Cloud Imperium Games’ sci-fi epic, Star Citizen, has been in development for well over a decade, with no end in sight. But despite the long wait, the project has just hit yet another crazy crowdfunding milestone. Star Citizen was first announced as a sprawling multiplayer universe, complete with space combat and interstellar trading. It was announced back in 2012 when the Kickstart campaign was launched, and it quickly broke the record for the highest amount ever crowdsourced when it hit $39,680,576.Article continues after ad Nearly 13 years later, the project remains in the early access alpha stage — a far cry from the initial 2014 launch that was targeted. But that hasn’t stopped millions of people from ploughing more money into the game, and it’s just hit another dizzying landmark. Star Citizen edges closer to the $1 billion milestone As of April 9, the crowdfunding for Star Citizen has officially surpassed the $800 million mark, with over 5.5 million different players contributing. This comes after it hit its last major milestone of $700 million in May of 2024. Article continues after ad This means that the long-awaited space sim remains one of the most expensive video games ever developed, despite not being backed by a publisher. Cloud Imperium Games But despite the record-breaking numbers, there is still no concrete release date to mark on the calendar. The paid alpha has been playable for many years at this point, but there is still no sign of a 1.0 version that delivers the original vision. In fact, the only part of the game that has a release window is Squadron 42 — the single-player spin-off starring huge names like Mark Hamill, Gillian Anderson, and Gary Oldman. The first gameplay of this portion was shown at CitizenCon 2024, where the devs explained they were aiming for a 2026 launch. RelatedArticle continues after ad However, despite being “feature complete” as of 2023, even Squadron 42 has been hit by multiple delays, so it remains to be seen if it will finally arrive next year. Given how much money has been pumped in and how long development has taken, Star Citizen has received plenty of criticism over the last decade or so, with Polygon even reporting that some players have asked for refunds. But with the $1 billion mark looming, it appears that the wait is far from over.Article continues after ad

Hang Up Extracted Phew, Marathon is set to avoid a PSN account requirement on non-PlayStation platforms, hopefully suggesting Sony's finally learned its lesson from the likes of Helldivers 2 It may burn out your eyeballs if you play at night thanks to its liberal use of lime green and white, but at least one annoyance has been nipped in the bud. Image credit: Bungie/PlayStation News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on April 10, 2025 Good news, if you're planning to play Bungie extraction shooter Marathon on PC or Xbox, you won't need to worry about having to log into a PlayStation Network account. Yep, it seems Sony might be learning its lesson from all the backlash its insistence in forcing this on some cross-platform games has landed it. If you don't know what I mean, I'll direct you back to last year. You're PlayStation. In Febuary, one of the live-service games you're backing in a big way, Helldivers 2, comes out and immediately hits the ground running. People love it, and it doesn't have PSN account linking as mandatory requirement. May hits and boom, you decide to make that linking mandatory. Cue lots of very unhappy players, and you quickly having to walk back your decision. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Anyway, it looks like Marathon'll be avoiding all of that. "Marathon will not require a PlayStation Account for players on PC and Xbox" the Marathon team account has told players on the game's official Discord server. Nice, so folks picking up the Bungie shooter day one on those platforms shouldn't have to run into this issue. That said, it is worth noting that as our own Sherif has documented, the PSN account linking issue has been a much bigger deal for people living in areas of the world where PSN doesn't operate, who found themselves unable to even buy some of the affected games in their countries. So, we'll have to see where and how Marathon ends up fitting into that once it's out, as a Sony-backed big online thing. Anyway, this comes ahead of the Marathon showcase that Bungie has penned in for this weekend after going HAM on the visually disconcerting social media teases. So, you can tune into the game's Twitch channel on Saturday, April 12 at 10am PT, 1pm ET, 6pm UK, 7pm CEST for that. Are you glad Marathon's not gonna require a PSN account? Let us know below!

