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Slayer CakeDoom: The Dark Ages won't have any multiplayer modes because id Software wanted to focus on levelling up the single-player experienceId Softwares most ambitious game yet finally drops the multiplayer, but at least the payoff seems worth it.Image credit: VG247 News by Dom Peppiatt Editor-in-chief Published on Jan. 23, 2025 The cat is out of the bag. Doom: The Dark Ages will launch on May 15, 2025, and itll be the third nu-Doom game from esteemed developer id Software. But this game, which is confusingly a prequel to the instant classic Doom (2016), will eschew a trend established both by the first game in the rebooted series, and 2020s Doom Eternal: it wont have multiplayer.In a roundtable interview chaired by id Softwares Marty Stratton (studio director) and Hugo Martin (creative director), the two Doom veterans confirmed that there will be no multiplayer mode, at all, for Doom: The Dark Ages.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. We wanted to go all in on the campaign, explained Martin, when asked why this game would ship without a multiplayer element, when both Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal got one. Weve been able to level up the single-player element [of Dark Ages] because its been our entire focus.The game wont just have you standing and holding your ground as the nigh-immortal Doom Slayer this time, either. As a direct result of committing more resources to the single-player development, were going to have set-pieces involving a 30-story Atlan mech and a fire-breathing, gatling-gun toting cyber dragon. Yes, really.Thats something weve wanted to do for ages, for the last two games, really, explains Stratton, specifically referring to the inclusion of the Atlan. In case youre not completely up to date on your Doom lore (who can blame you), Atlans were enormous bipedal war machines used by the Night Sentinels in their war against the forces of Hell - youve probably seem inanimate husks of them in your playthroughs of past Doom games. We get to ride this because there's no MP, just to make it clear. | Image credit: id SoftwareBoth Stratton and Martin seemed very excited at the reveal - and inclusion - of the mech in Doom: The Dark Ages, and suggest that finally getting the Slayer to pilot one of these Evangelion-sized beasts is a direct result of allowing more dev time on the single-player elements of the game.Relatedly, the duo also boast that this is the largest play space ever in a Doom game, and showed off a variety of bonus dungeons, caves, and fights that you can engage in if you deviate from the beaten path. You control the pace of the game, grinned Martin. You control Where you go, who you fight, and the objectives your pursue. Once again, the developers cite being able to focus wholly on the single-player facet of the game as the reason id could pump this much content into the story and world. Eat your heart out, Shinji Ikari. | Image credit: iD SoftwareIm not complaining; in a world where were seeing multiplayer games flop at a rate of knots, and live-service slop take up more and more space on the virtual storefront, its something of a breath of fresh air to see single-player game modes in games take so much focus from a prolific developer. Perhaps its something that both Sony and Blizzard can learn from in the coming months and years.Doom: The Dark Ages launches on May 15, and itll launch on Xbox Game Pass for PC and Xbox Series - but itll also come to PlayStation 5.

