OpenAI could undergo massive changes next year, which include getting a brand new logo. According to Fortune, though, staff members were less than enthused when they got a sneak peek of its supposed new logo at a recent company-wide meeting. The company’s hexagonal flower symbol, which has become pretty recognizable thanks to ChatGPT’s popularity, is gone. Instead, it’s replaced by a large black “O” or a simple ring or circle that staffers reportedly found to be devoid of creativity — ominous, even.

Based on how the publication’s sources described it, the new logo sounds like the complete opposite of OpenAI’s current one, which was designed to represent “precision, potential and optimism.” The company apparently started its redesign efforts a year ago after hiring new people for its internal creative and design team. Fortune says one of the reasons OpenAI is going for a brand new look is because it doesn’t own the typefaces used for its logo and its website. The company is, perhaps, looking to solidify its identity as it becomes more of a household name.

Fortune also previously reported that OpenAI is changing its convoluted non-profit corporate structure next year. The company started as a non-profit, and a non-profit entity still controls its for-profit arm. Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, reportedly told employees that the company is moving away from its non-profit structure and is becoming a more traditional for-profit company. If OpenAI’s leaders listen to employee feedback, though, then the new OpenAI will debut with another logo and not one that even its own people find sinister.

RallyHere is a backend services provider that supports the launch of live services games such as Smite 2 and those coming from ProbablyMonsters.

RallyHere is a backend technology company that makes it easier for game companies to launch multiplayer games. It’s a small team based in Atlanta that made it possible to create the multiplayer gaming in the title Smite. Its focus is on live services games, a new category that promises riches but, as recent events have shown, also raises a lot of challenges.

“You have to be steeled for failure and prepared for success in this industry,” said Stewart Chisam, head of RallyHere, in our interview. “It’s a real tough industry. Most games struggle. But if your game does explode (in a good way), the last thing you want to do is burn that lottery ticket. No one knows how their game is going to do before you launch it. We de-risk it.”

It’s a category of gaming that is full of opportunity and peril, as live services games like Smite have lasted for years while Sony’s recently launched Concord — envisioned to last for years as a live services game — flopped in the market and was canceled after just 12 days in the market. One of ProbablyMonsters‘ former divisions (sold to Sony), Firewalk Studios, made the Concord game with the hopes it would last for years. It didn’t. But ProbablyMonsters has more games in the works, and it has raised $250 million.

Chisam said in an interview at the Devcom game developer event in Germany that RallyHere’s job is to offload game developers by handling backend services tasks so the game makers can focus on the game. Hi-Rez Studios has created the RallyHere division to provide its technology to other game companies. The idea is to offload mundane yet critical tasks that game developers don’t have to do so they can focus on making a great game, said Chisam.

“We’re plumbing and infrastructure for these games. What’s going to set your game apart is your game not necessarily the plumbing. It will only set your game apart of the plumbing is bad. Strengthening that plumbing is an advantage we have,” Chisam said.

Chisam said that RallyHere has been crucial in helping its parent company bring Smite 2 to its current stage, just ahead of its launch. It’s a setup not unlike Epic Games and how it uses its game Fortnite to learn about development challenges and address them with improvements to its Unreal game engine. It’s like eating your own dogfood.

“Smite 2 will be interesting. Making a sequel to a live service game is an interesting challenge, but we’re very excited. It’s been great for RallyHere, providing the tech side. And of course, RallyHere is associated with Hi-Rez Studios, which is making Smite 2. It’s good synergy for both learning do a lot of interesting things,” Chisam said.

RallyHere is also accelerating the development of new titles from the Battle Barge and Hidden Grove teams.

Origins

Atlanta-based Hi-Rez Studios announced RallyHere in February 2023, and the goal in the first year or so was to find early customers to work with. That plan worked out. Now RallyHere has 40 people.

Chisam believes the lessons learned in working on the Smite titles will be useful to other game companies. The backend solutions paired with an expert engineering support team will help shape
the success and longevity of live service games.

“Live service games like Smite 2 are incredibly complex,” Chisam said in a talk at Devcom. “You’re not just managing a game; you’re managing an entire ecosystem of players, sessions, servers, and data. That’s where our platform comes in.”

This kind of talk has been echoed by a number of other game backend solution companies, like Playfab, which was acquired by Microsoft.

Chisam said his company works with live services game makers before they launch so that they can manage their live services. He said a lot of customers seem to need help with the prototyping phase as well. A live service game has to have a lot of operations in place as it proceeds. The RallyHere team has enough veterans on it to help companies set up community management and support and more.

