It’s Friday and even Google employees have to deal with bad internet. According to Gizmodo, remote workers (reluctantly) returning to the company’s Mountain View offices have discovered that the building’s WiFi really, really sucks.

SPIRIT CITY

A new Lofi Girl-inspired focus tool combines chill beats and cute companions

A new “gamified focus tool” could be a godsend for every Lofi Girl fan on a deadline.

The title: With a “soothing lofi soundtrack” and a setting inspired by the YouTube sensation LoFi Girl, Spirit City: Lofi Sessions looks to be a useful (and adorable) addition to any busy gamer’s library. At the beginning of each run, players see an anime girl studying by the window with her animal companion before gaining the option to “explore different combinations of room activities, soundscapes, and decor options.”

• Productivity features like to-do lists, pomodoro timers, and habit trackers allow users to stay on track while they attempt to “lure out mischievous Spirits.” That format has an added benefit for fans of games like Pokémon and Slime Rancher:

The details: Spirit City developer and publisher Mooncube Games is a Montreal-based studio focused on promoting “positive and uplifting experiences that align with our core values of kindness, empathy, and inclusivity.” Its new productivity tool has a planned release date of April 8.

• It’s worth noting Mooncube didn’t actually work with the Lofi Girl label to soundtrack Spirit City; instead, the studio teamed up with Homework Radio.

The context: Luckily for die-hard Lofi Girl fans, the original 24/7 YouTube stream has built up a bustling media empire of its own. Over the last few years, Lofi Records and Lofi Studio have leveraged their signature character’s popularity to offer college scholarships, collaborate with other hit channels, launch new characters, release merch, debut an avatar generator, and build a catalog of 300+ musicians.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• A nine-part, Instagram-based series produced by Portal A will follow 18-year-old Olympian Bella Sims as she fits years of missed slice-of-life activities into one week. (Tubefilter)
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• A study from researchers at the University of Oxford, Stanford, and other institutions found that ChatGPT is more likely to convict African American English speakers of crimes. (Gizmodo)
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• Discord is teaming up with developers to bring video game-themed profile effects and avatars to its in-app shop. (The Verge)
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• A boxing match between YouTuber Jake Paul and pro fighter Mike Tyson will be streamed exclusively on Netflix on July 20. (Gizmodo)

COLUMNS • CREATORS ON THE RISE 📈

This extreme couponer is all about spreading the wealth

How it started: Keesh Deesh grew up hunting down good deals with her mother, who had sharp financial senses and a knack for finding the best sales. Keesh Deesh carried both skills into adulthood—and by 2016, she was ready to put them to the test.

• The creator and her husband had grown “tired of living paycheck to paycheck” when inspiration flashed across their TV screen (in the form of TLC’s Extreme Couponers). Keesh Deesh was “pretty sure” the whole show couldn’t be a scam, so she decided to test out the concept for herself.
  
  

• It was hard work, but effective—and once grocery stores starting paying her at the register, Keesh Deesh knew it was time to share her knowledge with the masses. By 2021, she was a full-time Facebook creator with hundreds of thousands of fans.

How it’s going: That dedication has paid off in a big way. In addition to earning her a recent cover feature in GMARO Magazine, Keesh Deesh’s Dollar Diva group has grown to encompass more than 420,000 members.

• The creator still posts over a hundred links per week (many of which bring her revenue through affiliate marketing) and has also successfully “retired” her husband, who now works alongside her full-time.

What’s up next: After building so much success on Facebook, Keesh Deesh is ready to “venture out there.” Over the next year or so, she plans “to explore TikTok or maybe YouTube or things like that and just get out there more.”

OUT IN THE OPEN

Twitch’s CEO has a message for streamers (and big plans for 2024)

The game plan: Dan Clancy isn’t letting Twitch’s turbulent 2023 get in the way of a productive 2024. In an open letter published March 6, the CEO outlined Twitch’s plans to “better meet” its community’s needs over the next twelve months. That checklist centered around three basic themes:

1. Updating the app: After five years without a major update, Twitch’s mobile app is finally getting the redesign it deserves (albeit without a stated release date). Clancy revealed that Twitch plans to set its TikTok-style Discover feed as the app’s default landing page, while “rebuilding” the ways in which users purchase subscriptions, gifts, and Bits, and optimizing Hype Train.

2. Optimizing discoverability: Twitch also aims to help creators reach new viewers by improving co-streaming and introducing an option for streamers and viewers to export stream clips directly to Instagram. In addition to those updates, the CEO noted that the platform will “be adding ways to merge chats and combine viewership.”

3. Improving community-building tools: Finally, Twitch hopes to better facilitate community-building by updating Hype Train, adding “new types of interactions with Bits to evolve cheering,” and offering “new milestones and rewards that your community can unlock.”

Why it matters: The last year and a half has presented Twitch and its community with a seemingly unending series of speed bumps—including multiple rounds of layoffs, several creator-alienating policy changes, the rise of competitors like Kick, and a total departure from South Korea.

• Since taking on the role of CEO last March, Clancy has worked to undo some of that damage and reconnect Twitch with its disillusioned creator community. Upgrading the platform’s mobile experience and improving discoverability would be an enormous step in the right direction—if all goes according to plan.

WATCH THIS 📺

MatPat wrapped up his final Style Theory episode with a major announcement

The grand finale: In January, MatPat revealed to fans that he’d be stepping down as the host of Theorists videos on March 9. That big retirement celebration is only one day away—but in the meantime, the creator is wrapping up his last few theories.

• MatPat marked his final episode as the host of Style Theory by announcing the launch of Creators in Fashion: a “never-before-seen type of event” that will hit the channel live on April 25—with MatPat and Amy Roberts as its debonair co-hosts.

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort.