Ubisoft has told investors it intends to take "decisive steps" to reshape the company.The Assassin's Creed maker has indicated that changes are needed in order to "deliver best-in-class player experiences, enhance operational efficiency and maximize value creation."Ubisoft confirmed it will continue to "drive significant coast reductions" and now intends to take a more selective approach to investments. Game Developer has reached out to Ubisoft to clarify whether layoffs are expected to be part of those ongoing cost reduction plans."Ubisoft announced today that it has appointed leading advisors to review and pursue various transformational strategic and capitalistic options to extract the best value for stakeholders," reads an investor update."This process will be overseen by the independent members of the Board of Directors. Ubisoft will inform the market in accordance with applicable regulations if and once a transaction materializes. Operationally, the company will continue to drive significant cost reductions, together with a highly selective approach to investments, and now expects to exceed 200 million ($206 million) in reduction of its fixed cost base by FY2025-26 vs. FY2022-23 on an annualized basis."Ubisoft indicates big shake-up is on the horizonIn October 2024, it was reported that Ubisoft majority shareholders the Guillemot family were exploring buyout options in partnership with Tencent. Ubisoft refused to comment on those rumblings during a strategic call update earlier today.The company did, however, reiterate that it wants to improve the quality of its releases. Last year, flagship title Star Wars Outlaws delivered lower-than-expected sales, while live-service shooter XDefiant was canceledresulting in the shutdown of two development studios in Osaka and San Francisco. It also laid off 45 employees in August.Ubisoft has now decided to delay Assassins Creed Shadows by one month to "better incorporate the player feedback gathered over the past three months and help create the best conditions for launch." The title had been slated to launch on February 14, 2025.Ubisoft noted that Q3 net bookings are now expected to total around 300 million ($309 million), largely because of "lower-than-expected holiday sales, mainly for Star Wars Outlaws, as well as the discontinuation of XDefiant.""We made good progress on the strategic and execution reviews initiated a few months ago and are confident that this will position Ubisoft for a stronger future. We have taken decisive steps to reshape the Group in order to deliver bestin-class player experiences, enhance operational efficiency and maximize value creation. We also recently appointed leading advisors and are actively exploring various strategic and capitalistic options to unlock the full value potential of our assets," said Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot."We are convinced that there are several potential paths to generate value from Ubisofts assets and franchises. Additionally, we are all behind our teams efforts to create the most ambitious Assassins Creed opus of the franchise and made the decision to provide an extra month of development to Shadows in order to better incorporate the player feedback gathered over the past three months that will enable us to fully deliver on the potential of the game and finish the year on a strong note."

New day, new Nintendo Switch 2 leaks. Nintendo is getting ever-closer to its April 2025 deadline to reveal its Switch successor, but thanks new renders from OnLeaks and 91Mobiles, we may now have an even better idea of what the new console might look like.If youve been following our coverage of other Switch 2 leaks, these renders shouldnt look too surprising. According to the new renders, the console will resemble the original Switch, but it will be bigger, with an 8.4-inch screen. Interestingly, OnLeaks and 91Mobiles report that the screen will most likely be an OLED panel previous reports have said the console would have an LCD screen.RelatedThe renders show that the top of the Switch 2 will feature a power button, a volume rocker, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a game card slot, and, new for the Switch 2, a USB-C port. OnLeaks and 91Mobiles also say that there also seems to be a sensor of sorts and they speculate that this might be an ambient light sensor or something else. These renders also have a U-shaped kickstand that has appeared in other leaks. As for the Joy-Cons, OnLeaks and 91Mobiles renders show the mysterious second new button on the right Joy-Con. However, they say the new button is above the Home button; other leaks have included the new button below it. The Joy-Cons in the renders have the large buttons in the back that are apparently used to detach the controllers from the console, which are apparently attached magnetically.The renders also show an interesting color scheme for the Joy-Cons: they are mostly black but have color accents light blue on the left one and orange on the right under the joystick pads and on the bumped-out part of the controllers with the SL and SR buttons. A similar design popped up earlier this month for an alleged Switch 2 left Joy-Con with light blue accents. I love it, personally.Hopefully, given the tidal wave of recent leaks, we dont have to wait too much longer for Nintendo to officially announce the new console. But whenever the console actually launches, its going to have some stiff competition.

