Perplexity, the NVIDIA- and Bezos-backed AI company, is partnering with PayPal to get its Comet browser in front of millions of the financial tech giant's users. The deal will see PayPal and Venmo customers in the US and select international mark

شركة Valve تؤكد بأن PayPal أوقفت معالجة معاملات Steam في بعض البلدان  IGN

If you've been unable to pay with PayPal on Steam, Valve says the limitation has to do with issues one of PayPal's banking partners has with content on the platform, according to Rock Paper Shotgun. Users have noticed PayPal was disabled in s

I'll level with you. I'm keeping this intro brief because I'm currently plonked in the middle of a Manchester cafe that presumably doesn't realize the words 'air' and 'conditioning' can be combined to create a majestic climate control device. Fear not, dear reader, it's only a heatwave.This will be my final Patch Notes for a couple of weeks. I'll be jetting off to Cologne next Tuesday for my annual pilgrimage to Gamescom in pursuit of industry insights, decadent hummus (if you know you know), and perhaps even a bit of juicy gossip.  I'll be taking a much needed vacation when I return, so the next couple of editions will be penned by another member of our talented Game Developer team. Who exactly? No spoilers yet (mainly because we haven't decided).Oho. You almost got me rambling. Nobody needs that today—least of all you. In fact, I suspect what you really need is a concentrated dose of NEWS, and as luck would have it we have just the thing...Embracer will deploy 'targeted cost initiatives' and AI tech to unlock more valuevia Game Developer // You might not realise it from the headline, but layoff connoisseur Embracer Group recently switched out its CEO, Lars Wingefors, for a new chief executive in Crystal Dynamics veteran Phil Rogers. Alas, it seems the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree. Rogers this week told investors that Embracer will deploy 'targeted cost initiatives' in relation to underperforming business. He confirmed that could mean additional divestments are in the offing. Will we also see layoffs? Who knows, but Embracer has been rather trigger happy in that regard previously. Rogers also explained that Embracer is keen to use AI technology to streamline its processes and support its teams. I'm sure they'll be thrilled.Related:Stripe Says Support Team Reps Were ‘Totally Wrong’ About LGBTQ Content Banvia Aftermath // Payment service provider Stripe has denied it is prohibiting the sale of LGBTQ+ content, including video game and media on platforms like Itch. The company spoke to Aftermath about the situation after its support team reportedly told anti-censorship campaigners that it won't be processing payments related to LGBTQ+ content. Stripe apologised for the conduction and claimed those employees were "mistaken." The full story is well worth a read, and comes after both Itch and Steam began heavily moderating the sale of adult content, reportedly at the behest of payment providers.Valve explain why using PayPal for Steam purchases isn't currently an option in a whole bunch of countriesRelated:via RockPaperShotgun // In related news, Valve recently told RPS that PayPal support for Steam has evaporated in some regions due to concerns over the type of content being sold on the platform. Valve previously confirmed that one of PayPal's acquiring banks axed support in some regions in early July, impacting consumers attempting to make Steam purchases via PayPal in currencies other than EUR, CAD, GBP, JPY, AUD and USD. On its support page, Valve said it is "uncertain" when the situation will be remedied. It then told RPS the withdrawal is "regarding content on Steam, related to what we’ve previously commented on surrounding Mastercard."Blizzard's Story and Franchise Development team has unionizedvia Game Developer // Another week, another union. We could get used to this. Blizzard's Story and Franchise Development (SFD) is the latest Microsoft-owned team to unionise in tandem with Communications Workers of America (CWA). SFD is the World of Warcraft maker's in-house cinematic, animation, and narrative department—and became the first union of its kind to form n North America. Parent company Microsoft has already recognised the union, whose members will join CWA Local 9510 in Orange County, Calif.  One member of the SFD organising committee said the unionised workers intend to preserve what makes Blizzard special. Related:Video games have a serious crediting problem, but unions can helpvia Game Developer // Speaking of unions, freelance reporter Nicole Carpenter this week laid out how the power of collective acton could enable the video game industry to address a longstanding miscrediting issue. It's not uncommon for developers (both in-house and external) to be omitted or improperly credited on projects they've worked on. It's a deeply harmful practice that can stall careers and create uncertainty as to who is actually making the games we play, but what is the solution? According to some people, unions might just hold the answer.'We would be in development for 30 years:' Krafton reiterates that Unknown Worlds founders 'abandoned' Subnautica 2via Game Developer // In what must be one of the game industry's most outrageous legal tit-for-tats, Krafton has responded to the lawsuit levelled against it by Unknown Worlds' former executive team with a series of claims that paint former studio leaders Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, and Ted Gill as cash-grabbing truants. The South Korean publisher once again insisted that all three downed tools as soon as it purchased Unknown Worlds and placed their own "monetary interests" over those of the development team and Subnautica 2 itself. We've done our best to summarise the scathing rebuttal, and we expect this saga is far from over. 'Microsoft has no place being accomplice of a genocide:' Arkane union workers demand Xbox maker sever ties with Israelvia Game Developer // A group of unionized Arkane Studios workers in France this week published an open letter to leaders at Xbox and Microsoft to lend their support to the Palestinian-led BDS movement and demand their parent company sever ties with Israel. The move follows extensive reporting that indicates Microsoft cloud and AI technology is being used by the Israeli regime to monitor Palestinians and even plan military action. Union workers at Arkane, known for producing titles like Dishonored and Deathloop, accused Microsoft of being an "accomplice" to genocide. "Microsoft has failed both its teams & its customers by being actively complicit of the invasion and war crimes happening in Gaza," they wrote in the open letter. Microsoft has yet to respond to our request for comment, but has previously denied that its products have been used to "target or harm people" in Gaza. Bandai Namco is still working on new in-house game engine, update revealsvia Automation Media // Tekken and Ace Combat maker Bandai Namco is still working hard to create a new in-house game engine capable of supporting large-scale projects and open worlds. You might not even be aware this project was even in motion, and that's because it's been around three years since the Japanese company last spoke about the initiative. This week, however, the company posted a series of photographs on X to reveal it has been training employees how to use the mystery engine. It's hard to glean much from the snaps, although we can see what appears to be an ecstatic snowman in one shot. 10/10. No notes.PUBG is finally bidding farewell to last-generation consoles via Krafton // Pour one out for PUBG: Battlegrounds players who've yet to make the leap to current-generation hardware. This week, Krafton announced it will be ending support for the battle royale shooter on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November. The company said the shift will take place on November 13, 2025, and described it as a "necessary step toward aligning PUBG Console with current-gen consoles" and providing player with "more stable gameplay." Remarkably, the news comes around five years after both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S hit shelves, which shows just how blurred the lines between console generations have become in the current era. Even so, Krafton said the news is weighing heavily on the team and has requested a modicum of understanding during this trying time

