EA's Star Wars strategy game, confirmed to be in the works back in 2022, has been given a title - Star Wars: Zero Company - and a first bit of artwork ahead of a full reveal this weekend. Read more

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide Marvel Rivals Season 2 is already growing in popularity among players with a bunch of promotional events that have granted free skins and Units, the game’s premium currency. These events, which are themed after the Hellfire Gala, reward participation with magnificent cosmetics, such as the Scarlet Witch Chaos Gown for finishing nine matches or the Mantis Flora Maiden from the Cerebro Database event. Twitch Drops also provide rare goods, such as the Namor Will of Galacta skin, for watching streams, whereas a Marvel Unlimited membership includes The Thing’s Unlimited suit. These incentives, which run until April 18, aim to increase community excitement and highlight the game’s expanding lineup, which currently includes Emma Frost. NetEase’s free-to-play idealogy ensures that users on all platforms may personalize their characters without spending money, adding to the popularity of the 6v6 shooter. Meanwhile, some users are preparing for something special—a competitive battle that is generating excitement where players can win some free Units and exclusive skins. NetEase announces Marvel Rivals PlayStation Cup that grants free Units and exclusive cosmetics Marvel Rivals has released monthly free and open PlayStation Cup tournaments for PS5 users who play the game. Engage in an epic Multiverse showdown against players in your region and win up to 300 Units to unlock premium rewards like unique emotes, cosmetics, and boosts that enhance gameplay. Marvel Rivals have announced monthly PlayStation tournaments. Image by VideoGamer. Registration for the Marvel Rivals PlayStation Cups opens monthly, beginning in April and running through December. So be sure to suit up for battle and sign up for this month’s challenge to claim your titles and trophies. No matter your rank, you can sign up from the in-game “Tournaments” tab now to compete in the Marvel Rivals PlayStation Cups. Monthly PlayStation Cups will follow a familiar three-stage progression: quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. And each stage will consist of a single elimination bracket, featuring eight teams. Here are the prizes that can be won by each placement in the tournament: 1st: 300 Units/Person + Faction Trophy + Title 2nd: 200 Units/Person + Faction Trophy + Title 3rd-4th: 100 Units/Person + Faction Trophy + Title 5th-8th: 2nd: Faction Trophy + Title How to participate in Marvel Rivals PS5 cup Registration for the Marvel Rivals PlayStation Cups is free and open to all players. To get started, just follow these quick steps: Launch Marvel Rivals on your PS5 Navigate to the “Tournaments” tab at the top of your screen Select “Marvel Rivals PlayStation Cups” Select your region Now you’re ready to queue up in the PlayStation Cup and compete! Full Marvel Rivals PlayStation Tournament schedule in 2025 April Challenge StageDateRegistrationApril 12 – 26Quarterfinals (8 to 4)April 26, 14:00 (UTC-4)SemifinalsApril 26, 15:30 (UTC-4)FinalsApril 26, 17:00 (UTC-4) May Challenge StageDateRegistrationMay 1 – 31Quarterfinals (8 to 4)May 31, 14:00 (UTC-4)SemifinalsMay 31, 15:30 (UTC-4)FinalsMay 31, 17:00 (UTC-4) June Challenge StageDateRegistrationJune 1 – 28Quarterfinals (8 to 4)June 28, 14:00 (UTC-4)SemifinalsJune 28, 15:30 (UTC-4)FinalsJune 28, 17:00 (UTC-4) July Challenge StageDateRegistrationJuly 1 – 26Quarterfinals (8 to 4)July 26, 14:00 (UTC-4)SemifinalsJuly 26, 15:30 (UTC-4)FinalsJuly 26, 17:00 (UTC-4) August Challenge StageDateRegistrationAugust 1 – 30Quarterfinals (8 to 4)August 30, 14:00 (UTC-4)SemifinalsAugust 30, 15:30 (UTC-4)FinalsAugust 30, 17:00 (UTC-4) September Challenge StageDateRegistrationSeptember 1 – 27Quarterfinals (8 to 4)September 27, 14:00 (UTC-4)SemifinalsSeptember 27, 15:30 (UTC-4)FinalsSeptember 27, 17:00 (UTC-4) October Challenge StageDateRegistrationOctober 1 – 25Quarterfinals (8 to 4)October 25, 14:00 (UTC-4)SemifinalsOctober 25, 15:30 (UTC-4)FinalsOctober 25, 17:00 (UTC-4) November Challenge StageDateRegistrationNovember 1 – 29Quarterfinals (8 to 4)November 29, 14:00 (UTC-4)SemifinalsNovember 29, 15:30 (UTC-4)FinalsNovember 29, 17:00 (UTC-4) December Challenge StageDateRegistrationDecember 1 – 27Quarterfinals (8 to 4)December 27, 14:00 (UTC-4)SemifinalsDecember 27, 15:30 (UTC-4)FinalsDecember 27, 17:00 (UTC-4) Participants must be at least 16 years old upon the registration deadline. See full rules. Marvel Rivals Platform(s): macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X Genre(s): Fighting, Shooter Related Topics Marvel Rivals Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

Got a Tip?Are you a current or former government employee who wants to talk about what's happening? We'd like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at davidgilbert.01.One team that was purged from HHS managed over a hundred contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars, including crucial cybersecurity licenses. It also managed the renewal of contracts for hundreds of specialized contractors who perform critical tasks for the department, including a dozen cybersecurity contractors who work at the Computer Security Incident Response Center (CSIRC)—the primary component of the department’s overall cybersecurity program which is overseen by the chief information security officer.While all of HHS’s agencies have their own cybersecurity and IT teams, the CSIRC is the only one that has visibility across the entire network of the department. This center, based in Atlanta, monitors the entire HHS network and is tasked with preventing, detecting, reporting, and responding to cybersecurity incidents at HHS.“It is the department’s nerve center,” the source says. “It has direct links to DHS, CISA, Defense Health Agency, and the intelligence community.”The contractors provide round the clock coverage on three, eight-hour shifts every single day, monitoring the network for any possible outages or attacks from inside or outside the network. Those contracts are set to expire on June 21; while there is time to renew them, it’s not clear who is authorized to do so or knows how, since the entire office that oversees the process is no longer working at HHS.Adding to the threat is the decision by the General Service Administration to terminate the lease for the CSIRC in Atlanta, effective December 31, 2025.Many of the cybersecurity and monitoring tools the contractors use to monitor the networks are also due for renewal in the coming months.If the situation is not addressed, “pretty soon, the department will be completely open to external actors to get at the largest databases in the world that have all of our public health information in them, our sensitive drug testing clinical trial information at the NIH or FDA, or different organizations’ mental health records,” the source claims, echoing the opinions of other sources who spoke to WIRED.In the weeks leading up to the RIF, some administrative staff did have interactions with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) operatives, including Clark Minor, a software engineer who worked at Palantir for over a decade and was recently installed as the department’s chief information officer.As one employee was detailing the work they did at the OCIO, they said, they got the sense that Minor—whose online resume does not detail any experience in the federal government—seemed overwhelmed by the sheer scale of HHS, an agency that accounted for over a quarter of federal spending in 2024 and consists of an almost innumerable amount of offices and staff and operating divisions.Minor has not provided guidance to the remaining HHS staff on the transition, according to two sources still at the agency.Minor did not respond to a request for comment from WIRED.Some internal systems are already breaking down, according to sources still working at HHS. One employee, who facilitates travel for HHS employees, says the RIF “set federal travel back to processes that were in place prior to the first Electronic Travel System contract in 2004.”

Bad End Blazblue players who haven't had a new fighter in nearly a decade face their biggest struggle yet: the possibility of an Adi Shankar adaptation The monkey paw curls in the hand of one of the remaining Blazblue players, in the wake of Netflix' Devil May Cry. Image credit: Arc Sys News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on April 14, 2025 Blazblue hasn't had a new fighting game since 2018 with Blazblue Cross Tag Battle, and fans have been desperate for any new update. It seems the monkey paw may be curling a finger as we speak, as Adi Shankar (director of the recently released Devil May Cry series) has posted the series' logo on his Twitter. This post doesn't actually announce anything, it's a PNG ripped from Google. But with a series so absent of news or updates as Blazblue, this has become the biggest story in months for fans. The new Devil May Cry series, as horrendous as it is, may act as an ill omen for these starving gamers. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. For those who don't know what Blazblue is, I can't really blame you. It's a relatively niche game within a niche genre. Created by Arc System Works, the game attracted a community of fans due to its fast-paced gameplay, depth, and anime art style. Over the years it's gained a loyal following of players who love the games and the story told throughout the series. However, Arc System Works has spent recent years focused on other IP like Guilty Gear, Dragon Ball, and more. So while an adaptation isn't inherently bad news, Shankar's recent work on Devil May Cry has some worried. That series takes... liberties with the source material. As such, taking a narrative hammer to Blazblue and its story isn't exactly what a lot of fans would be looking for. The reaction to this post has been amusing though. Majin Obama, fighting game content creator and tournament organizer, encouraged Shankar to look into Guilty Gear Strive instead. This, one assumes, was not done with kind intentions at heart. Another X user cifers wrote "This is my personal 9/11", which pretty much sums up the reception to the concept of a Blazblue adaptation under Shankar. Sometimes death is a mercy, especially when it comes to video games. But what do you think? Would you be curious to see a Blazblue adaptation? Or are you just here for the chaos? Let us know below!

Sebastian Sylwan has a wealth of experience, having been CTO at Weta Digital, Scanline, and Felix & Paul Studios, as well as Director of Technology at Digital Domain. He’s spent his career at the intersection of art and technology, helping world-class teams push the boundaries of visual effects, immersive media, and real-time workflows. In this episode, he reflects on the challenges of innovating in production environments—where the pressure to deliver can often stifle meaningful experimentation—and offers a thoughtful look at how our industry might evolve if we rethink our relationship with technology. We talk about what it means to be truly innovative, how to design systems that scale while still empowering artists, and why creative industries so often fall into patterns of short-term thinking. Sebastian also shares some candid thoughts on how leadership, culture, and communication play a critical role in making or breaking new ideas. If you’ve ever struggled to bring a great tool or pipeline into a legacy studio, or wondered why some groundbreaking tech never catches on, this episode is for you. Links: Sebastian Sylwan's LinkedIn > Sebastian Sylwan on IMDB >

Image: NintendoIt's been a busy couple of weeks in the Nintendoverse, and we're all a bit excited around these parts. Despite some bumps in the road around pricing, if you look past all the noise and the Nintendo-like messaging that can present more questions than it answers, the software looks per-itty good. Sure, for multiplatform gamers who've already had their fill of Elden Rings, Cyberpunks, and Street Fighters, Switch 2's 2025 lineup won't hit quite the same. And although Nintendo's own slate is fairly slim at launch, it's managed to turn the head of an old karting curmudgeon with a launch game that has me genuinely excited — with the tingles and everything — to play a new Mario Kart, something I honestly thought was beyond me at this point. Is it going to be 'Mario Kart of the Wild'? 