PUBG maker Krafton delivered record revenue and operating profit during the last fiscal year.As noted in its fiscal report for the year ended December 31, 2024, full-year revenue increased by 41.8 percent year-on-year to KRW 2.7 trillion ($1.85 billion). Operating profit rose by 54 percent year-on-year to KRW 1.2 trillion ($825.7 million).The South Korean company said both of those figures represent all-time highs and were driven by the "continued expansion and sustainability of the PUBG IP."Digging into the performance of its flagship franchise, Krafton said PUBG achieved its best revenue return on PC since 2018, while Battlegrounds Mobile India also delivered record-high traffic and revenue.Krafton said it's committed to making "bold investments" in the franchise to ensure its success as an evergreen, multi-platform series.The company currently has four new PUBG projects in development including an extraction shooter, tactical shooter, console-focused battle royale, and a hybrid casual project with less violence capable of targeting the "next generation" of playerswhich it views as children aged 12 and over.The company said those work-in-progress entries in the PUBG universe will focus on "core gameplay validation and team building with a long-term perspective."As explained by Krafton CEO CH Kim earlier this year, the company also believes it can leverage AI technology to push the franchise forward."While continuing to expand the PUBG IP, we will accelerate the discovery of a new franchise IP to further reinforce our competitive edge in the global gaming market," explained Kim, discussing the company's latest fiscal report."With our AI technology defining the future of gaming experiences, we aim to evolve beyond game development as a company that ultimately advances the global entertainment ecosystem.Krafton attempting to birth another colossal IP after PUBG proves its worthOutlining its strategy for 2025, Krafton pledged to make "aggressive" investments into its production capabilities to secure a "big franchise IP."In an earnings presentation, Krafton indicated it will invest in personnel, outsourcing, rent, leadership teams, and other "specialised" areas.Last year, the company added a notable weapon to its production arsenal with the acquisition of HI-FI Rush maker Tango Gameworkswhich had been on the brink of closure under previous owner Microsoft.With more investments on the horizon, Krafton expects development costs to increase by KRW 300 billion ($206 million) annually over the next five years. Itl will also strive to publish more titles during that time.Krafton believes its bid to deliver a colossal franchise represents an "all-out challenge" that can only be realised by "discovering new opportunities in games through originality."The company already has a roster of titles in the pipeline it believes could fit the bill, including life simulation title Inzoi, mobile extraction RPG Dark and Darker, survival adventure Subnautica 2, and frontier life simulation Dinkum Together.After firming up its vision for the next half-decade, Krafton has set itself a target of earning KRW 7 trillion ($4.8 billion) in annual revenue before 2030.

AI chatbots struggle with factual inaccuracies and distortions when summarizing news stories, research from the BBC has found. The study, which examined whether OpenAIs ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Perplexity can accurately summarize news, found more than half of all the AI-generated output had significant issues of some form.As part of the study, the BBC asked ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Perplexity to provide summaries of 100 BBC news articles, while journalists reviewed their answers. In addition to finding major issues in 51 percent of responses, the BBC found that 19 percent of answers citing the BBC included incorrect statements, numbers, and dates. Meanwhile, 13 percent of quotes from the BBC were either altered from the original source or not present in the article cited.The study highlighted some examples, including Gemini incorrectly stating that the UKs National Health Service (NHS) advises people not to start vaping, and recommends that smokers who want to quit should use other methods. However, the NHS actually recommends vaping to quit smoking. Another example: in December 2024, ChatGPT claimed Ismail Haniyeh was part of Hamas leadership even though he was assassinated in July 2024.Overall, the study found Geminis responses raised the most concerns, as 46 percent were flagged as having significant issues with accuracy. The Verge reached out to OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Perplexity with requests for comment but didnt immediately hear back.Last year, the BBC called out Apples new AI-powered news summaries for inaccurately rewriting one of its headlines. Apple responded by pausing summaries for news and entertainment apps, as well as making AI notification summaries more distinct from standard notifications.In a response to the study, Deborah Turness, the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, called on tech companies to address issues with inaccuracy. We live in troubled times, and how long will it be before an AI-distorted headline causes significant real world harm? Turness wrote. Wed like other tech companies to hear our concerns, just as Apple did. Its time for us to work together the news industry, tech companies and of course government too has a big role to play here.See More:

