Andy Fidel ✨

2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the clear leader in the Netflix Games portfolio at 19.2 million downloads. GTA3 & Vice City are another 10 mil. ----- MobileGamerBiz: "Rockstar’s GTA trilogy hits 30m downloads on Netflix" (Neil Long) (June 17, 2024) "The three GTA remasters released through Netflix have now been downloaded over 30m times, according to Appmagic. "Appmagic estimates suggest San Andreas is the lead title of the three GTA games by some distance, with 20.5m downloads to date. Vice City has 6.5m installs so far, and GTA 3 has 3.3m. The three games combined add up to 30.3m downloads through Netflix, by far the biggest game series released through the streaming service to date." iOS dominates the platform split. San Andreas has been downloaded an estimated 15.8m times on Apple devices, with just 4.7m players on Android. 4.9m players installed Vice City through the App Store, with 1.6m via Google Play. GTA 3, meanwhile, has been downloaded an estimated 2.4m times on iOS and has 929k installs on Android. The market split predictably shows the US top by some distance for each game. 25% of San Andreas downloads are from the US, with Brazil on 11%, India and Mexico on 8% and the UK on 4%. Vice City estimates show 23% of installs from the US, with India on 18% and Brazil, Turkey and the UK on 5% each. 25% of GTA 3 installs were from the US, with India on 12%, Brazil on 6% and  Mexico and the UK on 5%." MobileGamerBiz: https://lnkd.in/g-g6Czi2 ----- MobileGamerBiz: "The top Netflix game downloads so far" (May 13, 2024) MobileGamerBiz: https://lnkd.in/g5bG3Qx3 ----- MobileGamerBiz: "Netflix game downloads spike as GTA trilogy hits 18m downloads" (January 24, 2024) MobileGamerBiz: https://lnkd.in/g7vbgxNf ----- EuroGamer: "GTA trilogy reaches 30m downloads on Netflix" (Victoria Kennedy) (Jun 17, 2024) Recent data states Rockstar's GTA trilogy has hit a combined total of over 30m downloads on Netflix. Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, and San Andreas made their way onto the service in December, as part of an attempt to introduce "higher-end" titles to its mobile-focused gaming catalogue. In January, it was subsequently reported that the arrival of these three games had given a boost to Netflix's gaming endeavours, with monthly mobile game downloads nearly tripling to 28m in the December. 18m of these downloads were a combination of San Andreas, Vice City, and GTA 3. Now, several months down the road, that number has increased to over 30m Netflix downloads for the GTA games. According to Appmagic data compiled by mobilegamer, San Andreas has had 20.5m downloads to date, Vice City has had 6.5m and GTA 3 has had 3.3m. The majority of these GTA downloads have been on Apple devices. Meanwhile, most of the downloads were from the US. This means GTA is the biggest game series released through Netflix to date." EuroGamer: https://lnkd.in/gRNfCpW2 #gameindustry #netflix #gta #mobilegames #subscription

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The Future of XR Interaction keeps advancing at an accelerated pace. Are you ready to revolutionize your XR experience? The TouchDIVER Pro glove by #WEART is poised to set new standards with its groundbreaking design and cutting-edge technology. What's it made of? Multimodal Haptic Feedback: Experience lifelike force feedback, texture rendering, and thermal cues with unprecedented realism. Intuitive SDK: Quickly and efficiently augment XR content with our innovative hand-object interaction model. Precision Hand Tracking: All fingers are tracked with a precision of 0.6 degrees, enabling complex gestures and interactions. Zero Setup Time: Easy to wear, no adapters needed, with hot-swappable batteries. Seamless Deployment: Compatible with standalone headsets and PC-based setups. Low Latency Connectivity is a key factor in advancing Real-time WebXR experiences. All of these XR devices will need to have multiple ways to connect to each other and to the sources to create truly immersive and interactive experiences. Join the ranks of leading industries—luxury, automotive, retail, and more—that have already embraced this transformative technology for training simulations, teleoperations, and immersive customer experiences. Ready to Elevate Your XR Game? Learn more about how Haptic and Head worn devices can redefine your virtual interactions and make your XR projects truly immersive. #Xr #VR #AR #HapticTechnology #Innovation #TouchDIVERPro #ImmersiveTech #TechInnovation #WEART What excites you most about haptic technology in XR? Let’s discuss in the comments! https://lnkd.in/gjxxTfQX

