Seismic Games: We're making "big bets" on mobile VR and location-based gaming

Founded in 2011, LA-based developer Seismic Games has already worked on huge franchises such as Call of Duty and Skylanders.

But that list only increases when one takes into account the now-defunct, formerly Activision-owned studio Pandemic, developer of major console games such as Star Wars: Battlefront and Mercenaries, from which Seismic Games emerged.

The studio is independent and has a mobile focus, but its acquisition of fellow LA outfit Grue Games in December 2016 also marked its ambitions in VR and AR.

To learn more about the origins of Seismic Games, its five games currently in development and the firm's vision for the future, PocketGamer.biz sat down with Co-founder and CEO Greg Borrud.

Click here for more.....

Rights management and content monetization company HAAWK raises $2.5 million

The music industry has been struggling with the best way to manage digital rights and to make sure that for decades artists get the money they’re due for the songs they write.

These days, there are tons of companies trying to solve the problem of managing, monitoring and paying musicians for the songs they make. The latest entrant into this competitive marketplace is HAAWK, which just scored $2.5 million in new financing for its technology.

Rincon Venture Partners, Wavemaker Partners, Frontier Venture Capital and Apex Ventures all participated in the company’s latest round of financing.

HAAWK actually serves more than just music rights holders. The company is also working with film and television rights holders to ensure they get compensated for their work.

The company also acquired certain assets and intellectual property from Dart Music, which filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.

HAAWK tracks assets and delivers royalties for music and movies distributed on YouTube, iTunes/Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Prime Music, Pandora, Google Play, TIDAL, Deezer and SoundCloud.

Click here for more....

This new virtual tape measure app is perfect for people who obsess over the tiny details in their home

Apple has said it's going all-in on augmented reality, a new technology that uses advanced cameras and sensors to understand the world around our devices.

Occipital is a startup that's been creating augmented reality hardware and software for years. It's now taken parts of Apple's new AR software, ARKit, and made software that's less games or fun novelty and more serious home improvement tool.

TapMeasure, which is now available for download, is an iOS app that can automatically make measurements and draft floor plans with an iPhone. It can create both simple 2D floorplans and 3D room models. 

Click here for more.....

This Startup Is an ATM for the Money You Haven't Been Paid Yet

DailyPay is a more worker-friendly alternative to payday loans.

If you earn more money than you spend, paying bills isn't a big deal. It's annoying when your car breaks down or your sore throat needs antibiotics, but you don't lose sleep over it.

If you're living paycheck to paycheck, on the other hand, even small unexpected expenses can put you in the red. The two weeks between paychecks is an eternity for an hourly worker whose credit card is already maxed out, or who doesn't have one to begin with. Every parking ticket and hospital co-pay is a potential crisis. By the time payday comes, it's too late -- the next crisis has already arrived.

Financial technology startup DailyPay thinks giving people in this situation more frequent access to wages would go a long way toward solving this problem and putting them on the path to financial security.

Click here for more....

LiveList partners with KAABOO music festival to power brand-integrated live stream with LiveChannel technology

VENICE, Calif., Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bringing a new kind of entertainment and arts experience, KAABOO is a voyage that combines rock-n-roll music and taste making events in a modern wonderland on the warm shores of the Pacific.  LiveList will power the live stream experience for those festival-goers that can't make it this year by providing a weekend-long, 20-hour stream covering music, culture, art, and more.

The 3-day interactive experience begins on September 15th, featuring performances, backstage interviews and more from over 20 internationally known artists including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Muse, X Ambassadors, Jane's Addiction, T-Pain, Jason DeRulo, DJ Diesel (Shaq), Machine Gun Kelly, Logic, and more.  Additional segments will be hosted by Scott Russo of Unwritten Law, and will include interactive elements such as real-time polling and social hashtagging.

Click here for more.....