Drag X Drive is one of the first games to use the new Joy-Con mouse features on the upcoming Switch 2 console.Read More

Unity outlines support for approved Nintendo Switch 2 developersAnd it has "battle-tested" its systems through "hands-on development of a day-one launch title" News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on April 2, 2025 Unity has pledged to support game developers with "official support for Nintendo Switch 2."In a statement, the engine maker said support will soon be available via a Unity 6 add-on for approved Nintendo developers, "further expanding Unitys commitment to enabling creators to bring their visions to life on the widest range of platforms."Developers working on Nintendo's new system can expect rendering and performance optimization, end-to-end multiplayer solutions, and enhanced development documentation.Furthermore, Unity is also committed to "making it easier for developers to port their existing Nintendo Switch games" to Nintendo Switch 2 by "ensuring full compatibility with key features in Unity 6," including the refreshed input systems, build profiles, and incremental build pipeline.Were excited to offer official support for Nintendo Switch 2," said Matthew Bromberg, CEO and President of Unity.Unity has battle-tested our support for Nintendo Switch 2 through hands-on development of a day-one launch title. The valuable feedback obtained during the development process provided learnings that will drive further enhancements to the Unity engine for those developers building new games for this gaming system.For those who missed it, the Nintendo Switch 2 will release on June 5. The price for the base Switch 2 unit was confirmed as $450 (or 396 in the UK) - $500 with Mario Kart World bundled in - with pre-orders opening on April 9.

2025's Tokyo Indie Game Summit is the biggest yet, attracting 23,000 attendees"Seeing the energy of creators and fans come together in Kichijoji was truly inspiring," says organizerImage credit: Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2025 News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on April 2, 2025 Tokyo's digital and in-person indie game event - the Tokyo Indie Game Summit - saw its third event more than double last year's attendance.Activities included panel discussions with "indie game industry titans" Shuhei Yoshida and Shunji Mizutani, competitive play, game trailers, gameplay previews, "and much more."The two-day festival ran March 8-9 and was held in Kichijoji, Tokyo. It featured over 200 curated indie titles and hosted the inaugural Tokyo Indie Games Summit Award ceremony. Whilst the summit attracted 9000 guests last year, this year it hosted more than 23,000 visitors.Seeing the amazing energy of creators and fans from all over to come together in Kichijoji was truly inspiring, says Kazuniori Sakamoto, founder of organizer Phoenixx.We are immensely grateful for the growth of TIGS, and are putting plans in place to ensure 2026 is our biggest year to date. Stay tuned for whats next!For more on Tokyo's game industry, read our feature, Why did E3 die, yet Tokyo Game Show endured?

Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, is laying off about 16 percent of its workers. In a memo posted to the companys website, CEO Matt Mullenweg says hes making the change to protect Automattics long-term future.Before the layoffs, Automattics website listed the company as having 1,777 employees. The company has since decreased its employee count to 1,495, meaning around 280 staff members were affected by the job cuts.Last year, the third-party hosting company WP Engine filed a lawsuit against Automattic and Mullenweg after the company blocked WP Engine from WordPress.orgs server and took over its Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin. Mullenweg has stated that the legal battle could go on for years and could potentially bankrupt me or force the closure of WordPress.org.In October, Mullenweg offered his employees $30,000 or six months of salary to leave if they didnt agree with his decision to ignite a public dispute with WP Engine. Automattic shed around 8.4 percent of its workforce after the first round of buyouts.We have reached an important crossroads, Mullenweg writes in his memo. While our revenue continues to grow, Automattic operates in a highly competitive market, and technology is evolving at unprecedented levels. To support our customers and products, we must improve our productivity, profitability, and capacity to invest.

