Multiplayer modes in Assassin's Creed games have been limited at best, but Ubisoft is poised to make it the centerpiece. Bloombergsources claim Ubisoft is developing Assassin's Creed Infinity, a project that turns the alternate history series into a live online service like Grand Theft Auto Online. Instead of playing mostly by yourself in one historical period, you'd routinely join other players across "multiple settings" that would grow and evolve over time. You'd have a reason to keep playing (and keep paying) for a long time where AC currently relies heavily on DLC and frequent sequels to stay fresh.

While there would be individual games tied to Infinity with their own look and feel, they'd all be linked together, the sources said.

Ubisoft confirmed that Infinity exists, but wouldn't explain the game in detail. It's meant to please fans who want a "more cohesive approach" to the game universe, the company said.

Upheaval at the company might threaten the project, however. Ubisoft recently unified its Montreal and Quebec City teams to help Assassin's Creed flourish through shared talent. While that could strengthen the quality of each release, Quebec will lead the franchise — a problem when that studio and Montreal have had bitter rivalries at times.

More importantly, there are concerns Ubisoft hasn't fully addressed the misconduct claims that led to the company firing its chief creative officer and certain studio leaders. A spokeswoman said Ubisoft had investigated all claims and taken appropriate actions, but Bloomberg's contacts said that managers accused of abuse remained in senior roles and that employees were reporting racism and sexism that wasn't being addressed.

That, in turn, could limit Ubisoft's resources for Infinity. While poaching from studios near Ubisoft Montreal is a problem, misconduct claims have also lead to more staffers jumping ship from that location. Simply speaking, Ubisoft might need to redouble its efforts to stamp out toxic behavior if it's going to retain the talent it needs to produce its best work.

Roblox is rushing to strike official music deals in the wake of a $200 million lawsuit over alleged copyright violations. TechCrunchreports that Roblox has unveiled a team-up with Sony Music that will bring more of the label's artists to the game platform. The two will collaborate on "innovative music experiences" beyond what you've seen so far, including a Lil Nas X concert in November and a Zara Larsson launch party in May.

The companies didn't say what kind of events you might expect, or when you might see them.

This isn't Roblox's first such deal. The gaming giant reached a similar agreement with BMG in June. It does represent Roblox's largest music pact to date, however, and leaves Universal and Warner as the only two heavyweight labels that haven't signed agreements.

Roblox might not have much choice but to keep making these arrangements. The music industry sued Roblox for allegedly doing little to stop gamers from making virtual boomboxes that stream copyrighted music. That's not including Robloxcore and other music designed for game worlds. The developer maintains that it screens uploaded music and cracks down on violators, but that clearly hasn't been enough for labels convinced Roblox is enabling piracy. Deals could help Roblox persuade Sony, BMG and others to call off their lawsuit, or at least soften the blow.

If you've ever wanted to see a pro baseball player's at-bat through their eyes, you're about to get your chance. T-Mobile is marketing its 5G network by equipping players at the 2021 Home Run Derby with 5G point-of-view cameras on their helmets, including the catchers' masks. Watch the live competition through a special T-Mobile website and you can witness both batting practice and the derby itself as if you were on the field, with 5G (hopefully) keeping everything in sync.

The event kicks off July 12th, starting with practice at 6:30PM Eastern and the derby itself at 8PM. The POV cameras are also coming alongside a new MLB AR mobile app to explore Coors Field in 3D and get detailed stats for each swing. People with 5G phones will also get extra stats like hang time and exit velocity, although this is clearly just an incentive to upgrade your device. You don't need 5G to get a few extra numbers.

The footage is 'only' in HD, and it's not clear just how many players will have 5G cameras (we've asked T-Mobile for details). If all goes well, though, you'll see what it's like for stars like Shohei Ohtani when they knock one out of the park. Look at it this way — even if the cameras are limited, this is one of the few 5G tie-ins that's more than just a gimmick.

Nothing is borrowing a strategy from its founder Carl Pei's previous gig at OnePlus: dribbling technical details ahead of a product launch. The startup has revealed that its Ear 1 true wireless earbuds will include three-microphone active noise cancellation at a price of $99 (£99). That's not dramatically more affordable than value-for-money rivals like Amazon's second-gen Echo Buds, but it's certainly low enough to get your attention if you're cost-conscious.

The company will formally unveil the Ear 1 at a launch event on July 27th. To date, the buds are known to include a partially transparent Teenage Engineering design and will boast "leading specs," although it's not clear what that entails beyond ANC.

The challenge, as you might guess, is delivering quality that matches the hype. ANC will help isolate music and podcasts, but it won't matter as much if the sound quality is merely so-so. Nothing will have to show that it can deliver solid sound at its asking price, particularly if it's going to compete against the likes of the Echo Buds or Google's Pixel Buds A.

The pandemic recovery might not be all positive, at least not for the environment. Reutersreports that the International Energy Agency has warned that a post-pandemic resurgence in gas demand could threaten a goal of reaching net zero emissions worldwide by 2050. A projected 3.6 percent increase in gas use for 2021 could not only negate the 2020 decline but "even grow further," according to the IEA.

Demand is expected to taper off to 1.7 percent between 2022 and 2024, but that would still be too steep to stay on track, the IEA said.

This doesn't mean the Paris agreement and other goals are lost causes, however. The IEA believed that projects approved or underway before the pandemic could rein in those emissions. The agency also suggested that the gas industry could help by cutting down on methane leaks that contribute to climate change.

There are positive signs. Renewable energy is outpacing fossil fuels in some countries, and car manufacturers are increasingly committing to all-electric lineups in the next several years. Still, the IEA report lends a sense of urgency to those actions. Humanity might need to temper its eagerness to reestablish normalcy and refocus on green tech, at least if it wants to avoid replacing one global problem with another.

