Illinois is the latest state to claim Apple Wallet users will have access to digital IDs and driver's licenses by the end of 2025.Illinois will implement digital IDs in the Apple Wallet app by the end of 2025.An Illinois state law took effect on January 1, 2025 that will bring digital versions of IDs and driver's licenses to Apple Wallet. Illinois is already working with Apple to make digital IDs a reality, according to a press release from the Illinois Secretary of State, Alexi Giannoulias, as was originally discovered by 9to5mac.Residents will be able to access their new digital IDs via Apple Wallet on their iPhone or Apple Watch. Digital IDs will be available at no cost and will be usable alongside existing physical ID cards rather than replacing them entirely. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

A new office project in Rennes, France from the Rennes-based firm ALTA Architectes that successfully utilizes its triangular plot in a "radically restrained design" has opened, creating a balance between occupants' well-being and the needs of its clients RALITS Group.Image: Charly BroyezClad in eggshell-colored polished concrete panels and highlighted by outdoor loggias, the buildings central design consideration is the generous amount of natural light that is infused within thanks to the rhythmic composition of the facade.Image: Charly BroyezA slight (3.9-foot) gradient defines the east-west axis of the site, which abuts Jules Valls Street, allowing for cantilevers to be enacted at the uppermost floors, hovering above a two-story glass facade and topped by outdoor terraces that provide open-air spaces for workers to take their reprieve from the pace of office life.Image: Charly BroyezImage: Charly BroyezOverall, this six-story construction tops out with a total surf...

Developer 1047 Games has revealed in an interview that it wants its upcoming multiplayer shooter, Splitgate 2, to grow beyond its inspirations like Halo and Portal. In an Interview with PCGamer, creative director and CEO of the studio, Ian Proulx, spoke about how the studio hopes to work on the game and maybe even make it bigger than its predecessor.This largely comes down to the studio having more resources to work with. The original Splitgates tagline of Halo meets Portal was attributed to the studio not having the resources to market the game properly, and now with Splitgate 2, the studio wants to make sure that players take the title as its own thing.Halo meets Portal was a pretty good tagline for a team that had no marketing budget, said Proulx. But we want to build our own path with this sequel. We dont want to just be the Halo meets Portal team. Those games were obviously a huge inspiration, were not shy about that, but Splitgate 2 needs to be its own thing.Proulx also talks about how refinements in the games development have led to the studio also looking at the future of Splitgate 2. Proulx credits this to the fact that the original Splitgate didnt have much in the way of longevity for a sustained player base.We looked at what Splitgate did really well, that fans really loved, and at the areas where we felt it fell short where we werent able to sustain longevity, he said.Instead, with Splitgate 2, the studio wants to take cues from other successful live service titles, such as Apex Legends and Fortnite, which were able to more successfully engage players in the long term. This meant that, despite players having fun with the original Splitgate and leaving positive reviews on Steam after spending a few hours with it, few players returned to the title.Splitgate started off as a school project. I co-founded this studio with a friend of mine in a dorm room, explained Proulx. The Splitgate team was under 20 people. A small team, with a small budget. We had a lot of raw talent and passion, but we were very inexperienced, he says. I think the biggest thing I learned from Splitgate was the importance of Live Ops.Our short-term retention was world class, up there with the top shooters, Proulx continued. Players would come and play Splitgate for about four weeks, have a good time, leave a good review were 92% positive on Steam and then they would run out of things to do. Games like Apex Legends, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Valorant would have big updates and players would go back to them. The biggest lesson learned is how key this part of game development is; figuring that out and being able to move quickly is just so important.The last time we got a look at Splitgate 2 was thanks to the studio showcasing its fast-paced, portal-hopping gameplay with a trailer. The trailer gave us a good look at the titles core portal mechanic, as well as how various other things, including guns, would interact with player-made portals.The game doesnt yet have a release date, but is slated for release on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in 2025.

The Charles Dickens Museum is celebrating its anniversary by displaying rare books, artworks, letters, artifacts and other unique historical objects connected to the 19th-century author. Mondadori Portfolio via Getty ImagesIn 1925,Charles Dickens home in London was saved from demolition. Instead, it became theCharles Dickens Museum, a small space on Doughty Street dedicated to the 19th-century writers legacy. To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the museum is putting on a new exhibition featuring a treasure trove of rare artifacts.Dickens lived at Doughty Street with his wife and son. He wrote parts of many of his famous novels while living there, including The Pickwick Papers, Nicholas Nickleby and Oliver Twist. The show will spotlight unique portraits, photographs and historic items that celebrate Dickens life and literary genius.Gathered together over the past century and displayed in Dickens only surviving house in London, a beacon at the center of the urban landscape quintessentially associated with the writer, the museum in Doughty Street will be filled with objects that define Dickens life and the museums history, Cindy Sughrue, the museums director, tells BBC News. An unfinished 1837 portrait of Charles Dickens by Samuel Laurence Kirsty O'Connor / PA Images via Getty ImagesOne of those objects is a rare copy of David Copperfield that traveled to Antarctica on Captain Robert Falcon Scotts famousTerra Nova expedition in 1910. The novel entertained them during perilous situations throughout their journey.When the men were stranded in an ice cave, they read a chapter every night for two months, per BBC News. As such, the text is blackened with their fingerprints, likely to have been due to the seal blubber fire that heated the cave.Visitors will see works by artists who illustrated Dickens stories, includingHablot Knight Browne,John Leech,George Cruikshank andFred Barnardas well as early drawings for the original edition of A Christmas Carol.Other items will offer attendees an intimate glimpse into the authors early life. As Artnets Jo Lawson-Tancred writes, Most photographs record Dickens in his rugged middle age; these works capture a much more fresh-faced author, in his late 20s and early 30s. An 1843painting by the artist Margaret Gillies that went missing for more than a century depicts a young, wide-eyed Dickens. The show will also exhibit love poems from the authors early years.Portrait of Charles Dickens,Margaret Gillies, 1843 Fine Art Images / Heritage Images via Getty ImagesSome of [the poetry] is okay. Some of it is quite bad, Emma Harper, the exhibitions curator, tells theGuardians Caroline Davies. I find it quite amusing that it is basically a teenage young man writing poetry for his crush. You wouldnt necessarily recognize it as from the genius of Victorian writing.Excerpts from Dickens correspondence will also be on view, including an early draft of the note he wrote detailing the end of his marriage.Youll be able to see Dickens original manuscripts, letters to friends and family and rare first editions of his most famous works, per the exhibition website. But youll also encounter Dickens the man as well as Dickens the writer, his personal style, interests and passions.Dickens in Doughty Street: 100 Years of the Charles Dickens Museum will be on view at the Charles Dickens Museum in London from February 5 to June 29, 2025.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Artifacts, Artists, Arts, Books, British Writers, Celebrations, Charles Dickens, Exhibitions, Exhibits, Fiction, Letters, Literature, London, Museums

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Robocraft 2 developer Freejam shuts down"With the current market conditions, were simply unable to sustain development"Image credit: Freejam News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Jan. 13, 2025 Robocraft 2 developer Freejam has shut down.In a statement posted to Discord, the studio blamed "market conditions" and the costs of keeping servers going on Robocraft 2, which will now be sunsetted, along with predecessor Robocraft and Cardlife.The sequel has already been withdrawn from Steam, where it had been available as an Early Access title."Its with a heavy heart that we have to tell you all that were ceasing production on Robocraft 2 and closing Freejam as a studio," said one of the developers in a statement posted to Discord."With the current market conditions and the server costs required to keep a game like RC2 running, were simply unable to launch or sustain development. We will spend some time sunsetting both Robocraft 1 and 2, as well as Cardlife over the coming weeks."Freejam has been a family to all of us, and you have been part of that," the statement added. "Your feedback and thoughts have always driven us forward, but beyond this, the communitys passion is a massive part of what has made working at Freejam such a pleasure [...] Your time, energy, support and so, so much patience has made a world of difference. From all of us at Freejam, thank you so much for joining us on this journey."It's unclear how many will be affected by the closure, but the studio's LinkedIn page intimates it employs between 11-50 people from its headquarters in Portsmouth, UK.The news comes as Swedish games firm Enad Global 7 (EG7) also initiated the "wind down" of Toadman Interactive, which resulted in 69 job losses, and laid off 38 employees from Piranha Games.In the first two weeks of 2025 alone, over 150 developers have lost their jobs, including cuts at Splash Damage and Jar of Sparks.

Justin Carter, Contributing EditorJanuary 13, 20252 Min ReadImage via Games Done Quick.At a GlanceThis year's Awesome Games Done Quick raised $2.56 million amid live concerts and Elden Ring being played via saxophone.The speedrun charity organization Games Done Quick recently ended its first event for 2025, and made $2.56 million in donations for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) ran from January 5 to January 12, and the 24/7 event saw streamers play games to raise money. Its proceeds were a slight bump up from AGDQ's $2.54 million in 2024, and a bit down from 2023's $2.6 million. To date, GDQ's biggest record remains the record-breaking $3.4 million raked in for its Summer 2022 showcase.In its announcement, the organization noted it's now raised over $54 million for charity since its start in 2010."Thank you to everyone who made this marathon possible, and to all of you for your amazing generosity & support," it wrote. Prevent Cancer gave its own love on January 11, saying players "never cease to amaze us with your generosity. Your donations make an enormous impact, THANK YOU!"This year's AGDQ had several highlights, from a live concert during the Crazy Taxi segment to Elden Ring being played with a saxophone. (Really.) Every run is freely available on the GDQ YouTube page, which also features videos from previous events.Games Done Quick will expand its fundraising efforts with a battery of events for different causes througout 2025. Joining the lineup is its first-ever Back to Black speedrunning stream, which runs from Thursday, February 6 to Sunday, February 9 to benefit the racial justice nonprofit Race Forward.Frost Fatales will also return for its fourth consecutive year, and its fifth since debuting in 2020. The all-women and femmes showcase goes from Sunday, March 9 to the following Sunday, March 16, and will give its proceeds to the National Women's Law Center.Finally, Summer Games Done Quick, AGDQ's primary companion, will raise money for Doctors Without Borders in Minneapolis beginning Sunday, July 6 and concluding on Saturday, July 12.Read more about:CultureAbout the AuthorJustin CarterContributing Editor, GameDeveloper.comA Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.See more from Justin CarterDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