While sharing screenshots and videos from the original Nintendo Switch has always been an excessively complicated process, its going to be much easier for the Switch 2.During todays Direct presentation, Nintendo spent a lot of time talking about the Switch 2s new built-in GameChat functionality that will give players a way to share their screens during group video calls. But the company also announced that its rolling out an update for the Switch family of systems companion smartphone app. Now simply called the Nintendo Switch app, the application will continue to support Nintendos old voice chat feature for specific titles like Splatoon 3 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the original Switch. But for Switch 2 owners, the Nintendo Switch app will serve as the easiest way for you to move screenshots and videos from the console onto your phone, computer, or internet.To move screenshots previously, you had to pop a Switchs SD card out from behind its kickstand and slot it into another device. You could also share images and videos directly to Facebook and, until last year, X / Twitter by linking your Switch to accounts on either of those platforms. It was also possible to move media straight from your Switch to your smartphone by going into the Switchs Album section, hitting share, and then taking a picture of the QR code generated by the console. That last option was as clever as it was cumbersome, but it wont be an issue for the Switch 2. According to Nintendo, Switch 2 users will be able to access the consoles 100 most recent screenshots and videos directly from the smartphone app. Obviously, a Nintendo Account will be required to make this work, but the company noted that you will not need a Nintendo Switch Online membership to take advantage of the smartphone apps media transfer feature.The media transfer details alone are already a significant upgrade for the application, which never felt all that well-integrated into many of Nintendos games. But, as if to emphasize that it really does see the application as an important part of the Switchs future, Nintendo also announced the forthcoming release of Zelda Notes, a special set of features designed specifically for the Switch 2 editions of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears for the Kingdom. Located within the smartphone app, Zelda Notes is meant to serve as a useful tool to help guide you through the Zelda games with features like spoken directions to specific locations youve marked on a map. You can use Zelda Notes to hear Princess Zelda recall memories of places shes been as you guide Link to them. The application will also give players a way to share blueprints for their unique Autobuild creations.Zelda Notes feels like a very smart way to get people excited about coming back to two older games many people have already spent quite a bit of time playing. Its kind of wild to think of Nintendos smartphone app being one of its more promising Switch reveals, but these kinds of surprises are how you keep things interesting.See More:

Filmmaker Guy Ritchie has long been known for his engaging and stylish British crime dramas and gangster films not to mention his two Sherlock Holmes films starring Robert Downey Jr. but the writer-director is officially trying something new. The trailer for his upcoming film Fountain of Youth has been released, and gives us a glimpse into a new world for Ritchie, one that is ripe with thrills and adventure in the style of Indiana Jones and The Mummy. The movie stars John Krasinski and Natalie Portman as estranged siblings Luke and Charlotte who reunite to search for the legendary Fountain of Youth (hence the title, of course). The trailer also shows Eiza Gonzlez, Stanley Tucci, Domhnall Gleeson, Laz Alonso, and Arian Moayed along for the ride and it seems that not all of their characters are working with Krasinski and Portmans. PlayThe trailer makes it clear that there are two opposing sides trying to get their hands on the fountain, and for good reason. "There's a power beyond any of our comprehension," Krasinskis character says of the relic in the trailer. "One story, five continents, dozens of cultures, and over a thousand years." Sounds like the battle for this thing is going to be pretty intense, but then again, that always makes for some great movie action, which, with Ritchie's rep, we'll have in spades for sure. Fountain of Youth is set to be released on May 23, 2025 on Apple TV+ which means this one will most likely not see a theatrical run, a disheartening problem we continue to run into as the streamers ratchet up their dominance in the industry more and more. That said, were just as excited to see this one at home as we would be in the theater. Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

