Harvest, pack, ride Gouach wants you to insert and pluck the cells from its Infinite e-bike battery Tiny French firm wants to keep a few bad cells from spoiling a lot of e-bikes. Kevin Purdy – May 22, 2025 4:12 pm | 11 Credit: Gouach Credit: Gouach Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more E-bike batteries are, for the most part, a collection of 18650 batteries, packaged together and welded in series and parallel, attached to a battery management system (BMS). A "dead" e-bike battery may only have two or three truly dead cells inside, while the remainder work fine. This is useful knowledge that, for the most part, very few e-bike owners can really use. Arc welders are not a common tool to own, and most e-bike batteries are not designed to be opened, safely or otherwise. French firm Gouach, essentially a three-person company, is pitching its Infinite Battery as the opposite of this status quo. It's a durable, fireproof casing into which you can place and replace 18650 batteries using only a screwdriver. It keeps you updated on the status of cell performance and heat through a Bluetooth-connected app. And it's designed for compatibility with "90% of existing e-bike brands," or you can upgrade an existing "acoustic" model. Circuit boards, bent to riders’ will Alexandre Vallette, CEO of Gouach, told Ars that developing a system for no-weld battery wiring involved "a lot of trial and error" over four years. A typical "spring" contact for an 18650—the kind used by most devices that take AA or AAA batteries—doesn't work, because bike rides can knock them loose with vibration. What emerged were custom-printed circuit boards (PCBs), with just-flexible-enough contacts cut into the board to carry the current from each battery to the BMS, allowing for thermal monitoring across numerous points on the package. The Infinite Battery's case, too, was born of hard-won experimentation. Gouach provided early versions of its refillable batteries early on for a European bike-share company, using an off-the-shelf "shark"-style casing. Like anyone who lives in a city with dockless bike-sharing, they discovered the variety of places and angles at which people will leave a shared bike. Water ingress killed a number of bike batteries. "It was really a setback for the company [Gouach] at the time," Vallette said. "But we knew that the technology itself was good, so we designed our own casing." Gouach's casing is now rated IP67, Vallette said, and meets UL 2271 standards. Gouach's video demonstrating its battery case's fire resistance. Unexpected resistance There are three avenues for selling the Infinite Battery, as Vallette sees it. One is working with e-bike makers to incorporate Gouach's tech. Another is targeting e-bike owners and small bike shops who, this far into e-bikes' history, might be dealing with dead batteries. And then there are folks looking to build their own e-bikes. The Infinite Battery will be made available in 36 V and 48 V builds, and Gouach's app promises to help owners connect it to a wide variety of bikes. Actually fitting the battery case onto your bike is a different matter. Some bikes can accommodate the Gouach kit where their current battery sits, while others may end up mounting to a rack, or through creative, but hopefully secure, frame attachments. One of the biggest compatibility challenges, Vallette said, was finding a way to work with Bosch's mid-drive motors. The communications between a Bosch motor and battery are encrypted; after "a serious effort," Gouach's app and battery should work with them, Vallette said. Gouach, having raised more than $220,000 on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo from about 500 backers, and $3.5 million in venture funding, is getting close to offering the batteries through its own storefront. Gouach's roadmap puts them in mass production at the moment, with assorted bugs, certifications, and other matters to clear. EU-based backers should get their kits in June, with the US, and an open online store, to follow, barring whatever happens next in international trade. Vallette said in mid-May that the US's momentary 145 percent tariffs on Chinese imports disrupted their plans, but work was underway. If nothing else, Gouach's DIY kit shows that a different way of thinking about e-bike batteries—as assemblages, not huge all-in-one consumables—is possible. Kevin Purdy Senior Technology Reporter Kevin Purdy Senior Technology Reporter Kevin is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering open-source software, PC gaming, home automation, repairability, e-bikes, and tech history. He has previously worked at Lifehacker, Wirecutter, iFixit, and Carbon Switch. 11 Comments

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Marvel Rivals players are always having fun in the chaotic 6v6 matches across vivid battlefields with their favorite heroes; however, they also quite frequently offer suggestions or present absurd demands in front of the devs to change certain features. From the infamous mid-season rank reset drama during Season 1.5 to nerfing overpowered heroes, NetEase is quick to respond to fan requests and keep the game alive with constant changes. One such demand that fans have been quite vocal about is the usage of Lord Icons in the Hero Selection screen as well, which helps them select the hero they’re most proficient with. Lord Icons are a status symbol for many in Rivals, where players showboat their proficiency with a hero they have mastered in the game. While NetEase hadn’t answered to the said demand in the past, with the latest Dev Vision Vol. 06, it has been announced that such a feature is finally arriving in Season 2.5 alongside much more exciting content. Marvel Rivals is finally adding Lord Icons to Hero Selection Wheel in Season 2.5 Lord Icons will now be visible in Hero Selection wheel. Image by VideoGamer. Add a fun mood to your nameplate. Image by VideoGamer. Taunt an enemy with an Emoji on the battlefield. Image by VideoGamer. Previous Next 1 of 3 Previous Next Marvel Rivals devs have announced that starting from Season 2.5, which releases on May 30, 2025, players will be able to use their Lord Icons on the hero selection wheel so they can choose their most proficient hero before the round begins. Other than that, your teammates will also continue to see your Lord Icon on the pre-game lobby as well as in-game, just like your enemies will. But that’s not all, while text chat, emotes, and sprays are some of the interactable elements that keep battles light-hearted and funny, Rivalsd is also bringing Mood Icons and Emojis for players to customize their nameplate based on their current mood. You can also use these emojis during an ongoing match to taunt your enemies or even your teammates, adding an element of fun and communication rather than just typing absurd words in text chat. Furthermore, the new mid-season update will also bring new nerfs and buffs to the hero roster, so make sure to check those out ahead of Season 2.5. Marvel Rivals Platform(s): macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X Genre(s): Fighting, Shooter Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

Warhammer 40K unveils Boltgun 2, tactical RPG Dark Heresy, and, yes, a free typing game Plus new Space Marine 2 DLC and more. Image credit: Owlcat News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on May 22, 2025 It's been a busy day in the grimdark world of Warhammer 40K, thanks to its latest video game focused Warhammer Skulls showcase. Not only have we learned a couple of classics getting a spruce-up, there's brand-new stuff coming too, including a Boltgun sequel, new tactical RPG Dark Heresy, plus a smattering of fresh DLC. Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2, which seems as good a place as any to start, is exactly what it sounds like - a follow-up to developer Auroch Digital's acclaimed 2023 retro shooter Boltgun. Details are relatively limited at present, but it'll pick up immediately after the events of the first game, and offer another helping of old-school-inspired FPS action over the course of its branching single-player campaign. There's talk of new locations - "from the colossal heights of a hive city to the impenetrable mangrove swamps of a jungle" - plus new weapons and never-before-seen foes, including the ferocious Bloodletters and their daemonic Juggernauts. Warhammer 40K Boltgun 2 teaser trailer.Watch on YouTube All that's coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC sometime in 2026. However! There's an extra - and more immediate - treat for Boltgun fans in the form of Boltgun: Words of Vengeance. This "first person typer" twist on the retro shooter - in which players must deploy their QWERTY skills for maximum carnage - is entirely free and available to download on Steam today. Elsewhere in the gloomy world of Warhammer 40K, developer Owlcat has announced Warhammer 40K: Dark Heresy, a "narrative-driven tactical RPG" set against the backdrop of the Noctis Aeterna and the mystery of the Tyrant Star. "Players will lead a warband of diverse companions in a desperate battle against heresy and corruption," the studio explains, "from loyal Imperial subjects, such as a veteran Guardsman from the death world of Catachan, to nefarious xenos, including a bird-like Kroot mercenary." Warhammer 40K: Dark Heresy announcement trailer.Watch on YouTube There's talk of full voice acting, "intricate investigations", turn-based combat, and "choices that carry grave consequences", all said to build on the ideas introduced in Owlcat's Rogue Trader. And if that sounds intriguing, Dark Heresy is coming to Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC (via Steam, GOG, and Epic) at some currently undisclosed future point. Speaking of Rogue Trader, Owlcat has also announced a 24th June release date for the game's second expansion, Lex Imperialis. This introduces a faction of "incorruptible enforcers" known as the Adeptus Arbites, plus a new companion - Solomorne Anthar - across its 15-hour storyline. Additionally, the studio has revealed it's working on a Season Pass 2 for Rogue Trader, bundling together an appearance customisation pack and two more 15-hour expansions - each featuring new quests and a new companion. The first of these expansions takes players to a Necron vault curated by Trazyn the Infinite, where they'll encounter ancient guardians and uncover relics relating to the Von Valancius legacy. The second new expansion promises a "descent into madness and mystery" as they explore a "surreal" voidship graveyard. Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader - Lex Imperialis release date trailerWatch on YouTube And while we're on the subject of DLC, there's one last bit of business to discuss in the form of Space Marine 2's new Siege mode. This "endless" PvE mode for the acclaimed shooter unfolds on Kadaku, where three players must survive against ever-more-deadly waves of Tyranid and Chaos as they attempt to defend an Imperial fortress. It'll be playable on Steam via developer Saber Interactive's Public Test Server starting 4th June, and it gets its full release across all platforms as part of a free update on 26th June. Space Marine 2 - Siege Mode teaser trailer.Watch on YouTube All of which pretty much covers the big Warhammer 40K news, but it's probably also worth mentioning there are currently significant discounts across a huge number of Warhammer games on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC as part of today's Warhammer Day celebrations.

Microsoft-owned developer King, known for the Candy Crush series, announced an executive shuffle yesterday that will see Candy Crush boss Todd Green replace president Tjodolf Sommestad.According to the announcement, Sommestad has decided to "take some time out of the industry" after almost 14 years in the studio. He assumed the role of company president in 2022.Green is another longtime veteran of King, who‛s worked at the studio for 12 years. He recently oversaw the Candy Crush franchise in the role of general manage.In his exit statement Sommestad said he's "proud of what we achieved together" in his time at the company, praising King's monstrously successful Candy Crush series as well as Farm Heroes Saga. He also expressed pride over "joining together with our Microsoft colleagues," referring to the Activision Blizzard acquisition back in January 2022 (King was a critical revenue driver in Activision Blizzard's portfolio)."After overseeing this transition, I’ve decided now is the right moment for me to take some time out of the industry and spend more time with my family," Sommestad said.As stated in the announcement, the Candy Crush series has generated to $20 billion in revenue and over five billion downloads to date. "The mobile games business is young, King has adapted and evolved many times to develop great games for a huge audience, and we are just getting started," Green said.Related:Microsoft's mobile ambitions face a major obstacle: AppleMicrosoft's made no secret that it wants King to be the crown jewel of a growing mobile empire—but it's faced stumbling blocks getting other initiatives off the ground. The company set out to launch a dedicated mobile game store in July 2024, yet, as reported by The Verge this week, that hasn‛t come into fruition yet. The company filed an amicus brief late on Tuesday in support of Epic Games‛ saga surrounding the absence of Fortnite in the U.S. App Store, which was restored this week after five years."The court ruling makes it possible for Microsoft to now launch its Xbox mobile store, but it’s clear that the software giant also wants to ensure Apple’s appeal against the ruling isn’t successful," The Verge senior editor Tom Warren said. "If Microsoft did launch its Xbox mobile store and then Apple won a temporary stay, it may have to pull that store pending the appeal process."While Microsoft waits for the courts, a number of King executives have headed for the exit. Throughout the past year, multiple former King developers in major roles have left the studio to start new studios and joined existing companies. Former Activision Blizzard vice chairman and King Digital Entertainment president, Humam Sakhnini, was named the new CEO of Discord in late April.Related:Back in February 2024, former King SVP of business performance Marcus Jacobs joined forces with former EA general manager Adam Schaub to establish Cult of the North, while former King CTO Steve Collins joined Unity as its new chief technology officer in October.

All throughout 2025, I've been bursting with podcast recommendations (which might not be surprising, given writing a podcast recommendation newsletter is part of my job). I've shared my lists of the best podcasts about liars and scammers, podcasts that expose the nonsense in politics and pop culture, and podcasts you'll like if you miss Heavyweight. But then I awoke and realized that we are almost halfway through the year, and I haven't spent nearly enough time talking about my favorite new shows that debuted this year. June is a great time to take stock of all the new podcasts from the first half of the year. These are the shows that made my jaw drop, made me laugh, and inspired me to subscribe—and pester all of my friends to do the same. I think you'll like them, too. Alternate Realities (Embedded) Credit: Podcast logo Embedded recently produced a 3-part series, Alternate Realities, focused on a bet between reporter Zach Mack and his father, who intended to determine once and for all who was right about the other having been lost to conspiracy theories. Zach’s father had started to believe in chemtrails, that the government controls the weather, that ANTIFA staged the Jan. 6 riots, that a cabal called the globalists is controlling the world. Zach…did not believe those things. In early 2024 the two agreed: Zach’s dad would make a list of 10 prophesies that he was 100% sure would happen, (i.e. a bunch of democrats would be convicted of treason and/or murder, the U.S. would come under martial law), and on Jan. 1, 2025, Zach would have to give his father $1,000 for every one that came to pass. For every one that didn’t, Zach would get the same. It’s a zingy idea for a series, but also a dark family story—the bet is the make-or-break thing for not just Zach and his dad, but for the entire family. Beyond the money, the stakes are high.Debt Heads Credit: Podcast logo Friends Jamie Alyson Feldman (@realgirlproject) and Rachel Gayle Webster (@webbythefox) are using storytelling, research, springiness, humor, and fun audio elements in their podcast Debt Heads, which examines Jamie’s deeply ingrained issues with debt and uses them as an entry point into the question of why so many young people are in the same boat. It's a fascinating dive into the issue of millennials and their money—harrowing and fascinating and occasionally funny, and a rich listening experience even if you (like me) want to crawl under a table when the conversation turns to money.Our Ancestors Were Messy Credit: Podcast logo If you love the way Normal Gossip pulls you into the juicy drama of strangers, and especially if you also love history, you’ll get sucked right in to Our Ancestors Were Messy, Nichole Hill’s show about the gossip, scandals, and pop culture that made headlines in historical Black newspapers across America. Nichole tells true stories from the past (a Victorian-era love triangle that hit DC elites, a mystery concerning a tabloid sensation in Harlem) with help from a guest, placing you inside of a vintage scandal, providing the context you need to understand why it was a scandal at all, and fleshing out the characters involved with the skill of a novelist. Nichole’s storytelling is descriptive, funny, conversational, and crisp, and she uses amazing sound production that pumps it all into life. Why Is Amy in the Bath? Credit: Podcast logo Have you ever noticed that Amy Adams seems to do a lot of bathtub and shower scenes in her films? After listening to this show, you won’t be able to un-notice it. Certainly that fact stuck out to Brandon R. Reynolds and Gabby Lombardo, who spun the observation into the podcast Why Is Amy in the Bath? In six episodes they ask: Is Amy, who has never won an Oscar, doing all these bathtub scenes because they offer the opportunity for the kind of dramatic acting that earns the biggest, golden-est prizes? Brandon and Gabby went through 1,500 movies, including all the Best Actress Oscar nominees, to see if there was a correlation to tub scenes, and their conclusions are the stuff of the best conspiracy theories.What We Spend Credit: Podcast logo If you love Refinery 29's Money Diaries, or if you’re just a nosy person, you’re going to salivate over What We Spend, in which regular people take us, day by day and purchase by purchase, through what they spend in a week. It's like looking inside their wallets, flipping through their credit card statements, and hearing the personal stories behind the financial decisions they make. One person is scared about having to pay for a cat funeral. A 35-year-old asks her dad to pay her bills for a month. In each episode, the subject realizes, along with us, that there are usually deeply rooted personal issues underneath their money issues and the anxieties they bring up. Listeners can contact the hosts for a spot on the show, but that's a huge no thanks from me! But I’ll be listening. Text Me Back Credit: Podcast logo If you’re looking for a chat show that will have you laughing out loud without making you feel like you just lost a bunch of brain cells, try Text Me Back. Bestselling writer Lindy West and democracy policy expert Meagan Hatcher-Maysget are childhood friends who get on the mic for convos that range from off the rails goofy stories to insightful pop-culture and political commentary, with an irresistible friendship vibe flowing throughout. Their chemistry is nothing that could be rehearsed or planned, and they are both such good storytellers, they can spin gold out of the most mundane things that happened to them in a given week. Text Me Back will be a balm for listeners who still miss the iconic podcast Call Your Girlfriend (RIP.) The Final Days of Sgt. Tibbs Credit: Podcast logo Delivered in four short episodes, The Final Days of Sgt. Tibbs explores the fate of the titular geriatric cat, who went missing in Manchester, New Hampshire, then turned up dead, causing a huge blowup in the community he left behind. Rose, Sgt. Tibbs’ owner, was devastated when Tibbs went missing, and infuriated to learn that he might not have actually been missing at all, but in the hands of neighbors, the mother/daughter duo of Debbie and Sabrina, who claim to have saved the cat's life. We going in knowing that Tibbs has died. The question is, what happened? Todd Bookman puts a microscope to the kitty's last days, and finds a story of adults behaving badly and a community torn apart. At one point, Todd wonders if there are better things he could be doing with his time (and microphone). “But imagine something more important than something you love disappearing and dying," he says. "It seems worth every second trying to figure out what happened.” Pet lovers get it. RIP, Sgt. Tibbs.We Came to the Forest Credit: Podcast logo We Came to the Forest introduces you to Vienna Forrest, an environmental crusader remembering her life living in the forest with a bunch of other activists as they protested the construction of Atlanta’s Cop City, one of the biggest police training facilities in the country. She speaks intimately about her partner Tortuguita (Manuel Esteban Paez Terán,) another protester or “forest defender” who was allegedly shot and killed by Atlanta law enforcement. We Came to the Forest revolves around Tortuguita’s murder and everything that led up to it. What seems obvious (Tortuguita was shot by the police) is tough to prove. A cop was also shot, but who shot him? There is no body cam footage to prove what happened. Through storytelling and interviews, the show will make you think about how fast things can turn sideways when law enforcement gets involved in a situation, and how thin the line can be between safety and danger.CRAMPED Credit: Podcast logo Kate Downey has been having debilitating period pain every month since she was14 years old. Debilitating period pain is common, yet something nobody seems to want to talk about or research—and certainly nobody is trying to have fun with it. But Kate is doing all of the above with CRAMPED, which is somehow boisterous and dead serious at the same time. It's full of fascinating interviews, illuminating info, and helpful tips for anyone with a uterus. She gets smart, funny people on the mic to talk about their that-time-of-the-month experiences, what is really going on in their bodies and why nobody cares, and why Kate hasn’t been able to get an answers from a doctor after 20 years of asking questions. Suave (Season 2) Credit: Podcast logo In its first season, Suave won a Pulitzer Prize-winning for telling the story of Luis "Suave" Gonzalez, a convicted man who turned his life around in prison, and his relationship with journalist Maria Hinojosa. The show is assembled from years of recordings of their conversations, an audio document of the highs and lows of Suave's life both in and out of jail, and the mother/son bond that develops between the two. At the end, Suave is released, and we are left to wonder what freedom really means. That’s where season two picks up: Suave is now “Mr. Pulitzer,” but life on the outside is very hard. Proxy Credit: Podcast logo With her beautiful show Proxy, "emotional journalist" Yowei Shaw investigates and solves deeply intimate conundrums by proxy—she finds people with unresolved relationship issues and links them up with a stranger who can help them better understand what's going on. (Recently she connected a man whose wife left him for a woman with a woman who'd left her husband for a woman.) Yowei also appears on the massively popular NPR podcast Invisibilia, so you know you can trust her to deliver a good story that will be professionally structured. It's a space for unique conversations the likes of which I have never heard before. Sea of Lies (Uncover) Credit: Podcast logo On Sea of Lies (available on the Uncover podcast feed) Sam Mullins (Wild Boys) tells the tale of one of the most wanted men in the world, Albert Walker, who is arrested for fraud after a dead body wearing a recognizable watch washes ashore. The globe-spanning saga gets wilder from there, always zagging left when you think it will go right. Via meticulous reporting, Sea of Lies skirts around Walker’s manipulative tactics to get to the psychological questions at the root of his crimes. 

The Indie Survival Guide is your ongoing archive of real talk and hard-won insights from the devs and industry experts making games happen—often against the odds. Whatever tools you’re using, this growing library of Q&As, livestreams, and VODs is here to help. There’s no magic formula, but we believe shared experience—across design, business, and survival—can give you the best shot.We recently sat down with Emily Pitcher—a Forbes 30 Under 30 and Game Awards Future Class honoree, better known online as sonderingemily to her 350,000 followers across YouTube, Instagram, and beyond. Emily is the creator of lily’s world XD, a psychological horror game built on cringy teen nostalgia, fourth-wall breaks, and real photos from her own adolescence. Her work spans game dev and content creation, and she’s the first to admit: it hasn’t all been easy. But the journey has a lot to learn from.Here’s what she had to say.1. Failing as part of the processBefore the success of lily’s world XD, there was Gold Lining—a project that taught Emily the brutal, necessary lessons of creative failure. She poured her heart into the game, even secured early funding from Xbox, but ultimately it didn’t find traction. There was no publisher. No finish line. Just hard decisions and emotional fallout. But it was also the beginning of clarity.“Gold Lining was a project I started basically right out of college,” she says. “Instead of researching what might be popular with Steam players, I just thought, what would be a concept that seems cool to make?... We actually got some funding from that game from Xbox… but unfortunately, we were never able to secure a publisher with that game, and the game was ultimately cancelled.”Emily doesn’t romanticize this period. The dream faltered. Her confidence did too. And the weight of rejection nearly broke her.“The game could not be finished without money,” she said. “The scope was just way too big… and we kind of came at a crossroads of what should we do… I stopped having fun making the game… I was really sad every day with the rejections… I stopped believing in the game itself.”Still, she made the hardest—and wisest—move: she quit. And by walking away, she opened the door to her next act.“It was honestly really hard, very emotional—there was crying involved, of course—but now looking back, I am so happy I had the courage to step away,” she says. “I do not regret that failure at all because only because I went through that and learned the hard way, that lily’s world XD has been able to get grounding.”2. Turning Mistakes Into MomentumEmily didn’t just recover—she reflected. Every painful lesson from Gold Lining became a data point. And rather than rebuild in the same direction, she rebuilt smarter.“[Chris Zukowski] actually had this video that changed my life,” she says. “He did this interview with a popular game dev channel and he had this whole section about genre. And he said platformers—the worst genre—that hurt a little bit.”The first shift? She stopped building games no one could explain. She learned that clarity matters. Especially when talking to publishers or creating content, having a razor-sharp pitch can be the difference between intrigue and indifference.“You can summarize the hook of your game in one sentence,” she says. “That one sentence can guide you when you're talking to publishers, guide you when you're making content about your game.”She also interrogated her design logic more rigorously. Was every mechanic supporting the theme, or just convention?“I was just following the conventions of the genre and not asking myself, are we just doing this because it’s a platformer?” she said. “Or are we doing this because it helps the central theme of the game?”Most importantly, she dismantled the echo chamber. No more developing in isolation. Instead, she decided to involve the audience early—and often.“Another big thing I would do is to try to validate your game earlier,” she says. “With Gold Lining, it was just an echo chamber of me and my friends… with lily’s world XD, I made the videos from the very beginning.”3. Playing to your strengthsOne of Emily’s biggest unlocks wasn’t about tech or trends. It was about accepting who she is—and who she isn’t. She’s not a trained programmer. She’s not a pro artist. But she is a storyteller. A designer. A builder of weird, personal worlds. And when she embraced that, things clicked.“You gotta be a little objective about what you're good and bad at,” she said. “I suck at programming. I am a good writer. And I would say I'm passable with art… if someone told me, ‘I suck at programming, I'm mediocre at art, and I can only write,’ I’d be like, ‘You should not make an indie game’… but even though all of those things are true, when I get the feedback form for my game, for playtesters, people actually say that art direction is one of their favorite things.”Instead of pretending to be someone she wasn’t, Emily designed around her limits. And in doing so, she carved out a creative space that felt truly hers.“I worked around my weaknesses,” she says. “I suck at programming, so I decided to make a game that I thought would be easier to program… I used to work at Meta, so I’m familiar with tools like Figma… I use pictures of myself because I’m not that good at art… and it is a narrative detective game, so storytelling and writing is at the forefront.”Her lesson: don’t wait to be good at everything. Use what you’ve got.“Limitation is what makes you seem competent if you have a lower skill set,” she says. “If you're doing pixel art and you use a limited color palette, immediately your art is gonna seem more cohesive just because of that—even though you still suck.”4. Publicly validating conceptsIn contrast to the quiet, closed-door development of Gold Lining, Emily took a radically open approach with lily’s world XD. She didn’t just develop in public—she launched her audience journey before her Unity project even existed.“With Gold Lining, it was a secret right up until the end… I worked for about two years in private on the game,” she said. “And with lily’s world XD, I thought: in the first week of development, let’s make a video. And that video got 2 million views… I realized that I could use social media as a way to evaluate whether my ideas had strengths.”The result? Instant feedback. Viral traction. And a powerful way to gauge demand before sinking years into development.“I had started making videos here and there… eventually I grew a small audience,” she says. “I posted one of my TikTok videos to Instagram just to share with my family and friends. That video got over 2 million views, and now I do it as a career.”This approach wasn’t accidental—it was strategic. She tested multiple angles and found the hook that stuck.“When I had an idea, I came up with a few sentences of hooks,” she explained. “...and what led to the huge boom and rise of my game… was this thing I did to save time, that ended up being a cool developer story.”Emily’s story proves you don’t need a huge following to start. You just need to start.“I know that not everyone has a massive social media following,” she said. “But I don’t think you need a massive social media following to validate this idea through social media… Unpacking went viral at its first tweet… they weren’t famous people before that.”5. Using Social MediaSocial media was never Emily’s endgame—it was a bridge. A means of discovery, validation, and momentum. But not a silver bullet. She’s blunt about its limits.“Short-form video is not the best way to convert to wishlists,” she says. “That conversion has to happen when they see the name, they save the video, then they go on their computer and search it up… that is just too many steps.”What works? A multi-platform approach, repeated visibility, and content with a clear hook.“Post your video on all social media platforms,” she said. “This video that is literally 6 million views got 700 views on my TikTok. If I just posted on TikTok, I would think this is a bad video—but no, this video gave me like 10,000 wishlists.”Most impressive of all, she built momentum before she even touched code.“I started making videos when all I had were two screenshots,” she said. “When I made my video, I didn’t even open Unity. I didn’t know how to code yet. I just assumed I was going to learn on the way.”But Emily is crystal clear: none of this matters if the game itself doesn’t land.“Social media will not take you to the finish line,” she says. “Ultimately, you need to make a good game… you should leverage social media to give you opportunities in your game, rather than relying on it as the sole marketing method.”There’s no single path through indie game development, but Emily Pitcher’s story makes one thing clear: failure is not the opposite of progress; it is progress. From burnout to bounceback, her ability to interrogate her process, stay honest about her strengths, and meet the audience where they are has turned lily’s world XD into one of the most anticipated indie horror games on Steam.As Emily put it best:“We are stronger together and we should not look at each other as competition.”

A massive amount of Warhammer 40K games are currently on sale across PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam as part of the annual Warhammer Skulls event. If you’ve been wanting to kill some Orks, there’s never been a better time.Suggested ReadingThe Top 10 Most-Played Games On Steam Deck: June 2023 Edition Share SubtitlesOffEnglishSuggested ReadingThe Top 10 Most-Played Games On Steam Deck: June 2023 Edition Share SubtitlesOffEnglishThe Top 10 Most-Played Games On Steam Deck: June 2023 EditionHappy Warhammer Skulls: Festival Of Video Games! I can’t believe it’s here already. It feels like it arrives sooner and sooner each year. Don’t worry, there are plenty of gifts waiting for you under the bloody iron tree, including a ton of discounts on big games like Space Marine 2, and even some free games and news on upcoming Warhammer games, too.Here are some of the best deals we’ve spotted across Steam, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Marketplace.Steam DealsBoltgun: Words of Vengeance - Free! Gladius Relics of War - Free! ($40) Space Marine 2 - $36 ($60) Warhammer 40K: Boltgun - $11 ($22) Warhammer 40k: Darktide - $16 ($40)Warhammer 40K: Chaos Gate - $12 ($45) Necormunda: Hired Gun - $8 ($40)Warhammer: Realms of Ruin - $12 ($60) Total Warhammer - $15 ($60)Total Warhammer II - $15 ($60) Total Warhammer III - $20 ($60) Warhammer: Vermintide 2 - $3 ($30) Warhammer 40k: Battle Sector - $12 ($40) Space Marine 2 - $42 ($70)Warhammer 40k: Darktide - $18 Xbox / $28 PSN ($40)Warhammer 40k: Boltgun - $10 Xbox ($22) Warhammer 40k: Chaos Gate - $12 Xbox ($45) W40K: Shootas, Blood & Teef - $8 ($20) Warhammer: Realms of Ruin - $12 ($60) Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader - $25 ($50) | Also on Game PassNecromunda: Hired Gun - $8 ($40) Warhammer: Vermintide 2 - $5 Xbox / $15 PSN ($30)Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground - $3 Xbox / $4 PSN ($20) If you’re wondering what Boltgun: Words of Vengeance is, it’s a short, free riff on Boltgun in which you type words and phrases to slaughter your foes. Apparently it’s little more than a fun little commercial for Boltgun 2 but hey, you can’t beat the price! Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun - Words of Vengeance Launch TrailerBesides these deals across console and PC, Games Workshop shared some news about new and upcoming Warhammer games during Thursday’s event. The company revealed a new remaster of the original 2011 Space Marine that is set to arrive on Xbox, Game Pass, and PC in June. (No PS5 port, weirdly.) It also announced Boltgun II, a sequel to the wonderful boomer shooter FPS Boltgun. The sequel is coming in 2026. We also learned more about Space Marine 2's upcoming horde mode and got a teaser trailer for the free update, too. .

Last bit of testing and we should be ready to deploy the wishlist feature on Monday!Then onto something HUGE for FlippedNormals.Can't wait to share what's coming next

All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.“I don’t like fame. I don’t like the sense of belonging to the public,” Elizabeth Taylor admits in Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes, the 2024 documentary featuring unearthed recordings of the Hollywood legend by journalist Richard Meryman. “The person my family know[s] is real. But the other Elizabeth Taylor, the famous one, really has no depth or meaning to me. It’s a commodity and it makes money. One is flesh and blood, and one is cellophane.” Taylor, who skyrocketed to fame as a child actor and was among the first film stars to receive a $1 million payday for a role, spent much of her life in the spotlight. It’s not surprising, then, that the late icon considered her public image to be completely divorced from her private persona.The Lost Tapes grants viewers a glimpse into that life through Taylor’s candid reflections on it all—the romances, the tragedies, the opulence, and the scandals. Though her superstar status meant that even her rare private moments sometimes got the on-camera treatment, the below selection reveals an intimate look at the “real” Elizabeth Taylor’s time at home, outside the limelight.Photo: George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images1/211942In 1939, Taylor, her older brother Howard, and her parents—stage actress Sara Sothern and art dealer Francis Lenn Taylor—moved from London to Los Angeles. After a couple of years living in LA’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood, the family moved into a Spanish-style Beverly Hills home. Here, Howard and Elizabeth are seen in the backyard with their pets during the year in which the 10-year-old began her acting career.Photo: Earl Theisen/Getty Images2/211947This 1947 shot shows Taylor and her mother prepping hamburgers and hot dogs in the kitchen of their family home. Biographer Alexander Walker wrote that the 1929-built abode sported “pink stucco walls and red roof tiles, a huge round-arched window facing the road and a dusty front ‘yard’ with an olive tree in it.” It would remain the young starlet’s home until her first marriage.Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images3/211949Featuring decorative tiles and terra-cotta floors, the dwelling had all the classic Spanish-style details that remain beloved throughout Los Angeles today. The Hollywood legend is pictured here at age 17, drying off her dog, Amy (named after Taylor’s character in the film Little Women, which hit theaters in March of that year).Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images4/211949The future Oscar winner is seen here with her mother reading sheet music at their piano. At the time, Taylor was engaged to William Pawley Jr., the son of a US ambassador. “I want our hearts to belong to each other throughout eternity,” the teenage actor wrote in a letter to Pawley. It wasn’t in the cards, however; the engagement ended just a few months later.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images5/211950Photographed in her childhood home, the movie star twirls in a velvet dress before an ornately framed painting. Walking in her father’s footsteps, Taylor continued to collect art throughout her life. The very same painting can be seen in photos of Taylor’s final residence, six decades after this snapshot was taken.Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images6/211950Eager for independence from her sheltered upbringing, Taylor married hotel heir Conrad “Nicky” Hilton Jr. in May 1950 at the age of 18. However, Hilton was “abusive, physically and mentally,” the actor wrote in her 1988 book Elizabeth Takes Off. “The honeymoon and the relationship were both over by the time we returned. I couldn’t bear to reveal that my marriage was a failure, and I kept quiet for months. Around Christmas, I could stand it no longer and moved out of our house.” The residence in question, pictured here, was a Pacific Palisades rental where the pair stayed after a stint at the Bel Air Hotel.Photo: Ed Jackson/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images7/211951The young couple officially divorced in January 1951 and Taylor moved into New York’s Plaza Hotel, which was owned by Hilton’s father at the time. The exes met on October 15, 1951, in her suite to wrap up some loose ends—including a property settlement, per the New York Daily News, which published the above snapshot. The star speaks fondly of her time at the iconic hotel in The Lost Tapes, describing it as “the first kind of free, independent time I’d ever had in my life.”Photo: Ed Jackson/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images8/211951The couple discusses the divorce settlement and meets with the press in Taylor’s Plaza suite here. “I was a divorcée, and I was 19. Roddy [McDowall] was there with me, and Monty [Clift]. Just having fun with my chums, doing all kinds of crazy things,” Taylor said of her time living at the famed hotel. “If I wanted to go ice skating at nine at night, we would. Or we’d just have hot dogs all day long. Completely irresponsible sort of behavior. I didn’t have to keep proper hours. I didn’t have to do anything properly. And I had a ball.”Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images9/211952In 1952, Taylor married English actor Michael Wilding and moved into his London apartment, where they are pictured here playing piano. The starlet looked to Wilding, who was two decades her senior, as a source of stability and comfort following her volatile first marriage, she explains in The Lost Tapes.Photo: WATFORD/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images10/211953Taylor and Wilding bought a house in Beverly Hills in 1953, the same year that the Cat on a Hot Tin Roof star gave birth to her first child, Michael Jr. Pictured in September of that year, the 21-year-old actor reclines on her sofa with the infant. “We will have the outside painted yellow, with white shutters, the living room will be in gray with periwinkle blue—my favorite color, ” Taylor allegedly said upon buying the home.Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images11/211953Baby Michael’s sweetly decorated nursery had a butter yellow, baby blue, and pink color scheme. Taylor described the storybook Beverly Hills dwelling in her 1965 tome, An Informal Memoir. “One whole wall was built of bark with fern and orchids growing up the bark,” she wrote. “You really couldn’t distinguish between the outside and inside. And all the colors I loved—off-white, white, natural woods, stone, beigy marble. The pool was so beautiful. There were palm trees and rock formations—it looked like a natural pool, with trees growing out of it. It was the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen.”Photo: CBS via Getty Images12/211957Taylor and Wilding split after nearly five years of marriage. One month after the divorce was finalized, the Cleopatra star married film producer Mike Todd in February 1957. The two are pictured here in their penthouse apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Taylor and Todd kept estates on both coasts; in addition to their NYC abode, they maintained a 1920s Spanish-style primary residence near Coldwater Canyon in Beverly Hills. The roughly 4,000-square-foot home didn’t offer the high-profile pair much privacy—its front steps began right at the curb, winding around a turret, and up to an arched wood front door.Photo: CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images13/211957A few months after they married, Todd and Taylor welcomed CBS’s cameras into their NYC home at 715 Park Avenue for a 1957 Person to Person segment, which showed the newlyweds’ duplex filled with art; a Monet painting in a gilded frame hangs behind them in this photo. Taylor gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Liza, before Todd’s tragic 1958 death in a plane crash.Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images14/211966After a five-year marriage to singer and actor Eddie Fisher that generated tons of scandalous tabloid fodder, Taylor married her Cleopatra costar, Richard Burton, in 1964. The couple, whose relationship essentially birthed modern paparazzi culture, is pictured here at their Gstaad, Switzerland, property. Dubbed Chalet Ariel, Taylor and Fisher purchased the estate early in their marriage. The Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? star retained ownership of the dwelling for the rest of her life.Photo: James Andanson/Sygma via Getty Images15/211967The couple—again pictured at their Swiss vacation home, with a trio of petite pooches in tow—were known for their passionate yet turbulent marriage. “We enjoy fighting,” Taylor reportedly said. “Having an out-and-out, outrageous, ridiculous fight is one of the greatest exercises in marital togetherness.” It’s fitting that the relationship was filled with drama, seeing as it began with some: The couple started their affair while Taylor was still married to Fisher and Burton was married to Welsh actress Sybil Christopher.Photo: David Cairns/Getty Images16/211967The frequent costars also spent a great deal of time on their yacht, Kalizma. They reportedly bought the luxury vessel for $192,000 (roughly $1.8 million adjusted for inflation) in 1967 and invested another $200,000 in refurbishing it to their liking. It was onboard the Kalizma that the Welsh actor gifted Taylor the famous 69.42-carat Cartier diamond now known as the Taylor-Burton diamond.Photo: David Cairns/Express/Getty Images17/211967The couple looks out from the deck of the Kalizma in this snapshot. They reportedly outfitted the vessel with Chippendale mirrors, Louis XIV chairs, and English tapestries. Taylor’s suite—from the bedroom to the bathroom—was done up in a hot pink color scheme. Grace Kelly, Orson Welles, and Ringo Starr were among the A-list guests that Taylor and Burton entertained on the yacht.Photo: Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images18/211977After divorcing Burton (twice—once in 1974 and again in 1976 after a brief second marriage), Taylor married American politician John Warner in December 1976. They are pictured here in the kitchen of their roughly 7,000-square-foot fieldstone-walled manor in Marshall, Virginia. Taylor reportedly kept horses on the sprawling property, which was known as Atoka Farm.Photo: Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images19/211977Warner and Taylor roam the grounds of the 400-acre plot in this photo. The actor helped her husband with his 1978 senate campaign, though his busy government schedule put a strain on the marriage, and they divorced in 1982. “She was my ‘partner’ in laying the foundation for 30 years of public service in the US Senate,” Warner said later. “We were always friends—to the end.”Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images20/211987Taylor’s primary residence from 1981 until her 2011 death was at 700 Nimes Road in Bel Air. This 1987 photo shows the Hollywood icon smiling on her sofa in the ranch-style home, which was formerly owned by Nancy Sinatra. Taylor worked with AD100 Hall of Fame designer Waldo Fernandez to decorate the dwelling, which was posthumously featured in the July 2011 issue of Architectural Digest. A trophy room, plush pastel carpets, and abundant flower gardens were among the estate’s highlights.Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images21/211987Taylor sits in a welcoming living room at her Nimes Road dwelling in this shot. “Of course when she had to appear at an important event, she would put on the most beautiful dress and the most amazing jewelry and become Elizabeth Taylor, the star,” famed fashion designer Valentino once said. “But at home she liked a cozy life, friends, good food.”The Hollywood legend died in 2011 at age 79.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Since its release, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has kept fans hooked with its harsh combat and deep grimdark setting, attracting over 5 million gamers in just three months. Developer Saber Interactive has kept the momentum going with regular updates that add new material to the game’s story, PvE, and PvP modes. Recent updates have included new cosmetics, enemy types, and a redesigned perk system, while the March 2025 hotfix 6.2 improved gameplay balance and laid the groundwork for the huge 7.0 release. Now, all eyes are on the highly anticipated Update 8, which is set to be released on June 26, 2025, and promises to enhance the experience with new DLC and the addition of a thrilling game mode. Throughout 2025, players have benefited from additions such as the Salamander Champion skin, new PvE objectives, and a more difficult Absolute difficulty mode, as well as additional Battle Barge features like the Datavault for lore enthusiasts. Update 8 will provide exclusive DLC such as Blood Angels and White Scars cosmetic packs, as well as a rebalanced Absolute difficulty for die-hard players. It has also been announced that the same update will bring a new game mode that lets you battle an endless, glorious wave of Tyranids. Space Marine 2’s update 8 will bring Siege Mode to let you battle Tyranids like never before The upcoming Siege Mode in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, which will be available on June 26, 2025, delivers an exciting new PvE experience in which players face relentless waves of Tyranids and Chaos armies. This free upgrade will put even the most experienced Ultramarines to the test with its ruthless, survival-driven gameplay. Slay Tyranids in Siege Mode with your friends. Image by VideoGamer. Siege Mode, set in the rainforest world of Kadaku, is a three-player co-op mode in which players defend an Imperial citadel against fiercer enemy hordes. The goal is simple yet punishing: hold your ground for as long as possible, knowing that survival is fleeting but glory is eternal. The mode pits players against “seemingly endless” waves of Tyranids, using Saber Interactive’s swarm technology to generate chaotic, high-intensity fights. Expect to face familiar foes like Tyranid Gaunts in ranged combat, as well as harder enemies like Tyranid Warriors that require precise melee techniques, parries, and dodges. The game incorporates Space Marine 2’s existing progression system, letting players gain points for upgrades and reinforcements, which improve their loadouts and abilities as the waves escalate. The Biovore, a new Extremis-level Tyranid with a destructive biological cannon and melee abilities, offers a new layer of difficulty. Siege Mode, which will be available for testing on the Public Test Server (PC/Steam) beginning June 4, 2025, claims to reward teamwork and strategy, with players balancing armor regeneration through executions and health recovery via medkits. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X Genre(s): Action Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share