Image courtesy of PlayStation
Sony and PlayStation Pull Concord Two Weeks After Launch
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
Sony and PlayStation announced that the online shooter game Concord will be taken offline on September 6, only two weeks after its release.
The multiplayer game, developed by Firewalk Studios, was launched on August 23 for PlayStation 5 and PC, but the expectations were not met.
Ryan Ellis, Game Director at Firewalk Studios, shared through an official announcement on Playsations’ website, that they will be pulling out the game and that all those who bought Concord —valued at $40—will get a refund.
“ Concord fans — we’ve been listening closely to your feedback since the launch of Concord on PlayStation 5 and PC and want to thank everyone who has joined the journey aboard the Northstar,” wrote Ellis. “However, while many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended.”
According to the BBC, the highest number of users playing the game simultaneously was 660. Other similar games like Counter-Strike 2 have been registering over 1 million players since 2022.
Even though the game developers had been working on Concord for around 8 years, in an effort from Sony to reach a large audience in the multiplayer market, users reported mixed opinions. While many praised the graphics others criticized the character’s design.
“This is honestly crazy. I think this is the first time I’ve seen the gaming community wholly reject an AAA game. Even games like Suicide Squad and Redfall still broke 5k concurrent on release. Granted, both dropped off heavily after their release,” wrote one user on Reddit . “Really shows how character designs can make or break a game. It is all I see anyone talking about when it comes to Concord ,” wrote another.
Sony and PlayStation have recently released more successful games like Helldivers 2 .
Image by Matthew_Henry, from Free Ranges Stock
DPA Fines Clearview AI For Illegal Database
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
Reuters reported on September 3 that U.S. facial recognition company Clearview AI has been fined 30.5 million euros ($33.7 million) by the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) for creating what the watchdog described as an illegal database.
The DPA stated that the Clearview’s database, which includes billions of photos, many of them of Dutch citizens, was built without individuals’ consent. The DPA has also issued a compliance order threatening additional penalties of up to 5.1 million euros if the company fails to address the violations.
The DPA’s investigation notes that Clearview AI offers facial recognition services to law enforcement and intelligence agencies by matching images from its vast database, which contains over 30 billion photos scraped from the internet.
The company then generates unique biometric codes from these images, all without the knowledge or consent of the individuals involved.
Aleid Wolfsen, chairman of the Dutch DPA, criticized the invasive nature of Clearview’s technology, warning that it could lead to anyone with an online presence being tracked.
Wolfsen acknowledged the potential benefits of facial recognition technology in law enforcement but argued that such tools should be tightly controlled and used only by official authorities under strict conditions.
He warned that the use of Clearview’s services is illegal under Dutch law, and organizations that engage with the company could face significant fines.
This fine follows a similar €290 million penalty imposed on Uber by the Dutch DPA for unlawfully collecting sensitive data from European drivers. These actions highlight the growing scrutiny of data privacy practices and the importance of ensuring that companies comply with data protection regulations.
Clearview AI has denied any wrongdoing, claiming “Clearview AI does not have a place of business in the Netherlands or the European Union, it does not have any customers in the Netherlands or the EU,” said to Reuters Jack Mulcaire, Clearview AI’s chief legal officer.