A Minecraft Movie immediately creates a sticky paradox for itself. Clearly hoping to follow in the footsteps of a project like The Lego Movie, this video-game adaptation wants to pay tribute to the open-world flexibility and creativity of Minecraft while staying well within the framework of the game itself, which means including all of the expected blocky visual touchstones and including an obligatory number of cutesy gamer in-jokes. The surprise of the movie is how long its able to delay the latter material long enough, it turns out, for Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess to get his foot in the door, expertly adapting his deadpan comic-strip style for a childrens fantasy.Hess foray into big-time franchise filmmaking reunites him with Jack Black, the star of his 2006 slapstick adventure, Nacho Libre and no one can accuse Black of half-assing his way through a paycheck job here. As Steve, a man who yearned for the mines as a child and discovers a portal into the magical Overworld as an adult, he throws off the shackles of workaday existence with such relish that his torrent of movie-opening narration feels enthusiastic, rather than blandly explanatory. The short of it: Bad-guy pigs covet the orb (like everything else in the Overworld, its block-shaped, not an actual orb) that Steve has discovered, so he sends his faithful wolf-dog, Dennis, to hide it in the real world.Hess really connects with his Dynamite roots throwback fashions, drier-than-dry non sequitur and setting in that real world, where he pauses Steves story to follow siblings Natalie (Emma Myers, from Wednesday) and Henry (Sebastian Hansen) as they relocate to a small town in Idaho. There, creative, school-age misfit Henry clicks with Garrett Garrison (Jason Momoa), a former gaming champion who now runs a retro pop-culture junk store on the verge of foreclosure. Natalie, meanwhile, meets Dawn (Danielle Brooks), a friendly real estate agent who moonlights as a kind of mobile zookeeper.In a movie for grown-ups, this litany of quirk might seem a bit much: Natalie is a young woman of indeterminate age who gets a job running social media for a local potato-chip factory; Henry tinkers with his design for a working jetpack. For a kid picture, though, its sweetly silly, even distinctive; the kitschy tater-tots-and-alpacas ambience is pure Hess. Momoa in particular makes a surprisingly good fit for the filmmakers sensibility, playing a less bullying version of the blustery Napoleon Dynamite sensei Rex Kwon Do. In fact, the first 30 to 40 minutes of A Minecraft Movie have enough big laughs that its almost a disappointment when Henry, Garrett, Natalie, and Dawn stumble upon the orb and wind up accidentally sucked into the Overworld. A Minecraft Movie GalleryEventually they meet up with Steve, who provides some standard gameplay tutelage in advance of their quest. The quest itself is conceptually muddy, confusingly and erratically presented as some combination of saving Steves beloved Dennis, protecting the orb, and eventually bringing the four displaced travelers home. The seams of the six-writer screenplay show frequently, like when characters make plans and then deviate from them without comment as if the actors are all working from different versions of the script. Based on the uninspired action sequences digital hordes running and flying around in a manner better suited for an in-game Lord of the Rings fan film there aren't many big-budget fantasy epics in Hess' future. But A Minecraft Movie stays light on its feet nonetheless by continually pausing for slapstick silliness and cartoonish little sketches like an ongoing and delightfully pointless subplot involving Jennifer Coolidge and a resident of the Overworld.Eventually, the more antic side of things takes over, and the various CG landscapes populated by blocky people and creatures start to feel repetitive. Its like a slightly more polished version of someones playthrough video, only with a couple of big stars getting thrown around the screen. What A Minecraft Movie misses from Minecraft the game is its combination of minutiae and vastness; as much as the movie advertises its subjects creative flexibility, it shortchanges any potential obsessiveness in favor of making the Overworld look a little more like something out of a Mario game. The parallels to Blacks other video-game-movie gig and aspirations to its popularity with the playground set become especially clear when Steve chases the next Peaches by riffing out no fewer than three little songs. (On the other hand, its hard to resist Black bringing his goofball-rock-star shtick to Gen Alpha.) As with so many game-based movies, the mismatch between what each medium does best isnt really reconciled by A Minecraft Movie. But turning the worlds best-selling video game into Jared Hesss best feature in years is, admittedly, a pretty creative undertaking.

