What are the particular qualities that make a bad movie so bad that people actually enjoy watching it? (And by people, I mean me.)Its aninteresting question to consider. Hollywood releases dozens of bad movies every single year. Most wind up totally forgotten in a matter of months, if not weeks.But some bad moviesdefythose odds and become beloved. People treasure them for their flaws. They celebrate them for their failures.The 25 films listed below are those sorts of movies. These are not just bad films. Theyre not evenfilms that are so bad they become good. These arefilms so bad they becameiconic forever remembered, viewed, and celebrated for their peculiarities and quirks.You may be surprised by some of the omissions on this list. There are a few possible reasons for that. Keep in mind, first of all, that not all midnight movies or cult films are watched at midnight or considered cult objects because theyre bad. People love togo to late-night screenings ofThe Rocky Horror Picture Show where theydress up and recite the lines and dance. Does that make it a bad movie?No. That makes it a fun, participatory experience.Likewise, there are some movies so bad theyre not good at all; theyre borderline unwatchable. These are theMarmadukes of the world, theDisaster Movies of the world; filmsso all-consuming in their stinkitude that there is no fun to be had in watching them or talking about them.As a result, they never quite reach the lofty heights of the famously bad movies listed below.25 Terrible Movies So Bad They Became IconicThese movies arent just so bad theyre good theyre so bad theyve become classics.READ MORE: The Best Movies of 2024Get our free mobile appThe Worst Movies of 2024ScreenCrushs editor and critic picks the 12 worst films he saw in 2024.

Twin towers scheme inspired by citys historic architectureThe scheme's two main towers rise to 40 and 46 storeys1/18show captionKPF has completed a twin-tower bank headquarters scheme in Istanbul for Turkish state-owned bank Ziraat.The 450,000sq m development is one of the most high profile recent commercial schemes in the city and the centrepiece of the Istanbul International Finance Center project.The complex has been designed to incorporate both contemporary styles and influences from Istanbuls long history, including the use of wood, stone and ornate screens referencing traditional Islamic architecture.At its centre is an eight-storey atrium, crossed with bridges at multiple levels, with two towers above rising to 40 and 46 storeys.A podium connecting the towers includes an auditorium clad in curving panels of local limestone on the exterior and lined internally with undulating timber roof panels modelled to improve acoustics.KPF design principal Mustafa Chehabeddine described the scheme as a modern building with deep roots in the citys physical and cultural context.He said: Our concept was for the podium to incorporate interpretive refences to the intricate style of the regions rich historic architecture, with a layered, screen-like approach to shading, while the towers display a horizontal banding.The building geometry gently and gradually expands toward the top, resulting in a sculptural form that celebrates the growth and development of Ziraat Bank.Ziraat general manager Peyami mer said the towers reflect the banks 161-year history while representing a critical step in carrying our Bank into the future, aligning with our vision to be the sectors leader in every aspect.The project team also included structural engineer Arup, construction manager Turner International and WSP on acoustics.

