Epic Games seems determined to give developers everything they need to make games in Unreal Engine without having to look elsewhere for parts. The company has bought Sketchfab, a 3D asset platform.

"By joining forces, Epic and Sketchfab will be able to make 3D, AR and VR content more accessible and grow the creator ecosystem, which are critical to an open and interconnected Metaverse," Epic wrote in a blog post. "Sketchfab will continue to operate as an independently branded service while collaborating closely with the Unreal Engine team."

Sketchfab hosts more than 4 million 3D assets. Users can edit, buy and sell content on the platform. Epic has dropped Sketchfab's store fees to 12 percent (which matches the Epic Games Store cut) so people making 3D assets receive a larger slice of sales revenue. Epic also says it will maintain Sketchfab's integrations with 3D creation and publishing platforms. The assets will still work elsewhere, including in rival game engines such as Unity.

The Sketchfab Plus plan — which allows users to upload more assets with larger file sizes — is now free to everyone. Current Plus subscribers are being bumped up to the Pro plan at no extra cost, and Sketchfab is increasing the monthly upload limit on the Pro tier from 30 to 50.

The Sketchfab deal follows Epic's acquisition of ArtStation, a hub where CGI- and game-focused artists can host their portfolios and sell work. Epic slashed that marketplace's fees from 30 percent to 12 percent as well.

Final Fantasy XIV Online is seeing "record user numbers in all regions" after some popular streamers started playing the MMO. A major expansion is scheduled to arrive in November, and players may be returning or picking the game up ahead of Endwalker's arrival.

However, the game's servers are struggling to handle the influx of players. Producer and director Naoki Yoshida wrote that many players in North America and Europe have had trouble logging in or creating characters recently because of "server congestion."

Some North American servers were at maximum capacity for up to seven hours at some points last weekend, and the average queue times were around 10-20 minutes. On the European servers, players had to wait for up to 40 minutes.

Square Enix has revealed some measures to tackle Final Fantasy XIV Online's server issues. It has accelerated plans to boot out players who stay idle for too long. That feature is typically enabled when a new expansion arrives to help the systems cope with a surge in player numbers, as Polygon notes, but Square Enix is bringing it back early. Yoshida also asked players to log out and free up spots if they're inactive.

The publisher says the game's North American data centers were recently upgraded. As of this week, the game supports up to 18,000 simultaneous logins in that region — up to 750 players per world server. The European data centers are in line for a similar upgrade soon.

Meanwhile, Yoshida noted the global semiconductor shortage has slowed delivery of servers to some data centers. Travel restrictions related to COVID-19 have prevented the server infrastructure team from visiting data centers too.

It's fascinating to see a game that's been around for eight years have such a massive, sudden increase in popularity, four months out from the next expansion. Still, it once again highlights the impact that streamers have on gaming culture.

TweetDeck is a secret weapon for Twitter power users. The column layout allows them to keep tabs on tweets from a large number of accounts at once, using Twitter’s handy lists. That could be about to change, based on an image Twitter shared of the "new and improved TweetDeck" that it's testing. At first glance, it looks a lot like the standard Twitter web app.

The company is testing the revamped TweetDeck with a few users in the US, Canada and Australia. Twitter product head Kayvon Beykpour said the updated TweetDeck includes "a full tweet composer, new advanced search features, new column types, and a new way to group columns into clean workspaces." A menu on the left lists a number of "decks" centered around things like food, entertainment and news, as well as a "primary" deck.

Any big changes to TweetDeck will surely be met with skepticism from heavy users. Many of those who use the app do so as part of their jobs, and significant updates that disrupt people's workflow might not sit too well with them.

Still, it's worth remembering that this is a test and things might change before the updated TweetDeck rolls out more broadly. "Through these tests, we’re exploring how we can give people more customization and control using TweetDeck," Beykpour wrote in a tweet.

Rumors have been floating around for a while that TweetDeck might become part of Twitter Blue, the company’s subscription service. Beykpour added a little fuel to that fire when discussing the app’s overhaul. "We'll take these lessons into account as we explore what TweetDeck could look like within Twitter's subscription offerings later on. We'll have more to share soon as we learn from these tests," he wrote.

Instagram's Explore tab can feel like the Wild West at times. The feed shows recommended posts from accounts you don't follow, but you never really know what you'll see. It might feature a photo, video or Story that's potentially distressing — even if it doesn't break the platform's rules.

To mitigate that, Instagram is rolling out a Sensitive Content Control option. The aim is to let you choose how much sensitive content you see in the Explore feed, and giving you more control over how you use Instagram. You can adjust the filter by going to the app's Settings, then tapping Account and Sensitive Content Control.

You'll be able to decrease the number of sensitive posts in the Explore feed by selecting "Limit Even More." You can also turn the filter off by changing from the default "Limit" option to "Allow" (that choice won't be available to users aged under 18, however). You can change the setting at any time.

Instagram

Among the types of content Instagram considers "sensitive" are depictions of violence (though it removes graphic violence). "Sexually explicit or suggestive" posts are also deemed sensitive, such as photos or videos showing someone in transparent clothing — the platform doesn't allow posts that contain nudity or sexual activity.

If you have the sensitive content filter on, Instagram may also stop posts that promote the use of some regulated items from appearing in the Explore feed. Those products include adult products and services, tobacco and vaping products and pharmaceutical drugs. Instagram takes down most content related to selling or trading regulated goods.

District 9 director Neill Blomkamp never did get to make his Halo movie. However, Blomkamp still has a foothold in the video game world after directing an Anthem prequel short film. He's now helping a studio called Gunzilla Games with its first game, a multiplayer shooter.

Blomkamp — who also directed Elysium, Chappie and the upcoming Demonic — has joined Gunzilla as chief visionary officer, as IGN reports. He'll help guide the aesthetic of the game and provide input on aspects such as design, audio and the narrative from a film director's perspective. He admitted that he hasn't worked in game development before, so collaborating closely with other key creatives on the project will be crucial.

The studio was formed last year and employs developers who have experience at the likes of Crytek, Ubisoft and EA. The shooter, which is still largely under wraps, might not be a one-and-done deal for Oscar nominee Blomkamp.

"Games will [...] become what films were in the 20th century," he told IGN. "They'll just be the thing that is the dominant form of cultural entertainment and [I want] to be in that. Mixing my history in visual effects and interest in 3D graphics means I want to have a home base in the creation of games for a really long time. So if the game is a success and everything works out, hopefully I'm staying at Gunzilla for a long time."

Blomkamp is joining a long line of notable filmmakers and creatives from other mediums who've moved into games. Guillermo del Toro was set to direct the canceled Silent Hills alongside Hideo Kojima, while George R. R. Martin helped craft the world of Elden Ring. Steven Spielberg has credits on several games too. Along with his work on the Medal of Honor series, he was creative director on an EA puzzle game called Boom Blox.

DuckDuckGo, which is best known for its privacy-focused search engine, has announced a new service that aims to thwart email trackers. Email Protection is now available in beta. It’s a free forwarding service that strips tracking pixels from your emails with the aim of shielding your personal data.

Around 70 percent of emails contain trackers, DuckDuckGo notes. These can be used to tell the sender when you opened an email, the device you accessed it with and even where you are when you read it. The company notes that trackers can be used for ad targeting as well.

To use the Email Protection service, you’ll need to sign up for a nifty, free @duck.com email address. DuckDuckGo will extract any trackers from emails sent to that address and forward the messages to your regular inbox. The company says its systems will never save emails — not even the sender or recipient's email address. When you get the email, you'll be able to see which trackers, if any, DuckDuckGo yanked.

You can also generate randomized addresses to stop companies from tracking you by email. This part of the service is similar to Apple’s Hide My Email option or creating a Gmail alias with the plus sign trick. DuckDuckGo’s approach works across platforms though its app and browser extension.

If you think a site or app might pummel you with spam or share your email address elsewhere, you can create a disposable address. This could come in handy when you're signing up for a free trial, for instance. It will also provide a level of protection if that email address is leaked in a data breach. No one would know what email address you use for other services. DuckDuckGo says it’ll be a cinch to deactivate a Private Duck Address if you want to stop receiving any emails through it.

DuckDuckGo has opened a waitlist for the Email Protection beta and you won’t need to provide any personal information to sign up. You’ll claim your spot in line with a timestamp that’s saved on your device, and you’ll receive a notification when you can snag your @duck.com email address. To register, open the DuckDuckGo iOS or Android app, then go to Settings, Beta Features and Email Protection, then tap the Join the Private Waitlist option.

Jeff Bezos is about to go to space, along with his brother Mark and the youngest and oldest people to venture above the Kármán line. Blue Origin's first passenger flight takes place today, and you'll be able to watch New Shepard's latest trip to space from the Texas desert as it happens. 

Blue Origin owner and former Amazon CEO Bezos invited Wally Funk to join the mission. Funk is an 82-year-old aviation pioneer who was one of 13 women who trained for space missions as part of a program back in the 1960s. None of the Mercury 13 have ever made it to space until now. 

The other passenger seat will be filled by 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, who is New Shepard's first paying customer. The person who won the $28 million auction for the fourth spot decided to take a trip on New Shepard at a later date due to "scheduling conflicts." 

You can watch the flight live via the stream below. Liftoff is scheduled for 9am ET and the flight should last for around 12 minutes.

Ubisoft is delving deeper into the Clancyverse with Tom Clancy’s XDefiant, a free-to-play game it revealed on Monday. The first-person multiplayer shooter will pit teams of six characters (or Defiants) against each other across several game modes. There’s a focus on gunplay, though you’ll also be able to harness traits, abilities and “ultras” — which seem similar to ultimates in other games — based on the faction you’re using.

XDefiant is a bit of a crossover between Ubisoft’s various Clancy franchises. The initial set of factions include the Wolves (inspired by Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon), Echelon (Splinter Cell) and the Outcasts and Cleaners (The Division). More Defiants will be added to the game later, and will draw from a variety of characters and abilities “from the Tom Clancy universe … and beyond,” Ubisoft said.

Ubisoft San Francisco is developing XDefant, which the creative leads said features “fast-paced firefights meet punk rock moshpits.” You can customize your Defiant’s loadout (including a primary and secondary weapons, attachments and device). You’ll be able to modify your setup when you respawn to help you adjust to what’s happening in a match. It sounds like there will be ways for both casual and competitive players to get the most out of the game too.

There are clear echoes of Overwatch and Valorant here, with plenty Clancyverse flavor thrown in. Executive producer Mark Rubin previously worked on Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty games, and there’s some obvious DNA from that franchise in XDefiant as well.

XDefiant is coming to Xbox One, PlayStation, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, Google Stadia, Amazon Luna and Ubisoft Connect with full cross-play expected at the outset. The game’s still fairly early in development, but Ubisoft’s already inviting the public to try it. The first public PC test starts on August 5th, and you can sign up through the XDefiant website for a chance to take part.

Starting today, everyone with a compatible iPhone can update their device to iOS 14.7. The latest public release of the firmware adds a few useful but relatively minor features, such as support for the new MagSafe Battery Pack on iPhone 12. There's an option to merge two Apple Cards into a co-owned account with a combined credit limit.

The Home app now has a way to manage HomePod timers, while users in Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, South Korea and Spain will now see air quality info in Weather and Maps. On the audio front, there's a filter in the Podcasts library that allows you to see all shows or only the ones you follow. You can update your iPhone to iOS 14.7 by opening the Settings app, tapping General and then Software Update.

Apple will likely release iOS 15 in a couple of months. It's saving big upcoming features such as FaceTime on PC and Android, revamped notifications and driver's license storage in Apple Wallet for that update.

Elsewhere, tvOS 14.7 is now available, bringing general performance and stability boosts to Apple TV. Apple Watch users in 30 more countries can now use the ECG app after Apple released watchOS 7.6.

Earlier this month, officials in the Ukraine busted what appeared to be a cryptocurrency mining operation that used thousands of PS4 consoles to mine crypto. That doesn't quite seem to be the case. According to a new report, the consoles (and allegedly stolen electricity) were actually being used to farm and sell digital currency and accounts for EA's FIFA games.

Ukranian news outlet Delo reported that PCs were running bots on the consoles to play FIFA and automatically earn an in-game currency. Players can use FIFA coins in the Ultimate Team (FUT) mode to either scoop up sought-after players on an open market or open controversial FUT packs in the hopes of unlocking killer additions for their squads. FUT packs can also be opened with real money.

Although buying or selling FIFA coins with real money is against EA policies, that hasn't stopped a thriving black market for the digital currency. People sell coins or game accounts loaded with the currency to players who are desperate to build a dream FUT roster. One site I checked listed a PS4 FIFA 21 account with 5.1 million coins for $300 — enough to buy

Ultimate Team modes across EA's sports games are enormously important for the developer's bottom line. Last year, EA made $1.62 billion from Ultimate Team, which accounted for 29 percent of its net revenue for the fiscal year. "A substantial portion" of that revenue came from FIFA games.

Meanwhile, FUT packs and other loot boxes have drawn scrutiny from regulators in recent years. Since gamers can't see which soccer players they'll unlock when they buy a pack, some authorities have described the packs as a form of gambling. Belgium banned that type of game mechanic in 2018. This summer, perhaps in an attempt to stave off the criticism, EA started testing a type of FUT pack that allows players to preview the contents.