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‘There is a clear vision’: Matthias Jaissle installed as Newcastle head coach
German officially announced as Howe’s successor
‘This an incredibly compelling place to be’
Matthias Jaissle has described Newcastle “as an incredibly compelling place to be” after finally formalising his managerial move from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli. tbzikra.com
The 38-year-old German has been with his new players at their training camp in La Manga, southern Spain, since last Saturday but, despite also falling under the ownership of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Al-Ahli took time to provide Newcastle with some vital paperwork regarding the release of a head coach they were extremely reluctant to lose.
Continue reading...Super League closes in on gamechanging investment from Australia’s NRL
Australian officials touring clubs to gauge mood
Wigan and Warrington set date for Dublin clash
NRL officials have arrived in England to hold talks with clubs as the prospect of a groundbreaking deal with Super League nears completion while two of the competition’s heavyweights, Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves, confirmed they will lead an on-the-road weekend to Dublin in 2027.
Rugby league’s two premier club competitions have been in discussions for most of this year about a deal that would see the NRL invest a significant sum into Super League, while taking authoritative control of the competition in a bid to transform its long-term fortunes. That investment would also ensure the financial security of clubs.
Continue reading...Assassin's Creed Valhalla director comes back to Ubisoft to be game director for the entire brand
The shakeup at the top of the Assassin's Creed food chain continued today with word that Eric Baptizat, the lead game designer on Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and director of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, has returned to the company after several years away to become game director of the Assassin's Creed brand.
"Eric needs no introduction in this universe," Assassin's Creed head of content Jean Guesdon wrote on LinkedIn (via Eurogamer). "16 years at Ubisoft, key contributions to Black Flag, Origins, and Valhalla as Game Director, his passion for gameplay craft and his deep connection to this franchise speak for themselves.
"Seeing someone with his expertise, his rigor, and his collaborative spirit step into this role fills me with confidence and honestly, a lot of excitement, for what's ahead for the brand."
Talking about "brands" rather than "games" always makes me a bit itchy, but Baptizat's credits are legit. After working as a designer on numerous lesser-known games, he served as lead game designer on James Cameron's Avatar: The Game. It wasn't great, but he followed that up with Black Flag, which was great, and from there worked on Unity and Origins before becoming game director on Valhalla. He left Ubisoft in 2021 to join EA Motive, where he first directed the Dead Space remake and then served as game design director on Battlefield 6.
That's a pretty good run, and it's good news for Ubisoft that it's getting the band back together, at least a little bit. Baptizat is just one guy, but he's a high-profile guy on some of the best-loved Assassin's Creed games, most notably Black Flag—which, you may have heard, is doing pretty well these days in its Resynced guise. He's not going to singlehandedly save Ubisoft, but bringing that guy you know from that game you like back into the fold is at least a start.
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