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short

Ethereum Treasury Aims to Foil Short Sellers With ‘Loyalty Payment’ as Shares Trade at Discount to Holdings

by admin August 18, 2025

In brief

BTCS is paying investors a “loyalty payment” to make shares illiquid.
The company’s shares are trading below the value of its crypto holdings.
BTCS CEO Charles Allen said short sellers are targeting the firm.

Ethereum treasury firm BTCS has offered investors a one-time payment for making their shares illiquid on Monday, saying that it would help them foil Wall Street short sellers.

Those who hold BTCS shares with the company’s transfer agent will receive a “loyalty payment” of $0.35 per share in January, the company said in a press release, while unveiling a $0.05 dividend that will be payable in Ethereum in September as well.

BTCS shares rose nearly 9% to $4.81 on Monday, according to Yahoo Finance. Shares have cooled from a three-year high of $8.49 last month but are still up 83.4% year-to-date.

BTCS’ shares trade at a discount relative to its crypto holdings. Although the company held 70,000 ETH worth $303 million on Monday, its market cap stood around $215 million, yielding a so-called mNAV of 0.75, the lowest among firms tracked by Strategic Ethereum Reserve.

Experts say that discounts can spell danger for crypto treasury firms, constraining their ability to raise funds in a way that would increase the amount of crypto they own per share.

BTCS CEO Charles Allen told Decrypt on Monday that the discount stems from hedge funds betting on a drop in BTCS’ stock price, as opposed to a lack of investor confidence in BTCS or its $100 million Ethereum-buying plan unveiled last month.

“People are betting against us,” he said. “If 90% of our shares are held by retail shareholders in four brokerage firms, and those brokerage firms pull all the shares together and loan them out to the short sellers, [then] we have a major problem.”

BTCS’ short interest represented 7.4% of the company’s float, according to Fintel. That was relatively higher than Ethereum treasury firms BitMine Immersion Technologies and SharpLink Gaming, totaling 4% and 6.5% on Monday, respectively.

Allen’s call for investors to move shares to “book entry” with the company’s transfer agent is reminiscent of a scheme devised by GameStop’s community, in which the meme stock’s devotees organized to directly register shares with Computershare.

By registering shares with the company’s transfer agent, investors can effectively restrict how those securities are used. Platforms like Robinhood and Charles Schwab typically allow customers to opt out of stock lending programs, albeit to varying degrees of difficulty.

As BTCS shareholders tap the company’s transfer agent, the hope is that “shares available to borrow are going to get squeezed out,” making it more costly to short the stock, Allen added

BTCS uses an Equity Stock Transfer agent as its record keeper, and Allen acknowledged that there may be drawbacks for certain investors because they can’t readily sell their shares. Processing a transfer may take three to five business days.

Allen noted that BTCS, established in 2013, runs Ethereum validators and a block-building business, in addition to its Ethereum treasury strategy. The company has also leveraged decentralized finance protocols, such as AAVE, to raise capital, he added.

BTCS shareholders have to fill out a form on the company’s website and provide a digital wallet address in order to receive the dividend, dubbed a “Bividend,” in the form of Ethereum. If shareholders take no action, they will receive $0.05 per share through traditional means.

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August 18, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Ratshaker Is A Short, Strange Horror Experience

by admin August 18, 2025

If you look at Ratshaker on the PlayStation store, you might be inclined to write it off as one of hundreds of shovelware games on storefronts designed for easy trophies. I know I did at first. But then, I saw the game gaining traction across multiple subreddits where plenty of users seemed to agree that it’s actually a surreal horror title worth the low cost of entry — I checked it out. I’m glad I did.

While Ratshaker may have a low-res visual style, brief runtime, and fairly easy trophy list, it manages to rise above the trappings of shovelware to be something that diehard horror fans can appreciate. The game tasks you with, well, shaking and squeezing a rat to solve some basic adventure-style puzzles around a home where something horrible has happened. Yeah, it’s fucking weird.

But while Ratshaker‘s simple premise initially leans toward being quirky and funny in its delivery, don’t let that fool you. As you further explore the home and peel back what happened there, Ratshaker reveals some truly unnerving events that may stick in your head for a while. If that sounds up your alley, here’s how long it’ll take you to beat this bizarre experience.

How long does it take to beat Ratshaker?

Ratshaker is a cheap game with a short runtime, so you shouldn’t go in expecting an epic adventure. Instead, you’re treated to an immensely strange horror mystery that will take about an hour to unravel. But the brief time you spend with Ratshaker will feel like enough. It’s a game that doesn’t need much time to tell its story, which ends up far more unsettling than you may expect, even after engaging with its disturbing opening.

If you’re also playing Ratshaker for its fairly easy platinum trophy, be aware that there are missable trophies throughout the adventure. And you’ll technically need to see both the real ending and a secret ending to earn the platinum trophy, but you can do both on one playthrough if you manage your saves right. Following a guide can help you not miss out on these trophies if you’re not eager to play Ratshaker twice.

Even if you’re not seeking the easy platinum trophy, I’d argue that the low price and ominous vibes make Ratshaker a good grab for any horror fan who appreciates weird shit. It’s available now on PS5 and Windows PCs, with a release on additional platforms planned for later this summer. Shake that rat.

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August 18, 2025 0 comments

The protagonist flies through the air while holding onto a large bee.

Game Reviews

Ruffy & The Riverside Is A Short And Sweet Platformer

by admin August 18, 2025

If you’re the kind of person who likes quirky platformers with a whole lot of charm and whimsy, you may have your eyes set on Ruffy and the Riverside. In this bizarre 3D platformer, you’re cast as the titular character who possesses the ability to copy and paste textures, allowing you to change the world around you to solve puzzles and reach new areas.

Ruffy and the Riverside can be a whole lot of fun if you’re able to brave its frenetic gameplay and art style. But you may be wondering how long it’ll take you to reach the end of this rowdy adventure and how much extra content there is to dive into. Let’s answer that for you below.

If you’re just mainlining Ruffy and the Riverside‘s campaign, you can likely reach the end of the game in about 6-8 hours. This makes it notably shorter than some similar 3D platformers, but its wacky gameplay and clever puzzles ensure that not a moment is wasted. Even so, you may wish for a few extra hours when you realize how brief the main quest is, especially if you really click with the Swap ability and enjoy blasting textures all over the map.

Luckily, there are a lot of optional things to do in Ruffy and the Riverside that can extend your time with the game, especially if you’re aiming to obtain all of its trophies or achievements. You’ll need to find a variety of optional secrets and collectibles, as well as swap textures over a thousand times. But given that a large part of the gameplay loop involves the Swap ability, you’ll be well on your way to that one anyway.

Whether you’re looking to push through the campaign or track down every secret, you can get started doing so right away. Ruffy and the Riverside is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Windows PCs.

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August 18, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Club World Cup Daily: Sundowns fall short, Dortmund prevail

by admin June 25, 2025

Jun 25, 2025, 06:15 PM ET

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is off and running, and has produced plenty of talking points and storylines already. Let’s catch you up on what’s happening, what you’ve missed and what’s still to come.

We will update this file throughout each matchday with the latest reporting, analysis and fun from the competition.

The lead: Sun sets on Sundowns’ impressive CWC showing

Mamelodi Sundowns stunned spectators at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, managing a 0-0 draw against Brazilian giants Fluminense. Despite their best efforts and several moments of dominance on the field, however, the South African team fell just one point short of qualifying to the knockout round of the Club World Cup.

Though their Club World Cup journey came to a close on Wednesday, Mamelodi Sundowns left their mark. They entered the tournament as a mystery to many and overlooked by almost all as Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense dominated the Group F narrative. But once the tournament kicked off, the team immediately made headlines and stole the spotlight on and off the field.

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The South African side beat Ulsan HD 1-0 and shook up Borussia Dortmund with a narrow 4-3 defeat before entering the final group stage match of the competition with hopes of making the round of 16. They kicked off the match stronger than their Brazilian opponent and continued to control the ball as the game progressed. By the 55th minute, Sundowns had three shots on goal to the Brazilian team’s zero, while holding 71% possession. At the final whistle, the Sundowns had recorded seven total shots; 554 passes, compared with Fluminense’s 258; and 68% possession. The attack tested Fluminense goalkeeper Fábio, forcing him into game-changing saves in the first half.

In the stands, the team’s supporters were small in numbers but mighty in energy. Though outnumbered and often outsung by Fluminense fans at Hard Rock Stadium, the group of 50 or so Sundowns fans dressed in yellow and green continued to rejoice. The group chanted with accompanying choreography and drumbeat, creating a contagious atmosphere that inspired nearby neutral spectators to join in the signing and dancing. A couple Mamelodi Sundown fans wore decorative headdresses with sequins and feathers, eager to show their support for their team.

The Club World Cup is intended to give teams from around the globe a stage to shine, and Mamelodi Sundowns capitalized on the opportunity by showing international spectators their talent. Despite Sundowns’ early exit, each passing performance grew the team’s international reputation, and gained the club some fans along the way. — Lizzy Becherano

Mamelodi Sundowns massively boosted their international reputation with their formidable Club World Cup performance. Hector Vivas – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

Today’s top Club World Cup news

• Madrid star Mbappé back in training
• Connelly: Why every last-16 team will, won’t win
• Modric to join Milan after Club World Cup

Sights and sounds around FIFA Club World Cup

Dortmund get the job done

There’s a real sense that the top European teams are pacing themselves in this Club World Cup, and rightly so considering the oft-repeated lines about this being their offseason, how tired they are, the heat being ridiculous, and so on. None of the UEFA contingent might embody this more than Borussia Dortmund, who carefully played their way to a sedate 1-0 win over Ulsan HD at Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium — a result that ensures they finish top of Group E. Their reward: extra rest, with their round-of-16 game the final one of the slate on July 1 in Atlanta (a stadium with a roof and air conditioning), and a likely date with River Plate or Monterrey.

Daniel Svensson notched the game’s only goal about 10 minutes before halftime after Ulsan tried (and failed) to play out from their penalty area. The loose ball spilled into Jobe Bellingham’s path inside the box, and he calmly squared it for the Swedish winger to casually fire beyond a wrong-footed Jo Hyeon-woo. Dortmund barely broke a sweat throughout but did pepper the Ulsan goal to the tune of 28 shots (11 on target), forcing a superb performance from Jo (10 saves, preventing 2.01 xG) under the sweltering midafternoon Midwestern heat.

Dortmund sealed their place atop Group E with a 1-0 victory over Ulsan HD. Michael Reaves/Getty Images

We also got a glimpse of oft-injured and oft-out of favor U.S. playmaker Giovanni Reyna, who enjoyed his first minutes of the Club World Cup in a 12-minute cameo that saw him complete just four passes. (Remember this for trivia purposes should it prove to be, as everyone suspects, his final appearance for the Bundesliga side before yet another summer restart elsewhere.)

Yan Couto, Bellingham and Julien Duranville all caused havoc but couldn’t double Dortmund’s lead, while Ulsan simply couldn’t get the ball in a bid for a face-saving comeback, having less than 30% of the ball in the final quarter-hour amid a raft of late substitutions for both sides. Dortmund will need to be much sharper from here if they’re to make a deep run and collect more of this competition’s prodigious prize purse, especially with a run to the final that could include Manchester City or Real Madrid in the quarterfinals and (perhaps) Paris Saint-Germain in the semis. That said, one will imagine manager Niko Kovac is pleased with the quiet crescendo of his team amid a difficult rebuild. There’s still plenty of work to be done if they’re to truly demonstrate they’re “back” as a force in Europe, but this isn’t a bad start. — James Tyler

Delap’s relief at scoring first Chelsea goal

PHILADELPHIA — Liam Delap needed only three appearances to score his first Chelsea goal but admitted his “relief” at getting off the mark with Benfica up next for the Blues on Saturday in the round of 16.

The £30 million summer signing from Ipswich Town found the net with a smart turn and finish as the Blues beat Espérance Sportive de Tunis in Philadelphia on Tuesday to reach the round of 16. All eyes are on Delap, too, given Nicolas Jackson is suspended against Benfica after picking up a two-game ban for his red card against Flamengo.

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Maresca ‘proud’ of Chelsea making it to last 16 of CWC

Enzo Maresca speaks on Chelsea making it to the last 16 of the Club World Cup, as well as how Liam Delap has settled into the Chelsea squad.

Said Delap: “I came in to score goals, and to get the first one over and done with is a great feeling. There’s always a little bit of relief and then you feel more confidence, and coming to a club like this, you have to have confidence and belief.”

Benfica will represent a considerably tougher test, and although it comes early in Delap’s time at Chelsea, it is a task he is relishing.

“That’s why I came to this club, that’s why I started playing football to play on big stages like this, and I’m really excited,” he said. “This tournament has really helped me settle in, because if we were back at the training ground, everyone would be disappearing at 3 o’clock. Here, we’re all together all the time and it’s a great way to settle in. Everyone’s been really helpful.” — James Olley

No break for FC Salzburg

FC Salzburg are within touching distance of a place in the knockout stages and could even qualify from Group H with a defeat against Real Madrid on Friday if the game between Al Hilal and Pachuca fails to produce a winner. However, amid all the noise from the teams in the major European leagues about burnout and lack of rest, Salzburg’s workload would probably send most of the Premier League and LaLiga stars into meltdown.

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The Austrian team ended its domestic season with a 4-2 win against Rapid Vienna on May 24 and began its Club World Cup campaign against Pachuca a mere 25 days later. But while the English, Spanish, French, Italian and German teams at the Club World Cup are set to give their players a break after the tournament, in preparation for the new season in August, Salzburg start their Champions League qualification campaign against Norway’s SK Brann on July 23. And before Thomas Letsch’s team plays the second leg seven days later, they must face Union Procon Dietach in the Austrian Cup on July 26.

If Salzburg make it to the Club World Cup knockout stages — they’d need at least a draw against Real Madrid on Thursday night to have a chance — their prospects of a break seem nonexistent. — Mark Ogden

Star player of the day

To be named later…

Match previews, odds for Thursday

Juventus vs. Manchester City (Group G; Orlando, Fla., 3 p.m. ET)

Odds (via ESPN BET): Juventus (+350), Draw (+270), Man City (-130)

After two games against modest opposition, it’s hard to know where Manchester City are at. There are new players and new coaches. But is this truly a fresh start, or are the issues that dogged them last year last still there? The Group G decider against Juventus should tell us a lot.

Group G

GPWDLGDPTS1 – Juventus (Q)2200+862 – Manchester City (Q)2200+863 – Wydad AC (E)2002-504 – Al Ain (E)1001-110Top two clubs qualify for round of 16

Pep Guardiola played two different XIs against Wydad AC and Al Ain — the team he picks against Juventus should be a clear indication of how keen he is to win this tournament. Will Rúben Dias and Rodri get their first starts in a strong team, or will it be more rotation to manage minutes?

With an impressive performance and a win against Juventus, City would become one of the favorites. Lose or draw — thus setting up a potential last-16 tie against Real Madrid — and they could be facing an early flight home. Thursday’s game at Camping World Stadium should answer a lot of questions. — Rob Dawson

Wydad AC vs. Al Ain (Group G; Washington, D.C., 3 p.m. ET)

Odds: Wydad AC (+140), Draw (+250), Al-Ain (+175)

Wydad’s incredible, energetic traveling support has been one of the highlights of the Club World Cup, which makes it such a shame that neither they nor Thursday’s opponents, Al Ain, have any possible path to advance to the round of 16 given results to date.

In the end, Wydad’s energy and commitment to numbers in attack gave both Man City and Juventus a brief fright, but both teams had the quality and composure to pick through. Expect a similar gusto at Audi Field from them and, perhaps, a few goals: Only Auckland City FC (17) have conceded more than Al Ain (11) in this competition to date. — Tyler

Al Hilal vs. Pachuca (Group H; Nashville, Tenn., 9 p.m. ET)

Odds: Al Hilal (-160), Draw (+333), Pachuca (+380)

Group H

GPWDLGDPTS1 – Real Madrid2110+242 – RB Salzburg2110+143 – Al Hilal2020024 – Pachuca (E)2002-30Top two countries qualify for round of 16

Preview to follow…

FC Salzburg vs. Real Madrid (Group H; Philadelphia, Penn., 9 p.m. ET)

Odds: FC Salzburg (+700), Draw (+500), Real Madrid (-380)

Kylian Mbappé returned to Real Madrid training on Wednesday after a week recovering from gastroenteritis, but he hasn’t traveled to make his tournament debut against Salzburg, staying behind in Palm Beach. In his absence, young forward Gonzalo García has done more than enough — with a goal and assist so far — to continue up front if Mbappé isn’t ready to start.

This game is another opportunity for new coach Xabi Alonso to get closer to the kind of Madrid team he wants to see, after defender Raúl Asencio’s early red card against Pachuca meant Alonso’s tactical gameplan had to be torn up after just seven minutes. New arrival Dean Huijsen has impressed so far, while Trent Alexander-Arnold has made steady progress. Antonio Rüdiger could start alongside them in defense, having come off the bench against Pachuca. And there’ll be eyes on Rodrygo — with speculation over his future this summer — after he didn’t play a single minute in that game in Charlotte.

As for low-profile Salzburg, they’ve put themselves in a decent position, with four points from two games so far. The result here, and in Al Hilal vs. Pachuca, will determine if they progress to the last 16. — Alex Kirkland

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June 25, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

$500M Short on BTC, SOL and ETH Pays Off with $13.3M Profit

by admin June 19, 2025

UK investment firm Abraxas Capital Management has joined the long list of crypto bears as the firm bets big against leading cryptocurrencies amid the persisting crypto market turmoil, according to a recent post from Arkham Intelligence.

According to data provided by the source, Abraxas has made a big bearish move on crypto after shorting a massive $500 million on top cryptocurrencies including BTC, ETH, SOL, HYPE, and SUI.

While the crypto market has continued to trail downwards, the negative price actions appear to be in favor of investors betting against the crypto market over the last few days. Abraxas has opened significant short positions on BTC, ETH, HYPE, SOL, and SUI with $224 million, $163 million, $57 million, $44 million, and $560,000 respectively.

With the total short position on all involved cryptocurrencies hitting about $488 million, Abraxas has already amassed a massive $13.3 million profit. While the company is yet to close these positions, it appears that it is expecting the prices of these crypto tokens to continue trailing downwards in the near future.

With Abraxas committing the most funds to Bitcoin and Ethereum short positions, both accounting for more than half of the total amount shorted on all five cryptocurrencies, the move suggests that Abraxas is confident about extended volatility in Bitcoin and Ethereum, thereby preparing itself for a deeper correction.

Crypto sentiment weakens

As of June 17, the crypto market lost nearly $10 billion in its overall market capitalization as the broad crypto market bloodbath deepens. This has caused sentiment on the future prospects of leading cryptocurrencies to dampen, as investor confidence weakens.

This has seen bearish investors take charge, with those betting against crypto’s upsurge, making notable profits from their stakes.

As much as it pains me to say it, the Switch 2’s short battery life is a real bummer

by admin June 16, 2025

Sometimes you just know something to be true. Do I want to eat a pizza right now? Yes. Is Hot Rod the greatest Transformer? Yes. Am I going to be miserable when the temperature climbs above 22 degrees celsius? Yes. Is my sleep going to suffer because of a big event happening tomorrow? Yes. Is the Switch 2’s battery life too short? Yes.

I’ve been using the Switch 2 for about a week and a half, playing it for multiple hours every day. Aside from the fact that I’ve had a lot of fun with Mario Kart World and Fast Fusion, my main take away from that time is that I wish the battery lasted longer. I’ve not timed it, but just as with the Steam Deck the constant fear of not having enough charge has resulted in me becoming obsessed with making sure my Switch 2 is always charged and ready.

I’ve become quite blase about the charge levels of the numerous devices I use everyday. My watch, because it’s a bit naff, only needs a quick charge once per week; my phone comfortably gets through the day and could probably go two days if I forgot to charge it overnight; and my Switch seems able to last most of a week being played here and there when I have a few moments spare.

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Again, this is all anecdotal. I’m not sitting at home, pen and paper in hand, stopwatch primed, tracking usage times and building a spreadsheet (although maybe that would be fun). I just know that I currently spend a not insignificant amount of my days thinking about charging the Switch 2. I prefer to keep the Switch 2 in a carry case (as I did with the Switch) instead of in the dock, mainly because I feel like it’s more of a handheld for me than it is a TV console, and this has resulted in even more logistical issues as I move it around from dock to case whenever I feel I might want to take it somewhere with me.

All this, in turn, got me thinking about what an acceptable battery life for a handheld games console is. You could argue that the two-ish hours I’m getting from Switch 2 is acceptable as I’m using it and won’t stop using it, but it is hurting my overall enjoyment in small amounts – like how I become momentarily miffed if I notice something I’ve just bought could have been bought for 50p less. I’m over it quickly, but over the course of a year I’d be down £180, which would sting a lot more.

I remember my DS Lite almost never needing to be charged, the glorious machine it is. Of course I did charge it, but my lasting impression of it is that it seemed to go on forever, play session after play session. There’s a number, I’m sure, probably around three to four hours, where you’d feel like you’ve used the device enough for it to need charging again. I understand why the Switch 2 is some way from hitting that number (this level of processing power and screen size guzzle juice), and appreciate that the game you’re playing does have an impact, but for me the current Switch 2 isn’t to be played anywhere, but instead is able to easily be taken anywhere – ideally somewhere with a power socket.

I’m sure a future iteration will make solid battery improvements, just as the original Switch was improved with a new model released a little over two years after the original’s debut, but that’s for future me to possibly be happy about. In the here and now, amongst mostly positive thoughts on the console, I hope you can understand why I am being overly dramatic about what you might think of as a trivial issue.

Yes, I could plug it in. Yes, I do mostly play Switch 2 while sitting on my sofa. That’s not the point. I’ll have to live with it, but the battery does not last long enough!

What do you think? Are you okay with the Switch 2’s battery life or is it causing you unexpected pain and misery, too?

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June 16, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Strange New Worlds’ third season falls short of its second

by admin June 15, 2025

This is a spoiler-free preview of the first five episodes of season three.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ended its second season with arguably the single strongest run of any streaming-era Trek. The show was made with such confidence in all departments that if there were flaws, you weren’t interested in looking for them. Since then, it’s gone from being the best modern Trek, to being the only modern Trek. Unfortunately, at the moment it needs to be the standard bearer for the show, it’s become noticeably weaker and less consistent.

As usual, I’ve seen the first five episodes, but can’t reveal specifics about what I’ve seen. I can say plenty of the things that made Strange New Worlds the best modern-day live-action Trek remain in place. It’s a show that’s happy for you to spend time with its characters as they hang out, and almost all of them are deeply charming. This is, after all, a show that uses as motif the image of the crew in Pike’s quarters as the captain cooks for his crew.

Its format, with standalone adventures blended with serialized character drama, means it can offer something new every week. Think back to the first season, when “Memento Mori,” a tense action thriller with the Gorn, was immediately followed by “Spock Amock,” a goofy, starbase-set body-swap romantic comedy of manners centered around Spock. Strange New Worlds is the first Trek in a long while to realize audiences don’t just want a ceaseless slog of stern-faced, angry grimdark. And if they want that, they can go watch Picard and Section 31.

Marni Grossman/Paramount+

But, as much as those things are SNW’s greatest strength, it’s a delicate balance to ensure the series doesn’t lurch too far either way. And, it pains me to say this, the show spends the first five episodes of its third season going too far in both directions (although, mercifully, not at the same time). No specifics, but one episode I’m sure was on the same writers room whiteboard wishlist as last season’s musical episode. What was clearly intended as a chance for everyone to get out of their usual roles and have fun falls flat. Because the episode can never get past the sense it’s too delighted in its own silliness to properly function.

Marni Grossman/Paramount+

At the other end of the scale, we get sprints toward the eye-gouging grimdark that blighted those other series. Sure, the series has gone to dark places before, but previously with more of a sense of deftness, rather than just going for the viscerally-upsetting gore. A cynic might suggest that, as Paramount’s other Trek projects ended, franchise-overseer Alex Kurtzman — who has pushed the franchise into “grittier” territory whenever he can — had more time to spend in the SNW writers’ room.

Much as I’ve enjoyed the series’ soapier elements, the continuing plotlines take up an ever bigger part of each episode’s runtime so far. Consequently, the story of the week gets less service, making them feel weaker and less coherent. One episode pivots two thirds of the way in to act as a low-key sequel to an episode from season two. But since we’ve only got ten minutes left, it feels thrown in as an afterthought, or to resolve a thread the creative team felt they were obliged to deal with (they didn’t).

In fact, this and the recently-finished run of Doctor Who suffered from the same problem that blights so many streaming-era shows, which is the limited episode order. Rather than producing TV on the scale broadcast networks were able to — yearly runs of 22-, 24- or 26 episodes, a lot of (expensive) genre shows get less than half that. The result is that each episode has to be More Important Than The Last One in a way that’s exhausting for a viewer.

But Strange New Worlds can’t solve all the economic issues with the streaming model on its own. My hope is that, much like in its first season, the weaker episodes are all in its front half to soften us up for the moments of quality that followed toward its conclusion.

ASIDE: Shortly before publication, Paramount announced Strange New Worlds would end in its fifth season, which would be cut from ten episodes to six. It’s not surprising — given the equally-brilliant Lower Decks was also axed after passing the same milestone — but it is disappointing. My only hope is that the series doesn’t spend that final run awkwardly killing off the series’ young ensemble one by one in order to replace them with the entire original series’ roster as to make it “line up.” Please, let them be their own things.

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June 15, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Stardew Valley Creator ConcernedApe Gives Short And Sweet But Promising Update On Haunted Chocolatier

by admin June 11, 2025

<a href=”https://gameinformer.com/2024/03/19/stardew-valley-16-patch-drops-today-heres-what-to-expect”>Stardew Valley is still receiving updates</a> while developer ConcernedApe chips away at developing his next game, <a href=”https://www.gameinformer.com/product/haunted-chocolatier”>Haunted Chocolatier</a>. Still, he’s full speed ahead on the latter, and early this morning, ConcernedApe dropped a short and sweet but promising update about Haunted Chocolatier. ”The world of Haunted Chocolaiter is larger than Stardew Valley,” ConcernedApe writes on <a href=”https://x.com/ConcernedApe/status/1932705089283895458″>X</a>. Okay, we told you it was short… but it is also promising because Stardew Valley is a massive game. It’s one people are still sinking hundreds of hours into each year. That Haunted Chocolatier’s world is bigger than Stardew Valley is both concerning (for our time) and exciting (for our time).  While waiting to learn more about the game, read <a href=”https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/07/05/haunted-chocolatier-feed-that-eerie-craving-with-what-we-know-so-far”>Game Informer’s exclusive interview feature with ConcernedApe about Haunted Chocolatier</a>, and then read about how he said <a href=”https://www.gameinformer.com/2025/05/08/i-might-eventually-make-a-stardew-valley-2-says-stardew-valleys-creator”>he might eventually make Stardew Valley 2</a>. After that, read <a href=”https://www.gameinformer.com/games/stardew_valley/b/pc/archive/2016/03/24/stardew-valley-review.aspx”>Game Informer’s Stardew Valley review</a>. What do you hope to see in Haunted Chocolatier? Let us know in the comments below! <section class=”type:slideshow”><figure><img src=”https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/entity_browser_thumbnail/public/2021/10/21/98fb1067/haunted_chocolatier_hunted_house.jpg”></figure><figure><img src=”https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/entity_browser_thumbnail/public/2021/10/21/a54a20ee/haunted_chocolatier_fire_watch.jpg”></figure><figure><img src=”https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/entity_browser_thumbnail/public/2021/10/21/1923e517/haunted_chocolatier_ingredients.jpg”></figure><figure><img src=”https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/entity_browser_thumbnail/public/2021/10/21/ceed320b/haunted_chocolatier_bakery.jpg”></figure><figure><img src=”https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/entity_browser_thumbnail/public/2021/10/21/fbca1c54/haunted_chocolatier_interior.jpg”></figure><figure><img src=”https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/entity_browser_thumbnail/public/2021/10/21/e9cc663d/haunted_chocolatier_adventure_forest.jpg”></figure><figure><img src=”https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/entity_browser_thumbnail/public/2021/10/21/ceadfd33/haunted_chocolatier_ghosts.jpg”></figure><figure><img src=”https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/entity_browser_thumbnail/public/2021/10/21/c9ed0a98/haunted_chocolatier_snowy_woods.jpg”></figure><figure><img src=”https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/entity_browser_thumbnail/public/2021/10/21/91e4f99a/haunted_chocolatier_bakery_interior.jpg”></figure><figure><img src=”https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/entity_browser_thumbnail/public/2021/10/21/b769075a/haunted_chocolatier_stick_combat.jpg”></figure><figure><img src=”https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/entity_browser_thumbnail/public/2021/10/21/50378116/haunted_chocolatier_burk_character.jpg”></figure><figure><img src=”https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/entity_browser_thumbnail/public/2021/10/21/23807f80/haunted_chocolatier_screen_2.jpg”></figure><figure><img src=”https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/entity_browser_thumbnail/public/2021/10/21/aa83c901/haunted_chocolatier_trailer_screen_1.jpg”></figure></section>

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June 11, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Top Short Seller Slams Bitcoin Advocate Saylor

by admin June 10, 2025

Jim Chanos, one of the most famous short sellers, recently slammed Strategy founder Michael Saylor for promoting “complete financial gibberish.”

Chanos believes that justifying valuation through NAV changes is absurd.

“This is, of course, complete financial gibberish. Mr. Saylor wants you to value his business based not only on the net value of his Bitcoin holdings (NAV) at market, but additionally with a multiple on the change in that NAV!” Chanos said in a recent social media post.

James Chanos recently came up with a provocative idea of buying Bitcoin (BTC) as a hedge while simultaneously shorting Strategy (MSTR), the largest corporate holder of the leading cryptocurrency.

During a recent appearance on Bloomberg, Saylor questioned whether Chanos actually understands what Strategy’s business model is.

He stressed that Strategy is the largest issuer of Bitcoin-backed credit instruments in the world.

Saylor has clarified that its Bitcoin purchases are being funded without issuing any common stock, pointing to the company’s trio of preferred stock offerings (“Stride,” “Strife,” and “Strike”).

“If the stock trades at a weak premium, we just gonna sell the preferreds,” Saylor said.

Saylor has warned that Chanos will end up getting liquidated if the Strategy stock ends up rallying.

Those who are attempting to value the company have to take into account its ability to generate Bitcoin yield.

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June 10, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Bitcoin (BTC) Rockets 240% in Short Liquidations in Just 4 Hours

by admin June 9, 2025

In an unexpected shift in market sentiments, the world’s leading cryptocurrency by market capitalization, Bitcoin, has seen a notable spike in short liquidations today, according to recent data from crypto analytics platform Glassnode.

After several days of persisting downturns in funding rates, Bitcoin has experienced a decent rally in price, wiping bearish traders out of the market.

The dramatic shift was preceded by a rapid ascent in Bitcoin’s price, which saw it rally between $105,000 to $107,000 in just a few hours. Following this surge in Bitcoin’s price, traders holding short positions have seen a significant spike in liquidations within the same period.

Notably, Glassnode revealed that total short liquidations rose sharply by 240% from $105K to $359K (24-hour SMA) within 4 hours.

According to the data source, traders had earlier positioned short due to the recurring price dumps experienced across the broad crypto market over the last week, seeing traders increasingly bet on a drop in BTC’s price.

However, the market has resumed an upward trajectory this week, wiping out the short positions opened by Bitcoin traders as momentum turns bullish.

While short squeezes like this have often fueled temporary surges in the price of the concerned cryptocurrency, Bitcoin has continued to surge and is trading at $108,320.14 as of press time, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

Source: CoinMarketCap

Over the last day, Bitcoin has surged decently by 1.90% in its price, trading steadily around the 108,000 mark.

The trading dynamics experienced by Bitcoin today suggest that FOMO traders are increasingly kicking in.