Author

admin

Ripple Issues Stern Warning To Investors As CEO Celebrates New XRP Milestone

by admin May 21, 2025

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

XRP is about to start drawing a fresh wave of attention from institutional investors, following a major update that reflects the token’s growing relevance in the crypto market.

The latest milestone involves the listing of XRP and Micro XRP futures on the CME Group, which marks a notable milestone for the cryptocurrency. Ripple’s CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, recently took to social media to share this exciting announcement, while Ripple issued a critical alert for crypto investors.

Ripple CEO Hails Institutional Breakthrough For XRP

Brad Garlinghouse took to the social media platform X to mark what he described as a key institutional milestone for XRP: the official launch of both XRP and Micro XRP futures contracts on CME Group, the largest derivatives marketplace in the world. Interestingly, the contracts were quick to become active, as Garlinghouse also confirmed that the first block trade on CME had already been executed by Hidden Road, a prominent institutional trading firm.

This move introduces XRP to a regulated derivatives framework, which traditionally appeals to asset managers, hedge funds, and other large-scale investors. It places XRP in the same category as Bitcoin and Ethereum, both of which saw improved investor confidence and deeper market activity after their own CME futures listings.

As such, the launch of XRP and Micro XRP futures plays well into the current market dynamics for XRP, especially in terms of growing institutional interest. Furthermore, the presence of XRP futures on the CME marketplace shows that the cryptocurrency is maturing into a more structured financial asset, which could influence future decisions of the SEC around Spot XRP ETFs.

CME Group XRP futures are available in both a micro-sized (2,500 XRP) and a larger-sized contract (50,000 XRP). According to Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group, more than $19 million in notional volume was traded on the first day of launch.

Ripple Issues Major Alert To Investors

Shortly after the announcement of the futures launch, Ripple’s official account posted a public service warning highlighting a rise in scams targeting the XRP community. The company urged users to stay alert, noting that no official Ripple representative would ever ask individuals to send XRP. The warning included a reminder to avoid suspicious links and noted the importance of verifying accounts before engaging.

This alert is based on a pattern in the crypto space, as scam activity tends to rise when markets are bullish. One such example is the recent arrest of a Wellington-based man by the New Zealand Police in connection with a crime syndicate accused of stealing $450 million New Zealand dollars ($265 million). Crypto exchange Coinbase was also recently subjected to a phishing attack that resulted in the leak of a small fraction of user data.

At the time of writing, XRP is trading at $2.35, down by 8.7% in a seven-day timeframe.

XRP trading at $2.3 on the 1D chart | Source: XRPUSDT on Tradingview.com

Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview.com

Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.

Source link

May 21, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

The Street Fighter Movie Could Star The Greatest WWE Champion Of All Time

by admin May 21, 2025

The long-in-development Street Fighter movie may have just landed some undisputed star power, as a former WWE champion and DC Comics hero have reportedly been cast for the film.

According to Deadline, WWE superstar Roman Reigns, Jason Momoa (A Minecraft Movie), Andrew Koji (Bullet Train), and Noah Centino (Warfare) are currently in talks to star. If the actors are involved, then the Street Fighter movie will have recruited some big acting muscle. Mamoa previously appeared as Arthur Curry/Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe of live-action films and he’ll be playing the legendary intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which is scheduled to arrive in June 2026.

Reigns is another well-known face on television, as he held the Undisputed WWE Championship for a staggering 1,316 days. The former champion also appeared on the big screen in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Meanwhile, Koji has appeared in multiple movies and TV shows over the years, flexing his martial arts skills in projects like Warrior. Representatives for the actors have declined to comment to Deadline on whether they are or are not involved in the project. As for Centino, he appeared in the gritty action film Warfare, which was directed by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland.

The latest live-action incarnation of Street Fighter has been in development since 2023. At one point, Talk To Me‘s Danny and Michael Philippou were attached to direct, but they later left and were replaced by Bad Trip director Kitao Sakurai. Legendary Pictures is co-producing the film with Capcom, the developer and publisher of the Street Fighter games.

First released in 1987, the lore of the franchise has been expanded over several games, and the mainline entries have revolved around a group of elite martial artists taking part in a major fighting tournament organized by M. Bison, the leader of the sinister Shadaloo syndicate who seeks to take over the world. The first Street Fighter live-action film was released in 1994 and starred Jean-Claude Van Damme in the lead–as well as a scene-stealing Raul Julia in his final theatrical performance–and in 2009, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li was released.

The massive success of a few recent video game movie adaptations–Sonic, Mario, Minecraft–has supercharged Hollywood’s desire to turn more games into movies. Dozens of video game adaptations are also in varying stages of development, and upcoming projects like Watch Dogs and Mortal Kombat 2.

Source link

May 21, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Impossible Movies Deserve A Great New Game

by admin May 21, 2025

The fuse has been lit and the mission has been accepted. That’s right folks, it’s time for a new Mission: Impossible film. Final Reckoning, the latest entry in the popular action franchise, arrives in theaters this week. But if this new film has you all excited about the series again and you want to play a Mission: Impossible video game, well, bad news: It’s been over 20 years since the last one. That’s not cool. It’s time for a new MI game!

Nintendo Switch 2 Price Is Set at $450 for Now, But Could Go Higher

This article was originally published on July 13, 2023. It has been updated as part of Kotaku’s Mission: Impossible Week.

The Mission: Impossible franchise technically started as a spy-themed television series from the 1960s, which got a sequel series in the ‘80s. But when most people talk about the Mission Impossible franchise in 2025, they are likely referring to the long-running action film franchise starring Tom Cruise that has grown into something much larger and over-the-top than the old TV shows. These films, which began in 1996, typically showcase Cruise risking his life in at least three or four large stunts and also, bizarrely, have only gotten better with each release. A globe-trotting action-adventure franchise that makes tons of money, is loved by critics, and has a massive fanbase seems like ideal material for a video game adaptation. Oddly, that’s not been the case.

Since the beginning of the franchise, only five Mission: Impossible video games have been released. (Confusingly, four of them are just named Mission: Impossible.) The first game launched in 1990 for the NES. The second game was released the following year for DOS. These two were based on the 1980s sequel series that aired on ABC.

Then in 1998, two years after the first Tom Cruise film, another Mission: Impossible game launched on the Nintendo 64. This one has some fans, and played a lot like a third-person spin on Rare’s popular GoldenEye 007 game. Two years after that, right before the second film hit theaters, a very short and not-good Mission: Impossible game landed on Game Boy Color. However, this game did include a neat feature that let players use the Game Boy as a remote control.

Finally, in 2003, Mission: Impossible — Operation Surma launched on PlayStation 2 and later GameCube. This third-person action-adventure spy-thriller takes place between the events of Mission: Impossible II and the third film, but is also never directly referenced in the films and doesn’t even feature the likeness of Tom Cruise. It was essentially a Metal Gear Solid/Splinter Cell clone and in 2025 has been mostly forgotten, like the rest of the M:I video games.

**It’s time for a new Mission: Impossible video game**

And…that’s it! After 2003, we stopped getting new Mission: Impossible games. I understand that the film series hit a six-year lull between the second and third, but after 2011’s Ghost Protocol, the franchise kept getting bigger and better with each entry. 2018’s Mission: Impossible Fallout is probably the best film in the series. (Dead Reckoning, sadly, couldn’t keep the trend going.)

And yet, even as the franchise grows bigger and bigger, no new video games are on the horizon. What a shame! So many moments in recent MI films feel almost like setpieces from AAA video games of the last decade. It makes sense to me that this series would translate well into a modern video game.

I understand that over the last decade or so, we’ve stopped getting crappy games based on popular films. And I’ve been mostly fine with that, as the vast majority of games based on films were awful and not worth playing. Then again, we are getting a new 007 game from the Hitman devs, and a new Avatar one from Ubisoft, so it’s not like games based on movies are impossible to make these days.

And I think a Mission: Impossible game—if done right and given enough time and resources—could be amazing. Honestly, a game where you just recreate all the famous and dangerous stunts from the films would be great, like a new Stuntman but based entirely on Mission: Impossible scenes. Actually, it’s been a long time since we got a good Stuntman game, too.

Okay, new plan: Someone convince the right people to fund the development of a new Stuntman-like game based on Tom Cruise’s wildest Mission: Impossible stunts. That’s the game I want. Thank you.

Source link

May 21, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Ethereum’s Latest Key Upgrade Fails To Ignite Network Activity, Is Adoption Sinking?

by admin May 21, 2025

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

Ethereum‘s ongoing bullish action hasn’t fully faded yet as the general crypto market builds momentum. While Ethereum’s price has displayed a brief surge, the network continues to show weakness in user engagement, even with recent key updates meant to boost the network’s performance and appeal.

On-Chain Engagement With Ethereum Lagging

A leading on-chain data analytics platform, Glassnode, shared a recent worrying report about the Ethereum network. ETH’s price may have displayed signs of resilience in the midst of ongoing market fluctuations, but the network activity tells a different story.

Glassnode has revealed a persistent, weakened performance in ETH’s on-chain activity, raising concerns about whether its core ecosystem is losing momentum. This consistent lack of network activity occurs despite ongoing positive narratives and upgrades.

According to the on-chain platform, the latest key updates, like the Pectra upgrade, have been unable to ignite activity on the network. “Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade hasn’t translated into a spike in network engagement just yet,” the platform stated.

ETH’s network activity lagging | Source: Glassnode on X

It is worth noting that the Pectra Upgrade was officially launched in early May, with the purpose of bolstering ETH’s network’s scalability and efficiency. The upgrade consists of two synchronized updates: The Prague execution layer hard fork and the Electra consensus layer upgrade.

Glassnode stated that user attrition has decreased, and the Pectra Upgrade still has not increased the number of new or returning users after analyzing the ETH Month-over-Month activity Retention metric. Data from the on-chain platform shows that the average count of new and revived addresses has decreased since the upgrade compared to year-to-date (YTD) values.

ETH’s average new addresses have decreased by about 1.8%, whereas resurrected addresses have declined by 8.4% during this period. Additionally, user churn has witnessed an approximately 8.5% drop in the same time frame. Thus far, Glassnode noted that it remains to be seen whether this is a result of the network upgrades or more general cycle trends.

A Breakout After A Short-Term Correction

Even though network activity has weakened, it does not fully hinder ETH’s price from experiencing a rally. On-chain expert and author ShayanMarkets has predicted an impending breakout to the upside as the Ethereum market overheats near the $2,500 mark. However, a short-term correction is likely to take place before the breakout.

Using a bubble chart that illustrates the total trading volume across all crypto exchanges, the expert highlighted that an overheating scenario, marked by a notable spike in trading volume, has resulted from ETH’s approach to the $2,500 resistance level, now acting as a support level.

This spike is mainly triggered by profit-taking and the available resting supply at this key zone. Furthermore, the overheated situation suggests a probable short-term drop as the market cools and makes room for fresh accumulation. While the altcoin has surpassed $2,500, Shayan’s analysis noted that this move is probably driven by fresh demand.

ETH trading at $2,549 on the 1D chart | Source: ETHUSDT on Tradingview.com

Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

Source link

May 21, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

BREAKING: Historic $109,500 Bitcoin High: Here’s What Analysts Predict Next

by admin May 21, 2025

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

On Wednesday, the market’s leading cryptocurrency, Bitcoin (BTC), surged by more than 3% to a new all-time high (ATH), fueled by the market’s strong buying pressure experienced over the last month.

According to Coin Metrics data, the Bitcoin price climbed beyond the $109,000 level, reaching an astonishing $109,500 record. This milestone not only marks a substantial rebound, but it also exceeds BTC’s prior high in January.

Bitcoin’s Record High Result Of Favorable Macro Factors

The recent price increase can be attributed to several converging factors, particularly easing regulatory pressures in the United States. With key crypto legislation poised for passage in the US Senate, the environment appears increasingly supportive under pro-crypto President Donald Trump.

Alongside these political developments, favorable macroeconomic conditions, including softer inflation numbers and a de-escalation of tensions in the US-China trade war has created a conducive atmosphere for Bitcoin’s rise.

Antoni Trenchev, co-founder of the crypto exchange Nexo, commented, “Bitcoin’s new high has been concocted by an array of favorable ingredients in the macro cauldron.”

“It’s possible a three-month window has opened for risk assets to thrive as a broader agreement between the US and China is thrashed out,” Trenchev added in a recent interview with CNBC.

Could BTC Reach $120,000?

Looking ahead, crypto analyst Doctor Profit—known for accurately predicting Bitcoin’s previous drop to $77,000 and subsequent recovery above $100,000—has set new targets for the cryptocurrency.

In a recent social media post on X (formerly Twitter), the analyst suggested that BTC could reach between $117,000 and $120,000, which would represent an additional 10% increase. This potential rise could signal a new price discovery phase for the token, a first in several months.

The 1D chart shows BTC’s price reaching a new record high on Wednesday. Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView.com

At the time of writing, BTC attempts to consolidate above $109,000, with the aim to convert this floor into the new support for the rest of the new uptrend.

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

Source link

May 21, 2025 0 comments

Picture showing Xin Zhao in League of Legends.

Esports

Here are the early LoL Patch 25.11 notes

by admin May 21, 2025

League of Legends has reached a rare “steady state” of balance with the last patch that Riot Games have introduced on the live servers, and they’re making small buffs and nerfs in the upcoming update to help champions stay healthy ahead of the MSI 2025.

League also showcases the Ionia-themed Summoner’s Rift this season, a region which is known for its balance and spirit realm. While there aren’t many rogue champions in the current meta, the developers are still keeping a close eye on champions who could use minor adjustments to make them relevant.

When does LoL Patch 25.11 release?

Wild Rift is getting new MECHA skins for many champions. Image via Riot Games

League updates usually release on Wednesdays, and it is the same for every upcoming patch. They usually come ahead of time on the PBE servers and then make their way to the live one. The patch 25.11 update is scheduled for May 28, 2025. While the official release times across all regions have yet to be confirmed, the expected release windows for each region are as follows:

3pm CT (NA)
5am GMT (EU West)
3am CET (EU North East)
8am KR (Korea)

What’s in Patch 25.11?

League is celebrating Pride. Image via Riot Games

While the last patch brought a myriad of changes to the mage items, this one’s fairly quiet on new changes, as it takes up champions like Rengar, Twitch, and other champions and gives them buffs. On the other hand, there are a few champions like Cho’Gath and Smolder, who got a bit too much power from the last patch, so Riot is giving them small nerfs to nullify their impact. Lastly, Kassadin, Samira and some other champions are getting some neutral changes without buffs and nerfs.

Champion buffs

The following champions will all be receiving buffs in League Patch 25.11:

Ashe

[Q] Ranger’s Focus: Now stacks when attacking structures.

Diana (Jungle)

She was very reliant on Liandrys, and she’s getting a little buff now to compensate for the changes to it.

[P] Moonsilver Blade: Monster mod increased from 2.25 to 2.6.

Rengar

[R] Thrill of the Hunt: Cooldown has been reduced from 110/100/90 to 100/90/80.

Ryze

[Q] Overload: Damage against Flux targets (based on R rank) has been increased from 10/40/70/100 percent to 35/50/75/100 percent.
[W] Rune Prison: Damage deceased from 80-200 to 70-190.

Sivir

[W] Ricochet: Total AD ratio has been increased from 30-50 to 40-50 percent.

Twisted Fate

[Q] Wild Cards: Damage increased from 60-240 to 70-240.

Twitch

The changes aim to steer AP Twitch toward farming lanes rather than being a support, improving his viability slightly while keeping him balanced overall. He remains a bit weak, but he isn’t out of the meta.

[E] Contaminate: AP ratio per stack has been increased from 30 to 35 percent.

Udyr

He was very reliant on Liandrys, and getting a little buff now to compensate for the changes to it.

[R] Wingborne Storm

Bonus damage on attack has been increased from 10-30+ 30 percent AP to 10-40+ 35 percent AP.
Total damage has been increased from 80-360 to 80-400.

Champion nerfs

The following champions will all be receiving nerfs in League Patch 25.11:

Cho’Gath

Armor growth has been reduced from 5.0 to 4.5.

Elise

[P] Spider Queen: On-hit AP ratio has decreased from .2 to .15.

Lucian

[E] Relentless Pursuit: Cooldown has been increased from 14-12 to 16-12.

Smolder

HP regen has been decreased from 4.5 to 3.75.
Armor has been reduced from 26 to 24.

Champion adjustments

The following champions will all be receiving adjustments in League Patch 25.11:

Aatrox

[P] Deathbringer Stance: Damage decreased from 4-12 percent max HP to 4-8 percent max HP.
[Q] The Darkin Blade: Sweet spot damage mod has been increased from 1.6x to 1.7x.
[W] Infernal Chains: Damage type has been changed from Magic to Physical.

Annie

Armor has been adjusted from 19+ 4.7 to 23+ 4.0.
[W] Incinerate: Damage has been decreased from 70-270 + .85 to .70-250 + .8.

Garen

The developer is making Garen’s non-crit and fighter-focused builds feel more rewarding. Moreover, a lower E cooldown aims to support sustained trades while preserving meaningful windows for opponents to react.

[E] Judgment

Cooldown has been adjusted from 9 to 9-6.
Damage has been increased from 4-20+ 0-8.2+36-40 percent total AD to 4-20+ 36-44 percent total AD.
Crit mod has been reduced from 1.5x to 1.4x.

[W] Courage

Cooldown has been reduced from 23-15 to 22-12.
Damage Reduction has been changed from 30 percent to 25-41 percent.
Quest capstone (10 percent total armor/MR) has been removed.

[R] Demacian Justice: Damage has been reduced from 150/300/450 + 25/30/35 percent missing HP to 150/250/350 + 25/30/35 percent missing HP.

Kassadin

Kassadin is getting a slight early game boost to help him contribute more before the late game by trimming some of his late-game power to balance it out. This change should make him more viable in high-skill games that heavily punish weak early laners.

Armor has been increased from 19-21.

[E] Force Pulse: Damage has been increased from 60-180 to 70-190.
[R] Riftwalk: AP ratio per stack 10 percent (max 90 percent) has been reduced to seven percent (max 78 percent).

Samira

These changes aim to enhance Samira’s lifesteal scaling to better support her snowball and teamfighting strengths, making builds like early Bloodthirster more appealing and giving her a clearer identity.

[Q] Flair: Life steal effectiveness has been increased from 66 to 80 percent.
[W] Blade Whirl: Bonus AD ratio has been reduced from .6 to .5.
[R] Inferno Trigger: Life steal effectiveness has been increased from 50 to 80 percent.

System Buffs

Horizon Focus

After the last patch balanced mage items, Horizon Focus still feels weak to the developer, so it gets a buff to make it more relevant alongside other items.

The price has been decreased from 2900 to 2800.
Ability power has been increased from 110 to 115.

Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy

Source link

May 21, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel includes a new city that “feels more like Chicago gone wrong”, and I’m now wondering how the USA’s collapse might have affected Michael Jordan’s legacy

by admin May 21, 2025

Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel will let us take a detour from the returning Night City to visit a new location which feels a bit “like Chicago gone wrong”. Naturally, this news has me questioning how Cyberpunk’s timeline might have affected the most prominent basketball dynasty of the 1990s.

The tiny nugget of info we got about this second city comes from Mike Pondsmith, creator of the Cyberpunk TTRPG series that CD Projekt’s futuristic RPGs are based on. It’s the first bit of concrete info about the game – beyond just where it’s at in the production process – we’ve gotten for a while.

Manage cookie settings

Speaking to Tvgry during this year’s Digital Dragons Conference, Pondsmith touched on his current relationship with CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk devs. He’s “not as involved directly with the sequel as he was with the first Cyberpunk, but he does still pop by the studio to look at scripts and offer his views on stuff like new cyberware made for Project Orion.

For instance, he revealed that when he was there recently, he “spent a lot of time talking to one of the environment guys, and he was explaining how the new place in Orion – because there’s another city we visit, I’m not telling you any more than that, but there’s another city we visit.”

“Night City’s still there,” Pondsmith continued, telling us more, “I remember looking at it and going ‘yeah, I understand the feel that you’re going for in this, and this really does work – it doesn’t feel like Blade Runner, it feels more like Chicago gone wrong’. I said ‘yeah, you know, I can see this working.'”

Watch on YouTube

This chatter starts at around the three hour and 45 minute mark of the video embedded above, if you want to check it out for yourself. I don’t know if you’ll do the same, but the mention of a Cyberpunk city that might be a bit like Chicago got me wondering what the existing Cyberpunk lore says about the actual Windy City.

According to the series’ Fandom Wiki (which does note that it needs more citations), Chi-town was “left in a state of absolute devastation” by the collapse of the United States that occurs between 1996 and 2008 in the Cyberpunk timeline, and was subsequently ravaged by a “catastrophic bio-plague” created by the federal government itself. By 2077, the city’s “implied to have undergone some level of reconstruction” by rumours of it being connected to Night City via the transcontinental maglev rail network that Cyberpunk 2077’s database describes as “currently inoperational”, but subject to revitalisation efforts by Night Corp.

Cool. But here’s the thing. If Chicago started to fall apart in 1996 – the year that martial law was declared across the USA in Cyberpunk lore – do Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls win the 1996, 1997, and 1998 NBA championships to cement themselves as arguably the greatest basketball dynasty of all-time? That’s assuming Jordan and the Bulls even exist in the Cyberpunk universe, but I think it’s worth exploring anyway.

The situation is this as far as I can tell – the aforementioned martial law runs from 1996 to 1999, so Jordan and co have that to contend with, in addition to a 1998 midwest drought and the collapse doing so much damage that “an estimated 90%” of Chicago is abandoned by the end of it in 2008. It’s MJ though. I’m still banking on him to beat the Jazz in the finals, even if he’s got to dribble past bio-plagues and hostile cybernetically-augmented soldiers to do it.

Do you think his airness still ends up with six rings on his weird cyber-fingers? Also, how do you feel about visiting this second city in Cyberpunk 2? Let us know below!

Source link

May 21, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Merriam-Webster hops on the Wordle train with new daily puzzle game

by admin May 21, 2025

Following in The New York Times’ footsteps, Merriam-Webster launched a new daily puzzle game called Revealed. The free browser game has players trying to guess a topic from a description filled with redacted words.

Considering that Merriam-Webster is behind the world’s most iconic dictionary, it makes perfect sense that it would eventually come up with a word game of its own. Though its coming in years after Wordle, a hit that inspired countless daily puzzle games, first took off, Revealed is a clever game in its own right that’s worth checking out.

Here’s how it works. Each day, players are shown a sheet of paper with a category, such as Arts & Culture, at the top of the page. Below that is an encyclopedia entry where several words are blacked out. Players need to type in what the page is describing by using context clues. That’s difficult at a quick glance, but that’s where hints come in handy. Each day, players can use up to seven reveals, each of which will uncover a redacted word. Players can also reveal a letter of the topic using a hint. The goal is to guess the topic using as few hints as possible.

So as to not rob you of a real solution, I’ll make up an example here. Let’s say that that the answer to a puzzle one day is Super Mario Bros. You’d see a page that starts with something like “Blank is a blank blank released in blank.” You won’t be able to reveal that first blank, but say you choose to reveal the second. You’ll get the word video, which might clue you in to the fact that the second is game. Rather than wasting a precious reveal confirming that, maybe you’ll choose to reveal the next one instead to get the year. You’ll do that throughout the page until you feel like you have enough information to make a guess.

At the end, you’ll get to see your final stats and compare how you did with other players. Lifetime stats like your completion rate and streak are recorded too.

If that all sounds enticing, you can try Revealed for free now on Merriam-Webster’s website. And if you want more games like it, check out our list of the best games like Wordle.

Source link

May 21, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Mario Kart World started off as an OG Switch game, and don’t worry, its driving cow is “still in touch with her animal nature”

by admin May 21, 2025

Mario Kart World started development back in 2017 as a game for the original Switch, but ended up becoming a Switch 2 one because it devs felt the tech boost was necessary to deliver the world bit of it. Said devs have also offered us some more info about its most important character – Cow.

Yep, that’s right. Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach, they can all go do one. Moo Moo Meadows cow is the king of these streets, with an aura so powerful she can momentarily stop even the most outraged of Ninty fans from being unhappy about prices or worrying that they might not be able to make the switch to Switch 2 right away.

Manage cookie settings

These tidbits and more come from a new interview Nintendo’s put out with Mario Kart World producer Kosuke Yabuki, programming director Kenta Sato, art director Masaaki Ishikawa, planning team lead Shintaro Jikumaru, and music lead Atsuko Asahi that so long it’s been divided into four parts. So, make sure you go grab your beverage of choice first if you plan on reading it all in one go.

We were thinking about what to do for the next Mario Kart game even during the development of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and we began prototyping in March 2017,” Yabuki explained, “It was at the end of that year when we officially started work on it as a project. I felt that in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, we were able to perfect the formula that we’d been following in the series up to that point, where players race on individual courses. That’s why, this time, we wanted the gameplay to involve players driving around a large world, and we began creating a world map like this.”

“When we were developing for the Nintendo Switch system,” Sato explained further on in the chat, “it was difficult for us to incorporate everything we wanted, so we were always conscious of what we were giving up in return. We discussed things like toning down the visuals, lowering the resolution, and we even considered dropping the frame rate to 30 fps in some cases. It was a tough situation.

“Yabuki-san first brought [the idea of switching to Switch 2] up around 2020. Back then, we already had an idea of the next system’s expected specs, but it wasn’t until a bit later that we actually received working development units. Until then, we just had to proceed with development based on provisional estimates.”

Watch on YouTube

“Of course, the graphics needed to be more detailed [due to being on Switch 2],” Ishikawa added, “But like Sato-san, I also felt like it was outweighed by the sense of relief. From the beginning, the designers were saying they wanted to make the art richer, so I thought we could achieve that now.”

The devs also explained how the driving Cow came to be, and offered a glimpse into her…er…mindset.

“Each new Mario Kart game features new characters to race with, but since we added so many to the previous game, we wondered where we could go from there,” Ishikawa explained, “And then one of the designers came up with [a] silly sketch of Cow cruising along, and I thought to myself, “This is it!” (Laughs) So that’s when we realized the course surroundings actually contained a lot of untapped resources.”

MK World’s devs call these environmental decoration characters who’ve gotten behind the wheel “NPC drivers”, with Yabuki noting that “it’s pretty funny to see a four-legged Cow holding onto motorcycle handlebars with her front hooves.”

Though, you shouldn’t worry, as Ishikawa insisted that he’s pretty sure Cow is “still in touch with her animal nature” due to the pose she assumes when she jumps, and that she’s “actually a pivotal character in the Mario Kart series” as a legacy of giving the devs ideas for other characters.

Will Cow become a pivotal character in your life once you get your hands on Mario Kart World? Let us know below!

Source link

May 21, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Sangha raises $14m to launch solar-powered Bitcoin mine in Texas

by admin May 21, 2025

Sangha Renewables has raised $14 million in equity funding for its flagship 19.9-megawatt Bitcoin mining project in West Texas.

The facility, developed alongside a major independent power producer, will operate directly on a solar energy site and is expected to go live in Q3 2025, according to a company release.

The project is designed to convert underutilized renewable energy into Bitcoin (BTC) via a vertically integrated model.

According to Sangha, investors contribute capital—either in fiat or Bitcoin—to help build the site and, in return, receive streaming payouts in Bitcoin well below market price.

This approach, the company says, avoids the inefficiencies of traditional mining intermediaries.

“This isn’t just about mining—it’s about how capital flows in and out of Bitcoin,” said Sangha CEO Spencer Marr. “We’re offering direct access to productive infrastructure without the noise of speculative equities or hosting overhead.”

The company’s plan to scale across the U.S.

The project marks a proof-of-concept for Sangha’s broader strategy: scale across the U.S. by deploying similar mining operations on renewable energy sites suffering from congestion or negative pricing.

In this case, the solar site’s owner leases 5.5 acres to Sangha and supplies behind-the-meter power, creating new income for the IPP without shouldering any capital or operational burden.

The company says its financial models forecast energy and Bitcoin pricing in real time to guide curtailment and maximize profits. Its smart-contract-ready platform also offers transparent fees and optional blockchain-linked payouts.

Sangha’s structure borrows heavily from real estate and renewable energy project finance, emphasizing risk mitigation and repeatable deployment. Regulatory complexity is handled in-house, helping streamline partnerships with energy providers.

The $14 million raise is part of a $17 million target. Once live, the Texas site is expected to offer some of the lowest power costs for mining in North America, the company said.

Source link

May 21, 2025 0 comments