Its Miller NightDoom: The Dark Ages takes unexpected influence from Frank Millers Batman - and was even dubbed Doom: Year One during developmentThe creative director for Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal, Hugo Martin, is the game director of Doom: The Dark Ages - and hes a big Batman fan.Image credit: VG247/DC Article by Dom Peppiatt Editor-in-chief Published on Jan. 23, 2025 Theres a very significant through-line between the three newest Doom games (which we collectively sometimes refer to as nu-Doom). His name is Hugo Martin; a games industry veteran who was also a key player in the art department during the creation of Pacific Rim (2013).He has been the lore-master, so to speak, behind the rebooted games; expanding upon established lore thats been present in the series since its inception in 1993, and introducing new elements with more cinematic flair. Doom 2016 served as a reintroduction to the nigh-immortal Doom Slayer, with a lot of story beats told through more implicit means; buried in codexes and hidden in menus.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Doom Eternal did a little more to bait this lore into the foreground, giving us less obtuse cutscenes, and doing a bit more showing-not-telling so we could follow what was going on with a bit more clarity. Now, Doom: The Dark Ages is seeking to refine that storytelling art a little more, and with two triple-A Doom games behind him, Martin feels more confident than ever in delivering on the fantasy of the Doom Slayer.After 10 years of making modern Doom games together, the hope - the goal - is to give players an experience thats as fun to play as it is to make, smiles Martin in a roundtable interview ahead of the Xbox Showcase.The story of Doom (2016) reached its conclusion in its direct sequel, Doom Eternal. So Dark Ages - which is confusingly the third game in the series - will go back in time, and act as a prequel to the events of 2016's Doom . Martin said frequently during the roundtable that this is the most ambitious Doom game id Software has made to date; and thats in terms of combat depth, world size, and implementation of story.And to tell that story, Martin looked to comics. The comics of one Frank Miller, to be precise. The story was originally called Doom Year One! laughs Martin when he talks about how much Millers tale of Batman turning from man to myth inspired him. Thats an homage to Batman: Year One, of course. Theres this specific line that Frank Miller writes [in the arc] where Batman says this isnt a mud pit, its an operating table and Im the surgeon. I wanted to make a [Doom Slayer] like that, a heavier, more powerful Slayer. He's a surgeon. Bat-surgeon.Batman: Year One is so esteemed because it rewinds back to Batmans origins - which, yes, I know have been told ad naseum - but Miller treads this ground with a deft hand. Its violent, heavy, wearing its noir genre trappings like a cowl. It shows a Batman that hasnt quite learned as much restraint as he would go on to internalise, and isnt scared to show the ugly face of what brute force looks like when its done in the name of good.Martin is clearly cribbing on this for Dark Ages. Here, we have a Doom Slayer that is heavier, slower, designed to take punishment and dish it back tenfold.Eternal and 2016 stand on their own in how they play, explains Martin, but this is a standalone power fantasy thats big, powerful, and feels awesome. [In Eternal], you felt like a fighter jet. In Dark Ages, you feel like an iron tank. Doom 2016 was run and gun, Eternal was jump and shoot, Dark Ages is stand and fight - the shield saw lets you go head-to-head with the biggest, baddest demons. The iron flail, spike mace, and gauntlets let you rip them apart.So its all a balance between enemy projectiles and player movement speed, just like classic games. But innovation comes up against nostalgia, and thats in how the guns work, in how the melee works, and in how the sawshield works. Batman has also piloted mechs, right? | Image credit: iD SoftwareThat last element there is the glue that seems to knit the narrative realisation of this nastier, harder, Doom Slayer with the mechanics Martin is talking about. The sawshield will be key in how you stand and take enemies on; parrying melee chains, deflecting projectiles back at them, and deploying it at the right time in order to carve a hole in the onslaught and take out your foes with brutal prejudice. I can see the Batman analogy there, I really can; it makes you apply tactics to brutality, and know when to endure and when to strike.[Dark Ages] is the best entry point for the series, frankly, adds id Softwares studio director, Marty Stratton. Its a very approachable game; the story, the way the story is told, the way the game feels, the way were handling difficulty weve learned a lot of lessons over the past, and theyre all injected into this.Its all looking pretty good. The developers talk a lot about moving the narrative out of the codex and into the cutscenes. They talk about Dark Ages being a summer blockbuster with everything on the line. They say the balance of power between good and evil is shifting, and how time is running out. Theyre pushing all the right verbal buttons to get me interested. Lets just hope the final product is as iconic and persistent in the public consciousness as Millers Batman Year one when it launches later this year.Doom: The Dark Ages launches on May 15, and itll launch on Xbox Game Pass for PC and Xbox Series - but itll also come to PlayStation 5.

King of Swing (and of the charts).We've got an updated look at the Japanese software charts courtesy of Famitsu and, given the arrival of a new Nintendo joint, there was never any doubt about who was going to be in first place.Yes, much like in the UK, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD has swung its way to gold in its debut week after shifting an impressive 107,093 copies. But just look at all the other newbies that DK had to beat to nab the gold! Dynasty Warriors: Origins on PS5 posted a less impressive debut but still managed 63,805 copies to land in second, and Switch took the lion's share of Tales of Graces f Remastered's sales, which arrived in third.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Image: United LabelThe latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!Switch eShop - HighlightsSTAR WARS: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles (Aspyr, 23rd Jan, $19.99) - Take back the Theed Palace in this fast and furious lightsaber action game set in the STAR WARS galaxy! You will have the power of the Force and your trusty lightsaber to help you ward off legions of battle droids, destroyer droids, assassins and other creatures from STAR WARS: Episode I The Phantom Menace. Jump into side-scrolling arcade action with fan favorite characters like Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi and more. Play solo or bring a friend along with you for the entire 10-level campaign in couch co-op mode! - Read our STAR WARS: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles reviewSubscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube794kWatch on YouTube Cuisineer (Marvelous (XSEED), 28th Jan, $29.99) - This roguelite game combines delectable dungeon crawling and fast-paced restaurant management elements into one cute and tasty mix. Dive into dungeons and cook up a storm as Pom, an adventurer-turned-restaurateur! Food-focused action challenges you to build your dinner the hard way: by dungeon-diving for materials and ingredients. Work with local artisans to customize your kitchen and tailor your dining hall to the needs of loyal patrons eager to experience the rare recipes youve cooked up.Switch eShop - New ReleasesAchilles: Legends Untold (Dark Point Games, 23rd Jan, $24.99) - Discover an extraordinary adventure in a dynamic Action RPG with souls-like combat. Explore the mythical world of ancient Greece, where youll assume the role of the fearless warrior, Achilles.Aquarun (Afil Games, 22nd Jan, $4.99) - Dive into the vibrant world of AquaRun, a fast-paced 2D pixel art platformer that tests your reflexes, precision, and determination! Inspired by the best of hardcore platforming games, AquaRun challenges you to guide a fragile yet determined character through 40 meticulously designed levels filled with relentless obstacles, devious traps, and tricky platforms.Arcade Archives ESCAPE KIDS (HAMSTER, 16th Jan, $7.99) - " ESCAPE KIDS " is a sports-action game released by KONAMI in 1987. ESCAPE KIDS has only one rule: run faster than everyone else. Use the RUN and SUPER JUMP buttons to win the future superhero race.Car Heist Simulator Thief Mechanic (VRKIWI Games, 25th Jan, $7.99) - Car Heist Simulator - Thief Mechanic invites you to test your skills in the world of car theft, where careful planning and agility are the keys to success. In this game, youll explore various locations, each with unique features and security levels.Casual Sport Series: Tennis (Revulo Games, 24th Jan, $5.99) - Choose from an array of vibrant characters, each with their own unique flair, and compete on beautifully designed courts. With stunning visuals, smooth animations, and colorful environments, every match is a feast for the eyes, making each rally as engaging to watch as it is to play.Cats Visiting Lunar New Year (AGE Zero, 23rd Jan, $3.99) - Welcome to Cats Visiting Lunar New Year, a festive and charming hidden object game celebrating the Chinese New Year!Codename: Ocean Keeper (RetroStyle Games, 17th Jan, $12.99) - Welcome to Ocean Keeper, a mining roguelike shooter with a top-down view. Play as a Miner whose spaceship has crashed on a planet, filled with underwater monsters. Find resources and artifacts for purchasing valuable upgrades.Courageous Reasoning Nori 9 Reasoning Tournament Sticking