We'll soon be playing with power.There's been a load of discourse about the price tags associated with everything concerning the Nintendo Switch 2, and rightly so. If we can't discuss things like this openly and frankly, you know some big company would look to exploit the public more than they already do.The talk regarding the price of games carries on, and is a layered, multi-faceted issue that — tariffs aside — essentially boils down to the fact that people don't like to have prices raised anywhere, and that's entirely understandable. It's not nice to see a big company suddenly demand more moolah for something than you were expecting.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

In Brief Posted: 9:30 AM PDT · April 10, 2025 Image Credits:Courtesy of Symphonic VC Sydney Thomas’s Symphonic Capital raises $13.5M for inaugural fund  Symphonic Capital announced today in a blog post that it raised $13.5 million for its inaugural fund to invest in early-stage companies.  Sydney Thomas launched the firm in 2022 after leaving Charles Hudson’s Percursor Ventures, where she was the first hire.  Thomas said her fund will focus on founders outside of the Bay who are building in health care and financial services. Check sizes will be around $250,000. In the blog post, the firm wrote that “everyone should have access to reliable healthcare and financial freedom, regardless of their race, gender or ethnicity,” and that it wanted to partner with founders looking to build a more “equitable future.”  “We’re building a community of diverse, values-aligned investors, founders, and ecosystem builders,” the firm continued in its post. “We’re proud to be backed by a group of institutional investors who share our commitment to supporting founders who are dedicated to building a more equitable future.” Topics

German software company Trinckle has partnered with 3D printer OEM  Stratasys to integrate its fixturemate software into the GrabCAD Print™ Pro platform. The collaboration aims to simplify the design-for-manufacturing process and expand access to additive manufacturing (AM) by enabling a seamless, automated workflow from design through production. Amid rising demand for AM tooling and manufacturing aids, the two companies are showcasing their integration at RAPID + TCT in Detroit (April 8–10). The solution is expected to be launched later this year, with future plans for deeper integration and broader industrial applications. Stratasys and Trinckle simplify custom accessory design. Photo via Trinckle. Trinckle’s Fixturemate Simplifies Industrial Fixture Design Fixturemate, developed by Trinckle, streamlines the fixture design process by automating its most complex stages. The software enables users to quickly generate secure, high-precision holding fixtures in a matter of minutes. Designed with industrial manufacturing in mind, Fixturemate simplifies workflows and removes the dependency on advanced CAD skills, reducing design time and making the technology accessible to non-technical teams. “By eliminating the need for specialized CAD skills, we’re offering manufacturers greater workforce flexibility and significant time savings,” said Victor Gerdes, Vice President of Software at Stratasys. “Embedding fixturemate into GrabCAD Print Pro extends our platform’s value across the full manufacturing design lifecycle.” With built-in geometry optimization, Fixturemate ensures each fixture securely holds the part while allowing access to key surfaces for operations like machining, inspection, and assembly. Its versatility makes it a powerful tool across sectors such as aerospace, automotive, metrology, and logistics. “Together, we’re removing one of the biggest barriers in additive—manual, CAD-heavy fixture design,” said Florian Reichle, CEO and Co-Founder of Trinckle. “Now, anyone can design custom, production-ready fixtures in minutes, unlocking new efficiencies across the manufacturing floor.” Trinckle integrates Fixturemate software with Stratasys GrabCAD Print™ Pro software. Image via Trinckle. GrabCAD Print Pro & Broader AM Software Momentum In 2024, Stratasys released GrabCAD Streamline Pro and an updated version of GrabCAD Print Pro for PolyJet technology, aimed at boosting efficiency and reducing operating costs. The original release of Print Pro reportedly improved hardware utilization for some customers by 30–50%. Stratasys isn’t alone in advancing AM software. Velo3D, for example, launched Flow Developer, a tool enabling full control over metal AM parameters for its Sapphire LPBF printers. Users can import or define print settings, streamlining transitions from design to production. Early-access partners like Ursa Major have reported gains in scalability and production consistency. Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards? Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news. You can also follow us on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.Featured image shows the integration of Trinckle’s Fixturemate software with Stratasys GrabCAD Print™ Pro software. Image via Trinckle.