90% of the NL team has now sampled the demo at the Switch 2 Experience events, but it is still a limited look at a game which promises a vast reworking of the basic Mario Kart formula beyond manic races to a finish line. We still don't quite know the extent of open-world component, but all signs point to something a bit special. And something special is exactly what Nintendo needs, not just for Switch 2's launch, but also to rejuvenate the series. Image: Nintendo I've always been of the mind that there's not really a 'bad' Mario Kart - not when you've got three friends and a multiplayer setup. Your favourite MK is invariably the one you've played most with three other people in the same room. My first was Mario Kart 64, so going 'back' to the 2D style with Super Circuit on GBA — and playing solo only — didn't get my motor running. MK64 wasn't never the best-looking game in the world and the PAL version... well, it's the PAL version (except in some courses with three players when, if memory serves, it magically sped up to 'proper' speed), but even running like soup, it was a fantastic time and showcased brilliantly why every console should have four controller ports on the front. But it was in university with Double Dash, three housemates, and a crate of cold brewskies that Mario Kart really came into focus. Maybe if we'd played Mario Party instead, I might understand people's obsession with that (that's definitely a 'me' thing, it's just never clicked for me), but Double Dash is my personal party-gaming pinnacle. Tapping to switch between characters with different items added just the right level of strategy and satisfaction on top of the racing. I've never felt as engaged by a Mario Kart since. That's not to say there haven't been great entries since 2003. As I said, it's the ones you play with pals in the best possible setting which grab you the most. Personally, I found Mario Kart Wii a bit bland. I barely touched the handheld DS and 7. Across the two versions and the Booster Course Pass tracks, I've put hundreds of hours into Mario Kart 8, though. Objectively, it's the biggest and best, but given the situations I've found myself playing multiplayer in... it's still never toppled Double Dash. Online just can't compete. Images: Nintendo World, though, looks so promising, I'm looking forward to Thursday's Direct more than any Nintendo broadcast in recent memory - honestly, even more so than the Switch 2 Direct. There is an element of relief that it's focused on just one game and I should be able to enjoy just watching the thing (as opposed to having it on in another tab with a suboptimal, hotel-room setup and scrambling to cover everything for you lovely lot!). 'Mario Kart X BOTW' is reductive, but it's exciting - at least to me. Not everything needs to be open-world, but I'm really pick up what Nintendo's putting down with this one. And let's not forget that the devs have had the best part of a decade to dream up what a Mario Kart sequel looks like as we slide into the second quarter of the 21st century. Breath of the Wild itself is over eight years old now, so its influence and mechanics appearing in other Nintendo games is absolutely to be expected. Looking at the system, it's a fine bit of kit, but I suspect your mind and body will very quickly adapt to Switch 2's 'new normal' after you pull the trigger and upgrade. There's not much that can be done about that, except keeping the supply of blistering new games coming once a month for as long as possible. MKW doesn't need a massive, 120-hour open-world component to keep us occupied until DK Bananza, but it would help. Images: Nintendo I've barely mentioned the price; $80 is obviously a huge ask. $50 as part of the launch bundle feels better, but that's accompanied by the 500-note sting of the hardware. As painful as it is, though, one look at our 'most wanted' reader survey suggests that 82% of Nintendo fans are as enthusiastic as me about this one. Nintendo makes some weird choices, but it knows the game looks great and knows we'll pay to play it. There's a lot riding on the Direct, but even with people looking for holes in that $80 argument, at this point it feels like Mario Kart World is Nintendo's ball to fumble. Thursday could be a dud. But right now? I'm surprised — delighted, even — at how jazzed I am to find out more about a Mario Kart, of all things. The series needed a new direction, and it's got it. And hey, if Nintendo can get me animated about this, maybe there's hope yet for GameChat. Maybe that's the secret sauce I need to bring back the face-to-face factor and return online play to the realm of the living room - to recapture the excitement of four dudes in Swansea lounging around a CRT and a GameCube 20 years ago. Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube807k Mario Kart: Single Dash!! "If they pull it off, others will follow" The World Wide Road Related Games See Also Share:0 1 Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, rising through the ranks to become Editor. He can currently be found squashed beneath a Switch backlog the size of Normandy. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment... Related Articles Upgrade Pack Price For Zelda: BOTW And TOTK Has Been Confirmed A pleasant surprise! Nintendo Confirms US Price For 'Switch 2 Welcome Tour' Quick, act surprised! My Nintendo Adds A Switch 2 Reward (North America) It's a keychain! UK Switch 2 Fans, Don't Bother Going To GAME Stores For Your Pre-Order You won't get one Switch 2 GameChat Choppy Frame Rate Explained By Nintendo It's about ensuring the "game experience" is at its best

