News Ghost of Yōtei Co-Creative Director Says the Katana is Still “The Most Valuable Weapon” However, Sucker Punch's Jason Connell notes that playing with such a variety of weapons is "so new for the game’s feel." Posted By Ravi Sinha | On 26th, Apr. 2025 Roaming Ezo, now known as Hokkaido in Japan, and hunting her family’s killers is quite the task for Ghost of Yōtei’s protagonist, Atsu. While she has some familiar tools like the grappling hook and katana, the latest trailer for the open-world sequel to Ghost of Tsushima showcased more new weapons. There’s the kusarigama, though we didn’t see its chain in action, and the spear, known as the yari, for long-rang stabbing. This is in addition to dual-wielding swords, the odachi and firearms. And while co-creative director Nate Fox says they have the “benefit of gunpowder being part of the combat mix,” the katana is still the focus. “While the Katana is still the most valuable weapon, having some more opportunities to blow things up is never a bad addition for a video game,” he told Variety in a new interview. Co-creative director Jason Connell added, “We’ve teased the kusarigama, and obviously, she’s got two swords, so there’s a cool dual-wielding element there. In this trailer, there’s a frame towards the end where you get to see a spear, which is called a yari. Being able to play with such a different variety of weapons is so new for the game’s feel. Each one of them has their own benefits.” Of course, they exist for more than just gameplay variety. Fox noted how “Mastering a weapon is part of the feeling of samurai cinema. Becoming a master of that blade is integral to it. But we wanted to give players an even bigger connection to the weapons and the land. “So inside of Ezo, you can find teachers who will teach you how to use that weapon in a very organic way that you might see inside these films. So you get to experience what it’s like to grow as a martial artist along with Atsu.” When asked if any particular piece of samurai cinema influenced the title, Fox pointed to Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. “‘Yojimbo‘ by Akira Kurosawa is very, very big in both of our minds as being this tonal jumping-off point for what it’s like to be a wandering sellsword, which Atsu is.” Launching on October 2nd, Ghost of Yōtei will be available for PS5 at $69.99. Head here to learn more about the world design, which Sucker Punch refers to as its “most open” ever. Tagged With: Atomfall Publisher:Rebellion Developments Developer:Rebellion Developments Platforms:PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, PCView More Monster Hunter Wilds Publisher:Capcom Developer:Capcom Platforms:PS5, Xbox Series X, PCView More South of Midnight Publisher:Microsoft Developer:Compulsion Games Platforms:Xbox Series X, PCView More Amazing Articles You Might Want To Check Out! Ghost of Yōtei Co-Creative Director Says the Katana is Still “The Most Valuable Weapon” However, Sucker Punch's Jason Connell notes that playing with such a variety of weapons is "so new for the gam... Ghost of Yōtei is “The Most Open World We’ve Ever Made,” Says Sucker Punch "One of the greatest joys is just getting lost. You let your curiosity guide you through the landscape," per c... Days Gone Remastered is Out Now on PS5 The remaster features graphical improvements and accessibility features alongside Horde Assault, Permadeath an... Resident Evil 9 Seemingly Teased in Resident Evil 4 Remake Celebratory Video The Roman numeral for "9" is distinctly seen, perhaps hinting at a potential upcoming announcement for the nex... Resistance: Fall of Man, Resistance 2 are Leaving PS Plus Premium Catalog in May This means that, from May 20 onwards, the only way to play the original Resistance and its sequel will be with... Nintendo Switch 2 – Majority of Japanese Customers Reportedly Opting for Region-Locked Version Only 2.9 percent of the surveyed Japanese Switch 2 customers are opting to pay ¥20,000 more to get their hand... View More

ScOULaris Member Oct 25, 2017 12,015 Looks like even Japan isn't going to be immune to this garbage. Not that it ultimately matters at this point, but still sad to see that this is just how things are going to be for this incoming Switch 2 generation worldwide. Almost All Physical Third-Party Nintendo Switch 2 Games in Japan Are Game-Key Cards — and It Looks Like It’s a Similar Situation in the West - IGN It has emerged that almost all physical third-party Nintendo Switch 2 games in Japan revealed so far are Game-Key Cards, and it looks like a similar situation in the West. www.ign.com Ugh.  BY2K Membero Americo The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 5,028 Québec, Canada Why would the situation be different in Japan???   mopinks Member Oct 27, 2017 32,531 pretty sure we've known that for a while   Jaded Alyx Editor-in-chief at SpecialCancel.com Verified Oct 25, 2017 39,818 [April 23, 2025] Every physical third-party Switch 2 game seen in Japan so far is a Game-Key Card requiring a download of full game in order to play VGC has reported that so far, all announced physical third-party Switch 2 games to be released in Japan is said to be a "Game-Key Card" release meaning that it comes with a cartridge that does not contain the full game, instead, the cartridge that comes with a "Game-Key Card" release contains a... www.resetera.com   Amnixia ▲ Legend ▲ The Fallen Jan 25, 2018 11,774 BY2K said: Why would the situation be different in Japan??? Click to expand... Click to shrink... People probably thought Japan got a preferential treatment because of the cheaper JP only Switch 2.  super-famicom Avenger Oct 26, 2017 29,888 Nintendo just shot themselves in the foot. I don't know how much the rest of you know about Japanese culture (I'm an expert), but honor and shame are huge parts of it. It's not like it is in America where you can become successful by being an asshole. If you screw someone over in Japan, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance. What this means is the japanese public, after hearing about this, is not going to want to purchase Switch 2 physical carts, nor will they purchase any of Nintendo's games. This is HUGE. You can laugh all you want, but Nintendo has alienated an entire market with this move. Nintendo, publicly apologize and put full games on carts that taste bitter or you can kiss your business goodbye.  cw_sasuke Member Oct 27, 2017 29,873 BY2K said: Why would the situation be different in Japan??? Click to expand... Click to shrink... .   super-famicom Avenger Oct 26, 2017 29,888 Jaded Alyx said: [April 23, 2025] Every physical third-party Switch 2 game seen in Japan so far is a Game-Key Card requiring a download of full game in order to play VGC has reported that so far, all announced physical third-party Switch 2 games to be released in Japan is said to be a "Game-Key Card" release meaning that it comes with a cartridge that does not contain the full game, instead, the cartridge that comes with a "Game-Key Card" release contains a... www.resetera.com Click to expand... Click to shrink... the irony is that thread is a duplicate of another thread 

It’s hardly a surprise, but it was worth confirming: the Nintendo Switch 2 won’t have achievements. When Polygon asked Nintendo’s vice president of player and product experience Bill Trinen if Nintendo was about to change its ways and introduce the ubiquitous progress trackers, he returned a simple, one-syllable answer: “Nope.”At this late stage — 20 years after Microsoft debuted its Gamerscore achievement system on Xbox 360 — it seems safe to infer that Nintendo is not just typically late to the party implementing this feature. It’s a conscientious objector. Nintendo has never stated its reasons for eschewing achievements, but it seems to be opposed to them on a fundamental, maybe even philosophical level.Why? It’s true that Nintendo has always liked to do things differently, and prides itself on the originality of its designs. But the company is not above copying others’ systems when it suits its needs, or when it simply becomes unavoidable. Nintendo has held online multiplayer at arms’ length for decades, offering perfunctory and limited services, perhaps out of concern for child safety. But the online gaming market is now sufficiently unavoidable — and subscription revenues for Nintendo Switch Online sufficiently important — that as of the Switch 2, we have GameChat, which reinvents Discord and Zoom for a Nintendo audience, in a Nintendo way. If Nintendo’s chief designers felt they really needed achievements, pride wouldn’t stop them jumping on the bandwagon.Image: Nintendo EPD/NintendoMy guess — along with those of many other observers — is that achievements simply don’t vibe with Nintendo’s ideas about what the experience of playing a video game should be. In this purist argument, a game’s fun factor should be motivation enough for playing it, without breadcrumb trails of meta-goals and rewards to lead you through the experience. There might even be a fear, not unfounded, that achievements can detract and distract from the pure enjoyment of a game, swamping players in checklists of things to do, and focusing more on bragging rights than having fun in the moment.There’s no real need to rehash the arguments about the value of achievements that have been batted back and forth for 20 years now. Well-designed achievements can be creative and enriching, and lead you into areas of a game and styles of gameplay you might not otherwise explore. It’s equally true that achievement systems appeal to some of our worst instincts as as humans, and have the potential to turn what should be a joyful artform into a bloody-minded chore. Personally, I’m on the fence. But I respect the purism of Nintendo’s approach, which seems honest in its focus on putting the games themselves, and players’ enjoyment of them, first.All of which makes the inclusion of an achievement-style system in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom even more curious.Image: Nintendo EPD/NintendoThis system, called My Play Data, looks pretty basic. It will be available in the Zelda Notes feature in the Nintendo Switch app. It tracks stats like enemies defeated, treasure chests opened, or rupees collected, and it awards in-app medals for hitting certain targets. In Global Play Data, you can compare your progress with players worldwide.It sounds quite uninspiring, and maybe it’s just as well. When I first heard that Nintendo was adding meta-goals to these two games, I feared for their spirit. I love that, despite being so busy and sprawling, these games are almost mindful. They’re designed to encourage spontaneous, organic exploration, living and playing in the moment. Although they’re heavily loaded with stuff to do, they don’t depend on the dense web of objectives that smothers so many open-world games.Luckily for me, the achievement design within My Play Data is so boring and abstracted, it’s unlikely to trouble that delicate balance. I have to believe it’s on purpose. If Nintendo wanted Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom to have good achievements, they would already have them. My Play Data’s medals appear to be a half-baked feature included just to pad out the Switch 2 Editions’ offering.Maybe that doesn’t bode very well for Nintendo’s approach to adding value to its Switch 2 Editions. But it does indicate that, when it comes to achievements, Nintendo’s heart really isn’t in it, and it likely never will be.See More: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildNintendo SwitchNintendo Switch logoNintendo Wii UNintendo Wii U logoExplore The GameWhy it mattersThe Legend of Zelda franchise has long set the stage for what is considered an excellent video game. Breath of the Wild continues that legacy with mind-bending physics, beautiful imagery, and a playful, adventurous tone.— Zoë Hannah, Games EditorBUY AT:Amazon

The Talos Principle: Reawakened added more than just an Unreal Engine 5 coat of paint to Croteam's classic puzzle game, The Talos Principle. It added a new suite of puzzles with the new In the Beginning expansion, which was made in collaboration with select members of the game's community. 16 out of the 18 puzzles included in the expansion are community-made, and they also happen to be some of the most challenging puzzles within the entire Talos Principle series. This guide will show you how to solve the puzzle Sequence Break. Before I go into the solution, if all you want is a hint, stop here before scrolling further. The hint I'll give is that the puzzle's title already suggests its solution, but think of it as a 'recording break' instead of a 'sequence break.' That's about as much of a hint I can give without giving away the whole solution, but if that's what you were looking for, then follow these steps below. The Talos Principle: Reawakened - In the Beginning - Sequence Break Puzzle Guide When you enter the puzzle area for Sequence Break, you'll see a recorder to your left and the tetromino you're trying to reach behind a couple of laser walls to your right. The puzzle is mostly solved with elements on the left side of the room, right up until the final steps, where you'll head over to the right side to grab the tetromino once you've solved the puzzle. Phase One Nothing happens without the recorder, so start the recording and walk over to the connector standing on a pressure switch on your right. Pick up the connector and connect it to the red laser generator around the corner. Once it's set, create a pause point. Leaving the connector where it is, walk over to the pressure switch it was initially on and stand on top of it. Create another pause point here. Once both pause points are set, grab the connector and place it back on the pressure switch so you can exit the area and stop the recording. When the recording plays, quickly grab the connector and stand at the end of the laneway across from where your recorded self will place the recorded connector. Use the connector to connect to the red laser and red node to your right, along with the recorded connector, and the red node on the opposite side of the puzzle area. Play the recording until your recorded self is standing on the pressure switch, and walk back into the center puzzle area. Then, continue the recording. Once your recorded self is off the pressure switch, instead of letting the recording play out, hit 'Stop' on the recorder. You should be left with the connector sending the red laser across the puzzle area to the node that will unlock the shield blocking the way to the tetromino, which is currently blocked by the shield that is deactivated with the pressure switch that sits in front of it. Phase Two Make a new recording. Walk over to the pressure switch on the right side of the puzzle area and stand on it to deactivate the shield. Create a pause point. Stop the recording, and let it play up to the pause point. Once it's there, your recorded self will have deactivated the shield, allowing the red laser to hit the node that will deactivate the shield to the tetromino. Walk over to the tetromino to complete the puzzle. That's how you solve the Sequence Break puzzle in the new In the Beginning expansion in The Talos Principle: Reawakened. Like many of these puzzles, it's a clever trick that unlocks everything. In the case of Sequence Break, that trick is stopping the recording and not letting the entire thing play out, so you can have the red laser hitting the node across the puzzle room to the one that will unlock the path to the tetromino. Deal of the Day

QA Tester (P2)VoldexRemote - Brazil1 hour agoApplyVoldex is a leading gaming studio with a focus on the Roblox gaming space. We are home to several of Roblox's top games, including Brookhaven, Driving Empire and NFL Universe Football. With over 145 million monthly active players across our games, we are the #1 developer by audience size. Founded in 2015, we have since grown to 70 full-time remote team members across the globe.Voldex is proud to be partnered with and backed by reputable investment firms including The Raine Group, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and Makers Fund.What You Will DoEnsuring that our experiences are high quality, setting us apart from our competition.Creating comprehensive test plans ensuring everything is functioning correctly.Writing concise bug reports and providing all relevant supporting information such as screenshots, videos, and game logs.Working with various departments to gain a full understanding of all systems and game mechanics used in testing sessions.Communicating with other QA Team members during multiplayer tests to ensure nothing is missed.ResponsibilitiesTesting games and applications across various devices, quickly learning and retaining the knowledge of each.Finding, reproducing, and reporting issues in detailed bug reports.Examining and reproducing existing issues.Providing clear and concise critical analysis and feedback when requested.Learning about and adhering to our internal systems, software, and processes.Liaising with other team members to better our processes and create a more efficient workflow.RequirementsAn interest in and understanding of the video game industry, particularly UGC games such as Roblox.Good standard of written English.Excellent attention to detail.The ability to concisely present complex information via bug reports.Ability to become quickly accustomed to our processes and procedures.The ability to multitask, prioritize, and work to deadlines.The ability to remain focused when approaching repetitive tasks.Ability to work and communicate effectively with people at all levels.Bonus RequirementsPlease note that these are desirable skills and are not required to apply for the position.Extensive knowledge of the Roblox platform.Previous experience using Roblox StudioVoldex is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status or any legally protected statusPermanent Voldex employees enjoy the following benefits:💰 Competitive compensation - above-market salary + profit sharing + stock options⛳️ Retirement benefits - company contribution to your retirement plan (401k, RRSP, Pension), depending on country!🩺 Medical, dental, and vision benefits - depending on the country, there may be additional benefits (Life, ADD, etc…)🏖 Flexible PTO - vacations + Federal / Bank Holidays🌎 Remote First - we have always been remote and will remain that way including work from home/anywhere🎮 In-person get-togethers, virtual company-wide game events, Robux allowances, and so much more!🎓Professional Development - Reimburse the costs of courses, materials, and anything to help further their training and growth🎉 Work with awesome people and impact millions of daily playersWant to learn more about Voldex? Read about us here:Voldex Acquires Brookhaven, most visited game on RobloxDriving Empire & Nascar: Brand PartnershipVoldex & NFL: Brand PartnershipOur partners at Andreessen Horowitz share why they've invested in Voldex Create Your Profile — Game companies can contact you with their relevant job openings. Apply

Roughly two and a half years after its first season aired, Star Wars Andor, the fiercely political series starring Diego Luna who reprises the role of Cassian Andor he first played in Rogue One, has returned for its second and final season. Overseen by Michael Clayton director Tony Gilroy, the show has an unusual release schedule this season: each Tuesday for the next few weeks, three new episodes will drop.Suggested Reading4 Essential Tips to Survive Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Brutal First Hours Share SubtitlesOffEnglishview videoSuggested Reading4 Essential Tips to Survive Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Brutal First Hours Share SubtitlesOffEnglishThis week’s premiere, which kicked off the season with its first three episodes, gave us loads to talk about, and left us excited to see where things are going to go from here.Ethan Gach: Cassian Andor has never felt more relatable to me as when he got into the cockpit of that new prototype tie-fighter and couldn’t figure how to stop it from defaulting to inverted controls. Knowing he would hit “skip” at the start of every game’s tutorial as well feels like an important window into his character.Carolyn Petit: That was a wild and fun moment, one that made me want to play TIE Fighter again! (I was pretty confused as to why Cassian hadn’t gotten training on how to fly the damn thing beforehand though, but this wound up being explained later.) And what I love about that whole intro sequence is that I think it works as a kind of microcosm of what makes Andor such a compelling and brilliant show. It has “fun” moments that are uniquely Star Wars but they’re supported by storytelling that really foregrounds the political conflict that has always been present in the series. Right before that scene with the TIE, Cassian speaks to an Imperial technician who has aided him at great personal risk to herself. She asks him a very reasonable question: “If I die tonight, was it worth it?” He gives her a beautiful answer, one that includes the words, “You’ll never feel right unless you’re doing what you can to stop them. You’re coming home to yourself.” It’s so true, I think. So many of us are struggling right now with the potential risk involved in standing up to the