Nori (HERO GAME, 16th Jan, $1.50) - Courage and others will participate in the deduction competition. Will they be able to emerge victorious?Cycle Chaser H-5 (Ratalaika Games, 24th Jan, $5.99) - Do you have what it takes to defeat the rampaging alien forces? Burn through waves of impenetrable foes with a sleek arsenal of weapons.Dance of Cards (Pineapple Works, 23rd Jan, $9.99) - Dance of Cards is a tactical gambling RPG where you try to survive seven days of a deadly cruise by playing poker. With no option to escape, they are forced to accept the rules and put their lives at stake for a fleeting hope of salvation.Doll Style: Underground Design and Dress (Cooking & Publishing, 16th Jan, $3.99) - Are you ready to create the coolest and most urban looks? Design unique and comfortable outfits that will make your girls shine in their everyday life. Explore a wide variety of clothes, hairstyles and accessories to mix and match in original ways. Unleash your creativity and become the most trendsetting stylist on the street!Dragon Takers (KEMCO, 23rd Jan, $14.99) - The Dragon Army, commanded by the ruthless Drake Emperor Tiberius, marches ever closer to total conquest of the world. The once-mighty nations stand divided, each struggling in isolation as their lands fall one by one under the growing shadow of the army. Amid the chaos, a young man named Helio, from the humble village of Haven, faces his end in a vicious dragon attack. However, just as hope fades, a mysterious power awakens within him.EGGCONSOLE ZANAC MSX (D4 Enterprise, 23rd Jan, $6.49) - Released in 1986 in Japan, ZANAC is a vertically scrolling shooting game. Players pilot the ZANAC fighter to battle the runaway system. ZANAC utilizes both normal shots and special bullets to fight.Escape from Nightmare: Horror Tales (Megame, 23rd Jan, $4.99) - Explore the gloomy corridors of abandoned premises, full of dangers and secrets. Each step can lead to new tricks or unexpected finds. Unravel the history of this cursed place, collecting notes left by previous inhabitants. The atmosphere of the game is filled with tension and fear. Discover dark secrets and show your courage to survive this terrible test.Escape Game The Resort Facility (Regista, 23rd Jan, $4.99) - This game is an escape-the-room game (mystery-adventure game). Point the screen with a cursor to solve riddles, and story goes on.Folk Hero (Smart Space Solutions, 23rd Jan, $11.99) - Folk Hero is an action-slasher with rogue-lite elements set in the world of Slavic fantasy. Explore the ever-changing island, find treasures, combine weapons and artifacts to defeat mythical enemies. Challenge your skills! One life, one try.Golden Rails: Valuable Package Collectors Edition (Ocean Media, 16th Jan, $6.99) - After being chased by bandits and losing some valuable packages, postman Philip turns to his new friends, Jack and Jill, for help in delivering all the remaining packages to their rightful owners. But it's not just a simple delivery task - the bandits are still on the loose and willing to do whatever it takes to get their hands on the rare and valuable packages.Gravitators (eastasiasoft, 23rd Jan, $9.99) - Old-school challenge and style collide with modern advancements and mission design in Gravitators, a twin-stick shooter that puts you in control of 4 different ships as you defend mankind against invasion!GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- Nintendo Switch Edition (ARC SYSTEM WORKS, 23rd Jan, $59.99) - State of the art 2.5D fighting game is coming to Nintendo Switch! Guilty Gear -Strive-, the latest entry of the Guilty Gear series with more than 3 million users worldwide, finally arrives as Guilty Gear -Strive- Nintendo Switch Edition!How to Start Yoga: A Beginners Guide (Cooking & Publishing, 16th Jan, $2.99) - Immerse yourself in the world of yoga with this comprehensive guide, designed to inspire you to improve your physical, mental and emotional well-being. Learn how to increase your flexibility and mobility through a selection of postures explained in detail, from chest openings to gentle stretches. Discover simple techniques that will help you reduce stress, improve sleep quality and look after your postural health.Hunter Simulator : Wild Hunting (16BIT, 24th Jan, $9.99) - Step into the heart of the wild