Amazon is selling the tech behind its $50 billion ad business to other retailersAmazon is selling the tech behind its $50 billion ad business to other retailers / Selling ad spots in its store, and now in other stores too, is a big business for Amazon.By Emma Roth, a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Jan 9, 2025, 5:33 PM UTCShare this story Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

If there were some common themes among the chargers and portable power solutions announced at CES this year, it would be more power and more convenience through built-in cables. Its not a new idea, but with most devices now being USB-C-compatible, its easier for companies to integrate charging cables without having to accommodate competing charging standards.Here are some of the standout charging solutions making their debut at CES this year.Ugreen Nexode Desktop Charger 500W Image: UgreenIf youve got a desk overflowing with laptops and a power strip overpacked with adapters, Ugreen has upgraded its Nexode desk charger with 500W of power output. Thats shared across five USB-C ports and a single USB-A port. The topmost USB-C port delivers up to 240W of power, while the other five share 260W. Thats enough power to charge five laptops simultaneously, assuming four of them dont need more than 60W. Its expected to be available as soon as March 2025.Anker Charger (140W) with display Image: AnkerAs the size and power output of Ankers wall chargers increased, they had a tendency to succumb to gravity and not stay plugged in. Ankers latest solution to that problem is a redesigned wall charger that positions three USB-C plus a single USB-A port on the underside, improving its center of gravity. Two of the USB-C ports can output up to 140W, but only one at a time, as thats the chargers maximum power output. Its available now for $89.99 and includes a small screen showing how much power each port is drawing.Sharge Shargeek 300 Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The VergeSharge debuted another eye-catching power bank with a transparent design and an aluminum case at CES. The Shargeek 300 can deliver up to 300W of power to four devices simultaneously from its 24,000mAh battery and up to 140W to two devices simultaneously, so you can fast-charge a pair of laptops. Its got a color screen showing the power draw on each port and how much battery life its got left. When its dead, it can recharge at up to 140W speeds, replenishing its battery from zero to 50 percent in just 20 minutes. Sharge will be launching it through Kickstarter in April for under $300.Baseus PrimeTrip VR2 Max Image: BaseusYour car might feature a couple of USB ports on the dashboard for charging devices, but did you remember to grab a charging cable on your way out the door? With the Baseus PrimeTrip VR2 Max car charger, you dont have to. It features a pair of retractable USB-C cables over 31 inches in length plus an additional USB-A and USB-C port. It provides a total of up to 240W of power across all four ports and up to 105W through a single port, letting you charge a power-hungry laptop on the road. Its expected sometime in April 2025 for $44.99.Anker Power Bank (165W) Image: AnkerAnkers new soda can-sized 25,000mAh power bank includes a few welcome conveniences. It can deliver up to 165W of power shared across a USB-C port, a USB-A port, a short 8.6-inch USB-C cable that can be used as a carrying strap, and a 27.2-inch USB-C cable that fully retracts. Maximum output to a single USB-C port is 100W, so you can fast-charge a laptop, and you can monitor how much power each port is drawing on a small screen. Its available now for $99.99.Baseus Enercore CJ11 Image: BaseusCharging cables excel at mysteriously going missing, which is the most compelling reason to consider the Enercore CJ11 wall charger. Available as early as April 2025 for $69.99, it features two retractable USB-C cables, each over 32 inches long, that cant be swiped. The charger has an additional USB-C port for connecting cables with other connectors and can deliver up to 67W of power with a single device connected or share a maximum of 65W with two or three ports in use.Baseus EnerGeek MiFi Power Bank Image: BaseusIn need of a power bank that delivers more than just power? Baseus EnerGeek MiFi incorporates a 20,000mAh battery that can deliver up to 67W of power to two USB-C ports, a single USB-A port, and through an integrated USB-C cable that serves as a carrying strap. The power bank also doubles as a mobile hotspot, allowing up to 10 devices to wirelessly connect to the internet over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi at 4G speeds. Baseus hasnt announced how much mobile data plans will cost, but the power bank is expected to release in April 2025 for $89.99.

Owing to the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the software industry has been leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) for code completion, debugging, and generating test cases. However, LLMs follow a generic approach when developing test cases for a different software, which prevents them from considering the softwares unique architecture, user requirements and potential edge cases. Moreover, different outputs are obtained from the same prompt when using other software, which raises the question of the prompts reliability. Due to these issues, critical bugs can go undetected, which increases the overall expenditure and ultimately hinders the softwares practical deployment in sensitive industries like healthcare. A team of researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Harbin Institute of Technology, School of Information Technology, and some independent researchers have introduced MAPS, the prompt alchemist for tailored optimizations and contextual understanding.Traditional test case generation approaches rely on rule-based systems or manual engineering of prompts for Large Language Models (LLMs). These methods have been foundational in software testing but exhibit several limitations. Most researchers use manual methods to optimize prompt engineering for test case generation, which requires significant time investment. These methods are also difficult to scale due to the increase in complexity. Other methods are often generic in nature, producing bugs. Therefore, a new approach is needed for test case generation that can prevent labor-intensive manual optimization and does not lead to suboptimal outcomes.The proposed method, MAPS, automates the prompt optimization process, aligning the test cases with real-world requirements significantly reducing human intervention. The core framework of MAPS includes:Baseline Prompt Evaluation: LLMs are assessed on their performance on test cases generated using basic prompts. This assessment is foundational to further optimization efforts needed.Feedback Loop: Based on the evaluation results, suboptimally performing test cases are set aside and tweaked to better align with software requirements. This information is fed back into the LLM, allowing for continuous improvement in a feedback loop.LLM-Specific Tuning: The reinforcement learning techniques are used for dynamic prompt optimization. This opens a space for customizations in the prompt by taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of the LLMs.The results showed that MAPS significantly outperformed the traditional prompt engineering techniques. Its optimized prompts had a 6.19% higher line coverage rate than static prompts. The framework identified more bugs than the baseline methods, exhibiting its ability to effectively generate edge case scenarios. Test cases generated with optimized prompts exhibited improvement in semantic correctness, which reduced the need for manual adjustments.In a nutshell, MAPS is a state-of-the-art optimization technique for prompt generation, particularly targeted to LLMs used in the software testing domain. Some of the weaknesses of the available test case generation techniques have been addressed through multi-pipeline-stage architectures that incorporate baseline evaluations, iterative feedback loops, and model-specific tuning. These new characteristics of the framework not only automate prompt optimization but enhance the quality and reliability of outputs in automated testing workflows, thus making it an indispensable tool for software development teams looking for efficiency and effectiveness in their testing processes.Check out the Paper. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our60k+ ML SubReddit. Afeerah Naseem+ postsAfeerah Naseem is a consulting intern at Marktechpost. She is pursuing her B.tech from the Indian Institute of Technology(IIT), Kharagpur. She is passionate about Data Science and fascinated by the role of artificial intelligence in solving real-world problems. She loves discovering new technologies and exploring how they can make everyday tasks easier and more efficient. [Recommended Read] Nebius AI Studio expands with vision models, new language models, embeddings and LoRA (Promoted)