malevolent political forces in our own world, but at the same time, not doing something means losing ourselves because we’re not being true to our own moral core. Andor knows that acting in solidarity is beautiful and that sometimes people have to make some terrible sacrifices. And it confronts us with all of this a few minutes before giving us the almost comical action of Cassian trying to come to grips with the damn ship and mowing down heaps of stormtroopers in the process! Zack Zwiezen: It was a really strong start to the show that instantly reminded viewers of what AndorStar Wars adventure of stealing a TIE Fighter and barely escaping. Perfect opening to a new season. Other writers and showrunners should take notes. EG: That moment with the technician is one of the stronger scenes in the entire opening chapter (first three episodes) and an important element of humanity that sort of underlies the whole project and grounds it, which is that even the big bad galactic empire is full of people just waiting to be tipped over the edge into rebelling. For every collaborator there’s someone ready to desert. The opening episodes really do a great job of teetering back and forth between hope and despair, not just because of the insurmountable odds but also because of the grim, dark, and even immoral sacrifices made to try and even them.CP: That’s right. It doesn’t try to reduce or simplify things morally or in human terms, something Star Wars, a series that’s broadly about good vs. evil, “light” and “dark,” has arguably done at times in the past. In fact Andor is all about acknowledging the complexities, the reality that solidarity doesn’t always mean working alongside people you’re in total ideological lockstep and perfect harmony with; sometimes it means working with people you have fierce disagreements with about some things, but you’re aligned on one key principle or goal and you let that be enough.There sure are some awful people in the Empire, though; I continue to particularly loathe that smarmy bureaucrat Syril, for instance. And I was surprised to see, in what I think is a first for Star Wars as a series, Andor touching on how the fascist oppression of groups of people and sexual violence against women historically go hand in hand, with that vile Imperial officer Krole attempting to rape Bix. It was chilling, but I think Andor’s serious handling of its subject matter earned it the right to go there. As for those “immoral” sacrifices you mentioned, what can I say? I love Luthen, and his willingness to do whatever he feels protecting the Rebellion demands. Him telling Mon Mothma “How nice for you” after he basically tells her, in his coded way, that he’s gonna have to take a certain liability out of the picture and she acts like she doesn’t quite understand what he’s saying is such a great moment, only made better by her trying to lose herself in booze and music right afterwards as some part of her struggled with the painful realization that her commitment to this rebellion had moral demands that went beyond even what she’d previously imagined.DisneyZZ: I also loved the way Andor continues to show that the rebellion wasn’t some perfectly organized group of people all on the same page in the fight against the Empire. Watching that ragtag group of rebels break into arguments and then get into a protracted stand-off was a perfect reminder that part of the problem you face when fighting giant organized fascist empires is that you tend to have a lot of diverse people and ideas trying to work together. And that can cause people who should be on the same side to turn on each otherI also think it is interesting that for a show named Andor, he’s not that big a part of the first three episodes.CP: Yeah! In that sense, these first three episodes did feel a bit like set-up, putting Cassian himself to the side a bit so they could both focus on laying the groundwork for Mon Mothma’s arc (I continue to be so impressed by the complexity of Genevieve O’Reilly’s performance) and in order to plant the seeds for...something (ahem) to happen on Ghorman later on. ZZ: Man, O’Reilly’s performance in this is so good. Who could have guessed that the actress George Lucas picked to play Mon Mothma—mainly because she looked so similar—for a few scenes that were mostly deleted from Revenge of the Sith would go on to be so incredible 20 years later. Also, they should totally add that scene back into Revenge of the Sith. It’s a good scene and it would connect the movies to Andor in a fun way for people going back and re-watching them post-Andor.CP: It was really cool (in a horrifying way) hearing those Imperial propaganda experts talk about the ways in which they manipulate galactic opinion about Ghormans by leaning into and perpetuating negative stereotypes, another thing that Andor takes right from the history books about how fascism works. And I do think these three episodes successfully generated suspense around Cassian’s absence, with his friends (and, of course, poor B2EMO!) feeling the pressure rise as they awaited him. I do hope he gets to decisively shift into a more prominent and active role with the next three episodes though!EG: Let’s talk about that wedding.CP: NIAMOS!ZZ: DJ DROIDBOT! I was impressed and enjoyed that opening “oner” shot that walked us through the people at the wedding and revealed Luthen at the end. EG: Imagine having multiple principals on set to film at the same time!ZZ: Imagine having a set that big!CP: And talk about contrast. Superficially there’s the glitzy dancefloor, the wildly expensive statue, the performance of joy and celebration, but all the while there are such high-stakes political dimensions at play, and we really feel Mon Mothma working to stay focused on her political goals which are so much larger than herself, even as she’s dealing with the very real pain of a daughter who receives her coldly. It’s grand and intimate all at once, balancing the human and the political dimensions very effectively which I think has long been a skill that sets Tony Gilroy apart. EG: She’s trying to create a better future for her daughter who is very content to live her comfortable life under the Empire.CP: Yes!EG: Meanwhile she’s sold out her childhood friend for being in the midst of a late-life crisis. I also liked the subtle look her husband gives her when she’s drunkenly dancing, like “Finally she’s doing what we all want her to do, just shut up and have fun.”ZZ: Yes, that moment with her dancing and her husband watching stuck out to me. This is a side of Mothma we’ve never seen before. Even the actress said in a behind-the-scenes video that after doing that she learned more about Mothma. And I think we all did, too.Now, for a part I didn’t like: The death of big man Brasso.To be clear: I don’t mind the show killing characters. This is a rebellion against an evil empire. People are going to die. But I think it was just done really sloppily. I wasn’t even sure what happened. It was a rare moment in Andor where I felt like the direction just didn’t work. I was confused by the moment. Wait he’s dead? How? When? He was shot? I think? I don’t know... didn’t work for me. CP: Agreed; as a character, Brasso deserved to go out better (or at least more clearly) than that.ZZ: I get that the maybe the idea was, “Hey, look, heroes like Brasso can die just as randomly as nobodies.” Sure. Fine. That’s a good point. I get it. But yeah, what a confusing death for an awesome character. EG: Brasso had worse luck dodging blaster fire than the Jedi mowed down by Order 66.ZZ: Too soon, man. Too soon. CP: Everything else about the situation Brasso, Bix and the gang endured there really resonated though. I like that Andor is a show that, on one hand, we can write fun lists of Star Wars Easter eggs about, and on the other, keeps offering direct parallels to how actual oppressive and fascist governments work. The language the Imperials used about them being not just “undocumented” but “illegal” had me wanting to scream “No one is illegal!” at the screen, and Gilroy and co. are absolutely not being shy about making those connections as explicit as possible; that fucker Krole says something like “The Councils need the help or there’s no harvest. The help is undocumented,” driving home how migrant workers that are absolutely vital to industries like agriculture are often targeted.Meanwhile, one thing I thought was really fun: the informative video about those spiders on Ghorman. It had the feel of the kinds of government-produced educational videos I’d sometimes see in class in elementary school. It’s grand and intimate all at once, balancing the human and the political dimensions very effectively which I think has long been a skill that sets Tony Gilroy apart.ZZ: I loved it! But also, I’m not sure why Krennic showed so much of it. Maybe he really likes spiders!?Something I really appreciated about the meeting with Krennic and the other Empire members is how they aren’t all onboard, but others can sort of convince them to be worse. It’s subtle, but it shows how these decisions can happen. Even people who might think they are good, with enough power and in the wrong place, can agree to some horrible shit. And then they can say, “Well, it was a group decision.” Or blame it on the Empire and not themselves.Okay, we’ve talked enough about themes and writing and direction etc etc. Can we talk about that Yavin-4 reveal?!CP: Absolutely!ZZ: I’ll admit it: I made a noise. Andor is a show that so rarely does that kind of stuff that I squealed a bit. I’m a Star Wars sicko. And I loved that reveal. I was so distracted by what was happening that I didn’t even notice the fact they didn’t reveal the planet’s name he landed on. And then I was like “Oh, you bastards!”CP: I have to admit, it was pretty cool. I’m not someone who gets excited about references for the sake of references but this felt earned somehow; it’s cool knowing that this seemingly random planet actually goes on to become a place of vital importance in the Rebellion’s future. It feels like one more thing that deepens Cassian’s legacy as a character whose experiences and actions echo on into the future, even if he doesn’t personally live to see how.ZZ: Also, I guess the rebels are going to have to kill a lot of giant lizard pig aliens things? Maybe that’s a whole episode. Andor and the gang hunting hogs.(Also, pushes up glasses, it’s not a planet. It’s a jungle moon. Come on)CP: Hahaha my bad! I always appreciate the depth of your Star Wars wisdom.EG: Deep cut to the main plot point of Return of the Jedi.How are we felling about the three-episode drop structure? It sort of extends the arc of them a bit, and makes for weaker individual episodes, but a possibly more nuanced and impactful 150 minutes? I’m not fully sold on it but I might also be too caught up in the high highs of season 1 which really didn’t kick in until mid way through.CP: I think it makes sense. Those first three episodes really felt like they had their own self-contained arc for me, and I expect the remaining three-episode drops will as well.ZZ: I think it worked for me too. It basically is like a new Star Wars movie every week.I also think it helps avoid a problem Andor had with some people in Season 1. That the show was too slow or took too long to get to big moments. Personally, I didn’t love the slower pace of the first two episodes of Andor season 1 but the third episode sold me on the show. So I think dropping them like this helps.CP: It’s also the sort of thing that may make more sense in retrospect, as the arcs of each three-episode cluster become clearer, with each group being set in a different year, if I remember right, as they count down to uhh...help me out here Zack, BBY 0, is that right?ZZ: Technically we are building to BBY1 as BBY0 is A New Hope. It’s weird. (And gets weirder when you realize that OBBY and 1ABY are sort of the same time period but not. Don’t think about this stuff.) I’m glad you brought that up though, because I think this is the first time we’ve ever seen BBY show up in a show or movie. I wonder how many people were like “What?”CP: I know! I was surprised to see them put something mostly only known to the die-hards up there.ZZ: “3 Years Before Andor, the main character of this show, fucking dies” was Gilroy’s first choice, I’m told.EG: Can they get Gilroy to remake Rogue One?ZZ: We can’t wrap this up without talking about Syril and Meero!EG: Oh right, that whole thing happened.ZZ: I saw some people online suggesting they aren’t a couple, which seems wild to me. It’s very clear those two are having some really aggressive and yet bland sex.EG: He lives with her right?ZZ: I think that’s what the show was implying, yeah.Screenshot: Lucasfilm / KotakuCP: Right, what do we think is going on there? Him saying “We could...pretend you’re not back” kind of threw me off. Clearly the dynamics of their relationship are...odd, but I suspect they are together in some sense.EG: I’m curious to see where that whole thing goes. I care zero about his character, so I hope he is used more as a foil to bring interesting things out of her or force some unexpected developments.“We could...pretend you’re not back” is what JD Vance’s couch used to say to him.CP: I think Syril is fascinating because he’s so loathsome. Just a gross nepo loser who thinks he’s doing great and meaningful things while looking at spreadsheets. Truly a villain for the DOGE era.ZZ: I think they are going to flip. He’ll learn about Ghorman and see it as a great thing. She seems hesitant. She might even flip on the Empire and him. Also, that moment where she smiles freaked me out.EG: My favorite scene with her is after the meeting when she’s walking back on Coruscant with her boss and they show a clear split between the bureaucracy of the Empire and its autocrats.Competent careerists who have to balance the ideology of the project and whims of their superiors with actually getting the results. Imagine if we come out of this whole thing with an attempted coup because it’s clear the Death Star is a really dumb idea.“Push oppressed populaces to the brink to build giant weapon in space” is a reoccurring Icarus moment for fascists in the Star Wars universe.ZZ: I’d love to see a storyline like that. It’s something the movies/shows haven’t really touched on. That the Empire was once the Republic and not all of those people are suddenly on board with worshiping a melted monster man wizard god and his creepy black-suited super soldier dude.The comics have touched on how the Empire’s various bureaucrats and soldiers don’t really get Darth Vader. Maybe Vader even shows up in the show at some point. He would be the one the Emperor would send to quash a coup.CP: I’ve been wondering if that would happen. I feel like that could go one of two ways. It could be awesome because yes, he’s such a powerful figure, he looms so large in the Star Wars mythos and tactically it would make sense, as you say. At the same time, part of what’s made Andor so great is that it largely avoids the kind of recurring major players from other Star Wars stories. Still, if Gilroy and co. decided to go that way, I’ll be curious to see how they handle it!Before we wrap it up, just one last thing: I want to shout out a very good piece by They make the important point that simply watching a show like Andor is not, in and of itself, activism or resistance, an important thing to remember in an era when many people do seem to view “consuming” the right media as some kind of meaningful act. Andor is ultimately still itself the product of a massive corporate empire. But I do think we can totally recognize that fact while also letting ourselves feel stirred and inspired by the craft and artistry of what Gilroy and all of his collaborators on this project are doing. I think about how in season one, for instance, Cassian was incarcerated, sentenced for several years (actually it probably would have been forever) for no reason at all, sent to a brutal prison colony that offered, ultimately, just one way out. I think if even a few young people are struck by parallels like those, feel something stirring inside them, and learn to know an evil empire when they see one, well, that would be pretty damn cool.ZZ: Andor fans, welcome to the resistance.But yes, I’m so happy this show is back for so many reasons. It’s very good. It makes me feel things. It comes at a perfect time. And I get to talk to people I know about Star Wars for a few weeks without them going, “Bleh, Star Wars is so bad/boring/whatever now.” That’s nice. So yeah, I think I speak for all of us when I say it’s awesome that Andor is back. .

As most app marketers know, time spent on device peaks during the holiday season. Between November and December, households across the globe are on their devices, shopping for holiday deals, ordering takeout for family gatherings, booking their vacations, or just spending some downtime with their favorite mobile game.The key to making this seasonal uplift in new users, engagement, and intent work for your app is tackling it from all angles - from optimizing existing channels to expanding into new ones.1. Build holiday-themed and urgent creatives that spike conversionsThe challenges app marketers face during the holiday season are the same as those throughout the rest of the year - only amplified due to the high competition for users’ attention. To drive growth, you need to optimize your channels, generate strong content and creatives, reach your target audience, look for real-time marketing opportunities, and collect and analyze data to improve performance.The key difference between this season and the rest of the year is the opportunities available to maximize your app’s growth through creatives. And there’s a lot of data to back up this claim*:Conversions are significantly higher throughout the holiday season due to more engagement in apps and on phones (2021, US, iOS)Game installs surge 3x during the week of Christmas (2021, US, Facebook)Advertisers test 2x the amount of creatives during the holidays, which means you don’t want to be left behind*Data from the Unity Playworks platform, 2021-2022This makes the holiday and shopping season prime opportunities to use your creatives to drive growth. It’s also the time when consumers are most likely to be engaged by emotional triggers, like nostalgia - since it’s a time traditionally affiliated with friends and family.These triggers are a useful tool for building high conversion creatives. Your creatives can use users’ emotional responses to these triggers to connect your app with the mood of the season. By playing to these emotional responses you’ll stand a better chance of encouraging users to download your app.Another effective emotional trigger to motivate users is urgency. Time-limited promotions and time-sensitive messaging are two great ways to insert urgency into your creatives. Urgency is an effective tool as it motivates users to engage as soon as possible or risk losing out - whether that’s on a special promotion or just the chance to get ahead of the shopping crowds, availability issues, or lengthy delivery times.Some tips to help you ideate creatives that spark the holiday feeling include:Use real footage of real people that show emotional, heartwarming scenariosTest holiday symbols in your creatives - think snowflakes, witches, pumpkins, and turkeysLeverage narratives that center on family and community2. Set up an offerwall campaign to exceed your ROAS goalsThe offerwall is a user-initiated, rewarded in-app marketplace with three main constituents: developers use the offerwall to drive revenue, retain users, and motivate app engagement. Advertisers use the offerwall to reach unique, high-quality audiences that are looking to exchange engagement for rewards. Users engage with the offerwall for rewards, app discovery, and brand discovery, all while getting more of the app they’re already using. Here are 3 best practices for mastering this ad unit during the holidays:First, the most important thing to keep in mind is timing. You want to ensure that you have enough time before the shopping rush to reach a large audience, while also making sure that you’re not leveraging shopping season themes before the season is top of mind for users.Second, like with your creatives, it’s important to create a sense of urgency with your offerwall campaigns to drive engagement. With holiday shopping starting earlier and earlier each year, it’s important to remind users that the holidays are coming and that right now is the time to shop. You can provide this sense of urgency in your messaging - by labeling deals as time-limited or tying them into specific holidays.Third, use special promotions like double rewards on key shopping days, like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Double rewards typically look like doubling the amount of in-app currency that users receive for completing a task - for example, offering users 40 gold coins instead of the 20 they would usually receive for the same task. Consumers will be inclined to engage with an offer that gives them extra rewards. As an advertiser, you can double down on your bid - the reward is higher, the traffic is higher. In fact, we’ve seen around a 35% lift in conversions during special promotions.Overall, the offerwall is an effective placement to engage high-intent users