“In our view, a company like RallyHere is only going to be successful if our customers are successful, and it’s really important to get to get those other operational elements set up well. And we think over time, we’ll learn where there are opportunities to further automate some of those things and integrate them into the software tools,” he said.

Four key platform components

Chisam highlighted the four key components of RallyHere’s platform, connecting directly to the
challenges all multiplatform, cross-progression live service game developers face.

He said the first thing to focus on is player management.

“At the heart of any great game is a strong connection with the players,” Chisam said. Whether it’s handling logins, linking accounts, or managing a player’s inventory and progress, the goal is to ensure players feel invested and enjoy the game without hiccups. It’s about giving developers the tools to engage and retain players over the long haul.

He also said the next component is sessions and server orchestration. Chisam then introduced Gameflow, explaining, “It’s our comprehensive solution that encompasses Session Management, Matchmaking, and Fleet Commander. Together, they form a powerful system that ensures players are grouped effectively and their sessions are hosted on the best possible servers. This combination balances performance and cost, ensuring that, no matter where your players are, they’re getting the best possible experience.”

RallyHere also focuses on publishing and LiveOps.

“It’s not enough just to launch a game,” Chisam continued. “You’ve got to keep it fresh, keep it engaging. That’s where our Publishing & LiveOps tools come in. These tools help developers manage everything from in-game purchases to rolling out new content and events. And with our Developer Portal, game dev teams can quickly adjust and respond to what’s happening in the game, keeping the community vibrant and the experience fresh.”

And finally RallyHere focuses on data and analytics. Chisam discussed the importance of data in making informed decisions about a game’s future.

“Our data and analytics tools give developers deep insights into what’s happening in their game. It’s not just about tracking KPIs; it’s about understanding player behavior, seeing what’s working and what’s not, and then making the right decisions to improve the game. Whether fine-tuning gameplay mechanics or identifying the best times to launch new content, the data we provide helps developers make smarter decisions that enhance the player experience.”

A shared vision: RallyHere’s collaboration with ProbablyMonsters

RallyHere’s platform isn’t just powering Smite 2; it’s also driving forward the work at ProbablyMonsters,
an independent video game company known for its innovative approach to development. ProbablyMonsters has raised more than $250 million to date.

RallHere’s partnership is built on the same technological foundation that supports Smite 2, providing
comprehensive live service operations for ProbablyMonsters’ upcoming titles.

Mark Subotnick, senior vice president of partnerships at ProbablyMonsters, said in a statement that RallyHere’s track record and deep understanding of game development were key factors in the decision to partner.

“RallyHere isn’t just another service provider,” Subotnick said. “They are also game developers who understand at a deep level what we’re trying to achieve and how to get us there.”

Subotnick emphasized the benefits of working with RallyHere, particularly in terms of reducing the operational headaches that often come with game development. “By having a trusted partner like RallyHere, we can focus on the game itself, knowing that our backend needs are expertly managed,” he added. This close collaboration has enabled ProbablyMonsters to accelerate their development process, moving quickly from testing to playtesting environments with RallyHere’s support.

RallyHere’s growing influence in live service gaming

The success of Smite 2’s alpha launch and the ongoing partnership with ProbablyMonsters highlight RallyHere’s growing influence in the live service gaming space. The platform’s ability to support games at scale, combined with its deep integration with developers, positions RallyHere as one of the games backend services leaders.

As Chisam pointed out at Devcom, the real work begins after a game’s launch. The collaboration between RallyHere and ProbablyMonsters exemplifies the mutual benefits of a well-aligned partnership, with both companies gaining increased velocity and success as they work together to bring new games to market. This partnership sets the stage for future collaborations that will continue to shape the landscape of live service games, Chisam said.

As Activision noted for Call of Duty, skill-based matchmaking is hard because game makers have to balance getting people into a match fast with putting the right combination of skillful players into the match to make the game close.

“I’d rather wait for minutes rather than get into a bad match,” he said. “If you have smaller numbers of players, the problem gets a lot harder.”

Typically, game companies don’t know what load a game can handle until they have lots of players. They can do testing when there are hundreds or small thousands of layers. But when it comes time to launch, there could be a million players or more ready to play the game. And they won’t want to wait.

Looking ahead

RallyHere is working with ProbablyMonsters on a couple of games. Going into 2025, Chisam said, “We’re now looking to more ramp up the sales and marketing and start to execute more on signing up a lot more customers.”

The tech and operations are stable, he said. Now customers with multiple games like ProbablyMonsters can ship them with a common platform. The result is common operations for publishing teams, marketing teams, community and support teams, and common data collection for key metrics.