On April 3 architects, designers, and product manufacturers gathered for a ceremony to honor the inaugural winners of The Faces of Our City, AN’s New York City facades awards program. On stage at the Metropolitan Pavilion, AN CEO/creative director Diana Darling and executive editor Jack Murphy recognized all the winners of the four awards categories—Product of the Year, Emerging Professional, Lifetime Achievement, and Project of the Year. The Faces of Our City awards program honors and celebrates the facades community—from the individuals behind the design and construction to the buildings themselves. The awards recognize the ambition, innovation, craftsmanship, and dedication that bring New York’s skyline to life. Following the Facades+ New York City conference, architects, designers, and product manufacturers gathered for a ceremony to honor the inaugural winners of The Faces of Our City. The evening’s ceremony and celebration started with short remembrances of individuals the industry recently lost: David Childs, Elizabeth Felicella, M. Paul Friedberg, Ricardo Scofidio, and Pilar Viladas. The award’s advisory board—Katherine Chan, Christine Dunn, Arthi Krishnamoorthy, Sameer Kumar, Tali Mejicovsky, and Christoph Timm—was also recognized. Throughout the evening, each of the five project of the year finalists were presented, culminating in the announcement of the Project of the Year winner: The Refinery at Domino. The ceremony remembered industry professionals who recently passed away. The award program’s advisory board was also recognized. Sameer Kumar and Tali Mejicovsky said a few words on behalf of the advisory board. Hilde H. Kallevig, vice president of commercial partnerships at Hydro, accepting the award for Product of the Year, Hydro Circal. Kateri Knapp from Arup accepts the Emerging Professional award. Each of the Project of the Year finalists was presented briefly, pictured here The Gilder Center at American Museum of Natural History by Studio Gang. Robert Heintges was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award. Heintges was unable to attend, leadership at Heintges accepted the award on his behalf. Areta Pawlynsky of Heintges spoke about Heintges’s legacy. Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) accepts the award for Project of the Year. Vishaan Chakrabarti gave a short speech about the Project of the Year The Refinery at Domino.

“Gored Cowboy” (2024-25), oil on linen, 84 x 68 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and HARPER’S, New York, shared with permission In Hyperrealistic Oil Paintings, Chloe West Summons Magical Realism in the American West April 10, 2025 Art Kate Mothes Set against mountains, desert plains, and the cobalt blue skies one finds at high elevations, Chloe West’s striking oil paintings merge Dutch Golden Age iconographies with both mythic and everyday motifs of the American West. West was born and raised in Wyoming, the peaks and pastures of which continue to influence her hyperrealistic figurative works. In her current solo exhibition, Games of Chance at HARPER’S, the artist draws on European portraiture and still life traditions in a series of self-portraits and tableaux challenging stereotypes of the West as a frontier molded by machismo. “Cowboy Philosopher” (2024-25), oil on linen, 84 x 68 inches “Cowboy Philosopher,” for example, portrays the artist in direct confrontation with the viewer, seated beside a mountain lion skull at a table covered with a celestial tapestry. The painting evokes Salomon Koninck’s “A Philosopher” (1635) and works by other Flemish artists of the 17th and 18th centuries, who often depicted alchemists and scholars in their studies accompanied by skulls, devices, and documents. West subverts our understanding of cowboy culture as predominantly masculine, juxtaposing her own body with bones, small weapons, and fabric backdrops that establish a tension between life and death, folklore and daily life, and the sacred and the profane. Animal bones, thorns, and knives nod to memento mori, a reminder of the impermanence of life, while also invoking the supernatural and a sense of cyclical time. Casting deep, dark shadows, the glaring sun reveals all. Portraying herself in western wear, West bonds to the continuum of the landscape and its customs and narratives while considering the way European attitudes and actions like Manifest Destiny shaped our understanding of the region. The artist taps into legend, history, and magical realism to blur distinctions between the past and contemporary experience. “Ultimately, throughout Games of Chance, West confronts the idealization of frontier heroism, dismantling its pre-established boundaries and expanding upon the legacy it left behind,” the gallery says. Games of Chance opens today and continues through May 10 in New York City. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram. “Hand with Opossum Skull” (2024-25), oil on linen, 24 x 20 inches Detail of “Gored Cowboy” “Trapper’s Still Life” (2024-5), oil on linen, 48 x 38 inches “Pearled Back” (2024-25), oil on linen, 58 x 46 inches “Portrait with Capped Skull” (2024-25), oil on linen, 58 x 48 inches “Pocketknife” (2024), oil on linen, 16 x 12 inches “St. Veronica at the Geyser Basin” (2024-25, oil on linen, 48 x 38 inches “Hand with Thorn” (2024-25), oil on linen, 24h x 20w in Detail of “Cowboy Philosopher” Next article

