Plus Colum McCanns Twist and Nell Zinks Sister Europe.

Comment and EnvironmentImproving our understanding of sudden climate shifts is welcome. But framing this as creating an "early-warning system" is wrong on so many levels it is hard to know where to begin, says Bill McGuire 19 March 2025 Elaine KnoxScience funding is rarely a bad thing, and when it goes towards boosting our knowledge of the greatest threat to humanity, it has to be seen as a positive. So, the 81 million slated recently by the UK Advanced Research & Invention Agency to improve understanding of highly dangerous climate tipping points is most welcome. The manner in which the giveaway is framed, however, really isnt.According to the agency, the funding will support the creation of an early-warning system (EWS) that will confidently predict when a system will tip, alongside pinning down the timing of the tipping and the consequences.

Josie FordFeedback is New Scientists popular sideways look at the latest science and technology news. You can submit items you believe may amuse readers to Feedback by emailing feedback@newscientist.com Toy troubleFeedback may be well into middle age, verging on dotage, but we arent ashamed to admit that we enjoy playing with Lego, to the point of having a special cabinet in our home office in which to house our more prized sets. So, we were naturally intrigued to learn of a set, released on 1 March, called The Evolution of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).The build is a cornucopia of STEM-related objects: a DNA double helix, a space shuttle, an apple tree with Isaac Newton stood nervously beneath it and more. They all erupt out of the pages of an open book, accompanied by minifigures of chemist Marie Skodowska-Curie and agricultural scientist George Washington Carver.AdvertisementIts a bit chaotic-looking, but there is a deeper problem, highlighted in a Reddit thread flagged to us by news editor Jacob Aron, and noted by at least one reviewer. Its quite simple: the DNA is the wrong way around. Many biological chemicals can be either left or right-handed, and in Earthly life, DNA is always right-handed but Legos DNA molecule is left-handed.Feedback was going to suggest this was Lego subtly arguing that, despite what the experts say, we should go ahead and construct a mirror organism in which key molecules have the opposite handedness to existing life even if it might kill us all. But then we saw that Jays Brick Blog had already made that remark in their review.So instead, we call on the worlds palaeontologists to find something wrong with the metre-long T. rex skeleton kit Lego released on 15 March. We need to stop ourselves buying it.Joined-up thinking?With a certain weary inevitability, many big energy companies have rolled back their commitments to renewable energy, preferring to chase the immediate profits from fossil fuels.In late February, BP announced it was boosting its investments in oil and gas by about 20 per cent, while cutting renewables funding by more than $5 billion. This was, it said, about maximising returns for shareholders. Alas, the firms net income was a mere $8.9 billion in 2024. Oh, how their hands were tied.On the day this announcement was made, the story was presented on the UKs BBC News homepage next to one headlined Half of homes need heat pump by 2040, government told. Feedback briefly joined some dots in our addled mind, before reminding ourselves that its fine: the people in suits know what theyre doing.After all, BP isnt alone. A few weeks earlier, Shell released its full 2024 results, which noted that it had cut its capital spending on renewables from $2.3 billion to $2.1 billion. Last year, it abandoned its 2035 emissions target. Likewise, in December, Exxon set out a plan to boost its oil and gas output by 18 per cent by 2030.To paraphrase Futuramas Philip J. Fry: Feedback is shocked. Shocked! Well, not that shocked.The whole saga leads us to wonder if corporate strategy might be an oxymoron on a par with military intelligence. In the early 2000s, BP rebranded itself from British Petroleum to Beyond Petroleum, to signal its intention to embrace renewables. Then it abandoned the whole thing after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill cost it a lot of money, bringing its focus back to fossil fuels. Fast-forward to 2020, and the company announced a raft of new renewables targets many of which it is now slinking away from with this recent drop in funding.If Feedback were this indecisive, we would, er, struggle to decide how to wrap this up, um.Crunch the numbersReporter Michael Le Page draws our attention to The Journal of Geek Studies. Despite its (somewhat) formal-sounding name, it isnt peer-reviewed, but it will publish any original contribution that combines an academic topic with something geeky.Hence the paper that Michael found, published on 8 March, titled: Is a bone a viable weapon when combating a Rancor? Estimating the bite force of an intergalactic mega-predator.For readers unfamiliar with what a Rancor is, its the great big reptile-like monster in the basement of Jabba the Hutts palace in Return of the Jedi, which Luke Skywalker fights off. Another Rancor appeared in the 2021 series The Book of Boba Fett, but the less said about that the better.Authors Thomas Clements and Stephan Lautenschlager seek to understand one key moment from Return of the Jedi. To avoid being eaten, Luke picks up a long bone and lodges it vertically in the Rancors mouth, locking its jaw open. However, Lukes reprieve is only temporary, as the Rancor bites down so hard it snaps the bone in two.Is this feasible? The pair simulate the muscles and bones of the Rancors jaw and estimate it could bite with a force of around 44,000 newtons more than capable of vertically snapping a large long bone. Reassuringly, no living vertebrates bite force comes close to the Rancor, with great white sharks and saltwater crocodiles topping out around 16,000 to 18,000 newtons.During our journalistic career, Feedback has repeatedly been told by editors to write stories that lead to practical advice, or news you can use. Well, here it is. Readers: every time you venture into crocodile territory, carry a femur or two with you, just in case.Got a story for Feedback?You can send stories to Feedback by email at feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This weeks and past Feedbacks can be seen on our website.

