This article was originally published on GameDevDigest.com

Overwatch 2 is on the verge of releasing the biggest new way to play since Overwatch was first announced in 2014. Stadium is the new best-of-7 mode where you’ll upgrade your Hero over multiple rounds with more powerful abilities to transform what it means to play Overwatch.  On a team of five, you’ll earn Stadium Cash each round based on how well you do through eliminations, healing, damage mitigation, and more, using that Cash to buy Items between rounds that will improve things like survivability or damage done. You’ll also be able to select all-new abilities, like Moira having three-orbs or Reinhardt converting his shield into a healing barrier. It’ll take strategy and adaptation to excel when Stadium launches on April 22.   To talk about how Stadium’s unique new abilities and Hero builds came together, we talked with Senior Game Designer, Dylan Snyder!  How did your team approach building Stadium compared to the core version of Overwatch 2?  Snyder: Stadium is the Overwatch team trying to push player fantasy, play expression, and strategic gameplay to their limits within the core Overwatch that you know and love. We have long wanted to have a test ground for some bigger-than-reality ideas for these heroes. But the core gameplay of Overwatch 2 really focuses on competitive integrity, so we approach Stadium as kind of a place to go nuts to let loose a little bit and that’s Stadium.   What are the different types of upgrades players can make to their Heroes?  Snyder: A huge component of Stadium is the Armory; it’s where you start every match, and it’s where you return when in your spawn room between rounds. We wanted an easy to read yet fun way to spend Stadium Cash on your Heroes. In the Armory, you can buy Items that offer a range from simple Stat boosts to your damage or healing output, to ones that punch up specific abilities. Then there are Powers that are unlocked before rounds 1, 3, 5, and 7, and they are incredibly cool ways to play with really strong new abilities. You want to shoot Ana’s Nano Boost ultimate at your teammates through walls? Because with the right Items and Powers, you can shoot Ana’s Nano Boost ultimate at your teammates through walls.    What are some of the popular Builds and abilities on the dev team?  Snyder: There are so many. One of the really fun things we’ve seen in playtests has been the huge number of ways people find to play their favorite Heroes. A few people on the team have latched onto a really fun Double Helix build for Soldier: 76, which can be devastating against opponents that haven’t focused much on upgrading their survivability. But one of my personal favorite builds is focused on Ana’s Nano Boost; you can boost your entire team through walls. This has proven clutch for me personally in matches where I am killed while in overtime but still able to support my team before getting fully back to the fight.   Are there any builds or abilities that surprised you?  Snyder: A build that I’ve come to love that I didn’t ever expect to is for Junker Queen. I am not a Junker Queen main and have probably played her the least of any Hero live, but for whatever reason, she is my favorite Tank to play in Stadium. Specifically, because I can swing the axe so much more often, and I can turn it into a leaping strike. Nothing feels better than surprising a Juno or Mercy mid-air by hopping up to meet them with a Carnage swing; it never gets old. And you can spec into everything causing wounds, keeping you alive! It’s wonderful. It’s like the version of Junker Queen that was made for me, who is terrible at staying alive in fights. And that’s all I ever wanted, to not die in embarrassing fashion in front of lots of people, but I didn’t know until Stadium.  What are some starting tips for players?  Snyder: Use the suggested Example builds! And have fun testing things out in the Practice Range. Knowing what your Hero can do will make countering the other team, and building synergy with your teammates, that much easier.  Are there any abilities or Items that didn’t make into Stadium that you hope to add in the future?  Snyder: Nothing I can go into detail just yet! In the course of developing Stadium, we have quite a backlog of really exciting and promising ideas that we just weren’t able to implement ahead of Season 16. We’re pretty focused on developing a strong, solid foundation to set ourselves up for future Seasons with more Heroes, modes, maps, and abilities, and we feel that we’re in a really good place. And so some conversations are happening about some of those earlier ideas that didn’t quite make it. That can add even more variety to the round to round experience that players have in Stadium.  Stadium launches when Season 16 goes live, on April 22! With initial Heroes, more will be added every Season so stay tuned for more updates and details! Thank you.