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Just wrapped another AI jam with Vancouver's digital misfits. We're not just talking tech – we're remixing creativity itself. Designers, writers, filmmakers all colliding in a neural network of ideas. Here's the deal: AI isn't replacing us; it's amplifying our weirdest, wildest ideas. We're teaching machines to dream, and they're showing us new dimensions of our own creativity. It's messy, it's exciting, and it's happening right here in our backyard. Wanna see what happens when humans and AI collab without the corporate bullshit? Dive in. Remember: The future's too important to leave to the algorithms alone. Let's co-create this cyberpunk reality. #VancouverAI #FutureProofCreatives

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Today I stumbled upon an #AI #interactive exhibition by Intel AI in #Toronto's #DistilleryDistrict. It was still interesting to see a series of #generativeart experiences created by international #digitalartists and powered by their new processor, #IntelCoreUltra. What innovative experiences have you encountered recently? #Intel #GenerativeArt #Exhibition #EncoreAIExhibit

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Creating 3D Objects from Text and Images: A Fascinating Experiment Another highlight from my 10-part series: GenAI2 for Content Producers Register for next chapter: https://lnkd.in/esDyK-h4

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In August last year, a 23-year-old walked into the AppWorks office and said he had only booked a one-way flight ticket from Manila. Crashing at the co-working space AppWorks offered at a very low cost for startup founders, Justin Gorriceta-Banusing had just parted ways with his previous startup, AcadArena, a venture-backed gaming community in the Philippines. We began to know Justin and witnessed how he started envisioning his new startup idea, now Clout Kitchen. Justin is young, but he’s had 9 years of entrepreneurial experience in the gaming industry. Likewise to his co-founder, who made his name a top eSport athlete during his teenage time. Marcel Feldkamp retired at age 21 and later on ran his own gaming talent agencies, one of which—Press X—had a great exit being acquired by the Hollywood-based United Talent Agency. These two gaming veterans, this time partnered with the youngest venture-backed founder in the Philippines, Gabriel Henry Lopez.  Clout Kitchen is seizing this right moment to be part of the next evolution in gaming: AI companionship. People used to rely on watching the best players on Twitch to learn and sharpen their skills. Now, the best players can impart their time-honoured knowledge and expertise to an AI model. We could say the last big disruption in gaming was Twitch, which made it possible to watch your favourite gamers play any game at almost any time. Now, AI companionship is taking it a step further—allowing you to actually play with your favourite gamer anytime. That’s why Clout Kitchen’s recent beta launch, Backseat AI, received great attention, earning 3 million views across multiple platforms.    In 2021 there was Axie Infinity built on blockchain from Vietnam, in 2024 we are excited to see Clout Kitchen powered with AI from the Philippines. Gaming often stands at the forefront of new technologies, offering a strong opportunity for Southeast Asia startups to leapfrog into a blue ocean. Our Principal, Sophie Chiu, wrote this piece. She talked about why we invested in Clout Kitchen leading their Pre-Seed round back in December 2023 prior to their latest round with a16z SPEEDRUN and Peak XV Partners. Article link 👇 https://bit.ly/3Y8LJ8p

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Here’s a six-minute walkthrough of what one of the most powerful large-language models was able to accomplish in my now-launched project, Alberta Well Finder (https://lnkd.in/gPPwaVyr) with some thoughtful prompting. If you’re a software developer, it’s worth noting. 🤯 https://lnkd.in/gkENueqS #ai #claude #sonnet #sveltekit #supabase #albertawellfinder

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AI enabled rapper Eminem to perform with his ’90s alter-ego Slim Shady live at the 2024 MTV VMA Awards! Some details: 🎤 The live event at UBC Arena in New York was powered by Metaphysic.ai’s technology, bringing a past version of the artist to the stage in real time. Metaphysic’s work wasn’t limited to the live performance—they also won the Best Visual Effects award for their role in creating Eminem’s Houdini music video. 🎤 The process of bringing Slim Shady to life was complex and required careful planning, according to Jo Plaete, VFX Supervisor at Metaphysic. “The basic workflow involves several key stages, each tailored to address the unique challenges of the specific show,” Plaete explains. “Initially, we start with data collection and preparation, gathering high-quality reference images and videos of the person who will be represented as the AI avatar. These references include various facial expressions, angles, and lighting conditions to train our AI models effectively.” 🎤 One of the critical aspects of Metaphysic’s technology is its ability to generate the AI avatar on the fly and integrate it into a multicamera broadcast without introducing latency. Plaete says, “The avatar is generated via an optimized processing pipeline that leverages the fastest available GPUs and specialized hardware.” This ensures that the AI rendering remains fast enough to meet the demands of a live event. 🎤 Another unique aspect of Metaphysic’s technology is that it doesn’t require special markers or tracking aids for the stand-in performer. “Our system uses advanced computer vision algorithms to detect faces in the video feed automatically,” Plaete says. “The talent can focus entirely on their performance, and the technology handles real-time tracking.” Check out the rest of this story on Virtual Producer via the link below: #virtualproduction #ai #generativeai #deepfake #musicvideos #eminem #slimshady #mocap