Meta announced last week that it would be ditching fact-checkers in favor of X-like Community Notes, and self-described leaker Alessandro Paluzzi shared screenshots on Monday showing what the feature might look like in Threads.Based on the screenshots, it appears youll be able to start the process of writing a Community Note from the three-dots menu on a post, which is where you can already access features like muting an account or reporting a post. Another screenshot shows that when you write a Community Note, your note will be anonymous.A third screenshot appears to show an Instagram help center page about Community Notes that has a button to join a waitlist for the program. However, the layout of the page looks different from other live help center pages I can see right now.Meta didnt immediately reply to a request for comment.Meta said last week that it plans to phase in Community Notes in the US first over the next couple of months and then improve it over the course of the year, but it hasnt specified exactly when the feature might be available on Threads. My colleague Alex Heath reported Sunday that Community Notes was not on the product roadmap before this week.In addition to the move to Community Notes, Meta said its also getting rid of a number of restrictions on topics like immigration and gender, and phasing civil content back into Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Instagram boss Adam Mosseri published a video today showing how to set the amount of political content you see on Threads.

I've got a much earlier edition of game deals for you today. Why? Because I have to head in to Publisher X to play several hours of Game Y. (Don't worry, you'll read all about it soon in article Z.) All that being said, let's skip the preamble, get scrolling, and dive into the best gaming deals going today!In retro news, I've cooked a bin chicken feast for the 32nd birthday of Streets of Rage 2, a seminal beat 'em up and massive personal favourite I played the cartridge pins off. Basically, you and a mate needed to go ever rightward on an ultra-violent rescue mission as one of two loose cannon cops, a spandex-clad wrestler, or the most '90s kid ever (think: backwards hat, rollerblades). Not only were this sequel's fisticuffs more technical than its rival to beat, Final Fight, Streets of Rage 2 boasted one of the most jam-pumping EDM soundtracks of its era. Seriously.Happy Bday Streets of Rage 2 This Day in Gaming Aussie birthdays for notable games.- Streets of Rage 2 (MD) 1993. Get- ESPN NBA 2K5 (PS2) 2005. eBay- Army of Two: The 40th Day (PS3/P,X360) 2010. eBayTable of ContentsNice Savings for Nintendo SwitchSuper Mario RPGSuper Mario RPG is considered a classic for a reason, and this wonderfully faithful remake makes it easy for anyone who missed it in the SNES era to see why. 8/10, great.Expiring Recent DealsOr gift a Nintendo eShop Card.Switch Console PricesHow much to Switch it up?Switch OLED + Mario Wonder: $539 $499 | Switch Original: $499 $448 | Switch OLED Black: $539 $479 | Switch OLED White: $539 $479 | Switch Lite: $329 $299 | Switch Lite Hyrule: $339 $299See itBack to topPurchase Cheap for PCMeta Quest 3S + BatmanTake it from a more than happy owner of one of these. The 3S a brilliant bit of kit and Batman is more or less a killer app (although you dont actually kill as him).Dynasty Warriors Origins (-18%) - A$97.80Ready or Not (-40%) - A$44.10Far Cry 6 (-78%) - A$19.79V Rising (-30%) - A$35.66Expiring Recent DealsOr just get a Steam Wallet CardPC Hardware PricesSlay your pile of shame.Official launch in NovSteam Deck 256GB LCD: $649 | Steam Deck 512GB OLED: $899 | Steam Deck 1TB OLED: $1,049See it at SteamBack to topExciting Bargains for XboxCoD BLOPS 6Multi-wise the maps are excellent, built to please almost everyone's favourite gun styles. The meat and potatoes moving quick and dishing out firepower is aces this year; it's fast without feeling too twitchy. 8/10, great.Assetto Corsa Ult. (-75%) - A$13.11LEGO The Hobbit (-90%) - A$5.49Borderlands 3 NL Ed. (-90%) - A$10.79Space Marine 2 Ultra Ed. (-33%) - A$127.46Wolfenstein Alt History Bndl (-80%) - A$19.99Expiring Recent DealsYooka-Laylee Impossible Lair (-80%) - A$8.99Star Wars Outlaws (-46%) - A$59MGS: Master Col. (-41%) - A$50.39Space Marine 2 (-27%) - A$79.95Or just invest in an Xbox Card.Xbox Console PricesHow many bucks for a 'Box? Series X: $799 $729 | Series S Black: $549 $545 | Series S White:$499 $471 | Series S Starter: N/ASee itBack to topPure Scores for PlayStationIt Takes TwoA beautiful, breakneck-paced, and bubbling over with creativity co-op platformer, where playfulness and experimentation are rewarded at every turn. 9/10, amazing.Resi Evil 4 (-50%) - A$27.47NBA 2K25 Tournament Ed. (-60%) - A$55.98Dragon's Dogma 2 (-47%) - A$57.21Hitman WoA (-70%) - A$13.48Expiring Recent DealsLost Judgment (-61%) - A$39.80LEGO DC Supervillains (-78%) - A$20Star Wars Outlaws (-46%) - A$59Astro Bot (-19%) - A$89Space Marine 2 (-37%) - A$69PS+ Monthly FreebiesYours to keep from Jan 7 with this subscriptionSuicide Squad: KTJL [PS5]NFS Hot Pursuit Remastered [PS4]The Stanley Parable: Ultra [PS4/5]Or purchase a PS Store Card.What you'll pay to 'Station.PS5 Slim Disc:$799 $759 | PS5 Slim Digital:679 $678 | PS VR2: $899 | PS VR2 + Horizon: $899 | PS5 Pro $1,199 | PS Portal: $329See itBack to topLegit LEGO DealsIcons: McLaren MP4/4 (-25%) - A$75Imperial Star Destroyer (-17%) - A$249.29Architecture Notre-Dame (-13%) - A$306Expiring Recent DealsBack to top Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays practically everything, often on YouTube.