The London and Birmingham-based practices scheme for a 0.16ha site on Lever Street was given consent yesterday (23 January) by Manchester City Councils planning committee.Councillors voted unanimously in favour of the plans following a site visit last month to the eye-catching, overhanging 17,000m office-led development for the Soller Group.Manchesters planning officers had previously backed the Howells scheme with a recommendation to approve the redevelopment of a row of 18th and 19th century warehouses buildings with an 18-storey tower leaning out above them.AdvertisementCouncillors deferred the scheme on 19 December over heritage concerns for the loss of historic assets, with groups such as The Victorian Society opposing the application.However, speaking at committee, councillors said they accepted the developments retention of heritage faades on Lever Street in return for redevelopment of the site. Howells said the scheme would retain approximately 40 per cent of the original 19th-century warehouse faades.The consented scheme is wider and three storeys taller than a version put out to consultation in late 2022, which did not included an overhang. The latest design includes ground-floor ancillary uses, such as technology and creative hubs at street level in addition to an intimate, publicly accessible courtyard.The proposal sits opposite the Grade II-listed Daily Express Building, designed by Owen Williams. Historic England did not object to the Howells scheme in relation to its interest in the listed asset.Soller Group has said the scheme would deliver much-needed Grade A office space for Manchesters Northern Quarter.AdvertisementHowells director Adam Desborough previously previously told the AJ: These proposals will transform this prominent yet largely neglected site into a characterful, healthy employment hub for the thriving Northern Quarter SME community.By repurposing the historic buildings along Lever Street and providing a new building as a contemporary backdrop, the scheme represents truly sustainable design where heritage meets the modern workplace.The governments heritage watchdog said the plans would result in a small degree of harm' to the Express building and surrounding heritage assets, with the eye-catching design of the tower being not overly visually distracting, in its view.Historic England added: The materials reflect the bold architectural style of the Express Building and it is positive to see that design elements such as curved corners and horizonal elements have been incorporated.Howells was appointed to the Lever Street scheme in November 2021 following Soller Groups purchase of the site in 2020.Construction is due to start by 2028.Consultation scheme, right; submitted scheme, left

Last year, the projects then-backer, developer Weston Homes, pulled the plug on the 1,100-home development on the site of an ageing shopping centre, pointing the finger at the previous Conservative government for its demise.Despite winning approval in 2023 for revised proposals the scheme was a redesign of rejected plans featuring a controversial 20-storey tower the developer said it had been forced to scrap the development early last year. Weston Homes said a multitude of issues had affected the schemes viability (see below) and had made funding extremely difficult, adding that it had wasted eight years and 7.5 million on the project.Now Norwich City Council, which bought Anglia Square last month, is set to press ahead at pace with the existing Broadway Malyan consent, thanks to substantial financial support from Homes England.AdvertisementEarlier this month the local authority was given further funds from Homes England worth 19 million, bringing the total received from the government to 34 million. The monies cover the councils costs for acquisition, demolition, remediation [and] bringing forward the development of Anglia Square.But, given that the project is now publicly backed, it seems likely any future design roles will have to be retendered. The number of affordable homes within the scheme could also change.A council spokesperson said: The council is working through a delivery strategy for Anglia Square and intends to work with the existing approved planning permission at pace which would involve appointing architects in due course.The approved scheme, drawn up for developer Weston Homes and site owner Columbia Threadneedle, will flatten a 1960s shopping centre to make way for 14 buildings ranging from three to eight storeys tall.Although lower and with a 35 per cent smaller reduction in the developments overall floorspace compared with the rejected 2020 scheme, the contentious hybrid application had still come in for criticism from heritage campaigners and even prompted a rival proposal by SAVE Britains Heritage and architect Ash Sakula.Speaking about the latest injection of Homes England money, councillor Mike Stonard, leader of Norwich City Council, said: This is a fantastic start to the New Year. It means, thanks to the government, we have the funding to crack on and start building the new Anglia Square with hundreds of affordable homes for local people.Norwich has always been innovative, progressive and has been at the vanguard of change over the years and now we are leading the way in building hundreds of new homes.Visualisation of Broadway Malyans approved 2023 plans for 1,100 homes at Anglia SquareThe seven reasons Weston Homes walked away from Anglia SquarePlanning delays and related costs due to national government intervention in the proposed scheme, including Robert Jenrick's decision to call in and overturn the local planning consent followed by a further 12 months of local community and key stakeholder consultation on the reworked designsThe economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, which had a major impact on the viability of the proposed office and retail space within the scheme, with the rise in homeworking and digital retailing reducing market demand for commercial space and retail unitsFurther delays caused by the Nutrient Neutrality directive from Natural England, which blocked the building of new homes across NorfolkA potential reduction in the 15 million of Marginal Viability Funding promised from Homes Englands Housing Infrastructure Fund. Due to the planning delays, the funding rules meant only 7 million could be released.Huge build cost inflation of more than 30 per cent, which increased the calculated construction costs of the site and has made the schemes viability even more marginal over the last 18 monthsThe 5.4 million Community Infrastructure Levy tax billDesign guidelines in the governments Building Safety Act (2022) resulting in the loss of another 100 homes within the proposed scheme, due to the required redesign of the various buildings.