This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. 4 technologies that could power the future of energy Where can you find lasers, electric guitars, and racks full of novel batteries, all in the same giant room? This week, the answer was the 2025 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit just outside Washington, DC. Energy innovation can take many forms, and the variety in energy research was on display at the summit. ARPA-E, part of the US Department of Energy, provides funding for high-risk, high-reward research projects. The summit gathers projects the agency has funded, along with investors, policymakers, and journalists.Hundreds of projects were exhibited in a massive hall during the conference, featuring demonstrations and research results. Here are four of the most interesting innovations MIT Technology Review spotted on site. Read the full story.Casey Crownhart If youre interested in hearing more about what Casey learnt from the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, check out the latest edition of The Spark, our weekly climate and energy newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday. Join us today to chat about chatbots Chatbots are changing how we connect to each other and ourselves. But are these changes for the better, and how should they be monitored and regulated? To learn more, join me for a live Roundtable session today at 12pm ET. Ill be chatting with MIT Technology Review editor Rachel Courtland and senior reporter Eileen Guo, and well be unpacking the landscape around chatbots. Register to ensure you dont miss out!The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 A French scientist was denied US entry over anti-Donald Trump messages US authorities claimed the exchanges criticising the Trump administrations research policy qualified as terrorism. (Le Monde)+ Frances research minister is a high-profile critic of Trump policy. (The Guardian)+ Customs and Border Protection is cracking down at airports across the US. (The Verge)2 RFK Jr wants to let bird flu spread through poultry farms Experts warn that this approach isnt just dangerousit wont work. (Scientific American $)+ A bird flu outbreak has been confirmed in Scotland. (BBC)+ How the US is preparing for a potential bird flu pandemic. (MIT Technology Review)3 Clearview AI tried to buy millions of mugshots for its databases But negotiations between the facial recognition company and an intelligence firm broke down. (404 Media)4 Top US graduates are desperate to work for Chinese AI startups DeepSeeks success has sparked major interest in firms outside America. (Bloomberg $)+ Four Chinese AI startups to watch beyond DeepSeek. (MIT Technology Review)5 Reddit has become a lifeline for US federal workers Unpaid moderators are working around the clock to help answer urgent questions. (NYT $)+ The only two democrats on the board of the FTC have been fired. (Vox)+ Elon Musk, DOGE, and the Evil Housekeeper Problem. (MIT Technology Review)6 The European Commission is targeting Apple and Google Its proceeding with regulatory action, despite the risk of retaliation from Trump. (FT $)+ It has accused Alphabet of favoring its own services in search results. (The Information $)+ Metas AI chatbot is finally launching in Europe after all. (The Verge)7 AI agents could spell bad news for shopping appsDoorDash and Uber could suffer if humans outsource their ordering to bots. (The Information $) + Dunzo was a major delivery success story in India. So what happened? (Rest of World)+ Your most important customer may be AI. (MIT Technology Review) 8 This startup is making concrete using CO2It combines the gas with a byproduct from coal power plants to make lower carbon concrete. (Fast Company $) + How electricity could help tackle a surprising climate villain. (MIT Technology Review)9 This robot dog has a functional digital nervous systemAnd will be taught to walk by a real human dog trainer, not an algorithm. (Reuters) 10 Dark matter could be getting weaker If its true, it holds major implications for our understanding of the universe. (Quanta Magazine)+ Are we alone in the universe? (MIT Technology Review)Quote of the day The corrupting influence of billionaires in law enforcement is an issue that affects all of us. Alvaro Bedoya, a former commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission, speaks out after being fired by Donald Trump, the Verge reports. The big story The arrhythmia of our current age October 2025 Arrhythmia means the heart beats, but not in proper timea critical rhythm of life suddenly going rogue and unpredictable. Its frightening to experience, but what if its also a good metaphor for our current times? That a pulse once seemingly so steady is now less sure. Perhaps this wobbliness might be extrapolated into a broader sense of life in the 2020s. Maybe you feel it, toothat the world seems to have skipped more than a beat or two as demagogues rant and democracy shudders, hurricanes rage, and glaciers dissolve. We cant stop watching tiny screens where influencers pitch products we dont need alongside news about senseless wars that destroy, murder, and maim tens-of-thousands. All the resulting anxiety has been hard on our heartsliterally and metaphorically. Read the full story. David Ewing Duncan We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet 'em at me.)