Dark Souls (FromSoftware's most recognizable action role-playing series), "Bloodborne" and "Sekiro Shadows Die Twice" are all brutally punishing games. Despite this, the studio's work is widely cited as a major influence on dozens of other titles such as "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order," "God of War" and "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt." Many gamers and critics have asked FromSoftware to add difficulty settings to its games; the studio has steadfastly refused so far. FromSoftware's award-winning creative director Hidetaka Miyazaki said that the uniformly intense challenge in his games is meant to provide players with a sense of accomplishment. This polarizing design philosophy has won FromSoftware a devoted following -- but also a small cadre of detractors who have described the company's games as alienating.

New York – Norwegian robotics and software firm AutoStore AS said Monday that Japanese investment giant SoftBank Group Corp. will acquire 40% of its shares for $2.8 billion. SoftBank Group will buy AutoStore shares from private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners and other shareholders, aiming to close the deal later in the month, the Norwegian company said. Founded in 1996, AutoStore provides warehouse automation systems. It currently deploys more than 20,000 robots in over 600 installations across 35 countries, with its clients including German sports goods maker Puma SE and Japanese furniture and interior goods chain operator Nitori Holdings Co. "We view AutoStore as a foundational technology that enables rapid and cost-effective logistics for companies around the globe," SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son said in a statement. AutoStore CEO Karl Johan Lier said in the statement his company expects SoftBank's contribution to help its growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

But if this is to happen, the Cambridge University Professor believes a political rethink is required: "As to whether that will happen or not will depend on whether this county's politicians are prepared to learn from Scandinavian countries instead of the US. "Scandinavia has a good welfare state and high taxation, the opposite to the US, with its very inadequate welfare state and low taxes. "The present government seems to admire the US system more." The celebrated cosmologist and astrophysicist does however foresee a difficulty with collecting taxes from these multinational tech giants, based on current controversies over their tax arrangements. Facebook's UK tax bill, for example, is 0.62 percent of their £1.3billion