At South by Southwest we talked to a Spotify exec and two premiere podcasters about the future of the industry.Put two podcasters in a room with a Spotify exec, and their infectious enthusiasm for long-form and short-form discussion content will quickly have you wondering where the medium is headed in the future. Such was the case at South by Southwest when we were visited in the Den of Geek studio by Spotify Senior Director of Content Partnerships Jordan Newman, who was flanked by two amazing hosts, Rachel Lindsay of Higher Learning and Morgan Absher of Two Hot Takes.Absher and Lindsay talked a bit about how their shows, which air on Spotify in both audio and video format, grew and transformed in the past five years, undeniably influenced by the pandemic and the changing audience preferences. Newman also chimed in with his thoughts about how podcasting has changed since the early days and where things might be going. The trios shared love of the medium is on display throughout the video, and you wont want to miss some of the cool stories that podcasting allows them to explore.Adolescence has managed to become one of Netflixs most popular series of all time in only three weeks on the streamer.The limited series amassed another 30.4M views from March 24 to 30, putting it at 96.7M views since its debut. That was good enough to land at No. 9 on the all-time Most Popular English TV list, bumping Bridgerton Season 2 from the list altogether and pushing Stranger Things 3 to tenth place.Read more atDeadlineThe Housemaid stars Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried were on hand at CinemaCon to share a scene and the trailer for the thriller.Sydney Sweeney joined director Paul Feig and her fellow The Housemaid stars at CinemaCon to share the tense first footage. Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar also hit the stage for the Lionsgate presentation Tuesday to promote the psychological thriller and reveal its trailer, which has not yet been publicly shared. Hitting theaters on Christmas Day, the movie has a script from Rebecca Sonnenshine that adapts the 2022 best-selling novel from author Freida McFadden.Read more at The Hollywood ReporterKendrick Lamar fans will have to wait until 2026 to see his comedy collaboration with South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.Kendrick Lamars untitled comedy wont debut on Americas birthday after all. Paramount, the studio behind the closely guarded movie from Lamar and South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, has been delayed from July 4, 2025 to March 20, 2026 The change in release plans was announced ahead of CinemaCon, the annual convention of movie theater owners thats unfolding this week in Las Vegas.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Read more at Variety

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone in a bold and bloody new direction with Daredevil: Born Again, and while the Netflix-era Daredevil was known for its gritty nature, thats nothing compared to the violence already displayed in this Disney+ effort. Seven episodes in, and the freshman seasons nine-episode run has already seen the murders of Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), the OG White Tiger (Kamar de los Reyes), and many a crooked cop. Now, Born Agains ever-shrinking cast list has killed off another Marvel heavy-hitter.It was a short but memorable stint in the MCU for the villainous Muse, who was teased at the very start of Born Again and tipped to be the seasons main antagonistic anatomist. Instead, the morbid artist has bowed out in gruesome style just after a big reveal of his true identity. With Wednesdays Hunter Doohan named in the credits of episodes he wasnt even in, it didnt take the intellect of Pedro Pascals Reed Richards to figure out he was probably Muse. Things came to a head in April 1s Art for Arts Sake, when the violent vigilante tried to complete his masterpiece.Viewers clocked that Doohans Bastian Cooper was a little shifty when he met Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) back in episode 2, but it turns out he was seeking the therapists help simply to turn into one of his pieces of art. With Muse being pitched as the perfect antagonist for the MCU, it wouldve been great for him to have some more screen time, but ultimately, it doesnt take away from the twist.A tense final showdown between Glenn, Muse, and Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) goes down in her office, and after Daredevil turns up just at the right time, he pulls off a gnarly grappling hook move that wouldnt look out of place in a Mortal Kombat game. This gives Heather a chance to fire a gun into Muses chest. Hes dragged across his canvas and becomes his own final work of art. Whats even more interesting is that Muse seemed to ironically predict his own