Introducing the Ather Collective, $ATHER Token, and Play to Airdrop Season 1

We’re thrilled to announce the next evolution of our creative vision — taking the Sipher universe beyond gaming into a rich, interconnected multimedia universe; and introducing a decentralized Collective of new products and experiences across AI, gaming, entertainment, and more.

Through decentralized and collaborative processes, the Ather Collective will foster innovation across gaming, entertainment, and AI. The $ATHER token will govern and power all products/experiences within this ecosystem.

While details on tokenomics and the Vault will be shared closer to launch, the $ATHER token will become the unified currency and accrue value from its suite of AI, gaming, entertainment, and more, all while introducing mechanics.

The existing $SIPHER token from Sipher Odyssey will migrate to $ATHER in the coming months.

Join our Play to Airdrop & Unlock Rewards with Genesis NFTs!

To kick off the upcoming $ATHER launch, we’re running a Play to Airdrop campaign where you can play Sipher Odyssey, earn points, and increase your $ATHER allocation.

To help you seize this opportunity and maximize your rewards we’ll soon share a comprehensive Play to Airdrop guide. This guide will cover everything you need to know, from creating an Ather Account and downloading Sipher Odyssey to understanding various ways to earn points and maximize your rewards.

Additionally, we’re beyond thrilled to present the Genesis NFT Collection, a set of 20,000 premium assets minted by our earliest supporters. These assets are the VIPs of the Ather Collective ecosystem, acknowledging the critical contributions to the creation of our studio and Collective.

Owning a Genesis NFT unlocks a suite of exclusive benefits across the Ather Collective’s gaming, AI, and entertainment products. As a Genesis NFT holder, you'll soon unlock point multipliers and extra rewards during the Play to Airdrop campaign, and enjoy other benefits in Sipher Odyssey and an upcoming “Strife” game.

Discover the benefits of Genesis NFTs across the Ather Collective and find out where to get them.

Lastly, we’re hosting an AMA on Sunday, May 26 with our Co-founder Nghia, where we'll discuss all Play to Airdrop Mechanics and answer all Genesis-related questions. Don’t miss out, we’ll be sharing some juicy alpha and raffling some $SIPHER and 2 Genesis NFTs!

Microsoft Aims for Deeper Integration of Gen AI into Windows

Microsoft is taking steps to integrate generative AI more deeply into Windows and the devices that run it.

New "Copilot+" PCs will include dedicated AI chips to power features like Recall, which helps users find past files and apps. These start at $999 and will first use Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, with Intel and AMD onboarding later.

At Build, Microsoft announced features like Recall that let users search their PC history and Super Resolution to restore photos, exclusive to Copilot+ PCs. An upgraded Windows experience includes image editing with AI suggestions and Live Captions with live translations of audio into various languages.

The company also detailed new Surface devices focused on performance. This includes the Surface Laptop boasting 22 hours of battery and an OLED Surface Pro with faster speeds.

Microsoft aims to bring Windows apps into VR through volumetric experiences on Meta Quest headsets. Additionally, tools like Azure AI Studio and new Copilot bots/agents are designed to simplify building AI applications.

OpenAI’s “Sky” Voice in ChatGPT Was too Similar to Scarlett Johansson’s

OpenAI is facing backlash over allegations that its ChatGPT voice "Sky" too closely resembled Scarlett Johansson's voice from the film "Her".

Before GPT-4o's launch, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman hinted the company was debuting an AI assistant similar to the one in "Her". However, Johansson has now stated she declined OpenAI's request to use her voice months ago.

OpenAI paused Sky's use and Altman apologized to Johansson, stating Sky's voice actress was selected independently and not meant to mimic Johansson. However, Johansson claims Sky's voice was too similar and forced her to contact lawyers.

OpenAI maintains each voice, including Sky's, belongs to contracted voice actresses. But critics argue Sky too closely matched Johansson and call for accountability.

Coming after the resignations of key AI safety leaders citing product prioritization over safety, the situation marks a new low for OpenAI. Some use it to reiterate calls for Altman's replacement, as his lack of consistency was previously cited for his 2021 firing. It remains to be seen how this impacts OpenAI's business and partnerships going forward.

Adobe brings Firefly AI-powered Generative Remove to Lightroom

Adobe has introduced a new AI-powered feature to Lightroom that allows seamless removal of objects from photos.

Dubbed Generative Remove, the tool utilizes Adobe's Firefly generative AI platform. It can remove unwanted reflections, stains, wrinkles, and more against complex backgrounds.

Adobe first announced Firefly in March 2023 as part of expanding its AI capabilities. The platform delivers text-to-image generation and adaptive styles and has since been integrated into Adobe's video and Illustrator tools.

Generative Remove joins an existing Generative Fill tool in Lightroom. The update also brings a Lens Blur effect to simulate shallow depth of field through bokeh.

The company says the new Remove tool can handle intricate removal tasks. It is launching Generative Remove and Lens Blur as early access features and plans to refine them based on photographer feedback.

This marks Adobe deepening its use of generative AI across Creative Cloud apps like Lightroom to enhance editing workflows.

• Elon Musk’s xAI is working on making Grok multimodal
• GitHub debuts Copilot Extensions, connecting 3rd party apps with Copilot Chat
• Google’s AI search results are already getting ads
• Humane, the creator of the $700 Ai Pin, is reportedly seeking a buyer

• Meta introduces Chameleon, a state-of-the-art multimodal model
• Nvidia will now make new AI chips every year
• OpenAI partners with Wall Street Journal publisher News Corp.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Story Trailer Unveiled

The newly released trailer for Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree downloadable content focused on how the story expansion will connect to the game's main plot. Presented without any gameplay footage, it provided a narrative look at Miquella and the war that drove them to the Land of Shadow location being added.

Details hinted this new area will take place in an undiscovered region of the Lands Between that players and other characters will presumably explore within the DLC. Scheduled for release on June 21st, Shadow of the Erdtree will not stand alone and requires owning the original Elden Ring game first.

It will be available for purchase at $39.99 digitally. Additionally, a $249.99 physical collector's edition was announced containing the DLC and a statue as extras. More information on the base game, including past trailers and story points, can be found through coverage linked in the article.

Wuthering Waves Hits Turbulence Upon Launch

The highly anticipated gacha adventure Wuthering Waves made its debut, but players are finding choppy waters instead of a smooth sailing experience. Since launching, the title has encountered numerous technical glitches and quality control complaints.

While combat is receiving a fair breeze, other elements seem badly in need of calibration. Reports describe muffled voices, cutting out abruptly or fluctuating erratically in volume during the English dub track. Animation is also proving rough, with unnatural stair-climbing and body clipping raising concern.

Under the surface, lag, stuttering, and crashes are tossing performance into disarray. acknowledging the wave of backlash, developers pleaded for calm seas and pledged over time fixes to patch stability issues, blurry graphics, and freezing. A 10-pull apology gift was offered to soothe anger.

However, whether Wuthering Waves can chart a new course remains to be seen. While technical bugs may clear, dub quality takes more effort to overhaul. Refund demands are piling up as players had hoped for smoother sailing right out of port. Only time will tell if this title can withstand the pounding waves or capsize on debut.

PlayStation London Officially Shuts Down

Sony's PlayStation London development studio has officially shut down after over two decades of work. Founded in 2002, the studio helped broaden PlayStation's audience with popular music franchise SingStar, selling over 20 million copies across six games. London also supported the development of titles like Killzone 2 and LittleBigPlanet.

The studio transitioned into augmented and virtual reality experiences for PlayStation with 2012's Wonderbook. Its most renowned PSVR title was the 2019 action game Blood & Truth.

Most recently, London had been working on an undisclosed multiplayer live-service game for PlayStation 5 inspired by Guerrilla Games. However, Sony announced the closure in February as part of project cancellations and layoffs.

The developer thanked fans and colleagues for over two decades of work in the industry.

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to be featured at Xbox's Summer Showcase
• Kingdom Hearts saga launching on Steam next month
• Little Kitty, Big City tops 1M players on Xbox Game Pass
• MultiVersus Launch Trailer reveals Jason Voorhees and The Matrix's Agent Smith

• Report: Sony making PlayStation mobile store for F2P games
• The Witcher Season 4 Teaser provides first look at Liam Hemsworth as Geralt
• xDefiant reportedly netted 1 million players within 2.5 hours of launch

Big Regulatory Changes with the Approval of ETH Spot ETFs and FIT 21

On May 23, the SEC made a major decision by approving several applications for Ether exchange-traded funds. This was seen as a significant step within the cryptocurrency industry.

VanEck, BlackRock, Fidelity, Grayscale, Franklin Templeton, ARK 21Shares, Invesco Galaxy, and Bitwise all had their applications for spot ETH ETFs approved by the SEC. Analysts view this as an implicit recognition that Ether is not a security. If these ETFs receive their final S-1 registration approval, many lawyers believe it will cement that Ether is a commodity rather than a security.

This regulatory momentum followed the recent passing of the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21) through the U.S. House of Representatives. FIT21 aims to provide a framework for determining which cryptocurrencies achieve sufficient decentralization to be exempt from many securities regulations. Its passage indicates the growing acceptance of digital assets from lawmakers.

Gala Gets Exploited for $240M, then Hacker Returns Funds in ETH

In a major security breach, an unidentified attacker minted 5 billion GALA tokens from Gala Games' smart contract on Monday. Worth around $240 million, the tokens were initially sold on Uniswap, crashing the price by 20%.

CEO Eric Schiermeyer confirmed the compromise, saying Gala blocked further access within 45 minutes. The remaining 4.4 billion tokens were frozen in the attacker's wallet. Schiermeyer acknowledged that "internal control" failings enabled the hack.

In a stunning turn, the attacker returned over $22 million in ETH profits to Gala the next day. Schiermeyer signaled the funds may be used to buy and burn GALA tokens, supporting the price.

Questions remained around the vast frozen supply. Initially termed "effectively burned," Schiermeyer now says the community will vote on treating them per Gala's model.

The attack comes amid separate allegations of misused funds between Gala co-founders. As authorities work to identify the culprit, the exploit highlights ongoing security challenges in the growing play-to-earn space.

New CryptoPunks Collection Leads to Backlash

Yuga Labs unveiled artist Nina Chanel Abney's new "Super Punks World" NFT collection, which took inspiration from CryptoPunks traits. However, the project faced significant backlash from the community.

Many collectors were upset that Yuga Labs was trying to expand the original Punks collection, which is considered a blue-chip set. There was a view they should just leave Punks as they were. Others critiqued diluting the iconic project by having another artist riff on the IP.

While some criticism centered on Abney's art style or themes of identity, the strongest reactions targeted Yuga's involvement with Punks at all. In response, Yuga Labs CEO Greg Solano tweeted they would no longer develop Punks further and just keep them preserved on the blockchain.

The situation highlighted tensions around maintaining the integrity of landmark collections versus allowing new iterations. It remains unclear if future artist partnerships for Punks will occur given the negative reception to this launch.

• Bybit announces zkSync (ZK) listing on their page
• Jonah Blake’s anime-style Real Agency PFP NFTs releasing soon
• Latest SocialFi and P2A Updates by Gaming Chronicles
• MetaMask to add Bitcoin support

• MON Protocol reveals airdrop details
• Nyan Heroes’ NYAN token goes live, runs into airdrop claim issues
• Stargate Finance teases v2 launching on May 28
• Web3 entertainment brand “The Nifty” rebrands to BoDoggos Entertainment