+ Now that David Lynch is no longer with us, who is the flagbearer for transcendental meditation?+ Who doesnt love a little mindless comedyespecially when Leslie Nielsen is involved.+ Chinas pets are seriously pampered ($)+ The worlds oldest known cerapodan dinosaur, which were massive herbivores, has been discovered in Morocco.

2025-03-20T15:00:08Z Read in app DraftKings chief product officer Corey Gottlieb speaks with "The Prop Queen" Ariel Epstein at Next Summit in New York. Mackenzie Meaney/Business Insider This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? We went to a gambling conference to check the vibes in the industry.Prediction markets and sweepstakes are creating competition, and the space is facing regulatory pushback.Industry insiders discussed challenger brands, AI, crypto, tariffs, and more.A battle is brewing between the titans of the US gambling industry and challenger brands pioneering areas like sweepstakes, predictions markets, and new daily fantasy models.We recently attended Next.io's Next Summit in New York to check the vibes from its roughly 1,000 gambling industry investors, entrepreneurs, and executives. This year, tensions between the big betting companies and disrupters surfaced on panels and in talks among insiders.Emerging formats like prediction markets are gaining traction in the US and are regulated differently from sports betting and online gambling. In some cases, that means they can reach a wider audience, creating a threat or opportunity for gambling companies.Prediction markets from Crypto.com, Kalshi, and Polymarket, for example, are legal in all 50 US states. These companies recently started offering contracts on sports. People buy "yes" or "no" on outcomes, like whether Duke will win the March Madness men's tournament. There are no money lines, point spreads, or parlays. Still, sports predictions function a lot like online sports betting, which is only legal in 33 states.The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is reviewing sports prediction markets and could still shut them down, but a nationwide version of sports betting could change the industry's dynamics. Prediction markets are regulated at the federal level, while gambling is a state issue."The CFTC-mediated sports prediction markets could really upend that dynamic," investor Chris Grove, cofounder and general partner of Acies Investments, said at the event.Grove thinks gambling operators could consider pushing into predictions. He also said that by the end of the year, if apps like Kalshi are still in sports, they could evolve to offer full-game parlays, making them even more like sports betting."I don't think prediction markets are going to change everything, but I think they will threaten to change a lot of things, and being ignorant to those threats is probably the biggest risk for everyone in this room," Grove said.Sports predictions and other emerging categories, such as sweepstakes that are free to enter and pick 'em fantasy sports that riff on gambling's parlay model with picks on a selection of player stats, were big themes at the conference as were AI, crypto gaming, M&A, and the impact of the Trump administration and tariffs.Here were the topics insiders were buzzing about at the conference: Attendees lined up for the Next Summit in New York, which was held at a Convene event space. Ashley Rodriguez/Business Insider AI is disrupting gamblingAI was one of the biggest themes, including how potential bettors and gambling companies use it.AI-powered searches can take traffic from Google and other search engines where gambling companies acquire users. Grove said during his presentation that AI is "disrupting" that model."The operators who are fastest to learn how to optimize the AI-driven search landscape are likely to realize substantial consumer and margin gains," Grove said. "I think we could see a reshaping of market share in the process."AI could also be used in online games. Justin Park, the CEO of Canada-based online slots company Betty, said AI could be used to develop new slot experiences since they use random number generators. Betty CEO Justin Park joined panelists