Attack on Titan Revolution Update 2.5 is kicking off 2025 for Roblox fans with a new Armored Titan Raid, a rework for Fritz, new Abnormal variants, and more.The update, which is live now for players across all platforms, launched earlier today and seeks to set the Attack on Titan simulator up for a colossal year. Arriving alongside the ongoing Christmas festivities, every gameplay tweak and cosmetic addition gives players new anime-themed gear and challenges to enjoy.The aforementioned Armored Titan Raid tops the list of additions, with the team behind Attack on Titan Revolution describing it as a two-phase event that tasks soldiers with defending rescue boats while fighting off the plated beast. With this comes new Raid Artifacts, such as the Scars and Rifle, and cosmetics, like the Young Reiners Outfit and Marleyan Band.Attack on Titan Revolution Update 2.5 is out now.The Fritz rework, meanwhile, includes extra defense and support perk slots with an assortment of smaller tweaks, as well as the skills Founders Vengeance, Founders Will, and Chaos. As for those new Abnormal variants, Roblox players can expect to fight off the Leader, Rager, Ducker, and Iceburst, with each featuring unique qualities to keep players on their toes. The Leader, for example, stands apart with glowing yellow marks and can buff titans in close proximity.Another headline from Attack on Titan Revolution Update 2.5 involves the new Thunderspear gear. The full patch notes detail the obtainment method, which involves reaching Prestige 1 and completing a series of quests, and how the new explosive tools can be used to gain the upper hand in battle. Finally, fans can expect a series of quality-of-life changes, bug fixes, and other smaller, foundational changes to greet them when logging in for Update 2.5 for the first time. Highlights include an automatic detonation setting for Spears, an extension for battle pass 2, and an additional free memory storage slot.Attack on Titan Revolution is kicking off 2025 with more content themed after one of animes most popular stories. For more on how to enjoy this Roblox take on omnidirectional action, you can find our full list of active codes here. You can also check out the full 2.5 Update patch notes below.Attack on Titan Revolution Update 2.5 Patch NotesUpdate 2.5 + Christmas EventNew Christmas Event:Christmas 2D LobbyChristmas-Themed 3D LobbyNew Winter Tokens CurrencyObtained from killing titans with Christmas hatsSpawn Rates:Elf Hat titans have a 1/5 chance to spawn and drop 1 Winter Token Santa Hat titans have a 1/50 chance to spawn and drops 10 Winter Tokens.Can also be obtained through robuxNew Event Cosmetics:Grumpy (Exclusive) [Armored Titan Skin]Santa Hat (Exclusive)Elf Hat (Exclusive)New Event Market Section + Buying BoostsChristmas Crate Cosmetics:All cosmetics have an equal chance of appearing at 11.11%Candy Cane BladesChristmas GearChristmas SheathCookieGingerbread BladesHot ChocolatePointy Candy Cane BladesSanta SackSnowman HeadArmored Titan Raid:Defend the rescue boats while fighting the Armored TitanTwo phases: Phase 1: Weaken the Armored Titan - During this phase, players must attack weak points on the Armored Titan in order to expose its nape. This phase ends when the Armored Titans HP reaches 50.0%.Phase 2: Defeat the Armored TItan - During this phase, the Armored Titan has been sufficiently weakened, allowing all parts of its body to take damage.New Raid Artifacts:Scars (Mythical)Rifle (Legendary)Backpack (Epic)New Raid Cosmetics:Young Reiners Outfit (Legendary)Marleyan Band (Rare)Fritz Rework:Passives:Unlock any family exclusive shifter skillsExtra Defense Perk SlotExtra Support Perk Slot20.0% Shifter Stats15.0% Crit Chance/Damage10.0% Damage in Raids10.0% Gem Gain10.0% Damage10.0% CD Reduction10.0% Awakening Bar Gain10.0% Gold/Bar XP Gain for all party membersSkills:Founders VengeanceFounders WillChaosThunderspears:Obtainment Method: (Requires Prestige 1+)Thunderspear Quests:Thunderspear Handle:Create 3 watch towers in Outskirts [Skirmish Objective]Escort 1 horse carriage in Outskirts [Skirmish Objective]Thunderspear Thruster:Collect 3 Ice Burst Stones in Utgard [Skirmish Objective]Thunderspear Base:Retrieve 3 Missing Supply Crates in Giant Forest [Skirmish Objective]Defend the Missing Supply Crates in Giant Forest [Skirmish Objective]New Thunderspear Skills:Offense:Grasp BlastFlashbangHellfire BarrageMeteoric RainDual ShotRevolving PierceDefense:Homing MissileCombustive CounterAckerman/ShikiThunder BarrageLightning BoltAdditional Thunderspear Information:Has a max kill cap (TS limbs hit) of 3 by default.The number on the left is the distance the player is away from being able to trigger the thunderspearThe more green it is, the closer the player is, and the redder it is, the further the player is from the thunderspearThere is a setting to control whether you want to detonate the thunderspear manually or automatically after unlocking Scouts InstinctThunderspears will automatically explode if:It has been in the air for 5 seconds without hitting anythingIt has been 10 seconds since its hit somethingThe player is 1000 studs away from the thunderspearSeason 2 Battlepass:New Cosmetics for Thunderspears:Icarus Equipment [Tier 75] (Premium) Icarus Gear [Tier 100] (Free)New Abnormal Variants:Leader:Titan with glowing yellow marks that buffs nearby titans by screaming.Causes nearby titans to become enhanced with 25% stat boost in walkspeed, nape health, and damage.The enhancement from Leader variants is cancelled when the leader is killed.Rager:Titan with glowing red marks, a 100% stat buff in speed, and the ability to scream.Ducker:Titan that has no cosmetic indicators