Category: 4. Technology

Welcome to our latest recap of what’s going on in the indie game space. One very well-known indie found its way to iOS devices this week, though there are other new releases worth highlighting and plenty of other upcoming games to tell you about.

First, though, there was a (paywalled) story in Game File this week that caught my eye. It’s about how Google’s AI Overviews feature offers up false video game tips. That’s a problem the developers of a game called Trash Goblin — a cosy shopkeeping game in which you chip away at junk to unearth trinkets you can restore and sell — have been dealing with.

AI Overviews offered incorrect information about the game to some players, as well as the crew at Spilt Milk Studios when they tested the responses. For instance, AI Overviews suggested that a player could damage a trinket when they were removing debris from it, which is not true. It also in some cases delivered the correct information, but pointed the user to an incorrect source. In addition, AI Overviews offered information about another game entirely. This is obviously not ideal for players or the team behind Trash Goblin.

We’ve seen many cases in which AI Overviews get information blatantly wrong. Like other large language models (LLMs), it guesses what the next word or words should be in its responses based on its training data. LLMs are about generating sequences of text; they’re not designed to deliver facts (one reason why there’s a disclaimer on AI Overviews that reads “AI responses may include mistakes”). They often just make stuff up.

If you’re looking for help with a game, you’re far better off finding a community of players you can chat to. You might be able to find a clear, helpful guide to the game in question on an actual video game website, written by a professional video game guide writer. If, that is, you can evade AI Overviews to get to those websites in the first place (thankfully, it’s easy to turn off AI Overviews for your Google searches).

New releases

IO Interactive is independent, which means Hitman World of Assassination fits within our remit here. This week, the bundle of three core Hitman games from the last decade arrived on iPhone (iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, as well as the iPhone 16 lineup) and iPad. Supported iPad models are iPad Pro and iPad Air (M1 chip or later), as well as the A17 Pro iPad mini.

Hitman World of Assassination is a sandbox stealth game in which you’re given a mission (usually taking out a target) and it’s up to you how to carry that out. Getting to know the layout of each level so you can plan your approach and escape is key. Understanding the route and actions of the NPCs will stand you in good stead too.

The iPhone and iPad versions have touch controls with context-sensitive buttons. You can, of course, opt to use a third-party controller instead. IOI says it tapped into Apple’s MetalFX tech to help ensure the iOS port looks good.

Hitman World of Assassination costs $70 on iOS. That’s fairly steep, but IOI says the game offers over 100 hours of gameplay. Alternatively, you can play the first location for free, and buy any of the 24 levels individually for $3 each.

In addition, the game is coming to Apple Silicon Macs later this year. IOI will also bring the roguelite Freelancer mode to the iPhone and iPad versions down the line with a free update.

Another game landed on new platforms this week as Alawar’s Karate Survivor hit PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch for $6. As the title suggests, this is a survivor-style martial arts beat-’em-up.

You’ll be able to use the environment to your advantage by picking up items to use as melee or projectile weapons, kicking objects toward goons and swinging locker and microwave doors into bad guys’ mushes. You can unlock hundreds of different moves and there are permanent upgrades as well.

First-person action-adventure Davy x Jones has set sail in early access on Steam. Until September 4, you can snap it up for $6.66. After that time, it will cost $10. However, the price will increase ahead of the game’s full release on PC and consoles, which is slated for late 2026.

In this early version, you’ll have access to the main gameplay and combat systems (including legendary weapons), several islands, an array of enemies and some cinematic executions — hopefully involving a kraken. You’ll take command of a half-ship, half-whale vessel called Abby as you attempt to escape the underworld and seek revenge as the legendary pirate.

Regular readers of this roundup will know that I’m a sucker for a game with a great title. Prop Haunt, which riffs on the prop hunt modes in many other games, is definitely one of those (as is another one I’ll mention later on).

This is a spooky 1 vs. 4 multiplayer horror title from Silent Forest Games that just hit Steam early access for $15. The ghost players possess objects and it’s up to the investigator to find and stop them. The ghosties can teleport, blend into their surroundings and so on, while the investigator has cameras and other gizmos at their disposal

Currently, there are four playable ghosts with different haunting styles, two maps and support for public and private lobbies. More maps, ghost powers, investigator tools and procedural prop generation are in the works.

Upcoming

Bye Sweet Carole had flown below my radar until the release date trailer popped up but, goodness, does it look gorgeous. The team at Little Sewing Machine took a hand-drawn approach to the art of this narrative-horror game, which mimics the look of classic animated films. Even the song in the trailer aligns with the type of showtune you’d hear in Disney movies.