in sharing predictions for 2026. Ashley Rodriguez/Business Insider Microsoft had a big presence at the conference with a panel on how to use generative AI in games through Microsoft Muse.Warren Cho, Microsoft's worldwide gaming vertical leader, said his previous manager had an "allergic reaction" when he said he wanted to work with gambling companies. But the US tech giant has since expanded its work with brands in Europe, where sports betting is "part of the culture," and is looking to do more in regulated markets.Sweepstakes ruffle feathersThere's a particularly fierce lobbying war surrounding sweepstakes. They resemble online casino games but are free to play and typically have a freemium model where users buy and bet digital coins.Grove and others said online gambling operators had been trying to "tamp down" competition from sweepstakes.The category has faced regulatory pushback similar to what pick- 'em fantasy encountered a few years ago, with states like New York looking to ban it.Erik Nyman, president of Americas for supplier EveryMatrix, said in one session that vendors need to "pick a side" between gambling and sweepstakes in markets where the latter is unregulated.But these sweepstakes companies are also amassing war chests they could use to fight back as they make more money."This is the United States, legislation gets put forth by people who are well organized and who have money and lobbyists and interest, and legislation is successfully opposed in the exact same way," said Bill Gantz, a partner at Duane Morris LLP who has been involved in social casino litigation.Categories like sweepstakes have become a sore spot as the expansion of online casino legislation has all but ground to a halt, and some lawmakers have sought to rein in sports betting. Still, some insiders think sweepstakes could make lawmakers more comfortable with gambling in the long run since these games are free to enter."Social sweepstakes is an answer to the online casino legislation logjam," Grove said.Crypto is backCrypto gaming was hot.And then it wasn't.It seems to be back again this year.Investors on an M&A panel predicted a crypto exchange or retail trading app could buy a betting company. Roger Ehrenberg at Eberg Capital said crypto was a "complete unlock" for the gambling industry.The vibes are not good between the US and CanadaUncertainty around tariffs and inflation has dragged down the stock market this month.But perhaps the biggest hit to the US gambling industry so far has come from our neighbors to the North.Relationships between some US and Canadian gambling companies appear to be souring in the fallout of Trump's tariff policy and 51st-state remarks. Leaders in key Canadian markets with legal gambling, including Ontario and British Columbia, have called for retaliatory measures on US businesses.Two gambling insiders told BI that in response, some Canadian companies are canceling contracts with US companies."We're not going to take it lying down," said Paul Burns, President and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, of President Donald Trump's recent Canada comments.Despite the tensions and overall economic uncertainty, the broader outlook among gambling companies was relatively rosy.Investors at Next Summit predicted an uptick in M&A in the next 12 to 24 months.Insiders on the ground talked up nascent areas that could benefit from the Trump administration's policies, such as crypto gambling and prediction markets. And the trade group, the American Gaming Association, pointed to Trump's experience in the gambling business. President and CEO Bill Miller called Trump a "casino guy" who has always treated the industry fairly. There were many speakers at Next.io New York, including Bill Miller, CEO of the American Gaming Association. Mackenzie Meaney Entertainment and social could grow the industryGambling is positioning itself as entertainment, and companies are borrowing tactics from Hollywood and social media. Insiders drew several comparisons to Netflix, including DraftKings' chief product officer Corey Gottlieb who said onstage that his team modeled its casino app after the streamer's user experience.Betr, a sports media and betting company cofounded by influencer Jake Paul and entrepreneur Joey Levy, has podcasts with high-profile influencers like "Hawk Tuah Girl" Haliey Welch. The company said it'd love to do a deal with YouTube's biggest star, MrBeast.Edward King, cofounding partner and co-chief investment officer of Acies Investments, added there's a big opportunity for entrepreneurs."This should be viewed as an entertainment industry, and what is it you could do to bring that person in?" he said. "And if you do that then the industry is going to increase in size by about fivefold."

