HeyWhatsNew: TikTok Expands Sharing Features and Where Winds Meet Shocks Devs with Global Success
Heyuppers, great to see you again! Here’s what’s new in tech, innovation, and gaming starting this week, 08/12/2025.
TikTok Introduces Shared Collections and Teases Shared Feeds
TikTok is rolling out Shared Collections, a new feature that lets users organize and share content with friends or family in one place. Building on its earlier individual Collections, Shared Collections allow users to collaboratively save ideas, from holiday plans and decor inspiration to project tips, while keeping content private or public. Accounts over 16 can use the feature, but both participants must follow each other to create a Shared Collection.
Looking ahead, TikTok is teasing Shared Feeds, which will let users watch content together through a personalized feed based on both users’ interests. Shared Feeds will deliver a daily selection of 15 videos, generate insights like “Shared Likes,” and include a chat function via DMs. The feature is similar to Instagram Reels’ Blend and aims to make content discovery more interactive. TikTok is also adding greeting cards within chats for sending festive, animated messages to friends.
Gen Z Embraces Retro Tech for Nostalgia and Authenticity
Gen Z is turning to retro tech as a way to unplug from the digital world and reconnect with tactile, nostalgic experiences. From DVDs and vinyl records to film cameras and handheld consoles like the PSP, young people are drawn to products that offer ownership, hands-on interaction, and a break from instant gratification. Retailers like Amazon, Currys, and John Lewis report rising sales of retro gadgets, including portable turntables, Tamagotchis, instant cameras, and radios.
For many, the appeal lies in authenticity and nostalgia. DVDs provide a sense of ownership and physicality that streaming services can’t replicate, vinyl offers rich, tangible sound and cover art, and film cameras add a deliberate, creative process to photography. Handheld consoles like the PSP allow gamers to enjoy a simpler, distraction-free experience. While some see these trends as temporary, others, like collectors of vinyl or PSP games, embrace them as lasting hobbies that combine fun with a connection to the past.
Apple Urges iPhone Users to Avoid Chrome and Google Apps
Apple is warning iPhone users to avoid using Google Chrome and certain Google apps, highlighting privacy concerns. The company emphasizes that Safari protects user privacy by preventing advertisers and websites from tracking devices through “fingerprinting.” Safari combats this by presenting a simplified version of a device’s configuration, making it harder for trackers to identify individual users.
The alert underlines Apple’s ongoing focus on privacy, contrasting its browser with competitors like Chrome, which do not offer the same protections against covert tracking techniques. Users are encouraged to switch to Safari to reduce the risk of being profiled or tracked online.
Rumors Swirl Around Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Remake
The long-rumored Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag remake could be revealed soon, fueled by recent Steam activity and months of updates to the 2013 original. Ubisoft has not confirmed the project, but fans have speculated about a potential reveal at The Game Awards 2025, ahead of a rumored March 2026 release. Updates to the game’s files, totaling over 250MB, suggest testing of new features or preparation for a trailer.
Leaks indicate the remake may introduce RPG-style gameplay like newer Assassin’s Creed titles, remove modern-day story elements, and eliminate loading screens between ship and land segments. While the changes remain unverified, the remake carries high expectations, as Black Flag is widely regarded as one of the best entries in the franchise. A successful revamp could help Ubisoft regain goodwill amid recent criticism over micro-transactions, AI use, and company setbacks.
Netflix’s New Deal Includes WB Games
Netflix’s plan to acquire Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion could bring major change to the gaming world, since the deal includes the full WB Games division. That means Netflix would gain control of major studios and franchises such as Portkey Games and Hogwarts Legacy, Avalanche Software, NetherRealm’s Mortal Kombat and Injustice series, Rocksteady’s Batman Arkham legacy, TT Games’ LEGO titles, and multiple Warner Bros. Games teams across the US. With so many high-profile IPs and experienced studios under one roof, Netflix suddenly becomes a heavyweight in gaming, even if games weren’t the core reason behind the acquisition.
The deal still needs regulatory approval and likely won’t close until late 2026. In the meantime, the future of WB Games remains uncertain, especially after recent studio closures and canceled projects. Once the acquisition is complete, Netflix could choose to invest in large-scale AAA development, integrate major titles into its subscription model, or even greenlight new games based on Netflix-owned IPs like Stranger Things. For now, all eyes are on how Netflix will reshape its gaming strategy once it officially gains control of some of the industry’s most valuable talent and franchises.
Where Winds Meet Stuns Developers with Global Breakout Success
Where Winds Meet has quickly become one of the year’s biggest surprises, pulling in nine million players within its first two weeks and peaking at over 251,000 concurrent players on Steam. Developed by Everstone Studio, the free-to-play Soulslike has captivated a worldwide audience with its blend of open-world exploration, cinematic martial arts movement, and mythic storytelling set in ancient China.
Lead Producer Beralt Lyu shared that the massive response far exceeded anything the team expected, transforming the atmosphere inside the studio as developers celebrated their sudden global impact. While the success brings new pressure, watching players share combat clips, theories, and in-game discoveries has been a major highlight for the team.
That’s a wrap for this week, Heyuppers. Catch us next time for more tech, gaming, and innovation updates.