You’ll take on the role of Lana Benton, a young girl who sets out to find out the truth about her best friend Carole’s disappearance from an orphanage. It sounds (and looks!) pretty promising. Publisher Maximum Entertainment is bringing Bye Sweet Carole to PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S and PC on October 9.

Rita is an interesting-looking puzzle game from SporkTank (aka solo developer Martin Stradling). You play as a chick that uses letters found in the environment to solve word puzzles, including crosswords, in order to progress. For instance, you might need to fill in a crossword answer for “stairs” in order to spawn a staircase (perhaps there’s a bit of a Baba is You influence here?). There are some platforming elements too.

You’ll follow Rita throughout her journey from exploring as a young chick to becoming a grandparent. It all seems quite lovely. Rita is coming to Steam early next year. A demo will be available on September 18.

Co-op survival game Lost Skies is set to exit Steam early access on September 17. Set on an archipelago of sky islands, you can explore this world with up to five buddies and try to learn exactly what led to this fractured civilization. You have a grappling hook, wingsuits and gliders to help you traverse these landforms and a customizable and upgradeable skyship that you’ll use for both transportation and combat. Players can also create their own islands, which they can share with the community.

I never got around to checking out the demo for Lost Skies, even though I’ve had it installed on my PC for months. Still, this one from Bossa Studios and publisher Humble Games has me intrigued enough to perhaps try out the full game.

Another game I’ve had my eye on for a hot minute is Bloodthief, which will debut on Steam on September 22. This is a Ghostrunner-inspired medieval parkour-slasher game from first-time game creator Blargis (Jake Bedard), who has been sharing development updates on YouTube over the last couple of years.

In Bloodthief, you play as an agile vampire and use the blood of your enemies to enhance your speed, abilities and survival. For example, attacks help boost your momentum. I’m definitely looking forward to watching some speedruns of this because I’m fairly sure that, as with the Ghostrunner games, I’m going to be absolutely terrible at this.

While you’re waiting (im)patiently for the full release of Hades 2, you might like to check out a similar flavor of isometric roguelite action — albeit with the addition of co-op. In Sworn, you’ll set out to save Camelot from a corrupted Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table with the help of up to three other players.

Sworn has been in early access since last year, and you won’t have to wait much longer for the full game. It’ll be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Steam on September 25.

Let’s wrap things up for this week with another game that has a fantastic title. The Hero is too Powerful so let’s Pleeeease Settle this Peacefully! is the latest project from Night Stroll Studio (solo developer Trevor Thompson). It’s an RPG in the vein of early Zelda games in which you play as a hero who has exactly one attack.

However, you can level up this attack to the point that it’s obscenely powerful. There’s also the option of talking your way out of sticky situations. This comedy adventure, which has maybe my favorite title of any game this side of I’m Going to Die if I Don’t Eat Sushi!, is slated to hit Steam later this year.

The Google Nest Doorbell has been my video doorbell of choice, based on its snappy performance, sharp AI detection and free video storage. But its last upgrade, with only minor changes, was back in 2022. 

A new generation is long overdue in Nest’s home security line. That’s why I was happy to see reports about a new Nest line that’s bringing major updates to products, from indoor/outdoor cams and doorbells to a brand-new smart speaker option.

Gemini AI, with its conversational AI and other tricks, is already a confirmed upgrade for the new Nest generation, positoned to replace Google Assistant this year in the Google Home ecosystem. Here are the other upgrades I’m pumped about. 

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Higher 2K resolution cams

Google Nest Cams have been stuck at a 1,080-pixel resolution for years, while the Nest Doorbell has a similar resolution with a different field of view to capture more vertical images. The next generation is expected to upgrade all these cams to a 2K resolution. 

This welcome improvement not only adds significantly more detail to your security images and details, but it also brings Nest to the level of many other top security cameras, which have been steadily upgrading their resolution for years, while Nest has fallen behind.

According to reports, Nest cams may also get a new Zoom and Crop feature, though I doubt this rumor is particularly new. While Nest’s devices already come with a 6x digital zoom, this ability may allow them to be more permanently focused.

A new type of Nest subscription

The old Nest Aware subscription, raised to $10 per month in 2025, was confusing. It was hard to figure out the perks of the premium version and which AI or Gemini features you got with the paid subscription, and the whole thing needs streamlining. I was glad to see that Google is replacing the old Nest subscriptions with a new version called Google Home Premium and a higher tier called Google Home Premium Advanced.

