By TREVOR HOGGImages courtesy of Focus Features.Producer/director/writer Morgan Neville has become known for his musician profiles, whether highlighting backup singers in 20 Feet from Stardom or sitting down with a legendary rock guitarist in Keith Richards: Under the Influence. What is different with Piece by Piece is that the life and career of Pharrell Williams is depicted not through the traditional documentary means of talking heads and archival footage but instead as a LEGO animated feature. Two versions were made of the documentary, with the more traditional approach used as a rough template for its animated counterpart.For a long time, documentaries were seen as just journalism with pictures. There have been people over the decades who have pushed that, such as Erroll Morris, Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders. The audience is ready and hungry for it. When I get asked, Is your film a documentary? I say, Its creative nonfiction. A documentary comes with a rulebook, and Piece by Piece is deeply faithful and truthful, but is it pure journalism? No. However, thats not what I tried to do. Its cinema first. That kind of liberation is good for filmmakers and audiences.Morgan Neville, Producer/Director/WriterDirector/writer Morgan Neville describes his LEGO persona as the prefect pasty, disheveled, bespectacled documentary filmmaker that I am!It had some original and archive footage, music videos, other movie clips and some drawings to get the story in place as much as we could before we took it into animation, Neville states. I remember it being complicated. If youre basing something on a photo, do you need to license it? There is stuff like the Oprah footage, which we licensed and then basically animated it one-to-one with what the original scene is, if you look at it side by side with his performance on that show. That is maybe 25% to 30% of the film. Licensing footage was worth the cost. Making an animated film on a smaller budget, those sequences were gifts because even though they were going to cost as much as something we had made up, we didnt have the time to make it up, remarks Animation Director Howard Baker. We still storyboarded it so that the animation studios could start breaking down the scene down. If it was live-action, their heads would have exploded!Pivotal in visually translating Williams creative process was his condition called Chromesthesia or sound-to-color synesthesia where sounds appear as colors. Synesthesia was the one thing that unlocks this fantasy gear and was perfect for animation, Neville believes. That scene worked so well that when we showed it to people they said, I want to see that movie. Given a visual representation are the catchy musical beats that are the foundation of the Williams songs. I had three people who I worked quite closely throughout the show, and we felt that the film needed a LEGO hook, Baker recalls. We always had big bowls of LEGO and LEGO toys in our story room and were playing around with them. We started making these things saying, This is like this or that sound. We made a whole bunch of them, and our producers in India created them in CG. We sent them over to Pharrells company, i am Other, and they had ideas and reasons why things didnt work. Each beat ended up having a specific personality.When Gwen Stefani talked to director/writer Neville, she was already animated and quite over the top, so using her interview as actual dialogue felt natural.Some of the dialogue for Snoop Dogg came from a podcast he did with Pharrell Williams.Interviews rather than scripted dialogue drive the narrative. Whenever I was doing interviews, I would ask, What did the room look like? What did you and they say? Neville explains. In the case of Pharrells grandmother, she is gone, so he got his aunt to do the voice, but we didnt script anything. Even the banter between Pharrell and Snoop Dogg came from a podcast they had done together, and suddenly you can transform that anywhere, like backstage at the concert. There was that playfulness of being in moments more rather than just narrate something with pictures. We could time travel in a way through the film, which you cant do in documentaries but easily can do in animation.Rather than making everything perfect, which is possible in animation, an effort was made to incorporate mistakes that would appear in a live-action documentary.Some of interviewees were a nature fit while others required editorial assistance when it came to timing. When N.O.R.E. and Gwen Stefani were talking to Morgan, they were already animated and quite over the top, so using their interview as actual dialogue felt natural, Baker notes. But then Teddy Riley didnt seem quite as natural; his acting felt like it might turn out to be stiff; however, it ends up becoming the character. The director is part of the cast. My mini-me is the prefect pasty, disheveled, bespectacled documentary filmmaker that I am! Morgan laughs. My hair has gotten much whiter than it was at the time. Everyone had opinions about the design of their LEGO persona to varying degrees. Because Pharrell was such a main character, it took a long time for us to get there, Baker states. Missy Elliott was involved in the design of her character, which is one of the most successful because she was in there pointing out things to do to make her feel comfortable. No Doubt was easy about their caricatures; they saw one version, gave some notes, and that was that.[W]e didnt script anything. Even the banter between Pharrell and Snoop Dogg came from a podcast they had done together, and suddenly you can transform that anywhere, like backstage at the concert. There was that playfulness of being in moments more rather than just narrate something with pictures. We could time travel in a way through the film, which you cant do in documentaries but easily can do in animation.Morgan Neville, Producer/Director/WriterA conscious decision was made not to have a production designer developing a unifying look. I wanted all the different designers to bring what they thought it should look like into the picture so all of these places end up having a natural personality that was different, remarks Baker, who was based at Pure Imagination Studios. Set and environmental designs were divided between Tongal and Zebu Animation Studios. Zebu Animation Studios and CDW Studios each did one-third of the animation, and the remainder was completed by animators hired by Pure Imagination Studios, who were already proficient in the LEGO stop-motion animation style. There were definitely studios we knew were better at certain things, Neville observes. CDW Studios was good at water, and the water effects are amazing. There were definitely animators who were good at base animation, and we gave them the close-up scenes.Daft Punk was very particular about the design of their LEGO persona.Real footage was shot of Pharrell Williams returning to his hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia, which in turn inspired the animation for the scene.Piece by Piece may be best described as creative nonfiction.The scene that served as a proof of concept was when high school student Pharrell Williams listens to I Wish by Stevie Wonder for the first time on a ghetto blaster.A point of reference for the camera style and lensing was Moonlight.Unlike animation, where everything is created from scratch, documentaries need to adapt to real settings and circumstances. We did a lot of things that were common in documentaries that are uncommon in animation, like montaging through space and time, Neville states. My sense is that the big LEGO movies have some giant incredible anchor sets that they live in a lot, and we were constantly skipping through space and time from location to location. The number of sets we had would dwarf what you would normally find in LEGO movie. In a way, it wasnt about building all of these amazing castles. We just need to capture the essence of different places and times. Teddys studio, Virginia Beach and New York each have a feel.Five years was spent making Piece by Piece, which is not uncommon for an animated feature.Animation allowed for a deeper exploration of the characters, such as Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams.The aspect ratio was 2.39:1. The film that I talked about the most in terms of the look was Moonlight because I love the cinematography, and it has this warm, funky anamorphic look, Neville explains. There was a unifying lens look throughout the whole film even though at times we break into these archival sections that actually have a different look. Some of the archival sections we exported from finished 4K animation onto VHS and re-imported it from VHS. I dont know if that has ever been done before! In terms of framing, we did a lot of tights and mediums because that felt cinematic.We felt that the film needed a LEGO hook. We always had big bowls of LEGO and LEGO toys in our story room and were playing around with them. We started making these things saying, This is like this or that sound. We made a whole bunch of them, and our producers in India created them in CG. We sent them over to Pharrells company, i am Other, and they had ideas and reasons why things didnt work. Each beat ended up having a specific personality.Howard Baker, Animation DirectorEarly on, a topic of conversation was the limitations of LEGO animation. A big one was dance, Neville states. LEGO figures dont bend, and there is a lot of movement in the film. We had a lot of discussions about, How do we represent dance as much as we can? Howard has a dance background and has played with this. Cracking that was a major thing for us. A 24-hour-long video of Pharrell Williams hit Happy came in handy. We watched that for many hours looking for a lot of dance references to put all over in the film, Baker reveals. Im a big believer in if you can draw it, you can probably animate it. We would draw it out and show it to the animators, and sooner or later they would give us a version of it that felt right.Getting the visual treatment were the catchy beats composed by Pharrell Williams. Here is an example of that in a sequence going from storyboard, layout, animation, ambience, lighting to final.Piece by Piece expands the boundaries of documentary filmmaking. For a long time, documentaries were seen as just journalism with pictures, Neville notes. There have been people over the decades who have pushed that, such as Erroll Morris, Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders. The audience is ready and hungry for it. When I get asked, Is your film a documentary? I say, Its creative nonfiction. A documentary comes with a rulebook, and Piece by Piece is deeply faithful and truthful, but is it pure journalism? No. However, thats not what I tried to do. Its cinema first. That kind of liberation is good for filmmakers and audiences.The experience has been career-altering. Its to Pharrells credit for making this animated because animation is an emotional metaphor which allows us not be factual but at the same time make it believable, Baker remarks. You can have a singing mermaid and no one questions it. Making a story about a real persons life, then making it as emotionally visual as we get to do in animation has opened my eyes to being able to get deeper into characters and letting them tell the story. There came a point where I realized that what we do with animation is so visual and what they do now in documentary and live-action is so character-driven that I was able to bring those two things together in way that is unique and mind-boggling eye-opening.

Just over a year ago, we launched our first dedicated remote play device, PlayStation Portal remote player, with an aspiration to deliver a console-quality gaming experience on a handheld device. PS Portal was an ambitious product for us, and we have been delighted by the positive response from our fans and to see that our vision has resonated with the community.Today were pleased to announce a new system software update for PS Portal that will begin releasing starting later today (Europe release begins Wednesday), which will introduce refinements in the audio experience, including:Speaker audio output adjustment to make the volume lower when the audio level is set to minimumYou will now be able to adjust settings of your PlayStation Link device from the PS Portal Settings menu, allowing you to optimize the volume and sidetone volume.This update will also include a beta version of a new feature that many fans have been asking for support for cloud streaming on PS Portal. When the update is live, PlayStation Plus Premium members will be able to participate in a beta for cloud streaming on PS Portal, allowing select PS5 games in the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog* to be streamed directly from our servers, even without a PS5 console.Since Cloud Streaming (Beta) on PS Portal is still an experimental offering, the features available during the beta period may change over time and may not reflect the final experience.Lets take a deeper look at what you can expect in this beta:Features available during the BetaStream select PS5 games in the PlayStation Plus Game CatalogOver 120 PS5 games from the PS Plus Game Catalog, including Dave the Diver, Ghost of Tsushima, Marvels Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Monster Hunter Rise, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, will be accessible on PS Portal via cloud streaming*Streaming up to 1080p/60fps**DualSense wireless controller features, including haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, speakers, touchpad (emulated on the touch screen for PS Portal), and motion sensor***PlayStation Plus Cloud storageSave data and game progress can be stored up to 100GB and will be automatically synced with your PS5 console, making it easy to switch seamlessly between local and streaming gameplay, and between multiple devices.Cloud Streaming (Beta) for PS Portal will be available through the PlayStation Plus Premium plan, which is offered in the following locations:Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Cyprus, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.How to access Cloud Streaming (Beta)To access the beta, you will need the following:PlayStation Portal remote playerAn account for PlayStation Network****An active PlayStation Plus Premium membershipAccess to broadband internet Wi-FiTo establish a cloud streaming session: requires minimum 5Mbps of upload and download speedsTo stream at 720p: requires minimum 7 MbpsTo stream at 1080p: requires minimum 13 MbpsOnce the beta is available, you can access the beta by updating your PS Portal to the latest system software and completing the following steps:Open Quick Menu and access Settings on your PS Portal.Select the Cloud Streaming (Beta) buttonSwitch the Cloud Streaming (Beta) toggle on (this will be off by default).After youve enabled Cloud Streaming (Beta) in the settings menu, you should see a new option on the Home screen of your PS Portal that allows you to access games via cloud streaming. The beta option can be turned off any time, and your Home screen will revert back to the standard version once the option is turned off.Features not included in the BetaAs we are in the beginning stages of publicly testing cloud streaming on PS Portal, some features will not be available, such as Game Trials, streaming games purchased on PS Store, system features such as Party voice chat and game invites for select games, Create button, 3D audio, and in-game commerce.Additionally, the streaming games playable on PS Portal are limited to PS5 games, and PS4 games/PS3 games are not supported.We are always listening to your feedback, and we look forward to seeing many players participating in the beta!*Titles available in the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog varies over time, region/country and plan. See https://www.playstation.com/Plus for details and updates on PlayStation Plus offerings. PlayStation Plus is an ongoing subscription subject to a recurring subscription fee taken automatically (at the then-current PS Store price) at the frequency you choose at purchase until cancellation. Terms apply: play.st/psplus-usageterms**Individual game performance will vary based on the specific game being played, and the quality of connectivity in your network environment.***Haptic feedback and adaptive trigger features are only available when those features are supported by the game being played.****Cloud Streaming (Beta) is not available for child accounts.

