Spotify’s R5 increase
Huh, would you look at that? Spotify’s wrangled its way into yet another Light Start. This time, it’s not here to brag about some new AI-enabled feature. It’s actually begun notifying South African subscribers that the price of its service will increase come November. The hike will see the price of the streamer’s Premium Individual plan go from R60/m up to R65/m – still beating out Apple Music’s service in terms of pricing.
“We’re increasing the price of Premium… so that we can continue to invest in and innovate on our product offerings and features, and bring you the best experience,” Spotify said in an email to subscribers. This is the first time Spotify has hiked prices in South Africa since the service’s 2018 launch.
It’s not only the Individual plan that’s undergone some changes. The Duo plan is seeing a R5 increase too, going from R80/m to R85/m, though it’s left the R100/m Family plan untouched. The University student plan is getting the same R5 increase, going from R30/m up to R35/m, though Spotify shuffled the plan around on its website.
It’s also introducing a new mobile-only plan that’ll cost R12/week, or closer to R50/m in a regular four-week month. New subscribers looking to join Spotify will be locked into the new prices, though already-subscribed members will continue to pay the old prices until their billing date in November, according to Spotify’s email.
Goodbye Wii U and 3DS online
As of early April 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end service for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. Thank you very much for your continued support of our products.
Find out more: https://t.co/nOyzBImHCE
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) October 4, 2023
Next April, Nintendo will officially shut down nearly all of its Wii U and 3DS’ online services because… it can. According to Nintendo, “This also includes online cooperative play, internet rankings, and data distribution.” If you were once the champion of Mario Kart 8, we’d recommend taking a few screenshots while you still can, to stop the spread of lies concerning your gaming abilities amongst friends and family.
We say ‘nearly all’ of the console’s online services because Nintendo is keeping one service online: Pokémon Bank – the cloud storage service that launched alongside Pokémon X and Y back in 2013. According to the announcement’s FAQ, it mentions that players will still be able to redownload already-bought games (considering the Wii U and 3DS stores demise earlier this year) and download any patches from the eShop for the “foreseeable future.”
Nintendo’s keeping the exact date of closure for the console’s online services under wraps for now, but don’t be surprised if Nintendo sends them to an early grave. Why? Because of this ominous message; “If an event occurs that would make it difficult to continue online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software, we may have to discontinue services earlier than planned.”
We knew this day would come, eventually. Nintendo’s never been the sentimental type, and regularly kills off old games and services seemingly for the fun of it. We’re still awaiting a grand return to the company’s best game – The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Until that day comes, you can satiate your appetite with some of the best Wii U games that did make their way onto the Switch.
TV licences are here to stay
South African Parliament has published the draft South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Bill of 2023, effectively starting the timer for communications minister Mondli Gungubele to develop a “funding model framework” within the next three years, that’ll ensure “the majority of the corporation’s funding is sourced from state-based funding mechanisms”.
We’re more interested in the Bill’s language which indicates the broadcaster’s TV licences are set to stay for the next three years. The bill was expected to deal with the issue of the licence’s record-low compliance rate, even though it is a legal requirement to do so. The bill isn’t changing any of that and still makes it a punishable offence to not show a TV licence when purchasing a TV or refusing to pay the annual fee.
Non-payment of your licence could result in the SABC hunting you down to pay a fee that’s double what you owe to the broadcaster. You might also spend six months in prison and face a R500 fine if convicted of non-payment. What’s more, any retailer caught selling a TV without the requisite TV licence could be fined up to R10,000 per offence.
Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us spin-off might not be happening
Naughty Dog, makers of The Last of Us and Uncharted, is suffering a round of layoffs, with the 400-strong studio ridding itself of around 25 developers. It’s reportedly not affecting any full-time developers, but only affects quality assurance (QA) contractors.
The loss of 25 QA contractors has apparently caused Naughty Dog to halt the development of its The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off game. It’s “basically on ice” according to Kotaku, though it confirmed that the project hasn’t been cancelled entirely. A small task force is still assigned to the game for the time being, “while the company reevaluates the direction.”
Still, you can’t miss what you never had, right? Unless you’re counting the excellent multiplayer mode that appeared alongside the first game’s story mode – in which case, we’d be sad to see what a standalone game might look like. Still, it might be kinder to let the project go. It’s not had the smoothest development since it was announced a few years back, with the developer last announcing a delay to the game back in May.
“We know many of you have been looking forward to hearing more about our The Last of Us multiplayer game,” it said. “We’re incredibly proud of the job our studio has done thus far, but as development has continued, we’ve realized what is best for the game is to give it more time.”