Paul M. Sutter shares the science behind movies and TV shows set in space.He talks about string theory in "3 Body Problem." He discusses the portrayal of black holes in "Interstellar," starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Matt Damon. He deconstructs wormholes in "Contact," starring Jodie Foster; and "Event Horizon," starring Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne. He breaks down how humans could feasibly get to Mars in "The Martian," starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, and Donald Glover. He explains how gravity assists work in "Armageddon," starring Ben Affleck, Bruce Willis, and Billy Bob Thornton. He describes how stars die in "Avengers: Infinity War," starring Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Chris Hemsworth; and "Sunshine," starring Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh, and Rose Byrne. Finally, he examines cosmic voids in "Star Trek: Voyager."Paul M. Sutter is a cosmologist and astrophysicist. He has written three books and serves as a NASA advisor. He also hosts the "Ask a Spaceman" podcast. You can check out his audio and video appearances on his website or YouTube channel.Show more

An investigation by the UK advertising watchdog has found a number of shocking ads in mobile gaming apps that depict women as sexual objects, use pornographic tropes, and feature non-consensual sexual scenarios involving violent and coercive control.The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) used avatars, which mimic the browsing behaviour of different gender and age groups, to monitor ads served when mobile games are open and identify breaches of the UK code.While most of the thousands of promotions served to the avatars complied with UK rules, the watchdog identified and banned eight that featured shocking content that portrayed women in a harmful way.Two ads promoting an artificial intelligence chatbot app, Linky: Chat With Characters AI, began with a woman dressed in a manga T-shirt, a short skirt and large bunny ears dancing in a bedroom with text reading: Tell me which bf [boyfriend] I should break up with.The ad moved on to animated content featuring text conversations with three manga-style young men. They were variously described as obsessively possessive, aggressively jealous, a kidnapper and a killer. Further text described yanking the woman into the car, swiftly knocking her out, with the woman asking: What if I enjoy this?The ASA said the ad was suggestive and implied scenarios involving violent and coercive control and a lack of consent.An ad for an interactive romance story game called My Fantasy featured an animation of a woman being approached by another woman and being pushed on to a desk. Options appeared asking what she should do enjoy it, push her away, please continue and stop it.The ASA said the animations were strongly suggestive and implied the sexual encounters were not consensual.The ASA also identified three ads for Love Sparks: Dating Sim, which were shown to its female child and adult male avatars. One ad showed an animated woman lying on her back with her legs spread, with the options kiss her and take it slow.The second ad featured sexually suggestive depictions of Kate your naughty step sister wearing a bra, and an animated image of Lally, 18.The third ad featured an animated clothed woman with her bottom pulsating with the options next girl and slap, as well as text reading punish me please.The ASA said that in the ads the women were shown as stereotypical sexual objects using tropes from pornography.The watchdog banned the eight ads and issued a warning to those behind them. It said that although they were rare examples out of the 5,923 adverts served to its digital avatars, the harmful or degrading portrayals of women in ads are completely unacceptable and we take a zero-tolerance approach to this kind of content.The ASA also published findings of a study that found that almost half of UK consumers were concerned about the depiction and objectification of women and girls in ads.The survey of 6,500 people, conducted by YouGov, found that 45% of people were concerned about ads that include idealised body images of women. It found 44% were concerned about the objectification of women and girls.Last month, the ASA banned an advert from the high street retailer Next for featuring an unhealthily thin model in digitally altered clothing.The survey marks the latest initiative in this area by the ASA since it introduced tougher rules regarding the depiction of men and women in ads in 2019.The new rules were developed after a consultation process partly prompted by the outcry over adverts in 2015 for the slimming product Protein World, which promised to make women beach body ready.