Shinichirō Watanabe has never done something quite like Lazarus before.  Sure, the 59-year-old anime director of Cowboy Bebop, Space Dandy, and more isn’t new to science fiction, nor is he a stranger to suspense thrillers like Terror in Resonance. But a globe-trotting, sci-fi spy thriller about a secret task force assigned to apprehend a brilliant scientist before he kills off all of humanity? That’s a new one, and from the sound of it, that’s just the way Watanabe likes it. “I would’ve done [more Bebop] if it felt right,” Watanabe told Polygon last year. “I have to feel like I want to do it. There are no shows in my filmography that I didn’t want to do.” The 13-episode anime, which premiered on Adult Swim and Max earlier this month, centers on a cohort of agents — among them Axel Gilberto, a brash 23-year-old convict — who are recruited to track down Dr. Deniz Skinner, the Nobel laureate scientist behind Hapna, a miracle pharmaceutical that’s revealed to threaten the very future of all humanity. Polygon had the opportunity to speak to Watanabe through an interpreter ahead of the series’ debut earlier this month to discuss the themes of Lazarus, finding the right musical collaborators to bring the anime’s futuristic world to life, and how Axel Gilberto might fare in a hypothetical clash against Watanabe’s other scruffy-haired protagonist. [Ed. note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.] Polygon: There’s a lot of references to religion in the first episode of Lazarus. How did you want to explore religion alongside the other themes present throughout the series? Shinichirō Watanabe: I think you’re talking about the cold open starting from episode 1. In terms of religious depictions, I wanted to use it as a metaphor for human suffering, and religion is basically a way to cope with human suffering. [In Lazarus], I wanted to replace that religion with Hapna, which would remove all the pain from humanity.  There’s depictions of many different types of religions in the cold open [because] if I narrowed it down to a specific religion, I would receive a lot of comments. So that’s why we chose the whole array. Lazarus is sort of a spy thriller, which is something you haven’t done before in the past. Were there any genre considerations you wanted to explore with Lazarus? Did lacing in a bit of mystery pose a new challenge for you as a storyteller? While it’s not a style I’ve ever done before, I’m a big fan of classics like 007 and Mission: Impossible. But I can’t be doing the same thing they’ve done. So I’ve tried to mix it up a bit to give a fresh take on it. Lazarus has a ton of references to contemporary culture, nodding to the Avengers, SoundCloud, and even poverty among the transgender community. What is your news diet like, and how do you incorporate it into your creative process? On the inclusion of pop culture references like Avengers and SoundCloud: The story is set in the future, but having everything new has no key points of relatability. So in terms of adding some reality to it, I added those familiar kinds of things […] so it felt a little bit more alive and more real. I’ve always had my antenna targeted towards overseas news. There’s a lot of shows that translate the news from overseas into Japanese, and I’ve been watching those for a long time. So even for Cowboy Bebop, I got the idea for the series watching those kinds of shows. This series feels more focused than your previous anime, especially considering that it’s 13 episodes instead of 24 or 26. Did it feel like the story just lent itself to less time, or did you have a different goal with Lazarus compared to your previous anime? The initial offer for the series was for a 13-episode series, which is why it became like that. But in terms of making a 26-episode and a 13-episode series, the difference is that in a 26-episode series, I was able to mix in a lot of breaks in between and have a little fun and make some joke episodes. But we couldn’t have that this time around.  In terms of 13-episode series, it did help in terms of cutting the fat. If I continued to think and come up with ideas for the series, it would just become endless. So it did help in that aspect. There are a lot of elements in Lazarus that seem to “rhyme” with your previous work on Cowboy Bebop and Carole & Tuesday, like AI DJs and female hackers. Are these elements you find yourself drawn to in your stories, or feel there’s more to say with them? Please excuse me for this one; it’s more of a force of habit and it’s the same person making it, so my preferences are going to show. [laughs] The soundtrack for Lazarus has Bonobo, Kamasi Washington, and Floating Points composing it, and it’s very beautiful. And I wanted to ask, were you a fan of their work before working on Lazarus, and why did you think their combined sound fit the series? I’ve been a big fan of them for a long time. The first two people we offered and reached out to were Floating Points and Bonobo, and the reason why is since the series is set in the future, I wanted a more futuristic dance type of vibe. Specifically for Axel, the way he parkours through the city, or jumps onto a helicopter, I wanted a kind of dance type of groove to those kinds of scenes.  