Crypto PAC Fairshake expanded its war chest to $193M by the end of last year, up from $141M in July; Ripple gave $25M, and a16z gave $24M in H2 2025 (Emily Wilkins/CNBC)

Crypto PAC Fairshake expanded its war chest to $193M by the end of last year, up from $141M in July; Ripple gave $25M, and a16z gave $24M in H2 2025 (Emily Wilkins/CNBC)

Emily Wilkins / CNBC : Crypto PAC Fairshake expanded its war chest to $193M by the end of last year, up from $141M in July; Ripple gave $25M, and a16z gave $24M in H2 2025 —  The crypto political action committee Fairshake amassed $193 million by the end of last year, positioning itself to play a major role …

February’s PS Plus Monthly Games include Undisputed and Subnautica: Below Zero

February’s PS Plus Monthly Games include Undisputed and Subnautica: Below Zero

We’ve somehow almost reached the end of January already, which means it’s time for Sony to divulge the list of PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for February . They are Undisputed , Subnautica: Below Zero, Ultros and Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown . If you have a PS Plus subscription on any tier, you can claim these starting on February 3. After claiming them, these games will stay in your library as long as your PS Plus plan remains active. Undisputed (PS5) is a 2024 boxing game with dozens of licensed fighters across several weight classes. They include legendary figures like Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson as well as modern greats including Canelo Alvarez and Oleksandr Usyk. Subnautica: Below Zero (PS4 and PS5) is a spin-off from adventure survival game Subnautica . It has more land-based areas to explore than the original game and you’ll need to keep an eye on a body temperature meter to make sure you stay warm enough. I’ve been meaning to check out Ultros (PS4 and PS5) for a while and its inclusion here is almost enough to make me want to re-subscribe to PS Plus. It's a Metroidvania with a striking neon palette. As for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (PS4), that could be a good way for folks to dip back into the long-running combat flight sim series (or try it for the first time) before Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve arrives later this year. PS Plus subscribers still have until February 2 to add the Monthly Games for January to their library. Those are Need For Speed Unbound, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed and Core Keeper. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/februarys-ps-plus-monthly-games-include-undisputed-and-subnautica-below-zero-205100847.html?src=rss

Patreon creators have to switch to subscription billing by November, thanks to Apple

Patreon creators have to switch to subscription billing by November, thanks to Apple

Patreon creators will need to make some changes soon, thanks to Apple. On Wednesday, Patreon said Apple has renewed its requirement that all Patreon creators must move to subscription billing. The deadline to do so is November 1, 2026. Patreon's blog post announcing the change made it clear that it had no other choice. "We strongly disagree with this decision," the company wrote. "Creators need consistency and clarity in order to build healthy, long-term businesses. Instead, creators using legacy billing will now have to endure the whiplash of another policy reversal — the third such change from Apple in the past 18 months." Up to this point, Patreon’s billing model has operated in a gray area, allowing its creators to charge fans outside the App Store without paying Apple’s fees. This was because some of the content people were paying for could be consumed in-app, while others couldn’t. But now Apple has reimposed its subscription mandate, eliminating the gray area. "We know that Apple is serious about enforcing this mandate," Patreon wrote. "Late last year, they blocked a Patreon app update and made it clear that in order to remain in the App Store, we have to comply with their billing requirement. Because millions of fans use iOS as their primary way to access Patreon and connect with creators, having our app blocked — or not available in the App Store at all — isn't an option." Patreon’s "whiplash" description isn't hyperbole. Apple first announced the mandate in 2024. At that time, the deadline for all Patreon creators to make the switch was set to November 2025 — one that Patreon grudgingly accepted. But according to the company, Apple told it last May that the original 2025 deadline was no longer in effect. Now, it appears to have reversed that again. If there's a silver lining, TechCrunch notes that only 4 percent of Patreon creators are using the affected (legacy) billing models. And fans can still bypass Apple's fees on iOS by joining via their iPhone's web browser. Patreon has much more detail for creators in its announcement post . DAVOS, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 21: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaks to Apple CEO Tim Cook (L) as he attends a reception for business leaders (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images As for Apple, well, this familiar role of "Big, Bad App Store Taxman" pales in comparison to some of its other recent headlines. For starters, there was its removal of the ICEBlock app (and another that logged ICE arrest recordings ) in October. At least as concerning is an app category that the “Privacy is a human right” company won't remove. Grok, X and (reportedly) dozens of other apps now allow iPhone owners to "digitally undress" real people , including children. 28 advocacy groups even called on the company to remove them , to no avail. To top it all off, Tim Cook decided that Saturday — the day Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents — would be a good time to attend the screening of Melania at the White House. He even posed for a selfie with accused rapist Brett Ratner, the film’s director. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/patreon-creators-have-to-switch-to-subscription-billing-by-november-thanks-to-apple-203759852.html?src=rss

Fidelity Investments announces its own stablecoin, the Fidelity Digital Dollar, or FIDD, available to institutional and retail clients in the coming weeks (Jeff John Roberts/Fortune)

Fidelity Investments announces its own stablecoin, the Fidelity Digital Dollar, or FIDD, available to institutional and retail clients in the coming weeks (Jeff John Roberts/Fortune)

Jeff John Roberts / Fortune : Fidelity Investments announces its own stablecoin, the Fidelity Digital Dollar, or FIDD, available to institutional and retail clients in the coming weeks —  Fidelity Investments, one of the largest asset managers on the planet, announced on Wednesday it will launch its own stablecoin.