Old!Want a blast from the past? Pokmon TCG Pocket fan creates Retro GameBoy versions of in-game packsNow that Pokemon TCG Pocket is dominating mobile platforms, it's starting to see some love from artists.Image credit: Deikar on Reddit News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on Nov. 11, 2024 Pokemon TCG Pocket has started to attract the attention of a host of artists and other creatives as it dominates mobile platforms; every big game deserves its own lovely fan art right? One artist has used their skills to shoot us straight in our nostalgic hearts, recreating the in-game packs in a retro GameBoy style.User Deikar on the Pokemon TCG Pocket Reddit posted their creation to the sub only a few hours ago. This was, as you can imagine, met with great addoration from the community there, both Pokemon fans and old people alike. The venn diagram between such groups is quite large, y'know. Pokmon TCG Pocket Gameboy byu/Deikar inPTCGPTo see this content please enable targeting cookies.They've even gone so far as to make retro pixel versions of the pack opening timers and currency down below the packs themselves, a nice little addition that helps it to seem as if the image was torn straight from some alternate version of the game. They even provided some extra context to the piece, as well as what they might work on next, below the original post, writing:"Made a little pixel art mockup of the screen we all see everyday, using the Gameboy booster packs as a basis and the sprites from the games. Years ago I made a similar mockup for Pokmon Go when it came out so it felt appropriate, but as I was doing the full screen I realized the main screen is kinda way too empty, so it doesn't translate that well to pixel art. If you all like it I may end up doing a full mockup of a match scene!"To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Deikar also, as it turns out, was the artist responsible for some pretty popular Legends of Runeterra art back in the day too. So it's good to see they've found themselves a new home alongside the myriad of other TCG fans. What do you think of the art? Let us know below!

PolarishhhhhhhhhhhThe Witcher 4 seemingly gets its first character reveal that's not just Geralt saying he's showing up, thanks to a Star Wars and EastEnders actor's CVWho's Branko? We've got no idea, but it looks like you might be meeting him in your return to The Continent.Image credit: CD Projekt Red News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on Nov. 11, 2024 We don't know much about what we'll be doing inThe Witcher 4 whenever it arrives, but it looks like an encounter with a character called Branko can be added to that list. That's according to the online CV of the actor who appears to be playing him in the game currently codenamed Polaris.Assuming it's not an error of some kind, this would be second character confirmed to be showing up the game, following Geralt, whom actor Doug Cockle has suggested will be "a part" of the game, but not the main focus. Plus, given we're all intimately familiar with Gerry from the River, this would be the first totally new character revealed to be showing up in The Witcher 4.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. As spotted by Reddit user KekanKok, the listing for actor Jake Lampert on Spotlight, a UK casting website, currently lists as part of the actor's resume a role in "The Witcher 4: Polaris" as a character called Branko.The listing doesn't include many other details, aside from a 2025 date that, judging by what CD Projekt has said in earnings calls this year, seems like it could well just be a placeholder of sorts representing the earliest point the game could potentially release.There's also the name of the person who allegedly directed Lampert in the role, Kate Saxon, who's been credited in voice direction roles on both The Witcher 3 and The Witcher 2 - as well as a host of other video game roles - according to her IMDB page.While this Witcher role does show up on Lampert's list of credits on Spotlight, it doesn't appear to be listed as part of the CV for him you can find on the website of Sainou, the talent agency he's listed as a client of. VG247 has reached out to Sainou for comment on this story.Among the roles Lampert's previously played are characters in Star Wars: Andor, EastEnders, and Call the Midwife. The EastEnders role looks to have seen him play a guy who got into a fight in a nightclub, so that'd be good practice if Branko were to turn out to be one of the many unfortunate folks who've decided it's wise to rudely interrupt a witcher during a visit to the local tavern.In other Witcher 4-related news, CD Projekt's devs have said that they're hoping the game will help the studio win back over anyone who might still be a bit hesitant to trust it following Cyberpunk 2077's difficult initial release.

Tough Times"The whole studio was burning the candle at both ends" - Two of Halo 2's most important designers reflect on the beloved sequel's working conditions"We really didnt know what was going to happen."Image credit: Bungie News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Nov. 11, 2024 Halo 2 had a bit of a troubled development, and now a couple of important designers have shared their perspective on working on it.It's well known by this point that there was a lot of crunch on Halo 2 - the first game had been a big success, and Bungie was growing, but not in a way that provided support in all the ways that were needed. Devs have previously spoken about their experience of working on the sequel, and now in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, iconic designers Robert and Lorraine McLees shared what their own experience was like. As you can tell by their surname, the pair of developers are actually married, and had a big impact on Halo as a whole. For one, Lorraine is the designer behind Halo's logo, as well as various other bits of iconic key art, and Robert described himself as "kind of the weapons guy at Bungie."To see this content please enable targeting cookies. But Lorraine explained that "Halo 2 was really hard on the team. The whole studio was burning the candle at both ends." Robert shared that up to Halo 2's infamous E3 demo, Bungie "never had good managers. They had creatives that were forced into managerial roles while still remaining in their creative roles - basically working two jobs. This kinda worked when there were 12 of us. It worked less well when there were 30 of us. It collapsed when there were 60 of us." Robert also noted that "it felt like every discipline lead thought that they were running the show," with communication between departments being a struggle, saying that it was "just a bunch of different voices saying, this is what were doing and a lot of people scratching their heads wondering when was this decided?'"This was particularly frustrating for Robert given that he was also writing some of the game's foundational lore, while simultaneously being asked to design a new weapon when the game is meant to be in the polishing stages, only for the same weapon to be cut from the final game. Lorraine said that "at the time, we really didnt know what was going to happen - if we were going to make it or not. It was the make it or break it period for the young Bungie crew. So much burn-out."At the very least, Lorraine did say she looks back on the games with fondness - "These stories of people staying in touch with friends, though life took them to different parts of the country or the world, meeting up in the lobby, then doing a few rounds in Halo 2 - to me this is what the takeaway is. We helped bring people together. Experience some joy. Have fun. Make memories. Thats the power of these games."The full story from Rolling Stone is worth a read as the two also go into some other Halo history that's a bit more lighthearted, including how the Flood were inspired by a children's book.

DSSoonHelldivers 2 players reckon the Democracy Space Station saga is starting to drag a bit, cue speculation about exactly how final its "final phase" might beDon't worry, now it's full of disenfranchised families, I'm sure it won't be long until Arrowhead's at the stage of wrapping the DSS up and affixing a 'To the divers' tag.Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios, PlayStation News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on Nov. 11, 2024 Since late September, Helldivers 2 players have been exterting a lot of effort to get a big space station - one that sounds like it should have a big impact on Galactiv War gameplay - built via their Major Orders. Following the conclusion of the latest mission, Arrowhead's suggested the "final phase" of construction is here, and folks are speculating about how long a phase it might be.To be fair, you can't blame players who've spent the last month and a bit doing stuff like repelling assaults from special Automaton brigades and taking on three objectives at once for being keen to see that labour rewarded in a way that's a bit more special than the usual medals and samples.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. As of writing, Helldivers' playerbase is in the usual little quiet period you get between MOs, with the latest one having seen them successfully stuff "disenfranchised families" into the still-under-construction space station. So, they've got a bit of time to chill and chat, this time mostly about how much more work they might have to do before J.O.E.L hands them to keys to the DSS."I guess it's not over yet, huh," reads one of the top recent posts on the game's subreddit, citing the notification Arrowhead put out to let folks know they'd come out on top in that last MO. While this notification does say that "the project has now entered its final phase" and that the divers' "hard work will soon allow the DSS to blast away all shadows", a lot of players seem to think they could still have plenty left to do. I guess it's not over yet huh byu/Sad-Needleworker-590 inHelldiversTo see this content please enable targeting cookies.While there's definitely plenty of tongue-in-cheekness to suggestions that Arrowhead might do something like cheekily dumping the codes needed to fire up the station on Cyberstan or pull out a final order that involves completing "500,000 Raise The Flag missions so that there are an appropriate number of Super Earth flags flying in the galaxy for such a momentous occasion", there does seem to be some genuine frustration brewing too.That said, there are still plenty of folks preaching patience or that are clearly just very keen to try out the station. In the middle, you've got users like MondoPentacost, who argued that how this whole saga ends up being viewed once it's all over will "depend on the payoff". "If the view at the top of the mountain is awesome, the harder the climb the more satisfaction at the peak," they wrote, adding that they think Arrowhead "could have mitigated it with a few extra strat unlocks on the way".While you wait for the next MO to drop, make sure to check out what was in Helldivers 2's latest patch and which crossovers made Johan Pilestendt's dream collab list, if you haven't already.

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube784kPour yourself a strong beverage, grab your swankiest hat and get your clicking fingers ready because game music cover label GameChops has teamed up with the chilled-out jazz group The Deku Trio for another relaxing rendition of some of our favourite Zelda tunes.Fittingly titled 'Zelda & Jazz II', the latest album is a follow-up to the trio's Ocarina of Time-focused project from earlier this year. This time, the band has gone all out, providing a bossa nova spin on 18 different tracks from across the Zelda series.The tracklist includes obvious picks like the title theme and house motif, but fan-favourite numbers from Wind Waker, Majora's Mask, Link's Awakening and more also make an appearance. Yes, Spirit Tracks defenders, 'Full Steam Ahead' did make the cut.You can find the album's full contents below:01. The Legend of Zelda (Ocarina of Time)02. Outset Island (The Wind Waker)03. Mabe Village (Links Awakening)04. Sword Search (Links Awakening)05. Song of Healing (Majoras Mask)06. Inside House (series)07. Astral Observatory (Majoras Mask)08. Ballad of the Wind Fish (Links Awakening)09. Great Sea (The Wind Waker)10. King of Red Lions (The Wind Waker)11. Dark World (A Link to the Past)12. Dragon Roost Island (The Wind Waker)13. Fis Farewell Song (Skyward Sword)14. Enter the Twilight Realm (Twilight Princess)15. Full Steam Ahead (Spirit Tracks)16. Serenade of Water (Ocarina of Time)17. The Legendary Hero (The Wind Waker)18. The Wind Waker (The Wind Waker)The album also features cover and character art by League of Legends artist Christian Benavides and you'll even find an animated version of the cover in the above YouTube video.'Zelda & Jazz II' is now available to stream on a whole host of services, including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. Now that's nice. Name your priceSit back, relax and enjoyWhat do you make of the latest Zelda & Jazz album? Play us your thoughts in the comments below.Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.[source gamechops.com, via youtube.com]Related GamesSee AlsoShare:02 Jim came to Nintendo Life in 2022 and, despite his insistence that The Minish Cap is the best Zelda game and his unwavering love for the Star Wars prequels (yes, really), he has continued to write news and features on the site ever since. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesRound Up: The Reviews Are In For Mario & Luigi: BrothershipHere's what the critics thoughtIt's Official, 'Switch 2' Will Be Backwards CompatibleSwitch Online will also be available on the "successor"Mario & Luigi Fans Aren't Happy About Brothership's Battle Button TweaksIt should be 'B' for the Bro, right?Nintendo Reconfirms Release Windows For Major Upcoming Switch GamesXenoblade X! Brothership! Donkey Kong Country!Plans To Announce The 'Switch 2' Have Not Changed, Says Nintendo's PresidentSo expect it before the end of March 2025

The drama continues.Patent analyst Florian Mueller has released an extensive examination into the lawsuit filed against Palworld developer Pocketpair from Nintendo. In it, he describes Nintendo's actions as "a clear case of bullying" against Pocketpair, citing the former's status as a "far older and larger company" with "extensive experience in patent prosecution and patent infringement litigation" (thanks, GameRant).It was recently revealed that Nintendo would be seeking an injunction against Palworld to halt sales in Japan, with the additional possibility of Nintendo looking to escalate the dispute in further jurisdictions. The company is also seeking a payment of 5 million yen with an additional 5 million going to The Pokmon Company, totalling the equivalent of around $66K. Although the monetary damages are said to be negligible, it is the injunction that could hold the most long-term significance.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

A founder who was an early mover in the race to build autonomous vehicles has raised $15 million for his next act: a startup that claims its AI can write enterprise software on its own.Cogna as the U.K.-based startup is called is led by Ben Peters, the technical co-founder of FiveAI (the self-driving startup that was acquired by Bosch in 2022). Notion Capital is leading the Series A, with Hoxton Ventures and Chalfen Ventures also participating. It comes on the heels of Cogna, founded in May 2023, raising a seed round of $4.75 million earlier this year from a number of investors, including Peters FiveAI co-founder Stan Boland and Herman Hauser, the founder of Acorn Software.The focus of Cogna is the world of enterprise resource planning. ERP is a dry but very necessary software component in the running of organizations, covering everything from procurement and supply chain and inventory management through to risk assessments, finance and human resources. Typically large enterprises can pay up to billions of dollars in contracts with systems integrators and consultancies to handle their ERP, either by customizing off-the-shelf software for clients, or writing custom applications from the ground up, to fit an organizations particular needs. In typical AI startup fashion, Peters believes that this work is best done, and can be compressed into, an AI platform built for the purpose. While some challenges have been significantly trickier for AI to address than others, there have been some early signs of ERP potentially being one area where it might stick, and for Cogna to potentially become one of the players delivering on that pitch. A year since launch, Cogna has signed up customers that include the U.K. gas distributor Cadent Gas and infrastructure and utilities service provider Network Plus.To be clear, none of our customers think of it as ERP software, Peters said in an interview. For them, theyve got a problem which isnt solved by using SAP or [another] legacy system. We deliver a custom, precision-built piece of software for that. They experience [it] ike a classic piece of SaaS, but it happens to have been built specifically for them, specifically for their workflow. And its written by our AI.Cogna balances a mix of generative AI with other kinds of tooling to actually put together its custom software. Non-technical teams can describe their pain points in natural language, and the Cogna does the rest, the company claims. Were a team of experts in domain-specific languages, compilers, AI and reliable and scaleable enterprise SaaS, Peters said. These days, its not uncommon to come across AI startups leveraging multiple large language models simultaneously depending on a particular task at hand its the customization that makes a startup unique and that is the case here, too. Peters said that the language models used for people to interact with its platform come from a variety of providers that include OpenAI and Anthropic. These are a key part of our Natural Language Compiler, Peters told TechCrunch over a call.On top of that, Cogna is building an engine so that the software can truly write itself, said Hussein Kanji, the co-founder of Hoxton Ventures.In doing so, Cogna is an example of how generative AI which saw a viral explosion with the launch of consumer-accessible services like ChatGPT is indeed being folded into enterprise usage and more complex applications. That is important because a number of foundational AI companies, like OpenAI, have made it clear that they, too, have ambitions to tap into the enterprise market, a highly lucrative area that will help them generate the vast revenues that investors expect. Kanji likens what Cogna is doing to Cursor, the code building tool from OpenAI-backed Anysphere. We broke the news last week that Anysphere is in the middle a massive, unsolicited bidding war among investors that want to back it, valuing Anysphere as high as $2.5 billion on the back of massive business growth, so the area is clearly very hot. Thats kind of what Cogna is also doing, he said.Based on his experience at self-driving tech company FiveAI, Peters is adept at spotting openings in the market early, but he also has experience in how to shift gears, so to speak, when plans dont go as you expect them to. We had cars driving around London in 2018, he recalled. [But] we then pivoted to providing the development environment to develop a stack for other companies that were building their own electronic design automation stack. We were running a million simulations a day by the time we sold the company.Five.ai, which had raised around $78 million in funding was valued at $216 million in its last round before it was acquired by Bosch for an undisclosed sum.Cogna now plans to go up against classic IT consultancies such as Wipro and CapGemini.The investment into Cogna is the first from Bryan Gartner, formerly of Khosla Ventures, who joined Hoxton as its newest partner last year.

Swiggys upcoming IPO on Wednesday will finally give many analysts a public comparable for what has been long considered to be the Indian internet stock: Zomato. It will also test the nations appetite for IPOs that can scale past the $1 billion mark.For its IPO, Swiggy has already secured $1.4 billion from institutional investors including Norways sovereign wealth fund, BlackRock and eight of the top 10 Indian mutual funds. Still, it will enter a public market where large tech companies stocks have struggled historically three years since its $2.5 billion offering, Paytm is still trading 47% below its IPO price.More than a dozen Indian tech startups have gone public in the last four years, but the market has shown scant interest in large IPOs. Beauty and wellness e-commerce company Nykaa is still trading 53% below its debut price, and Star Health and Alliance Insurance Company remains 48% below its IPO price three years on.Startups that raised less than $500 million in India have performed incredibly well, in comparison.India has emerged as a hotbed for tech IPOs this year even as the U.S. market remains muted. All eyes are on Swiggys IPO at the moment, particularly as many growth-stage startups and their investors are eyeing a similarly large listing over the next 24 months.Furthermore, for many Indian startups that were based in the U.S. and Singapore, moving their official HQs back to India would let them better comply with local regulations to do such an IPO. Its also an opportunity to reap the benefits of a market whose benchmark index had risen more than 10% in the past year. Up to three dozen startups could be shifting their domiciles back to India in the coming years, according to investors.A slide from venture firm WEHs Presentation Last Week showing the markets preference for smaller IPOs. Image Credits: TechCrunchThe prospects for Swiggys IPO looks good especially given that rival Zomatos stock has surged over 100% since its $1.3 billion listing in 2021, reaching a market cap high of $29 billion this year. In comparison, Swiggy is seeking a valuation of $11.3 billion.It helps that the Indian food delivery market has long been a duopoly between Zomato and Swiggy. And what makes the offer even more attractive to investors is that Swiggy is among the dozen firms attempting to disrupt the $1.1 billion Indian retail market that is still dominated by millions of mom-and-pop stores.Swiggys Instamart is among the top three quick-commerce businesses in the country, which promise deliveries of groceries, wellness and beauty products and much more within 10 minutes. Whether these companies will be able to revolutionize the broader retail market in India remains to be seen, but they have already captured 56% of the online grocery delivery market from e-commerce firms, according to JPMorgan.Quick-commerce firms such as Instamart, Zomato-owned BlinkIt, Zepto, BigBasket, and Minutes are changing consumer behavior in urban Indian cities, home to about 80 million people. Together, they are on track to record sales of more than $6 billion this year, according to TechCrunch estimates.I dont think Swiggy will just be an e-commerce company in the future, but I do think that given the growth rate of Instamart, and the total addressable market its going after, the percentage of e-commerce in Swiggy is going to have a dramatic change, said Swiggy co-founder and chief executive Sriharsha Majety (pictured above at the top) in an interview with TechCrunch.Underpinning this business model is a unique supply chain system that involves strategically setting up hundreds of discrete warehouses, or dark stores, within kilometers of residential and business areas. This allows the firms to make deliveries within minutes of an order.This approach differs from that of e-commerce players like Amazon and Flipkart, which have fewer but much larger warehouses in areas where rent is cheaper and farther from residential areas.Swiggy operates over 600 such facilities, while Zomatos Blinkit ended the September quarter with 791 stores.Swiggy, which counts Prosus, SoftBank, Accel and Elevation among its backers, has scaled Instamart to 30 Indian cities. But many investors and analysts have expressed doubts about the viability of extending the quick-commerce model to smaller Indian cities and towns. Do we have an operating model for city number 500? Honestly, I dont know, said Majety. Asked if the model works on city number 75, Majety said: I think that probably exists. We will see city 75 having quick commerce.Swiggys IPO will also show how willing investors are to bet on business models that prioritize growth over profits amid challenging global conditions.For Dutch investor Prosus, Swiggys listing could deliver a three-fold return. It will also be the venture firms biggest hit from India, where its $1 billion-plus gains from Byjus have all but evaporated. Accel is expected to see a more than 35-fold return, one of its largest in the past five years.

Running payroll is hard in any country, but perhaps especially so in Brazil thanks to consistently changing laws and extremely influential unions that make it significantly harder to get it right. Fernando Gadotti struggled with this as the co-founder and CEO of DogHero, LatAms version of Rover. When Gadotti left the company in 2022, after selling it in 2020, he decided this is where he wanted to focus next.Every time the payroll came around, theres just a struggle, like its dreadful, many hours, just like double-checking data back and forth, and we couldnt really get any insight that we needed, Gadotti told TechCrunch. [We were] pretty much working in the dark, and as we kept growing, it hit me that these problems really werent just inconvenient; theyre actually slowing the company down. Were wasting a lot of time in busy work.Just a few months after leaving DogHero, Gadotti started working on So Paulo-based Tako, an employee life cycle platform that automates tasks like onboarding and payroll to save companies time and bring all their employee information into one place. Tako also provides employees with a dashboard to view information and access an interactive paystub meant to increase transparency.Gadotti said that while there are U.S. legacy payroll companies operating in Brazil, like ADP, it makes sense to have a local solution because Brazils payment system is quite unique. He said laws around payroll change frequently. There are also 10,000 unions companies often have employees in more than one, he said that update their rules a few times a year, too, and sometimes have more power than the actual laws.Tako uses an LLM (large language model) to keep up with these constant changes. The LLM ingests the labor law and union law data and digests it so Takos developers can keep the code base up-to-date. He said they want to keep humans in the loop to ensure accuracy, but having the LLM get a head start saves a lot of time.Tako launched its product in 2023. Gadotti said that the company processed tens of millions of dollars in payroll as its been operating in stealth but declined to share more details on its customers. Gadotti said the company is currently targeting mid-market white-collar companies with between 100 and 500 employees in the professional and financial service categories.The strategy we took is that we are not trying to boil the ocean, Gadotti said. We want to start in a segment we know before venturing into industrials or more complex areas. We are starting in more simpler segments; as the company evolves, we are going to more complex segments in the future.Tako is emerging from stealth with a sizable $13.2 million seed round co-led by Ribbit Capital and Andreessen Horowitz. The round also included ONEVC and the founders of Ramp. Gadotti said the company plans to put the majority of capital toward research and development in addition to doubling or tripling headcount on its R&D team.There are a lot of potential areas that Tako could expand into in the future, like the vast world of employee benefits. Gadotti said the company does plan to expand as it grows into building more features like instant payments.In addition to competing with legacy companies like ADP, there are multiple other HR tech startups in the country like Gupy and Caju, which are both more focused on other areas within HR and employee management. But if Tako expands into these areas, which it likely will, these companies could also become strong competitors.The name Tako is Japanese for octopus, which Gadotti said is how he thinks about the business. Takos platform is meant to be the brain of employee data with its tentacles reaching out into different areas of employee management.We want to focus on the whole employee life cycle, Gadotti said. We are constantly listening to our customers pain points and where they want us to help them on.

Tis the season for a new Kevin the Carrot holiday advert! Since its inception in 2016, Aldi and McCann Manchester have collaborated each year with industry powerhouse Psyop, with fans looking to the annual release as the initiator of the most wonderful time of the year.Created in association with Riff Raff Films, this years installment sends the viewer on a caper braving the broiler, precarious mince pies, and other cuisine-related boobie traps as Kevin and Katie try to save the Festive Spirit from the nefarious thieves at Humbug Headquarters. Concluding with yet another feather in Kevins cap, the Festive Spirit is set free and fills empty tables with holiday feasts underscoring the ever-present message of celebrating the cheer of community and the magic of bringing families together.Enjoy!Last years Kevin and the Christmas Factory was named 2023s most effective ad, according to System1s data, although the latest installment may be the teams most ambitious chapter yet.Kevin the Carrots world just keeps getting juicier, and the team at McCann and Aldi are the zest we need to keep things fresh as we cook up new ways to expand the Kevin-verse, said Psyop directors Todd Mueller and Kylie Matulick. With a decade of Kevin marinating in all our minds, hes got so much more room to sprout! Were ready to serve up more flavor-filled adventures and show just how far Kevin can peel ahead! Kevin the Carrot is more than a character; hes become a cherished tradition and a holiday icon, added Psyop EP Jim Brattin. Each year, were inspired to create something even more memorable, and this seasons film is truly our most enchanting yet"Brattin executive produces, while Amy Fahl produces. VFX are created by Cristina Camacho, Steve Hallquist, and Billy Morris. Thomas Sali crafted the 2D animation, with Matthias Bauerle serving as 2D supervisor.Source: Psyop Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologistL'Wrenbrings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.