Oh, you think John Wick is dead? Yeah, hes thinking hes back again anyway.At CinemaCon this week, Lionsgate confirmed that, yes, they are making anotherJohn Wick movie. Not a prequel thing where Wick shows up for a cameo before his death (or maybe his death) inJohn Wick: Chapter 4. Not a spinoff for someone like Donnie Yens Caine although that is happening too, and Yen himself is going to direct that movie.No this is a full-blownJohn Wick: Chapter 5, starring Keanu Reeves and directed by the franchises longtime steward, Chad Stahelski.PerThe Hollywood Reporter,Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said at CinemaCon that Keanu, Chad, [producers] Basil [Iwanyk] and Erica [Lee] would not return unless they had something truly phenomenal and fresh to say with these characters and this world.We cant wait for audiences to see where the journey takes us next, he added.LionsgateLionsgateloading...Unless Stahelski and Reeves are planning a full-blown pivot into the supernatural, that will mean undoing Wicks death in a duel at the climax ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4.Of course, whileviewerssaw Wick collapse after multiple gunshot wounds in that scene, andthey also sawa sequence set atJohn Wicks funeral, this wasnt exactly an open casket situation.Stahelski neverreally showed his body.So one assumes that in Chapter 5 we will learn that JohnWick somehow survived his grievous injuries andfaked his death to finally break the films endless cycle of violence that started way back in 2014sJohn Wick.Thats wherea bunch of thoughtless gangsters murdered his beloved puppy. Wick murdered the murderers, then their kin retaliated against him, and around and around it went for three more movies.But you know what?That endless cycle of violence might have broken John Wicks soul, but it made Lionsgate a lot of money. (The franchise has already grossed $1 billion worldwide.) So its going to stay endless, thank you very much.Get our free mobile appThe Best and Worst Reviewed Movies By 25 Top DirectorsHere are the highest and lowest rated films on Rotten Tomatoes by 25 of the biggest directors working today.

What's coming in the Switch 2? Early rumors suggest what we could see on the April 2 Nintendo Direct reveal video.

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 191, for April 2.

Humble Choice's April line-up brings Xenomorphs, nautical horror, and tomb raidingThis month's charity is One Tree Planted.Image credit: Eurogamer News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on April 1, 2025 With March now rapidly vanishing in the rear view mirror as we continue our race along highway 2025, Humble Choice has announced its April line-up, which this time brings a spot of classic tomb raiding, some seafaring terror, and even Xenomorph-flavoured tactics action.April's offerings are available to claim and keep right now - provided you've a Humble Choice subscription, that is - and the current selection lingers around until Tuesday, 6th May. But before it's all change, here's what you can download:Tomb Raider 1-3 RemasteredDredgeAlien: Dark Descent1000XResistNova LandsDiplomacy is Not an OptionDistant Worlds 2Nomad SurvivalHere's Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered in action.Watch on YouTubeSo there you go! Tomb Raider 1-3 are obviously bona fide platform classics, and last year's remaster is a lovely way to experience them, while developer Black Salt Games' Dredge - a strange blend of fishing and unnerving cosmic horror - is also a bit of a treat if you're so inclined.Alien: Dark Descent also has its fans, taking the iconic movie franchise and turning it into a surprisingly suspenseful top-down, real-time tactics game - and as for 1000XResist, Eurogamer called it an "intense and intimate narrative adventure" when it released last year.Moving further down the list, there's real-time 4X space strategy in Distant Worlds 2, furious medieval fantasy defense in Diplomacy is Not an Option, and a bit of cheery factory automation in Nova Lands. And finally for April, there's Nomad Survival, an "auto-attacking, wave clearing, time-based Roguelite" - which is to say it's basically Vampire Survivors in a different bow.As ever, five percent of each Humble Choice subscription is donated to charity, with this month's proceeds going to One Tree Planted - a non-profit focused on global reforestation. And for the sake of transparency, here's the usual note Humble is, like Eurogamer, owned by IGN.If April's Humble Choice offerings appeal, you'll find additional details over here.

