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Streets of Rage 4, both a sequel and love letter to the Sega Genesis’ classic side-scrolling beat-em-up, headlines PlayStation Plus Essential’s free offerings in June. It’s joined by AEW Fight Forever, last year’s pro wrestling simulation, and SpongeBob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake.
These three games will be available from June 4 to July 2. Additionally, EA Sports FC 24, the latest edition in what was formerly known as the FIFA series, is still available until June 18. It was part of the May lineup of games (Ghostrunner 2, Tunic, and the Destiny 2: Lightfall expansion), which may still be claimed up to June 4.
First, the free games:

Streets of Rage 4
Streets of Rage 4, by dotemu, launched in 2020 and was widely hailed by critics. It might be a relatively short experience, but it stays faithful to the originals’ memorable gameplay style (especially when the cop car rolls up to nuke everyone) while updating its visuals for present day. It was nominated for Best Action Game at The Game Awards 2020.
AEW Fight Forever
AEW Fight Forever is the second act for Yuke’s, which had developed the WWE Smackdown vs. Raw and WWE 2K series until 2K Sports and Visual Concepts took full control in 2019. All Elite Wrestling, a promotion challenging the WWE’s singular dominance in the U.S. market, was founded the same year. The game drew middling reviews, though critics did praise individual elements, particularly those unique to the harder-edge antics of real-life AEW.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, a 3D platformer by Purple Lamp and THQ Nordic, also launched in 2023. It’s a spiritual successor to 2003’s SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, another platformer that sold very well and gained a cult following.
Days of Play begins May 29
The three free games are part of Sony’s eighth annual Days of Play celebration, which runs May 29 through June 12 and offers a lot more content as well as community activities and challenges, as well as discounts through the PlayStation Store and PlayStation Direct (which ships hardware and boxed games). The official Days of Play announcement page has much more information.
It’s also when Sony Interactive Entertainment usually holds a showcase of what will be coming to PlayStation in the next year, somewhat like the old E3 presentations. No such event has been confirmed yet, and it may simply be a smaller scale State of Play broadcast, but keep your ears up for announcements as they might come soon.
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China has set aside $47 billion to boost domestic semiconductor development.
The fund makes up the third version of the ‘National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund,’ which is known as the ‘Big Fund.’ This pool of money is made up of 344 billion yuan of capital ($47bn)
Government agencies and Chinese banks have invested in the fund, with the China Development Bank taking the biggest share of the pie as it has a stake of around 17.4%.
The second largest shareholder is Guokai Financial Co Ltd with 10.4651%, followed by the Shanghai Guosheng Group Co Ltd which holds 8.7208%.
According to the Chinese news publisher Yicai, this third phase of investment was registered and established on May 24.
The CEO of Ai Media Consulting Zhang Yi told the First Financial Reporter that the third phase of the fund had diversified and expanded in the field which includes traditional equity investment, asset management, and venture capital fund management services.
It’s expected that the newest iteration of the big fund will be carried out on a much broader range with more flexibility and diversity in its investment strategy.
As like the former two phases, the third investment aims to support research and development and the production and application of the domestic integrated circuit industry. It’s hoped this will further increase China’s prospects in the global semiconductor industry too.
It’s not just China who are focused on a push in the semiconductor industry
There is fierce competition in the semiconductor industry and while the likes of Yangtze Memory and China Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp have been hugely successful out of China, others (like Wuhan Hongxin Semiconductor) have struggled despite backing from the government.
As China plans to gear up once more, they face stiff competition and have even had international sanctions from the United States preventing them from buying high-end processors and accelerators.
While the figure is nowhere close to what China’s latest investment fund includes, the government in the United States is making moves to bolster the production of chips.
In March, technology giant Intel secured $8.5 billion in direct funding and $11 billion in loans from the government to help re-establish American leadership in semiconductor manufacturing.
Just a few months before, in December of 2023, the U.S. Commerce Department announced a $35 million award to BAE Systems to enhance domestic production too.
Featured Image: Photo by Vishnu Mohanan on Unsplash
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The now-defunct crypto exchange Mt. Gox has moved 12,240 BTC, worth approximately $840 million at current prices, into a new wallet address, according to data from blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence.
The large transfer caused a slight dip in Bitcoin’s price, with BTC dropping below $68,500 after surpassing $70,600 just a day earlier. This latest transfer comes as Mt. Gox prepares to begin repaying creditors by the October 31 deadline.
In total, the exchange plans to distribute 142,000 BTC, 143,000 BCH, and 69 billion Japanese yen to those impacted by the exchange’s 2014 collapse. Even after this initial $840 million transfer, the Mt. Gox wallet still holds a substantial balance worth around $9.5 billion.
Mt. Gox’s impact on markets
Some market participants have raised concerns that releasing such a large amount of Bitcoin could trigger a sell-off and drive prices down. However, Bitcoin maximalists and long-term holders may help absorb the selling pressure and limit the impact on the broader market. Brad Howell of Keyrock UK told DL News:
It is fair to assume that anyone who had assets in Mt. Gox is an early adopter and more likely to lean towards the Bitcoin maxi end of the spectrum. […] Don’t expect large volumes of Bitcoin to sell off on day one.
Mt. Gox, launched in 2010, once dominated the Bitcoin ecosystem, handling over 70% of all BTC transactions worldwide at its peak. However, in 2014 the exchange suffered a catastrophic hack, losing approximately 750,000 BTC of customer funds and 100,000 BTC of its own holdings.
While 200,000 BTC were eventually recovered, complex legal proceedings in Japan significantly delayed the process of compensating victims.
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The London Stock Exchange (LSE) has begun trading Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) exchange-traded notes (ETNs), potentially paving the way for the UK to become Europe’s crypto hub, according to Alex Pollak, head of UK for 21Shares.
According to today’s Yahoo Finance report, the ETNs are traded and settled like regular shares and track the performance of underlying assets such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, similar to spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) approved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in January. Pollak said:
I think the fact that these products will now be available on the London Stock Exchange does show progress and I think within three years from now the UK will be home to the largest crypto exchange-traded fund market in Europe.
The listing of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETNs on the LSE represents a milestone in how UK investors can access crypto, according to Pollak. He explained:
From a 21Shares perspective I would add that, as the world’s largest issuer of crypto-backed ETPs with more than 40 products listed on 11 Exchanges, we’re proud to be part of this historic moment as we make our Bitcoin and Ethereum products available to UK investors in both GBP and USD.
ETPs listed, but not for everyone
However, Pollak stressed that Tuesday’s Bitcoin and Ethereum ETN listing on the LSE will be for professional investors only, as there is currently a retail ban on trading Bitcoin and Ethereum ETNs in the UK. He believes that lifting this retail ban will be a game-changer for the UK’s crypto market.
CryptoUK, a trade body representing the digital asset sector, is pleased to see that the FCA has approved the applications of some providers to list physically-backed Bitcoin and Ethereum ETPs on the LSE. A spokesperson said:
The move is a step in the right direction for the UK, its equity markets and the government’s aspiration to secure Britain as a global crypto-asset hub. We would, however, reiterate that we would like to see more crypto-related instruments available to both institutional and retail investors in the UK. The country risks falling behind US equity markets, which have seen a surge in interest for bitcoin ETFs.
In April 2022, then-chancellor and current UK prime minister Rishi Sunak announced a plan to make the country a “global crypto hub”. However, since then, the UK has lagged behind other jurisdictions, becoming one of the last major markets to resist the trading of crypto-related securities, despite the government’s efforts to position the country as a potential center for digital asset markets.
The SEC approved the first US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs in January, and investors anticipate that both ETNs and ETFs could open the gateway for mainstream capital to flood the crypto market. Earlier this month, Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs were also launched on the Hong Kong stock exchange.
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