Latest news with #NaturalSelection
Express Tribune
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Who is Matt Rife? Inside the career and fortune of Annabelle doll and Warren's Occult Museum's new owner
Comedian Matt Rife, known for his fast-rising stand-up career and viral online presence, has officially purchased the infamous Ed and Lorraine Warren house and Occult Museum, alongside YouTuber Elton Castee. The Connecticut property is internationally recognised for housing the Annabelle doll and other notorious paranormal artefacts, collected by the Warrens during decades of supernatural investigations. Rife confirmed the news on Instagram, stating: 'I have officially purchased Ed and Lorraine Warren's home and Occult Museum, including being the legal guardian for at least the next five years of the entire haunted collection, including THE ANNABELLE DOLL, with my good friend @eltoncastee!!' He added that he has always been 'obsessed with the paranormal and all things haunted.' The purchase adds another layer to Rife's growing public profile and highlights his financial success. While the exact price remains undisclosed, reports suggest the deal exceeded half a million dollars. Forbes currently estimates his net worth at around $50 million. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Rife began his comedy career at 15 and rose to fame through MTV's Wild 'n Out. He later secured roles in Brooklyn Nine‑Nine and gained mass popularity on TikTok, leading to sold‑out tours and a Netflix special, Natural Selection. Beyond comedy, Rife earns from brand deals, endorsements, and a growing real estate portfolio, which includes multimillion-dollar properties in Los Angeles and Miami. His latest acquisition positions him not only as an entertainer but also as the custodian of a legendary paranormal archive. 'I'm incredibly honoured to have taken over one of the most prominent properties in paranormal history,' he said, recognising the Warren legacy.
Engadget
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
What the hell is going on with Subnautica 2?
If I had to describe the status of Subnautica 2 in just three words, it would be these: messy, messy, messy. That's not to say the game itself is in terrible shape — this is actually a pivotal claim in the whole situation — but the relationship between Subnautica series developer Unknown Worlds and its parent company, Krafton, is in shreds. This month alone, Krafton fired the founders and CEO of Unknown Worlds, Subnautica 2 was delayed until 2026 and the ousted leaders filed a lawsuit against Krafton, looking to regain creative control of the game and the studio. At the center of the conflict is a bonus payment worth up to $250 million. Here's a rundown of how we got here and what in the devil is going on with Subnautica 2 , Krafton and Unknown Worlds. Charlie Cleveland accidentally started Unknown Worlds in 2001 while building the popular Half-Life mods Natural Selection and Natural Selection 2 , and technical director Max McGuire came on as an official studio co-founder in 2006. Inspired by Minecraft and burned out on mods, Unknown Worlds began working on the undersea, open-world exploration game Subnautica and released it in early access on Steam in 2014. With years of community feedback, the game evolved into a singularly tense and rich survival experience, and version 1.0 officially landed in 2018. This is also when Ted Gill joined the studio's executive team, freeing up Cleveland to focus on creative direction. Subnautica and its spin-off, Subnautica: Below Zero , attracted millions of players and established Unknown Worlds as a successful independent team. So, the larger studios came sniffing. PUBG publisher Krafton, which operates with billions of dollars annually, purchased Unknown Worlds in 2021 for $500 million. The acquisition came with the promise of an additional payout worth up to $250 million if Unknown Worlds hit certain performance goals by the end of 2025. This bonus is a critical piece of the chaos today. We know more about the details of this deal thanks to recent reporting by Bloomberg . In addition to the leadership positions, which were filled by Cleveland, Gill and McGuire, Unknown Worlds had about 40 employees at the time of the Krafton sale, and they received payouts totaling $50 million at closing and over the following two years. This larger group was poised to receive as much as $25 million in the 2025 performance-based earnout, with each person expecting a different amount, but most estimating six or seven figures. The remaining $225 million was reserved for the Unknown Worlds leadership, but they said they intended to share a portion of their windfall with employees who weren't included in the bonus, covering the full studio headcount of about 100 people. The leadership of Unknown Worlds repeated this promise in a lawsuit filed against Krafton on July 10, 2025. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. After the acquisition, Unknown Worlds continued updating Subnautica and Below Zero . In February 2024, the studio released Moonbreaker , a turn-based strategy game that never really took off, partially because of its initial microtransaction system . Since then, the studio has been focused on Subnautica 2 . The game was officially announced in October 2024 with a prospective early access launch window of 2025. It's currently the second-most wishlisted game on Steam, after Hollow Knight: Silksong . The first public notion that something was rotten between Unknown Worlds and Krafton came on July 2, when Cleveland, Gill and McGuire were fired and replaced by former Callisto Protocol studio head Steve Papoutsis. Krafton didn't provide a reason for the switch-up in its press release , instead offering the following nearly complete thought: 'While Krafton sought to keep the Unknown Worlds' co-founders and original creators of the Subnautica series involved in the game's development, the company wishes them well on their next endeavors.' Krafton didn't mention delaying the early access launch at this time, but it implemented a review process that it said would be 'essential to delivering the right game at the right time.' The publisher suggested the ousted leaders had been uncooperative in this aspect. 'Unknown Worlds' new leadership fully supports this process and is committed to meeting player expectations,' its press release said. Cleveland published a blog post on July 4 reflecting on his time in game development, and sharing his disappointment at Krafton's handling of Unknown Worlds and Subnautica 2 . He also referenced Krafton's intent to delay the launch. 'You can see why for Max, Ted, myself, the Unknown Worlds team, and for our community, the events of this week have been quite a shock,' Cleveland wrote. 'We know that the game is ready for early access release and we know you're ready to play it. And while we thought this was going to be our decision to make, at least for now, that decision is in Krafton's hands. And after all these years, to find that I'm no longer able to work at the company I started stings.' On July 9, Krafton officially delayed the early access launch of Subnautica 2 to 2026. That same day, Bloomberg published a report outlining the performance-based bonus agreement and implicitly questioning how the timing of the delay would make it difficult for the studio to hit its goals, putting the payout in jeopardy. This was the first time the details of the bonus became public. Krafton shared a statement with Engadget — and in a pop-up on its own homepage — on July 10 that straight-up accused the fired leaders of abandoning the studio in favor of personal creative pursuits, specifically calling out Cleveland's film production company . It also threw shade at Moonbreaker and claimed the former bosses wanted the bonus payment 'for themselves.' 'Krafton made multiple requests to Charlie and Max to resume their roles as Game Director and Technical Director, respectively, but both declined to do so,' the statement said. 'In particular, following the failure of Moonbreaker , Krafton asked Charlie to devote himself to the development of Subnautica 2 . However, instead of participating in the game development, he chose to focus on a personal film project. Krafton believes that the absence of core leadership has resulted in repeated confusion in direction and significant delays in the overall project schedule. The current Early Access version also falls short in terms of content volume.' That same day, Cleveland announced that he and the other ousted studio heads had filed a lawsuit against Krafton. 'Suing a multibillion dollar company in a painful, public and possibly protracted way was certainly not on my bucket list,' Cleveland wrote. 'But this needs to be made right. Subnautica has been my life's work and I would never willingly abandon it or the amazing team that has poured their hearts into it. As for the earnout, the idea that Max, Ted and I wanted to keep it all for ourselves is totally untrue.' The lawsuit wasn't unsealed until July 16. But on July 15, Bloomberg reported that Krafton now planned to extend the window for the bonus payment by an additional year, giving the studio more time to hit its goals. The publisher will also reportedly advance a portion of a separate profit-sharing bonus pool to all Unknown Worlds employees in 2025. These moves seem designed to moot the core issues raised in the breach of contract complaint that Cleveland and other Unknown Worlds leaders filed against Krafton in Delaware Chancery Court. The lawsuit, unsealed on July 16, claims Krafton illegally fired the studio heads and delayed Subnautica 2 in order to avoid the bonus payments. It also provides a timeline of growing tensions between the founders and Krafton this year, accusing the publisher of intentional sabotage. The lawsuit claims that Krafton and Unknown Worlds had a respectful relationship until April 2025, when Gill presented Krafton executives with the studio's positive revenue projections, which were made with the assumption that Subnautica 2 would hit early access in 2025. He also outlined the expected bonus payout under the agreement. 'When that happened, everything changed,' the lawsuit reads. The complaint alleges that at this point, Krafton began looking for ways to force out the leaders of Unknown Worlds and delay the launch of Subnautica 2 , with a goal of circumventing the bonus payment. Cleveland, Gill and McGuire argued back and forth with Krafton executives over whether the game was ready for early access, and Krafton eventually pulled all of its resources from the studio. Krafton issued a stop order on Subnautica 2 development, took over Unknown Worlds' communications channels and in June it started laying an internal paper trail accusing the founders of abandoning their fiduciary duties, according to the complaint. Cleveland, Gill and McGuire were fired and removed from the Unknown Worlds board of directors on July 1. This is where the rest of us entered the story. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. The main conflict here is over whether Subnautica 2 is really ready for an early access launch, and that matters because of a potential $250 million bonus payment that's jeopardized by a delay. Not only is this a large sum for Krafton to lose, but it's also a massive amount of money for Cleveland, Gill and McGuire to miss out on, especially now that they've lost their studio and tentpole IP. The ousted leaders reiterated in their lawsuit that they 'planned to share even more of the earnout with their dedicated team' than they were contractually obligated to. In the complaint, they're looking for Krafton to pay out the full bonus as projected without a delay, fulfill its obligations as a publisher and reinstate them as the heads of Unknown Worlds. Every party in this situation claims they want what's best for Subnautica 2 and its players. It's possible that they're all telling the truth and this is a simple disagreement over artistic integrity. It's also possible that they're all lying and everyone is looking to make (or keep) a quick buck — but man, that's bleak. The truth, as usual, likely lies somewhere in between and, chances are, we'll never know it. At least the court system will eventually be able to determine the second-best thing, which is who's at fault. Have a tip for Jessica? You can reach her by email , Bluesky or send a message to @jesscon.96 to chat confidentially on Signal. If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.
Travel Weekly
30-06-2025
- Travel Weekly
Natural Selection to open Hoanib Elephant Camp in Namibia
Natural Selection will launch Hoanib Elephant Camp in Namibia's remote Kaokoland region in May 2026, offering guests an opportunity to observe desert-adapted elephants in one of Africa's most rugged landscapes. The solar-powered, under-canvas camp will feature 10 spacious tents (eight twin rooms and two family units), each with private plunge pools, air conditioning and both indoor and outdoor showers. The ecoconscious design incorporates rammed-earth walls and insulated canvas roofs for natural climate control. Located in the northwest region of Namibia, the camp will serve as a base for tracking desert-adapted wildlife, including elephants, giraffe, lion, and black rhino. Additional activities will include nature walks, cultural visits to Himba communities, Skeleton Coast excursions, and stargazing experiences. Camp facilities will include a main lounge and dining area, outdoor deck with swimming pool, wellness spa, and fire pit. The property will operate on 100% solar power with a full water treatment system to minimize environmental impact. Built in partnership with the Sesfontein Conservancy, the camp will directly support several conservation initiatives including black rhino relocation programs, desert-dwelling giraffe conservation and a desert lion early-warning conflict mitigation system to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. Rates will range from approximately $970 to $1,580 per night, with the camp operating year-round. Natural Selection operates a collection of owner-operated safari camps and lodges across Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, with a focus on conservation-driven tourism.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nico Porteous will not defend Olympic halfpipe title, will remain active in skiing
Nico Porteous, one of two New Zealand athletes to win a Winter Olympic gold medal, will not defend his ski halfpipe title from 2022 at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games as he focuses on other parts of his skiing career. 'I've loved representing New Zealand. Wearing the fern and competing for my country has been the most incredible experience and I'm so proud of what I've achieved," Porteous, 23, said in press release. "This wasn't an easy decision to make, but I'm excited to do something new, and I feel like the time is right for me to look for a new challenge and new opportunities.' Advertisement Porteous plans to stay active in skiing through filming, product development and other competitions outside of the halfpipe, such as Natural Selection. "I still love skiing, and I want to keep skiing to the best of my abilities and keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the sport," he said. "Ultimately, I'm ready for something new. What that looks like I'm not exactly sure, but over the past few seasons I've enjoyed filming and producing videos, as well as working on gear and product design." In 2018, Porteous took halfpipe bronze in his Olympic debut, becoming at 16 the youngest skier to win an Olympic medal and the youngest New Zealand athlete to win a Winter or Summer Olympic medal. In 2022, he landed back-to-back double cork 1620s on his first of three runs in the Olympic final. His 93-point score held up to take gold over Americans David Wise and Alex Ferreira, who had gone one-two in 2018. Advertisement Earlier in the 2022 Games, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott became the first New Zealand athlete to win a Winter Olympic gold medal, taking the women's snowboard slopestyle event. Porteous last competed at a September 2024 World Cup in New Zealand, placing 31st. He also won X Games Aspen titles in 2021 and 2022 and the World Championships in 2021, also in Aspen. Another man from New Zealand won the world title in ski halfpipe this past March — 18-year-old Finley Melville Ives — ahead of Americans Nick Goepper and Ferreira. FREESTYLE SKIING-CHN David Wise, after two gold medals, gears up for one last Olympic halfpipe bid Two-time Olympic gold medalist David Wise is competing in his last Olympic cycle before retirement.
NBC Sports
15-06-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Nico Porteous will not defend Olympic halfpipe title, will remain active in skiing
Nico Porteous, one of two New Zealand athletes to win a Winter Olympic gold medal, will not defend his ski halfpipe title from 2022 at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games as he focuses on other parts of his skiing career. 'I've loved representing New Zealand. Wearing the fern and competing for my country has been the most incredible experience and I'm so proud of what I've achieved,' Porteous, 23, said in press release. 'This wasn't an easy decision to make, but I'm excited to do something new, and I feel like the time is right for me to look for a new challenge and new opportunities.' Porteous plans to stay active in skiing through filming, product development and other competitions outside of the halfpipe, such as Natural Selection. 'I still love skiing, and I want to keep skiing to the best of my abilities and keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the sport,' he said. 'Ultimately, I'm ready for something new. What that looks like I'm not exactly sure, but over the past few seasons I've enjoyed filming and producing videos, as well as working on gear and product design.' In 2018, Porteous took halfpipe bronze in his Olympic debut, becoming at 16 the youngest skier to win an Olympic medal and the youngest New Zealand athlete to win a Winter or Summer Olympic medal. In 2022, he landed back-to-back double cork 1620s on his first of three runs in the Olympic final. His 93-point score held up to take gold over Americans David Wise and Alex Ferreira, who had gone one-two in 2018. Earlier in the 2022 Games, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott became the first New Zealand athlete to win a Winter Olympic gold medal, taking the women's snowboard slopestyle event. Porteous last competed at a September 2024 World Cup in New Zealand, placing 31st. He also won X Games Aspen titles in 2021 and 2022 and the World Championships in 2021, also in Aspen. Another man from New Zealand won the world title in ski halfpipe this past March — 18-year-old Finley Melville Ives — ahead of Americans Nick Goepper and Ferreira. Nick Zaccardi,