It’s the perfect opportunity to clarify what’s offered with the subscription and make it easier for users to understand included detection features, like person versus face recognition, or Gemini video-searching versus long-term video storage. Right now, it’s too muddled for the average person.

Automatic local video storage (for up to an hour)

Technically, automatic local video storage existed on previous Nest Doorbells and similar devices, but Google seems to be highlighting it more in the new Nest generation. Nest cams get 3 hours of free cloud storage, which is very handy. However, there’s a small amount of local storage as well, so if Wi-Fi fails, the Nest devices can record events to local storage.

That local storage is big enough to hold around an hour of footage, and you don’t need to buy any extra hub, USB stick or microSD card to use it. Those features make this storage quite rare in the home security world, and a particularly useful backup without needing to pay a subscription.

If reports are accurate, Google is rephrasing its “3 hours of video history included” to “3 free hours of video previews that last up to 10 seconds.” This may be an attempt to curtail super-long video captures unless users are willing to fork over money for a Nest Aware (soon-to-be Google Home Premium) subscription. Though 10 seconds are enough time to check out most video events, it’s not enough to record the average conversation.

Daily summary video recaps

Daily summaries are one feature I’ve seen before in home security, such as Blink Moments and a variety of similar modes. They give you a recap of everything the camera captured in a day in one bite-sized chunk. Nest cameras and doorbells are now adopting the ability, too, instead of just event histories.

Daily summaries help when you get frequent visitors or when you’re watching a larger area for any unusual activity. If you haven’t looked all day, you can tap into the summary to see who stopped by, knocked on the door or delivered packages. It’s a particularly business-friendly option, since it’ll give you a recap of activity at a construction site or deliveries that came into a storefront.

360-degree sound on a new speaker

Google Nest’s smart home speaker is reported to focus on 360-degree sound, so the design, spacing and angles of the internal tweeters/woofers would spread sound in all directions. That’s not unheard of in smart speakers — Amazon’s Echo Show 10 and latest Echo tout their 360-degree sound, as does Apple’s HomePod line.

Such 360-degree sound features help fill larger rooms and open-floor plans with music or TV sound when connected to your entertainment system. Spatial audio could also become more noticeable. I like this feature in my home, and I’m glad Google is focusing on it for the upcoming speaker, which appears set to replace the old Nest Audio.

Take a deeper look at your home security options with my best list for outdoor security cameras, the top DIY home security systems and why I’m really enjoying AI features in home security.

I’ve moved house recently, which is a bothersome process that I may have whinged about to the members of the What Hi-Fi? team once or twice in the last couple of weeks.

While I don’t enjoy packing boxes, I do quite like setting up my home cinema system, and a new living room is a perfect excuse to try out some new gear.

Google is apparently having trouble identifying paywalled content due to a standard way paywalled content is handled by publishers like news sites. It’s asking that publishers with paywalled content change the way they block content so as to help Google out.

Search Related JavaScript Problems

Google updated their guidelines with a call for publishers to consider changing how they block users from paywalled content. It’s fairly common for publishers to use a script to block non-paying users with an interstitial although the full content is still there in the code. This may be causing issues for Google in properly identifying paywalled content.

A recent addition to their search documentation about JavaScript issues related to search they wrote:

“If you’re using a JavaScript-based paywall, consider the implementation.

Some JavaScript paywall solutions include the full content in the server response, then use JavaScript to hide it until subscription status is confirmed. This isn’t a reliable way to limit access to the content. Make sure your paywall only provides the full content once the subscription status is confirmed.”

The documentation doesn’t say what problems Google itself is having, but a changelog documenting the change offers more context about why they are asking for this change:

“Adding guidance for JavaScript-based paywalls

What: Added new guidance on JavaScript-based paywall considerations.

Why: To help sites understand challenges with the JavaScript-based paywall design pattern, as it makes it difficult for Google to automatically determine which content is paywalled and which isn’t.”

The changelog makes it clear that the way some publishers use JavaScript for blocking paywalled content is making it difficult for Google to know if the content is or is not paywalled.

The change was an addition to a numbered list of JavaScript problems publishers should be aware of, item number 10 on their “Fix Search-related JavaScript Problems” page.

Featured Image by Shutterstock/Kues

CDK4/6 inhibitors continue to serve as a cornerstone of care in the first line for both hormone receptor (HR)–positive, HER2-negative and HR-positive, HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, particularly for patients with visceral crisis, according to Neelam V. Desai, MD.