“That’s really becoming a focus. We’re working with one other kind of multigame publisher we haven’t announced yet as well,” he said.

One of the tasks is to get players in and out of matches in a smooth game flow. Doing that successfully is a complicated thing to orchestrate, he said. There are multiple vendors in this space.

“What we’re able to do is put one API that developers can develop to and then we’re able to go out and work with all of these vendors, plus the major cloud vendors like Azure, and orchestrate this for you, versus you having vendor lock in to any one of those players,” Chisam said. “If one of the vendors has a problem, we can seamlessly reallocate in the backend to another vendor.”

As far as pricing goes, Chisam said his firm is close to the enterprise subscription pricing of other rivals in the market, and RallyHere’s support for Smite 2 is a good proof point. The RallyHere team has grown to about 40 people. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hi-Rez.

As for big hits this year like Helldivers 2 and Palworld, Chisam said that if a game is extremely successful like those games, RallyHere can help a company pivot much faster and gain more advantages given the server orchestration and cross-platform work.

Disclosure: Devcom paid my way to Germany, where I moderated a couple of panels.

Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey, and Rebecca Bellan got back on the mic for the latest episode of Equity to discuss several weird things and at least one cool thing. First, the crew talked about the least weird thing of the week: how nice it is that Cohere co-founder Nick Frosst has a band that people really like.

Then we got weirder. First the good weird: a helmet that squeezes your head, but for a really good reason. It prevents hair loss from chemotherapy. Devin covered Luminate’s latest fundraise and news, and everyone was pleased that money was going to a startup that may really be helping people feel better about themselves during a difficult time. The company is hoping to improve at-home care as well.

Next, Kirsten explained the weird phenomenon of Flink, the “quick commerce” startup that just recently was rumored to be on the block for about $106 million, instead raising $115 million. Quite a turnaround! But as the team discusses, it may be that investors see the possibility that the “tumultuous time” for this sector is ending and Flink may have a good grip on the German market. Still…

Then the weirdness begins in earnest. Rebecca is at the “Principled Business Summit,” aimed at “reclaiming capitalism” from, apparently, itself. She is getting mixed messages from the crowd and the content, which seems to combine enthusiasm for doing the right thing with some fringe tendencies to do… other things.

And weirdest of all, autonomous trucking startup TuSimple’s pivot to… AI-generated animation and video games. What?! Though there is some overlap between simulation and animation/gaming, it’s a wild and unexpected change for the company, and a lot of shareholders are not going for it. Apparently the new division is working on another adaptation of “The Three-Body Problem,” so that’s good… but what about the $450 million they were going to spend on trucks? That conflict is playing out before our eyes. 

Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday. 

Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes over at Simplecast.

There aren’t a lot of details on the project. Ive reportedly met Altman through Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb, and the project is being funded by Ive and the Emerson Collective, Laurene Powell Jobs’ company. The New York Times claims it could raise $1 billion in funding by the end of the year, but makes no mention of Masayoshi Son, the SoftBank CEO rumored last year to have invested $1 billion in the project.

The project only has 10 employees currently, but they include Tang Tan and Evans Hankey, two key people who worked with Ive on the iPhone. As for the device itself? Last year it was rumored to be inspired by touchscreen technology and the original iPhone, which makes sense given Tan’s and Hankey’s involvement.

There’s still no timeline on when we’ll learn more about this project, but the little information dropped in the New York Times should sound very familiar to anyone following the AI hardware scene over the last year:

Mr. Altman and Mr. Ive talked about how generative A.I. made it possible to create a new computing device because the technology could do more for users than traditional software since it could summarize and prioritize messages, identify and name objects like plants and eventually field complex requests like booking travel.

The (digital) ink has barely dried on our iPhone 16 review, and we’re already into iPhone 17 rumor season – with one reliable source suggesting that there are display upgrades in store when Apple‘s 2025 refresh rolls around.

This comes from well-known industry analyst Ross Young (via 9to5Mac), who says that the two cheaper iPhone 17 models are going to get the same always-on display and ProMotion tech that has previously been exclusive to the Pro and Pro Max handsets.

I am standing before one of the most advanced robots in the world and am awestruck and disoriented by its humanoid form. Part Transformer, part Star Wars stormtrooper and with hands that look like they can crush beer cans, at 1.8 metres tall and weighing 120 kilograms, NASA’s Valkyrie robot is an intimidating figure.

But it is the face that most transfixes me. Where the eyes, mouth and nose should be is a cavity filled with an array of whirring and flashing sensors, including advanced lidar detectors…