News Google offers open protocol for AI agent connectivity The idea of having AI agents coordinate activities to achieve a task requires a standard protocol for sharing queries, answers and admin tasks By Cliff Saran, Managing Editor Published: 10 Apr 2025 15:45 With support from technology partners, Google has introduced an open agent-to-agent protocol to enable artificial intelligence (AI) agents to communicate securely with one another. Google said it has drawn on internal expertise in scaling agentic systems to design the A2A protocol to address the challenges it identified in deploying large-scale, multi-agent systems for customers.  Google said A2A enables developers to build agents capable of connecting with any other agent built using the same protocol. “Businesses benefit from a standardised method for managing their agents across diverse platforms and cloud environments,” the company said on its developer blog. The protocol provides a mechanism for agents to advertise their capabilities using an Agent Card, which is submitted in the machine-readable JavaScript object notation format. Google said this enables a client agent to identify the best agent to perform a task. Agents can send each other messages to communicate context, replies, artefacts or user instructions. As an example, Google said the process of hiring a software engineer can be significantly simplified using agents that support A2A collaboration. A hiring manager can task an agent to find candidates matching a job listing, location and skillset. The agent then interacts with other specialised agents to source potential candidates. The user receives these suggestions and can then direct the agent to schedule further interviews, which, according to Google, helps to streamline the candidate sourcing process. SAP is one of the companies that announced support for A2A. It said that in the case of a customer dispute coming in over Google’s Gmail, rather than toggling between tools, a contact centre agent can invoke SAP’s AI copilot, Joule, directly from the email. Read more about AI agents DeepMind founder warns of compounding AI agent errors: Artificial general intelligence may be years away, but in the meantime, organisations are being urged to adopt agent technology. A technical guide to agentic AI workflows: Implemented correctly, agentic AI workflows can make business process management more responsive, flexible and autonomous. In SAP’s example, Joule, acting as an agent orchestrator, initiates a dispute resolution process, engaging another Google agent that connects to Google BigQuery, where relevant transactional warehouse data resides. SAP said the agents validate the issue, retrieve insights and recommend a resolution, all without manual system switching, data reconciliation or context loss. Service providers supporting A2A include Accenture, BCG, Capgemini, Cognizant, Deloitte, HCLTech, Infosys, KPMG, McKinsey, PwC, TCS and Wipro. “As agentic AI evolves, seamless handling of multi-modal data – text, voice, enterprise videos and images – becomes paramount,” said Miku Jha, director of AI, machine learning and generative AI at Google Cloud. “This introduces significant challenges for agent interoperability. An open protocol like A2A is therefore indispensable, providing the necessary framework and flexibility for agents to effectively communicate and collaborate across these diverse modalities. Multi-modality is not simply a capability; it is a foundational requirement driving the next generation of interconnected agentic systems.” Other software providers supporting A2A include Atlassian, Box, MongoDB, Neo4j, New Relic, Salesforce and ServiceNow. While Microsoft copilot agents do not appear to be directly supporting the A2A protocol, both Microsoft and Google work with Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP), which provides tools and context to agents. Last month, Microsoft announced integration with MCP, which provides a mechanism for users of Copilot Studio to connect to existing knowledge servers and application programming interfaces. In The Current Issue: Interview: The role of IT innovation at Royal Ballet and Opera ‘Bankenstein’ and a cold calculation means banking crashes will continue Download Current Issue Atlassian Summit 25: Rovo AI teammate + a ‘curated set’ of apps & agents  – CW Developer Network Making America great, but at what cost? – Cliff Saran's Enterprise blog View All Blogs

No coding required - but there is one catch. Here's how to get started.

European automakers and suppliers are under pressure as traditional markets fade and new technology threatens. But auto workers are in demand as defense industries rally.