruptor

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Motorola is today announcing its latest smartphone for the US market. And while I wish it were the sleek new 2022 Razr — currently only available in China — we’re instead looking at another entry in the company’s Edge lineup. The Edge phones are designed to offer several flagship-tier features at an accessible price point. (Motorola’s Edge Plus, meanwhile, directly competes in the premium, more expensive bracket.)

With the 2022 edition of the Edge, Motorola is concentrating on familiar strengths: a 144Hz OLED display, lengthy battery life, comprehensive 5G support, and camera upgrades.

Priced at $499 for a limited time — Motorola won’t say how long — before an eventual jump to $599, the company describes this phone as one of its thinnest...

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GeForce Now on Chrome is getting a big upgrade to 1440p and 120fps

GeForce Now runs even better on the web now. | Image: Nvidia

Nvidia is upgrading its GeForce Now game streaming service to support 1440p resolution at 120fps in a Chrome or Edge browser. GeForce Now members on the RTX 3080 tier of the service will be able to access the new browser gameplay options today by selecting 1440p on the GeForce Now web version.

Nvidia originally launched its RTX 3080 GeForce Now membership tier last year, offering streams of up to 1440p resolution with 120fps on PCs and Macs or 4K HDR at 60fps on Nvidia’s Shield TV. Previously, you had to download the dedicated Mac or Windows apps to access 1440p resolution and 120fps support, as the web version was limited to 1080p at 60fps.

Image: Nvidia

The new browser options for GeForce Now.

The RTX 3080...

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Cameo once again asks if you’d like to pay for live video calls with celebs

Cameo Live offers 10-minute video calls. | Image: Cameo

Celeb shoutout service Cameo is taking another swing at selling virtual meet-and-greets with the celebrities on its platform. Cameo Live is a new service the company is announcing today that offers a 10-minute live video call with a celebrity, which customers can choose to have either as a one-on-one session, send as a gift, or take part in with up to nine friends.

If the feature sounds familiar, that’s because Cameo has tried launching similar features a couple of times already. In June 2020, it launched its first iteration of Cameo Live, which also offered 10-minute video calls, albeit only with up to five participants (not including the celebrity). But a little under a year later, in April 2021, Cameo sunsetted the feature and...

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Google employees circulate petition demanding abortion benefits for contractors

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

More than 650 Google employees have signed a petition calling on the company to extend abortion-related health benefits to contractors and better protect user privacy in the wake of a Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade in June.

“We, the undersigned, recognize that all Alphabet workers, of all genders, are impacted by the overturning of Roe v. Wade and are disappointed in Alphabet’s response and influence on this ruling,” employees wrote.

After the Supreme Court decision, Google’s chief people officer Fiona Cicconi told employees their health insurance would cover out-of-state medical procedures and said they could apply for relocation without justification.

But the benefits do not extend to Google’s temporary, vendor, or...

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Dell’s new tablet-style XPS 13 will be available next week

Dell is following Microsoft’s lead. | Image: Dell

Dell has announced that its new XPS 13 2-in-1, first revealed back in June, will be available for purchase starting on August 25th with a starting price of $1,099. Unlike the previous generations of XPS 13 2-in-1 models, this XPS is a Surface Pro-style tablet with a magnetic keyboard case. This will allow the device to quickly transform from a tablet to a laptop, similar to the way Apple’s iPad Pro can with the Magic Keyboard.

The new design is meant for “customers who prioritize versatility like students and entrepreneurs,” and the form factor will help users “transition freely and fluidly from consumption to full productivity mode,” per Dell.

Image: Dell

Tablet, but XPS.

This will also be Dell’s first XPS to...

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Dell’s latest webcam delivers 2K resolution and a built-in mic for a lower price

The Dell Pro Webcam WB5023 has an integrated universal mounting clip and comes with a magnetic lens cap. | Image: Dell

Dell is adding a new option to its selection of webcams and hybrid work peripherals. The new Dell Pro Webcam (model WB5023) follows a similar playbook to last year’s Dell UltraSharp 4K Webcam, with a compact, barrel-shaped design and automatic cropping software to keep you centered in the frame. Though instead of 4K resolution, the Pro Webcam records and streams up to QHD 2560 x 1440 resolution. This more modest resolution helps it hit a lower price of $134.99, but thankfully Dell squeezed in a noise-reducing microphone at this price point — correcting the biggest omission from the 4K model. This new camera is available globally today.

Image: Dell

Hidden under the front ring of the webcam is a white LED to...

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Nintendo is actively investigating reports that its female testers face harassment and discrimination

A report from Kotaku exposes a toxic workplace culture for female staff and contractors at Nintendo of America. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Nintendo of America is investigating reports that female game testers were subject to discrimination and harassment, according to internal messages seen by Kotaku. Earlier this week, the publication published a scathing report exposing a toxic workplace culture at the company in which female staff and contractors were targeted by male colleagues.

According to Kotaku, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser sent an email to employees acknowledging the claims on August 16th, the same day the report was released. In the message, Bowser stresses that the company is taking the allegations seriously, stating, “We have and will always investigate any allegations we become aware of, and we are actively investigating these most recent claims.”

“...

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Oppo’s ColorOS 13 update has a built-in pixelation feature for message screenshots

The pixellation feature is available after a screenshot is taken. | Image: Oppo

Oppo is launching its ColorOS 13 update today, and has detailed the features that are on the way for its devices as they’re upgraded to its flavor of Android 13. Oppo — which like Vivo, OnePlus, and other Chinese brands is controlled by the tech giant BBK Electronics — says the update will be arriving first on the Find X5 and Find X5 Pro this month, ahead of its release on around 33 additional models in the Find, Reno, A, F, and K ranges before the end of the year.

One of the smaller features worth calling out is a neat pixelation feature that’ll be available for screenshots in WhatsApp and Messenger chats. A new “Pixelate” option appears in the editing window, which can be tapped to automatically blur out the contact’s name and profile...

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Major PC modding sites remove Spider-Man mod that replaces in-game pride flags

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered. | Image: Sony

NexusMods and ModDB, two of the biggest online sites for PC game mods, have removed a project that cut the in-game pride flags from the recently-released PC port of Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered. As NexusMods explained in a blog post, the mod was uploaded to its site by a brand new account with no modding history, which the site’s administrators suspect is a secondary account for one of the site’s users — a “sock puppet” account.

“It was very clearly done deliberately to be a troll mod,” NexusMods writes. “The fact the user needed to make a sock puppet like a coward to upload the mod showed their intent to troll and that they knew it would not be allowed. Had they not been a coward and had they used their main account instead, we would...

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Embracer Group’s game buying spree includes rights to Lord of the Rings and Hobbit

Embracer Group has embarked on an acquisition spree today that includes Limited Run Games, Tripwire Interactive, and the IP rights to Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. There are five acquisitions in total today, alongside a sixth undisclosed deal for a company in the PC and console gaming space.

The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit rights mean Embracer now has control over movies, video games, board games, merchandising, stage productions, and even theme-park rights for the Tolkien fantasy franchises. This includes Amazon’s very big and expensive take on Lord of the Rings that will debut on Prime Video on September 2nd. Embracer notes that it could even explore “additional movies based on iconic characters such as Gandalf, Aragorn, Gollum,...

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