Of course, those two are very good at dance tracks, but it’ll become very one-note at that point, which is why we also reached out to Kamasi Washington, and he did add a very nice variety to the mix. Even though the setting is futuristic, I think his jazz tracks and jazzy vibes did bring a lot to the table.  Speaking of Axel, I wanted to ask you about Lazarus’ protagonist. In a lot of ways, he feels like a foil or a mirror to Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop. Where Spike is very laid-back, Axel is very proactive and erratic. I wanted to ask if those two ever met one another, who do you think would win in a fight?  [laughs] You ask a very difficult question. Both of them are very powerful, so it may be hard to figure out which would come up on top.  What do you want most for audiences to take away from watching Lazarus? What is the one thing that you really want to impress upon your audience with this series? I don’t want to force my own impressions onto the viewers, so I want them to watch the entire series and get their own impressions about what the message is for the series. I especially want everyone to think about whether Skinner was in the right or in the wrong for what he did. Lazarus is available to stream on Max.

There’s no shortage of emerging contemporary artists and designers coming out of Mexico, and ÁUREA is proof of that. Presented by DIFANE, a multidisciplinary studio and gallery, the exhibition celebrates transformation and new beginnings. Featuring nearly 30 designers, artists, and creatives, it highlights the richness of Mexico’s design landscape and offers a fresh perspective on the fusion of traditional craftsmanship and modern design. Inspired by the light and energy of the early morning, ÁUREA marks a new chapter for the studio, which is dedicated to supporting both emerging and established Mexican creatives, with a larger and more versatile space. “From the beginning, DIFANE was founded with the vision of becoming a platform that celebrates and propels Mexican talent,” Andrea Gadsden, cofounder of DIFANE, shares with Design Milk. “We saw a need for greater visibility and support for designers who often lacked the infrastructure to showcase and sell their work both nationally and internationally. Our new space embodies this mission – it is a place where creativity can flourish, and where designers can focus on their craft while we take care of the logistics, sales, and promotion. More than a gallery, DIFANE is a community. ÁUREA is the dawn of a renewed vision: to keep building this collaborative ecosystem and provide a space where innovation, craftsmanship, and identity converge.” The ÁUREA exhibition features the work of designers Bibi Bibi Studio, Juan Alán González, Ricardo Rodríguez Elías, Edgar Orlaineta, Simón Hamui, Peca Studio, Lordag and Sondag, Colección Estudio, Xavier Lorand, Comité de Proyectos, Bandido Studio, Axoque Estudio, Ernesto Azcarate, Tributo Mx, Jazo Romero, Azotea, Ukma, Nuumbra Estudio, Andrés Gutierrez, Isabel Moncada, Ad Hoc, Taller Nacional, Ehecatl Moreno, Chuch Estudio, Rokam, and Encrudo, as well as artists Andrea Sotelo, Pilar de Ariño, and Pedro Magaña. ÁUREA explors the connection between nature, raw materials, and creative awakening through a curated selection of handcrafted furniture, lighting, and art objects. Each piece embodies the essence of contemporary Mexican design, which Gadsden defines by its ability to seamlessly blend tradition with innovation. “It draws deeply from our cultural roots, artisanal techniques, and connection to nature – while reinterpreting these elements through a contemporary lens,” she reflects. “The result is work that is both timeless and forward-thinking, rich in narrative and bold in execution.” Through its collaboration with Estudio Actual, which helped shape the exhibition, DIFANE expands its vision, creating a unified experience where contemporary art and design meet. The exhibition is just a taste of what’s to come from DIFANE. Looking ahead, the studio is preparing for the official opening of its showroom, what Gadsden deems “an exciting milestone that will become the heart of DIFANE moving forward. This space will allow us to present an ever-evolving selection of pieces and welcome new designers into our community. It will also serve as a hub for creative dialogue and collaboration, reinforcing our role as a connector within the Mexican design scene.” At the heart of it all, DIFANE will stay committing to amplifying Mexican talent – at home and abroad – through meaningful partnerships, creative storytelling, and exclusive launches. “At DIFANE, we’re deeply committed to shaping the future of Mexican design, and we’re just getting started.” “The Ono Chair by Ukma redefines the relationship between material and movement through its fluid, sculptural form. 3D-printed using recycled polymer, the chair represents a seamless fusion of innovation, sustainability, and ergonomic function. Founded from a desire to make high-quality, sculptural pieces accessible, Ukma began with a simple goal: to create artful objects that elevate everyday spaces without compromising on design or price.” “Part of the AURUM collection, the Aurum Sideboard by Peca Studio pays tribute to tradition, craftsmanship, and the inherent beauty of noble materials. Designed by Caterina Moretti and Karla Vázquez, the piece features sandblasted wood meticulously hand-gilded with 23-carat gold leaf, creating a radiant surface that evokes sunlight and warmth. This detailed process transforms each piece into a mystical object – where light, shadow, and materiality converge. Aurum is more than furniture; it’s an expression of reverence, designed to enchant and illuminate its surroundings.” “The Fuego Cabinet by Tributo is a poetic exploration of transformation through material. Crafted from black-stained ash, volcanic stone, and copper sheets, the piece evokes elemental power and refined craftsmanship. The textured copper – shaped by heat – reveals a tactile, undulating surface that captures the eye and invites touch. Fuego is a sculptural statement rooted in contrast and harmony.” “Inspired by pre-Hispanic architecture, the Tecale Console by Xavier Lorand blends historical reference with contemporary craftsmanship. Its solid travertine form evokes the monolithic beauty of ancient archaeological sites. Through close collaboration with expert marble artisans, Lorand developed a distinctive formal language rooted in timelessness and material integrity. The piece embodies a dialogue between tradition, permanence, and refined modern design.” “The Basse Table by Juan Alan González is a sculptural fusion of fiberglass and brass, where form and material collide in a poetic balance of elegance and tension. Guided by intuition, the piece explores aesthetic values that suggest a deeper moral dimension in design. Its shapes and textures shift in a phenomenological way, inviting both playfulness and solemnity. Through the careful morphing of distinct materials, González creates a sensorial experience that is unexpected yet refined – bold yet contemplative.” To learn more about the artists and creatives featured in the ÁUREA exhibition by DIFANE, visit difane.com and give them a follow at @difane.

If you're eager for the new Nintendo Switch 2, the current preorder situation should make you a bit nervous. Nintendo's upcoming console is scheduled to launch on June 5, but without a preorder, there's no telling how difficult it'll be to buy one. Fortunately, things are improving. On Friday, Nintendo finally announced the new date fans can expect to preorder a Switch 2, as well as some good and bad news regarding price increases. Here's the latest.Switch 2 preorders open next weekIt's official: If you live in the United States or Canada, you can preorder a Nintendo Switch 2 on Thursday, April 24. The new date replaces the original April 9 preorder schedule Nintendo announced earlier this month. The company delayed preorders following the Trump administration's unpredictable array of tariffs imposed on countries around the world. As the administration rolled back certain tariffs and paused imposing new ones (at least for the time being), it seems Nintendo feels confident enough to commit to preorders in the U.S.Part of the reason for the delay (or, perhaps the entire reason for the delay) was likely to assess whether the company should hike the price of the Switch 2. Fortunately, the calculation hasn't swung in that direction: The Switch successor will cost $449.99, the same price Nintendo revealed at the beginning of April. Likewise, Mario Kart World will still cost $79.99, and Donkey Kong Bananaza will cost $69.99. While those games are more expensive than one might expect from Nintendo titles, at least they aren't going to cost even more.Switch 2 price increasesThe bad news, however, is that not all the previously announced prices will remain the same. Nintendo says Switch 2 accessories will jump up in cost. Those prices are as follows:Switch 2 Pro Controller: $84.99 (was $79.99)Left and Right Joy-Con 2 controllers: $94.99 (was $89.99)Switch 2 camera: $54.99 (was $49.99)It seems the three affected units are all $5 more expensive, which isn't an enormous price increase, but these accessories were already pricey to begin with. (Seeing Joy-Cons at nearly $100 is really something.) Fortunately, the MSRPs for other Switch 2 accessories remain unchanged. Those include:Joy-Con 2 charging grip: $34.99Joy-Con 2 strap: $12.99Joy-Con 2 wheel (two-pack): $19.99Switch 2 dock: $109.99Switch 2 carrying case (with screen protector): $34.99Switch 2 all-in-one case: $79.99Switch 2 AC adapter: $29.99Nintendo isn't the only one raising prices, either. Earlier this week, Sony announced MSRP bumps for PS5s across the world. At the moment, the U.S. was spared from those cost adjustments, but we'll see if that holds.