Tech companies are already at odds with the Hong Kong government, and that tension appears to be on the rise. The Wall Street Journal has learned that the Asia Internet Coalition, a tech alliance including Facebook, Google and Twitter, has quietly warned Hong Kong that companies would stop operating in the territory if officials move forward with data protection law amendments that could hold companies liable for doxxing campaigns.

The tech giants are worried that staff could face criminal investigations or even charges if users share personal info online, even if they didn't mean any harm. That would be a "completely disproportionate and unnecessary response" and could chill free speech, the Coalition wrote. The alliance instead suggested that Hong Kong narrow the scope of violations.

Hong Kong's Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data acknowledged the letter's existence, but said that new measures were needed after doxxing pushed the "limits of morality and the law." The Commissioner also insisted that the changed laws would "not have any bearing" on freedom of speech, and wouldn't deter outside investment in the Hong Kong region.

The amendments could be approved by the end of the legislative year.

The concern, as you might guess, is that pro-China officials might abuse the updated laws to silence dissent. Pro-democracy activists doxxed police officers and others frequently during the 2019 protests, and there's a worry that the revised laws could be worded loosely enough that merely sharing a photo of someone in a public space could get both sharers and tech companies in trouble. It could be harder to hold police accountable for violence, or to criticize officials for anti-democratic policies.

CRISPR gene editing is no longer confined to Earth. Astronaut Christina Koch and scientists have successfully demonstrated CRISPR-Cas9 in space for the first time, using it as part of a new technique to damage DNA and study how it repairs in microgravity. "Technical and safety concerns" had prevented earlier studies like this, according to the researchers.

The experiment produced a particularly damaging double-strand DNA break in a yeast cell culture aboard the International Space Station. Koch completed the test well before this (most of the supplies reached the ISS in May 2019), but the findings weren't available until this past week.

The new approach clears the way for other research around DNA repair in space. With enough work, the scientists hope they can replicate the genetic damage from ionizing radiation, not to mention other effects from long-term spaceflight. That, in turn, could help NASA and other agencies develop technology that shields astronauts and makes deep space exploration practical. There's a chance CRISPR might play an important role in getting humans to Mars and beyond.

It's not just eSports players' promotional deals coming under scrutiny. Dot Esports has learned that the Department of Justice has launched an antitrust inquiry into Overwatch League soft salary caps meant to prevent teams from buying their way to victory. The investigation isn't criminal, according to DE's sources, but DOJ trial attorney Kathleen Simpson Kiernan is reportedly wondering about the lack of a players' union that would let the league claim the same labor exemptions you find in conventional unionized sports leagues.

The cap, which has never been publicly revealed, reportedly centers on a "competitive balance tax" that effectively forces teams to pay twice if they pass the salary cap — once for the players, and again for the league to redistribute funds among other teams. That cap was rumored to be $1.6 million in 2020, but DE understood that no teams had "naturally" broken that cap based on typical pro player rates.

Activision Blizzard didn't elaborate on the investigation, but confirmed the basic inquiry and said it was "cooperating accordingly."

This investigation won't necessarily lead to a major shakeup of the Overwatch competitive scene. It does, however, indicate the growing stature of eSports in the US. Competitive gaming is now important enough that player pay is a significant issue for officials, even there aren't any major signs of trouble.

Google is still racing to pull Android apps that commit major privacy violations. Ars Technicanotes that Google has removed nine apps from the Play Store after Dr. Web analysts discovered they were trojans stealing Facebook login details. These weren't obscure titles — the malware had over 5.8 million combined downloads and posed as easy-to-find titles like "Horoscope Daily" and "Rubbish Cleaner."

The apps tricked users by loading the real Facebook sign-in page, only to load JavaScript from a command and control server to "hijack" credentials and pass them along to the app (and thus the command server). They would also steal cookies from the authorization session. Facebook was the target in each case, but the creators could just have easily steered users toward other internet services.

There were five malware variants in the mix, but all of them used the same JavaScript code and configuration file formats to swipe information.

Google told Ars it banned all the app developers from the store, although that might not be much of a deterrent when the perpetrators can likely create new developer accounts. Google may need to screen for the malware itself to keep the attackers out.

The question, of course, is how the apps racked up as many downloads as they did before the takedown. Google's largely automated screening keeps a lot of malware out of the Play Store, but the subtlety of the technique might have helped the rogue apps slip past these defenses and leave victims unaware that their Facebook data fell into the wrong hands. Whatever the cause, it's safe to say that you should be cautious about downloading utilities from unknown developers no matter how popular they seem.

TikTok's AI is no longer a secret — in fact, it's now on the open market. The Financial Times has learned that parent company ByteDance quietly launched a BytePlus division that sells TikTok technology, including the recommendation algorithm. Customers can also buy computer vision tech, real-time effects and automated translations, among other features.

BytePlus debuted in June and is based in Singapore, although it has presences in Hong Kong and London. The company is looking to register trademarks in the US, although it's not certain if the firm has an American presence at this stage.

There are already at least a few customers. The American fashion app Goat is already using BytePlus code, as are the Indonesian online shopping company Chilibeli and the travel site WeGo.

ByteDance wouldn't comment on its plans for BytePlus.

A move like this wouldn't be surprising, even if it might remove some of TikTok's cachet. It could help ByteDance compete with Amazon, Microsoft and other companies selling behind-the-scenes tools to businesses. It might also serve as a hedge. TikTok and its Chinese counterpart Douyin might be close to plateauing, and selling their tech could keep the money flowing.