Car rental giant Hertz has begun notifying its customers of a data breach that included their personal information and driver’s licenses. The rental company, which also owns the Dollar and Thrifty brands, said in notices on its website that the breach relates to a cyberattack on one of its vendors between October 2024 and December 2024. The stolen data varies by region, but largely includes Hertz customer names, dates of birth, contact information, driver’s licenses, payment card information, and workers’ compensation claims. Hertz said a smaller number of customers had their Social Security numbers taken in the breach, along with other government-issued identification numbers. Notices on Hertz’s websites disclosed the breach to customers in Australia, Canada, the European Union, New Zealand, the United Kingdom.  Hertz also disclosed the breach with several U.S. states, including California and Maine. Hertz said at least 3,400 customers in Maine were affected but did not list the total number of affected individuals, which is likely to be significantly higher. Emily Spencer, a spokesperson for Hertz, would not provide TechCrunch with a specific number of individuals affected by the breach but said it would be “inaccurate to say millions” of customers are affected. The company attributed the breach to a vendor, Cleo Software, which last year was at the center of a mass-hacking campaign by a prolific Russia-linked ransomware gang. Hertz is one of dozens of companies that used Cleo Software at the time of their data thefts. The Clop ransomware gang claimed last year to have exploited a zero-day vulnerability in Cleo’s widely used enterprise file transfer products, which allow companies to share large sets of sensitive data over the internet. By breaching these systems, the hackers stole reams of data from Cleo’s corporate customers. Soon after, the Clop ransomware gang claimed on its dark web leak site that it stole data from close to 60 companies by exploiting the bug in their Cleo systems. In a later post, Clop claimed dozens more alleged corporate victims. The data extortion campaign became one of the most notable mass-hacks of 2024. At the time, Hertz, which was named on Clop’s site, said it had “no evidence” that Hertz data or Hertz systems were affected. On Monday, Hertz’s spokesperson told TechCrunch it found no evidence that Hertz’s own network was affected by the breach, but confirmed that Hertz data “was acquired by an unauthorized third party that we understand exploited zero-day vulnerabilities within Cleo’s platform in October 2024 and December 2024.” A Cleo executive did not respond to TechCrunch’s inquiry on Monday.

US-based 3D printer manufacturer 3D Systems has announced the successful use of its point-of-care additive manufacturing solution to produce the world’s first MDR-compliant 3D printed facial implant. Designed and printed within University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, the patient-specific PEEK implant was used in a maxillofacial reconstruction surgery on March 18, 2025. Founded over 35 years ago, 3D Systems pioneered the additive manufacturing industry with the invention of 3D printing by co-founder Chuck Hull. The company now provides end-to-end solutions for high-value sectors such as medical and dental, aerospace, defense, and industrial manufacturing. With certified facilities in Colorado and Belgium, 3D Systems has supported more than 150,000 patient-specific cases, producing over two million implants and surgical instruments.Point-of-care production with EXT 220 MED The facial implant, manufactured using VESTAKEEP i4 3DF PEEK from Evonik, was printed on 3D Systems’ EXT 220 MED printer within the hospital’s cleanroom environment. The system’s architecture and simplified post-processing workflow enabled the clinical team, including Prof. Florian Thieringer, Dr. Neha Sharma and biomedical engineers, to design, manufacture, and implement a custom device tailored to the patient’s anatomy. “Being directly involved in both the design and manufacturing of patient-specific implants, right here in our hospital, allows us to tailor treatments precisely to individual needs, respond faster, and improve surgical outcomes,” said Prof. Thieringer. The EXT 220 MED has already been deployed in more than 80 cranial implant surgeries at hospitals since its launch in August 2023. The solution combines cleanroom-based extrusion 3D printing with an expanding pipeline of medical applications, helping to shift personalized implant production closer to the point of care. EXT 220 MED Printer – Photo via 3D Systems. Driving clinical innovation and market growth For over a decade, 3D Systems’ VSP surgical planning technology has helped clinicians plan complex procedures using digital workflows and an extensive materials portfolio. This clinical integration, bringing engineers, surgeons, and manufacturing together, offers a significant