If you've been hanging onto an older Apple Watch for a few years or you're an iPhone user who perhaps wants to pick one up for the first time to better track your activity, here's a deal for you. The Apple Watch Series 10 is once again on sale. It has dropped back down to $299, which matches a record low price. The smartwatch usually retails for $399. This deal is for the 42mm GPS version of the Apple Watch Series 10 with a Sport Loop strap in various colorways (there's no LTE connectivity in this one). Other configurations are available for less than usual too — the 46mm Series 10 with a Sport Loop is also $100 off at $329. The Apple Watch Series 10 is our pick for the best smartwatch overall, though note that you'll need a compatible iPhone to use it. We gave the wearable a score of 90 in our review. Admittedly, this is a relatively iterative upgrade. If you have an Apple Watch Series 8 or 9, the upgrade might not be worth it. But if you're an Apple Watch newcomer or you're upgrading from an older model, this is probably the one to go for. The Series 10 has a larger screen than its predecessor, which makes it easier to see notifications and such. The thinner frame looks nicer too. However, while the Apple Watch Series 10 is great for fitness and wellness tracking, it's a bit disappointing that the device lacks the blood oxygen feature seen in earlier models (though Apple had little choice but to nix that here). Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-apple-watch-series-10-is-back-on-sale-for-299-155611025.html?src=rss

Iranians, Russians, and North Koreans have been observed trying to trick their targets into running shady commands on their computers.

Retail preorder for the Nintendo Switch 2 gaming system will begin on April 24.

Today, Apple’s streaming service, Apple TV Plus, has done something unheard of in streaming television. The company has now re-released the final episode of the canceled sitcom Mythic Quest with a new, re-edited ending. The re-edit removes the original season cliffhanger and replaces it with a new ending that acts to resolve the show’s lingering plot point, thus wrapping up the series by giving the show’s supporters, and characters, closure. But while the re-edit may please fans, it raises some interesting issues concerning the entertainment historical record. A first in TV streaming On March 26, Apple TV Plus released the 10th episode of Mythic Quest season four. Titled “Heaven and Hell,” this episode was initially designed to be the season’s finale, and, as most season finales do, it ended on a cliffhanger. However, after the season finale aired, Apple announced that it was canceling Mythic Quest. With no season five, the show’s cancellation meant that the series ended on a cliffhanger that would never be resolved—just like so many streaming series that were canceled before it. But then Apple did something unexpected and unheard of in the world of streaming television. It allowed Mythic Quest’s producers to go back and re-edit the season four finale by swapping out the cliffhanger ending for one that better aligns with a series finale—in other words, one that wraps up the show’s loose threads. Mythic Quest’s creators and executive producers, Megan Ganz, David Hornsby, and Rob McElhenney, announced the unusual move last week, stating, “Because endings are hard, with Apple’s blessing we made one final update to our last episode—so we could say goodbye, instead of just game over.” And now, the re-edited Mythic Quest episode is available. How the original and re-edited endings are different If you navigate to the Mythic Quest listing on Apple TV Plus now, you’ll see that the episode shows a new original air date of April 18, 2025, signaling that Apple has now released the re-edit. As the entertainment website Pajiba points out, the re-edited episode features a relatively small change. In the original episode, the show’s two main characters, Ian and Poppy, who have always had a platonic and professional work relationship throughout the show’s run, kissed. The repercussions of that cliffhanger kiss ending were originally meant to be fully explored in Mythic Quest’s season five. Yet the re-edited episode now removes