I have played many Assassins Creed games over the years, but Ive rarely loved them. Ubisofts historical fiction is perennially almost-great. A lot of players would say it reached its peak in the late 2000s, with the trio of renaissance Italy games beginning with Assassins Creed 2, and their charismatic hero, Ezio Auditore. Since then, the series has become bloated, offering hundreds of hours of repetitive open-world exploration and assassination in ancient Greece, Egypt and even Viking Britain. Odyssey (the Greek one) was the last I played seriously; I found the setting exquisite, the gameplay somewhat irritating and the scale completely overwhelming.The Assassins Creed games are extraordinary works of historical fiction, fastidiously recreating lost periods of history and letting you walk around in them. Theyre the closest thing to time travel. I play them for the virtual tourism, and find myself vaguely disappointed that 80% of what you do in these painstakingly realised worlds boils down to parkouring around killing people.Assassins Creed Shadows was released this week after a couple of last-minute delays, and I was surprised to find that it makes running around and killing people more fun and interesting than it has been in many years. This is partly down to the setting: 16th-century Japan, the era of warlord Oda Nobunaga, of samurai and shinobi and endless complex, fascinating conflicts. Japan was changing fast, having reluctantly opened up contact with the rest of the world. Shadows two protagonists are at the centre of all this change and tumult: Yasuke, a slave turned samurai under Nobunaga, and Naoe, a peasant shinobi building her own resistance movement as her home is torn apart.Two protagonists, two playstyles: Naoe is fast and quiet, and makes playing stealthily a viable and enjoyable way to experience the game for the first time in ages. Yasuke is strong and skilled, and can cut through enemies when a situation suddenly explodes into conflict. This adds variety and choice to the gameplay. Both characters are genuinely interesting, and I care about their stories. Yasuke appeared right at the beginning of the game and then was absent for about 12 hours; when he showed up again, I was beginning to get bored by Naoes quest for revenge, and having someone new with whom to explore this extraordinary setting kept me interested.And truly: what a setting. Ive been playing Shadows on a PS5 Pro and it is the most beautiful video game I have ever seen. You know how you just get used to how gorgeous modern games look after a few hours, and forget to admire the scenery? That hasnt happened to me yet after 15 hours with Shadows. The light, the architecture, the natural beauty of Japans mountains, the way you can see the roofs of shrines poking out from the treetops, the delicate beauty of Kyotos winding streets It helps that the seasons change every few hours, letting you quite literally see your surroundings in a new light. I cannot begin to imagine the hours of human effort that have gone into creating this environment. The detail is exceptional.Naoe in Assassins Creed Shadows. Photograph: UbisoftOne example of this is in the multilingual script. You can play the whole thing with English voice-acting, or you can play in period-appropriate Japanese and Portuguese with subtitles, which the games calls immersive mode. With the provisos that I am by no means an expert in Japanese history and that my own Japanese is extremely rusty, playing like this was astonishingly good. Every conversation feels like a series of delicate and dangerous manoeuvres; much is left unsaid, implied by tone and careful choice of words. You can choose Naoe or Yasukes responses at times, and saying the wrong thing sometimes results in an infinitesimal change in your interlocutors expression just enough to let you know that youve screwed up. It is, for a game about a ninja on an assassination revenge quest, surprisingly subtle.If you watched FXs exceptional TV adaptation of Shgun, youll probably be thinking that a lot of what I describe sounds familiar. And though Shadows isntThere are still some things about Assassins Creed that belong in the bin. The Animus is one of the all-time great video game framing devices. All Assassins Creed games take place inside a machine that lets you relive the memories of your ancestors, but with all the useful info and overlays of a video game. But thats all it needs to be: a framing device. We can surely get rid of the modern-day subplots about the Animus and whos controlling it. Dont interrupt my fun adventures in historical Japan by making me hunt down glitches and anomalies in the machine. And over the series 18-year history, it has acquired altogether too many systems. Its fiddly and unfocused there are too many menus for collecting and upgrading equipment, too many different skill trees for your characters abilities.Shadows may be sometimes confusing and overwhelming, but for the first time in a while, I was willing to forgive all that if I got to see more of Japan. If, like me, youve skipped the last few Assassins Creed games, you might be pleased to find that this is as streamlined and enjoyable as the series has been for a long time.What to playIntelligent and funny Expelled! Photograph: InkleIf you do not have the 30 to 50 hours required for Assassins Creed Shadows right now, heres a much more manageable treat: Expelled! Made by one of my favourite studios, Inkle, it is the story of a working-class scholarship girl trying to avoid getting kicked out of a posh English boarding school in the 1920s. Its full of intelligent and funny digs at the British class system and its poisonous social norms. As you get to know more about the teachers and students at this school on each playthrough, you soon learn that if you want to beat em, you kind of have to join em.Available on: iPhone/iPad, Switch, PC, Mac Estimated playtime: What to readMiddle Earth: Shadow of Mordor by Monolith, which has been shuttered by Warner Bros. Photograph: Monolith ProductionsOur writer Rick Lane put together an obituary of sorts for Monolith Games, the developer that Warner Bros closed last month after 30 years.The Game Developers Conference is in San Francisco this week. A billboard in the citys Union Square takes aim at corporate mismanagement of game studios: Has a Harrison fired you lately? it reads, evidently referring to ex-Sony/Microsoft/EA/Google Stadia executive Phil Harrison.FuturLab has announced Powerwash Simulator 2, a sequel to one of the most surprising gaming hits of the decade. This time you can hose down gunk in split-screen as well as online co-op. I look forward to cleaning virtual things alongside my eldest son on the couch while my partner complains that we do not have similar enthusiasm for cleaning the actual things in our house.Actor Seth Rogen shared an amusing anecdote about the making of Superbad last week: apparently Sony was so appalled by Jonah Hills character that they forbid him from touching a PlayStation.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Pushing ButtonsFree weekly newsletterKeza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gamingPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionWhat to clickQuestion BlockA combat-free option Assassins Creed: Origins Discovery Tour. Photograph: UbisoftA timely question today from reader Rick:During the pandemic, I played a lot of peaceful/passive games, largely avoiding games with conflict or too much stressful action. But I love a good open world and decided to start on Assassins Creed Origins. When I got to the menu, I noticed an educational/discovery option: combat-free walkthroughs of the historical places and people that were heavily researched and included in the game. It was amazing. Does Shadows have this mode? And can you recommend any other games that employ these passive, but immersive educational modes?Assassins Creeds Discovery Tour mode is brilliant as you said in your email, Valhalla and Odyssey also gave players the option to walk around in their worlds and learn cool facts about the time period depicted. Ubisoft made a fuss about this feature back when it was first created, offering it to schools as an educational tool, but not a lot of people talk about it. I love this mode I had a big interest in ancient Egypt when I was a kid, and I would have eaten this up. Theres no Discovery Tour mode in Shadows at launch, but Ive asked Ubisoft whether one is forthcoming. Ill report back when I get a response.In the meantime, here are a couple of other games with similar pacifist modes, though neither is educational: in GTA Online, you can turn on passive mode to simply enjoy and explore Los Santos without getting grief from other players; and in strategy game Humankind you can turn off war and just build your civilisation. Does anyone know of any more?If youve got a question for Question Block or anything else to say about the newsletter hit reply or email us on pushingbuttons@theguardian.com.

Xbox Series X/S console sales fall further behind PS5 in latest sales figuresGameCentralPublished March 20, 2025 1:42pmUpdated March 20, 2025 1:42pm Xbox sales are in freefall (Microsoft)Sales of the Xbox Series X/S continue to plummet in the US, as console sales as a whole reach their lowest point since the launch of the current gen.Theres a lot of confusion and uncertainty in the games industry at the moment, regarding the future plans of both Microsoft and Sony. Both have been acting strangely for years now, although with Microsoft its easier to understand why, given the constantly declining sales of the Xbox Series X and S consoles.If theres one single reason for Microsofts push towards multiformat releases its the collapse in sales for the Xbox Series X/S over Christmas 2023 in the US, only months after they completed the purchase of Activision Blizzard.That made it clear that not only was the current generation of hardware not selling but that it didnt make economic sense to keep any Activision Blizzard (or Bethesda) titles as console exclusives. Sales of the Xbox Series X/S have continued to decline ever since and the latest figures show theyre now 19% behind the Xbox One at the same point in its life.The problem here is that not only is the US the biggest market for Xbox but that the the Xbox One already sold poorly, with only around 58 million consoles in its lifetime compared to over 113.5 million for would-be rival the PlayStation 4.There is no exact figure for Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S sales, because Microsoft stopped reporting them, but its estimated