and drive high ROAS - particularly if implemented correctly in your growth strategy.3. Use device set-up placements as new phones enter the marketThe holiday season has tons of new devices entering the market - with all the major players releasing the latest versions of their best-selling devices, many shoppers buy new devices as gifts to themselves and others. As such, device sales traditionally increase heavily in this period. And new models entering the market mean many users will be setting up their new devices.New device activation is when users are most likely to install - the first 48 hours of unboxing their new device is when they’ll install over 50% of their apps. That makes this window the most impactful for app marketers looking to drive scale.Aura from Unity partners with top device manufacturers and mobile carriers, like Vodafone, Samsung, and Orange, to deliver app discovery experiences directly to users on their devices, starting with device activation. This gives Aura the ability to get your app recommended during this pivotal moment of app discovery. On top of that, Aura uses opt-in data to personalize recommendations - helping to ensure that the users discovering your app will be those most likely to download it.To make the most of this unique channel during the holiday season, there are three things to keep in mind.First, like with traditional channels, holiday-ify your creatives. Second, like with offerwalls, timing and creating urgency is vital. Third, prepare for a longer LTV curve. On-device campaigns typically have a slower LTV return than traditional channels, but make up for it by showing greater ROAS in the long run. Running an on-device campaign, you should begin to see user engagement increase on D14 or D30.This is because, when users download an app during device set-up, it’s usually not because they plan to use that app right away. They might download a recommended travel app, for example, during device set-up, but then only first login to the app when they’re starting to plan their trip a month later. The upside of using a channel like this is that you’re already there when users are looking to book that trip, instead of competing for the install when users are searching for their next travel app in the Google Play Store.4. Reach users at moments when they’re already looking to spendOn-device channels are not only confined to new device set-up placements. The ability to reach users directly on their devices to drive app discovery extends to throughout the device lifecycle.Another impactful on-device placement is native touchpoints. Because on-device channels are directly integrated into the operating systems of users’ devices, they enable advertisers to reach users with display ads that appear as native notifications.This represents a key opportunity for advertisers to engage users with messaging related to contextual triggers. You can send users a notification that appears like a notification from their carrier or device manufacturer, letting them know that a holiday sale is currently running on your app. This is a great way to leverage urgency and tie your app into the holiday season.An example of this could be a banner that appears on users home screen, letting them know that Black Friday is around the corner and that your app is currently running a related time-sensitive sale.These native display ads enable your app to reach users as they’re already looking to spend - and help you get a head start on the competition.Having a multi-channel approach to your holiday advertising strategy and knowing how to optimize all of those components is critical. If you’ve made it this far, you should have all of the best practices you need to drive growth this holiday season.

Cornerpond A game by foolsroomDev snapshot: Godot 4.5 dev 3By: Thaddeus Crews25 April 2025Pre-releaseIf the past snapshot was any indication, you might think that development updates aren’t slowing down anytime soon. And… You’d be right! Indeed, progress has been booming, and the amount of new features added even compared to the previous release is staggering; curating this selection was especially difficult. As always, new features mean new bugs in need of fixing, so we encourage everyone interested to get feedback and bug reports in as early as possible.Jump to the Downloads section, and give it a spin right now, or continue reading to learn more about improvements in this release. You can also try the Web editor or the Android editor for this release. If you are interested in the latter, please request to join our testing group to get access to pre-release builds.The cover illustration is from Cornerpond, a fishing game that takes place entirely in the corner of your desktop. It is developed by foolsroom. You can get the game on Steam and follow the developer on Twitter.HighlightsIn case you missed them, see the 4.5 dev 1 and 4.5 dev 2 release notes for an overview of some key features which were already in that snapshot, and are therefore still available for testing in dev 3.Screen reader supportAccessibility should be every developer’s top priority, full-stop. Someone being excluded from an experience for factors outside of their control is an area that video games and applications have the potential to circumvent entirely. It does, however, take a solid framework to allow such accommodations to be developed. To streamline this process for everyone—players and developers alike—our resident tech guru bruvzg took to the absolutely Herculean task of integrating AccessKit to Godot as a whole.GH-76829 was a project started two years ago, which progressed in bursts alongside the AccessKit framework. For the 4.5 release, we made it a priority to finalize, and thus we now merged this major feature with over 32,000 lines of code, after hundreds of comments with feedback/testing. Users are encouraged to look at the pull request for more information, as there’s no feasible way we could properly summarize these changes. Unsurprisingly, this was by far the change with the most ramifications of the entire snapshot, so much so that it’s already seen multiple fixes to address regressions (even one right when validating this snapshot), but it’s well worth it. After all, accessibility is our top priority!This is only the first but massive step towards making Godot more accessible. In particular for the editor, a lot more work will be needed to make it really usable, as well as integrate with accessibility frameworks for mobile or web platforms.Script backtracingIn any other snapshot, this would’ve been the main highlight, as adding backtracing to GDScript was among the most highly requested features from our users for years. Two brave souls, Mikael Hermansson (godot-jolt) and Juan Linietsky (up-and-coming developer), helmed this task and made this process possible with GH-91006. This will make it much easier for users to find the cause of warnings/errors that previously required manually hunting down bugs. Stack traces are now available in projects exported in release mode as well if the Debug > Settings > GDScript > Always Track Call Stacks project setting is enabled. This can make it easier for users to report issues in a way that developers can track down. Inspector section togglesAnother long-awaited feature, inspector section toggles, is now a part of the engine as of GH-105272. lodetrick has expanded editor functionality to what you see below: sections with their own dedicated checkbox to denote if they’re enabled.And more!There are too many exciting changes to list them all here, but here’s a curated selection:3D: Set correct position of node with Align Transform with View in orthographic view (GH-99099).Audio: Fix AudioStreamPlayer3D stereo panning issue (GH-104853).Buildsystem: Fix .sln project generation logic for Rider to support all OS and all C++ toolchains (GH-103405).Buildsystem: Update the Android NDK to the latest LTS version (r27c) (GH-105611).C#: Avoid unnecessary StringName allocations on not implemented virtual _Get and _Set method call (GH-104689).Core: Add create_id_for_path() to ResourceUID (GH-99543).Core: Add negative index to Array.remove_at and Array.insert (GH-83027).Core: Add thread safety to Object signals (GH-105453).Editor: Autocompletion: Don’t add parenthesis if Callable is expected (GH-96375).Editor: Fix exported Node/Resource variables resetting when extending script in the SceneTreeDock (GH-105148).Editor: Project manager: Add option to backup project when it will be changed (GH-104624).Editor: Support custom features in project settings dialog (GH-105307).Export: Use project settings overrides with the target preset features instead of current platform features (GH-71542).GDExtension: Optimize gdvirtual function layout (GH-104264).GUI: Add FoldableContainer (GH-102346).GUI: Add boolean toggle for middle-click to fire tab_close_pressed signal (GH-103024).GUI: Add separate minimize_disabled and maximize_disabled window flags (GH-105107).GUI: Add support for OEM Alt codes input (GH-93466).GUI: Implement SVGTexture auto-scalable with font oversampling (GH-105375).GUI: Make embed floating window respect Always On Top configuration (GH-103731).GUI: Replace global oversampling with overrideable per-viewport oversampling (GH-104872).Input: Add configuration option to disable Scroll Deadzone on Android (GH-96139).Input: Allow all tool modes to select (GH-87756).Plugin: Add maven publishing configuration for Godot tools (GH-104819).Porting: Android: Add new actions and enhancements to TouchActionsPanel (GH-105140).Porting: Android: Embed TouchActionsPanel directly into the editor UI (GH-105518).Rendering: Detect more pipeline settings at load time to avoid pipeline stutters (GH-105175).Rendering: Renderer: Reduce scope of mutex locks to prevent common deadlocks (GH-105138).XR: OpenXR: Request the XR_KHR_loader_init extension (GH-105445).Changelog115 contributors submitted 253 fixes for this release. See our interactive changelog for the complete list of changes since the previous 4.5-dev2 snapshot.This release is built from commit 28089c40c.DownloadsGodot is downloading...Godot exists thanks to donations from people like you. Help us continue our work:Make a DonationStandard build includes support for GDScript and GDExtension..NET build (marked as mono) includes support for C#, as well as GDScript and GDExtension.While engine maintainers try their best to ensure that each preview snapshot and release candidate is stable, this is by definition a pre-release piece of software. Be sure to make frequent backups, or use a version control system such as Git, to preserve your projects in case of corruption or data loss.Known issuesThere are currently no known issues introduced by this release.With every release, we accept that there are going to be various issues, which have already been reported but haven’t been fixed yet. See the GitHub issue tracker for a complete list of known bugs.Bug reportsAs a tester, we encourage you to open bug reports if you experience issues with this release. Please check the existing issues on GitHub first, using the search function with relevant keywords, to ensure that the bug you experience is not already known.In particular, any change that would cause a regression in your projects is very important to report (e.g. if something that worked fine in previous 4.x releases, but no longer works in this snapshot).SupportGodot is a non-profit, open source game engine developed by hundreds of contributors on their free time, as well as a handful of part and full-time developers hired thanks to generous donations from the Godot community. A big thank you to everyone who has contributed their time or their financial support to the project!If you’d like to support the project financially and help us secure our future hires, you can do so using the Godot Development Fund.Donate now

In the battle between two “agentic” coding tools — Anthropic’s Claude Code and OpenAI’s Codex CLI — the latter appears to be fostering more developer goodwill than the former. That’s at least partly because Anthropic has issued takedown notices to a developer trying to reverse-engineer Claude Code, which is under a more restrictive usage license than Codex CLI. Claude Code and Codex CLI are dueling tools that accomplish much of the same thing: allow developers to tap into the power of AI models running in the cloud to complete various coding tasks. Anthropic and OpenAI released them within months of each other — each company racing to capture valuable developer mindshare. The source code for Codex CLI is available under an Apache 2.0 license that allows for distribution and commercial use. That’s in contrast to Claude Code, which is tied to Anthropic’s commercial license. That limits how it can be modified without explicit permission from the company. Anthropic also “obfuscated” the source code for Claude Code. In other words, Claude Code’s source code isn’t readily available. When a developer de-obfuscated it and released the source code on GitHub, Anthropic filed a DMCA complaint — a copyright notification requesting the code’s removal. Developers on social media weren’t pleased by the move, which they said compared unfavorably with OpenAI’s rollout of Codex CLI. In the week or so since Codex CLI’s release, OpenAI has merged dozens of developer suggestions into the tool’s codebase, including one that lets Codex CLI tap AI models from rival providers — including Anthropic. Anthropic didn’t respond to a request for comment. To be fair to the lab, Claude Code is still in beta (and a bit buggy); it’s possible Anthropic will release the source code under a permissive license in the future. Companies have many reasons for obfuscating code, security considerations being one of them. It’s a somewhat surprising PR win for OpenAI, which in recent months has shied away from open source releases in favor of proprietary, locked-down products. It may be emblematic of a broader shift in the lab’s approach; OpenAI CEO Sam Altman earlier this year said he believed that the company has been on the “wrong side of history” when it comes to open source.

Hyena Edge’s success positions Liquid AI as one of the emerging players to watch in the evolving AI model landscape.Read More