Apple and Google now face regulatory probes in the ailing UK market, where the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) hasconfirmedit intends to investigate both companys mobile ecosystems under new digital market laws. This is separate from anongoing UK probeinto mobile browsers and cloud gaming that also affects the two companies.The CMA intends to look into the operating systems, app stores, and web browsers of Apple and Google to see whether they should be given Strategic Market Status. If they meet that grade, they will be subject to rules dictated by the CMA. Those dictates could extend further even than European demands have gone under the Digital Markets Act, withhuge fines for any non-compliance.For example, the UK regulator might be able to force Apple and Google to open up access to key functionality for use by app developers or force Apple to open up app distribution to third-party services on its platforms.What will the investigation explore?The CMA plans to look at:The extent of competition between and within mobile ecosystems and what barriers prevent rivals from offering products and services on Apples and Googles platforms.Possible leveraging of Apples and Googles market power to favor their own apps and services.Potential exploitative conduct, such as forcing unfair terms and conditions on developers.The concern is that Apple and Google together dominate the mobile industry, which means they exert considerable influence over much of the content, services and technological development provided on a mobile device, the CMA said.Thats true, of course, as the big US tech success stories build the operating systems developers use to provide apps and services on the platforms. Given the extensive quantity of personal data gathered by mobile devices, the privacy argument both companies will use in their defense is a viable one.What the CMA wantsNewly appointed CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said: The operating systems, apps and browsers installed on our phones and tablet devices act as our gateway into the digital world, whether that is communicating with our friends and loved ones, buying from businesses or accessing creative content. More competitive mobile ecosystems could foster new innovations and new opportunities across a range of services that millions of people use, be they app stores, browsers or operating systems.In the fantasy economics at play here, the CMA argues that better competition could boost growth in the UK, enabling UK businesses to offer new and innovative types of product and services on Apples and Googles platforms and introduce innovative new products and services.Saying the quiet part out loud, the regulator suggests these amazing innovations could include AI products and services and new types of super apps accessed through a mobile browser. The latter is likely music to the ears of Elon Musk, who has long dreamed of turning X into such a service. It must also be noted thatAI is certainly part of the intention here; this likely ends with a full-front battle regarding user data privacy.What Apple saidApple, of course, doesnt agree that the ecosystem it created from scratch, armed with nothing but a handful of iMacs and a Unix-based operating system is anti-competitive. Apple believes in thriving and dynamic markets where innovation can flourish, the company said.Not for the first time, Apple also argued (correctly) that it faces,competition in every segment and jurisdiction where we operate, and our focus is always the trust of our users.It took pains to note that its platform-based ecosystem delivers big benefits to the UKs anemic economy. In the UK alone, the iOS app economy supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and makes it possible for developers big and small to reach users on a trusted platform, the company said.Apple CEO Tim Cook made similar arguments when he visited the UK to meet King Charles and speak to the incumbent Prime Minister. The implication, of course, is that regulations that damage the trust between consumers and the brand will threaten existing digital business and further harm consumers and the UK economy. Some might see this as a warning against deep state interference in something as complex as OS development.Perhaps dialog will help?We will continue to engage constructively with the CMA as their work on this matter progresses, the Apple statement said. Well see how it goes.What happens next?The CMA now intends to speak with a range of stakeholders, including device manufacturers, software developers and user groups. It also intends to gather evidence from Apple and Google before reaching a decision by the end of October 2025. Anyone with an interest in these investigations is invited to comment until Wednesday 12 February, the CMA said. If thats you, you canprovide your own insights to the UK regulator via this website.With investigations extendingacross its businessin almost every key market, Apple will certainly hope forsupport from the home nation it has delivered so much economic benefit to, as the alternative will be fundamental changes in its business. The latter, I feel, has become inevitable at this point, and Id argue that the company should switch to establish new business models that it can control before it is forced to adapt to business structures over which it has none.Its noteworthy that newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump s already pushing back on European efforts to regulate US tech firms. These are American companies whether you like it or not, Trump said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. They shouldnt be doing that. Thats, as far as Im concerned, a form of taxation. We have some very big complaints with the EU.I expect the UK should anticipate slaps with the same stick.You can follow me on social media! Join me onBlueSky, LinkedIn,Mastodon, andMeWe.

A lawsuit in California accuses Linkedin of using private messages on its platform to train AI models, according to the BBC.The lawsuit alleges that in August 2024, the Microsoft-owned social network allegedly introduced a new privacy setting that automatically enrolled users in a program that allowed their personal data to be used for AI training.Linkedin also reportedly tried to cover it up a month later. In a comment to the BBC, a spokesperson for Linkedin called the accusations false and unfounded.According to Linkedin, the company has not enabled the sharing of user data for AI learning in the UK, the European Economic Area and Switzerland.

MIT Technology Reviews Whats Next series looks across industries, trends, and technologies to give you a first look at the future. You can read the rest of themhere.Jan Liphardt teaches bioengineering at Stanford, but to many strangers in Los Altos, California, he is a peculiar man they see walking a four-legged robotic dog down the street.Liphardt has been experimenting with building and modifying robots for years, and when he brings his dog out in public, he generally gets one of three reactions. Young children want to have one, their parents are creeped out, and baby boomers try to ignore it. Theyll quickly walk by, he says, like, What kind of dumb new stuff is going on here?In the many conversations Ive had about robots, Ive also found that most people tend to fall into these three camps, though I dont see such a neat age division. Some are upbeat and vocally hopeful that a future is just around the corner in which machines can expertly handle much of what is currently done by humans, from cooking to surgery. Others are scared: of job losses, injuries, and whatever problems may come up as we try to live side by side.The final camp, which I think is the largest, is just unimpressed. Weve been sold lots of promises that robots will transform society ever since the first robotic arm was installed on an assembly line at a General Motors plant in New Jersey in 1961. Few of those promises have panned out so far.But this year, theres reason to think that even those staunchly in the bored camp will be intrigued by whats happening in the robot races. Heres a glimpse at what to keep an eye on.Humanoids are put to the testThe race to build humanoid robots is motivated by the idea that the world is set up for the human form, and that automating that form could mean a seismic shift for robotics. It is led by some particularly outspoken and optimistic entrepreneurs, including Brett Adcock, the founder of Figure AI, a company making such robots thats valued at more than $2.6 billion (its begun testing its robots with BMW). Adcock recently told Time, Eventually, physical labor will be optional. Elon Musk, whose company Tesla is building a version called Optimus, has said humanoid robots will create a future where there is no poverty. A robotics company called Eliza Wakes Up, with ties to the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, is taking preorders for a $420,000 humanoid called, yes, Eliza.In June 2024, Agility Robotics sent a fleet of its Digit humanoid robots to GXO Logistics, which moves products for companies ranging from Nike to Nestl. The humanoids can handle most tasks that involve picking things up and moving them somewhere else, like unloading pallets or putting boxes on a conveyor.There have been hiccups: Highly polished concrete floors can cause robots to slip at first, and buildings need good Wi-Fi coverage for the robots to keep functioning. But charging is a bigger issue. Agilitys current version of Digit, with a 39-pound battery, can run for two to four hours before it needs to charge for one hour, so swapping out the robots for fresh ones is a common task on each shift. If there are a small number of charging docks installed, the robots can theoretically charge by shuffling among the docks themselves overnight when some facilities arent running, but moving around on their own can set off a buildings security system. Its a problem, says CTO Melonee Wise.Wise is cautious about whether humanoids will be widely adopted in workplaces. Ive always been a pessimist, she says. Thats because getting robots to work well in a lab is one thing, but integrating them into a bustling warehouse full of people and forklifts moving goods on tight deadlines is another task entirely.If 2024 was the year of unsettling humanoid product launch videos, this year we will see those humanoids put to the test, and well find out whether theyll be as productive for paying customers as promised. Now that Agilitys robots have been deployed in fast-paced customer facilities, its clear that small problems can really add up.Then there are issues with how robots and humans share spaces. In the GXO facility the two work in completely separate areas, Wise says, but there are cases where, for example, a human worker might accidentally leave something obstructing a charging station. That means Agilitys robots cant return to the dock to charge, so they need to alert a human employee to move the obstruction out of the way, slowing operations down.Its often said that robots dont call out sick or need health care. But this year, as fleets of humanoids arrive on the job, well begin to find out the limitations they do have.Learning from imaginationThe way we teach robots how to do things is changing rapidly. It used to be necessary to break their tasks down into steps with specifically coded instructions, but now, thanks to AI, those instructions can be gleaned from observation. Just as ChatGPT was taught to write through exposure to trillions of sentences rather than by explicitly learning the rules of grammar, robots are learning through videos and demonstrations.That poses a big question: Where do you get all these videos and demonstrations for robots to learn from?Nvidia, the worlds most valuable company, has long aimed to meet that need with simulated worlds, drawing on its roots in the video-game industry. It creates worlds in which roboticists can expose digital replicas of their robots to new environments to learn. A self-driving car can drive millions of virtual miles, or a factory robot can learn how to navigate in different lighting conditions.In December, the company went a step further, releasing what its calling a world foundation model. Called Cosmos, the model has learned from 20 million hours of videothe equivalent of watching YouTube nonstop since Rome was at war with Carthagethat can be used to generate synthetic training data.Heres an example of how this model could help in practice. Imagine you run a robotics company that wants to build a humanoid that cleans up hospitals. You can start building this robots brain with a model from Nvidia, which will give it a basic understanding of physics and how the world works, but then you need to help it figure out the specifics of how hospitals work. You could go out and take videos and images of the insides of hospitals, or pay people to wear sensors and cameras while they go about their work there.But those are expensive to create and time consuming, so you can only do a limited number of them, says Rev Lebaredian, vice president of simulation technologies at Nvidia. Cosmos can instead take a handful of those examples and create a three-dimensional simulation of a hospital. It will then start making changesdifferent floor colors, different sizes of hospital bedsand create slightly different environments. Youll multiply that data that you captured in the real world millions of times, Lebaredian says. In the process, the model will be fine-tuned to work well in that specific hospital setting.Its sort of like learning both from your experiences in the real world and from your own imagination (stipulating that your imagination is still bound by the rules of physics).Teaching robots through AI and simulations isnt new, but its going to become much cheaper and more powerful in the years to come.A smarter brain gets a smarter bodyPlenty of progress in robotics has to do with improving the way a robot senses and plans what to doits brain, in other words. Those advancements can often happen faster than those that improve a robots body, which determine how well a robot can move through the physical world, especially in environments that are more chaotic and unpredictable than controlled assembly lines.The military has always been keen on changing that and expanding the boundaries of whats physically possible. The US Navy has been testing machines from a company called Gecko Robotics that can navigate up vertical walls (using magnets) to do things like infrastructure inspections, checking for cracks, flaws, and bad welding on aircraft carriers.There are also investments being made for the battlefield. While nimble and affordable drones have reshaped rural battlefields in Ukraine, new efforts are underway to bring those drone capabilities indoors. The defense manufacturer Xtend received an $8.8 million contract from the Pentagon in December 2024 for its drones, which can navigate in confined indoor spaces and urban environments. These so-called loitering munitions are one-way attack drones carrying explosives that detonate on impact.These systems are designed to overcome challenges like confined spaces, unpredictable layouts, and GPS-denied zones, says Rubi Liani, cofounder and CTO at Xtend. Deliveries to the Pentagon should begin in the first few months of this year.Another initiativesparked in part by the Replicator project, the Pentagons plan to spend more than $1 billion on small unmanned vehiclesaims to develop more autonomously controlled submarines and surface vehicles. This is particularly of interest as the Department of Defense focuses increasingly on the possibility of a future conflict in the Pacific between China and Taiwan. In such a conflict, the drones that have dominated the war in Ukraine would serve little use because battles would be waged almost entirely at sea, where small aerial drones would be limited by their range. Instead, undersea drones would play a larger role.All these changes, taken together, point toward a future where robots are more flexible in how they learn, where they work, and how they move.Jan Liphardt from Stanford thinks the next frontier of this transformation will hinge on the ability to instruct robots through speech. Large language models ability to understand and generate text has already made them a sort of translator between Liphardt and his robot.We can take one of our quadrupeds and we can tell it, Hey, youre a dog, and the thing wants to sniff you and tries to bark, he says. Then we do one word changeYoure a cat. Then the thing meows and, you know, runs away from dogs. And we havent changed a single line of code.

After weeks of buzz, OpenAI has released Operator, its first AI agent. Operator is a web app that can carry out simple online tasks in a browser, such as booking concert tickets or filling an online grocery order. The app is powered by a new model called Computer-Using AgentCUA (coo-ah), for shortbuilt on top of OpenAIs multimodal large language model GPT-4o.Operator is available today at operator.chatgpt.com to people in the US signed up with ChatGPT Pro, OpenAIs premium $200-a-month service. The company says it plans to roll the tool out to other users in the future.OpenAI claims that Operator outperforms similar rival tools, including Anthropics Computer Use (a version of Claude 3.5 Sonnet that can carry out simple tasks on a computer) and Google DeepMinds Mariner (a web-browsing agent built on top of Gemini 2.0).The fact that three of the worlds top AI firms have converged on the same vision of what agent-based models could be makes one thing clear. The battle for AI supremacy has a new frontierand its our computer screens.Moving from generating text and images to doing things is the right direction, says Ali Farhadi, CEO of the Allen Institute for AI (AI2). It unlocks business, solves new problems.Farhadi thinks that doing things on a computer screen is a natural first step for agents: It is constrained enough that the current state of the technology can actually work, he says. At the same time, its impactful enough that people might use it. (AI2 is working on its own computer-using agent, says Farhadi.)Dont believe the hypeOpenAIs announcement also confirms one of two rumors that circled the internet this week. One predicted that OpenAI was about to reveal an agent-based app, after details about Operator were leaked on social media ahead of its release. The other predicted that OpenAI was about to reveal a new superintelligenceand that officials for newly inaugurated President Trump would be briefed on it.Could the two rumors be linked? OpenAI superfans wanted to know.Nope. OpenAI gave MIT Technology Review a preview of Operator in action yesterday. The tool is an exciting glimpse of large language models potential to do a lot more than answer questions. But Operator is an experimental work in progress. Its still early, it still makes mistakes, says Yash Kumar, a researcher at OpenAI.(As for the wild superintelligence rumors, lets leave that to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to address: twitter hype is out of control again, he posted on January 20. pls chill and cut your expectations 100x!)Like Anthropics Computer Use and Google DeepMinds Mariner, Operator takes screenshots of a computer screen and scans the pixels to figure out what actions it can take. CUA, the model behind it, is trained to interact with the same graphical user interfacesbuttons, text boxes, menusthat people use when they do things online. It scans the screen, takes an action, scans the screen again, takes another action, and so on. That lets the model carry out tasks on most websites that a person can use.Traditionally the way models have used software is through specialized APIs, says Reiichiro Nakano, a scientist at OpenAI. (An API, or application programming interface, is a piece of code that acts as a kind of connector, allowing different bits of software to be hooked up to one another.) That puts a lot of apps and most websites off limits, he says: But if you create a model that can use the same interface that humans use on a daily basis, it opens up a whole new range of software that was previously inaccessible.CUA also breaks tasks down into smaller steps and tries to work through them one by one, backtracking when it gets stuck. OpenAI says CUA was trained with techniques similar to those used for its so-called reasoning models, o1 and o3.Operator can be instructed to search for campsites in Yosemite with good picnic tables.OPENAIOpenAI has tested CUA against a number of industry benchmarks designed to assess the ability of an agent to carry out tasks on a computer. The company claims that its model beats Computer Use and Mariner in all of them.For example, on OSWorld, which tests how well an agent performs tasks such as merging PDF files or manipulating an image, CUA scores 38.1% to Computer Uses 22.0% In comparison, humans score 72.4%. On a benchmark called WebVoyager, which tests how well an agent performs tasks in a browser, CUA scores 87%, Mariner 83.5%, and Computer Use 56%. (Mariner can only carry out tasks in a browser and therefore does not score on OSWorld.)For now, Operator can also only carry out tasks in a browser. OpenAI plans to make CUAs wider abilities available in the future via an API that other developers can use to build their own apps. This is how Anthropic released Computer Use in December.OpenAI says it has tested CUAs safety, using red teams to explore what happens when users ask it to do unacceptable tasks (such as research how to make a bioweapon), when websites contain hidden instructions designed to derail it, and when the model itself breaks down. Weve trained the model to stop and ask the user for information before doing anything with external side effects, says Casey Chu, another researcher on the team.Look! No handsTo use Operator, you simply type instructions into a text box. But instead of calling up the browser on your computer, Operator sends your instructions to a remote browser running on an OpenAI server. OpenAI claims that this makes the system more efficient. Its another key difference between Operator, Computer Use and Mariner (which runs inside Googles Chrome browser on your own computer).Because its running in the cloud, Operator can carry out multiple tasks at once, says Kumar. In the live demo, he asked Operator to use OpenTable to book him a table for two at 6.30 p.m. at a restaurant called Octavia in San Francisco. Straight away, Operator opened up OpenTable and started clicking through options. As you can see, my hands are off the keyboard, he said.OpenAI is collaborating with a number of businesses, including OpenTable, StubHub, Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber. The nature of those collaborations is not exactly clear, but Operator appears to suggest preset websites to use for certain tasks.While the tool navigated dropdowns on OpenTable, Kumar sent Operator off to find four tickets for a Kendrick Lamar show on StubHub. While it did that, he pasted a photo of a handwritten shopping list and asked Operator to add the items to his Instacart.He waited, flicking between Operators tabs. If it needs help or if it needs confirmations, itll come back to you with questions and you can answer it, he said.Kumar says he has been using Operator at home. It helps him stay on top of grocery shopping: I can just quickly click a photo of a list and send it to work, he says.Its also become a sidekick in his personal life. I have a date night every Thursday, says Kumar. So every Thursday morning, he instructs Operator to send him a list of five restaurants that have a table for two that evening. Of course, I could do that, but it takes me 10 minutes, he says. And I often forget to do it. With Operator, I can run the task with one click. Theres no burden of booking.

Samsung's latest smartphone launch, the Galaxy S25, is the South Korean tech company's latest attempt to win the mobile AI war. Here's how the entry-level model compares against Apple's iPhone 16.iPhone 16 [left], Samsung Galaxy S25 [right]On January 22, Samsung launched an update to its flagship smartphone line. The Samsung Galaxy S25, along with the Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 Ultra, are set to become the biggest smartphones on Android, and possibly in AI.During the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung promoted its smartphones as a way for anyone to quickly use AI while on the move. Promises were made of natural context-aware mobile experiences, an intuitive interface, and high performance. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

It's been a few months since Apple launched the black Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the all-new Apple Watch Series 10. Here's how they compare after three months of daily use.Let's compare the Apple Watch Series 10 to the Apple Watch Ultra 2We wore the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for an entire year. Once the new Apple Watch Series 10 was released, we made a chance to the new wearable instead.This has given us lots of insight into the two models and how they actually compare after prolonged use. We'll go beyond just the specs on a website. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The Getty Center has reported no damage in the wake of last nights Sepulveda Fire, which broke out on the opposite side of the 405 Freeway near its Brentwood campus in Bel-Air, Los Angeles. The new fire, which comes two weeks after the Palisades Fire scorched some parts of its grounds without causing any damage to the museum or Getty Villa, has been put out, according to a late update from the LAFD. A spokesperson from the Getty told Archinect that the new fires would not affect the museum's anticipated January 28th reopening.Here's some more of the latest from our ongoing coverage of the dangerous Los Angeles Fires:Getty Trust leads $12 Million relief fund for artists impacted by LA firesHere's how L.A. will expedite the rebuilding process with Mayors orderFires threaten LAs spectacular design legacy says Sam Lubell

Our latest weeklycurated jobs roundupfrom theArchinect Job boardfeatures 13 architecture schools in search of faculty,academic leaders, staff, and fellows.Preparing for a new job? Be sure to follow ourArchinect Tipsseries to improve your portfolio, resume, and interviewing skills and increase your chances of getting that next job.Teaching PositionsVirginia Techseeks anOpen Rank - Assistant/Associate/Full Professor, Architecturein Alexandria, VA"The successful candidate will be capable of connecting theory and innovative practice through teaching, scholarship, creative practice, and engagement with the city. Candidates should demonstrate a strong commitment to architecture and human well-being at multiple scales across the built environment. Qualified candidates will be expected to rigorously engage and advance theoretical, practical, and productive expertise that results in culturally meaningful and well-crafted built environments."University of Torontoseeks anAssist...

2024 was a successful year for Sega, to say the least, and sure enough, the company is continuing to reap the profits of those efforts.Sonic X Shadow Generationsgot off to a blistering start upon its release, with a million units sold on launch day. Within the next month, it had sold another additional half a million units. Now, its passed another milestone.Sega has announced thatSonic X Shadow Generationshas sold 2 million copies across all platforms since it launched in October. That means the expanded platforming remaster has sold another 500,000 units over the course of the last two months, maintaining solid momentum. Sega released a DLC pack for the title in December that added a new level and featured voice acting for Shadow by Keanu Reeves, which may have helped bump up the sales.In our review of the game, we awarded it a score of 8/10, saying, With an enhanced version of one of the series best 3D outings to date, as well as a legitimately great brand-new adventure starring a returning fan-favourite, Sonic X Shadow Generations is well worth a look for fans of Segas platforming franchise. Read the full review through here.Sonic X Shadow Generationsis available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Sonys first-party output has had a relatively spotty track record the last couple of years, but theres no doubting that PlayStations first-party portfolio is its biggest strength. After all, even the aforementioned period of last couple of years has brought us spectacular games likeMarvels Spider-Man 2andAstro Bot. And with Sony having confirmed that it intends to resume normal service in 2025, with major annual AAA single-player releases back on the menu, it looks like theres reason to be optimistic for fans of the PlayStation Studios lineup.And what exactly has that lineup got cooking? Thats the question were here to answer. A number of first-party Sony studios has officially confirmed what theyre working on, others have teased out potential hints and details, while in some cases, leaks have also potentially shed light on what some of these teams could be working on. Either way, theres no shortage of information on what to expect from the future of PlayStation Studios at large, and here, were going to take a look at the lineup one studio after another.Lets kick things off with the big one.NAUGHTY DOGThe complete lack of Naughty Dog on PS5 outside ofThe Last of Usre-releases has been a big source of disappointment for many, but in December, the studio finally announced its next big project. Working on a new IP for the first time in over a decade, Naughty Dog has unveiled the space-faring sci-fi action-adventure gameIntergalactic. The studio has shown off little of the game so far, but has already captured the attention of the masses so far with what little has been revealed.Intergalactichas been in development since 2020, so its possible that we see it in 2026 or 2027 (though the former might be a bit optimistic).Of course, Naughty Dog has previously confirmed that it has multiple AAA single-player titles in development. In all likeliness, the second game isThe Last of Us Part 3, which is presumably further out thanIntergalactic. In all likelihood, thatll be a PS6 title instead of a PS5 release (unless, of course, its cross-gen, though that would depend entirely on when it releases).SIE SANTA MONICA STUDIOGod of War Ragnarokwill be three years old this November, which means questions about Sony Santa Monicas next game are only going to grow louder. WhateverGod of War (2018)director Cory Barlogs next project is, wed wager that thats what the studio is going to come out with next. Leaks and speculation have suggested that Barlog is leading a new IP behind-the-scenes, which has the makings of an exciting announcement, if theres any truth to it.But of course,God of Waris nowhere close to being done yet. We dont know what the future of the series looks like, but we do know the Norse saga is done, which means were probably moving on to a new mythological setting sooner rather than later. But might we perhaps also expect a spinoff starring Atreus as its protagonist? After all, the Norse saga itself does still have plenty of unresolved plot threats left. Hopefully, 2025 will bring some clarity about what the future holds for Sony Santa Monica.INSOMNIAC GAMESWere approaching the four-year anniversary ofMarvels Wolverine,and so far, weve seen nothing of it other than its brief announcement teaser. Leaks have claimed in the past that the game is targeting a 2026 release, and if thats true, this would be the year that we begin seeing more of the game. Given Insomniac Games track record, especially with Marvel titles, theres every reason to be excited aboutMarvels Wolverine.Of course, the studio has other irons in the fire as well.Marvels Spider-Man 3is inevitable, even if it hasnt been officially announced yet, while past leaks have also suggested that the studio has aVenomspinoff in development. Those same leaks also claimed that a newRatchet and Clankgame is also in the pipeline, though wed suspect that one is probably several years off yet.GUERRILLAGuerrilla has fully dived intoHorizonby now, and it seems the franchise occupies the entirety of the studio at this point. Journalist Jason Schreier claimed last year that the third mainlineHorizongame was several years off and unlikely to be the studios next game, but wedoknow that the sequel toForbidden Westis nonetheless in the works. WhatisGuerrillas next game though? Well, thatd beHorizon Online, or whatever it is that the developer ends up calling the co-opHorizontitle that it has had in the works for several years at this point. We wouldnt be surprised if it ended up announced sometime this year, in fact.SUCKER PUNCHWe all know what Sucker Punch is working on. In 2024, the studio announcedGhost of Yotei,the sequel toGhost of Tsushima, starring a new protagonist in a new era and new location of Japanese history.Ghost of Tsushimawas a spectacular game, and arguably the best game to have been developed by Sucker Punch, so its no surprise that expectations from its sequel are high. Whether the studio intends to support the game with post-launch content the way it didTsushimaremains to be seen. The fans, of course, would absolutely love to see more of that, especially if it meant something similar toGhost of Tsushima: Legends.BLUEPOINT GAMESUntil not that long ago, we would have been willing to bet anything that the studio behind the excellent Shadow of the Colossus and Demons Souls remakes will be revealing its game sometime this year. Alas, Sonys poor decision-making has cost the company again. Reports have revealed that the game Bluepoint had been working on for years was a God of War live service title of all means, and that that project has now been cancelled. What the studio will work on next is anyones guess, but clearly, we wont be learning much about it anytime soon.SIE BEND STUDIOLike Bluepoint, Sony Bend also saw its project recently cancelled. The studio has endured several years of bad luck with its projects now, and after four years of having a new live service open world IP in development, it has now had that project shelved. On one hand, were glad to see Sony rethinking its misguided live service push. On the other, however, we cant help but lament the absolute waste of time that these last few years have been for several first-party PlayStation studios. What will Bend work on next? We have no earthly idea, thanks to the fact that the last few years of work by the studio are going into the dumpster, with a new project set to start from scratch at some point in the future.HAVEN STUDIOSHaven StudiosFairgame$was announced a couple of years ago now, but this games future is looking more than a little shaky in spite of how little we have seen of it. The multiplayer first-person shooter was announced as part of Sonys big push into the live service space, but that push has largely failed over the last couple of years, and hit its lowest point yet in 2024 with the absolute failure ofConcord. Of course, what happened toConcorddoesnt necessarily have to happen toFairgame$,but the game wasnt inspiring much confidence to begin with, and now, in a post-Concordworld, its chances of succeeding are looking even slimmer. Hopefully, when we see it next (with actual gameplay this time), itll leave a much stronger impression.FIRESPRITEFiresprites rumouredTwisted Metalrevival was supposedly the studios main project until not that long ago, but it ended up being one of several live service cancellations as part of PlayStations widespread layoffs in early 2024. So what does the studio have in the works now? Well, official details continue to be scarce (after all, Twisted Metalwasnt officially known either), but as per leaks, the studio is working on a sequel toUntil Dawn. The horror title received a remake in 2023 and is also receiving a movie adaptation soon, so clearly, Sony intends to keep expanding on the IP.HOUSEMARQUEHousemarque hit an entirely new level withReturnalin 2021, which means there are more eyes on studio and what it has cooking up next than ever before. Little is known about Housemarques mystery project, other than the fact that it is another new IP, and that it is going to be another AAA production likeReturnalwas. Hopefully, the developer will be ready to share more details soon, especially withReturnalnow close to four years old.MEDIA MOLECULEMedia Molecule swung for the fences withDreams, and even though the game wasnt nearly as successful as it should have been, the studio continues to be one of PlayStations biggest assets. A couple of years ago, the developer announced that it had a new project in the works, with support forDreamshaving been brought to an end, and last year, it was confirmed that that new project was going to be yet another new IP. Theres little else that we know about it, but given how experimental Media Molecule loves to be, were excited to see what shape it takes. Presumably, however, itll be some time before we get any concrete details.POLYPHONY DIGITALGran Turismo 7is three years old now, so the only question to be asked here is- how long until the nextGran Turismogame? Post-launch support forGT7is continuing with impressive momentum, and it doesnt look like Polyphony Digital is going to slow it down anytime soon. That would suggest that the nextGTis still years away- though then again, Polyphony Digital has traditionally followed a pattern of twoGran Turismoreleases per console. That might suggest that the studio could maybe release a cross-genGT8for PS5 and PS6 in a handful of years- though thats all purely speculative at this point.TEAM ASOBIThe delightfulAstro Botisnot even a year old yet, which means its probably too soon to start talking about Team Asobis next game right now. Will it beAstro Bot 2? Will it be a new IP? Whatever it is, we hope the studio can put it out as swiftly and efficiently as it didAstro Bot, which was put together in the space of three years by a team of less than hundred people and turned out to be one of the best and most prominent releases of its year.