President Donald Trump wants to make America incandescent again. He posted on his social media platform Truth Social that he plans to end Biden-era standards for lightbulbs that accelerated the adoption of LED lighting.According to that post, hell direct his appointee Lee Zeldin to go back to the common sense standards, for lightbulbs. Zeldin is the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, although Trump calls him secretary in his post. And while Trump singled out Zeldin, its the Department ofEnergythat sets efficiency standards for light bulbs and appliances.Trump said hes going to sign orders to reinstate standards that were in place during his first term. Along with lightbulbs, the president indicated he would weaken standards for sinks, showers, toilets, washing machines, and dishwashers.Trump has been crusading against more efficient lightbulbs since his first term as president, saying at the time you look better with incandescent lights and that of course being a vain person, thats very important to me.Of course being a vain person, thats very important to me.On a more serious note, his administration has taken aim atenergyefficiency initiativesas part of a broader effort to derail action onclimate changeand promote fossil fuels. He signed a sweepingexecutive ordercalled Unleashing American Energy on his first day in office that includes safeguard[ing] the American peoples freedom to choose from a variety of goods and appliances, including but not limited to lightbulbs.Oil and gas companies pumped more than $75 million into Trumps campaign and Republican efforts during the last election cycle, and now theyre reaping the rewards. Trump picked fossil fuel executive Chris Wright to lead the Department of Energy (DOE), which set higher efficiency standards for lightbulbs before he stepped into office.The US has been trying to phase out inefficient lightbulbs since 2007, when George Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act into law. Trump rolled back those standards in 2019. Then the Biden administration introduced stricter rules on energy efficiency that most incandescent bulbs couldnt meet.Old-school incandescent bulbs are far less efficient than their newer counterparts because they lose about 90 percent of their energy as heat. Household LEDs typically use at least 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and can last up to 25 times longer. And while upfront costs for an LED bulb tends to be higher, an LED is supposed to save consumers money in the long run because of its longevity and through lower electricity bills. Its no wonder, then, that the LED is already the leading lighting technology in homes globally, according to the International Energy Agency.

After several years of layoffs following their 2020 IPO that cumulated in the ousting of CEO John Riccitiello, it had seemed that Unity was finally on solid footings going forward. Under new CEO Matthew Bromberg the state of Unity seemed to be heading in the right direction. Unfortunately, as reported by 80lv it seems the layoffs are not yet over. This morning the following memo was circulated by the CEO inside Unity describing the restructuring that is about to occur:Folks,We are making some important organizational changes today within the CTO, Engine Product, and Ads teams. These changes are a response to choices were making about what direction Unity will take in the future, and some of our colleagues jobs will be impacted.What follows provides some detail on the rationale behind the decisions weve made and how those decisions will be implemented. I know that there is some exhaustion associated with prior changes at Unity that havent delivered the promised results, but 2025 is going to be the year where we bring to market products and services that will transform our position in the marketplace and provide a springboard to long-term growth.The EngineOur product and engineering teams are currently stretched across too many products, creating complexity and limiting impact. Historically, weve engaged in extended debates about what our focus would be, which would prevent crisp decision making and limit release velocity. We also added people and created operating structures that were meant to speed us up, only to find they were slowing us down. Under the leadership of Steve Collins, Shanti Gaudreault, Andie Nordgren, and Adam Smith, we are changing this approach. Some principles well be following:Optimize around fidelity for ubiquity: While well always try to enable the best quality graphics we can, our primary directive is to help customers reach the widest possible audience across platforms and devices.Improve the customer experience today: While we wont sacrifice innovation, we need a better balance between looking ahead and shipping higher quality, better performing, more stable software. We are going to invest in stability by tackling critical technical debt, making it easier for customers to build and run games while reducing risks tied to outdated technologies. To innovate, we must first strengthen our existing foundation.Platform extensibility: Our platforms extensibility is its greatest strength. Well double down on this by allowing customers and partners to build on our core capabilities with strong support.Invest in Industry, Live Services, and AI.Data is our future: Our engine customers need better insight into player behavior and Runtime stability, and our advertising customers need better ROI to grow their games. The Runtime must enable both.As part of this new approach, we are also bringing key technical teams together to ensure all product decisions directly support our new principles. Pierre-Paul Girouxs AI group and Amar Mehtas Central Technology Services team are joining the CTO organization, with both Pierre-Paul and Amar reporting directly to Steve.Advertising Products, Engineering and RevenueTwo years on from the merger with ironSource, it is time to bring our go-to market teams, technology, and product offering together, integrating them directly into the Unity ecosystem so that our customers can gain a competitive edge in the market.In 2025, in conjunction with completing the rebuild of our machine learning stack, well integrate Unity Ads, Unity LevelPlay, and the Tapjoy offerwall into the Runtime so that they are on the same cloud and data platform and share a single data set. Our Ads revenue teams will then require some modification to align fully with our product and engineering teams, and well be able to streamline our data science and ad serving teams as well.We are splitting the revenue organization into two global teams Supply and Demand which will be led from EMEA and the U.S., respectively.This will allow the Demand leader in the U.S. to be closer to the PE teams working on the machine learning and data initiatives that will have the greatest impact on our advertising customers.The Supply team will align more closely with the relevant PE teams in Tel Aviv and EMEA for smoother coordination, and will own supply sales, LevelPlay and Offerwall integrations, and tech support.The product and engineering teams for the ironSource ad network will remain as a cohesive, standalone team that can move fast and adjust to customer needs with no investment in tech migrations. This will create two distinct paths for each network to thrive, and ensure we can maintain growth in our current business while evolving as quickly as we can to meet the challenges in the marketplace.As part of this change, we also want to consolidate the Ads leadership in the U.S., and therefore in a few months, after completing the transition and ensuring were set up for success, Nadav Ashkenazy will hand over the CRO responsibility to a new leader in North America. Nadav wears many hats at Unity leader of the Ads revenue org, GM of Supersonic, and site leader of Tel Aviv. I want to extend my deep gratitude to him for his leadership, dedication, and the amazing job hes done leading our Tel Aviv office. Im very grateful for his partnership.Thats the gist of what we are doing and why. People whose roles are being eliminated or those entering an employment consultation period will be notified over the course of the next couple of days, with instructions on next steps. We expect all notifications to be completed by EOD on Feb 12.I want to thank each impacted colleague for their contributions to Unity. Well do everything we can to handle these difficult changes with a lot of care and consideration, and to support impacted employees through this transition. Please remember to take care of yourselves as well. Confidential support through Lyra is available if you need it, and well extend access to mental health benefits to those who are leaving.If you have questions or concerns, dont hesitate to reach out to your manager, an executive leader, or #ask-hr. More details about the changes and updated org charts will be added to this intranet page.Starting later this week, Ill be sharing more about our 2025 strategy in a series of Town Halls in Montreal, Tel Aviv, Copenhagen, Seoul, Tokyo, and San Francisco, where Ill also be able to answer your questions about how these changes support that strategy. The first Town Hall will be global and I will host it in Montreal tomorrow. I look forward to seeing many of you both in person and virtually then.MattOur heart goes out to all of the employees at Unity Technologies that are impacted by the latest round of layoffs, which hopefully are the last of them. You can learn more about the layoffs and restructuring at Unity in the video below.

Fab February 2025 Free Asset Giveaway #2 / News / February 11, 2025 / Assets, Free, UnrealEvery other Tuesday we get anUnreal EngineFab marketplace giveaway, and this Tuesday is no exception. You can get three free game development assets during the next two weeks; all of the assets work in Unreal natively as well as one asset being available for the Unity game engine. If you are using a different game engine or tool, we have guides below that instruct you on how to export from Unreal Engine to other engines such as Godot, Blender or Unity for example. These assets will be available until February 25th, 2025, when hopefully they will be replaced with 3 more free assets.This weeks free assets include:You can see all of these assets in action in thevideobelow.If you are interested in getting these assets into other game engines, check out our various guides available here:

Fanatical's BundleFest 2025 has just dropped an exciting new collection for PC players to jump on. For a limited time, you can build your own Capcom bundle from a fantastic collection of games including Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, Ace Attorney, Resident Evil, Mega Man and quite a few more. This bundle starts from two games for $12.99 (which comes to $6.50 per game), and you can keep building up your bundle from there.Head to the link below to start building your Capcom bundle today. We've also included a list of all the games included with this deal so you can have a better idea of what's available right away.Build Your Own Capcom Bundle at FanaticalBuild Your Own Capcom BundleSee it at FanaticalGames Included in Fanaticals Build Your Own Capcom BundleThe Great Ace Attorney ChroniclesGhost Trick: Phantom DetectivePhoenix Wright: Ace Attorney TrilogyOnimusha: Warlords / Devil May Cry 5 + VergilMarvel vs. Capcom: Infinite - Digital DeluxeRESIDENT EVIL 2 / BIOHAZARD RE:2Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy CollectionRESIDENT EVIL 3Mega Man X Legacy CollectionMega Man X Legacy Collection 2Capcom Beat 'Em Up BundleMega Man 11Devil May Cry 4 Special EditionRESIDENT EVIL 7 biohazardDead Rising 4 - Frank's Big PackageResident Evil & Resident Evil 0 Double PackResident Evil 4 (2005) & Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition Double PackDmC: Devil May CryStreet Fighter: 30th Anniversary CollectionStreet Fighter V: Champion EditionThis bundle just scratches the surface of what's out there right now in terms of gaming deals. To see the latest discounts for each platform, have a look at our individual roundups of the best PlayStation deals, the best Xbox deals, and the best Nintendo Switch deals. Our overall roundup of the best video game deals is another great place to look that gathers up the highlights from each console alongside even more PC gaming deals.Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

While Henry Cavill may be the most famous actor to have played Geralt of Rivia, hes not the first name many will think of when discussing The Witcher. Certainly amongst the gaming community, Doug Cockle the voice of Geralt in CD Projekt Reds series of critically acclaimed RPGs is considered the original and ultimate white wolf. But the paths of Cavill and Cockles Geralts have now merged, with Cockle bringing his unmistakable voice to Netflixs interpretation of the character in the new animated movie, The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep. While hes not playing the same version of Geralt who appears in the games, Cockle was not asked to alter his performance to sound more like or include the mannerisms of Henry Cavill or Liam Hemsworth, who replaces Cavill as Geralt in the next season of the live-action show. This creative decision meant Cockle was able to draw upon the same method and approach that created the unmistakably gravelly tones of his Geralt of Rivia. And so youll still hear the same voice youve known and loved for nearly 20 years. PlayCockle formulated that voice back in 2005 when recording dialogue for the first Witcher video game. The thing I found most challenging about recording Witcher 1 was actually the voice itself, Cockle recalls. When I first started recording the game, (Geralts) voice was very, very far down in my register. It was something I had to push towards.At the time there was little guidance as to how long voice actors should spend recording in a single session, and so Cockle was spending eight or nine hours per day delivering that gravelly voice. I was going back to my hotel just going, Wow, my throat is ripped, he recalls. The struggle continued into the recording of The Witcher 2 a few years later, but Cockles vocal chords eventually strengthened and began attuned to what was required of them a process he sheepishly likens to an athlete's muscles getting into shape. As soon as The Last Wish came out in English, I tore through it.Cockles vocal chords adapting to better support Geralts voice wasnt the only major change that happened during the development of the second game, though. The books started to come out in English while I was recording Witcher 2, he explains. Before that, it was the developers from CD Projekt Red who taught me everything I needed to know about Geralt. So as soon as The Last Wish came out in English, I was down at the bookstore buying it, and I tore through it. And I understood things about Geralt just from reading just that one book that I didn't understand at all before. The developers kept saying, He's emotionless, Cockle says. And I was like, Okay, I get it, I get it, but I'm an actor. I want to play with emotions. But I better understood [when reading] the book why they were pushing for as flat as possible of an emotional life for him.Doug Cockle's Geralt appears alongside Joey Batey's Jaskier and other members of the Netflix cast. | Image credit: NetflixCockle immediately fell in love with the books, noting that author Andrzej Sapkowski is such a wonderful writer. Having grown up on Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings, Cockle quickly forged a connection with this new fantasy universe. Of all Sapkowskis novels, he most fondly remembers Season of Storms. Its a story hed love to be a part of, should Netflix ever need a voice for Geralt again. It's one of those stories that when I read it, I was like, Oh, this is horrible. This is awful. [But] it's thrilling at the same time, he says. There's some really graphic fight scenes that Sapkowski gives to us, and I think that would be a really fun story to turn into an anime or a TV episode.I enjoy the gravitas of Geralt when he's all serious and mopey and whatever, but I do also like those moments when he's trying to be light.Maybe well see that story in the future, but right now Dougs Geralt can be seen and heard in Sirens of the Deep, Netflixs latest animated Witcher adventure. Based on the short story A Little Sacrifice from the Sword of Destiny collection, its a dark and twisted interpretation of Hans Christian Andersens The Little Mermaid. After a mermaid and a human prince fall in love, Geralt finds himself caught up in a conflict between two very different kingdoms. But while theres plenty of blood-splattering action and serious political drama, its the storys lighter moments that interest Cockle the most. He notes a humorous conversation between Geralt and Jaskier, where both are sitting around a campfire after a long day, as a good example of that lightness. The scene demonstrates Geralts softer side, which is often overlooked as an important part of the monster hunters personality. Part of liking acting is liking all those different aspects of a character's personality and the different choices that could be made and how they might approach those choices, Cockle explains. I enjoy the gravitas of Geralt when he's all serious and mopey and whatever, but I do also like those moments when he's trying to be light. When he's trying to crack a joke and it just doesn't go very well for him most of the time because he's just not funny.The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep Geeked Week 2024 Teaser StillsWhile much of Cockles work on Sirens of the Deep simply required him to use a voice thats become second nature, the anime did pose a unique challenge: learning how to speak mermaid. Yes, for the first time in his career, Cockle had to perform in a fictional language. I found doing this really difficult, he confesses. I got phonetic spellings of the words and things so I could get familiar with it and hopefully be okay on the day. And then I got in front of the mic and it wasn't like performance anxiety or anything like that, it's just that it was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. Things should be much easier when Cockle returns to the world of video games in The Witcher 4, which was revealed with an exciting trailer at The Game Awards last year. Returning to his original version of Geralt should be like putting on an old pair of favourite slippers. Even easier, actually, because he wont have to record anywhere near the amount of dialogue that he did for the previous three games. This time around Geralt is set to be a supporting character in a story that puts Ciri, his adoptive daughter, in the protagonist role. PlayNaturally, Cockle has little to say about The Witcher 4. He claims to only know as much about it as we do. But hes eager to see what happens in CDPRs next chapter of The Witcher story, and thinks it's already headed in the right direction. I think it's a really good move, he says of switching the storys perspective from Geralt to Ciri. I mean, I always thought that continuing the saga, but shifting to Ciri would be a really, really interesting move for all kinds of reasons, but mostly because of things that happen in the books, which I don't want to give away because people, I want people to go read. So yeah, I think it's really exciting. I can't wait. I can't wait to see what they've done.To learn more about what CD Projekt Red is planning, take a look at our in-depth interview with the creators of The Witcher 4. And to see more of Doug Cockle, be sure to watch The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep on Netflix, or find him on Instagram, Cameo, and X. Matt Purslow is IGN's Senior Features Editor.

At first blush, South of Midnight could be described as a classic action-adventure: a heroine thrust from ordinary life into a remarkable journey; magical weapons and abilities; ability skill trees. But spend just a few minutes with it, and that feeling simply floats away. Weve never seen a gaming world quite like this. In playing through its full third chapter, its a revelation that strikes again and again this setting, this story, these ideas, even the music are something brand new, all underpinned by challenging combat and blissful exploration along the way.The preview begins as our hero, Hazel, has already set off to find her mother, whos been swept away by a flood. Before we step into her sneakers, shes discovered shes a Weaver, able to wield an ancient form of magic that allows her to fight and explore by pulling on the once-invisible threads holding reality together. But around her, that reality seems to be warping. We step into a Deep South-inspired countryside that Hazel doesnt recognize and that is, in places, actively hostile to her.Catch up on the story of South of Midnight.Trailers have showed us a lot of the world and story of South of Midnight, but getting your hands on it reveals the tight, action-focused game simmering underneath. As you travel the world, youll see shimmering spheres of energy, refracting light like an oil-slicked puddle. Entering one will see you facing off against Haints, creatures from real Southern folklore. These creatures come in various forms some rush you, pulling off melee flurries, others flee for ranged attacks, while some simply pump out grotesque insects to harry you. It quickly becomes an element of strategy to work out which Haint needs to be taken down first in any given situation.South of Midnight doesnt pull its punches here. Combat is tricky, often pitting you against multiple Haints at once, each able to lop off chunks of your health-bar in a single hit. It transforms into a lean, fast action game in these moments youll flit around shimmering arenas switching up your attacks to cope. Melee combos are the obvious fixtures, able to take down enemies quickest, but leaving you open to follow-ups. Youll also have magic at your disposal; enemies can be pushed and pulled (you can even fling smaller enemies as an ersatz weapon), or tied down with magical strands. Upgrades allow you to specialize further I quickly opted for a passive ability that made tied enemies take more damage, allowing me to neutralize and take down major threats quickly. Aggression is key here even a perfect dodge becomes an attack, setting off a blast of weaving magic where you once stood. Its a great first impression theres more ticking away under the surface of combat than you might expect.And none of this is to speak to how it moves. Each character has been built to mimic the looks of hand-crafted stop-motion maquettes in cutscenes, they take on a gorgeous, almost uncanny movement style that echoes the animation classics it draws from. When you take control, however, its beautifully smooth, each of your actions reacting to your button presses immediately, never losing the immediacy of an action game. The added art is in how smoothly Compulsion transitions between the two.Then theres the world around those characters. Islands jut out of mangrove swamps, abandoned shacks and tumbledown walkways failing to withstand natures chokehold around them. Huge tangles of thorns block your path, and giant peaches bob, gently rotting in the water. Reach higher ground, and youll find that, despite the traversable spaces being compact knots of smart level design, the world you can see extends far beyond what you can actually touch, offering a sense of huge scale to your travels. Its a thrillingly unfamiliar location for a game, all pulled together by incredible lighting, a low sun casting soupy beams through the knotted treeline and low-hanging mist enveloping you.Getting around this world is a matter of using your Weaving powers (all your combat magic can be used in exploration, too) conjuring remnants of the past back into existence to help you platform around, gliding across the flooded landscape, and using your powers to push and pull the world around you to uncover paths to hidden details. Theres a specific path to follow (which you can be guided along with a click of the right stick), but nooks and crannies hold upgrade materials for your abilities, not to mention narrative-widening notes. Understanding your powers, and the clues given by the world around you, will see you spending just as much time off the beaten path as on it.Once youve decided to follow the golden path, however, you meet Catfish, the games combined narrator/companion character, whos currently trapped in the clutches of a humanoid tree the mission he gives you works on something like dream logic. To secure his release, you need to collect a magic bottle from a bottle tree (you can see one on the games logo), and use it to absorb the latent psychic pain thats twisting the tree, and the area around it.While this may sound a bit whimsical, the trauma youre trying to heal is quickly revealed to be spectacularly dark without spoiling anything, youll slowly learn the story of how this part of the world has transformed a regular man into a horizon-blocking tree through a (tragically shortened) lifetime of torment.Its another facet of South of Midnight that feels refreshingly new just like the combat, this story doesnt hold back. Hazel isnt afraid to swear (lets face it, you would too if you were in her situation), and the stories she uncovers are far from the fairytales were used to. Compulsion Games has always called this a Southern Gothic tale, and thats incredibly evident the tales it tells can be truly bleak, and theres no flinching from the horror thats suffused this world. Hazels role as a Weaver is to mend whats broken and this world is very broken.But South of Midnight has more surprises in store. Just as you feel you have a handle on the flow of combat and exploration, the preview enters its final stages by turning the tables on you something unkillable begins to chase you, and combat quickly turns to escape. In a thrilling sequence, the gentle platforming youve been doing suddenly becomes a survival method, asking you to string together jumps, glides, and wall runs to get back to safety. South of Midnight is willing to shift things on a dime, changing the form of the game youre playing under your feet.The previews standout final sequence does this all over again. We already knew that every major area in the game will feature a Mythical Creature gigantic obstacles drawn from real folklore, standing in Hazels way. But here, we realize that not all of the Mythical Creatures will end with the expected boss battle. Youre ultimately a healer, not a destroyer, and in this case, that giant tree youre aiming to cure isnt a threat its just hurt. The climax of this level sees you scaling your way up, offering an incredible view of everywhere youve just journeyed, not to kill your target, but heal its wound.As you take on this platforming challenge, the games music reflects your ascent. Throughout the level, youll have heard snatches of a song float like mist across the soundtrack, but as you climb, that song comes to life, telling the tale youve pieced together, offering more information for every bough you reach. Its a marriage of gameplay, story, and music in a single moment theres nothing quite like it.And that goes for this game as a whole a single level reveals how Compulsion Games has created something truly unique. If theres so much that feels new, this early in the game, that only makes its mysteries further down the line all the more compelling.South of Midnight will be available on April 8, 2025, on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox App for Windows PC, Steam and cloud, and arrives on day one with Game Pass. If you want to immerse yourself into the macabre and fantastical world of South of Midnight early, get the Premium Edition to play up to 5 days early, and get access to digital extras.South of Midnight Premium EditionXbox Game Studios$49.99Pre-orderImmerse yourself into the macabre and fantastical world of South of Midnight with the Premium Edition, which includes the full game, up to 5 days early access, and digital access (in English) to: South of Midnight Artbook Original Soundtrack composed by Olivier DeriviereThe Boo-Hag Comic book by Rob GuilloryMusic Video: Songs & Tales of South of Midnight Documentary: Weaving Hazels Journey, Directors CutUNRAVEL THE PAST From the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family's shared past and if she's lucky find her way to a place that feels like home. A DARK MODERN FOLKTALE When a hurricane rips through Prospero, Hazel is pulled into a Southern Gothic world of memory made real and must embark on a journey to rescue her mother and safeguard her hometown. In this folktale for modern times, Hazel will need to reconcile the weight of family, history, and legacy against her own identity. CONFRONT MYTHICAL CREATURES Wield an ancient power to restore creatures and uncover the traumas that consume them. Cast weaving magic to fight destructive Haints, explore the diverse regions of the South, and reweave the tears in the Grand Tapestry. HAUNTING BEAUTY OF THE GOTHIC SOUTH Discover the lush, decayed county of Prospero and its locals. Experience a crafted visual style, touching storytelling, and immersive music inspired by the complex and rich history of the South. South of MidnightXbox Game Studios$39.99Pre-orderFrom the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family's shared past and if she's lucky find her way to a place that feels like home.A DARK MODERN FOLKTALE When a hurricane rips through Prospero, Hazel is pulled into a Southern Gothic world of memory made real and must embark on a journey to rescue her mother and safeguard her hometown. In this folktale for modern times, Hazel will need to reconcile the weight of family, history, and legacy against her own identity.CONFRONT MYTHICAL CREATURESWield an ancient power to restore creatures and uncover the traumas that consume them. Cast weaving magic to fight destructive Haints, explore the diverse regions of the South, and reweave the tears in the Grand Tapestry.HAUNTING BEAUTY OF THE GOTHIC SOUTHDiscover the lush, decayed county of Prospero and its locals. Experience a crafted visual style, touching storytelling, and immersive music inspired by the complex and rich history of the South.

As trends like pattern drenching and intentional clutter are going mainstream in 2025, it only makes sense that maximalism is seeing a resurgence. However, there's a fine line between living in a maximalist wonderland...and simply having too much stuff. For most of us, it can be hard to capture this busy aesthetic without your home ending up looking like a hodgepodge of tchotchkes. But don't fretwe've found the best maximalism decor ideas straight from some of our favorite designer spaces to serve as a guide for your own interiors. While over-the-top decorating can require a little more editing and curating than it seems at first glance, maximalism allows you to display a broader range of palettes, textures, and silhouettes than most any other design style. If you're curious about how to max out the more-is-more aesthetic in your home without cluttering things up too much, keep reading to find fresh ways to decorate. We've rounded up 23 maximalism decor ideas that'll help you bring your vision to life. For more maximalist design inspiration:1Infuse Nature MotifsJenna PeffleyWhen Heather French, one half of the design duo behind French & French Interiors, redesigned her daughter Islas bedroom, she incorporated plenty of nature motifs and florals into the maximalist room. "Isla wanted it to feel like a sunset and a sunrise," Heather says, referencing her daughters Pinterest Board of peaches, yellows, and plenty of patterns for inspiration.Tour the Entire Home2Pair Checks and StripesJenna PeffleyMixing patterns is not new in maximalist design, but the duo at French & French brings a new and intriguing way to try the stripes-and-checks combination. "I love checks and stripes mixed with florals, so I just went for it," Heather says. The floral striped pattern adds more dimension to the space than solid stripes would, and it emphasizes the uniqueness of the bathroom. Tour the Entire SpaceRelated Story: 14 Ways to Incorporate the Checkerboard Trend Into Your HomeAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below3Lean Into the DramaticsJenna PeffleyYou should have a few standout pieces in your maximalist space to create visual balance, and Heather French decided to go with a dramatic red paint color to do just that in her library. She painted the bookshelves a beautiful brick red and used the hue for details around the space, balancing out the warmth with a cool blue patterned wallpaper on the ceiling.Tour the Entire Home4Put Energy Into the Small SpacesChristian HarderSmall spaces almost work better with a maximalist aesthetic than minimalist ones because you can create truly transformative vignettes. In this windowless powder room by Serena Dugan, the designer chose to create a jewel box space, complete with custom lighting, a playful floral wallpaper, and a stunning pink and green stone countertop.Tour the Entire HomeRelated Story: Inside the Studio Barn Where Serena Dugan Paintsand PartiesAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below5Add Patterned TileMatthew NiemannCreate a large-scale pattern on the wall with a bunch of individual tiles. Galeana Younger of Galeana Group says that they used four different tile patterns to create this chevron print in her mothers playful and vibrant maximalist kitchen.Tour the Entire Home6Dont Skimp on the DraperyMatthew NiemannUse differently colored and patterned curtains to create a vibrant, maximalist cocoon in the bedroom. Younger says, I like that the curtain and canopy not only provide a pop of color and drama but also create a smooth, streamlined place for the bed. Plus, it makes her mothers bedroom feel regal.Tour the Entire HomeAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below7Try Pattern DrenchingAime MazzengaPattern drenching is the year's hottest design trend when it comes to maximalist decorating. Look to designer Wendy Labrum for inspiration on how you can pattern drench without the resulting space feeling too busy. Its still maximalist, but a little more held back than some other options on this list. Tour the Entire HomeRelated Story: Pattern Drenching Is a Must-Try Trend With Enduring Appeal8Choose Chunky FramesEmily Minton RedfieldA gallery wall is to maximalism as shiplap is to farmhouse. In the iconic words of Miranda Priestley, "Groundbreaking," we know. However, Truss Interiors did not come to play with this gallery wall composed of a healthy number of dark prints and chunky picture frames. A variety in the size of your artwork is important, and using frames that look like art themselves gives your gallery wall a rich and exciting look.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below9Stack Your BooksCourtesy of Fran Keenan"This 1970s original living room was the perfect backdrop for our client's forever-growing collection of books and collectibles," designer Fran Keenan of Fran Keenan Design explains. "Her love of fabric, color, and 'anything goes' approach is evident here and makes a potentially intimidating room feel fun and cozy." This bookshelf wealthstyle living room, with art and accessories sprinkled in throughout the books, is a stunning example of maximalist decorating."The red lacquered bookshelves were the gutsiest part of the reno and gave the biggest payoff!," adds Keenan. "The hot red made the room feel fresh and created a strong but warm backdrop for the room's impressive scale and a much-needed contrast to the rustic stone fireplace."Related Story: How This Designer Gave a New Alabama Home an Old Soul10Layer Colors and PatternsDavid TsayKeenan designed this primary bedroom for a client who's a "trained artist and avid collector of textiles and artwork." The Josef Frank fabric on the bed was the jumping-off point. "The more we worked with it, I knew we needed a 'newspaper print' that it could relate to in order to keep the pattern from feeling stark against a solid wall," she says. "There were no rules except comfort in this house. The layers were endless and inspiring."Advertisement - Continue Reading Below11Don't Forget to Look UpStacy Zarin GoldbergYour ceiling should feel the maximalist love as much as any other part of your home. Designer Molly Singer of Molly Singer Design decorated this entire kitchen in a stunning Schumacher botanical wallcovering, keeping the space bright without sacrificing color.12Tie Finishes Into the WallpaperMarc Mauldin PhotographyThe repeated jewel tone colors of the wallpaper in this powder room by Blessed Little Bungalow pair so well with the gold finishes on the vanity, mirror, and shelf above the toilet. Not only does the hardware complete the look of the space, but it looks wholly intentional in its design. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below13Pay Attention to Little SpacesWerner SegarraThis ultra-chic and bold home bar area designed by MMB Studio is definitely the eye-catcher in this space, and for good reason. The rich red walls that tie into the artwork above the alcove and the stark black bar that perfectly contrasts the colors surrounding it make this little nook such an enviable addition.14Design With Your Collectibles in MindHector SanchezKeenan designed this "keeping space" off a kitchen specifically to house some of her client's favorite objects. "The renovation allowed us to rip out the eight-inch ceilings and add a full-height wall for all of our client's books and collectibles to land and be enjoyed on the daily!" If you have the budget for a designated keepsake room, you might as well make it as lavish and fun as possible.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below15Fill Up the TabletopsAMY BARTLAMTake a cue from this open-concept space by Rincon Road Design Studio, and cover tabletops with plants, vases, catchall dishes, and whatever other decorations are calling your name. Just make sure the table is still functional to hold your coffee cup if you so desire.16Turn Your Wall Into a MuralMarc Mauldin PhotographyInstall a large-scale wallpaper or panels or hire a painter to create a stunning scene on your wall, then let it inspire the rest of your decorating choices. In this Blessed Little Bungalow project, bedding in lush colors drawn from the artwork make the room look that much more intentional and curated.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below17Bring Colors From the Floor to the WallEmily Minton RedfieldIf you love the color of a piece of furniture, hang an art piece in the same color palette on the wall. It's a great way to create a cohesive look in a space that has a lot going on. This living room by Truss Interiors is a great example. The gorgeous green velvet couch and sculptural art above it match beautifully and make the space look pulled together. 18Don't Worry About MatchingJean AllsoppLet colors you love guide you as you collect art and objectsit doesn't matter so much if they go perfectly together. "This gallery wall was a great way for us to combine all of the art, regardless of whether it matched with anythingthe variety is what makes the room feel inspiring," says designer Keenan. "The pair of yellow linen sofas made all the maxed-out color in the art sing!" Advertisement - Continue Reading Below19Lay Down a Tile RugWerner SegarraIn this MMB Studio design, the tile "rug" under the dining table is basically an art piece you can walk on. Not only is it an extremely unique addition that sets off the area, but it's also practical in that it won't stain or wear like a typical rug. You could get a similar effect sans grout by painting the floor.20Incorporate Vintage TextilesJean Allsopp"This was an enclosed screen porch that needed to feel like a comfy, cozy family den. The antique rug layered over the soft grass rug and the 'pattern on pattern' vintage textiles brought the whimsy and charm needed to make this room take off," says Keenan.

The Apple Watch Series 10 launched in September as Apples latest flagship model, and theres a lot to love about it. Since then, however, a growing number of reports have highlighted a potential hardware issue with some units that affects the built-in speaker. Heres what you should know.Users report Series 10 speaker volume is unusually lowAs outlined by various Reddit and Apple Support threads, some Apple Watch Series 10 users have discovered they have a defective speaker.Affected users say that they will set their Apple Watch to max volume and can still barely hear whats coming from the built-in speaker.In some cases, the issue seems to have come on graduallytheir Series 10 speaker started off fine, but degraded over time. Others, however, seem to have had issues right from the start.The speaker issue affects volume across all Watch functions, such as playing music or podcasts, making phone calls, and more.You can find reports on Apples Support Community here and here, plus in various Reddit posts. For example, this Apple Support thread includes the following replies to the original poster:Im having the same problem with my Apple Watch 10. It is my 4th apple watch and I never had a volume problem with the others.I have had an Apple Watch for YEARS and have had NO problems. Then I got a new Apple Watch Series 10 in November 2024 and by December the sound was so low you couldnt hear it when it was on full volume.Same problem: My new Apple Watch 10 at maximum volume is nearly inaudible.Same here. Speaker is low playing back voice memos, too. I have the volume cranked. Its insane how I cant hear it at that setting.Apple has not yet officially acknowledged a hardware issue with the Apple Watch Series 10. But well keep you posted on any further developments in this space.Have you had issues with your Apple Watch Series 10s speaker? Let us know in the comments.Best Apple Watch accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel