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Damon Baker, former head of partner management at Nintendo of America, has officially joined Microsoft as the head of portfolio for Xbox.

Announced through Twitter, Baker said, “Been soaking up knowledge this last month as the new Head of Portfolio for #Xbox! Honored and excited to help evaluate all 2nd/3rd party content towards our strategy.”

This comes about a month after Baker made the announcement that he was leaving Nintendo, where he helped bring games to Switch from independent developers in the form of “Nindies,” as well as AAA games from bigger third-party publishers. Though big titles like Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate have been paramount to Switch’s success, it’s become a natural home to smaller indie games like Celeste, Hollow Knight and more.

Soon after Baker left Nintendo, the company held an Indie Highlights presentation, which showcased nine independent games coming to the platform, including Wargroove, CrossCode, SteamWorld Quest, and more. Even a year prior, it became clear that Nindies are core to Nintendo’s success.

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While independent games have been a major part of the Xbox lineup since the days of Xbox 360, it’s possible Baker being hired by Microsoft is a sign that the company will increase its focus on indie games in the upcoming console generation.

Baker’s new position seems to closely resemble the work he did with Nintendo, and since Microsoft has been buying new major studios left and right for first party content, it’s likely Baker will help ensure content from outside studios remains healthy on the rumored family of devices Microsoft has up its sleeves for the next console generation.

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In order to fit all of those Nindies onto your Switch, check out these deals on Micro SD cards.

Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball announced a list of 43 initial invitees for the 2017 USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Camp to be held January 1-5, 2017  at Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex in Clearwater, Fla.  Those athletes who accept the invitation to try out will vie for 17 spots on the 2017 USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) roster.  Additional athletes may be invited to the USA Softball WNT Selection Camp at a later date. 

Click HERE to see the 43 athletes who have received an invitation to try out for the Women’s National Team.

During the selection process, athletes will participate in position drills as well as simulated games and be evaluated by the USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC).  Athletes who make the 2017 USA Softball WNT roster will be competing at a Pan American Games/World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Championship Qualifier in Florida, where the U.S. will look to qualify for the 2018 WBSC Women’s World Championship to be held in Chiba, Japan and the 2019 Pan American Games to be held in Lima, Peru.  The complete 2017 schedule for the WNT, including exhibition games, will be announced at a later date. 

Vying for a spot on the 2017 roster are all members of the 2016 USA Softball WNT, which reclaimed the Gold Medal at the WBSC Women’s World Championship in Surrey, B.C., Canada after defeating defending champions Japan, 7-3, in the Gold Medal Game.  As a team, the U.S. finished the 2016 WBSC Women’s World Championship with a .436 team batting average, 19 home runs, 80 RBI and outscored opponents 83-10 while the pitching staff allowed just eight earned runs for a 1.19 ERA.       

For updates on the USA Softball Women’s National Team and events throughout the 2017 season visit www.ASAUSASoftball.com.

— Courtesy of ASA/USA Softball

An animated series based off the 1984 comedy-horror classic Gremlins will reportedly be coming to Warner’s as of yet unnamed streaming service.

Reported by Variety, the show will allegedly be a period piece following a young Mr. Wing, the Chinese antique store owner from the original movie. Wing will reportedly go on adventures with Gizmo the friendly Mogwai throughout the show.

The series will reportedly be produced by Warner Bros. Television and Amblin Television, both of which produced the original two Gremlins films. Tze Chun, known for his work on Cold Comes the Night, Children of Invention, Gotham and Once Upon a Time, will reportedly write and executive produce.

For more on Gremlins, check out 12 things you (probably) didn’t know about the film, and our review of the movie on Blu-Ray, which we called “Great” saying “Director Joe Dante’s token sense of humor, seen in his earlier films like The Howling or Piranha, is perfectly blended with the amusing, and surprisingly scary horror elements, creating a fine horror-comedy genre-bender in a similar vein to something like An American Werewolf in London.”

Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan  — Members of the 2016 USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) landed in Tokyo, Japan for the USA vs Japan All-Star Series announced the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball on Tuesday.  Team USA will participate in three games against the Japan National Team, including a series-opening matchup at the Tokyo Dome.

Click here for the 2016 USA Softball Women’s National Team roster

The USA Softball WNT and Japan kick off the series on Thursday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m. JST time (4:30 a.m. CT) at the Tokyo Dome, including a pre-game “Home Run Derby”.  From there, the U.S. will head to Sendai for the remaining two games against Japan.  Held at Shellcom Sendai, Team USA will face Japan at 6:30 p.m. JST (4:30 a.m. CT) on Friday, June 24 and 2 p.m. JST (12 a.m. CT) on Saturday, June 25. 