DIYSometimes you've got to Do It Yourself - a look inside the punk-themed fighting game event crashing through New York cityWe speak to the minds behind DIY, an event coming this Brooklyn that brings some Punk flair to Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and City of the Wolves.Image credit: DIYFGC Article by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on April 1, 2025 When you look at the world of competitive gaming these days, it's hard to separate it from corporate money. Esports, the commercialisation of various gaming scenes run by big organisations and enveloped into annual marketing plans, has firmly planted its roots into what was once an entirely grassroots space. But what if we brought it back the basics, by the community, for the community? What if you were to do it yourself?The answer may lie in a new event called DIY coming to Brooklyn, New York City, next month. A cocktail comprised of fighting games, punk music, and some of that New York FGC spirit, the event promises to bring back some of that grungier, imperfect soul that many have felt has largely left the world of gaming. To find out more, I sat down in a call with the core trio running the event to talk about DIY's inception, why Punk and fighting games works so well, and why regional representation and support is so key to that FGC energy many fell in love with in years gone by.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. The three lead organizers are well known within their respective circles, both within New York and the wider American community. Helst is the director of NYC Tekken, and commentator and tournament organizer. Bunch, founder of the casabunch fighting game online tournament circuit, and Sway who co-owns anime fighting game institution Team Stick Bug. Together, alongside a crew of mostly New York talent all with ample experience running fighting game events, are coming together to bring a new east coast major to life. Something that had been bubbling away in notebooks and brain matter for years.Bunch: "One thing we noticed is that New York organizers tend to do this thing where they'll go and help other states and get their event off the ground. They'll go to the MidWest, Florida, The South whatever. But we looked around and noticed, nothing is really happening here! We were like, yo, what are we doing?" It's just East Coast Throwdown (also known as ECT, based in Connecticut). It can't just fall on the shoulders of Joe, Zack, Walter and John all the time. There needs to be new blood. There needs to be a new reason."VG247: How did the idea of DIY come about?Bunch: I was in the military, and was living between Boston and New York for the past 12 years. I would always drive down and work with Zack and Walter from ECT who'd put me next to these two, Sway and Helst. I'd nag these guys and say, we need to work together! They were like, alright man, cool. When I finally moved back to New York, me and Helst were kicking it at the bar, and he started going on this rant...Helst: There's a story behind the bar itself, but basically Sway and we were there drinking. Casa was giving this daunting speech about how we were the best TOs in the East Coast and how there was no one better than us. We were like, okay Uncle Bunch, time to get you to bed. But on the plane ride home, the words stuck with me.. I have this notebook of one-off ideas I wanted to do for stuff, but didn't want to waste them whenever. I wanted them to be for the right moment."So I was listening to music, punk music is what I listen to mostly. The name came to me. DIY punk shows are a very common thing, I've been to plenty of them in my life, and that idea of a DIY punk-themed fighting game event came to me, and all my ideas started fitting together. The pieces finally made sense. So I started scribbling the concept down in my notebook, and by the time I landed the next day I DMd Bunch and said, I need to talk to you right now. Then I idea vomited for three hours while he typed it all up into a more coherent format. From there bringing in Sway was a no-brainer and it all snowballed from there." To see this content please enable targeting cookies.But what now, and why a DIY punk themed FGC event? The culmination of years of ideas, decades of collective experience all pulled together for this one new event - what made the trio think this was the right way forward. Not only to bring something cool to the community they've spent a good portion of their life with, but to make it something special.Helst: Well, I didn't want to make Skateboard deck trophies for random locals! I wanted to get the most bang for my buck, and I've had this skateboard deck for like five years. The big three things in my life was punk music, skateboarding, and arcades. So having an event that highlights