Turn back the clock 30 years and gear up for action-packed Caped Crusader adventures with the brand-new DC Comics Retro Collection from leading global childrens entertainment company Spin Master!Available exclusively at Target, this collection celebrates 30 years of Batman Forever starring Val Kilmer, with authentic movie styling plus retro designs & packaging that capture the spirit & style of the film. Uniting generations of DC fans, these toys and collectors items allow kids & kidults alike to own a piece of cinematic history perfect for proud display or bringing crime-fighting action to life during playtime.Find out more about the exciting new collection hereAn iconic Roman landmark, the Trevi Fountain, is getting the LEGO treatment in a beautiful set made of over 1,800 pieces.Engage your creativity with the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy. Immerse yourself in the details as you create the model using warm white, tan and pink elements, with gradient shades of blue to depict the waters depth. Build the impressive Palazzo Poli facade, complete with papal crest. Add in the various sculptures, recreated in minifigure form, and enjoy the full glory of this iconic landmark.Read more about the reveal at BricksetThe Flash director Andy Muschietti opened up about the films lack of success at the box office, blaming its flop on a lack of audience interest in the titular character.I think [The Flash] failed because it didnt appeal to all four quadrants, Muschietti said on La Baulera del Coso. When you make a 200 million dollar film, the studio expects you even to bring your grandmother to the theaters.Muschietti said that in private conversations, he was told that many people are not interested in The Flash as a character. Half of the quadrants, two are female [and] many women are not interested in The Flash as a character.'Read the full story at DeadlineYouve heard of A Bugs Life, but what about Bug Wars? Discover all you need to know about one of early 2025s most exciting upcoming comic books.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!The superstar team of writer Jason Aaron (Southern Bastards, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Absolute Superman) and artist Mahmud Asrar (Conan the Barbarian, X-Men, Batman & Robin) join forces for the upcoming series, Bug Wars. The extra-length first issue of this dark fantasy, epic series is set to debut in February 2025 from Image Comics.Read more hereWe all figured this was coming, but now its official. The popular PlayStation game Horizon Zero Dawn is becoming a feature film.The critically acclaimed action role-playing game Horizon Zero Dawn is officially heading to the big screen. Originally released in 2017, Horizon Zero Dawn tells the story of Aloy, a hunter and outcast from the Nora tribe, as she discovers her origins and navigates a world ruled by mysterious robotic creatures. During Sonys CES 2025 press conference, PlayStation Studios and Columbia Pictures announced they are in the early stages of developing a feature film adaptation of Guerrilla Games beloved title. The movie is expected to explore Aloys origin story, chronicling her journey through a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world teeming with robotic beasts.Read more at HypeBeast