With certain parties targeting payment processors as a way to control what kinds of games are allowed to be sold, paying for games on services like Steam is a little bit weird right now. In fact, if you've tried to pay for something on Steam using PayPal recently, you might've noticed that the option isn't available. This is apparently isolated to certain countries, and now Valve has offered an explanation."In early July 2025, PayPal notified Valve that their acquiring bank for payment transactions in certain currencies was immediately terminating the processing of any transactions related to Steam," Valve wrote on its Purchasing Issues support page, as reported by RockPaper Shotgun. "This affects Steam purchases using PayPal in currencies other than EUR, CAD, GBP, JPY, AUD and USD.""We hope to offer PayPal as an option for these currencies in the future but the timeline is uncertain," the page continues. "We are also evaluating adding additional payment methods on Steam for the customers affected by this. In the meantime, please use one of our other current payment methods during checkout. If you can't use any of the available options, you can consider using a Steam Wallet code to add funds to your account."Continue Reading at GameSpot

Danielle Riendeau, Editor-in-Chief, GameDeveloper.comAugust 14, 20253 Min ReadVia PayPalValve says that one of PayPal's acquiring banks has pulled support for Steam purchases due to content concerns, impacting consumers who shop on the platform using certain currencies. The company offered the explanation to Rock Paper Shotgun (RPS) and said the withdrawal of support "is regarding content on Steam, related to what we’ve previously commented on surrounding Mastercard".Valve maintains that Mastercard used intermediaries (like payment processors and their intermediary banks) to force it to restrict the sale of NSFW and adult content. Mastercard denied this in a brief statement in early August.A Valve spokesperson confirmed the connection between that ongoing controversy and today's news. In this case, one of PayPal’s acquiring banks decided to stop processing any Steam transactions, which cut off PayPal on Steam for a number of currencies," they told RPS.On its website PayPal defines an acquiring bank (or merchant acquirer) as the bank that "receives the payment authorization and collects the customer’s funds on behalf of the business.""It can be easy to confuse the merchant acquirer vs. payment processor. Basically, the merchant acquirer is the bank that accepts the payment from the customer. But the payment processor does the heavy lifting of actually authorizing and completing the transaction," adds that explainer. "Some platforms, like PayPal, can act as both processor and acquirer, completing your business transactions and securely storing your money in one place."Related:Providing more context on the Steam Support page, Valve said the sudden termination will affect Steam purchases using PayPal in currencies other than EUR, CAD, GBP, JPY, AUD and USD.In an FAQ, Valve offered additional details:"We hope to offer PayPal as an option for these currencies in the future but the timeline is uncertain," Valve wrote. "We are also evaluating adding additional payment methods on Steam for the customers affected by this. In the meantime, please use one of our other current payment methods during checkout. If you can't use any of the available options, you can consider using a Steam Wallet code to add funds to your account."The IGDA warned against "creative suppression" on game platformsAfter the waves of controversy resulted in games being pulled or delisted from Steam and indie platform Itch.io, the IGDA put out a statement condemning the practice, calling it a form of "creative suppression" that harms certain creators unfairly."Games that feature consensual adult content, including queer, kink-positive, or romantic narratives, are easily targeted under vague or overly cautious enforcement, often forcing developers into silence or self-censorship because platforms fear perceived risks associated with hosting legal adult content," said the IGDA.Related:It also noted that safeguards are already in place on some platforms and had policy recommendations in hand for the future:"We urge platforms, payment processors, and industry leaders to engage in dialogue with developers and advocacy organizations. We welcome collaboration and transparency. This issue is not just about adult content. It is about developer rights, artistic freedom, and the sustainability of diverse creative work in games," continued the organization.Read more about:SteamAbout the AuthorDanielle RiendeauEditor-in-Chief, GameDeveloper.comDanielle is the editor-in-chief of Game Developer, with previous editorial posts at Fanbyte, VICE, and Polygon. She’s also a lecturer in game design at the Berklee College of Music, and a hobbyist game developer in her spare time.See more from Danielle RiendeauDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

If you’ve been on social media over the past week, then you’re probably familiar with the backlash against MasterCard, Visa, PayPal, and Stripe. A ragtag movement of gamers, artists, adult content creators, sex workers and queer activists are uniting