all three of them just makes the most sense. It makes the most impact when they all play into each other.VG247: Why do you think the punk DIY aesthetic works for a fighting game event, do you think there's a connection between the two in terms of grassroots community organizing?Sway: "Right now especially, we're seeing a lot of decline where only the big tournaments are getting the shine. A lot of that doesn't really happen in New York. New York is expensive obviously. A lot of major corporations don't want to work in New York. So we have all these big events in Chicago, the West Coast, Saudi Arabia or wherever. Ultimately what we want is something that is authentic, so it's not something where some outsider comes and goes 'Yeah New York blah blah blah' before throwing money at it. This is something made by the community, for the community, from people who are very well intertwined." "We're working with LunarPhase who works with City of the Wolves, Houseof3000 who's been doing Smash in New York for God knows how many years... Everyone we've been working with, those running the brackets to the commentators, all of them will have been in the scene. Even in terms of our own history before DIY, we wanted to do something so we did it ourselves. I stepped up to take over Team Stickbug because no one else could do it. "So when Helst and Bunch came to me I was immediately for it, because would we really let some random tournament no one likes represent New York?" New York hasn't been getting too much love in recent years, aside from an excellent Red Bull Kumite last year. | Image credit: Red BullLet's be real for a moment, money is tight right now! Cost of travel, cost of hotels... and that's just for attendees! For these three, there's the cost of a venue, internet cost, electricity, equipment costs and more. It's a fundamentally rough time to run a new gaming event, let alone kick off a brand new venture. With online infrastructure in fighting games improving vastly across the fighting game genre too, how daunting is the task of getting people to actually turn up and make the event sustainable? Well, it certainly is, but the DIY guys have an approach they hope will get people to come down.Bunch: "When I go to Next Level Battle Circuit, the turnout isn't great. People prefer to play at home. The shift we've seen with netcode across fighting games getting better in the FGC - I'm not going to say it's a bad thing - but it has certainly affected what we all fell in love with to begin with. I think that's what we're trying to bring back here."VG247: So how do you get people to actually turn up to an event like DIYBunch: "You've got to give people something different. That was my main thing with this. Y'know I have no punk rock roots whatsoever, maybe my father played some in the house when I was younger, so I've been learning from these guys the whole time which has been a treat. They've been bringing up bands and aesthetics I've never heard of which is a breath of fresh air. I love when tournaments do that. I hate when people just make a tournament and there's no creativity behind it. It's just a double elimination tournament..."Sway: "In a hotel lobby!"Bunch: "With an ironic tournament name based on a mechanic from their favourite game, and they go alright send it out and hope people show up. It's like, okay 50, 60, maybe show up and that's cool. People are okay with that. No offense to those people, I know they work hard, but it's like where is your imagination, you can do better for sure."VG247: Speaking of that DIY aesthetic, you showed off some skateboard decks which will be trophies for this event! How did that come about?Helst: "I think there's far more connecting skateboarding and fighting games than people realise. They both are about individual effort with a strong sense of community around them. I'm sick of acrylic trophies. I've seen so many of them, I'm over them. Like Bunch said, we can do better. When I first brought up the tournament idea I was like, skateboard deck trophies, frame one and out the gate". To see this content please enable targeting cookies."So I worked with Drewface, he also has a background in skateboarding, and he's done a lot of work for a number of esports orgs across the fighting game community. We'd talk for hours about our favourite graphics and how to make it work. We started the design process around a year ago, going back and forth with ideas and sketches, and eventually we nailed it down to one for each game. Each is a homage to an iconic skate graphic, and I was surprised how many people picked up on that! But yeah, we didn't want to do the basic thing with acrylic trophies and medals that you buy at the same place you get little league soccer trophies."Sway: "And we're not stopping there. Our merch will be