advantage over traditional off-site production methods. The approach reduces treatment delays, enhances precision, and lowers costs. Stefan Leonhardt, Ph.D., Director of Medical Devices at 3D Systems, noted, “We are proud to collaborate with the pioneering clinicians at University Hospital Basel and other leading hospitals worldwide to expand the applications that can be addressed with additive manufacturing. Since its launch in August 2023, our innovative solution has already been utilized in more than 80 successful cranial implant surgeries at partner hospitals, demonstrating its swift integration and real-world effectiveness in delivering personalized patient care. The successful use of the EXT 220 MED for maxillofacial implants showcases our commitment to ongoing innovation that delivers personalized healthcare solutions for new applications.” According to 3D Systems, the 3D printed maxillofacial implant market exceeded $2 billion in 2024 and is projected to surpass $4 billion by 2034. As demand grows, the company continues to expand the clinical applications of additive manufacturing across a range of medical disciplines.A growing shift toward in-hospital manufacturing Point-of-care additive manufacturing, the ability to produce medical devices directly within clinical settings, is transforming how patient care is delivered. This approach minimizes the need for external suppliers, reduces turnaround time, and enables true personalization in treatments.  A notable example is 3D Systems’ earlier collaboration with University Hospital Basel, where the company supported the creation of the first 3D printed cranial implant produced on-site under current Medical Device Regulation (MDR) standards. That breakthrough laid the foundation for the recent facial implant milestone and highlighted the feasibility of integrating 3D printing into hospital infrastructure. Elsewhere, Ricoh USA has opened the RICOH 3D for Healthcare Innovation Studio within Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, where clinicians can directly design and manufacture FDA-cleared anatomic models. By localizing production, hospitals are gaining more control over surgical planning and execution while improving efficiency and outcomes. As interest grows, these initiatives signal a broader move toward distributed, patient-specific manufacturing workflows within the healthcare system.What 3D printing trends should you watch out for in 2025? How is the future of 3D printing shaping up? Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news. You can also follow us onLinkedIn and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content. Featured image shows The VSP PEEK Cranial Implant is the first FDA-cleared, additively manufactured PEEK implant intended for cranioplasty procedures to restore defects in the skull. Photo via 3D Systems.

Turning challenges into triumphs, Cookson’s relentless pursuit of innovation is found across their Extreme® Series line—defined by speed, durability, and maintenance-free performance. Made for demanding applications, purposeful designs can strengthen security, streamline the flow of traffic or goods, and boost energy efficiency. Cookson’s high-performance doors and grilles feature fast and precise operation, springless designs, heavy-duty construction and components, enhanced safety features, advanced control systems, and a compact fit for small openings with minimal headroom requirements. The Extreme 300 Series High-Performance Rolling Grille is a virtually maintenance-free option that operates up to three times faster than standard overhead coiling grilles. Extreme MicroCoil Grille The Extreme MicroCoil® Grille requires nearly 50 percent less headroom than traditional security grilles. Its patented nested link system reduces noise and vibrations, making it one of the smoothest operating coiling grilles on the market. Extreme Series Sectional Door This model operates at an average of 24 inches per second opening speed, three times* faster than a traditional sectional door. * When compared to a 10-foot by 10-foot door with a Logic 5.0™ operator set to an average of 8 inches per second. Extreme 300 Series Door Available in both insulated and uninsulated models, the Extreme 300 Series Door features 300,000 maintenance-free cycles. Insulated models carry an air leakage rating of less than 0.3 cubic feet per minute per square foot, surpassing ASHRAE® 90.1, 2015, IECC®, and California’s Title 24 air infiltration requirements.

In 1794, Revolutionary War veteran, Jacob Bacon (1754-1844), built this house on S. Canterbury Road outside the main village of Canterbury, Connecticut. The late Georgian/Federal style house features a large central chimney, symmetrical five-bay facade with center entrance, and a bold blue paint color. The house was seemingly built following Jacob’s 1793 marriage to a Martha Clark. Do you like the color of this house, or would you paint it something different?