Representing the U.S. at the USA vs Japan All-Star Series are: Ali Aguilar (Orangevale, Calif.), Valerie Arioto (Pleasanton, Calif.), Kelly Barnhill (Marietta, Ga.), Bianka Bell (Tampa, Fla.) Ally Carda (Elk Grove, Calif.), Raven Chavanne (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Amanda Chidester (Allen Park, Mich.), Kasey Cooper (Dothan, Ala.), Delanie Gourley (Lakeside, Calif.), Paige Halstead (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), Jazmyn Jackson (San Jose, Calif.), Haylie McCleney (Morris, Ala.), Jessica Moore (Sutter, Calif.), Michelle Moultrie (Jacksonville, Fla.), Aubree Munro (Brea, Calif.), Delaney Spaulding (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), Kelsey Stewart (Wichita, Kan.), Janie Takeda (Placentia, Calif.) and Jaclyn Traina (Naples, Fla.) 

Team USA will be led at the USA vs Japan All-Star Series by Howard Dobson (Baton Rouge, La./Asst. Coach at LSU), Lisa Dodd (San Diego, Calif./Head Coach at UNLV) and John Rittman (Valencia, Calif.).

Live stats will be available during the USA vs Japan All-Star Series, and fans at home can follow along with recaps and more at ASAUSASoftball.com.

— Courtesy of ASA/USA Softball

The Ontario government will force post-secondary schools to discipline students who interfere with “free speech.”

Premier Doug Ford’s office announced Thursday that it would require all colleges and universities that receive government funding to publish a “free speech policy” by Jan. 1.

Policies must meet requirements set by his office: include a definition of free speech, restrict speech that is considered illegal under Canadian law and discipline students who interfere. Interference is described as, “ongoing disruptive protesting that significantly interferes with the ability of an event to proceed.”

Ford said in a press release that schools “should be places where students exchange different ideas and opinions in open and respectful debate.”

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The right to freedom of speech does not exist under Canadian law, like it does in the United States. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects freedom of opinion and expression, to a certain point. Speech that incites hatred against any identifiable group or leads to a breach of peace is punishable with jail time.

Representatives for Ford did not immediately respond to HuffPost Canada’s questions.

In March, the issue of freedom of expression on campuses hit a boiling point in Waterloo, Ont.

Faith Goldy, a commentator associated with the racist white nationalist movement, was prevented from speaking at Wilfrid Laurier University after someone pulled a fire alarm.

She had been invited to speak by a student group called Laurier Students for Open Inquiry. The group was launched by graduate student Lindsay Shepherd, who made headlines after she was disciplined for showing students a video of Jordan Peterson denouncing the use of gender-neutral pronouns for transgender people.

Federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has indicated he supports the denial of funding to schools that censor dissenting opinions. But, he’s said there should be loopholes to make sure schools don’t provide platforms for hate speech.

Star Wars’ Oscar Isaac is in negotiations to join the cast of the Dune reboot, according to Variety.

Isaac will be cast as the father of Timothee Chalamet’s character, who was in negotiations last summer to star in the remake. Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgard, and Charlotte Rampling are also on board for the film.

Director of Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival, Denis Villeneuve, is helming the project and co-writing the script with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts.

Villeneuve has been praised for his work in the sci-fi genre and was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Director category for Arrival, along with seven other nominations for the 2016 film.

The Dune project has been on the sidelines for years, with multiple production companies trying to get remakes off the ground. Legendary Pictures finally acquired both film and TV rights to Frank Herbert’s popular sci-fi novel in 2016.

Isaac will be returning in his role as Poe Dameron in Star Wars: Episode IX on Dec. 20, 2019.

The X-wing fighter pilot also voices his character in Disney Channel’s Star Wars Resistance animated series. Read about how Isaac said the upcoming and final Star Wars film in the recent trilogy will honor the late Carrie Fisher.

Jessie Wade is a news writer for IGN and is excited about the Dune reboot. Follow her on Twitter @jessieannwade.

DENVER, Colo. – No. 5 Humboldt State is one win away from its third national championship after Madison Williams tossed a three-hit shutout in a 5-0 win over No. 3 North Alabama in game one of the Division II National Championship series on Friday evening from the Regency Athletic Complex on the campus of Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Prior to the game one win, the Jacks (54-6-1) earned their berth into the championship series with a 6-2 win over No. 16 Armstrong State in the “if necessary” semifinal game.

The Jacks and the Lions (57-7) will square off in game two at 2:00 ET on Saturday. A game three is scheduled for 4:30 should North Alabama win.

Championship Series Game 1 – No. 5 Humboldt State 5, No. 3 North Alabama 0

Madison Williams twirled a three-hit masterpiece to lead Humboldt State to a 5-0 win over North Alabama in the first game of the Championship Series. The junior surrendered just three hits to the nation’s third-best offense, struck out five and did not walk a batter to improve to 26-3 on the season.

The Jacks took advantage of an error to grab a 1-0 lead in the first. Three run-scoring singles in the fourth by Kalyn Paque, Cyndi Chavez and Hannah Holland gave HSU a 4-0 advantage. A sac fly by Sydney Roberts pushed across an insurance run in the sixth.

Paque and Hollingsworth each went 2-for-3 at the plate with Paque recording a double and scoring two runs.

Brooklynn Clark, Madeline Lee and Bailey Nelson each generated one hit for the Lions.

Semifinal – No. 5 Humboldt State 6, Armstrong State 2

Powered by a four-run fourth, Humboldt State earned a 6-2 win over Armstrong State to advance to the 2016 National Championship series. Reaching the semifinals and posting three wins, the Pirates (43-15) made their deepest run in their third trip to the National Championships.

Following three scoreless innings, HSU put a four-spot on the board in the top half of the frame. Paque broke the deadlock with a two-run home run to left. Chavez and Holland each drove in a run with a double and single, respectively.

The Pirates got on the board in the fifth on a Peyton Roth RBI single, but the Jacks would push their lead to 6-1 on a run-scoring singles up the middle by Holland and Tiffany Hollingsworth.

Holland finished 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two stolen bases. Katie Obbema improved to 24-3 with a complete-game effort. She scattered eight hits, struck out seven and walked one.

— photo courtesy of Jamie Schwaberow – NCAA Photos

While many are applauding “First Contact” — a Canadian docu-series aimed at unpacking the hard-baked stereotypes and preconceived notions white Canadians hold about Indigenous people and communities — detractors say the show is problematic in its approach to reconciliation.

The three-part reality program, which aired last week on APTN (The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network) and began streaming online yesterday, features six participants on a 28-day journey across the country, as they’re immersed in different First Nation communities.

They travel to a fly-in reservation in Northern Ontario, participate in a seal hunt in the Inuit community of Kimmirut, and head to a prison in Edmonton.

The show has been met with positive reviews from many praising “First Contact” for educating about the experiences of Indigenous peoples.

However, some Indigenous people are critical, saying the show’s storylines are set up in a way that force Indigenous people to relive their traumas and validate their existence to white audiences.

“It is potentially traumatizing for Indigenous Peoples to see and hear these people spout their racist ideology, and it’s problematic to show the lengths that have to be taken to change their minds. What message does it send?” asked David A. Robertson, a Cree author who lives in Winnipeg, as part of a lengthy Twitter thread.

“We have nothing to prove to you, and we owe you nothing. My dad has told me that in the larger scope of reconciliation, between Indigenous and settlers, it is the Indigenous Peoples who have NOTHING to reconcile,” he continued.

Indigenous author Chelsea Vowel agreed, calling the Indigenous efforts to educate Canadians “exhausting and gruelling and thankless,” and something that “prevents us from doing other things like oh, building up our communities and nations.”

Ryan McMahon, an Anishinaabe comedian, offered up a suggestion for a different show that would relieve Indigenous people of any emotional labour.

An Australian show of the same name, on which the Canadian “First Contact” was based, received similar criticism when it aired in 2016.

Producers of the series acknowledge that the Indigenous people who took part went above and beyond what could reasonably expected of them — but said that many were glad for the opportunity to educate.

“We were turned down very little,” producer Stephanie Scott, who is Anishinabe, told HuffPost Canada in an earlier interview. “Everyone that participated in the show wanted to share their stories, and hoped that someone would learn something from them.”

“The people, the communities that participated deserve a huge amount of kudos for being willing to do it,” said Jeff Newman, another producer.

“The first reaction to the idea is, ‘Why would we want these people to come here?'” Newman continued. “But through the dialogue we had with the communities — they understood what our intentions were, and they were willing to make the leap with us.”

Jean La Rose, APTN’s CEO, said his network considered these potential criticisms when “First Contact” was first pitched, but ultimately it came down to moving the needle forward on reconciliation.

“Reconciliation means, in many ways, for Canadians to get a better sense of who (Indigenous people) are, what they know about us, and what they think of our communities,” he told HuffPost Canada in a phone interview.

“This is a way to get that conversation going, to get (Canadians) to stop and look at the facts,” he continued.

“And if we don’t start it, who will?”

La Rose says a second season of the show is already in the works, and will build upon the themes presented in season one.

Michael Redhead Champagne, a Winnipeg activist and member of the Shamattawa Cree Nation, who makes an appearance in the series’ opening scene, addressed the criticisms in a note on Twitter.

“My own participation was not naive, and I understand and feel the frustration of needing to perform in front of outsiders just to prove the point that Indigenous people are people too,” he wrote.

However, he says “First Contact” is important because “(it’s a show) where Indigenous people and families are the heroes.”

R.J. Jones, an Ontario advocate for the Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ Indigenous communities, said it would be useful to see a future follow-up on the series’ participants.

With a file from Maija Kappler