AfricanGrey

Summary:

Midnight Society, the game studio co-founded by Dr Disrespect, has shut down and canceled its in-development game, Deadrop. This follows significant layoffs in September after the studio cut ties with Dr Disrespect in June due to inappropriate messages he exchanged with a minor. Ironically, shortly after the studio's closure, YouTube reinstated Dr Disrespect's monetization, citing a review of his recent activity and a warning against future violations. Midnight Society, founded in 2021, was developing Deadrop, a free-to-play extraction shooter initially funded by NFT sales. The studio stated they are trying to find other employment opportunities for their team.

Meta agreed to a $25 million settlement over a 2021 lawsuit President Donald Trump brought against Meta for suspending his accounts after the January 6th insurrection at the US Capitol. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the news, and Meta spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed the settlement to The Verge.

It’s a step that Trump discussed with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during his recent visit to Mar-a-Lago, The Verge has independently confirmed. One unnamed source told The Journal that Trump indicated the lawsuit would need to be resolved before Zuckerberg would have a chance of being “brought into the tent.”

The White House and an advisor to Trump did not immediately provide comment.

The settlement, which would contribute $22 million toward Trump’s presidential library funds as well as legal fees, is the latest signal of Trump’s powerful influence over corporate America. Trump’s odds of success in the case did not look particularly promising, given that a judge dismissed a similar suit filed against Twitter (now X) and another against Google was administratively closed. The docket has been stagnant since 2023. But now back in the White House, Zuckerberg and many of his tech and business peers have recognized the immense influence Trump could wield over their companies and have taken a much more proactive role in engaging with his administration compared to last time.

Trump filed a class action lawsuit against Meta in 2021, seeking damages for himself and other users whose accounts were allegedly “wrongly restricted or curtailed.” Facebook had announced an indefinite suspension on Trump’s accounts after his posts during the January 6th insurrection at the US Capitol that year. At the time, Zuckerberg said, “The shocking events of the last 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden.” Eventually, the company dropped restrictions on his accounts.

ABC News similarly settled a defamation lawsuit Trump brought over anchor George Stephanopoulos’ mischaracterization of the charge Trump was found liable for in the case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. And CBS owner Paramount has also discussed settling a Trump lawsuit over the news outlet’s interview with his then-opponent Kamala Harris, understanding that his administration could make it difficult to close a merger with Skydance Media, according to the Journal.