After years of fan outcry, the beloved Assassin's Creed series will finally have an entry set in feudal Japan with this year's installment, Assassin's Creed: Shadows. I saw a hands-off preview last fall at Germany's Gamescom, but then the game was delayed from its original November release date to Feb. 14 (and thendelayed again to March 20) of this year. I got my first hands-on time with the game alongside other journalists, marking a big moment for a game with a lot of expectation and hype.My hands-on preview was split into two parts: an hour-long session exploring the game's prologue with around another three hours in the later game. While I'm unsure how deep into the game I was, my characters were both now level 25 with some legendary armor, and a lot more abilities unlocked.Set in 1579, the game takes a dual-protagonist approach, which is new to the series. Unlike in 2018's Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and 2020's Valhalla, games where you choose a main character from one of two character options, Shadows has you play as a team of characters throughout the game. Ubisoft refers to this dynamic as a "stealth and fight" approach to the game wherein characters' different abilities define how you'll progress through areas.Each character plays differently but can be used for any missions, and swapped between at many points. The first character is Yasuke, a powerful Black samurai brought to Japan as a Portuguese slave. His large build and heavy armor makes him a great choice for any missions where you plan to charge straight through the front door and fight your way to the end. If you prefer killing silently from rooftops and shadows, Naoe is your protagonist of choice: a Japanese ninja who prioritizes stealth and maneuverability.Many missions will give you the option of who to begin as and, except for a few instances, you'll have to stick to that choice until completion. This means you won't be able to start a quest playing as Naoe, sneaking around and trying to assassinate enemies, but then switch immediately to Yasuke when you become spotted and are surrounded by foes. (When you're free-roaming areas outside of missions, you can swap by simply pausing the game and holding X.) UbisoftWith that said, both characters can hold their own in the opposite play style, it'll just be much harder. Typically, Assassin's Creed characters of the past would be able to do both play styles just fine, so it's an interesting choice to split playstyle strengths between two protagonists and force the player to weigh their odds compared to the playstyle they prefer.This contrast came into play heavily in the final mission we played where our heroes had to storm a castle and fight a corrupt lord within. I initially started this mission as Yasuke but found that fighting through the front gate was just too challenging. After a failed attempt, I switched to Naoe and quickly scaled a wall (something Yasuke cannot do) and avoided fighting all together. What would have taken me probably 20 minutes of brawler fighting and used up all my health regen items was now bypassed stealthily in two minutes without any hassle. UbisoftHowever, as the mission proceeded, I now had to fight my way through the halls inside to the boss up top. Instead of trying to sneak my way down these narrow corridors full of enemies, I switched to Yasuke and fought them head on. It was a fun change of pace.At this point in the game I had two of Yasuke's abilities unlocked for me, which are used by holding down RT and pressing one of the controller's face buttons (similar to previous character action games, such as Spider-Man). The first ability was a very cool, lightning-fast dashing slash that caused the screen to go black and white for a second while I made contact with the enemy, while the second was a massive, powerful kick that would send my opponent comically far through the air. I loved using both and used them often to carve through groups of enemies.Both characters can also call in support Allies to help during missions, which act like fighting game assists to help in tough situations. These Allies can be managed, equipped and upgraded back at your base, and are used as distractions while trying to sneak around or even help when you're up against several enemies at once. There were two I had available to use: a powerful woman who specialized in pushing and knocking back her opponents as well as a stealthier guy who would try to one-shot the target and then use a smoke bomb to retreat. Yasuke's Charging Dash attack. UbisoftAnother form of support is Scouts, which come into play when you're trying to locate more information about your mission. Ubisoft says they've taken a "guide, don't tell" approach to the quests in Shadows; subsequently, several of my missions didn't come with a marker on my map to head toward. Instead, it would give me hints of the area or building I should explore to learn more. During my preview I had access to five Scouts (and it was unclear how I might get more) that I could set down anywhere on the map, and they would reveal points of interest. Pairing the hints and the Scouts together should reveal the waypoint for me to move toward to proceed with my quest.From there you can head to your objective or press left on the D-pad to turn on the pathfinder, a translucent line that will direct you like a GPS. However, the game will not hold your hand for every objective. There is a major emphasis on Observing: Holding the left trigger will cause your character to focus and the camera will zoom in slightly. This will allow you to highlight enemies (which reveals their health and makes them visible through walls), and it also points out loot to collect or objectives you're searching for. It's evident early on that rushing in blind to these missions will make things much harder than if you find a vantage point and survey the area first (another reason why I often preferred starting a mission with Naoe). Spend some time making a fancy little hideout fo your samurais and ninjas. UbisoftDuring my preview, I didn't get a good sense of the overarching story these characters are working their way through. The prologue suggested some motivation for their team-up, but the big mystery box was left concealed. However, longtime Assassin's Creed fans will be wondering if the Animus, a narrative device that allows modern day humans to revisit and play as their heroic ancestors of the past in these whimsical eras, is returning. In short, yes it does -- in something called Animus Ego. Unfortunately, we got very little time with this meta-story component, but I can tell you that, once again, there's hackers and glitches and something sinister going on behind the scenes of the seemingly picturesque Animus project.I'm extremely excited to play more of Assassin's Creed Shadows. As someone who loves Ghost of Tsushima, the feudal Japan setting easily excites me. The wait isn't that long either as the game comes out for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on March 30. Watch this: Everything We Expect in Gaming in 2025 05:01

OpinionJanuary 23, 20255 min readMy Climate Protest Arrest Shows the Problem with Social Tipping Point TheoryPeople hoping that progress on climate action will accelerate like sudden changes in our physical world must prepare for a long, hard struggleBy Andy Extance Supporters outside Southwark Crown Court, London, United Kingdom, where five Just Stop Oil activists were sentenced to 5 and 4 years in prison for conspiracy to causepublic nuisance on the 18th of July 2024. Kristian Buus/In Pictures via Getty ImagesEyeing the bruises on the knuckles of the police officer arresting me, I took a deep breath and explained why we need to act faster to avoid climate catastrophe. Standing on a traffic island in London, I looked straight into his body-worn video camera, and hoped the speech would make it to the courtroom.On a cold November afternoon in 2023, I was protesting with the nonviolent civil resistance group, Just Stop Oil (JSO), to call for action to prevent what U.N. secretary-general Antnio Gutierres has called global boiling. One reason was a study from British Antarctic Survey researchers that had just been published. It found that weve lost control of melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which contains enough ice to raise sea levels by five meters. At least one glacier there has passed a tipping point, scientists have found, where its melting is rapid and irreversible.Tipping points in our physical world werent my only motivation. By risking arrest as a law-abiding science journalist, I hoped to push society past a social tipping point to speed up climate action. In doing so I am a living experiment, because researchers are unsure what it takes to cause social changes to also become rapid and irreversible.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.In July, the left-wing Labour Party won the U.K. government and committed to not granting new fossil fuel exploration licences, as we had called for in our protests. Yet my experiencesand journalismmake me less confident that weve reached a social tipping point on climate action. Rather than give up in despair, however, I believe this means we must be more resolute. The only way to reduce the severity of the climate catastrophe we face is to keep pushing, even if we never reach a tipping point.Social tipping points are embedded in the key principles of Just Stop Oils fellow activist group Extinction Rebellion (XR), with whom I also protest. The group hopes to mobilise 3.5 percent of the population, meaning over two million people in the U.K., a figure originating from political scientists Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan. Comparing 323 campaigns conducted from 1900 to 2006, they found nonviolent protests like JSO and XRs were more than twice as effective as violent ones. When Chenoweth later analysed that data for a 2013 TedX talk, she found that nonviolent campaigns that involved more than 3.5 percent of the population led to long-lasting political change.Such social tipping point theories featured in one of four sections in the Global Tipping Points Report 2023 report produced by 200 climate researchers from 25 institutions worldwide. One sections author, Viktoria Spaiser, from the University of Leeds, says that, in fact, theres no magic number that will definitely flip a social tipping point. Each society will differ, Spaiser told me, according to the forces reinforcing or opposing changes.The day of my protest illustrated opposing forces in play in the U.K. It was November 11, Veterans Day, known as Remembrance Day in my country. The police officer arresting me said he had come from fighting right-wing English Defence League thugs near the Cenotaph, Londons main war memorial. He was unimpressed by my speech. As I waited, handcuffed, to be thrown into a police cell, he told me that he just wanted to go home. The right-wing protests and the lack of governance shown by the exhaustion and underresourcing of the police felt typical of a world where climate action is lacking.Manjana Milkoreit from the University of Oslo led the Global Tipping Points Reports section on governing physical tipping points in global climate change. Though shes a political scientist, she focuses on responses to physical tipping points, because shes uncertain that social ones even exist.Milkoreit cautions against overreliance on social tipping points to drive change. The looming catastrophe of physical tipping points led us to invent social ones out of a psychological need for speed in our solutions, she says. They also give politicians and other decision-makers a cop out, she worries. They say Oh, yes, I know, we have no more time, but we'll get there with a social tipping point. It's another excuse to not do the hard work of decarbonizing now.Following my arrest, I represented myself at trial in June 2024, just a month before the new U.K. government delivered the halt to fossil fuel licensing we had sought. The judge found me not guilty of willful obstruction of the highway. Despite my good fortune, many other JSO protestors have been imprisoned, reducing our capacity for further protest. This again shows the opposing forces in play, and my fellow protestors words suggest were far from tipping society into adequate climate action: recently JSOs Roger Hallam and Daniel Shaw, wrote from their cells to encourage others to carry on regardless even as people seem more willing than ever to stick their heads in the sand.At a broader political level, the Global Tipping Points Report describes five potential negative social tipping processes. These include the breakdown of social norms and ties, radicalization and polarization, conflict, financial destabilization and displacement of people. Spaiser says that if policies trying to trigger social tipping points, like subsidies and incentives for solar power generation have arguably achieved, are unsuccessful, then countries shouldnt withdraw them. That may only trigger the negative tipping processes. Instead, they should keep driving slow change. We're at such a critical state that if we dont do anything, the system will just slide into negative social tipping points, Spaiser says.Protestors likewise need to continue even if they dont trigger positive tipping points. I recognize now that I wanted to test the social tipping point theory to appease my own psychological need for speed, as Milkoreit calls it. Today my need for speed is being frustrated. Clear forces oppose necessary changes, particularly record profits for oil companies that have led them to renege on plans to transition to clean energy.As such, I agree with Hallam and Shaws assessment of the difficult place climate action is in. Facing such a reality, it might be tempting just to give up in the face of opposing forces, but we must not. We are currently on track for 2.7 degrees Celsius of warming beyond what global temperatures were before the industrial revolution. At the 1.5 degrees C threshold were currently at, across the world, droughts will last two months on average. At 2 degrees C, they will last four months. At 3 degrees C, they will last 10 months. When it comes to climate action, its not as simple as winning or losing. As many of us as possible must push against the opposition, as any fraction of a degree that we reduce future temperatures by, matters to humanity.This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Epic unveils bold plan to pay penalties levied by Apple to tempt developers onto its mobile store"It's uneconomical and will cause us to lose a lot of money, [but] we feel like we have to break the logjam." News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on Jan. 23, 2025 Epic Games has announced a fresh push to convince app developers to launch their games on the company's fledgling mobile store, which company boss Tim Sweeney has admitted will be costly.The Epic Games Store for mobile will today add its first swathe of third-party games, beyond the company's core offering of Fortnite, Fall Guys and Rocket League Sideswipe.19 titles have made today's line-up on Android - including Bloons TD 6 and Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee, which are the first titles to be offered in the store's previously-confirmed free games program. 16 of these will also be available via the Epic Games Store on iOS, where it is offered within the European Union. More will be added weekly, typically on Tuesdays.Initially, Epic Games will offer free titles on a monthly basis, with its initial duo available until 20th February. A weekly schedule of free games will then kick in later this year. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart 9 have been revealed - but questions remain.Watch on YouTubeEpic Games has clearly found it difficult to tempt mobile developers to its storefront, which was originally set to welcome third-party games last year and reach 100m installs by the end of 2024 - something it fell short of, only reaching around 30m instead. The company admits that none of the 100 highest-grossing app developers are yet willing to also distribute their game on the storefront - something it blames on Apple's controversial Core Technology Fee (CTF) policy.Epic to pay developers to counter Apple's "insidious design"What is the CTF policy? In a nutshell, iOS developers who want to launch games outside Apple's official App Store must pay a 0.50 fee for every install of its games - even via the App Store itself - after the company's first 1m installs. It's a policy Epic Games and others have criticised as prohibitive of any real competition for the App Store, as no major app developer will want to penalise itself for launching elsewhere.Today, Epic Games has announced it will cover the CTF for games that are offered as part of its store's free games program, for the program's first 12 months. "It's uneconomical and will cause us to lose a lot of money, [but] we feel like we have to break the logjam there," Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney said in a roundtable interview attended by Eurogamer. "[The CTF] is an absolutely insidious design, deviously constructed and deviously defended, and its the most critical thing the European regulators will need to overturn.""We might run into serious financial problems after a couple more decades of this"Asked whether Epic Games had the financial clout to continue the fight long-term, Sweeney said the company was in it for the long-haul."We might run into serious financial problems after a couple more decades of this, but we're determined to fight this out," he said. "I expect large parts of this struggle will go on over the rest of decade, and we're fully committed to it and breaking through. "The word for spending more money than you're making intentionally when you have a great business underneath is investment, and that's is what we see this as. It's an investment in Epic's future, both our future developer as a game developer ourselves - we see a much greater opportunity for Fortnite's future if iOS is open, and competition is allowed on iOS and Android, but we also see opportunities for all developers, and because we have businesses serving all developers such as Unreal Engine and Epic Games Store and our online services."Apple and Google's "paywall" sees money going to "fuck all"Either you have an ability to freely do business using fair market policies, or you're stuck behind Apple and Google's "paywall", Sweeney continued."Most of the profit your business produces will go to Apple and Google, who'll use it for fuck all - share buybacks and dividends rather than investment in hiring or technology or making the world a better place."This includes Fortnite's big rival Roblox, which pays huge amounts to Apple and Google - something Sweeney says was "frustrating" and "sad" to see. In response to a question from Eurogamer on Epic Game Store's 30m installs to date, Sweeney said the company could have hit its 100m target if Apple and Google's "friction" had not gotten in the way."We could have had 60m users, we were denied that, and we're pissed""30m installs would obviously have been 60m if 50 percent of users hadn't been scared away by the scare screens and friction that Apple and Google uses," Sweeney said. "We could have had 60m users, we were denied that, and we're pissed. "But it's not just 60m, because there are network effects. If a number of users are in an ecosystem there's incentive for their friends to come in and interact with their friends. If we'd have 60m users come in instead of 30, each of those would have brought friends, and if those friends hadn't dropped off at a 50 percent rate due to the scare screens, then we might have 100m. I think it would have been easy for us to get to 100m users.""Apple and Google are making this really hard," Epic Game Store boss Steve Allison added. "We had a goal of 100m installs of our first version of the store - with our first-party games - by the end of [last] year. We knew that was going to be a challenge, and where we ended up was around 30m. The friction is real and that number confirms that, absent this friction, we would have hit 100m by the end of the year."The Core Technology Fees on the iOS side and the rate of drop off on installs for the store are issues for some of these companies and they have got to get better before we get them to join," Allison continued. "But regardless, many of them will join us and some will wait before we make progress in these areas, and we're working really hard to do that."Allison said Epic Games is not yet ready to share its new targets, but wanted to see the results of the free games program before discussing more. CMA investigationThe timing of today's announcement is interesting, coming hot on the heels of this morning's confirmation by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that it is launching a fresh investigation into Apple and Google using last year's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act. Epic Games first launched the mobile version of its store last year, as the latest salvo in its long-running battle against Apple and Google which it says hold an unfair monopoly over the distribution of apps and games within their own ecosystems. The CMA will now investigate whether either Apple or Google should be labelled as having Strategic Market Status, a designation that would allow the authority to "guide the behaviour" of each firm, "tackling conduct that could undermine fair competition, or exploit people and businesses".Lastly, today also brings a couple of new features to the Epic Games Store on mobile, including Epic Account login and an auto-update feature.

Warner Bros. Games boss David Haddad departs following rocky period for publisherA year after Suicide Squad's $200m flop.Image credit: Rocksteady News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on Jan. 23, 2025 Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment president David Haddad is stepping down after 12 years in the role, with his departure following a rocky period for Warner's game division that's been marked by a number of high-profile flops.As reported by Variety, Haddad will stay on with the company for the next three months, while Warner seeks his replacement. "David has thoughtfully and purposefully chosen a time when our release schedule is lighter," Warner's global streaming and games president JB Perrette wrote, "which will help minimise disruption to our ongoing projects and strategic plans and allow this team to smoothly prepare for its next record-breaking title."News of Haddad's departure comes almost exactly a year after the disastrous release of developer Rocksteady's Suicide Squad, which was enough of a flop to that it resulted in a $200m loss for Warner Bros. Free-to-play platform fighter MultiVersus also failed to find an audience despite almost a year of downtime for extensive retooling, resulting in a further $100m hit for the publisher.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Newscast: Switch 2 and Mario Kart 9 revealed - but questions remain.Watch on YouTubeAnd while 2023's Hogwarts Legacy was a significant financial win for Warner Bros., last year's Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions failed to replicate that success, with the publisher later admitting the title had "underperformed".As to what's next for Warner Bros. Games, the publisher has yet to share much in the way of its future plans. The only game currently left on its announced slate is Monolith Productions' open-world Wonder Woman title - which Warner Bros. has denied is a live service title, despite a job listing sighted in 2023, and despite company CEO David Zaslav's previous ambitions to transform its biggest gaming franchises from traditional console and PC releases into "always on" live service games.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide The Call of Duty franchise changed significantly in March 2020 following the launch of Warzone, Activisions take on the battle royale formula where the primary objective is to be the last player standing at the end of a match. Five years later, fans are continuing to drop into the action.2025 marks the fifth anniversary of Warzone and to celebrate, Raven Software is reintroducing the iconic Verdansk map into the rotation once again. While many are looking forward to another trip down memory lane, it appears Activision had planned to release a battle royale several years before Warzone made its debut.Call of Duty: WW2 couldve had a battle royaleAfter exploring the files of Call of Duty: World War 2, X user Lierrmm uncovered leftover assets showcasing part of an unreleased battle royale map. With the first Call of Duty Battle Royale mode launching in Black Ops 4 with Blackout, CoD couldve entered the genre an entire year earlier.Released in 2017, World War 2 marked a return to a boots-on-the-ground formula after three years of advanced movement mechanics dominating Activisions shooter series. A return to traditional movement combined with a battle royale set in the same time period couldve been a recipe for huge success before the genre skyrocketed in popularity with the likes of Fortnite, PUBG, and H1Z1 attracting millions to become the last one standing.Those unaware of the World War 2 battle royale continue sharing their frustrations surrounding the mode that never saw the light of day. An extensive arsenal of weaponry and simplistic movement mechanics couldve steered Call of Duty into an entirely new direction.Would a Call of Duty World War 2 battle royale been a success?Fans wouldnt have to wait long before Call of Duty unveiled Blackout in 2018. The first iteration of a Call of Duty battle royale was greatly different to how Warzone plays today. Instead of loadouts forming a stale meta, players had to find individual attachments to equip onto whichever weapons they found on the ground resulting in huge variety in each match.A diverse meta along with a map containing fan-favourite locations from the Black Ops series made for a hugely enjoyable gameplay experience. Its a shame it never reached the dizzying heights of Warzone which continues to attract millions to both casual and competitive playlists.For more Call of Duty, take a look at the best mouse and keyboard settings along with all of the active promos.Call of Duty: WarzonePlatform(s):PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox OneGenre(s):ShooterSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

CLOSE X By Martha McHardy US News ReporterA Democratic congressman has called for an investigation after President Donald Trump described Elon Musk's knowledge of Pennsylvania voting machines as the reason he won the state in the 2024 election.The remark prompted some opponents of the president to speculate if he was admitting to rigging the election.Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.Why It MattersTrump, well-known for his voter fraud allegations, notably claiming Democrats stole the 2020 election, has not challenged the results of the 2024 election, which he won. This makes his recent remarks, highlighting his ally's deep knowledge of voting machines during Tuesday's speech, particularly unexpected.President Donald Trump throws pens into the crowd after signing executive orders on stage at an indoor presidential inauguration parade in Washington on January 20, 2025.President Donald Trump throws pens into the crowd after signing executive orders on stage at an indoor presidential inauguration parade in Washington on January 20, 2025.Mark Schiefelbein/AP What To KnowDuring a rally in Washington on Sunday, Trump said Musk had an advanced understanding of the voting machines used in Pennsylvania, a swing state that was key to Trump's victory in November."He knows those computers better than anybody. All those computers. Those vote-counting computers," Trump told the crowd. "And we ended up winning Pennsylvania like in a landslide."While Trump did not explicitly claim vote tabulation was manipulated, the comments were quickly seized upon by anti-Trump viewers, who considered it an admittance to using Musk's tech knowledge to commit voter fraud."Did Donald Trump just say that Elon Musk helped him rig the election?" journalist David Leavitt asked.Democrat Representative Jasmine Crockett of Texas also took to X to ask if Trump was "confessing to yet another damn crime." Another Democratic congressman, Daniel Goldman of New York, also called for an investigation.Pennsylvania uses multiple types of voting machines, according to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania website. As of June 2020, according to its official website, all 67 counties had voting systems that produce voter-verifiable paper records and "meet 21st-century standards of security, auditability, and accessibility."However, during the 2024 election, a software malfunction in Cambria County gained national attention after voters were unable to scan ballots, which were later manually counted by the Board of Elections. Ultimately, Trump won the state with 50.4 percent of the vote.A report released last week by the non-profit Smart Elections found that there are "serious concerns" that votes may have been tampered with in the 2024 election."There are very serious concerns about the 2024 election results focused on unnatural data patterns that are emerging daily," a summary of the report reads.The report also suggests someone may have installed code on certain tabulators to shift votes after counting 400 ballots, avoiding detection in small recounts. However, the reports are unverified.What People Are SayingDemocrat Representative Jasmine Crockett, on X: "So Trump is rambling on about he and Elon rigging the election?! Am I missing something or is he confessing to yet another damn crime?!"Democrat Representative Daniel Goldman, on X: "Vote counting computers?" Not voter analysis software. This needs to be investigated."What Happens NextThere is currently no investigation into voter fraud in the 2024 election. fairness meterfairness meterNewsweek is committed to journalism that's factual and fair.Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter. Newsweek is committed to journalism that's factual and fair.Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter. Click On Meter To Rate This ArticleConfirm your selectionComment on your rating Share