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Do you think that AI filmmaking going forward will produce mediocrity? Check out this amazing episode by AImode and James Larkin

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Artificial intelligence is set to revolutionize major industries, spanning from enterprise technologies to applications in medicine, manufacturing, and finance. This innovative technology promises to enhance capabilities and increase convenience for users and consumers. In the near future, AI is expected to become more widely adopted and essential to our daily lives. However, these advancements also present challenges such as proprietary concerns and the necessity for greater transparency in the technology. #innovation #AI Link: https://lnkd.in/gYZuWWh4

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🎥Waiting for OpenAI’s Sora or the new Meta GenAI video models, options keep emerging : Runway, Kling, Luma, Pika… I am liking the new Minimax (base #GenAI video below from the simple Text2Video prompt ) : 🧪 pov, a person is walking around a beautiful, luxurious, opulent hotel room in Rome at night, gold and black. Cinematic. #GenAI #GenerativeAI #GenAIVideo #GenAIMarketing // Minimax does also a good job with Img2Video, in this case it’s only text

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This week I got to speak at and screen two of my films at the Signals conference in Vancouver (part of VIFF). What I didn't expect: some people in the audience had no idea that the AI films showcased were written and made by humans. There’s a significant misconception about what AI can do well. Strangely, most people believe it’s both further along and more limited than it truly is — at the same time. A 5 minute AI short is still at least 1-2 weeks of human labour — and we got to see the fruits of that labour in the works of Dave Clark, Meta Puppet, Abel Art and more on screen. Whether or not anyone likes hearing this, making AI films is presently a very creative, auteur job. But I expect the misconceptions about AI "doing everything" are only going to grow as the previously impossible keeps being achieved. At Solo Twin Studios we're working with large brands and celebrities — yet we're a very small and new studio. AI enables 1 person to have the leverage of 20 when executing. One of the featured companies at the conference was DreamFlare AI, who have been discovering immensely talented filmmakers that weren't pursuing the traditional Hollywood track. While traditional industry was playing it safe with Marvel movies, DreamFlare took advantage and produced an incredible library of films and interactive content from artists around the world...in a few months. It's a bizarre, changing, empowering time for anyone who is ready to embrace AI video. Thank you to the hosts: Pacific Future AI & Film DigiBC - The Creative Technology Association of British Columbia

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⚡ Reimagining Entertainment: Unlocking the Potential of 3D Asset Interoperability and Real-Time Production As we stand on the brink of a new era in entertainment, the convergence of gaming, film, and extended reality (XR) isn't just a possibility—it's a necessity. In the playbook below, I delve into the potential of a unified Transmedia landscape, where 3D assets move freely across platforms, empowered by an emergent new 3D asset standard and blockchain technology. This future isn't just about technological innovation—it's about creating a community-centric ecosystem that places fans at the heart of every narrative, turning them into creators and stakeholders in their beloved universes. And while many readers may be familiar with individual elements contained in the playbook, my hope is that you haven’t seen the elements come together into a cohesive whole. Here are a few key insights in the playbook for the TL;DR crowd: 🚨 Breaking Industry Silos: The playbook suggests a transformative approach where gaming, XR, and film industries converge, breaking down traditional barriers and creating a unified #Transmedia experience. 👾 Modular Framework for 3D Assets: It emphasizes a modular approach to content creation via a novel 'Real Time Studio Framework' that not only streamlines production but also enhances asset reuse across different media platforms, making the production process more efficient and cost-effective. 🔗 Blockchain as a Backbone: The document discusses the integration of #blockchain to secure digital ownership and incentivize an economy of community participation, ensuring that every creator and user holds a stake in the content they love. 🦄 Community-Centric Production: It proposes a fan-centric model where community input and user-generated content are pivotal, transforming fans from passive consumers into active participants. 💫 Permanent Beta State: Highlighting the shift towards real-time production environments, where content continuously evolves through real-time feedback loops with engaged communities, blurring the lines between #creator and audience and reducing the time from concept to market. 🎯 The goal of the playbook is to spark a conversation and push the needle a little further in the direction of true interoperability. It's not meant to be the final word on what the future of entertainment looks like. Rather it's my attempt to peer into the #Metaverse crystal ball 🔮 and divine what the future entertainment landscape may look like from a 2024 vantage point. I hope you join me in exploring how these innovations can transform the future of entertainment. Whether you're a creator, technologist, or enthusiast, there’s a part for everyone to play in shaping this new narrative. Your thoughts and contributions can shape this journey. Please, share your views, spread the word, and let’s transform the entertainment landscape together. 🖖 Cheers! #OpenUSD