the kiss ending entirely. As Pajiba notes, “It’s the same episode, only this time, the two agree to repair their working relationship, but it remains platonic. They hug, and that’s it.” It’s likely that since work had already ceased on the series, this new hugging scene had already been previously shot, which is what allowed the creatives to alter the episode so quickly within just weeks of its original release. Altering the historical record While fans of the show will no doubt be grateful that Apple gave the creatives permission to go back and change the final “Heaven and Hell” episode to provide closure for them the show’s characters, how Apple has handled it is worth pointing out. There are television shows that have been canceled before that were later brought back on a new network or revived on streaming, but never, to my knowledge, has there been a show that has had its last episode aired before cancellation, changed, and then re-released.  But it seems like Apple has chosen to go about its fan-pleasing move by not caring too much about the entertainment historical record. That’s because there is nothing left on Apple TV Plus’ platform that suggests the “Heaven and Hell” episode available now is anything but the one that originally aired. Mythic Quest’s season four finale has now been relabeled as the “Series Finale” in Apple TV Plus’s show listing. Apple has chosen to make only the re-edited version of the show available to watch. (We’ve reached out to Apple to ask if it plans to also release the original version at some point.) Furthermore, its original release date has also been changed from March 26 to April 18, 2025. It is also not mentioned anywhere in the episode that the episode has been re-edited from its original version—nor is there an option to view the original ending. In other words, it seems like Apple has taken the George Lucas approach to changing the historical entertainment record. In the late 1990s, Lucas released a version of the original Star Wars trilogy with new scenes and effects inserted. Lucasfilm then essentially wiped the trilogy as it originally was from existence. To this day, Lucasfilm (and now its owner, Disney) only makes the re-edited version of the Star Wars trilogy available for consumption. When it comes to a less culturally relevant show like Mythic Quest (compared to Star Wars), is this that big of a deal? Probably not—at least not to general streaming subscribers. But the wiping of the original episode highlights how, in this digital world of ours, anything can be altered at any time—and the original may not always be preserved for posterity.

Here's what we looked at this week:An IRL version of the keyboard from "Severance" is supposedly going into production. Because buying one of these will surely fill that void. Luxury…sketchbooks?!? This one is bound with brass rings, not some lame spiral.Why does no one make milk crate accessories, like interior drawers?A window-mounted object that invites birds into your home.Rumpl's burrito-style Wrap Sack: Re-thinking the design of the sleeping bag, for more freedom of sleeping positions.Functional Mad Max bikes vs. the Motototem art bike. Which do you prefer?Researchers develop low-cost robot hands made of measuring tape.Sisto, by furniture designer Edoardo Lietti, is a simple piece of furniture with multiple configurations.Augmented Carpentry: An AR system that tells workers where to cut the wood, no marking. (I don't think this is a good idea.)JPA Design rethinks long-haul flight blankets.1980s design commentary: Ron Arad's Concrete Stereo.A 1960s design classic: Erik Magnussen's Z-Down chair.Ant Mag's Modernist magnetic hooks.French company Strong Locks invented this snap-shut bike lock. It works like a bear trap.If only all charging blocks were like this. The diminutive Torras ZipGo features a retractable USB-C cable.Long-lived design: Todd Bracher and Steelcase's elegant Trea series of chairs, still winning awards ten years on.This BottleLoom gizmo cuts plastic bottles into neat strips for harvesting.Red Rebane's EXO MAX is a bike bag designed to carry unusual-shaped objects.Industrial design case study: Whipsaw on using AI for digital product prototyping.