at first sight, but evades nape attacks by rolling backwards, and can thrash wildly when attacked from the front or sides.Iceburst:Spawn exclusively in Utgard map on Hard+ difficultyDrops ice burst stones for thunderspear questIn order to defeat them, players must hit their nape 3 times in quick succession (within 7.5 seconds after each hit) which causes an explosion, making their nape vulnerable.New Thunderspear Perks:Maximum Firepower (Body) [Mythical]Spear Speed increases by 20.0%~40.0%Spear Count increases by 2~4Spears no longer have recoil when being firedEverlasting Flame (Offense) [Mythical]Blast Radius increases by 15.0%~30.0%Each explosion does 10.0%~30.0% burn damageMunitions Master (Support) [Legendary]Spear Count increases by 2~4Munitions Expert (Support) [Epic]Spear Count increases by 1~2Thunderspear Conversion Stats: (When Thunderspears are equipped, these stats will convert for perks and artifact substats)ODM Damage = TS DamageODM Control = TS ControlODM Gas = TS GasODM Speed = TS SpeedODM Range = TS RangeBlade Durability = 0.5x Conservation ChanceSwing Duration = Blast RadiusODM Limbs hit = 0.5x TS Limbs hitNew Thunderspear Memories (Can only be rolled after unlocking thunderspears):Afterimages (Offense) [4-Star]Spear explosions create a smaller explosion in their wake, doing 30.0% DMGSteel Frame (Defense) [3-Star]All explosions deal 25.0% less self DMG and grant immunity to any explosions for 5sMarksman (Offense) [3-Star]Increase DMG by 0.4% for each 5m traveled per spear (Max 465m)Surgeshot (Offense) [1-Star]Holding your Spears M1 for longer increases the BLAST RADIUSNew Gamepasses:Memory BagIncrease the maximum amount of memories that you can hold by 3 (Default 1 without gamepass)Auto SellAutomatically sell selected rarities for perks/artifacts that are obtained from crafting/missions/raidsBalancing:Talent "Overslash" now procs from where the titan dies instead of where your player isSkill "Command" now affects stat "Conservation Chance"To get the 'Warbringer' achievement, you now need 25.0% damageArmored Shard cost lowered to 24,999QOL Changes:Added Setting 'Automatic Detonation' for SpearsAdded 1 free memory storage slotBattlepass 2 extension that lasts 2 weeksBug Fixes:Fixed perk "Tyrant's Stare"Reduced lobby loading times a bit(?)Maybe fixed losing random body parts when ragdolled(?)Fixed perk slots sometimes just not appearingFixed perk slots sometimes not being interactableMisc. Changes:No titans spawn in raids after 15 minutesAdded Follow rewards in the Main Menu (PERMANENT buffs)Added Onikiri Spear Gear and Onikiri Spear Equipment obtainable from the Onikiri Raid (Must be using Thunderspears while in this raid for TS related drops).0.3% (Hard)0.9% (Severe)3.0% (Aberrant)Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

Ubisoft has delayed Assassin's Creed Shadows yet again, this time by another month.Assassin's Creed Shadows was due out February 14, 2025, but will now launch on March 20 instead. This is the game's second delay, after an initial release date of November 12, 2024 was pushed back to this year."As part of the renewed focus on gameplay quality and engaging Day-1 experiences, it has been decided to provide an additional month of development to Assassins Creed Shadows," Ubisoft said."This additional time will allow the team to better incorporate the player feedback gathered over the past three months and help create the best conditions for launch by continuing to engage closely with the increasingly positive Assassins Creed community. The game is now scheduled for March 20."Assassin's Creed Shadows - Reveal ScreenshotsIGN's Twenty Questions - Guess the game!IGN's Twenty Questions - Guess the game!To start:...try asking a question that can be answered with a "Yes" or "No".000/250Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot, added: "we are all behind our teams efforts to create the most ambitious Assassins Creed opus of the franchise and made the decision to provide an extra month of development to Shadows in order to better incorporate the player feedback gathered over the past three months that will enable us to fully deliver on the potential of the game and finish the year on a strong note."This second delay to Assassin's Creed Shadows comes during one of the most troubling times in Ubisoft's history. The company is reportedly in buyout talks with Chinese megacorp Tencent after a torrid 2024 in which it closed studios, shut down games, and made mass layoffs. Star Wars Outlaws failed to meet sales expectations, and Call of Duty competitor XDefiant was discontinued.Ubisofts shares fell to their lowest level in the last decade in September after Ubisoft made a series of dramatic announcements around the performance of its games. As well as delaying Assassins Creed Shadows, Ubisoft announced a return to Steam after a period of PC launch exclusivity on the Epic Games Store, with Star Wars Outlaws recently releasing on Valves platform. However, the