“[We currently] use CDK4/6 inhibitors with endocrine therapy in the first line for patients with visceral crisis. Right now, the data is [strong] for ribociclib [Kisqali],” Desai explained during an interview with OncLive®. “If they’re not in visceral crisis, then you [can select between the 3 approved CDK 4/6 inhibitors] based on the [data from established studies]. Then, for patients with HR-positive, HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, adding palbociclib [Ibrance] in the maintenance phase would be helpful.”

In the interview, Desai expanded on notable trials evaluating the 3 FDA-approved CDK4/6 inhibitors and highlighted important considerations when selecting a CDK4/6 inhibitor in clinical practice. She also detailed the role of palbociclib for the treatment of patients with HR-positive, HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Desai is a medical oncologist and hematologist at the Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute in Matthews, North Carolina.

OncLive: What are some notable clinical trials that have evaluated CDK4/6 inhibitors in breast cancer?

Desai: There [are several] pivotal trials for the 3 different CDK 4/6 inhibitors that are approved in metastatic HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. These [include] the trials for palbociclib, [primarily] the [phase 3] PALOMA-2 trial [NCT01740427], the [phase 2] PARSIFAL trial [NCT02491983], and the [phase 2] Young-PEARL trial [NCT02592746]. [Furthermore, there are] the MONALEESA trials [evaluating] ribociclib, and [the phase 3] MONARCH 3 trial [NCT02246621] [evaluating] abemaciclib [Verzenio].

All of these trials show a consistent improvement in progression-free survival [PFS]. The ribociclib trials show a statistically significant improvement in overall survival [OS] as well. Although MONARCH 3 did not meet statistical significance [for its] OS end point, there was a 13.1-month benefit in OS, [which was] clinically meaningful.¹ [Similarly, the] palbociclib trials failed to show any statistically significant improvement in OS. However, there has been some criticism about the collection of data [in these studies], which might have skewed the results. Some real-world studies [have shown an] improvement, both in terms of PFS and OS, with the use of palbociclib. All 3 of these drugs are approved in the metastatic setting.

What are some considerations when selecting CDK4/6 inhibitors in clinical practice?

I keep all 3 drugs as an option. We tend to use them in the first line, and if not the first line, the second line, if possible. I make a decision primarily based on [a patient’s] age and comorbidities, [treatment] tolerability, and my worry for what kind of [adverse] effects [AEs] they might [experience]. I do tend to prefer ribociclib and abemaciclib because of the OS benefit; however, I keep palbociclib as an option for my older patients. They have a lot of comorbidities, [so palbociclib is a good option if] I’m worried about their ability to tolerate abemaciclib because of diarrhea or fatigue concerns, or they have a lot of cardiac issues where combining ribociclib with their [other] medications might be challenging.

What is the role of palbociclib in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer?

Data from the… [phase 3] PATINA trial [NCT02947685] were presented at the 2024 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; that study [included] patients with HR-positive, HER2-positive, metastatic breast cancer. The current standard of care is to treat patients with induction taxane, trastuzumab [Herceptin], and pertuzumab [Perjeta]. After 6 to 8 cycles, the taxane is dropped, [trastuzumab and pertuzumab are] continued, and endocrine therapy is added for patients who have HR-positive disease. In this trial, at the juncture of maintenance therapy, patients were [randomly assigned] to [receive trastuzumab and pertuzumab], and endocrine therapy with or without palbociclib. This study showed that the addition of palbociclib led to a 15.2-month improvement in PFS.² The OS data are [currently] not mature enough to comment on.

[Nevertheless,] the data are compelling. [I] certainly would consider adding palbociclib to maintenance [approaches] for patients who have HR-positive, HER2-positive metastatic disease. Generally, palbociclib is well tolerated. In this study, the addition of palbociclib to trastuzumab and pertuzumab [plus] endocrine therapy did not lead to too many issues in terms of AEs, and there were no new safety signals noted. This [combination] is certainly something that I would reach for [when treating] my patients.

Are there any biological differences in HR-positive/HER2-positive breast cancer compared with HER2-negative disease that could influence how patients respond to CDK4/6 inhibitors?

There is a lot of crosstalk in the receptor signaling. It would be important to see what long-term data continue to show, because the HR signaling is important. However, the HER2 receptor part is where we often worry about progression. Therefore, putting the brakes on both sides is important. We usually tend not to place as much emphasis on the endocrine therapy part in HER2-positive disease. There are [attempts] to bring that to the forefront, and hopefully we’ll continue to show long-term benefit.