interesting, the in-person experience will be different, the stream will be different. I'm super excited for even those watching from home to see what they're missing out on."Bunch: "We are like 90% done with the floor plan, and not to give too much away, but if you've been to a punk show you've got a good idea on what is coming." The truth is, many of fighting game's best moments have this energy. | Image credit: Final RoundHelst: "I wanted to capture the vibe of Chinatown Fair back in its hayday. It was cramped, a little noisy, and a little uncomfortable. Now we're not going to make it a one-to-one replication (laughs). We don't have to live like that anymore, but being shoulder to shoulder with the crowd watching people play high level games..."Sway: "Feeling the excitement of people standing next to you... You don't want people sitting down and not paying attention. Some places just have drinking off to the side or whatever. We want you to feel the energy, people popping off in the centre of the stage. You feel that excitement.""There's always the game being played on stream, but that feeling when Diago is playing offstream, people are standing on chairs watching. Again, it won't be that uncomfortable, but we want that feeling where people know they're watching something special."Bunch: And I think the venues in New York lend into that. We're already dealing with a smaller size venue, so it behooves us to play into that atmosphere.But perhaps most importantly, the event is based in New York. This city has for decades been a hub for fighting games, so much so far its cultural reach has spread across the world. Chinatown Fair, mentioned early, was a proving ground for many legendary players and community members. Justin Wong played there, for crying out loud. So how will DIY bring that New York spirit to the modern player? You can't beat the history of New York elsewhere in the US, as shown brilliantly by Red Bulls' documentary.Image credit: Red Bull / Esteban MartinezSway: "A lot of it is really just the players. New York has the rawest talent, and that IDGAF attitude when they're playing the game. Like, this dude is going to beat you in Third Strike, and he's gonna pop off on you. The energy is around is electric when anyone plays. You see it at locals now! Even though not as many people go these days, you'll be watching a stream with even like 3-4 players entered and they still get excited over it, it's not about the paycheck."Bunch: "Like Sway said, the energy. We could paint the walls pink and put unicorns everywhere. The tone you get from New York is, we don't care where we're playing, as long as New York is winning. That's how I was raised, I'm sure that's how these dudes were raised..."Sway: "That's how I met you, in Chicago or something. You came up to Manny and went, this dude's New York? He was like yeah, and I just heard this guy yelling behind me. "Bunch: "That's how I get down. Thank god for Start.gg where they put the New York sh*t, because I just sniped New York players. That's my favourite player."Sway: "There are a lot of regions coming through too. People from Connecticut, Boston, Up state, New Jersey. There's going to be a lot of that regional rivalry."Bunch: "I want out of towners. I hate advertising, or feeling like I have to advertise, to New Yorkers. I should be hitting you up telling you to bring your UK homies to New York and we'll show you a good time. But in tournament, I don't know you, I don't love you."VG247: You might lose if UK players come, you know.Bunch: "Yo, in what? You definitely ain't touching us in Third Strike that's for sure."Helst: "I just want to point out last time we did a 5v5 New York vs London, New York f*cking slapped!VG247: When was that, like 2011 or whenever. That's ages ago.Helst: "No it was 2019! And last time NA played EU in Tekken we beat them as well." Bunch: "You know what else is crazy, Problem X and Ending Walker didn't make Capcom Cup. So why are you talking to us right now? Your best two players didn't even make it!" For no reason whatsoever, here's UK SF6 player EndingWalker at Evo 2024, where he came 3rd losing to Big Bird and Punk (Punk, who let's be honest, carries US Street Fighter 6 on his back anyway). Photo by Vexanie. | Image credit: Evo / @VexanieVG247: They're UK! I have to support them.Sway: "He understands the assignment (laughs)."VG247: "Their monitors were laggy, they were jetlagged, the hotel bed was rough, the flights were delayed, they weren't feeling well, it wasn't their fault."Bunch: "That foolish pride, I love it. iDom played like sh*t at Capcom cup but I don't care, he's the best."If this sounds like your sort of thing, get yourself down to Brooklyn on May 3-4. They'll be running Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, and of course Third Strike.

