Tech
Indie studio bets on new game after buying freedom from Sega
French developer Amplitude knows that “every game could be the last” as it prepares a big bet on a new strategy title less than a year after buying its independence back from Sega.
With the games industry enduring weak growth in recent years, it’s rare and risky for smaller operators to separate from a larger entity.
“When you’re independent, you have to be crystal clear that every game could be the last,” said Romain de Waubert de Genlis, the head of the Paris-based outfit.
His team of 50-odd developers are days away from releasing an early-access version of “Endless Legend 2” for PC, ahead of the polished final product sometime next year.
Founded by former workers at French games juggernaut Ubisoft, Amplitude made a name for itself with different games bearing the “Endless” label, from space-faring empire builder “Endless Space” in 2012, to the original fantasy strategy title “Endless Legend” in 2014.
Sega bought up the studio in 2016 in an effort to take on the strategy genre’s unstoppable force, the “Civilization” series, and Amplitude’s 2021 effort “Humankind” was generally well received.
But an industry-wide slowdown after the pandemic lockdowns pushed Sega into trimming its more than 8,000 employees worldwide, slashing hundreds of jobs in Europe and selling off Canadian studio Relic Entertainment.
Crisis into opportunity
Scenting opportunity, Amplitude negotiated its own separation, securing the rights to its intellectual property and keeping on around 170 staff.
“We would never have been able to leave Sega” without the crisis, boss de Waubert de Genlis said of the management buyout that was also backed by around 30 employees and some outside investors.
The split took almost 18 months before becoming official in November 2024, leaving Amplitude with around “one year of runway” to achieve independent cruising speed, the 50-year-old chief added.
This May, Amplitude scored a 12 million-euro ($14 million) capital raise, including from French public investment bank Bpifrance and American specialist investment fund Griffin Gaming Partners.
“What was at stake was continuing to make the type of game that we’re good at,” de Waubert de Ganlis said.
The team had feared that staying with Sega would leave them forced into working on projects far outside their expertise, or expose them to the rolling layoffs.
‘Standing over an abyss’
The terms of the separation allowed Amplitude to hang on to its “Games2Gether” platform, a messaging service with more than two million users offering the developers feedback on issues like game balance and new features.
“It’s this community-based development that really sets us apart from other studios,” said creative director Jean-Max Moris.
In its lifetime, Amplitude says it has sold 12 million copies of its six games, with each costing between 10 and 25 million euros to develop.
More than 300,000 gamers have already added “Endless Legend 2” to their wishlist on the Steam PC gaming platform, which the team has taken as encouragement for their leap in the dark.
Going independent has really created a sense of “standing over the abyss,” Moris said.
“When you belong to a publisher, if a game tanks there’s still a safety net.”
Amplitude are still working on another as-yet-unannounced title and an animated series set in the “Endless” universe, developed with British production company Passion Pictures—hoping that spreading its bets can safely lift it into independent flight.
© 2025 AFP
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Tech
Amazon’s Spring Sale Is So-So, but Cadence Capsules Are a Bright Spot
The WIRED Reviews Team has been covering Amazon’s Big Spring Sale since it began at on Wednesday, and the overall deals have been … not great, honestly. So far, we’ve found decent markdowns on vacuums, smart bird feeders, and even an air fryer we love, but I just saw that Cadence Capsules, those colorful magnetic containers you may have seen on your social media pages, are 20 percent off. (For reference, the last time I saw them on sale, they were a measly 9 percent off.)
If you’re not familiar, they allow you to decant your full-sized personal care products you use at home—from shampoo and sunscreen to serums and pills—into a labeled, modular system of hexagonal containers that are leak-proof, dishwasher safe, and stick together magnetically in your bag or on a countertop. No more jumbled, travel-sized toiletries and leaky, mismatched bottles and tubes.
Cadence Capsules have garnered some grumbling online for being overly heavy or leaking, but I’ve been using them regularly for about a year—I discuss decanting your daily-use products in my guide to How to Pack Your Beauty Routine for Travel—and haven’t experienced any leaks. They do add weight if you’re trying to travel super-light, and because they’re magnetic, they will also stick to other metal items in your toiletry bag, like bobby pins or other hair accessories. This can be annoying, especially if you’re already feeling chaotic or in a hurry.
Otherwise, Capsules are modular, convenient, and make you feel supremely organized—magnetic, interchangeable inserts for the lids come with permanent labels like “shampoo,” “conditioner,” “cleanser,” and “moisturizer.” Maybe you love this; maybe you don’t. But at least if you buy on Amazon, you can choose which label genre you get (Haircare, Bodycare, Skincare, Daily Routine). If this just isn’t your jam, the Cadence website offers a set of seven that allows you to customize the color and lid label of each Capsule, but that set is not currently on sale.
Tech
Fellow Readers, Don’t Miss These E-Reader Sales
This is the older Kindle Scribe, but the price and features are the best you’ll get, especially when it’s on sale like this. I still reach for this model even though I have the newer third generation, and keep in mind the second generation will also get some of the newer software and experiences over time. With the sale, it’s half the price of the newer model.
If you’re already a Kindle reader and looking to upgrade, it’s likely because you want a new feature like a color screen. While the Kobo above is the better buy, if you want to stay in the Kindle ecosystem but add some color to your books, both the Colorsoft and Colorsoft Signature are on sale.
If you’re looking to spend as little as possible, the basic Kindle (11th generation) is still a great e-reader and is currently under $100. It can do almost everything the other Kindles can (except the Scribe) on a snappy black-and-white screen. It doesn’t have a warm front light either, but it’s still a great purchase for the price.
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Tech
This Speaker I Tried From Soundboks Can Handle a Real Party
In addition to the rubber balls, there’s a nice physical interface on the side for adjusting volume and pairing multiple Mix speakers together if you have multiple on hand (I was only sent the single mono speaker). Setup involves installing the Soundboks app, pairing to the speaker via Bluetooth on your phone, and picking whatever you want to play. It’s all quick and painless, especially for my first-time pairing with a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Otherwise, it’s all very pro audio. Everything reminds me very much of the Peavey PA system I have in my music rehearsal space. The top of the speaker features a built-in carrying handle and a place for a strap (an accessory you have to buy aftermarket, or you can fasten it with any strap you have that fits through the hole). There are also top-hat mounts for the speakers to slide onto traditional PA pole stands, if you wanted to use them in that way at a party or event.
The grill is replaceable, as is the massive internal battery, which means that these things are pretty much indestructible as long as the amp and speakers themselves still work—the battery is the weak point of most portable speakers in 2026.
I bounced it around my yard, dropped it off my patio, and generally beat the crap out of it during my two-week testing period, and the thing just needed a little wipe down and a charge when it ran out of juice. The claimed 40 hours of battery at reasonable volume is accurate, but you’ll get about eight hours at max volume (which is very good for the category). If you need to bring some walk-out music to your kid’s all-day Little League tournament, this a great way to go.
Big Sound
Photograph: Parker Hall
Soundboks calls this speaker midsize, but at 21.4 pounds and the size of a medium-size cooler, I’d still call it a large speaker. That said, the size doesn’t make it any less portable than competitors from JBL and others; you still need a car or cargo ebike to take one of these with you, so what’s a couple inches here or there? The fact that this is a rectangle actually makes it easier to strap down than many others, especially with the holes for the strap and the built-in handle to tie down through.
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