As a web hosting expert who has guided numerous clients in selecting the best providers, I’ve developed a keen eye for distinctive and impactful hosting services. At first glance, Verpex stands out not just for its competitive pricing and robust support, but significantly for its commitment to…
Street Fighter 6 Preview – Director Takayuki Nakayama Talks Akuma’s Arrival – Game Informer
Street Fighter 6 is poised to wrap up its Year 1 character offerings with one of the franchise’s most iconic fighters. Akuma brings his Satsui no Hado mastery to the renowned title this week. Introduced in 1994’s Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Akuma represents the most classic post-launch character added to Street Fighter 6 during its first year of post-launch content, following Rashid (Street Fighter V), A.K.I. (Street Fighter 6), and Ed (Street Fighter IV/V).
In preparation for Akuma’s arrival, we interviewed Street Fighter 6 director Takayuki Nakayama about bringing the Great Demon to the game. You can see our full interview below, ahead of Akuma’s release on May 22.

The introduction of Akuma has traditionally been a tricky thing for the Street Fighter series, as he is often not super balanced. Can you talk about the challenges of balancing Akuma and how you worked to address those challenges within Street Fighter 6?
Akuma is a powerful character with a lot of moves in his arsenal, with many different approaches to try against his opponent. At the same time, players will need to be skilled with him in order to achieve consistent results. Similar to past iterations, we have decided to balance him by giving him many powerful techniques, while setting his vitality on the lower end.
Many of the additions in Year 1 have been newer characters to the series. What does having a character like Akuma, who dates back to the Street Fighter II series, do to round out the SF6 roster?
New characters, and characters that have appeared in recent titles, are more difficult for people to become familiar with. The inclusion of an iconic character like Akuma helps bring cohesiveness to the lineup. We want Street Fighter 6 to be accessible to everyone, from players who have been playing for a long time to those who have only played the recent titles and those who are new to the series.

Given Akuma’s extreme in-universe power, are there ever any struggles with fitting him into the story in believable ways?
Like Ryu, he is a bit of an enigma, but we thought this would be a good opportunity for people to get to know his feelings and thoughts, especially through World Tour. I didn’t find it too difficult to incorporate him into the story.
Back in February, you told me a fun anecdote about Ed’s importance to the development of Street Fighter 6. Does Akuma hold any special places in the hearts of developers besides being a very popular and long-running character?
Yes, we consider him to be a special character. He was the first hidden character to appear in the Street Fighter II series, and his techniques and settings were shrouded in mystery. We believe that his appearance will make the game more complete.

When designing an updated look for Akuma, how do you go about ensuring longtime fans will enjoy his visual aesthetic while still showcasing the visual evolution you hope to portray?
In Street Fighter III, the previous title in the chronological order of the series, his characteristic red hair had some white in it. This was a great way to express that even a character like Akuma is aging and has reached a higher level of mastery. In addition, the illustration of Akuma selling fruit to children, which was depicted in the Street Fighter Alpha series, shined a light on the unexpected aspect of his life. As we pondered how Akuma grew older and more powerful, and followed his life’s path, it led us to a more Ashura or Buddhist statue-like design. Our intention was to design him to be a fighter with the intimidating presence of a beast while transcending human existence.
Speaking of evolution from game to game, what differences should players expect from how Akuma plays in Street Fighter 6?
Most of the techniques used in past titles have been implemented. An aggressive fighting style suits him very well, so take advantage of your opponent’s openings and defeat them. The match should conclude quickly.

With Akuma serving as the final character from the Year 1 pass, how has the process gone for selecting the characters for Year 2? I know you likely can’t go into specifics, but did the team identify any holes in the current roster that needed to be addressed or filled with the next batch of playable characters?
Of course, I can’t make any specific comments yet, but I think you will find there to be some unexpected characters. Sorry, but the method of selection is also a secret (no fortune-telling or divination involved). We hope you’re looking forward to it.
Street Fighter 6 arrived on June 2, 2023, meaning its one-year anniversary is right around the corner. We don’t know when we’ll learn about what Capcom has in store for the game’s second year, but with the anniversary and Summer Games Fest right around the corner, we might learn about the next batch of characters coming soon. In the meantime, Akuma joins the Street Fighter 6 roster as the final Year 1 character on May 22.
For more on Street Fighter 6, read our review here.
How platformization is transforming cyber security – CyberTalk

With more than 15 years of experience in cyber security, Manuel Rodriguez is currently the Security Engineering Manager for the North of Latin America at Check Point Software Technologies, where he leads a team of high-level professionals whose objective is to help organizations and businesses meet their cyber security needs. Manuel joined Check Point in 2015 and initially worked as a Security Engineer, covering Central America, where he participated in the development of important projects for multiple clients in the region. He had previously served in leadership roles for various cyber security solution providers in Colombia.
In this insightful Cyber Talk interview, Check Point expert Manuel Rodriguez discusses “Platformization”, why cyber security consolidation matters, how platformization advances your security architecture and more. Don’t miss this!
The word “platformization” has been thrown around a lot recently. Can you define the term for our readers?
Initially, a similar term was used in the Fintech industry. Ron Shevlin defined it as a plug and play business model that allows multiple participants to connect to it, interact with each other and exchange value.
Now, this model aligns with the needs of organizations in terms of having a cyber security platform that can offer the most comprehensive protection, with a consolidated operation and easy enablement of collaboration between different security controls in a plug and play model.
In summary, platformization can be defined as the moving from a product-based approach to a platform-based approach in cyber security.
How does platformization differ from the traditional way in which tech companies develop and sell products and services?
In 2001, in a Defense in Depth SANS whitepaper, Todd McGuiness said, “No single security measure can adequately protect a network; there are simply too many methods available to an attacker for this to work.”
This is still true and demonstrates the need to have multiple security solutions for proper protection of different attack vectors.
The problem with this approach is that companies ended up with several technologies from different vendors, all of which work in silos. Although it might seem that these protections are aligned with the security strategy of the company, it generates a very complex environment. It’s very difficult to operate and monitor when lacking collaboration and automation between the different controls.
SIEM and similar products arrived to try to solve the problem of centralized visibility, but in most cases, added a new operative burden because they needed a lot of configurations and lacked automation and intelligence.
The solution to this is a unified platform, where users can add different capabilities, controls and even services, according to their specific needs, making it easy to implement, operate and monitor in a consolidated and collaborative way and in a way that leverages intelligence and automation.
My prediction is that organizations will start to change from a best-of-breed approach to a platform approach, where the selection factors will be more focused on the consolidation, collaboration, and automation aspects of security controls, rather than the specific characteristics of each of the individual controls.
From a B2B consumer perspective, what are the potential benefits of platformization (ex. Easier integration, access to a wider range of services…)?
For consumers, the main benefits of a cyber security platform will be a higher security posture and reduced TCO for cyber security. By reducing complexity and adding automation and collaboration, organizations will increase their abilities to prevent, detect, contain, and respond to cyber security incidents.
The platform also gives flexibility by allowing admins to easily add new security protections that are automatically integrated in the environment.
Are there any potential drawbacks for B2B consumers when companies move towards platform models?
I have heard concerns from some CISOs about putting all or most of their trust in a single security vendor. They have in-mind the recent critical vulnerabilities that affected some of the important players in the industry.
This is why platforms should also be capable of integration through open APIs, permitting organizations to be flexible in their journey to consolidation.
How might platformization change the way that B2B consumers interact with tech companies and their products (ex. Self-service options, subscription models)? What will the impact be like?
Organizations are also looking for new consumption models that are simple and predictable and that will deliver cost-savings. They are looking to be able to pay for what they use and for flexibility if they need to include or change products/services according to specific needs.
What are some of main features of a cyber security platform?
Some of the main features are consolidation, being able to integrate security monitoring and management into a single central solution; automation based on APIs, playbooks and scripts according to best practices; threat prevention, being able to identify and block or automatically contain attacks before they pose a significant risk for an organization…
A key component of consolidation is the use of AI and machine learning, which can process the data, identify the threats and generate the appropriate responses.
In terms of collaboration, the platform should facilitate collaboration between different elements; for example sharing threat intelligence or triggering automatic responses in the different regions of the platform.
In looking at platformization from a cyber security perspective, how can Check Point’s Infinity Platform benefit B2B consumers through platformization principles (ex. Easier integration with existing tools, all tools under one umbrella…etc)?
The Check Point Infinity platform is a comprehensive, consolidated, and collaborative cyber security platform that provides enterprise-grade security across several vectors as data centers, networks, clouds, branch offices, and remote users with unified management.
It is AI-powered, offering a 99.8% catch rate for zero day attacks. It offers consolidated security operations; this means lowering the TCO and increasing security operational efficiency. It offers collaborative security that automatically responds to threats using AI-powered engines, real-time threat intelligence, anomaly detection, automated response and orchestration, and API-based third-party integration. Further, it permits organizations to scale cyber security according to their needs anywhere across hybrid networks, workforces, and clouds.
Consolidation will also improve the security posture through a consistent policy that’s aligned with zero trust principles. Finally, there is also a flexible and predictable ELA model that can simplify the procurement process.
How does the Check Point Infinity Platform integrate with existing security tools and platforms that CISOs might already be using?
Check Point offers a variety of APIs that make it easy to integrate in any orchestration and automation ecosystem. There are also several native integrations with different security products. For example, the XDR/XPR component can integrate with different products, such as firewalls or endpoint solutions from other vendors.
To what extent can CISOs customize and configure the Check Point Infinity Platform to meet their organization’s specific security posture and compliance requirements?
Given the modular plug and play model, CISOs can define what products and services make sense for their specific requirements. If these requirements change over time, then different products can easily be included. The ELA consumption model gives even more flexibility to CISOs, as they can add or remove products and services as needed.
How can platformization (whether through Infinity or other platforms) help businesses achieve long-term goals? Does it provide a competitive advantage in terms of agility, innovation and cost-efficiency?
A proper cyber security platform will improve the security posture of the business, increasing the ability to prevent, detect, contain and respond to cyber security incidents in an effective manner. This means lower TCO with increased protection. It will also allow businesses to quickly adapt to new needs, giving them agility to develop and release new products and services.
Is there anything else that you would like to share with Check Point’s thought leadership audience?
Collaboration between security products and proper intelligence sharing and analysis are fundamental in responding to cyber threats. We’ve seen several security integration projects through platforms, such as SIEMs or SOARs, fail because of the added complexity of generating and configuring the different use cases.
A security platform should solve this complexity problem. It is also important to note that a security platform does not mean buying all products from a single vendor. If it is not solving the consolidation, collaboration problem, it will generate the same siloed effect as previously described.
Leveraging AI, Digital Twins, and AR/VR for Enhanced Aircraft Maintenance and Repair
Leading aircraft manufacturers have been under intense pressure since early January, when a panel blew off a brand-new Alaska Airlines 737 Max midflight. While this issue was front and center for one manufacturer specifically, the event has spotlighted a lengthy series of safety and manufacturing problems…
The Rise of Multimodal Interactive AI Agents: Exploring Google’s Astra and OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o
The development of OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o and Google’s Astra marks a new phase in interactive AI agents: the rise of multimodal interactive AI agents. This journey began with Siri and Alexa, which brought voice-activated AI into mainstream use and transformed our interaction with technology through voice commands….
Creativity Hasn’t Left Web Design – It’s Just Different
Creativity can be freeing for web designers. There’s nothing quite like reaching that “a-ha” moment. It’s when an idea transfers from your head to a screen.
I had that feeling a lot during my early days in this industry. My work wasn’t great, mind you. But I felt the thrill of doing things I’d never done. And it was even better if I had made a client happy.
There was a lot of creative energy back then. The web was a new medium – and we were building it as we went along.
It’s no secret that the industry has changed dramatically. The old methods of building websites are gone. Now, we work with advanced tools and premade elements.
I sometimes feel like web design has lost its creative flair. Has it? Or have we changed how we use our creativity?
Let’s explore what it means to be creative in modern web design.
We No Longer Build from Scratch
An original web design isn’t always a top priority these days. We often prioritize efficiency, usability, and accessibility in our builds.
To that end, we start projects with frameworks and themes that provide a head start. Tools like Tailwind CSS feature readymade layouts and components. WordPress themes may offer a complete website for us to customize. And we can’t forget about the advent of block patterns.
That’s the reverse of how things used to work. We used to fire up Photoshop or some other design tool. We’d start with a blank canvas and build from scratch.
It’s easy to romanticize that era. We may think of web design as a lost art. It’s as if we were craftspeople who built sites the right way. None of these modern tools could match those techniques.
But that practice isn’t sustainable for busy designers. There’s not enough time or budget for a long design process. Not when there are multiple projects to complete.
For better or worse, our workflows have changed. Web designers have had to adapt to keep pace.
Adding a Personal Touch to Predesigned Components
How can we be creative when using predesigned components? Complete originality may be out of the question. However, there’s still an opportunity to add a personal touch.
There is no shortage of areas to change. An element’s color, size, and typography are prime examples. We don’t have to settle for the default look.
We can also choose components that include minimal styling. The WordPress block editor works this way. A default implementation is typically barebones. Tailwind CSS also prioritizes utility over looks.
Knowledge of these tools also helps. We can design in Figma with specific components in mind. That allows us to use our imagination while staying within the lines.
The process is reminiscent of a collage artist. It’s about pulling all of these different pieces together. From there, we seek to create a seamless user experience. The results can be compelling.
The added layer of convenience might make us feel guilty, though. For instance, page builder tools take the pain out of design. It’s more paint-by-numbers than drawing from memory.
Did we even “create” anything here?
Modern Web Design Is a Different Artform
Sure, the design process has changed. That doesn’t mean we’re no longer being creative, though.
We’re still using our creativity – just in a different way. We’re using our knowledge and experience to build the best website possible. And we’re using our keen eye to make it beautiful and functional.
If anything, we’re fortunate to have these new tools and frameworks. Websites are becoming more complex all the time.
Perhaps that makes web design harder than ever. Designing from scratch and managing functionality might be too much to handle.
Our focus needs to be in many places at once. So, maybe we’re creating a collage while juggling!
Find New Ways to Be Creative
One positive development is that designers don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We spend less time on the basics. That allows us time to concentrate on the details.
It’s the little things that can make a website stand out. We now have the tools to give us a head start.
Yes, these new methods can be limiting at times. However, web designers have plenty of experience in that area.
There have always been parameters for us to work within. It used to be the limits of CSS or user devices. Now, we try to bend and shape tools to match our needs. That also takes creativity.
You know what? Despite my initial concerns, those “a-ha” moments still exist. The change is in how we create them.
Related Topics
Top
Is AI going to upend the face of gambling? – AI News
AI has made some – to put it mildly – big changes in our world in recent years, and although nobody can say for sure what it’s going to do next or what kind of impact it’s going to have on many aspects of our lives,…
Discovering the tuture of AI – Introducing AI Parabellum (an AaI tools directory) – AI News
As artificial intelligence continues to progress at an unprecedented rate, developing new and innovative AI tools has become crucial for shaping the future of the industry. However, keeping up with all the latest advancements can often feel overwhelming, with new tools emerging every day across diverse…
Baldur’s Gate 3 Dev Larian Opens New Studio As Development On Two ‘Very Ambitious’ RPGs Continues

Larian Studios, the team behind last year’s Baldur’s Gate 3, has opened a new studio in Warsaw, Poland. Larian Studios Warsaw is the developer-publisher’s seventh studio worldwide, and joins others in Barcelona, Dublin, Gent, Guildford, Kuala Lumpur, and Quebec.
“With two very ambitious RPGs now starting development, what better way to see our visions realized than by growing our team and opening a 7th studio in the heart of Poland’s lively gaming scene,” the company’s announcement post on X (formerly) Twitter reads.
[embedded content]
As for what those two RPGs are, don’t expect a sequel to Baldur’s Gate 3. Despite winning countless awards last year, including Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2023, Larian’s CEO revealed back in March that the studio is done with both Baldur’s Gate 3 – so no expansions – and the Baldur’s Gate series in general.
Over on a separate blog post about Larian Studios Warsaw, the company talks about its plans with seven worldwide studios open now.
“Larian Studios set up base in one of the greatest RPG development hubs in the world – Poland, where we opened our doors in the historic city of Warsaw,” the blog post reads. “Like its sister studios across the globe, Larian Studios Warsaw is dedicated to fostering an environment where developers can thrive creatively and reclaim their agency. Systems-heavy RPGs need best-in-class developers; that’s why we’ve put the people who build those systems at the center of our culture.”
For more, read Game Informer’s Baldur’s Gate 3 review, and then find out why it’s on Game Informer’s list of the top 10 RPGs to play right now.
What kind of RPG do you hope Larian Studios makes next? Let us know in the comments below!