OpenAI has been accused by many parties of training its AI on copyrighted content sans permission. Now a new paper by an AI watchdog organization makes the serious accusation that the company increasingly relied on non-public books it didnt license to train more sophisticated AI models.AI models are essentially complex prediction engines. Trained on a lot of data books, movies, TV shows, and so on they learn patterns and novel ways to extrapolate from a simple prompt. When a model writes an essay on a Greek tragedy or draws Ghibli-style images, its simply pulling from its vast knowledge to approximate. It isnt arriving at anything new.While a number of AI labs including OpenAI have begun embracing AI-generated data to train AI as they exhaust real-world sources (mainly the public web), few have eschewed real-world data entirely. Thats likely because training on purely synthetic data comes with risks, like worsening a models performance.The new paper, out of the AI Disclosures Project, a nonprofit co-founded in 2024 by media mogul Tim OReilly and economist Ilan Strauss, draws the conclusion that OpenAI likely trained its GPT-4o model on paywalled books from OReilly Media. (OReilly is the CEO of OReilly Media.)In ChatGPT, GPT-4o is the default model. OReilly doesnt have a licensing agreement with OpenAI, the paper says.GPT-4o, OpenAIs more recent and capable model, demonstrates strong recognition of paywalled OReilly book content [] compared to OpenAIs earlier model GPT-3.5 Turbo, wrote the co-authors of the paper. In contrast, GPT-3.5 Turbo shows greater relative recognition of publicly accessible OReilly book samples.The paper used a method called DE-COP, first introduced in an academic paper in 2024, designed to detect copyrighted content in language models training data. Also known as a membership inference attack, the method tests whether a model can reliably distinguish human-authored texts from paraphrased, AI-generated versions of the same text. If it can, it suggests that the model might have prior knowledge of the text from its training data.The co-authors of the paper OReilly, Strauss, and AI researcher Sruly Rosenblat say that they probed GPT-4o, GPT-3.5 Turbo, and other OpenAI models knowledge of OReilly Media books published before and after their training cutoff dates. They used 13,962 paragraph excerpts from 34 OReilly books to estimate the probability that a particular excerpt had been included in a models training dataset.According to the results of the paper, GPT-4o recognized far more paywalled OReilly book content than OpenAIs older models, including GPT-3.5 Turbo. Thats even after accounting for potential confounding factors, the authors said, like improvements in newer models ability to figure out whether text was human-authored.GPT-4o [likely] recognizes, and so has prior knowledge of, many non-public OReilly books published prior to its training cutoff date, wrote the co-authors. It isnt a smoking gun, the co-authors are careful to note. They acknowledge that their experimental method isnt foolproof, and that OpenAI mightve collected the paywalled book excerpts from users copying and pasting it into ChatGPT.Muddying the waters further, the co-authors didnt evaluate OpenAIs most recent collection of models, which includes GPT-4.5 and reasoning models such as o3-mini and o1. Its possible that these models werent trained on paywalled OReilly book data, or were trained on a lesser amount than GPT-4o.That being said, its no secret that OpenAI, which has advocated for looser restrictions around developing models using copyrighted data, has been seeking higher-quality training data for some time. The company has gone so far as to hire journalists to help fine-tune its models outputs. Thats a trend across the broader industry: AI companies recruiting experts in domains like science and physics to effectively have these experts feed their knowledge into AI systems.It should be noted that OpenAI pays for at least some of its training data. The company has licensing deals in place with news publishers, social networks, stock media libraries, and others. OpenAI also offers opt-out mechanisms albeit imperfect ones that allow copyright owners to flag content theyd prefer the company not use for training purposes.Still, as OpenAI battles several suits over its training data practices and treatment of copyright law in U.S. courts, the OReilly paper isnt the most flattering look.OpenAI didnt respond to a request for comment.

CaaStle, a startup that launched in 2011 as a plus-sized clothing subscription service and later became an inventory monetization platform for clothing retailers, is facing financial difficulties, the company confirmed to TechCrunch following a report by Axios.Citing a letter from the board, Axios reported that the company is almost out of money, CEO Christine Hunsicker resigned from her CEO role and the board, and the company has involved law enforcement to investigate alleged financial misconduct.The company also confirmed to TechCrunch that it furloughed all of its employees.The Board is deeply disappointed by the conduct that has led to this moment. Our immediate focus is on addressing the companys challenges, supporting our employees, and preserving the value of our technology and business operations. We regret having to temporarily furlough our employees, but we believe this will best position the company to successfully recover from our current situation, the company said in an emailed statement after TechCrunch inquired about the companys status.CaaStle raised over $530 million total, with its last round raised in 2019 at $43 million, Pitchbook estimates.In that letter, also cited by Puck, the board is alleging that Hunsicker misled at least some of the companys investors about financial performance, and about the companys capital and outstanding shares, including two falsified audit opinions.Both Axios and Puck have reported that days before Hunsicker exited the company, she was out fundraising, and making claims about the companys healthy finances.Axios has noted that if the boards allegations lead to a case of fraud made against the founder, this would be one of the largest such cases ever.Last week, Charlie Javice, the founder of student loan application startup Frank, which was purchased by JPMorgan for $175 million, was found guilty of defrauding the bank. The bank claimed Javice inflated the customer count. But the investment numbers for CaaStle are three times as large.While this might not be a typical startup shutdown experience, experts have told TechCrunch that 2025 is on track to be another brutal year for failed startups.

Breakdown & ShowreelsGodzilla x Kong The New Empire: The Zero Gravity Battle Cave by Weta FXBy Vincent Frei - 01/04/2025 Witness the breathtaking zero gravity battle in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire! Weta FX created Malenka Village, a fully CG environment inside a 55 km-long cave, sculpted with incredible detail using Gaea. Watch the VFX breakdown now!WANT TO KNOW MORE?Weta FX: Dedicated page about Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire on Weta FX website.Kevin Smith and Ludovic Chailloleau: Heres my interview of Kevin Smith (Overall VFX Supervisor) and Ludovic Chailloleau (Animation Supervisor) Weta FX.Alessandro Ongaro: Heres my interview of Production VFX Supervisor Alessandro Ongaro. Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2025

The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), a technical standards organization covering over 90% of the worlds cargo-carrying fleet, has published a new recommendation aimed at guiding the use of 3D printing in the maritime and offshore sectors. Recommendation 186 sets out a standardized framework for qualifying, approving, and certifying metallic parts produced using additive manufacturing (AM).IACS new recommendation responds to growing industry interest in deploying AM to replace or complement traditional manufacturing techniques such as casting, forging, and welding. In marine and offshore contextswhere operational uptime, safety, and sustainability are critical3D printing offers potential advantages such as reduced material waste, faster part production, and increased design flexibility. Rec.186 defines clear criteria for integrating AM into existing regulatory structures by aligning with standards such as ISO/ASTM 52900 and AWS D20.1, and incorporating IACS Unified Requirements for welding and materials, known as UR W.Rec.186 outlines specific technical guidance for three 3D printing methods: Powder Bed Fusion (PBF), Directed Energy Deposition (DED), and Binder Jetting (BJT). For each, the document defines process parameters and inspection protocols to ensure consistent part quality. It introduces a three-tier testing regimeAM Levels 1 through 3based on application criticality. Components used in safety-critical systems, such as propulsion or structural assemblies, fall under higher testing levels and are subject to more rigorous qualification procedures. Feedstocks, including metal powders, wires, and binders, must meet documented quality control measures, with added provisions for recycling protocols and material traceability.Laser-based additive manufacturing process in IACS qualification guidelines for 3D printed marine components. Photo via IACS.Design qualification is addressed through a series of requirements focused on topology optimization, simulation-based pre-build verification, and performance validation. Rec.186 also mandates post-processing standards and non-destructive testing (NDT) procedures suited to the unique material properties of AM parts. Techniques such as computed tomography (CT) scanning are recommended to detect internal flaws like porosity or incomplete fusion, which can compromise component integrity under mechanical stress or corrosion exposure. These inspection methods are calibrated to account for anisotropic behavior, which is common in layer-wise fabrication.Materials and welding expert of IACS Alexandre Astruc emphasized the importance of establishing trust in AM technologies. Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is increasingly becoming a valuable tool for the marine sector, offering a flexible, speedy and customizable solution for environments where the consequences for safety, sustainability or operational uptime can otherwise be significant, he said. While its potential for rapid production is notable, its true strength lies in its ability to provide innovative, on-demand solutions tailored to complex maritime challenges. In developing Rec 186, IACS is seeking to safeguard the benefits offered by additive manufacturing by ensuring it is underpinned by a standardized framework for verification and certification that gives confidence to all parties.Future applications of Rec.186 may include class-certified parts for onboard systems, repair components produced at sea, and localized manufacturing near shipyards. IACS has indicated that ongoing collaboration with shipbuilders, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and marine operators will be central to the continued evolution of the framework. Rec.186 marks a shift from experimentation to formal adoption of additive manufacturing across regulated marine engineering domains.New pressure vessel validation and construction standards in AMFronius International, an Austrian welding specialist, recently collaborated with Linde Engineering, MIGAL.CO, and TV SD Industrie Service to qualify additively manufactured pressure vessel components under a draft standard developed by the German Institute for Standardization (DIN). The project produced a component featuring a 3D printed aluminum pipe branch welded onto a conventionally manufactured base pipe. The team employed Fronius Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) process and implemented real-time sensor adjustments and parameter monitoring to minimize geometric deviations. Multiple layers of validation were applied, including destructive and non-destructive testing, metallographic analysis, and pressure assessments. The final components met the requirements of the European Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU, confirming the feasibility of AM for regulated pressure-bearing equipment.In 2023 on a separate development, the ISO published ISO/ASTM 52939:2023, a standard defining quality assurance protocols for 3D printing in the construction sector. Developed through coordination between ISOs Technical Committee 261 and ASTM Internationals Committee F42, the standard outlines requirements for structural and infrastructure elements produced via additive manufacturing. It applies across materials and technologies, excluding metals, and mandates that all relevant steps in the additive construction process be overseen by locally certified engineers. While the standard does not address environmental or safety aspects of the facility, nor design or material characterization, it establishes a baseline for process control and approval that reflects the growing need for standardized qualification principles in emerging AM applications.Additive manufacturing build-up of the pipe branch with weld layers. Image via Fronius.Ready to discover who won the 20243D Printing Industry Awards?Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to stay updated with the latest news and insights.Featured image shows Laser-based additive manufacturing process in IACS qualification guidelines for 3D printed marine components. Photo via IACS.

The eternal city that changes forever is the slogan coined by the mayor of Rome for the 2025 Jubilee. Every 25 years, believers from around the world flock to the city to step through one of its four holy doors and have their sins forgiven. But it seems that Rome itself is hoping for some forgiveness, too. In Italys capital, public works are often slow to be decided, even slower to begin, and nearly impossible to finish on time. As Marco DEramo writes, the city is governed by four key forces: public administration, the church, the real estate sector, and the tourism industry. This quadriga makes processes, competitions, and decisions anything but agile. A prime example of how long things take can be seen in the development of the citys metro network. Work on Metro B began in the 1930s but was halted by World War II. It resumed in 1948, with the first section inaugurated in 1955. A few more stops were added in 1990, and the project was finally completed 64 years later, in 2012. Metro A was a bit faster: It took 36 years to finish after starting in 1964, with the final section being completed in 2000. Currently, Metro C is under construction. Its initial plan ran from 2007 to 2013, with the first station opening in 2015 and a second station following in 2018. Its full completion, promised in time for the Jubilee, remains uncertain.Although mass transit might be one of the more utilitarian projects planned for the Jubilee (and certainly no easy task given Romes rich archaeological history), the Metro project is an example of how things often work in the city. Presently, over 300 urban renewal projects are underway, with a total investment of around 3.5 billion euros. Romans have watched the construction sites pop up at nearly every corner of the city with a mix of curiosity and skepticism, wondering how many projects will actually be finished. Large banners and scaffolding havent gone unnoticed by tourists either, with humorous videos circulating on social media that showcase impaired sightseeing experiences. Meanwhile, the citys mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, is running his own social media campaign to promote the works. One of the most ambitious projects is the redevelopment of Piazza Pia into a pedestrian zone, which was inaugurated on December 23, 2024, just in time for the start of the Holy Year. An existing underpass was extended to create a large public square to directly connect Castel SantAngelo and both sides of the Tiber River to St. Peters Basilica. The redesign offers a new walkway and, perhaps more importantly, new sightlines. Its now possible to view the papal basilica head-on from before the start of Via della Conciliazione, a street designed in 1936 by Marcello Piacentini following Pope Pius XIs request to Mussolini for a triumphal avenue highlighting Michelangelos dome. And indeed, its a triumph to experience the view, the proximity to the river and city, and most notably, the absence of carsRomes main handicapon such a vast stretch of land.Its nearly all right, at least. What also stands in view are two circular fountains that appear to have been designed without any particular criteria other than not interfering with the surrounding culture. Unfortunately, their meaningless slanted lines detract from the rich historical context around them. Theres no clear architectural signature on this or other interventions, a condition that reflects the growing trend of anonymous Italian infrastructure that emerges from the need to efficiently spend European recovery funds, whether in Piazza Pia or the tourist harbor of Palermo. As one Roman notes, even if one were to praise these works, it would be unclear to whom those compliments should go. Faced with tight deadlines, the city planner evidently took no time for considerations of authorship. Many of the projects underway feel more like cosmetic changes rather than genuine progress. On Via Nomentana, bike lanes have been painted in red, but the potholes that cyclists risk falling into remain untouched. Parking islands in the middle of the road have been tidied up with a tree here and there, but no attempt has been made to rethink traffic and transportation as a whole. What, then, is the radical vision for Rome in 2050? If the metro system cannot be built successfully, why not invest in the best bike lanes in Europe? If traditional basalt stones are no longer availablemore on that in a momentwhy not replace paved squares with gardens and green spaces? Whats at stakeor what should be at stakeis nothing less than Romes identity today and in the next 25 years. An illustrious urban research lab, Laboratorio Roma050, led by Stefano Boeri, has been commissioned by the municipality to consult on Romes future, but the opportunity for renewal and forward-thinking urban design and policymaking that this Jubilee presents has largely gone unrealized. Despite the allusions toor illusions ofthe Eternal City, 92 percent of Rome is modern. The historic center is but a small drop of water in a vast urban lake. Yet, Romes complexity and enormous urban sprawl are seldom considered in the broader narrative of the city, as though Le Corbusiers drawing from 1932 is the only image Rome could ever aspire to.It is this outdated notion of identity that holds Italys capital captive. The aforementioned basalt stones are a key example. Heritage authorities have insisted that certain roads and squares be paved with traditional sampietrini, Romes iconic square pavement stones, first used in the 16th century and given their name in 1725, when they were used to replace pavement in St. Peters Square. Even though the quarries and labor conditions that once produced them no longer exist in the Lazio region and the few remaining stones are prohibitively expensive, the authorities have opted to import similar-looking stones from Vietnam. Of course, Italys heritage authorities are known for their rigid, arbitrarily conservative approach, and issues like transport emissions, labor ethics, and resource scarcity are unlikely to be considered anytime soon. This, perhaps, is Romes real problem: What standard should this eternal, yet eternally changing, city be held to?Izabela Anna Moren is a researcher, writer, and curator, as well as a PhD candidate at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome and a lecturer in architecture and environment at Syracuse University in Florence.