Launching next week on Nintendo Switch is The Padre, a retro-stylised 3D horror-adventure game inspired by classics of its genre.

We’ve got some info for you below, taken directly from the game’s press release, but we’d also urge you to give the trailer at the top of the article a watch. As well as showing off some gameplay footage, it talks you through what you can expect to find in the game. There’s a nice comedic twist in play here, with the protagonist wittering away to himself as he explores.

“On the trail of a lost cardinal, The Padre soon finds himself alone and without his demon-slaying tools inside a dreary mansion where a larger supernatural power is at play. But fear not! The dark and striking atmosphere is often cut by the wicked humor of the witty Padre.

You will need to use your brains to solve challenging puzzles, as well as your brawns to fend off monsters, all while trying to unravel the mysteries of the mansion and your own dark past.

Be wary though, if you fail enough times its permanent GAME OVER!”

The Padre will launch on 18th April for $19.99 / 19.99€ / £15.49, available directly from the Nintendo Switch eShop.

Do you like what you see? WIll you give it a go? Give us a fright in the comments below.

The Federal Trade Commission has set a date for the first leg of its loot box investigation, a public workshop that looks to host a discussion between industry representatives, consumer advocates, trade associations, academics, and government officials on the monetization practice.

That event will be held on August 7 at the Constitution Center in Washington DC, and also streamed online.

The workshop aims to cover a bit more than just a blanket discussion on loot boxes, however. The FTC notes that it wants to cover topics like the origins, evolutions, and role of loot boxes in the digital marketplace, research that examines consumer behavior in the context of video games and digital transactions, and consumer awareness and education about the mechanics, marketing, and financial commitments associated with loot boxes.

In the lead-up to the workshop, the FTC is still looking to solicit input from members of the public on potential workshop topics and participants through June 7.

The FTC is only the latest government body to call for a closer look at how loot boxes are used in video games, though the commission’s first step is already milder than some taken by other regulators outside of the United States that range from fining companies for deceptive loot box practices to outright finding loot boxes unlawful.

This has led to game companies altering how loot boxes and other in-game store elements function in those regions, such as EA’s changes to FIFA’s in-game currency in Belgium or Valve’s multiple changes to Dota 2 and CS:GO in the Netherlands.

Whether you’re just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what’s out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers.

Gamasutra’s Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A.

Here are just some of the many, many positions being advertised right now. If you’re a recruiter looking for talent, you can also post jobs here.

Location: Tokyo, Japan

The Advanced Technology Division is the Research & Development department of Square Enix Japan.

Bringing together experts from the fields of rendering, animation, physics simulation, artificial intelligence (AI), networking, big data, workflow, mixed reality (AR/VR) and sound, we not only research state of the art of game technology but also contribute to many productions.

We are seeking motivated and experienced artists, programmers and technical artists to work with us in Tokyo on our next projects and push the boundaries in content creation.

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Currently, we’re looking for a junior programmer. This opportunity is for a full-time position in Cambridge, MA or Chicago, IL. Junior programmers at Disbelief are called on to develop and debug in a variety of areas from gameplay to core engine programming. You are expected to learn new systems and projects as you grow as a developer, with support and training from more senior members of the team. Most importantly, you will work to solve problems with the help of the team. We work with leading-edge technologies to make them perform at the top of their capabilities, and we take pride in solving problems others can’t.

Location: Peoria, Illinois

The Department of Interactive Media at Bradley at Bradley University seeks a dynamic individual to join our award-winning and nationally ranked game program beginning August 2019 as an Instructor-of-Residence of Game Design. The successful candidate will be able to teach students game design and the game development process. Professional experience and college-level teaching experience is preferred

Location: Pasadena, California

We’re looking to fill a Lead Quality Assurance position. Our ideal QA Lead is a self-starter, who understands the importance of good QA, and can work within a fast-paced Agile environment. Our QA Lead will work with our developers, daily, to ensure our systems are functioning flawlessly.

Location: London, England

We’re looking for a games programmer with a passion for software creation and problem solving with a proactive, can-do attitude to overcoming technical challenges. To succeed in this role you will need to have a strong foundation in software engineering and enjoy working on a wide range of diverse and challenging problems within a results-focused mission-driven team.

Grab your mech suit: Realm Royale is heading to the next frontier! The all-new, sci-fi themed Battle Pass blasts off with 50 levels of content — including the HL-1700 Motorcycle Mount, which you can see above. The fantasy world of Realm Royale is about to collide with a futuristic set of out-of-this-world items!

If you’re new to Realm Royale, The Next Frontier Battle Pass is the perfect time to jump in! Face off in a battle royale of up to 99 opponents in Solo, Duo, or Squad game modes. Choose from one of four classes, then loot – or forge – weapons and abilities throughout the course of each match to claim the coveted Crown Royale. Summon your mount at any time to charge into (or away from) battle, and attempt to escape from certain doom in chicken form if you lose a fight!

No matter what class you prefer, The Next Frontier Battle Pass has an unlockable class skin for you. Get the drop on your enemies as the half-man, half-robot, all-amazing Six-Shooter Cyborg Assassin, or blaze a trail of vanquished opponents as a futuristic biker with the Cyber Rider Hunter. If you’re looking for something a little more tactical, the Hi-Tek Trooper Warrior has arrived from the battlefield of tomorrow to take up arms in the Realm. Finally, the Radon Flux Mage combines technology and magic to dominate the battlefield in style.

In the past we’ve offered everything from unicorns to velociraptors as mounts, but The Next Frontier Battle Pass adds an entirely new mount type: The HL-1700 motorcycle. Engineered to traverse the Realm with style and power, the new motorcycle mount pairs well with some of the class skins we’re offering with this Battle Pass. On the chicken side, we have two all-new techno-chicken skins: The robotic R0B0K chicken, and the cyber-armored BattleBok chicken.

We’re also introducing an all-new item in this Battle Pass, with two earnable map markers – place these markers on your mini-map and your in-game marking beam will transform into a column of colorful voxels or a futuristic beam of energy! Plus you’ll unlock a selection of titles, avatars, sprays, and more – this Battle Pass features a huge assortment of sci-fi themed items which you can use to tech-out your Realm Royale experience.

If you’re interested in earning some rewards before going all-in on The Next Frontier Battle Pass, we’re also offering 10 completely free rewards that can be earned just by playing during this Battle Pass, including the first tier of the Six-Shooter Cyborg Assassin skin.

Whether you’ve played through the previous Battle Passes and are eager to see what The Next Frontier holds, or you’re new to Realm Royale and are ready to start forging your legend for the first time, we hope you’ll join us in exploring undiscovered territories in The Next Frontier!

Last week, EGX Rezzed – an indie-flavoured off-shoot of Gamer Network’s EGX show – took place in London. The event’s aim has always been to celebrate small-scale games and give indie developers a chance to get their titles in front of a receptive audience, and this year’s show certainly did that. Established names such as Cuphead, The Messenger, Inmost and Untitled Goose Game rubbed shoulders with more left-field releases, a great many of which are coming to Switch in the fullness of time.

We know this because, during our time at the show, we feel we may have annoyed a few of the developers present by starting each chat with “Is it coming to Switch?” The difference this year is that the answer was mostly positive, which shows just how effectively Nintendo has charmed the indie sector with its latest console.

If you’ve not attended one of the recent EGX Rezzed shows, it’s probably worth explaining the venue. Unlike most shows of this type, which traditionally take place in massive, featureless exhibition halls, Rezzed’s home is a Grade I listed warehouse in Wapping, East London known as Tobacco Dock. Constructed in 1811 to store – you guessed it – tobacco, it’s a totally unique setting for a games show. Set across two floors and crammed into cosy brick-vaulted rooms, EGX Rezzed is a lot more intimate than your typical game show.

The fact that Tobacco Dock is sub-divided into so many different rooms allows the organisers to create focused areas for each platform holder or developer. For example, Microsoft’s successful [email protected] indie brand had a sizeable room boasting titles such as Game Freak’s Giga Wrecker Alt., Dead Mage’s Children of Morta and Pathea Games’ My Time at Portia, all of which are also (haha!) Switch-bound. Sony had a smaller room, but devoted the majority of the space to Dreams, Media Molecule’s upcoming spiritual successor to LittleBigPlanet. While it’s not an indie title, this game-building tool was almost terrifying in its scope and potential; we imagine it will create a whole new generation of indie game makers, so we’ll let it slide.

But we weren’t at EGX Rezzed to look at things that aren’t coming to Switch – we were there to pester developers about games that are. Bloodstained was playable, and the massive indie room was packed with titles that proudly had Switch listed as one of their target platforms. The mech-based strategy title Warborn caught our eye, as did the utterly adorable Cat Quest II. In Devolver Digital’s room, Katana Zero certainly impressed, as did the delightfully silly My Friend Pedro. However, it was Nintendo’s stand which predictably drew us in for the longest amount of time.

Rather than taking up one of the snug rooms, Nintendo had opted for a courtyard in the middle of Tobacco Dock, and had arranged a series of Switch demo pods around this central structure. We got some hands-on time with Cuphead, which we’re happy to report runs absolutely beautifully on the console; it really does feel like a match made in heaven. The long-awaited Untitled Goose Game was present too, and looks better every time we see it in motion. We also got to sample SteamWorld Quest, which looks incredibly polished and very interesting indeed. Given the amount of interest in Nintendo’s stand, it’s fair to say that its policy of snapping up the finest indie offerings is working.

As a Nintendo-related footnote, we were fortunate enough to have a quick go on the Octopad, a unique creation by Patrick LeMieux. Billed as an ‘alternative interface’ for the NES, the Octopad is effectively an eight-player controller where each pad has only one option – A, B, Up, Down, and so on. We had a go on Tetris with some complete strangers, and it’s fascinating to see how a frantic dialogue is fostered when there are falling blocks at stake. Located in Rezzed’s Sega-sponsored Leftfield Room, Octopad is an intriguing social experiment which we hope we have a life beyond this single demo unit.

During the event, a series of talks took place covering a wide range of topics, including individual games (‘Nutshots & Nazis: The Sniper Elite Story’ wins the award for best title), pop culture (Nintendo Life contributor Mike Diver’s ‘Video Games Journalists vs The Transformers Movie was a highlight) and more pressing matters in game development (Designing Sex in Games). Many of these sessions overlapped with one another so it wasn’t physically possible to attend them all, but there was certainly plenty of stuff happening, even if you don’t include the actual games you could play.

EGX Rezzed certainly presents a much different atmosphere to the ‘normal’ EGX event, which is due to take place in London this October. It’s less about glitz, glamour and free energy drinks, and more about interacting with the people who actually make these games; the venue is also perfect, offering its own unique character which somehow feels perfectly attuned to the often wacky indie titles on display. There were some odd inclusions (Borderlands and Forza 7 aren’t really indie, are they?) but what really struck us this year is how good a job Nintendo is doing when it comes to winning the hearts and minds of the independent gaming scene; a far cry from the rather tempestuous relationship the company has had with indies in the past.

As the cybersecurity industry has evolved, one dynamic has remained consistent: our industry-“speak”. We use a language that is very unique, difficult for new folks to understand, and oftentimes just plain sensationalistic. While any industry has its own technical terms, our language can also be a barrier to recruitment for many. This should be of concern to all of us in cybersecurity as we look to become more inclusive, rather than exclusive.

Language often reflects and supports a culture. Culture is defined by language norms and values of its people. It is easy to become conditioned to the way we speak and use terminology. As we look to how we can encourage industry growth and maturity, we should strive to evolve the way we use our industry’s nomenclature to be more open and consider how we are defining and shaping our industry’s culture through language. The exciting thing is, the opportunity is right before us, because cybersecurity is constantly evolving.

There are many examples of words that are part of the InfoSec culture – words that do not easily translate to people without a deep industry background. My approach is to avoid hyper technical or sensationalistic terms, and to create a language baseline that is simple and inclusive. Then, I put it to the test: Is the cyber language we’re speaking something my family can understand? Are there other terms we could use to simplify unique technical terms? Can we all agree to search for new words and try them out?

Let’s consider terms like sandboxing, detonation chamber, whitelists, blacklists, and so forth. While each have specific purposes, we should ask ourselves: are there different ways of saying the same things or defining these terms? What would the synonym be for “blacklist” and would “filtering known bad sites” or “risk lists” suffice?

We must also examine and test whether ways that are more easily understood help to make the industry appear more open and accepting to a broader, more diverse audience or talent population. This is not a matter appearing politically correct – it is a matter of being pragmatic and understanding we will not solve the talent shortage in cybersecurity if we do not make some fundamental changes to the industry. One of the simple changes we could make is to make our common industry vernacular less intimidating.

Testing the waters, I fielded this very topic about whether our industry terms are terrifying and/or confusing to those not in the industry. While many shared examples of cyber terms we should explore, there was agreement that most of our vernacular leans to weaponized or militaristic language.

As a technology professional with 30 years of experience working for companies that are not pure security focused, I have spent many hours creating glossaries and explaining InfoSec language to my colleagues. Quite often there are raised eyebrows and snickers at some of the things we consider common language – as well as questioning and commentary on how unique security people are. I have no issue with uniqueness or deep skills, but that does not mean everything the industry does needs to be unique. The days of security by obscurity are dead.

The cyber insiders club we have created for ourselves is not what makes us special. What makes us special is that we are required to adapt quickly, evolve, and grow. If we don’t, we will become extinct. Bad actors are continually changing and modernizing their tools and methods. They recognize the evolution of InfoSec as an opportunity of scale. By allowing more people to easily understand the fundamentals of security and take an active role in shaping its culture, we can and will build better defenses. Imagine how much easier your job would be if you didn’t spend the first 30-minutes of every InfoSec-related meeting developing a common understanding of language.

If we are to truly influence and shape our industry’s culture, I am asking everyone in the industry to examine how and what we communicate, how we can make cybersecurity easier to understand by the language we use. Thus we will become more open and inclusive. We can do so much if we embrace change and growth, and open our arms to those who have so much to contribute, but who may not “speak” our language.