generally much-loved Assassins Creed Origins suffering a review-bomb campaign on Steam after a Windows PC update rendered it unplayable for some.As part of the "strategic update" announced alongside Assassin's Creed Shadows' latest delay, Ubisoft said it had appointed "leading advisors to review and pursue various transformational strategic and capitalistic options to extract the best value for stakeholders." That's a lot of corporate speak that hints at a potential sale."This process will be overseen by the independent members of the Board of Directors," the company continued. "Ubisoft will inform the market in accordance with applicable regulations if and once a transaction materializes."Meanwhile, Ubisoft warned that "significant" cost reductions are to come to the tune of more than 200 million (approx. $205 million) by FY2025-26 vs. FY2022-23 on an annualized basis. As part of this came the aforementioned closure of XDefiant and its San Francisco developer or as Ubisoft put it: "In December, XDefiant was discontinued and three production studios in high-cost geographies were closed."Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Kingdom Hearts series director Tetsuya Nomura has shared a cryptic tease for the long dormant Kingdom Hearts 4 by pointing to the epilogue of Kingdom Hearts 3 and even a Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep connection.The Kingdom Hearts X/Twitter account shared a message from Nomura on Birth by Sleep's 15th anniversary, where he discussed the crossroad scene at its climax.He then connected some dots for less familiar fans, saying these crossroad scenes have long appeared in Kingdom Hearts and all follow the concept of giving something up to gain something in return. The brief epilogue at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 was a crossroads scene in itself, and though he doesn't reference Kingdom Hearts 4 directly, he said an explanation of this epilogue is "a story for another time."When the Lost Masters gather at the crossroads in Kingdom Hearts 3, what is gained and what is lost? That's a story for another time.Nomura explained: "Crossroads act as an important point of divergence. To trace it right back, the motif was inspired by the well known crossroad myth from American folklore. The story goes like this: A young man makes a deal with the devil at a crossroads, trading his soul for the ability to play the guitar."The first time a crossroads appears in Kingdom Hearts is in Chain of Memories, which is about losing something to gain something. And in fact, all subsequent appearances of crossroads have the same significance."The greatest example is Birth by Sleep, a story where all three protagonists pay a heavy price to obtain something. But wait... When the Lost Masters gather at the crossroads in Kingdom Hearts 3, what is gained and what is lost? That's a story for another time."This tiny, cryptic tease for Kingdom Hearts 4 is the most fans have had in years. Despite being revealed in September 2022 with a full cinematic trailer, developer Square Enix has since gone incredibly quiet and, in series tradition, left fans pining for more information.The trailer showed flashy gameplay with protagonist Sora but Square Enix said this was from an Unreal Engine 4 demo, whereas the actual game will be made in Unreal Engine 5. It's already been analyzed completely too, and some even think there's evidence of a Star Wars section.Otherwise, Nomura has said Kingdom Hearts 4 will, after 22 years and a whopping 18 games, finally shift the Kingdom Hearts narrative towards its conclusion.Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

This article contains spoilers for Abbott Elementary season 4 episode 9 Volunteers.At first glance, a crossover episode between Abbott Elementary and Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia makes all the sense in the world. Both comedies are beloved by their respective fans, set in the City of Brotherly Love, and most crucially: air on networks (ABC and FX) owned by the same corporate parent (Disney). There is, of course, that one little hang up. It just so happens that Abbott Elementary is a warm PG-rated fable about the power of friendship and public education. Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a jet-black narrative about five of the most selfish and degenerate people who have ever lived. To put it mildly, theres a bit of a tonal imbalance at play here. So much so that Abbott Elementary creator and IASIP fan Quinta Brunson has all but begged her shows audience to tread carefully when venturing out to sample Its Always Sunnys 16 (and counting) seasons. It remains to be seen how Abbott Elementary die hards respond to Always Sunny once they get into the shows immense catalogue on Hulu (or Netflix in the U.K.). One things for sure though: they will make the attempt. Because Abbott Elementary season 4 episode 9 Volunteers, the first of two planned crossovers between the shows, is a sublime TV-watching experience. Like the best TV crossovers, Volunteers has a way of highlighting each programs strengths while still maintaining the tone and formatting of the host show. In the case of this crossover, that means the visiting characters from Paddys Pub on IASIP have their rough edges slightly sanded down for a fruitful, yet mostly family-friendly trip to Willard R. Abbott Elementary School. The arrival of Mac (Rob McElhenney), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Charlie (Charlie Day), Dee (Kaitlin Olson), and Frank (Danny DeVito) also gives the characters of Abbott Elementary to expand their comedic horizons a bit. Mr. Johnson (William Stanford) matter-of-factly stating that his school is named after an old racist isnt unusual for the tone of the show. What is, however, is the old racist receiving the news responding with no trace of discomfort. Janine (Brunson) must level her game up immensely when Dee expresses a romantic interest in Gregory, completely unconcerned by his relationship status. Watching the diminutive Janine go toe-to-toe with the statuesque (or ostrich-esque) Dee is a real delight. Similarly, Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) gets off an honest-to-goodness ass-eating joke. She goes on to clarify that she is a bear in this scenario and will be eating the rest of Goldilocks too but what a moment for ABCs censors. Of course, this being an actual episode of Abbott Elementary, Volunteers is more about incorporating the Sunny crowd into the schools cheerful orbit. This is easier said than done. Frank Reynolds, God bless him, eats dirt, gets trapped in a raccoon cage, and sleeps under a piss-soaked blanket. The show also doesnt even make an attempt to humanize Dennis, with the five-star man announcing that he knows quite a bit about filming and consent and ducking away from the cameras. While Dennis absence is largely due to Howertons limited availability as hes filming the Netflix series Sirens, its also probably for the best. Of all the Sunny characters neuroses, Dennis serial killer vibes would be the hardest to introduce into network television. Thankfully, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia features a character who has truly belonged on Abbott Elementary this whole time. Charlie Kellys transparent illiteracy has long been one of IASIPs funniest running jokes. While all of the shows players are ignorant and undereducated to differing extents, poor Charlie never quite got the hang of reading. He was always more interested in topics like milk steaks, bird law, and little green ghouls than books. His inability to sound out words always livens up a scene. (Note that in the first clip of the following video Charlie is wearing the very same jacket he eventually wears on Abbott Elementary.)Charlies illiteracy has grown both funnier and sadder as the show has gone along. While the characters were all 20-somethings when Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia began, four of the five actors in the main cast are now pushing 50 years old while the ageless and sprightly DeVito hit 80 last year. A 47-year-old janitor who cant read offers up a a far different comedic dynamic than a 25-year-old janitor who cant read. Like it often is, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia was accidentally on the cutting edge with this silly joke about one of its characters. The United States is currently in the midst of an adult literacy crisis. According to a National Center of Education Statistics study, one-in-five American adults were found to be functionally illiterate while more than half of American adults read at below a sixth grade level. Given the talent and social awareness of Abbott Elementarys writing staff, it was only a matter of time before the show opted to address the literacy crisis. How lucky were they then to suddenly gain access to one of televisions most beloved illiterate characters!Melissa, Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), and Jacob (Chris Perfetti) taking an interest in Charlies education is undeniably wholesome and sweet. Charlie goes from not being able to read a hall pass to being able to rattle off facts about birds, his favorite topic. When Principal Ava (Janelle James) asks Whats happening in here, is someone walking on water?, Jacobs response feels earned and accurate: Even better, we taught one of the criminals to read at a kindergarten level.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Whether Charlies newfound literacy sticks in Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 remains to be seen. He already struggled a bit at the end there differentiating between Guest and Ghost. But for one glorious episode of television, Charlie Kelly: King of the Rats got the empathetic treatment he deserves. The Abbott Elementary crossover episode with Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia is available to stream on Hulu now.

Fifty of the fastest-growing tech firms in the Netherlands are in Las Vegas this week. The crew crossedthe Atlantic to attend CES the worlds biggest tech show.By their side is economic affairs minister Dirk Beljaarts, whos on a mission to promote Dutch innovation. So is TNW. Weve partnered with the Consumer Trade Association which organises CES on its annual Match program at the event. The in-person meetings connect startups with investors and corporate venture arms.TNW has also checked out the Dutch delegation at CES. Here are seven members of the tech team that caught our eye.1. SunLEDThe sun is shining in Vegas, but the skies in Europe are pretty dark and grey in January.SunLED wants to brighten up our lives. The company develops near-infrared light technology thats proven to improve mental and physical health. The system integrates with computer screens, car interiors, and lamps.2. DeepSleepRead the case studyAfter youve enjoyed a bright day, DeepSleep can offer you a restful night. The startups wearables analyse brainwaves to predict upcoming neuralactivity. They then deliver gentle sensory stimuli to enhance deep sleep waves. In tests, 64% of users reported improved sleep quality, while 78% said their daytime fatigue had decreased.3. OrthoFoodieAnother startup planning to boost our health is OrthoFoodie. The companys app tracks your diet with a unique food analyser. After scanning a products barcode,users can instantly log nutritional data into a daily food diary. The app also offers personalised advice on your daily macro and micro needs.4. Medical-XSelf-care is all well and good, but sometimes we need healthcare from trained professionals. Enter Medical-X. Based in Arnhem, the company develops humanoid robots for medical training. Medical-X describes the droids as the worlds most realistic, advanced, and customisable patient simulators.5. WhisppLeiden-based Whispp has targeted another healthcare issue. The startup has launched an app for people with voice disabilities and severe stutters. Powered by AI, the system converts impaired speech into a clear and natural voice of the users choice without any delay.Time Magazine named Whispp one of the best inventions of 2024. Credit: Whispp6. AddopticsBetter sight is also on offer at CES. Rotterdam-based Addoptics plans to boost our vision in augmented reality by developing prescription lenses for AR glasses. The lightweight lenses are customised to fit any shape of smart frame. They could also boost adoption of AR.7. FlowbeamsFlowbeams has pioneered another path to better health: needle-free injections. Using a laser, the company first heats the relevant liquid. Theprocess creates a micro-bubble, which propels a thin jet through the skin for quick absorption in the body. Besides addressing needle-phobia, the techcould reduce infectionrisks and hazardous waste.All this new medtech has made us optimistic about our New Years resolutions for a healthier life. Yet our top seven is just a taste of the Dutch treats at CES. You can check out all 50 members of the delegation here. Story by Thomas Macaulay Managing editor Thomas is the managing editor of TNW. He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers. Away from work, he e (show all) Thomas is the managing editor of TNW. He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers. Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse). Get the TNW newsletterGet the most important tech news in your inbox each week.Also tagged with