Becoming the stuff of legend is no easy feat. But its entirely appropriate that a compelling and complex tale about vengeful vampires has not only lasted as long as it has, but triumphantly arisen from its resting place.From its popular 1996 debut, The Legacy of Kain series has a long-standing history across PlayStation, from introducing memorable characters to pioneering in 3D game design. So, with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered on its way to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Blood Omen 2 coming to PlayStation Plus Classics, its the perfect time to dig up the details on why The Legacy of Kain series has endured. As a bonus, the original developers join us to recall some relevant anecdotes on the wayPlay VideoA new gameplay video showcases Raziels otherwordly abilities in The Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered.Im super proud of the way we wove our time travel plot throughout the games writing time travel stories is hard! Amy Hennig, Design Manager (Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain), Director and Lead Writer (Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2, Legacy of Kain: Defiance)1996 Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain PlayStation Silicon Knights/Crystal DynamicsAction-adventures took a turn for the macabre as The Legacy of Kain series introduced us to the shadowy world of Nosgoth. Blood Omen set the tone with Kain seeking a cure for his vampiric curse, only to slip deeper into a moral abyss.Engaging hack-and-slash gameplay mixed with magic, shapeshifting, and puzzle-layered exploration cast an intoxicating spell encased by a smart and gripping story that laid the groundwork for all that followed. So it was no surprise that the triumphant debut of the titular vampire lord was met with a craving for more. Only three years later, that craving was satisfiedIt was one of the best-looking games for PlayStation. Daniel Cabuco, lead enemy artist (Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver); lead artist (Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2) and art director (Legacy of Kain: Defiance)1999 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver PlayStation Crystal Dynamics/Eidos InteractiveIf Blood Omen began the crimson-stained lineage for the series in 2D, Soul Reaver took up the trail and innovated it into fully formed 3D. This time the consequences of Kains actions are directly in your hands, assuming control of the iconic Raziel, a former vampire lieutenant slain by Kain. Resurrected into a wraith, Raziel is given his mission by The Elder God to destroy Kain and restore the now-broken wasteland of Nosgoth to its former glory.The evolution into 3D allowed the series to push the boundaries of its presentation even more, especially when teamed with the already captivating narrative, which allowed players to travel between the material and spectral realms.The writing, dialogue, and incredible voice acting all took things to the next level, says Cabuco. At every point the artists, designers, musicians, and engineers asked themselves how they could make the experience better. It was an incredible moment in time where every aspect was firing on all cylinders.Its a sentiment shared by the games chief of engineering, Scott Krotz: The streaming technology we developed was great, and I think we only had one loading screen in the entire game once getting into it. The combination of solid gameplay and technology, a dark world full of interesting lore, a great story and characters, and amazing voice actors all came together to make it a pretty special game.The amazingly well directed cinematics with lip sync were simply mind blowing. Monika Erosova, head of development (Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered)2001 Soul Reaver 2 PlayStation 2 Crystal Dynamics/Eidos InteractiveAfter Soul Reaver introduced the iconic Raziel, its sequel vastly expanded on his human past, traveling through time to reveal Nosgoths secrets which have immense repercussions on not only Raziel and his home, but Kain as well.Between its combat, puzzles, and exploration, Soul Reaver 2 successfully elevated much of what made its predecessor so well received, but a particular spotlight fell on its story and characters. Amy Hennig masterfully interconnected Raziels journey back to Blood Omen, says Erosova. I enjoyed exploring the world in different eras.Soul Reaver 2 was originally supposed to be on the original PlayStation, but our team was determined to use the power of PS2 to elevate the games graphics and animation, reveals Amy Hennig, who worked as design manager on Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, and director and lead writer on Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance. We ported the game onto the new hardware in a matter of weeks.2002 Blood Omen 2 PlayStation 2 Crystal Dynamics/Eidos InteractiveIn a smart connection to the time travel chaos of Soul Reaver 2, the series went back to its roots in Blood Omen 2 by exploring an alternate timeline set after the events of the very first Blood Omen. This gave players a chance to enjoy Kains undead life again, aside from his antagonistic turn in the Soul Reaver games, layering a now rich and involving lore.While paying homage to its vampiric roots where Kain is able to feed off enemies or civilians to replenish his health, novel gameplay elements like weapon durability kept the combat and challenge fresh.2003 Legacy of Kain: Defiance PlayStation 2 Crystal Dynamics/Eidos InteractiveAfter two games each where we played as Kain or Raziel, it was perhaps inevitable that wed get a chance to control both characters in the same game which is where Legacy of Kain: Defiance swooped in. Given we were revealing crucial things about our characters motivations and the world that shaped them, it was critical for us to make Kain and Raziel dual protagonists, and to cut back and forth between their playable chapters, explains Hennig.Using different abilities helped differentiate between the bitter enemies in terms of gameplay, while the story offered the now expected and satisfying philosophical pondering on determinism and morality to resolve Kain and Raziels blood-stained conflict.We wanted to tell a great, complex story with flawed but compelling characters in a captivating and original world, says Hennig. Its incredibly gratifying to see how formative and indelible these games and stories have been for our audience.Youll be able to get a taste of the series lasting legacy when Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Blood Omen 2 arrive on PlayStation Plus Premium November 19, and when Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered hits PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on December 10.

In Fields of Mistria, there are quite a few romanceable characters that you can woo by giving gifts to. Youll run into these characters in your day-to-day and those wanting to rush to that romance will need to know exactly what to give them.It should be noted that while there are romance candidates who will speak a bit flirtily to you, there is currently no dating or marriage in this early access stage of the game. Romance candidates have special cutscenes that unlock once you reach a certain number of hearts with them, but thats it for now. More cutscenes, dating, marriage, and even having children are all features planned for future updates.As of the patch 0.12.0 update, you can invite romance candidates to the Shooting Star Festival on Summer 28 if you have four or more hearts with them, but you cannot progress past having six hearts with them. (Note that in order to do this, youll need to complete the Beautification Project quest first.)Below we list out all of the available romance options in Fields of Mistria, as well as some of the easiest-to-get early-game items to give them to win them over. Note that our list is not a complete list of their liked and loved items, but rather a list of the items that you can obtain earlier than other items.Fields of Mistria marriage candidates and easy giftsAs of this writing, there are 10 romance candidates in Fields of Mistria, though more have been teased to be added later.AdelineAdeline is effectively the one in charge of Mistria, being the daughter of the barons of the town. Shes the one who sends you tasks to help restore the town.Early in the game, you can give her tulips (spring) and peaches (summer), to boost your relationship with her. You can forage tulips around the map and peaches grow on a tree in The Narrows.She loves peaches and cream, which is made from peaches (foraged during summer), milk, and sugar. (Her brother, Eiland, also likes peaches and cream, so stocking up on them would help for both of them!) She also loves coffee, which you can buy from Balors cart or the Sleeping Dragons Inn for 100 Tesserae, depending on their stock for the day. You can also buy it from Darcy during the Saturday Market.BalorBalor is a cunning traveling merchant who helps you ship out your items.Early on, you can give Balor rubies, which are found in the early floors of the mines (floors 1-19). He also likes sapphires, and emeralds, the other gems found in later floors.For a slightly more advanced gift, he also loves perfect versions of the above gemstones, like perfect rubies, perfect sapphires, and the like.CelineCeline is a gentle girl who studies plants and loves nature. Shes also the daughter of the general store owners.Celine likes flowers, making her one of the easiest characters to build a relationship with. She likes every flower you can forage, including lilacs, tulips, dandelions, and daisies which you should find tons of in spring and summer.She loves hydrangeas, which grow commonly during the summer on the Eastern Road map, east of Mistria.EilandEiland is the son of the towns barons, and hes more focused on archaeology than his sister. Hes often helping out at the museum.Unfortunately, Eiland is one of the harder marriage candidates to sway as he really only likes and loves cooked foods. He likes candied strawberries, which you can cook using strawberries (grown in the spring) and sugar. You can also buy them from Balors cart randomly for 250 Tesserae.Eiland loves strawberry shortcake, which doesnt unlock as a recipe until quite a bit later, but you can buy it from Balors cart and the Sleeping Dragon Inn randomly for 600 Tesserae each.HaydenHayden is your neighbor to the west of your farm who also owns a farm. He specializes in animal care and youll buy animals through him.All that said, Hayden likes most animal byproducts, including eggs, cow milk, butter, and cheese all items you can get pretty early on if you start ranching animals.Hayden loves the perfect versions of the above products, meaning that giving him gifts that he loves is a little bit harder, but once your animals start producing things like golden eggs and golden cow milk, you should be able to win over his heart easily. Once you start collecting shiny beads from caring from animals (requiring you to unlock the Currency of Care ranching skill), you can trade these beads to the chicken statue by Haydens house for a chance to get these golden items, which will help you get them much earlier than you would normally.JuniperJuniper is a sorceress who runs the bathhouse in mistria. She also helps you figure out some of the mysteries behind the towns magic (or lack thereof).She likes witchy things, like frogs and mushrooms. The easiest things to obtain to give to her are red toadstools, which can be obtained from killing the red mushroom enemies on the early floors of the mines (floors 1-19). She also likes monster powder, which also drop from mine enemies.On the flip side, Junipers loved items are a bit harder. The earliest recipe that you can cook up for her that she loves is moon fruit cake, which unlocks after you complete a request for Juniper in which she asks for moon fruit. Moon fruit is only foraged during fall, so stock up while you can. She also loves crystal roses, which are a foragable found in the deep earth section of the mines (floors 41-59).MarchMarch is a bit of a grumpy pants and hes the towns blacksmith. Youll see him and his older brother frequently around town.Hes yet another marriage candidate that is pretty simple to appease to he likes ores and ingots, which you should have plenty of if youve been in the mines. Any of the ores and ingots will work.He loves perfect ores, like perfect copper ore, so if you have extra, you can use those, too.ReinaReina is the daughter of the inn-owner and she helps her family run said inn. Shes the head chef at the inn and shes a bit of a foodie.Most of her likes involve food, but she does appreciate some of the more simple ingredients, like cheese, flour, rice, and sugar. That being said, youll need the mill unlocked to process milk, wheat, rice stalks, and sugar cane, respectively or you can buy sugar for 115 Tesserae from the general store.Reina is yet another candidate that mainly takes interest in food, so her loved items can be hard to obtain. The earliest recipe that you can get is cabbage slaw, which requires cabbage (grown in spring) and fennel (foraged in spring). She also loves breaded catfish, which isnt too bad to make once you unlock the recipe via the notice board quest.RyisRyis is a carpenter/woodworker who helps you build barns, expand your house, and any of that good stuff.His liked items are pretty simple and easy to obtain: wood, clay, and stone. If youve cleared out the debris on your farm even a little bit, you probably have lots of this stuff, so you should consider giving some to Ryis if you want to win his heart over.Most of Ryis loved items are golden versions of food and animal byproducts, but he also loves hard wood, which you can get from axing those huge stumps you see around Mistria (and on your farm). You will need at least a copper axe to cut these, though.ValenValen is the town doctor, who you actually wont see very often as long as youre playing it safe and going to bed by 2 a.m.Shes a bit harder to appease with her liked items. The easiest thing to give her is seaweed, which can be found by diving in the ocean on those dark bubbling spots that show up. She also likes dandelions, which can be foraged during the spring.Just like some of the others, her loved items are mostly cooked dishes. We recommend deep sea soup, which is made from three items you can find on the middling floors of the mines (floors 21-39): jade dulse, mines mussels, and underseaweed.

Sony is looking to purchase Japanese media conglomerate Kadokawa, according to two anonymous sources who spoke with Reuters. This acquisition could have major implications across industries, as Kadokawa owns publishers in print media, anime, and gaming. It may create stronger international opportunities for tabletop designers impacted by potential U.S. tariffs and the EUs soon-to-be-implemented general product safety regulations. However, with a few years of big name acquisitions and mergers that have led to unprecedented layoffs across the gaming sector, and Kadokawas recent history of scandals of its own, its unclear what impact the potential purchase may have on the up-and-coming Japanese tabletop industry.The acquisition comes after the increasing popularity of analog gaming of all kinds in Japan. While tabletop might be only a fraction of what Kadokawa has to offer, according to a report by the Tokyo-based Yano Research institute, the Japanese domestic market for tabletop games and card games doubled from 54 billion yen (approximately $382 million) in 2018 to 115 billion yen ($814 million) in 2022, with that number only projected to increase in the years since. Tabletop games of Kadokawas intellectual properties like Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and Bloodborne each crowdfunded at least $3 million. These campaigns, run by Steamforged Games and CMON respectively, highlight the buying power of the international tabletop ecosystem especially when paired with popular IPs. This rapid growth also inspired Kadokawas recent acquisition of Arclight, one of the biggest players in Japans tabletop industry.Arclight, which launched in 1998, was initially created to organize the Japan Game Convention and has been publishing tabletop games since 1999. After opening its first retail store in 2003, it began importing international games and localizing them for a Japanese market. In 2010, Arclight took over management of the triannual Game Market, another large analog gaming convention, which had previously been operated by an all-volunteer team.In April 2024, Arclight announced it had been acquired by Kadokawa a company which, two years prior, saw its founders son step down as chairman after a bribery indictment connected to the Tokyo Olympics. In Kadokawas announcement, Arclight president and CEO Kosuke Fukumoto said for the analog games industry to continue its trajectory of growth, it is necessary to expand overseas and link with IP, and that Kadokawa had the capabilities to enable that growth. In the same announcement, Kadokawa chief publishing officer cited Kadokawas long history of publishing analog games, invoking their release of Sword World in 1989 and the Japanese tradition of light novels, which stem from early RPG replays. Kadokawa believed that the acquisition would have a minor impact on Arclight, and that its business operations will remain unchanged even after this share transfer.Two months later, Kadokawa was hit by a ransomware cyberattack that leaked a quarter of a million peoples data. The Russian-linked hacker collective BlackSuit claimed responsibility for the attack. With only seven months between the initial purchase and potential sale, mired down by the attack, its unclear how consistent those business operations can stay if Sony does follow through with this acquisition. From one perspective, the influx of capital and resources could be a boon to the nascent industry as it develops ties outside of the U.S.-dominated tabletop industry by focusing on developing popular IPs. From another, more cautious one, the secondary acquisition of Arclight by a major media conglomerate could conflict with the companys stated objectives. Rather than simply pursuing product sales and profits, a translated version of Arclights website says, we aim to expand our business performance by expanding human communication, and thereby contribute to the profits of not only our company but also society.

As I sit down to write this article, I cant help but marvel at the incredible changes sweeping through our industry. For the first time in my career, I feel like were no longer limited by our technology but by our imagination. Well, almost. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the web design landscape in ways we could only dream of a few years ago, and Im excited to share with you how its supercharging our productivity across various aspects of our work.AI Is A Partner, Not A CompetitorNow, before we dive in, let me assure you: AI isnt here to replace us. At least, not for a while yet. There are still crucial areas where human expertise reigns supreme. AI struggles with strategic planning that considers the nuances of human behavior and market trends. It cant match our emotional intelligence when navigating client relationships and team dynamics. And when it comes to creative thinking that pushes boundaries and creates truly innovative solutions, we humans still have the upper hand.But heres the exciting part: AI is becoming an invaluable tool thats supercharging our productivity. Think of it as having a highly capable intern at your disposal. As the Nielsen Norman Group aptly put it in their article AI as an Intern, we need to approach AI tools with the right mindset. Double-check their work, use them for initial drafts rather than final products, and provide specific instructions and relevant context.The key to harnessing AIs power lies in working with it collaboratively.Dont expect perfect results on the first try. Instead, engage in a back-and-forth conversation, refining the AI output through iteration. This process of continuous improvement is where AI truly shines, dramatically speeding up our workflow.Lets explore how AI is reshaping different areas of our industry, looking at some of the many tools available to us.AI In Design: Unleashing Creativity And EfficiencyIn the realm of design, AI is proving to be a game-changer. Its particularly adept at:Collaborating on layout;Generating the perfect image;Refining and adapting existing imagery.Take AI in Figma, for instance. Its become my go-to for generating dummy content and tidying up my layers. The time saved on these mundane tasks allows me to focus more on the creative aspects of design.Generative imagery tools like Krea, which uses Flux, have revolutionized how we source visuals. Gone are the days of endlessly scrolling through stock libraries. Now, we can describe exactly what we need, and AI will create it for us. This level of customization and specificity is a game changer for creating unique, on-brand visuals.Relume is another tool Ive found incredibly useful. Its great for a collaborative back-and-forth over designs or for quickly putting together designs for smaller sites. The ability to iterate rapidly with AI assistance has significantly sped up my design process.And lets not forget about Adobe. Their upcoming tools, such as lighting matching for composite images, are set to take our design capabilities to new heights. If you want to see more of whats on the horizon, I highly recommend checking out the latest Adobe Max presentations.AI In Coding: Boosting Developer ProductivityThe impact of AI on coding is nothing short of revolutionary. According to a McKinsey study, developers using AI tools performed coding tasks like code generation, refactoring, and documentation 20%-50% faster on average compared to those not using AI tools. Thats a significant productivity boost!AI is helping developers in several key areas:Coding faster;Debugging more efficiently;Automatically generating code comments;Writing basic code.To put this into perspective, AI now writes 25% of the code at Google. Thats a staggering figure from one of the worlds leading tech companies.Tools like Cursor AI and GitHub Copilot are at the forefront of this revolution, offering features such as:AI pair programming with predictive code edits;Natural language code editing;Chat interfaces for asking questions and getting help.Ive personally been amazed by what ChatGPT 01-Preview can do. Ive used it to build simple WordPress plugins in minutes, tasks that would have taken me significantly longer in the past.AI In UX: Enhancing User Research And AnalysisIn the field of User Experience (UX), AI is opening up new possibilities for research and analysis. Its allowing us to:Conduct user research at scale;Analyze open-ended qualitative feedback;Query analytic data using natural language;Predict user behavior.Ive found ChatGPT to be an invaluable tool for data analysis, particularly when it comes to making sense of analytics and survey responses. It can quickly identify patterns and insights that might take us hours to uncover manually.Tools like Strella are pushing the boundaries of whats possible in user research. AI can now perform user interviews at scale, allowing us to gather insights from a much larger pool of users than ever before.Attention Insight is another fascinating tool. It uses AI to predict where people will look on a page, providing valuable data for optimizing layouts and user interfaces.Microsoft Clarity has also upped its game, allowing us to ask questions about our analytic insights, heatmaps, and session recordings. This natural language interface makes it easier than ever to extract meaningful insights from our data.AI In Copywriting: Elevating Content Quality And EfficiencyWhen it comes to copywriting, AI is proving to be a powerful ally. Its helping us:Transform poor-quality stakeholder content into web-optimized copy;Brainstorm value propositions and create high-converting copy;Craft compelling business cases and strategy documentation;Write standard operating procedures.Notion AI has become one of my go-to tools for content creation. It combines the best of ChatGPT and Claude, allowing it to draw upon a wide range of provided source material to write detailed documentation, articles, and reports.ChatGPT has been a game-changer for improving the quality of website copy. It can take user questions and bullet-point answers from subject specialists and transform them into web-optimized content. Ive found it particularly useful for defining value propositions and writing high-converting copy.For refining existing content, the Hemingway Editor is invaluable. It can take the existing copy and make it clearer, more concise, and easier to scan essential qualities for effective web content.AI In Administration: Streamlining Mundane TasksAI isnt just transforming the technical aspects of our work; its also making a significant impact on those mundane administrative tasks that often eat up our time. By leveraging AI, we can streamline various aspects of our daily workflow, allowing us to focus more on high-value activities.Here are some ways AI is helping us tackle administrative tasks more efficiently:Getting our thoughts down faster;Writing better emails;Summarizing long emails or Slack threads;Speeding up research;Backing up arguments with relevant data.Let me share some personal experiences with AI tools that have transformed my administrative workflow:Ive dramatically increased my writing speed using Flow. This tool has taken me from typing at 49 words per minute to dictating at over 95 words per minute. Not only does it allow me to dictate, but it also tidies up my words to ensure they read well and are grammatically correct.For email writing, Ive found Fixkey to be invaluable. It helps me rewrite or reformat copy quickly. Ive even set up a prompt that tones down my emails when Im feeling particularly irritable, ensuring they sound reasonable and professional.Dealing with long email threads or Slack conversations can be time-consuming. Thats where Spark comes in handy. It summarizes lengthy threads, saving me valuable time. Interestingly, this feature is now built into iOS for all notifications, making it even more accessible.When it comes to research, Google Notebook LLM has been a game-changer. I can feed it large amounts of data on a subject and quickly extract valuable insights. This tool has significantly sped up my research process.Lastly, if I need to back up an argument with a statistic or quote, Perplexity has become my go-to resource. It quickly finds relevant sources I can quote, adding credibility to my work without the need for extensive manual searches.Conclusion: Embracing AI For A More Productive FutureAs I wrap up this article, I realize Ive only scratched the surface of what AI can do for our industry. The real challenge isnt in the technology itself but in breaking out of our established routines and taking the time to experiment with whats possible.I believe we need to cultivate a new habit: pausing before each new task to consider how AI could help us approach it differently. The winners in this new reality will be those who can best integrate this technology into their workflow.AI isnt replacing us its empowering us to work smarter and more efficiently. By embracing these tools and learning to collaborate effectively with AI, we can focus more on the aspects of our work that truly require human creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking.If youre feeling overwhelmed by the rapid pace of change, dont worry. Were all learning and adapting together. Remember, the goal isnt to become an AI expert overnight but to gradually incorporate these tools into your work in ways that make sense for you and your projects.

In an innovative fusion of art, design, and engineering, architect Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY and Porsche created My Two Cars Garage, a geometric pavilion crafted to celebrate the debut of the all-electric Porsche Macan. Showcased during Singapore Art Week, this structure brings together cutting-edge design principles and the shared ethos of both collaborators performance, precision, and aesthetic excellence.The partnership between Porsches Michael Mauer and Marc Fornes, founder of THEVERYMANY, represents a blend of distinct yet complementary design philosophies. Mauers focus on clarity, functionality, and dynamic tension aligns seamlessly with Fornes signature techniques of Essentialism (what you see is all there is, yet its so much more), Specificity (each part has a unique position and purpose), and Frozen Tension (where strength is derived from geometry, not material). Together, their work transcends conventional design, creating a pavilion that serves not only as a structural marvel but also as an experiential art form.At the heart of the design is its monocoque shell, an ultra-thin, self-supporting structure that eliminates the need for internal supports. Composed of 6,380 uniquely shaped aluminum strips and 202,203 rivets, the pavilion achieves both strength and fluidity through advanced computational design. Each piece interlocks perfectly to form a continuous double-curved surface, demonstrating how material efficiency and structural performance can coexist in a visually striking form.One of the pavilions most dynamic features is its play with light. Inspired by the Porsche Macans intricate body detailing, thousands of perforations punctuate the aluminum skin. By day, sunlight filters through, creating ever-changing patterns of light and shadow. At night, the pavilion glows from within, evoking a sense of motion and adding a layer of spectacle to its architectural presence. This interplay invites visitors to engage with the space in different ways, depending on the time of day.Prefabrication and modular assembly played a crucial role in the pavilions construction. Each component was crafted off-site, then pieced together on location with precision akin to assembling a high-performance vehicle. This method not only streamlined the construction process but also ensured a flawless, joint-free surface that mirrors the sleek design of Porsches vehicles.Far more than a conventional display stand, My Two Cars Garage is an immersive environment designed to showcase the Macans innovative features. The pavilions flowing curves and tubular profiles frame the car as a central exhibit, while the open layout allows for dynamic interactions. Whether hosting one or two vehicles, the space becomes an integral part of the reveal experience, blurring the lines between architecture and performance art.Positioned within Singapores Gardens by the Bay, this 13-meter-long by 7-meter-tall pavilion offers a glimpse into the future of automotive exhibitions. By integrating Porsches commitment to innovation with Marc Fornes expertise in computational design, My Two Cars Garage redefines how vehicles are experienced and celebrated.For more information on the My Two Cars Garage or Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY, visit theverymany.com. For more on Porsche, visit porsche.com.Photography by THEVERYMANY and DoubleSpace.

