LeBron James, Rick and Morty are coming to fighting game ‘MultiVersus’

Warner Bros. Games’ MultiVersus is a fun take on platform fighters like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Brawlhalla. It’s soon going into open beta with a roster packed with characters from across a wide range of WB franchises. Developer Player First Games is about to add one more to the mix: Space Jam: A New Legacy star LeBron James.

The NBA icon will join the lineup when the open beta starts on July 26th. Unsurprisingly, his offense centers around the use of a basketball. He can throw a ball at opponents or dribble one around his feet to damage enemies. James is also able to block projectiles by building a fence. Surprisingly (or not, depending on how much you appreciated his thespian skills in Space Jam), James isn’t voicing himself in the game. Actor John Bentley will play him.

WB also announced that a couple of other fan-favorite characters will join the lineup soon, as Rick and Morty are on the way. Many of Rick’s abilities are based around his portal gun. He’ll be available when season one starts on August 9th. Morty, who will arrive later in the season, can whip himself at opponents and use grenades. 

The trio will be added to an ever-expanding and fairly peculiar roster. Big names like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn and Bugs Bunny are all in the mix, as are Arya Stark from Game of Thrones and Shaggy and Velma from Scooby Doo. Tom and Jerry play as a single character, rather than trying to throttle one another.

The Iron Giant, the most recent addition, is portrayed as a gentle-hearted being in the film of the same name who only fights when it’s completely necessary. In MultiVersus, he’s beating up opponents like the rest of the cast, which the developers justified by saying the game takes place in an alternate universe.

If that’s not odd enough, leaks have suggested Ted Lasso, Gizmo from Gremlins (you know, the cute one) and the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz are coming to the roster as well. For what it’s worth, those leaks are from the same person who revealed the game’s existence in the first place and who said LeBron, Rick and Morty were MultiVersus-bound too.

VW chairman Herbert Diess will leave the company in August

Volkswagen is shaking up its leadership. The automaker has announced that group chairman Herbert Diess will leave at the end of August. Porsche chairman Oliver Blume will take over the role (while preserving his existing position) as of September 1st. The company didn’t explain Diess’ exit, but said the move was the result of a “mutual agreement.”

Diess has a somewhat mixed track record. He replaced former chief Martin Winterkorn as the Dieselgate emissions cheating scandal unfolded in 2015, and was meant to help VW move past a dark chapter in its history. In 2019, though, German prosecutors charged Diess with stock manipulation for allegedly delaying reports on the cheating to minimize the impact on company shares. Diess’ attorney contended that the executive joined VW too late to understand the ramifications of the scandal, but the allegations still tarnished the leader’s reputation.

At the same time, there’s little doubt that Diess oversaw an important moment in VW’s history. He helped the company start its transition to EVs and self-driving cars. He also prepared for declining car ownership by fostering mobility services. Much of VW’s business still depends on conventional combustion engine vehicles, but it now expects EVs to represent half of its sales by 2030. If the Dieselgate-era VW was clinging to the past, Diess’ company was bracing itself for the future.

Don’t expect a radical change under Blume. The new chairman will “press ahead” with the transformation that largely began under Diess, according to VW. Blume may serve as a custodian in that regard, but that won’t necessarily be a problem if the company continues to expand and improve its EV lineup.

DHS begins criminal investigation over deleted Secret Service texts from January 6th

The Secret Service may face serious legal repercussions over deleted text messages relating to the January 6th, 2021 Capitol attack. NBC Newssources said the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General has opened a criminal investigation into the deletion of texts from the days surrounding the riot. The Secret Service has been ordered to stop its own internal probes, according to a copy of a letter DHS Deputy Inspector General Gladys Ayala sent to the agency.

In a statement, the Secret Service acknowledged receiving Ayala’s letter. It promised a “thorough legal review” to ensure it was “fully cooperative” with all oversight.

Word of the deleted texts came last week, when the Inspector General’s office said that Secret Service texts from January 5th and 6th had been deleted as part of a “device replacement program.” Agents were supposed to back up their messages before the migration, but it’s not clear that happened. While the Secret Service told the House’s January 6th committee that it was “currently unaware” of any lost messages, CNNreported, it also acknowledged that it was still trying to recover messages. The service hasn’t provided more than a single message thread in response to a House committee subpoena.

It’s not yet clear if the messages are recoverable, and there isn’t any known evidence of malicious intent. Whatever the circumstances, there’s a chance the Secret Service could face significant charges. House committee leaders Liz Cheney and Bennie Thompson warned that the service might have violated the Federal Records Act by failing to keep the messages. At the least, the investigation highlights the challenges and importance of preserving data in modern government — a botched migration could impact crucial proceedings.

Meta commits another $150 million to its Oversight Board

Meta has committed to keeping its Oversight Board running by providing ongoing financial support. The company has pledged to fund the board’s operations with a contribution of an additional $150 million. Meta previously earmarked $130 million for the board’s trust when it was set up in 2019.

The Oversight Board says the money, which is irrevocable under the terms of the trust, can only be used to fund, manage and oversee its operations. “By making this ongoing financial commitment, Meta has issued a vote of confidence in the work of the board and its efforts to apply Facebook and Instagram content standards in a manner that protects freedom of expression and pertinent human rights standards,” Oversight Board Trust chairperson Stephen Neal said.

The Oversight Board reviews certain content moderation decisions made by Facebook and Instagram and provides recommendations to Meta. Through the lens of human rights standards, it also assesses Meta’s policies and how it enforces them. The board says it has received more than a million appeals from users against moderation decisions. To date, it has issued 25 binding decisions on cases and made 118 policy suggestions, while asking many questions of Meta’s practices.

The board started making decisions on cases in January 2021 and it wasn’t long before a major case dropped into its lap: Meta’s decision to suspend Donald Trump indefinitely from its platforms after the events of January 6th, 2021. The board ultimately determined that Meta was “justified” in blocking Trump, but argued that its reasoning for an indefinite ban meant that suspending Trump for an indeterminate period of time was not within the company’s remit. As such, Meta limited the suspension to two years.

The Oversight Board has had an impact on other Meta moderation decisions and policies to the point where the company said it could not keep up with all the recommendations. Among other things, Meta has added an exception for satire to its community standards, clarified its rules on hate speech and beefed up its anti-doxxing policies. Meanwhile, the board has been critical of Meta on other fronts, such as its lack of transparency over VIP moderation rules.

‘As Dusk Falls’ review: A sluggish small-town soap opera

As Dusk Falls is an ambitious narrative adventure game that fails to execute its grandest ideas, hemorrhaging tension along the way. It attempts to tell a mature, action-packed tale about family and loss, but repeated missteps in logic and emotion stri…

The 2021 Apple TV 4K drops to $130, plus the rest of the week’s best tech deals

This week brought back some of our favorite tech deals we’ve seen all year. A four pack of Apple’s AirTags is back on sale for $89, while the Apple TV 4K has dropped to $130. While neither of those are all-time lows, they’re very close and great deals …

How TikTok can help you get better at studying

When you think of study aids, TikTok is likely not what comes to mind. And, there’s probably a good reason for that. Scrolling your For You page may be entertaining, but it’s rarely productive.But, a growing group of study influencers might be changing…

Baidu’s latest robotaxi has a removable steering wheel

Automakers are frequently keen to show off self-driving concept cars without steering wheels, but Baidu is close to putting a vehicle like this on real-world roads. The tech giant has unveiled a new robotaxi, the Apollo RT6, with a removable steering wheel. The option lets ride hailing services offer more space for passengers — this can include extra seats, work desks or even game consoles.

The RT6 unsurprisingly includes Baidu’s newest autonomous driving tech. The Level 4 system (full self-driving under specific conditions) uses a total of 38 sensors, including eight LiDAR units and 12 cameras, to navigate dense urban environments. The company didn’t mention range for the all-electric design, but the flat floor, sliding doors and “interactive” lights should make your commute more enjoyable.

More importantly, the machine is production-ready. The car will cost businesses the equivalent of $37,000 in China, and it should first enter use with Baidu’s own Apollo Go service in 2023. The relatively modest price will make it practical for the company to roll out “tens of thousands” of vehicles across China, and it envisions a future where robotaxi fares cost half as much as those of conventional rides. While that’s not great news for taxi drivers, it suggests that driverless ride hailing could soon be relatively ubiquitous in the country.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 13-game anthology debuts August 30th

Shredder’s Revenge is great if you want a modern take on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles beat-’em-ups, but what if you’d rather stick with the classics? You won’t have to wait long to revisit those, either. Digital Eclipse, Konami and Nickelodeon have announced that TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection debuts August 30th on PCs (via Steam), PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. The bundle includes all 13 home and arcade games from the golden era of the half-shell heroes, including the Japanese versions.

You can return to the days of pumping endless quarters with the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game and its Turtles in Time follow-up. If you’re more familiar with the console titles, you can play everything ranging from the notoriously difficult TMNT for the NES through to the three Game Boy releases and Tournament Fighters for the Genesis and SNES. The games remain in their original aspect ratios, but you can play online with friends and take advantage of creature comforts like save games, rewinding and a gallery full of concept art.

You’ll still want to play Shredder’s Revenge if you prefer more recent game mechanics and up-to-date (if still retro-looking) graphics. Many of the frustrations you felt in the ’90s will still be present in The Cowabunga Collection. All the same, it’s easy to see the appeal — this is likely your best chance to play all of the early hits without running an emulator or digging your NES out of the closet.