Microsoft Gaming VP Kayleen Walters appointed head of Mojangsa Bredin steps down to "focus on personal goals outside of work" News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Feb. 12, 2025 Microsoft Gaming VP Kayleen Walters has been appointed head of Mojang Studios.Walters - who will assume the position on top of her role as vice president and head of franchise development Microsoft Gaming - will being work immediately as current Mojang boss, sa Bredin, steps down to "focus on personal goals outside of work."As reported by Variety, Federico San Martin will absorb Walters' day-to-day management of franchise development.Walters will lead Mojang Studios alongside its global leadership team, where Amy Stillion will also be "taking on an expanded role" as chief of staff, supporting both games and content studios' operations as well as Mojang Studios.Change is never easy, but I have full confidence in this team and its ability to deliver incredible experiences for our players and community, Microsoft game content and studios chief operating officer, Helen Chiang, said in an internal memo seen by Variety."With strong leadership in place and a clear vision for the future, we are well-positioned to tackle the challenges we face in the marketplace with speed and momentum."Chiang thanked Bredin for her "positive impact and contributions" since her appointment in 2021, adding: "I fully support her decision and wish her all the best as she embarks on this next chapter."Yesterday we reported that former Mojang and Coffee Stain staff have banded together to form new indie publishing label, Three Friends.

Bobby Kotick, the former CEO of Activision Blizzard, has buyers remorse when it comes to acquiring Bizarre Creations back in 2007.In a recent interview with venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins on the Grit Podcast, Kotick called the British studio a "bad acquisition." However, he could not name said studio in the interview, and described it as "um...in Manchester, that did the driving game for Xbox."Bizarre, which is located in Liverpool, developed the Project Gotham Racing games for the original Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. Activision Blizzard bought the studio for an initial $67.4 million, with an additional $40 million if certain benchmarks were hit over the next five years.From 2008 to 2010, Bizarre released four gamesGeometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, Geometry Wars: Touch, Blur, and James Bond 007: Blood Stonebefore its shutdown in 2011.Kotick went on to discuss a "really good guy, who was running the day-to-day," whom he could not name, but appears to be then-studio head Brian Woodhouse. He considered Woodhouse "brilliant," but said Bizarre itself was an "$80 million" acquisition overall, and was subsequently written off two years later. "Everything about it violated all our principles," he said.Kotick's comments are bizarrely upfrontHigh-level video game executives often speak warmly about the studios they've acquired, and talk up the potential value they can add to the publisher's portfolio. This was, after all, how Microsoft sold the public on its acquisitions of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax, and other third-party developers.Kotick's thoughts on Bizarre are more candid than most in his former position have been able to give, or at least more intentional. Often, if an executive is disappointed in a studio, they critique their most recent release and cut that developer's staff, as recently seen with BioWare and Phoenix Labs.As another example, Xbox boss Matt Booty talked about making "smaller games that give us prestige and awards" in 2023, just days after closing Tango Gameworks, makers of the acclaimed Hi-Fi Rush.After Bizarre's closure, several alums went on to found Lucid Games, which went on to continue Geometry Wars and more recently release Destruction AllStars on PlayStation 5. Lucid is also a co-developer on Rare's Sea of Thieves, and was acquired by Lightspeed Studios in 2023. At the time of that acquisition, Lucid said it would leverage its new parent company's resources while "continuing to enjoy full independence in the games that we create and the operation of the studio."

Justin Carter, Contributing EditorFebruary 12, 20251 Min ReadImage via Mojang.Minecraft creator Mojang has a new studio head in Kayleen Walters, who is taking over effective immediately.Per Variety, current chief saBredin will remain on and guide Walters through her new position until the end of February, then leave to "focus on personal goals outside of work." She joined Mojang in 2021 and was promoted to studio head in 2023.In addition to running Mojang, Walters will continue as Microsoft Gaming's VP and head of franchise development. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2018, she worked at Lucasfilm and rose to become its VP of franchise marketing and planning."This is an amazing opportunity to lead such a talented group of individuals and continue to build on the legacy of one of the most beloved games in the world," wrote Walters on LinkedIn. "I am looking forward to working closely with the team to bring even more creativity, innovation, and fun to our community."More leaders come to MojangWalters' arrival isn't the only shakeup to Mojang. Variety also reports Microsoft's content and studios head Amy Stillion will join the developer's leadership team and run its people experience team in Redmond, WA.Stillion joined Mojang in 2019 as chief of staff, then moved to a similar position for all of Microsoft Gaming in early 2024.In an internal email to Mojang staff, Minecraft franchise VP Helen Chiang said its new leadership and "clear vision for the future [makes us] well-positioned to tackle the challenges we face in the marketplace with speed and momentum."Read more about:[Company] XboxAbout the AuthorJustin CarterContributing Editor, GameDeveloper.comA Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.See more from Justin CarterDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

Though the hype around Hulus adaptation of The Handmaids Tale gradually faded as time went on, the shows final season looks like its going to be a sobering and timely reminder of what made Margaret Atwoods story so powerful in the first place.Though June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) seemed ready to put Gilead behind her in The Handmaids Tales season 5 finale, a new trailer for the shows sixth season finds her back in the belly of the beast quietly rallying other women to strike back at their Christofascist oppressors. While Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) and Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski) dont seem to know exactly how June plans to destroy everything theyve built, they can feel that theres a new subversive energy coursing through Gileads population of subjugated handmaids.That doesnt appear to be an immediate concern for Commander Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) as he achieves a new level of power within Gilead. But the trailers shots of handmaids arming themselves with switchblades makes it seem like theyre way past ready to burn everything down if thats what it takes to be free. When The Handmaids Tale first premiered in 2017, it seemed so dystopian that it was easy for some to dismiss it as pure speculative fiction. But given the ongoing push to further limit womens access to reproductive healthcare in the US, the show is probably going to feel that like even more of a plausible vision of the future when it returns on April 8th.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman detailed plans for the companys GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 AI models in a roadmap published on X on Wednesday.In the post, Altman also acknowledged that OpenAIs product lineup has gotten complicated and says that the company wants to do a much better job simplifying its offerings. We hate the model picker as much as you do and want to return to magic unified intelligence, Altman says.The company plans to ship GPT-4.5, which he says was called Orion internally, will be OpenAIs last non-chain-of-thought model. The Verge reported on some details about Orion last year.OPENAI ROADMAP UPDATE FOR GPT-4.5 and GPT-5:We want to do a better job of sharing our intended roadmap, and a much better job simplifying our product offerings.We want AI to just work for you; we realize how complicated our model and product offerings have gotten.We hate Sam Altman (@sama) February 12, 2025Following GPT 4.5, a top goal for us is to unify o-series models and GPT-series models by creating systems that can use all our tools, know when to think for a long time or not, and generally be useful for a very wide range of tasks, Altman says.With both ChatGPT and OpenAIs API, the company plans to release GPT-5 as a system that integrates a lot of our technology, including o3, Altman says, adding that we will no longer ship o3 as a standalone model. OpenAI first teased o3 in December and launched o3-mini in January.When GPT-5 is available, Altman says that free ChatGPT users will get unlimited chat access at the standard intelligence setting. Plus subscribers will be able to use GPT-5 at a higher level of intelligence and Pro subscribers getting an even higher level of intelligence.Altman didnt say exactly when GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 might be released, but he did give a vague estimate of weeks / months.This week, Elon Musk offered to buy OpenAIs nonprofit arm for $97.4 billion, but OpenAIs board of directors plans to reject the bid.

Freelancing in AI/ML: Building Projects That Stand Out 0 like February 12, 2025Share this postAuthor(s): Aleti Adarsh Originally published on Towards AI. Have You Ever Wondered Why Some AI/ML Freelancers Succeed While Others Struggle?This member-only story is on us. Upgrade to access all of Medium.Lets be real getting into AI/ML freelancing sounds exciting, right? The idea of working on cutting-edge projects, making money while sipping coffee at your favorite cafe, and having the freedom to choose what you work on? Dreamy. But heres the thing this field is CROWDED. Like, everyone and their cat is learning Python crowded.So, how do you stand out?Ive been there, trying to land gigs in AI/ML, only to realize that having a certification or completing a few courses on Coursera isnt enough. Clients dont just want an AI engineer they want a problem solver. Someone who can take messy, real-world data and turn it into something valuable.This article is going to be your roadmap. Whether youre just starting out or struggling to land high-paying gigs, Ill walk you through how to build standout projects that scream, Hire me now!Lets start with some tough love. If youve been applying for freelancing gigs and hearing crickets, youre probably making one (or more) of these mistakes:Your portfolio is just a bunch of tutorial projects If your GitHub is filled with Titanic survival predictions and MNIST digit classifiers, we Read the full blog for free on Medium.Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this post

Overwatch 2 is undergoing some radical changes heading into 2025. While the roadmap ahead includes much of what you'd expect to see in terms of new content, the core gameplay itself will see a seismic shift, including the additions of hero perks.We're now nearly nine years out from the debut of Overwatch in 2016, and two-and-a-half from the launch of Overwatch 2. Season 15, kicking off on February 18, is set to completely alter the way Overwatch is played with the inclusion of perks.Game director Aaron Keller and several Blizzard team members announced a swathe of changes and updates planned for Overwatch 2 in the coming months. From new collaborations and heroes to an entirely new way to play, it certainly seems like Overwatch 2 is set for a significant overhaul in the coming year.The changes come amid significant pressure on Blizzard to spark renewed interest in and enthusiasm for Overwatch 2 as it faces tough competition from the likes of NetEase's hugely popular rival hero shooter Marvel Rivals.Overwatch 2 is adding hero perksEach hero will now have two perks, minor and major, to select at newly ascribed levels throughout the match. At level two, a minor perk can upgrade a base aspect of the hero in some way; Orisa's primary fire refunding Heat with critical hits, for example. But a major perk can essentially rework the hero mid-match, like replacing Orisa's Javelin Spin with her Barrier or making her Energy Javelin chargeable, increasing its speed, Knockback, and letting it pierce through enemies.These levels are doled out over the course of a match, eventually unlocking "gameplay-shifting" alterations, as Overwatch 2 lead gameplay designer Alec Dawson described it. These are also either-or choices, so opting for one perk means ditching the other. It's reminiscent of the talent options in another Blizzard game, Heroes of the Storm.Overwatch 2 PerksStadium is a new round-based mode, with third-personAdding perks alone is a notable change, but Season 16 (currently planned for April) teases a second major addition to the Overwatch 2 ecosystem in Stadium mode. Keller calls it the "biggest game mode" the team has made since Overwatch launched, and it's got some radical ideas.Stadium is a 5v5, best-of-7 round-based competitive mode where players accrue and spend currency between bouts to improve their heroes. Modifications can boost attributes like survivability or damage, while traits can unlock some big hero-shifting alterations, like Reaper flying in his Wraith Form. Perks are not in Stadium, but that doesn't seem to mean that those additions will not make it in, in some way and at some point.Alongside the added modification options and rounds, Stadium also introduces a third-person mode, to "see more of the battlefield and your modifications in action," as Keller put it. Players will have the option to swap between either a first or third-person camera. Stadium will launch with a core roster of 14 heroes to start, with more heroes arriving, as well as additional maps and modes, as time goes on.Overwatch 2 Stadium ScreenshotsGOATs are coming to Overwatch ClassicBlizzard is continuing to experiment with several other play modes, including 6v6 and Overwatch Classic. On the former front, more events are on the way, and Blizzard is planning to launch a 6v6 competitive open queue, with a maximum of two tanks per team.Those hoping for more tanks will want to head to Overwatch Classic, arriving midway through Season 16, which will revive the "GOATs Meta" days of Overwatch 1. The three-tank, three-support era of Overwatch will return in another iteration of the throwback mode, reminding us all of that game-shifting strategy.The development team is also planning on more seasonal events including April Fools', Summer Games, and Dr. Junkenstein's Halloween event.Freja arrives in Season 16 - and Aqua followsThe next hero heading to Overwatch 2, Freja, is set for Season 16. She's a crossbow-wielding bounty hunter from Denmark who can fill an enemy full of explosive bolts and bola them if they try to run.Alongside Freja's reveal and some gameplay, we also got a brief look at concept art for Blizzard's next hero, Aqua. Boasting an ornate staff and bending some water, he's definitely got a look. We'll learn more about Aqua later this year.Overwatch 2 New Heroes ScreenshotsLoot boxes are backYes, the infamous loot box is coming back to Overwatch. After disappearing amid the transition into battle passes and other options for cosmetics, Blizzard is adding loot boxes back. IGN has confirmed that loot boxes will not be paid for, and only available through free means, such as the free track of the battle pass and weekly rewards. One notable change is you'll see the odds in a loot box, and what you're likely to get from it, before opening."We're keeping it fun while being transparent about what's inside, and the rate of various drops from opening each box," senior systems designer Gavin Winter said.Hero bans, map voting, and more are coming to competitive playA host of competitive updates are on the way for Overwatch 2. Season 15 will reset competitive ranks, but new rewards, like Galactic weapon skins and special weapon charms, should provide incentive to grind back up. Hero portraits will also get rank icons again.Most notably, hero bans are coming to competitive Overwatch 2 in Season 16. A commonplace option for many competitive games, this could be an interesting method for shaking up play. Further on, after hero bans are implemented, Blizzard also plans to add map voting as well.Overwatch 2 Season 15 ScreenshotsCosmetics galoreA gigantic amount of cosmetics were shown throughout today's stream, spotlighting numerous new looks for the heroes of Overwatch 2. Zenyatta is the next Mythic skin, inspired by the dragon Pixiu. He arrives in Season 15, alongside many other skins for characters like Doomfist, Venture, Tracer, Junker Queen, and more. A Widowmaker Mythic weapon skin is also on the way, for midway through Season 15.Further out, several more cosmetic options will arrive, including a magical girl-inspired "Dokiwatch" Mythic skin for Juno and a Mythic weapon skin for Mercy. Reaper is also due for a Mythic weapon skin, and D.Va will be getting a Mythic skin later on too.On top of all that, Overwatch 2 is certainly no stranger to collaborations, and the team is planning more of them. K-pop fans will probably be happy to hear that LE SSERAFIM is partnering with Blizzard for a second collaboration, with brand-new in-game skins and cosmetics this March.Overwatch 2 New CosmeticsThe competitive landscape growsOverwatch's competitive side is also expanding, with a new stage added in China and more live events, which the team says will double the amount of gameplay and broadcasts. Face.it leagues are getting integrated into the competitive ecosystem, and a new tournament system for promotion and relegation is on the way. Teams are also getting in-game items for fans to rep, with proceeds going directly towards the organizations.Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

Warhorse Studios has announced that official Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 mod support is coming soon, promising to let players bring their wildest creations to medieval Bohemia.The developer behind the hit open-world RPG announced plans to add modding tools via Steamworks with a brief post on Steam. No release date, or any additional details for that matter, were revealed in the post outside of the teams plans to add support at some point in the future. For now, Warhorse simply said that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 mods will allow players to create, tweak, and expand as they please. While unofficial mods for the project continue to flourish through sites like Nexus Mods, an official image teaser, below, shows off what Henry might look like with a vibrant Zebra mount and fish sword.Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is getting official mod support. Image credit: Warhorse Studios.Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 has made quite the impression on the gaming community since its launch earlier this month, so its not too surprising to hear that Warhorse has some pretty serious post-launch plans. In addition to mod support on Steamworks, players have been told to expect three expansions in 2025. DLC drops start in the summer with the Brushes with Death expansion, with Legacy of the Forge following in the fall and Mysteria Ecclesia scheduled for the winter. Each will build on Henrys story while free content updates add things like Hardcore Mode and Horse Racing.Warhorse is only getting started when it comes to the post-launch support for its massively popular sequel. But if you're getting started in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, check out our advice on Things to Do First and How to Make Money Fast Early to get you started, or head to our Walkthrough hub for a step-by-step guide to the main quest. Weve also got guides for the myriad Activities and Tasks, Side Quests, and even Cheat Codes and Console Commands.Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

The first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians features plenty of thrilling fights and battles, but as fans of Rick Riordans book series know, Sea of Monsters ups the ante significantly. With many mythical monsters on both the land and sea for the series young heroes to cross, the second season has the potential to be more dangerous, and at the same time, more epic.Sea of Monsters, the book that season 2 is based on, follows Percy, Annabeth, Clarisse, and Percys half-brother Tyson as they travel through the Bermuda Triangle (also known as the Sea of Monsters) in search of Grover and the Golden Fleece, both of which are in the hands of the cyclops Polyphemus.Its a perilous journey, and series star Walker Scobell is excited for fans to see the work they put into bringing this chapter of Percys story to life, especially one of Sea of Monsters epic sea battles. In order to cross into the Bermuda Triangle, the crew must venture past the mythical monsters Charybdis and Scylla, the same creatures that Odysseus was forced to pass by on his journey in The Odyssey.According to Scobell, we can expect to see this epic battle from Sea of Monsters in episode four. While he didnt tell us much about the scene when we spoke with him at SCAD TVfest to avoid spoilers, he did say that this is likely the biggest episode theyve done so far. Its its own movie to be honest, Scobell tells Den of Geek about the episode. I remember that was the first table read we did where we hadnt read it beforehand. They wanted us to all read it there and experience it for the first time with them.Charybdis and Scylla are so close to each other in this narrow strait of sea that its nearly impossible to avoid coming into contact with at least one of them. Charybdis is massive, and has the ability to create whirlpools that can suck ships into the depths of the sea forever, while Scylla is typically portrayed as a vicious man-eating monster. Neither are particularly fun to get close to, and yet the young heroes must find a way between them if they want to save their friend and their home.In Sea of Monsters, this battle is an important turning point in the young heroes quest. Without spoiling too much of the story, this is a point where the team gets separated and they have to find a way to continue on, hoping that the others survived and that theyll find their way back to each other.This is also one of the first times we get to see Percy battle on his fathers home turf. Sure hes fought on the beach and shoreline before, but this fight is out in the middle of the ocean, deep in his fathers territory. This means that Percys powers are stronger and his father is more likely to grant him aid, should he choose to.If a fight this epic is happening as soon as episode 4, we cant wait to see what else this season of Percy Jackson has in store.

Nearly 15 years ago, DreamWorks Animations How To Train Your Dragon soared into theaters. At first, the film appeared to be another quirky idea from the animation studio that once played second fiddle to Disney, a la Bee Movie (2007) or Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). However, Hollywood quickly learned this wasnt another middling entry into the DreamWorks catalog. In fact, How To Drain Your Dragon flew to new creative heights the animation studio hadnt seen since Shrek (2001).The film was an honest-to-goodness smash hit, spawning a trilogy of movies, an animated TV series spinoff, and a plethora of merchandise. There will even be a branch of Universal Studios Epic Universe theme park launching this summer. So in retrospect, How To Train Your Dragon was an obvious candidate to receive the live-action treatment. Yet that inevitability also comes with an air of mystery since this will be the first remake from a film inside DreamWorks Animations library, as well as a new opportunity for Universal Pictures. And at last the first full trailer for said remake has been released, giving fans a look at the storys key moments.DreamWorks wont defeat any of the little brother allegations against Disney as they seemingly follow suit in a concept the Mouse House has been utilizing for years. While Disneys live-action remakes of their animated classics have been occurring for decades, they have experienced an extended yet heavily maligned heyday since the debut of Tim Burtons Alice in Wonderland in 2010coincidentally released the same month as the original How To Train Your Dragon that year.One of the most heavily critiqued aspects of Disneys remakes is that the films are too similar to their animated counterparts, resulting in playing it so conservatively that the new renditions fail to justify their existence. The film emblematic of this epidemic is (ironically) the most successful of the bunch, The Lion King (2019). With the exception of one new musical number written for megastar Beyonc, who voiced Nala in the picture, the live-action The Lion King is a scene-for-scene, and in many instances a shot-for-shot, rehash of the 1994 classic. The film feels less like a remake and more like a remaster, as if it were a video game title and not a narratively driven motion picture.Of course many of the beloved moments from the original film need to return for the remake. There might have been riots at Disney Worlds Hollywood Boulevard if some massive event had been omitted from The Lion Kings story. Online Disney devotees were indeed vocally displeased when Mulan (2020) elected to remove the musical sequences and Mushu the dragon.Perhaps for this reason the How To Train Your Dragon remakes marketing has leaned into familiarity, with John Powells sweeping score serving as a backdrop to some of the most revered moments from the animated picture. We again experience Hiccup (now played by Mason Thames) timidly hold out his hand toward Toothless for the first time, feeling the scaly embrace of the once-thought menace of a night fury dragon. Iconography gets butts in seats. However, DreamWorks must avoid playing it too safe, or theyll run the gambit of having another The Lion King.It would seem that writer and director Dean DeBlois is acutely aware of this risk too. In addition to having a pivotal hand in all three of the beloved animated How to Train Your Dragon filmshe co-wrote and directed all of themhe recently told Den of Geek about how skeptical he is of many live-action remakes of animated movies. At a special presentation for the press about the new film, the director spoke with our senior editor David Crow about what he might see as the rigidity in some live-action continuations. So while he felt an obligation to make sure Toothless looks how audiences remember the beloved night fury, with all the other dragons he adopted a much freer hand, redesigning them into something with more tactile heft and even menace. The one glimpse we get of that in the new trailer comes from a far more sinister and gargantuan Red Death monstrosity attacking the films central Vikings.DeBlois words are reassuring as is his passion for this world he has so intimately played a part in creating. If he can see his vision through, perhaps he could land closer to Jon Favreaus first Disney remake, The Jungle Book (2016), which ironically released three years before his less loved The Lion King redo. The Jungle Book is often regarded as one of Disneys best live-action adaptations. The film hones in on pivotal moments of the 1967 original, such as The Bare Necessities and I Wanna Be Like You musical numbers. However, the movie pivots away from the cartoon, establishing an extended backstory, alternative plot threads, and added sequences not found in the 1967 version. Its a genuine adaptation, borrowing what worked from its source material while injecting energy and urgency that better fits the new medium.Footage we glimpsed at the presentation promises a similarly more substantial reimagining of Hiccup and Toothless island, as well as a grander sense of world-building for this Viking land where dragonriders are recruited from across the globe. Still, the latest trailer for How To Train Your Dragon mostly relies on playing a sizzle reel of highlights from the animated film, this time with realistic CGI graphics. DreamWorks so far has managed to avoid the mistakes of Disney or the infamous Ugly Sonic, both featuring overdesigned characters that off-put audiences, but it remains uncertain whether they will likewise avoid sticking too close to the original.From what we know based on DeBlois vision of Astrid (Nico Parker) and Hiccups other ragtag group of friends being recruited from faraway lands and sailed to Viking village of Berk, the film will attempt to build out the motivations of supporting characters and expand the lore that was admittedly rather thin in the 98-minute original. But hopefully the creators can take many different avenues to differentiate the 2025 remake from the 2010 original. In other words, hopefully they get closer to The Jungle Book than The Lion King.Whether or not Universal and DreamWorks will do this is to be determined, but one can hope they learned from their competitor and create something that flies higher than any Disney remake before it.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!How to Train Your Dragon is out in theaters on June 13.