demise, with his death pose looking like one of his earlier murals where he depicted himself as a blood-stained Statue of Liberty complete with what looked like bullet holes in his chest.The MCUs Bastian Cooper is a major contrast to the comic book version of Muse who was introduced in 2016s Daredevil (Vol. 5) #11.While comic book Muse was also a macabre artist who liked to make murals with the blood of his victims, we never found out his real identity before he was killed during 2018s Daredevil #600. Daredevil wasnt involved in Muses comic book death at all, with the latter walking into a burning pile of debris following a fight with Blindspot, lamenting his defeat because he had so much beauty left. Comic book Muse is a much more mythical creation, later being confined to Hell to continue creating artwork and then haunting Morgan Whittier. Theres further confusion about whether Muse can be considered an Inhuman, especially as the comics sometimes referred to as the Inhuman artist and others as the Inhuman serial killer. This was addressed by co-creator Charles Soule, who said on X, He seems like the kind of character its better not to explain too much.It makes sense that Born Again gave us a more grounded version of Muse in-keeping with the street-level nature of the series, but with no sign of Muses vortex abilities from the comics, superhuman strength, speed, and endurance, he ended up being a pretty feeble foe that was easily defeated by the Man Without Fear. For those hoping there will be a reprieve for Muse, there could be more to the story thanks to apparent Daredevil: Born Again season 2 set photos potentially spoiling his return. Given the death of Foggy but confirmation that Henson is also coming back for more, there are questions about whether the pair will appear via flashback.Of course, its also possible (but seemingly unlikely) that a copycat version of Muse continues to give DD a headache. While some expected that Muse would have a bigger presence as the de facto endgame villain of Daredevil: Born Again, his bloody rampage should at least give Wilson Fisks Anti-Vigilante Task Force plenty of ammo, and hopefully, bring Big Willy back to his Kingpin best.New episodes of Daredevil: Born Again stream every Tuesday night on Disney+.

Some stores are grab-and-go spots. Others, however, are inspiration hubs, transfixing all comers with their curated goods and sparking a full-on design movement. Nantucket Looms is one of those transformative spots. Set on the iconic island off the coast of Massachusetts, the weaving studio founded by Bill Euler and Andrew Oates in 1968 quickly evolved into a bustling boutique (Jackie Kennedy Onassis could be found rummaging its shelves) and launchpad for artisans making the islands famous heirloom blankets, baskets, and rugs. Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of StyleNow 32% OffWhen Euler and Oates retired, they handed over the reins to their most trusted employee, shop manager and in-house tastemaker Liz Winship, who had worked side-by-side with the duo for more than 40 years. Winship further expanded the business to include an acclaimed interior design studio. When it was her turn to retire, Winship left her daughter Bess Clarkeresponsible for bringing the homespun shop into the digital worldand two longtime employees, principal designer Stephanie Hall and master weaver Rebecca Peraner, to steer the ship. You can read all about the legacy and transformation of this American treasure, as well as take in some of its stunning design projects, in the new book Nantucket Looms. Its such a great tribute to all whove been a part of our story, says Clarke. I really hope people see a side of Nantucket that may be a little harder to find these days. Keep reading to explore the third home Hall and the Nantucket Looms team have designed and discover a bit of the stores magic. Related StoriesFAST FACTSDesigner: Stephanie Hall of Nantucket LoomsLocation: Nantucket, MassachusettsThe reflective light out here on Nantucket is so beautiful....I love to bring that to the inside as well.Stephanie HallLIVING ROOMIt called for subtle, traditional nautical references. Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of Style by Nantucket Looms with Linda Jane Holden, Rizzoli, 2025.For many of Nantucket Looms design clients, the island is their second home. They really want to feel like theyre in Nantucket and not anywhere else, Hall says. One way the designer delivers the coastal aesthetic in an authentic way is by incorporating different shades of blue. The reflective light out here on Nantucket, because we have so much water and were surrounded by the ocean, is so beautiful, she says. On any given day, if the suns out and the sky is bright blue, the water can be blue or blue-green, those are the colors that you feel youre surrounded by. I love to bring that to the inside as well.To complement the dramatic scale of the living room, an arrangement of sofas and modern wingback chairs is anchored by two coffee tables styled with books and decorative objects that relate to Nantuckets seafaring history. Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of Style by Nantucket Looms with Linda Jane Holden, Rizzoli, 2025. Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of Style by Nantucket Looms with Linda Jane Holden, Rizzoli, 2025, photographed by Matt Kisiday Inspired by blown-glass fishing boats, the sculptural chandelier is made of handblown glass bubbles bound together with knotted rope. I just love that piece so much, Hall says. Its a little nod to nautical without doing a red, white, and blue thing.A space for playing games and building puzzles, replete with a marble-topped table surrounded by four upholstered chairs, was created adjacent to the living room. A painting by Adam Umbach hangs in the background.GAME ROOMThis sunroom is the homes natural hangout. Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of Style by Nantucket Looms with Linda Jane Holden, Rizzoli, 2025.Our clients have two teenage daughters, so this is a space for the kids to congregate away from the parents, Hall explains. To keep things fun and cozy, she brought in some red pops with handwoven blankets from Nantucket Looms. Anchoring the room are a large white sectional sofa with bench-seat cushions and two oversized white swivel chairs, all covered in high-performance fabrics. Silk-screened throw pillows add the finishing touch. A painting by Megan Hinton is displayed on the coffee table. DINING ROOMShades of blue allude to the outdoor scenery. Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of Style by Nantucket Looms with Linda Jane Holden, Rizzoli, 2025, photographed by Matt Kisiday To me, a space isnt finished until art is hung on the walls, Hall says. For its interior projects, the team mixes the clients collection with art and decor sourced locally and from Nantucket Looms. We represent over 70 local artists, she says. On the bar here are two paintings by Kenneth Layman, and a painting by Julija Mostykanova hangs nearby. The comfortable blue armchairs are upholstered in fabric by Peter Dunham. Rustic vintage finials, matched by a pair of contemporary rattan chandeliers, add interest to the double-pedestal dining room table. A reproduction of a French handkerchief planter is filled with ferns to brighten up the space.PRIMARY SUITETextured wallcoverings make the large space cozier. Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of Style by Nantucket Looms with Linda Jane Holden, Rizzoli, 2025, photographed by Matt KisidayThe homeowners are big on wallpaper, but instead of going wild with prints and patterns, Hall took a subtler approach and played with texture on the walls. Theres a large sitting room in there, which we use for our clients office, she explains. To define each space but maintain the flow, Hall used two different types of textured wallpaper. Another reason Hall and her team used textured wallpaper, is to add warmth and coziness. Some of the rooms were quite cavernous, she says.A variety of other textures can be seen in the bedroom as well. Rope handles embellish the chest of drawers, and the lamps are white-washed wicker. The bed features a tufted linen headboard with Euro pillows in a boucl fabric. A kelp green handwoven cashmere throw is draped across the king-size bed. To keep consistency between the two rooms, she used the same painted rattan light fixtures.DRESSING ROOMThe small space was an opportunity for allover pattern. Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of Style by Nantucket Looms with Linda Jane Holden, Rizzoli, 2025.Departing from the mostly white walls of the home, a leaf-patterned wallpaper was chosen to make this dressing room stand out. Covering the walls and ceiling is a clever design trick for a space that gets no natural light. The beautiful Schumacher paper adds dimension and makes the room feel brighter and larger. An oversize upholstered bench in a joyful fabric was selected to bring character to the space.BEDROOMLocal art adds all the necessary color. Nantucket Looms: A Legacy of Style by Nantucket Looms with Linda Jane Holden, Rizzoli, 2025.The clients love modern, very colorful art, and we tried to make the pieces the star of the show, Hall says. We kept the walls very white, and a lot of the furniture very neutral so they can incorporate really strong statements through their artwork. Barbara Clarkes photograph Seafoam adds depth to the space above an upholstered white linen bed with navy blue welting in the main house. It is flanked by navy wooden inlay bedside tables. A white chevron wool rug brings comfort underfoot.Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.