Semafor:
Sources: the US and China approve a deal to sell TikTok's US business to a group of mostly US investors led by Oracle and Silverlake, set to close this week  —  The US and China have signed off on a deal to sell TikTok's US business to a consortium of mostly US investors led by Oracle and Silverlake …

Today’s Xbox Developer Direct kicked off with the first look at gameplay for Forza Horizon 6. We got a look at the game’s cover cars, a breakdown of new customization features, and, of course, a glimpse into how much fun driving across the game’s rendition of Japan could be. 

The campaign sees players begin as a tourist who joins the Horizon festival and climb the ranks, a departure from previous entries where the player is already a relative superstar. You’ll still progress via the established wristband system, but Horizon 6 introduces a new method of progression called the Collection Journal. The Collection Journal is inspired by Japanese stamp collecting and lets players build a digital collection of mementos discovered while exploring. Players can take photos of murals, landmarks, and other scenic sights to save to the journal as well. 

Japan is the series’ biggest map yet. Tokyo alone is the largest city in the series, featuring multiple districts for players to cruise through and recognizable sights, such as Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo Tower, and Ginko Avenue. Playground Games is also striving to accurately represent topographical details, from various countryside to mountains and city streets, to add as much authenticity to the experience as possible. Seasons also return, shifting the environment from winter to spring and beyond. 

Of course, Japanese car culture will be represented in a major way. Cars have no customization options and a fully overhauled roster for improved balancing. More cars will be available at launch than ever before, and new aftermarket cars include rare or unique vehicles to unlock at a bargain. Playground also revealed Forza Horizon 6’s cover cars: the 2025 GR GT Prototype and the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser. 

Players can now build custom structures from any location, and building is now fully multiplayer, allowing friends to concoct creations together. In addition to unlocking player houses for vehicle storage and fast travel, you’ll also unlock a new destination called The Estate. This giant plot of land gives players a blank canvas to build what they want. What begins as a rural section of land can be transformed into mountain hideaways, your own personal race track, a factory complex, and more, based on items purchased using in-game currency. 

Another new feature is Car Meets, inspired by the real-world Daikoku car meet. This social space is always available to join, and it lets players meet up, share custom paint jobs and designs, and purchase their own versions of cars they like. 

New driving features include Auto-drive and proximity radar. In terms of accessibility options, Forza Horizon 6 features a customizable high-contrast mode to help make the game easier to play for the visually impaired. 

The trailer ends with a tantalizing tease of a pair of giant robotic feet stepping behind a vehicle that looked suspiciously like a Gundam. Given Forza Horizon’s penchant for crossover content, odds are we’ll be piloting a mobile suit, which is the perfect fit given the setting. 

Forza Horizon 6 launches on May 19 for Xbox Series X/S and PC, and it will come to PlayStation 5 later this year. 

During Xbox's Developer Direct today, Double Fine took a surprise spot on the virtual stage to announce its charming new pottery party game, Kiln.

Developed as part of Double Fine's internal game jam Amnesia Fortnight, Kiln is a multiplayer party brawler where you build pots and destroy them. Per today's Xbox Developer Direct, the drive behind Kiln is allowing players to build creatively, and then letting them destroy each other's creations. The Quench mode, for example, tasks players with picking up  and carrying water to their enemies' kiln, with the goal of dousing it for the win. It's reminiscent of a MOBA in some ways, or Splatoon, or maybe just multiplayer objective-based games in general. 

There are tons of options for shaping and sculpting your pottery, with detection tools for identifying specific shapes like bowls or cups. Once they enter the arena, they can run, jump, and attack, and each shape also has different special attacks all their own. Plates can fling a pie, for example. Maps range from dance floors to ancient history, with different lanes and avenues. Some paths might only be accessible for specific shapes, giving a small advantage to the little cups.

Kiln is set to arrive in spring 2026 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Double Fine plans to host a beta ahead of that launch, with specific details yet to be announced. If you want to sign up for the beta, you can do so at Double Fine's site here.

Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
Snap updates its Family Center tool to let parents view daily screen time averages and a breakdown of time spent by specific app segment like Snap Map  —  Two days after settling a lawsuit accusing Snapchat of causing social media addiction and mental health issues, Snap announced that it's introducing new parental controls.

Will Knight / Wired:
Source: Google DeepMind signs a licensing deal with Hume AI, which builds emotionally intelligent voice interfaces, to hire CEO Alan Cowen and ~7 top engineers  —  Hume AI's CEO, Alan Cowen, will join Google DeepMind along with several top engineers as part of a major licensing deal.