with Hunter Simulator: Wild Hunting, where breathtaking landscapes meet the ultimate hunting challenge. Traverse vast open worlds, from dense forests to towering mountains, as you track elusive prey in an unforgiving environment.Infernitos (Afil Games, 23rd Jan, $4.99) - Take on the role of a mischievous imp chef tasked with crafting devilishly delicious dishes for picky demon patrons. In this fiery puzzle adventure, youll navigate a blazing kitchen, skillfully pushing and delivering dishes to satisfy your infernal clients.Master Of Bow (Zakym, 24th Jan, $4.99) - This charming pixel art puzzle game offers 30 increasingly challenging levels across 3 unique biomes. Deliver dishes by skillfully solving puzzles with a wicked twist!Motorbikes Pro 2025 (Baltoro Minis, 17th Jan, $4.99) - Step into the world of archery where precision and skill are your greatest allies. In Master of Bow, take on the role of a master archer and challenge yourself to hit a variety of targetsfrom straw big targets and wooden smaller moving targets to flying balloons and mannequinsNeptunia Riders VS Dogoos (Idea Factory, 28th Jan, $39.99) - This dimension is different from Gamindustri... Choose from 6 playable characters, scour the land on your trusty bike, and collect as many variants of Dogoos as possible to win! As players progress through 15 Dogoo-filled stages, Uzume must find a way to snap her friends out of their weird fascination with Dogoos! The Dogoo Bounty HunterOsman Gazi (UMURO, 23rd Jan, $9.99) - Take charge of the army with Osman Gazi and witness the foundation of the Ottoman Empire. Play the story of an epic heroism inspired by real people and events. Lead your people! All comrades like alps, balas and chicks are fighting under your leadership.PicoMix by NuSan (Potico Games, 16th Jan, $14.99) - PicoMix by NuSan features games made by creator NuSan over a 8 years period of time. Its a compilation of works in multiple genres, like platform, puzzle, crafting, or base building for a total of about 20 fun games and experiments, some will provide hours of interesting challenges while others can be completed in a few minutes.Portal Balls (Zakym, 24th Jan, $4.99) - PicoMix by NuSan features games made by creator NuSan over a 8 years period of time. Its a compilation of works in multiple genres, like platform, puzzle, crafting, or base building for a total of about 20 fun games and experiments, some will provide hours of interesting challenges while others can be completed in a few minutes.PUNYAN (G-MODE, 16th Jan, $6.99) - PUNNYAN is a falling puzzle and merge game to enjoy together with cute cats living on the Nyanten Island! The game is easy to play with simple controls, but with the addition of original rules, a new puzzle experience awaits you, requiring a deep strategy!Ravenswatch (Nacon, 23rd Jan, $29.99) - Ravenswatch is a top-down roguelike action game that combines intense real-time combat with deep gameplay and high replay value. After the success of Curse of the Dead Gods, Passtech returns with a new formula and game experience that can be played solo or with up to four players in co-op.ROBOT ANARCHY (Infinite Zone, 29th Jan, $4.99) - Prepare for heart-pounding action as you blast through waves of deadly machines across a series of diverse and gripping levels. The game offers a unique mix of intense gunfights, puzzles, and secret areas that keep you on your toes. Built using old-schoold 90's technology to deliver an authentic experience.Save The Doge (NOSTRA GAMES, 23rd Jan, $4.99) - Solving the puzzles and saving the little puppies is the best way to spend your time. Draw the lines accurately, so the angry bees can't even touch our beloved dog.Sliding Cubes 2048 Mania (Zakym, 24th Jan, $3.99) - Immerse yourself in this addictive puzzle game where strategy is key! Merge colorful cubes with matching numbers to create higher-value cubes, like combining two 2s to make a 4, and so on. Your goal is to score as high as possible while keeping the board clear. If more than 20 cubes fill the board, its game over.Strania -The Stella Machina- EX (G.rev, 23rd Jan, $14.99) - The all-out robot action-shooting game "Strania -The Stella Machina-", reminiscent of the good old days of arcade games, has evolved into the EX (Extra) version and will become available on the Nintendo Switch!SUMMER GIRLFRIEND (CyberStep, 16th Jan, $19.90) - With a single sentence from his grandfather, Yuuichi Yagami starts to think about romance for the first time in his life. However, for someone like Yuuichiwho's only ever focused on his family and friendsthe idea of romance is completely foreign and feels like an impossible challenge.Sword of the Necromancer: Resurrection (Grimorio of Games, 23rd Jan, $24.95) - Return to the world of Sword of the Necromancer like never before! Resurrection is a 3D remake of the original game, completely reimagined with new graphics and gameplay mechanics. Dive into an adventure full of emotions, strategy, and action, with an artistic style inspired by the classics of the 6th generation console era, now brought to the modern age.Symphonia (Headup Games, 23rd Jan, $19.99) - In the realm of Symphonia, music acts as a source of life and energy. But since the founders and their orchestra vanished the inhabitants are divided, and the world slowly falls into silence. What if there was a way to gather a new orchestra? That's the question Philemon, the mysterious musician in Symphonia, will have to answer.Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter (United Label, 28th Jan, $24.99) - As Arlo, young heir to the Warden of the Wastes, journey through the vast, snow-ravaged lands of the North in an epic quest to overcome the Dark Wings once and for all. Hunt down giant beasts. Unite disparate clans. Upgrade your settlement. And discover a terrible secret of blood and crownThe Bakery Tales (Loneminded, 24th Jan, $4.99) - The Bakery Tales is a delightful bakery management game where you take the reins of a cozy shop in a bustling town. Choose your menu from a selection of recipes, carefully manage stock and ingredient levels, and ensure smooth operations by hiring and managing staff.The Exit Project: Backstreets (NOSTRA GAMES, 23rd Jan, $9.99) - Do you realize that you are in a very strange place? Everything around you seems normal and ordinary, but look closely. What do you see? Step by step, you're back in the same place you started. Try it again. Look carefully around you. Back again? Then you missed something.Vermitron (Clickteam, 24th Jan, $7.99) - They're Coming! Get ready to defend your lovely Flower from invading insect! Prepare your Bug Spray, Call your Holo-Pet, Fortify base and don't forget your mission: Find the Watering-Can! Vermitron is an Retro styled Arcade Twin-Stick shooter with Tower Defense elements inspired by the classic titles like Robotron, Smash-Tv, Gauntlet or PSSST from ZX-Spectrum.Witch It (Barrel Roll Games GmbH & Co. KG, 16th Jan, $19.90) - Explore and hide within humble villages, exotic islands, and peculiar forests brimming with secrets and surprises for you to discover. Each map contains a variety of prop arrangements, keeping matches unique and exciting every time you play!Worlds of Aria (Ishtar Games, 23rd Jan, $14.99) - Lead your own DnD like adventuring party on an epic exploit narrated by Laura Bailey. Invite your friends for free to the group with the Friends Pass, or strike out on your own. Collaboration, betrayal, and the luck of the dice what wild escapades will you and your companions embark on!What will you be downloading this week? (110 votes)Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles9%Cuisineer5%Achilles: Legends Untold3%Aquarun 0%Arcade Archives ESCAPE KIDS5%Casual Sport Series: Tennis 0%Codename: Ocean Keeper 0.9%Cycle Chaser H-5 0%Dance of Cards 0%Doll Style: Underground Design and Dress 0.9%Dragon Takers 0%Eggconsole Zanac Msx4%Folk Hero 0%Gravitators 0.9%Guilty Gear -Strive-: Nintendo Switch Edition14%Hunter Simulator : Wild Hunting 0%Infernitos 0%Master Of Bow 0%Neptunia Riders Vs Dogoos2%Osman Gazi 0%PicoMix by NuSan 0%Portal Balls 0%Punyan 0%Ravenswatch4%Robot Anarchy 0%Save The Doge 0%Strania -The Stella Machina- EX3%Summer Girlfriend 0.9%Sword of the Necromancer: Resurrection4%Symphonia3%Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter13%The Bakery Tales 0.9%The Exit Project: Backstreets 0%Vermitron 0%Witch It 0.9%Worlds of Aria3%Nothing for me this week25%So that's your lot for this week's North American Nintendo Download. Go on, be a sport and drop a vote in the poll above, and comment below with your hot picks!

Autograph, the $3.1 billion valuation NFT company co-founded by Tom Brady, is merging with the digital fitness company Future. As part of the merger, Brady will join the board of directors of Future and serve as co-chair of the company.Brady co-founded Autograph in 2021 to find ways to connect athletes and artists with fans, ultimately launching an NFT marketplace and raising more than $200 million, according to Pitchbook. The company re-launched late last year without the NFT component as a platform that tracks fan engagements and rewards them for it. It counted the likes of Naomi Osaka and Tony Hawk on its board of advisors and was backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed Venture Partners.Future, meanwhile, connects people with digital fitness coaches and builds personalized fitness routines for users.Autograph faced some challenges, especially after the crypto market crashed and the NFT market cooled. In 2023, the company had layoffs and at one point was down to 30 people, as reported by Fast Company.Rishi Mandal, co-founder and CEO of Future, made the announcement on LinkedIn. Speaking to TechCrunch, Mandal said he and Brady met through a mutual friend. They discussed partnerships, but ultimately decided they should be one company, he said. While all parties are calling this a merger, not an acquisition, the company will retain the name Future. Mandal said it was too early to announce new products, but said that Future will look to combine Autographs celebrity connections with Futures athletic mission. The goal is to find a way to let people train with top athletes and receive expert coaching.Future has raised more than $100 million and was last publicly valued at $275 million, according to Pitchbook.

A security researcher found a hidden unreleased feature in the Waymo app that allowed her to display whatever characters she wanted on the robotaxis top display.Jane Manchun Wong, a well-known security researcher, posted an image on X on Saturday showing the top display of a Waymo car officially called dome that included her X handle, and other strings of characters.I hacked my Waymo into showing weird texts like empty string, wongmjane, and emojis as the Car ID, pls dont ban me or patch it @waymo lol, she wrote.Wong, who lives in San Francisco, told TechCrunch that she was able to customize the characters on the self-driving Jaguar I-Pace dome by fiddling with the Waymo mobile app on her Android phone as she waited for the robotaxi to show up.The good old magic of messing around with the Waymo mobile app. I guess their servers didnt validate the input for the Car ID from non-employees, said Wong. So no jailbreaking or rooting the car itself. All I did was change the Car ID to something beyond what itd normally accept. A pretty harmless thing I suppose.Despite her pleas, it appears Waymo updated the app to stop riders from customizing the dome like Wong did. On Tuesday, Wong posted an update saying she was not able to change the Car ID anymore.Waymo spokesperson Sandy Karp confirmed that Wong found a hidden feature, and the company shut it down for regular users like Wong.Jane identified an unreleased feature given her advanced Android knowledge, Karp told TechCrunch. We have restricted access to the dome display features.In 2020, Waymo announced that it added moving LEDs to its dome so that it can act as a mechanism for riders to identify the vehicle day and night and know which vehicle is theirs when there may be more than one Waymo car waiting.The dome is also used to communicate with pedestrians that the car is yielding to them, or to cyclists that the passenger is about to open the cars door. And the company has also used the display for marketing purposes.

Execs 20-year career began at Lucasfilm/ILM; has worked on a diverse range of projects, from Star Wars to campaigns and collaborations with Ferrari, Lady Gaga, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

To close out 2024, the AIAs Architecture Billings Index (ABI) reported another drop. After a turnaround in October where an increase in billings was reported (one of only two upticks since October 2022), in December the score fell again to 44.1any number below 50 indicates a decline in billings. Despite the dip in billings, the AIA noted in its report that inquiries into new projects continue to be on the up and up, albeit at a slower rate than what we have been seeing. The value of newly signed design contracts has, however, dropped.AIA chief economist Kermit Baker summed up Decembers decline succinctly and also ruminated on the uncertainty of this upcoming year in a statement: While there were signs that the design cycle was bottoming out in the fourth quarter, the December reading indicated a step back, Baker said. There remains considerable uncertainty as to the feasibility of many planned construction projects, so the wait-and-see period is extending into 2025. In addition to reporting a national score, each month the AIA breaks down the billings index by region and building sector. In December, the West reported a strong 52.2, indicating an increase in billings, while the other regions all reported declines, with their scores each falling under that coveted 50 mark. The region with the lowest was again the Northeast, 41.7.No particular sector saw any significant upward movement in billings from the previous period. Firms reported the lowest amount of billings decline from institutional projects. Concern over inflation was pervasive throughout 2024 and will likely only increase throughout 2025. In its report the AIA cited the University of Michigans most recent Index of Consumer Sentiment, the results show a spike in consumer concern about inflation over the next six months, the AIA shared.Worries over increasing costs for products, goods, and services had waned slightly when the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates. Already, President Donald Trump has said he plans to add tariffs on goods coming from China, as well as bordering U.S. neighbors, Mexico and Canada. With interest rates likely to not drop much more than they already have, financing for projects and construction work is on the line.

In Gretna, Louisiana, a historic city just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans, an old Italianate schoolhouse from 1911 by Stevens and Nelson Architects was recently repurposed into coworking space. The old Gretna Primary School building sat vacant for nearly fifty years before it was transformed by Studio BKA, a local firm that specializes in historic preservation.Today, the former schoolhouse in the lush Gretna Cultural District houses Primary Workspace. The idea to reuse the building for shared offices reflects recent trends in Gretna, where the city has had an influx of remote workers in recent years, the architects said.As a result of prolonged vacancy, the grandiose building sustained some water damage, but many of its original features were restored. Meanwhile, newly added features incorporate art deco motifs, which contrast nicely with the original Italianate architecture.The buildings signature feature is its proscenium arch. (Courtesy Studio BKA)Users enter Primary Workspace from its signature main common area after having transcended a second floor entrance. Here, the walls were lined in walnut millwork. The lobby areas ornamental casings and carpentry were restored, but the floor materials were swapped out with new, black and white marble tiles laid out in a checkered pattern. From here, visitors enter toward a grand split staircase which then feeds to two historic corridors.Private booths were tucked under the mezzanine to form private working spaces furnished with velvet-upholstered booths and a wood table designed for ample work space.Work booths were placed under the mezzanine. (Courtesy Studio BKA)Split stairwell (Courtesy Studio BKA)A palatial 2-story auditorium space remains one of the most historic elements. This is the location of the buildings grandest feature: A plaster proscenium arch that frames the auditorium. That component hangs from joists in the attic. Much of the redesign was in response to the proscenium arch, which the architects sough to emphasize. Toward that end, common amenity spaces are inserted beneath it and, during events, the stage is oriented on axis with the arch. Hot desks were installed in various locations on the stage, while its front was lined with more velvet-upholstered seating.In the main coworking area there are numerous seating and workspace options for tenants to choose from. (Courtesy Studio BKA)Primary Workspace also touts expansive, historic corridors washed in natural light thanks to grand double-hung windows. All of these features were restored for the project. Users have access to private offices, conference and meeting rooms, mail rooms, and phone booths which branch off of the historic corridors. Several small hot desks and meeting tables were peppered within those spaces.The furniture choices provide perhaps the most contemporary accent within the historic space, creating for an attractive coworking hub in touch with the past.