the Xbox Series X/S is currently on only around 32 million, compared to 75 million for the PlayStation 5.Although Microsoft continues to insist that they have not abandoned the hardware market, with recent rumours seemingly revealing more about their new handheld device and their next gen console, they do certainly seem to have given up on the Xbox Series X/S.This was most obvious in the lack of marketing and hardware bundles for the consoles over Christmas. Theres also been repeated talk of low stock, and Microsoft abandoning some smaller markets, although theyve always denied it when specific examples have come up.The 19% figure comes from Mat Piscatella, director of US chart tracker Circana. In the same set of figures, he revealed that PlayStation 5 sales are currently beating the PlayStation 4 by 7%.More TrendingThese figures are only for the US, but it is by far the biggest territory for Xbox, in terms of volume and percentage of the market. The UK is the only other major market where Xbox sales come anywhere close to the PlayStation 5, and while theres less public sales data it is also seeing similar declines to the US.Piscatellas thread on Bluesky also reveals that video game spending so far this year, in the US, is down 11% overall compared to 2024, with mobile, consoles, and PC all down but subscriptions up 9% although thats calculated by revenue and is likely only a reflection of recent price increases.Hardware sales as a whole, and especially given that the Nintendo Switch is about to be replaced by its successor, were down 25% compared to February 2024, making for the lowest February since 2020 the last one before the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.In the US software charts, Monster Hunter Wilds instantly became the best-selling game of 2025, with Steam accounting for more than half of all revenues. A third party Xbox portable is set to go head-to-head with Nintendo (Valve/Microsoft/Metro)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

More Croc remasters hinted at as Argonaut pick risky release dateMichael BeckwithPublished March 20, 2025 1:09pmUpdated March 20, 2025 1:10pm Sounds like Argonaut wants to go all in on Croc (Argonaut)Argonaut Games is hinting at more revival plans for Croc, but its taking a big gamble with its chosen release date for the remasters launch.Announced back in 2023, the remaster of PS1 game Croc: Legend Of The Gobbos was meant to have come out this past December, but developer Argonaut Games opted to delay it for some extra polishing.The game is now scheduled to launch on April 2, with the reveal trailer promising revamped controls and visuals, as well as an in-game museum containing concept art, developer interviews and the like.Its bound to be a hit with anyone who fondly remembers the original but the good news for them is its not intended to be a one-off, with Argonaut already hinting at plans to remaster the rest of the series.After sharing a new trailer, Argonaut was quizzed by one fan on X as to whether they had any plans to bring back the two Croc games for the Game Boy Color as well, via the Nintendo Switchs online service.Although Argonaut didnt give a straight yes or no, they do seem to have some kind of plan for the titles: Well have more to say about our plans for the Game Boy Color Croc games later this year.Argonaut themselves didnt make the Game Boy Croc games. The first, titled simply Croc, was handled by a different British studio called Virtucraft and, unlike its console cousin, was a 2D platformer.The sequel, Croc 2, was developed by Japanese studio Natsume and was a top-down experience reminiscent of The Legend Of Zelda: Links Awakening. We didnt know Croc had a Game Boy game, let alone two of them (THQ/MobyGames)Were not sure how much demand there really is for the Game Boy games, which are not as well known as the already fairly obscure PS1 title, but a simple port to the Nintendo Switch shouldnt take too much effort.Nevertheless, Argonaut seem eager to pull off a full series revival. Its already expressed hope to remaster the PS1 version of Croc 2 and, if these remasters sell well, they want to make a brand new third game too.While diehard Croc fans have likely already put a pre-order down for the remaster, its launch is threatened to be overshadowed by a far bigger event happening on the same day: the Nintendo Switch 2 showcase.More TrendingConsidering Nintendo set that date in January and Argonaut only settled on it this week, we cant imagine Argonaut chose that date by accident.If we were feeling conspiratorial, wed theorise Argonaut plans to capitalise on the Switch 2 showcase, perhaps with an announcement for a Switch 2 port of the remaster or maybe even the PS1 Croc 2.Although it has a cult audience, Croc is by no means the most acclaimed game from Argonaut, who were one of the most respected British developers of the late 80s and early 90s.A lot of their best work was for Nintendo, with games like Star Fox and Stunt Race FX, but wed much rather see a new Starglider than another Croc. The remaster is slated for the original Switch, as well as PlayStation, Xbox, and PC (Argonaut)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.ArrowMORE: Star Fox 2 review the sequel that never was GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy