Netflix Looking To Expand Squid Game Into Video Games

Squid Game on Netflix is undeniably popular. So much so that a South Korean ISP sued the streaming service for its overwhelming network usage. But it’s the same kind of popularity that has convinced the streaming service that the show should not remain just as a TV series.

Minyoung Kim, VP of content for Asia at Netflix, told The Hollywood Reporter that the company is looking to expand Squid Game to “games, consumer products, and others”. She notes that there has been “an overwhelming but happy volume of requests” to do so.

The video games side of things make sense, but it’s unclear what sort of direction that Netflix wants to take Squid Game into. The company’s previous dabbling in the field produced a couple of games based on the Stranger Things series. But beyond that, the company has just resorted to including selected paid mobile games into the package for subscribers. And that’s only available in three countries in Europe for now.

Another Netflix show comes to mind if the streaming service wants to add interactivity to Squid Game, and that’s Black Mirror Bandersnatch. Which can work, depending on the amount of context that gets lost in translation, like many video games from Japan.

Huawei To Expand Car Collaboration With Changan To Include Making Automotive Chips

Huawei is broadening its existing smart car partnership with government-owned Changan Automobile to include the design and development of automotive chips, sources told Reuters.

For months, both companies have been informally working together on chips, two sources told Reuters. Another source claimed that the companies might soon enter a joint venture dedicated to chip development.

The move does seem natural as the global automotive industry has seen crippling production delays due to an ongoing shortage of semiconductor chips. Major chip producers see the shortage lasting into next year.

Also, last month, Huawei announced that it would collaborate with three automakers to produce self-driving cars with the Huawei name as a sub-brand. Changan is one of those automakers. The company has worked on developing its own chips, but hasn’t gotten far, two sources told Reuters.

Huawei’s smart car collaboration with Changan involves the former providing the vehicle’s operating system and cabin technologies while latter is assigned vehicle design and engineering.

Huawei’s pivot to the automotive industry comes after its core smartphone business was wrecked by US sanctions enacted by former US President Donald Trump. In April, the company said it would spend over US$1 billion (~RM4.1 billion) to research and develop self-driving and electric car technologies.

Government To Expand AstraZeneca Vaccine Distribution Nationwide

The government will be expanding the distribution of the AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccine to other states in Malaysia, according to the Chairman of the COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF), Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. This decision was made after the first registration session for Selangor and Kuala Lumpur residents which took place yesterday.

Even though the initial experience was rather unpleasant due to technical difficulties and massive traffic, yesterday’s AZ vaccine registration day was fairly successful as all of the 268,000 available doses were reserved in a span of 3 hours and 12 minutes.

For the nationwide distribution, it will be taking into account individuals that don’t have access to the Internet, as opposed to yesterday’s session for Selangor and Kuala Lumpur which was done completely online through the official website for the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV).

For this purpose, the authorities will be roping in the Ministry of Health’s Community Clinics to distribute the AZ vaccine which will continue to be offered on a voluntary basis according to Minister Khairy. As for the Sarawak state government who had rejected the offer for the vaccine, the minister hopes that the state will reconsider its decision.

On a related note, Minister Khairy revealed that MySejahtera experienced 8,000 cancellations for vaccine appointment when the government announced the inclusion of the AZ vaccine into PICK. After it found out that the number of cancellations was steadily rising, JKJAV then decided to establish a separate distribution channel for the vaccine.

The minister added that around 80% of those that cancelled their vaccine appointment came back and registered again after the AZ vaccine received its own distribution program. From there, it seems rather clear that vaccine hesitancy is a real issue when it comes to the particular vaccine.

Revenue Monster Partners With Alipay To Expand Reach of Local F&B Businesses

Malaysian fintech company Revenue Monster is integrating its core service and hence its F&B merchants into the Alipay platform through a so-called mini program. This means more reach and more potential revenue for the merchants as well as a greater array of choices for Alipay users.

Through the mini program, Revenue Monster’s core service – called à la carte – will be  integrated directly into the Alipay app. à la carte essentially helps businesses set up their own online store that’s capable of handling contactless in-store ordering, delivery, comprehensive payments (like e-wallets) and more.

In short, it’s a digitalisation tool. à la carte was apparently launched in early 2020 during the first MCO and serves prominent merchants such as Sushi King, Kenny Rogers Roasters and Dragon-I.

“With the Alipay mini program, we hope to increase our merchant base whilst also bringing more value to more than 6,000 merchants on the Revenue Monster platform by extending their digital reach to new customer segments,” said Revenue Monster CEO Amanda Chin.

The company claims to offer the “lowest platform fees” at 18% for merchants who join the mini program. As an additional benefit to merchants, from now until 31 May 2021, the company said that merchants who sign up for a minimum of one year will also receive one payment terminal for free.

In addition to its participation in the Alipay mini program, Revenue Monster said it plans to further expand its base and bring its service to other platforms this year.

Bungie To Expand Destiny Universe Into Additional Media

Bungie, the studio behind the Destiny series of games, wants it to be more than just games. On its website, the company mentions an expansion of not only the studio, but the universe of Destiny into “additional media”.

That being said, Bungie did not disclose much in terms of what its exact plans are in expanding the Destiny universe into other media. Granted, that’s not the main point of its post. Instead, the studio explains in detail its expansion plans for the year 2021. This includes additions to its executive ranks as well as board of directors.

And that lack of information makes it difficult to tell if what Bungie has in mind is a good idea. On one hand, plenty of video game IPs are getting expanded into more mainstream entertainment media. This ranges from the highly successful Witcher Netflix series to most video game movies that bomb hard. Even Dota is getting a Netflix animated series for the Dragon Knight character.

On the other, there’s the risk of overdoing it the way Final Fantasy XV did. Splitting one main story into so many different media ended up fragmenting the experience rather than supplementing it. Hopefully Bungie knows what it’s doing with its Destiny universe “additional media” plans.