When I think about the way I approach gifting, its all about finding pieces that make everyday life exquisite. Whether its a beautifully crafted glassware or a hair clip that turns a routine into a little moment of joy, Im drawn to gifts that bring joy to all the ordinary days that follow the holiday season. As always, Ive rounded up a list of my personal favorites items that I use and love, plus a few new finds that bring that same thoughtful touch. These picks are sure to bring a smile to anyone on your list and make even the smallest moments feel a bit more special.Samsung Galaxy Ring \\\ $400I may be fashionably late to the wearables party, but now that Ive arrived, Im here to stay. I tried the Apple Watch, but on my (lets say, delicate) wrists, it always felt a bit clunky. The Galaxy Ring, though? Small, sleek, and unobtrusive just how I like it. Its my new favorite way to track sleep, stress, and fitness, all through an app thats impressively detailed and super easy to use.Mother / Founder by Amanda Jane Jones + Jennifer Fernandez \\\ $35If you know someone who loves receiving books for Christmas and is a mother looking for some guidance in her career, or a female founder feeling alone in her journey, I highly recommend this book, which has come at a very timely moment in history. Chock full of inspiring stories from women of all different walks of life, Mother / Founder tells the deeper story behind how women do it all all in their unique and deeply personal ways.SolaWave Wrinkle Retreat Face Mask Kit \\\ $380Red light LED masks are a bit of a splurge, which makes this one perfect for that person who deserves pampering but rarely indulges (we all know someone, right?). This mask promises to soften fine lines, tame acne, and add a subtle glow, making it the ideal gift for anyone craving a bit of extra self-care.The Long Confidence Flare Glasses Set \\\ $270If youre new here, then you should know I have a serious soft spot for beautiful glassware, and I will recommend it as a gift at any possible moment! Rafi Ajls Flare Glasses are the latest on my list a perfect combo of artistic flair and practicality. After recently showcasing his bigger pieces at The Future Perfect, Ajl created a new glassware set thats the perfect splurge for a friend or lets be honest, myself. The glasswares are created with a combination of processes, and if thats not art, I dont know what is.Immodest Cotton Small Zipper Tote \\\ $172As a mom of three, totes are my everyday heroes. While my current one a forever-favorite Apolis x Kinfolk garden bag has long been sold out, this colorful Immodest Cotton tote is definitely on my radar for when its time to retire my old standby. Im loving the dual straps and the touch of leather detail. Durable, chic, and practical? Sign me up.Undo Hairware No. 4 Claw Clip \\\ $36For an exquisite stocking stuffer, anything from Undo Hairware is a win. Handcrafted in Italy, these claw clips are stunning enough to be art in your hair or on your nightstand. This blue marble version, with veins of white, flecks of gold, and deep, hypnotic blues, looks like a relic that belongs in a history museum just the kind of everyday luxury I love.GLAM Twisted Tapers \\\ $30Get ready to see GLAM candles lighting up your feed this holiday season. This Santa Barbara-based brand, run by mother-daughter duo Sigal and Lyore, has mastered some of the most stunning tones and hues on the color wheel. Im especially obsessed with these twisted tapers a fun, modern spin on the classic candle and I cant wait to see them bringing a warm glow to our holiday dinners.OWIU Matcha Bowl \\\ $80Most of my day is filled with work, family, and home life, but my morning iced matcha latte is non-negotiable ritual I make time for every day. I usually mix the green tea powder in a regular mug with a battery-operated whisk, but now that Ive realized just how much this little moment means to me, Im ready to upgrade to a proper matcha bowl. OWIUs nature-inspired glazes are simply stunning, and the Forest glaze with its deep, moody green shades is calling my name. Its the perfect way to elevate my daily matcha ritual into something even more special.Mane Hair Tools Bundle \\\ $170I can pretty much guarantee that anyone who receives this gift will love it even if they already have a stash of heat styling tools. This modular system is a game-changer: it saves space by replacing the need for four separate hot tools, and you can customize it with two to four attachments that connect to a single, interchangeable base.Ferm Living Lump Vase \\\ $250I have a soft spot for the prunt motif in glassware those charming little blobs of molten glass applied freehand. Theres something about their wonky, whimsical vibe paired with sleek glass silhouettes that just works. The moment I saw the Lump Vase, I was smitten, and that green hue reminiscent of vintage Murano glass sealed the deal for me. Its playful and elegant, capturing the light in the most magical way.Follow along so you dont miss any of our2024 Gift Guidesthis year!This post contains affiliate links, so if you make a purchase from an affiliate link, we earn a commission. Thanks for supporting Design Milk!

Building products aroundprices.Lets be short and clear: businesses only exist to make money. All their placed bets are based on the sooner or later expectedprofit.To determine the viability of any business case, we need to calculate the expected profit by subtracting estimated costs from estimated revenues. But heres the issue: even if were good at estimating costs (as all the information is on our side), were typically bad at estimating the other 50% of the equationrevenues. Most often, we take a wild guess and postpone pricing decisions until the very end. We embark on the long and expensive product development journey, hoping to make money on our innovations, but not knowing if wewill.When I started working as a Product Manager, we naively believed that if we just built a great new product, customers would come and pay a fair value for it. We even believed Product Managers should actively avoid the money talk, as it could pollute innovative thinking. If we failed, that would be okay, as so many innovations do. We werentalone.Its true: most new products become monetizing failures. Either because no customer wants to pay for it and we put it in the market anyway; or because we give up on bringing it to market without even making any monetization study; or because we cram too many features and create a confusing and overpriced mess; or even because we price products too low from their full revenue potential. Either way, if money is essential to businesses and monetization failures are so common, shouldnt we do something more to preventthem?Especially with the ongoing economic crisis, Product managers cant afford to be blind to market realities any longer. To prevent monetization failures and increase the likelihood of success, we must flip the process: market and price, then design andbuild.Here, following the principles outlined in Monetizing Innovation by Ramanujam and Tacke (the best book I know on the topic), well explore how to market and price a product to get to a reliable businesscase:Market ResearchProduct StructureMonetization ModelPricingBusiness Case1. MarketResearchWe dont need to know precisely what product were building before assessing its worth. Neither customers have to experience a new product before they can say how much they would be inclined topay.Willing-to-pay ConversationsWe can assess a products worth right away by having early conversations with customers about their overall willingness to pay and the value they place on specific components. These conversations uncover whether we have an opportunity to monetize our product and help us prioritize the correct set of features (consequently resulting in a better product experience forusers).As price indicates what customers value and measures how much they are willing to pay for that value, the simplest way is to just ask them aboutit:Direct QuestionsWhat is an acceptable price? What would be an expensive price? And a prohibitively expensive price?Purchase ProbabilityWhats the likelihood (05) of you buying this product at this price? (If not a 4 or a 5, ask again for a lowerprice.)With these questions, well quickly reach a reasonable price range. And we must ask ourselves whether that price range would work for our company. It may not if we cant deliver a market-acceptable product at a price that makes aprofit.Afterward, we can use more advanced questions to dig deeper into the value of specific product components.Best-Worst ScalingFrom this feature set, which features do you value the most and the least? And this other featureset?Build-Your-OwnBuild your ideal product from this set of featureseach with a price to make the choice realistic.Purchase SimulationFrom this product lineup with different price points and feature combinations, which ones would you choose? And in this different scenario?If we follow each question with the most powerful question of all: Why?, well know much about customers willingness to pay and theirneeds.SegmentationWith the previous conversations, well quickly notice that not all customers have the same willingness to pay or needs. Whether we like it or not, a market where customers are homogeneous is yet to befound.The only way to cope with this variance is to embrace customer segmentation and not force a one-size-fits-all solution. If we have two customer segments and design offerings for the average customer, we end up building a product neither group is entirely pleased about. Segmentation gives us the power to cater to customers specificneeds.There are many sorts of segmentation. Weve all heard about personas and dividing users by demographics, behavior, etc. While this might be good for customizing sales and marketing messages, it is often uncorrelated to what matters the most in product creation. Instead, we should build segments based on differences in needs and willingness to pay and shape products accordingly from there. Segmentation then becomes a product design and development driver rather than an afterthought.What if theres not enough capacity to focus on all segments? Fair enough (and expected for startups). When so, we should prioritize and build for the segment with the biggest opportunity (in terms of size or revenue potential) while creating a plan to introduce future solutions for the other segments. This way, were still avoiding a one-size-fits-none solution.2. Product StructureWith identified segments, we can think of a segment-based product offer structure. It means selecting the right functionalities for a segment product configuration (aka variation, aka package)just the ones they need and are willing to payfor.ConfigurationOur instinct will be to pack as much functionality as possible in just one configuration.However, counterintuitively, we must get comfortable giving segments only what they need rather than giving them everything. Too many features lead to feature shock products, especially if customers are not wild about those. Lets recall that one big reason for monetizing failures is cramming too many features and creating an overpriced mess. No one likes to pay for functionality they dontuse.Product configuration requires the courage to take away, not just add up. Plainly, we must deliver the Must-Haves, we may keep the Nice-to-Haves, and we should eliminate Turn-Offs.Must-Havescritical functionalities that drive a segment to buy aproductNice-to-Havesfillers of moderate importanceTurn-Offsdeal-breakers if a segment is forced to pay forthemStill, what is a Turn-Off for a segment could be a Must-Have for another. We might need to include it in another variation, or we could sell it stand-alone if only a few wantit.BundlesComplementing product configuration, we have bundles. A bundle is a product combined with others, sold for a cheaper price than the sum of those individual products. It works well for cross-selling nice-to-have products and maximizing sales. Think McDonalds mealscustomers end up buying more than they would have if they hadntbundled.It is easy for customers to become overwhelmed trying to decide which offer is right for them. Bundling not only boosts our revenue but even increases customer satisfaction because deciding is more straightforward. They didnt have to choose between A or B; they got both forless.The classic approach to bundling is to create a tieredmodel:Goodcheaper, with the most essential products (but not giving away toomuch)Bettermore expensive, with product combinations better fit for mainsegmentsBestmost expensive, with ALL the products!Also, many people avoid extremes: when presented with a choice, they choose the compromise option. Playing with this psychology, we drive people to choose the Betteroptions.Yet, without tremendous market power, customers wont be happy if we hard-force bundles. Selling the products both as stand-alone and in a bundle will probably work betterits more flexible, and the bundle price advantage becomes morevisible.3. Monetization ModelNow that we have product configuration and bundles for the right segments, we have the building blocks to consider the right price points. Isit?Well, not right away. First, we must define the monetization modelhow the customer pays. We need to know how to charge before we know how much wecharge.Today, numerous models are in use, not simply the pay-per-unit standard. Ramanujam and Tacke identified five different ones that have proven to be the most valuable for new launches:Subscriptions, as in Netflix and most SaaSIts beneficial for industries where customers use the product continually. It has proven to be stickier than regular transactions.Dynamic pricing, as in Uber and the airline industryThe price fluctuates to monetize volatile demand and capacity constraints.Auctions, as in art, yes, but also as in Google AdWordsLet the market figure out what it wants to pay. Customers outbid each other to buy and raise prices. Its ideal for seller markets and when theres competition for the inventory.Pay-as-you-go, as in AWS and other cloud productsPricing transactions on alternative metrics closer to product value and customer benefits. It easily adjusts for different levels ofusage.Freemium, as in Medium and most product-led softwareTwo or more tiers of pricing for its products and services, one of which is free. The goal is to land a huge customer base for the free version and later expand a significant percentage topaid.These models are by no means the only ones we can use. We can also combine pieces of each one for a mix-and-match model, as the progressive example below. When done right, the best monetization models are a win-win for us and our customers.This is not a small matter: the chosen monetization model can be as critical to success as the product itself, and a flawed monetization model can be worse than a badprice.4. PricingWeve chosen what and how to charge; now, we can start deciding how much. But first, we needdata.Price ElasticityFrom our analysis of the willing-to-pay research and the decisions on product schemes and monetization models, we can deduct the quantity consumers are willing to purchase at various price scenarios. With that breakdown, we are ready to assemble a demand curve and visualize the relationship between price and salesvolume.With those inputs, we can also assemble a revenue curve: just multiply the price by the volume quantity.Now, we can better see what would be the optimal pricethe one that maximizes revenue. How much margin we have on the optimal price depends on the elasticity. Elasticity is about how sensitive customers demand is to a change in price. If our product has high price elasticity (a steep demand curve), well have a relatively low margin in the optimum price. The other way around is also true: low elasticity leads to a high optimalmargin.With the revenue calculated, it would be easy to get the profit if we have estimated the expenses. We have to subtract the costs from the income, et voil. The ideal price for profit might not be the same as for revenue, as some costs might vary according to the quantity.Pricing StrategySo, should we choose the price for maximum profit? Isnt that our strategy? Hum, itdependsThe right strategy depends on our goals, as different goals can lead to contradictory actions. For example, if we want to expand the market share, we need strategies and price levels that differ from the goal of increasing revenue.The good news is that, again, according to Ramanujam and Tacke, only three types of pricing strategies matter:Maximization, as in products with a clear competitive advantageSetting the price to generate the highest possible profit or revenue. Classic and straightforward.Penetration, as in new brands in a competitive scenarioSetting a lower price than Maximization to grab market share and expandrapidly.Skimming, as in Apple and other premium and innovative productsSetting a higher initial price than Maximization to cater to enthusiasts who pay to be first-in-line, then systematically decreasing the price to reach other segments.5. BusinessCaseWeve all built some business cases before. Will this time be different?Business cases usually come in as static documents, built from the inside out, failing to consider critical outside market information. They are run to earn budget approval and put on a shelf right after. Thats a limited usage of this toolspower.With the previous exercises completed, we have the pillars of a good business case filled with informed living data, not just arbitrary numbers we want to hear. Value, pricing, volume, and costs all interact to keep us grounded and allow us to extract our products true potential, before and after hitting themarket.It takes time and effort, but having the money talk early and continuously, instead of postponing it to the end, really prevents monetization failures and increases the likelihood of success.Worthy!Read about this topic from the ones who know best and inspired thisarticle:Ramanujam and Tacke @ Monetizing InnovationThe money talk in UX was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.