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How I made a 20-second cinematic trailer with Luma AI, Audio Design Desk, and ElevenLabs 🐿 "What year is this? What are neural frames? And what's this squirrel doing in my room?" 🕵‍♂️ Clues below: 1. Wrote an image prompt for MidJourney "A squirrel holding a video camera. The camera has a digital control panel and a MIDI controller synthesizer keyboard embedded on its side. 3D isometric pop art art, futuristic, cyberpunk, purple and tangerine hues --ar 2:1" 2. Luma AI: Picked a Midjourney image and imported to Dream Machine Luma's video output is ~3-4 seconds length per generation. To get a long, continuous shot, I needed to work in short incremental sprints. I extended each clip 3+ times, picking the best option and repeating the process until I had a branch that captured the story I wanted to tell. Luma needed a few minutes to render each video clip. It takes around 10-30 minutes to extend a batch of 3-5 clips on a good day. 3. Audio Design Desk for music, sfx and sound design layers ADD is a digital audio workstation specializing in sound for video. I used it to find and place music, sound effects, risers, and impacts for this video. The DAW comes with 70,000+ royalty-free sounds, plus integrations to all the major libraries like Artlist, Epidemic Sound, Soundstripe, and Envato. So it took me all of 20 seconds to find a jazz noire cue that I liked. Then I started pulling in sound effects - mechanical camera clicks and shuttering drawers, plucked piano keys from the melody library. I needed some riser and impact sounds for the outro. ADD has thousands of sound design cues, already pre-mapped to special QWERTY keys on my laptop. When I hit "r" it triggered a riser. I pressed the "i" key and triggered impact sounds. Each clip automatically showed up on the audio timeline for the video. Next, in an effort to find better sounds, I hit the replace key. It swapped in new risers and new impact hits in real time, during video playback. Each audio file had an embedded sync point, so new files that I swapped in stayed in sync with the video. I quickly found the sounds I liked and exported the final mix to my desktop. 4. Wrote a short script and pasted it into ElevenLabs Auditioned a dozen male and female voices until I found one with the tone and cadence I liked. Then I downloaded the AI narrative voiceover to my laptop. 5. Imported video and audio files to iMovie Lined up the squirrel animation, ADD audio and voiceover. Then slapped on a couple of iMovie titles and transitions for effect. 💡 I've had fun testing out these tools. The prompting, selection and media collage process is an art form. There are also as many software stacks and workflows to be discovered as you could possibly wish for. The squirrel mystery concept was inspired by John Zorn's Spillane, Lynch's Black Lodge from Twin Peaks, and the Cool 3D World animations. More demos coming this week...

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I simply disagree with Justine Bateman. Embracing AI in filmmaking represents a new era of creativity; not theft Quentin Tarantino learned filmmaking by deeply consuming diverse films, much like AI processes vast amounts of movie data today. Both Tarantino and AI analyze, absorb, and remix cinematic elements, showcasing how film consumption can lead to innovative creation. Is AI's role in creating films an act of stealing from the rich tapestry of cinematic art, or is it the dawn of a creative renaissance? Let's dive into why AI should not be seen as a thief but as a collaborator, a tool in the hands of human creators pushing the boundaries of what's possible. 1. The Art of "Stealing" in Creativity Pablo Picasso once said, "Good artists copy; great artists steal." But what does this mean in the context of AI? It's not about literal theft but about transformation. When AI processes films, it learns, not copies. It takes structures, styles, and themes, then reimagines them through algorithms into something novel. This isn't plagiarism; it's evolution. 2. AI as a Creative Collaborator Innovation: AI can analyze more films in a day than a human could in a lifetime, identifying patterns, structures, and innovations that might otherwise go unnoticed. Enhancement: When paired with human creativity, AI can suggest, automate, or enhance elements, freeing filmmakers to focus on storytelling and emotional depth. 3. The Human Touch Remains Irreplaceable AI can mimic or combine styles, but it lacks the emotional depth, cultural insight, and personal experience that human creators bring. The true magic happens when: Human-AI Collaboration: Imagine combining AI's capacity for pattern recognition with a director's vision, an editor's intuition, or a screenwriter's depth. This synergy can lead to films that are both technically groundbreaking and emotionally resonant. AI is not stealing from the film industry; rather, let's see it as contributing to a new chapter in cinematic history. AI, when guided by human creativity, isn't just a tool; it's a collaborator in creating art that can surpass what we've known, pushing cinema into uncharted territories. #FilmIndustry #AICreativity #InnovationInCinema #CreativeCollaboration #AIinFilmmaking

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