Ye at the Pyramids? Rapper Kanye West posted several stories on his Instagram account of him discussing a world tour yesterday, naming Om el Donia as a potential stop. While the first venue he considered was the Cairo International Stadium, he later expressed interest in performing at the Giza Pyramids. West is one of the most successful and most controversial music artists on the planet, holding 24 Grammys and selling a total of 160 mn records over the course of his career.

It’s still entirely unclear whether this is going to materialize: West’s stories include screenshots of a message from talent manager Julieanna Marie Goddard listing the Pyramids among “iconic international venue options that would love to have you.” However, there are no indications on whether or not the rapper and his team have formally engaged in talks with Egyptian authorities, including the Music Syndicate, which last year controversially rescinded Travis Scott’s license to perform at the Pyramids.

Apple hasn’t given up on its foldable phone experiment, but it hasn’t really gotten closer to resolving key design and functionality issues, The Information reports, citing an unnamed source with firsthand knowledge of the matter. The tech giant has continued to struggle to make the phone thin and durable enough at a reasonable price point, the source says. while getting rid of that pesky seam in the middle of the screen — all issues that foldable Androids have grappled with.

What would it look like? It would be more of a “clamshell-style device,” according to Arstechnica, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip rather than something like the Galaxy Z Fold or the Google Pixel Fold, which unfolds into a sort of tablet.

If Apple resolves these issues (or decides to launch the product, problems and all), we’re unlikely to see a release until after 2025, the Information says. Apple has been working on the phone for a while, having filed a patent last year for several features of its future devices, including foldables, Gizmodo reported previously

Disney makes a foray into gaming: Disney announced overnight that they will be investing USD 1.5 bn in Epic Games in an equity transaction ahead of a multiyear — and no doubt multi-bn — project. Disney had previously collaborated with Epic Games to bring some of their characters to Fortnite. The company did not disclose the size of the stake it will acquire in Epic Games, or the company’s valuation following the transaction.

Disney may be getting more out of this transaction than meets the eye. Disney CEO Bob Iger told CNBC that the move was based on demographic trends following Gen Alpha and Gen Z’s habits. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said in a statement that Disney has always shown interest in Fortnite’s metaverse potential, and — more importantly — mentioned that Disney uses the company’s Unreal Engine (UE) across their portfolio.

UE is the leading 3D computer graphics engine created by Epic Games, a software platform used for building large and complex games with high-fidelity and photorealistic 3D graphics. Beyond video games, UE is used by the film and animation industry for creating realistic visuals without the need for green screen.

UE is generously open-source. The software offers powerful tools for animation, physics simulation, AI, sound design, real-time lighting, and physical-based rendering. Its high-fidelity graphics and community of developers and artists providing support and tutorials make the platform an invaluable tool for anyone working with 3D graphics. Epic Games lets developers download UE at no cost for personal projects and/or learning, and uses a royalty model for commercial use that is based on the project’s revenue.

If Disney acquires the rights for UE, you can kiss your access goodbye. Based on Disney’s historical approach to copyright enforcement, we expect the licensing structure or pricing models to change drastically, making UE less (or in-) accessible for developers and smaller studios. Disney’s investment may give them more significant influence over the animation industry, and now the game development industry as well.

Tags: