Kalakshar US

Yes, Google Maps is renaming the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America,” but you won’t see it when you open the app just yet. In a series of tweets, the News from Google account has revealed that the Maps app will roll out an update with the name change after the US government updates the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which serves as the “federal and national standard for geographic nomenclature.” Google Maps will also change the name of the highest mountain peak in North America from Denali, the name given to it by Alaskan Natives, to Mount McKinley when GNIS reflects its new official designation. 

Google said it’s a longstanding practice for the company to apply name changes in Maps only after they’ve been updated in official government resources. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week to change the body of water’s name, and the Interior Department announced on Friday that it’s now officially known as the Gulf of America. 

However, only users in the US will see it labeled as such. It will still be called the Gulf of Mexico for users in Mexico, while users from outside either country will see both names in their Google Maps app. Google said that another official longstanding practice is to show official local names when they vary between countries, and as Reuters notes, it has applied the rule to many other areas with naming and territorial disputes like the Sea of Japan. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/google-maps-will-rename-gulf-of-mexico-to-gulf-of-america-but-only-for-us-users-043726929.html?src=rss 

On the same day Apple launched iOS 18.3 to the public, its dedicated sports app got a few tweaks — including beefed-up soccer coverage. Apple Sports also now has a new way to navigate favorites and broadcast info for each game’s page.

Apple has invested heavily in soccer for Apple TV+, scooping up the exclusive global rights to Major League Soccer (MLS) until 2033. The streaming service also has several exclusive MLS documentaries, including one about Lionel Messi. His arrival in America’s premier soccer league quickly doubled the service’s subscriptions. In a far less expensive move, today’s Apple Sports update adds the ability to track match scores from England’s FA Cup, the EFL Championship and the League Cup.

The update adds a couple of UI tweaks, too. You can now swipe left or right to quickly scroll through your favorite teams and leagues. And it’s easier to find out how to watch games: Each page now shows which network each nationally broadcast game is on.

Apple Sports arrived in February 2024 as an easy, ad-free way to track scores and standings — including on the iPhone’s Lock Screen through Live Activities. The app launched with support for basketball, hockey and soccer, the three major sports active last February. It was later updated to include baseball and football ahead of MLB and the NFL’s opening days. In December, Apple added the ability to schedule Live Activities and a tab in the Play-By-Play section for video highlights.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/apple-sports-adds-the-fa-cup-and-other-uk-soccer-tournies-202654579.html?src=rss 

Swedish indie development studio Hazelight just dropped a new trailer for its forthcoming co-op adventure Split Fiction. This new footage takes a more indepth look at the actual nuts and bolts of the cooperative gameplay. Remember, Hazelight is the same company that made the genre-defining It Takes Two and A Way Out.

Unlike the bickering parents of It Takes Two, this game stars a sci-fi writer and a fantasy author as they travel into various fantastical worlds. It’s a story of friendship, and not marital collapse. This should make for fewer awkward conversations between couples as they play through the campaign.

The company calls Split Fiction a “boundary-pushing co-op adventure.” There are all kinds of unique mechanics shown off in the trailer, which is quite a feat since previous footage already showed off dozens of fun-looking ideas. There are dragons, cyberpunk motorcycles and even Dune-like sandworms.

Hazelight also announced a new mechanic called Side Stories, which are one-off adventures hidden in main story levels. This allows the main characters to do even more stuff, like surf on a sandfish or snowboard down a mountain during a heated battle. The co-op madness will never end.

Split Fiction comes out on March 6 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. The game supports crossplay and purchasers will be able to invite friends to play with them for free on any platform.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-new-split-fiction-trailer-shows-off-some-intense-co-op-gameplay-190028752.html?src=rss 

Following a string of misfires, Ubisoft is shutting down a support studio and downsizing elsewhere, with the company firing around 185 workers in its latest cost-cutting measure. Ubisoft Leamington, situated in the English town of Royal Leamington Spa, is no more as the publisher is scuttling the 50-person studio. It’s also laying off employees in Stockholm; Düsseldorf, Germany; and Newcastle, England (Ubisoft Reflections).

“As part of our ongoing efforts to prioritize projects and reduce costs that ensure long-term stability at Ubisoft, we have announced targeted restructurings at Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Stockholm and Ubisoft Reflections and the permanent closure of Ubisoft Leamington site,” Ubisoft told Eurogamer in a statement. “Unfortunately, this should impact 185 employees overall. We are deeply grateful for their contributions and are committed to supporting them through this transition.”

Ubisoft bought the Leamington studio from Activision in 2017. It was previously known as FreeStyleGames and the team was behind Guitar Hero Live and the DJ Hero series. Since joining Ubisoft, the studio has assisted with development on the Tom Clancy’s The Division games, Star Wars Outlaws, Skull and Bones and Far Cry 5.

Things have been tumultuous at Ubisoft recently, as the company is dealing with the fallout of several underperforming games, such as Star Wars Outlaws, which didn’t meet sales targets. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown fell short of Ubisoft’s sales expectations too, and the company shifted many of the game’s developers to other teams. Ubisoft is also shutting down XDefiant in the coming months, with the publisher shutting three studios and laying off 277 workers as part of that decision. As Eurogamer notes, Ubisoft’s headcount dropped from 20,279 to 18,666 by the end of September.

Perhaps aligned with those recent woes, there have been numerous reports that Ubisoft is seeking a buyer or that it may create a joint venture with Tencent with some of its assets included. The company said earlier this month (PDF) that it would “continue to drive significant cost reductions” and it had “appointed leading advisors to review and pursue various transformational strategic and capitalistic options to extract the best value for stakeholders.”

Suffice to say, there’s a lot riding on the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Assassin’s Creed has been a reliably bankable series for Ubisoft and it’s arguably the company’s flagship franchise at this point. Based on my early impressions, the game looks good enough and plays well enough for what the company needs it to do, and it seems to cater to both long-standing fans and series newcomers. There’s a chance that Shadows could be successful for the company, but it’s a mighty tall order for a single game to right a ship that’s as large and unsteady as Ubisoft.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-shuts-down-a-support-studio-and-lays-off-185-workers-191048262.html?src=rss