What were the results from the RIGHT Choice trial evaluating ribociclib plus endocrine therapy?

The RIGHT Choice trial [evaluated] first-line ribociclib and endocrine therapy in patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic disease, or at visceral crisis, where we traditionally treat them with chemotherapy. The trial looked at treating them with ribociclib and endocrine therapy and compared that with a doublet chemotherapy regimen and showed that ribociclib and endocrine therapy led to improvement in PFS with fewer AEs.

References

1. Goetz MP, Toi M, Huober J, et al. Abemaciclib plus a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor as initial therapy for HR+, HER2- advanced breast cancer: final overall survival results of MONARCH 3. Ann Oncol. 2024;35(8):718-727. doi:10.1016/j.annonc.2024.04.013
2. Metzger O, Mandrekar S, DeMichele A, et al. AFT-38 PATINA: a randomized, open-label, phase III trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of palbociclib + anti-HER2 therapy + endocrine therapy vs. anti-HER2 therapy + endocrine therapy after induction treatment for hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Presented at: San Antonia Breast Cancer Conference; December 10-13, 2024; San Antonio, TX. GS2-12

Instagram is giving its top creators something they’ve long asked for: a smarter way to manage overflowing inboxes. Popular influencers receive hundreds of messages daily, and keeping track of them is often chaotic.

To solve this, Instagram has unveiled new inbox management tools designed to make sorting, filtering, and organizing messages easier than ever. The update aims to simplify communication while allowing creators to focus more on content and engagement instead of endless scrolling.

One of the key upgrades is multi-select filtering. With it, creators can quickly sort through large volumes of messages to highlight important conversations. Filters can be customized, added, or removed at any time, giving users more flexibility. This ensures that creators spend less time digging through requests and more time connecting with their audience.

Instagram has also introduced custom shortcuts that help users access the folders they use most often. Creators can build new folders that reflect their unique workflow and reorder them based on priority. This makes navigating the inbox faster while keeping vital messages front and center.

According to an Instagram post, the new tools are meant to free creators from inbox overload while giving them space to focus on creative work. These improvements allow influencers to maintain strong engagement without losing valuable messages in the flood of daily requests.

However, not everyone will get access. The new toolset is reserved for creators with more than 100,000 followers, as well as Professional accounts. Everyday users will still have to rely on the existing inbox experience for now.

Apple released the fifth public beta of iOS 26 on Aug. 25, and the beta brings a new Liquid Glass design to the iPhones of developers and beta testers, alongside other updates like call screening. But if you’re not a fan of the Liquid Glass design, I found a way to reduce its effects so background images aren’t bleeding through menus and making things hard to read. 

When Apple released the developer beta of iOS 26, people were torn about the design. Some were excited about it, while others — myself included — were concerned about readability with the new design. Apple has tweaked Liquid Glass during the iOS 26 beta process to improve legibility by adding more of a frosted look, but you still might not be happy with the new design. Thankfully, you can adjust the Liquid Glass design in just a few steps, significantly reducing its transparency.

Here’s how to make the Liquid Glass design in iOS 26 more legible. 

And don’t forget, iOS 26 is still in beta. That means the update might be buggy for you, and your device’s battery life may be affected, so it’s best to keep those troubles off your primary device. If you want to try the beta out, I recommend downloading it on a secondary device. 

It’s also possible that Apple could adjust Liquid Glass, and other update features, before the final version of iOS 26 is released this fall.

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How to adjust Liquid Glass

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Accessibility.
3. Tap Display & Text Size.
4. Tap the toggle for Reduce Transparency. 

This will darken any menus or spaces affected by the Liquid Glass design, including in apps like Messages and your Control Center.

In the Display & Text Size menu, you can also tap the toggle next to Increase Contrast to help set Liquid Glass elements apart. When I enabled this toggle, it gave a lot of those elements a white outline.

If Apple continues to tweak Liquid Glass during the beta and you want to bring the design elements back to your device, follow the above steps again to disable Reduce Transparency.

Apple is set to bring iOS 26 and Liquid Glass to all compatible devices this fall — I’m guessing in a few weeks.

For more iOS news, here are my first impressions of the beta version of iOS 26, how to enable call screening in the beta and all the new features Apple said it will bring to your device later this year. You can get an early view of the upcoming iPhone features with our iOS 26 cheat sheet.

Don’t miss the half-lit disk of Earth’s natural satellite gracing the night sky this week as the moon hits its first quarter phase while clutched in the grasp of a celestial scorpion.

The moon reaches first quarter at 2:25 a.m. (0625 GMT) on Aug. 31, when it will be located firmly below the horizon for viewers in the U.S. The best time to catch the half-lit moon will be at sunset on Aug. 30, when the half-lit moon will shine less than 20 degrees above the southwestern horizon. A handy tip: the width of your fist held at arm’s length covers about 10 degrees of sky.

A new game aims to simulate a struggle many gig workers face: Picking which jobs to take in order to make enough money to pay the bills.

“Cherry Picker,” a game developed by ride-hailing pay analysis app GigU, will launch in a free browser version on Wednesday, the company told Business Insider. GigU makes an app that helps Uber drivers determine whether the rides they’re offered will be profitable for them.

The premise of the game is simple: Each day — one round in the game — the game’s main character, Charles, has to turn a profit of $200 as a ride-hailing driver to cover his bills.

The game is meant to show people how challenging making money as a gig worker can be. Perhaps, it’ll get riders to empathize with their next Uber or Lyft driver, Pedro Inada, co-CEO of GigU, told Business Insider.

“It’s very important that the riders know what the day in the life of a driver is,” Inada said.

GigU launched its paid app for drivers in the US in May. It’s one of a few third-party apps that says it helps gig workers parse ride and delivery offers to determine which are the best use of their time.

Uber has said that such apps violate its terms of service. Lyft has gone further, suggesting that it could deactivate the accounts of gig workers found to be using the apps.

In the game, players are shown a series of ride-hailing trips, including total pay, the distance of the trip, how far they’d have to drive to pick up the passenger, and how long the gig would take to complete.

A tutorial at the start advises players that their costs, such as fuel, come out to 75 cents a mile, so any trips that they accept will need to gross more than that. Players also have eight hours of driving time in which to make their $200 profit.

Players have five seconds to evaluate each trip and, like a dating app, either swipe right to take it or left to reject it. While some trips are clear winners — such as one that pays almost $26 for 15 minutes of work and a few miles of driving — others require a closer analysis.

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Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Inada said that he hopes players who regularly take trips through apps like Uber and Lyft gain respect for the decisions that drivers have to make by playing “Cherry Picker.”

“You won’t be able to win the game if you just accept everything, and that’s real life,” he said.

The game took less than a month to create and was “vibe-coded” by GigU’s marketing team using ChatGPT and Replit, Inada said. The company launched an initial version of the game in Brazil, where it also operates an app for gig workers, and attracted 300,000 players.

The game’s main character, including the name “Charles,” is an homage to early film star Charlie Chaplin. Inada said that he was inspired by “Modern Times,” a 1936 film that starred Chaplin as a worker on a factory assembly line during the Industrial Revolution. Ultimately, Chaplin has a nervous breakdown due to the stress of his work.

For Inada, there are parallels between the Industrial Revolution and gig work, he told Business Insider.

“If Charles Chaplin was alive today, ‘Modern Times’ would probably be about gig workers,” he said.

Do you have a story to share about ride-hailing or the gig economy? Contact this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com or 808-854-4501.

According to EA, the Battlefield 6 play test is the biggest beta in Battlefield’s history in terms of players. Research firm Oppenheimer estimated that the beta reached more than 20 million people. However, a “substantial number” of those fans may have been playing Battlefield 6 with the minimum recommended specs.

Battlefield 6 technical director Christian Buhl made that assertion during an interview with Eurogamer. Buhl also noted that EA and DICE planned from the beginning to ensure that players using lower-end hardware would still receive a comparable experience to those on high-end machines.

“Min spec is certainly one of our most important specs … it’s super important from both a commercial and business perspective,” said Buhl. “We want as many people as possible playing the game … We did a lot of analysis, we did tests on the game on a wide range of hardware above and below our minimum and recommended specs. We figured out what we can hit, what we need to hit from a business perspective, and that was to capture a wide audience on PC. It’s been super critical.”

In the same interview, Buhl addressed the game’s unpopular secure boot requirement, which he says is critical to fighting cheaters.

“The fact is I wish we didn’t have to do things like Secure Boot,” said Buhl. “It does prevent some players from playing the game. Some people’s PCs can’t handle it and they can’t play: that really sucks. I wish everyone could play the game with low friction and not have to do these sorts of things … Unfortunately these are some of the strongest tools in our toolbox to stop cheating.”

EA has shared the PC specs for Battlefield 6, as well as some upcoming changes to based on player feedback from the beta. Battlefield 6 launches on October 10 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.