WAN Show: Stop Killing Games & Apple Ad Controversy

The 'Stop Killing Games' Campaign

Protecting Game Preservation

• The Stop Killing Games initiative has surpassed 1 million signatures, prompting the EU Commission to consider legislation forcing developers to sunset games by giving them to the community.
• Key challenges include third-party media licensing (music) and security vulnerabilities if source code is released.
• The goal is to force developers to design games to remain playable or transferable to the community after support ends.

Ideal Sunsetting Examples

• A prime example is Forged Alliance Forever, which handles community matchmaking and server hosting for the legacy game Supreme Commander, keeping the title alive years after official support ceased.
• When companies are insolvent, handing over the reins to the player base maintains the legacy of the IP without requiring infinite support from the original studio.

Apple's Ad Platform Hypocrisy

Crossing the Boundary

• Apple has faced backlash for using push notifications in the iOS Wallet app to push movie promotions for F1, which many argue violates their own privacy and anti-advertising stance.
• While Apple often criticizes competitors for mining user data, this move suggests they are shifting toward treating their OS as an advertising medium, similar to other major tech corporations.

Tech Industry Trends & Insights

The Shift in Lighting Technology

• Linus highlights the massive improvement in CRI (Color Rendering Index) and affordability of LED technology compared to high-end legacy production lights (like old Kino Flos).
• The industry has seen lights get brighter, more granular in feature-set, and significantly more affordable for everyday users.

The Rise of 'Mittelstand' Companies

• LMG discusses the definition of a Mittelstand company, representing a stable group of medium-sized enterprises enduring economic change.
• The transition between 100 and 500 employees is noted as a difficult phase where communication and internal processes often need a complete overhaul to survive.