SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY

Search headlines

Find the stories shaping the conversation.

Search mode
Refine results
Active filters Keyword All time

Results for " magic " 804 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle

'Practical Magic 2' conjures a No. 1 box office debut with $30 million

“Practical Magic 2” conjures a box-office victory this weekend, topping the North American charts nearly three decades after its predecessor. The Warner Bros. sequel, starring Sandra Bullock and...

houstonchronicle.com logo
Sep 13 • 2:01 PM EDT • Entertainment • houstonchronicle.com
'Practical Magic 2' conjures a No. 1 box office debut with $30 million

“Practical Magic 2” conjures a box-office victory this weekend, topping the North American charts nearly three decades after its predecessor. The Warner Bros. sequel, starring Sandra Bullock and...

stamfordadvocate.com logo
Sep 13 • 2:01 PM EDT • Entertainment • stamfordadvocate.com
‘Practical Magic 2’ conjures a No. 1 box office debut with $30 million

“Practical Magic 2” conjures a box-office victory this weekend, topping the North American charts nearly three decades after its predecessor.

seattletimes.com logo
Sep 13 • 1:04 PM EDT • Entertainment • seattletimes.com
'Practical Magic 2' conjures a No. 1 box office debut with $30 million

“Practical Magic 2” conjures a box-office victory this weekend, topping the North American charts nearly three decades after its predecessor | KNX News 1070 AM

audacy.com logo
Sep 13 • 1:02 PM EDT • Entertainment • audacy.com
'Practical Magic 2' conjures a No. 1 box office debut with $30 million

“Practical Magic 2” conjures a box-office victory this weekend, topping the North American charts nearly three decades after its predecessor.

clickorlando.com logo
Sep 13 • 1:02 PM EDT • Entertainment • clickorlando.com
'Practical Magic 2' conjures a No. 1 box office debut with $30 million

“Practical Magic 2” conjures a box-office victory this weekend, topping the North American charts nearly three decades after its predecessor.

ksat.com logo
Sep 13 • 1:02 PM EDT • Entertainment • ksat.com
'Practical Magic 2' conjures a No. 1 box office debut with $30 million

“Practical Magic 2” conjures a box-office victory this weekend, topping the North American charts nearly three decades after its predecessor

abcnews.com logo
Sep 13 • 1:02 PM EDT • Entertainment • abcnews.com
'Practical Magic 2' conjures a No. 1 box office debut with $30 million

“Practical Magic 2” conjures a box-office victory this weekend, topping the North American charts nearly three decades after its predecessor.

click2houston.com logo
Sep 13 • 1:02 PM EDT • Entertainment • click2houston.com
'Practical Magic 2' conjures a No. 1 box office debut with $30 million

“Practical Magic 2” conjures a box-office victory this weekend, topping the North American charts nearly three decades after its predecessor.

wsls.com logo
Sep 13 • 1:02 PM EDT • Entertainment • wsls.com
Why Orlando Magic Should Consider Trading for Superstar

Sacrificing Jalen Suggs for Kyrie Irving’s elite scoring could shatter Orlando’s defensive identity, yet the veteran’s championship experience offers a high-risk, high-reward path to immediate title contention.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 13 • 12:25 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Magic of science

Students take a fun science class in Wenling, East China’s Zhejiang Province, on September 13, 2026. Through intuitive and interesting experiments, abstract physical principles were turned into visible phenomena, allowing students to explore the mysteries of low-temperature science up close. Photo: VCG

globaltimes.cn logo
Sep 13 • 11:36 AM EDT • Science • globaltimes.cn
Why 'Practical Magic 2' Star Xolo Maridueña Looks So Familiar

Wondering where you know 'Practical Magic 2' star Xolo Maridueña from? Here are the roles that may have made his latest appearance feel so familiar.

purewow.com logo
Sep 12 • 9:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • purewow.com
6 best science fantasy movies you can never go wrong with

Let’s say you’re in the mood for sci-fi, but you also want to add a bit of whimsy to it. This often includes crazy blasters, intense politics, maybe some magic,

winteriscoming.net logo
Sep 12 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • winteriscoming.net
From Practical Magic 2 to Saturday Night Live UK: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead

Bullock and Kidman try to put a second spell on you in the fantasy comedy sequel, while the topical sketch show returns after a well-regarded debut

theguardian.com logo
Sep 12 • 1:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • theguardian.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (12%)
love
35%
wow
33%
ahah
32%
Dodgers’ Magic Numbers Shrink After Huge Night in NL Standing

The Dodgers' magic number for the NL West and the No. 2 seed in the NL shrank after their win and the Braves' loss.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 11 • 11:13 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (28%)
wow
100%
Watch: Barcelona star nets stunning training ground goal

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal conjured up a moment of individual magic en route to finding the net in the club’s latest training session on Friday morning.Winger Lamine is of course in the midst of no...

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 11 • 4:50 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Massive Bold Prediction For Orlando Magic Season

Health remains the ultimate gamble as Orlando’s core aims for statistical dominance. With a new head coach and battle-tested stars, the Magic must prove their elite potential.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 11 • 1:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Meet the Magic: Jamal Cain

What can Jamal Cain bring to the Magic in the 2026-27 season?

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 11 • 11:48 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
'Practical Magic 2,' Mad Rabbit closes and GLEAM opens

Editor's note: Below is the Sept. 10 edition of the Food & Culture newsletter. If you want to receive it in your email inbox every Thursday (it's free!), subscribe at

captimes.com logo
Sep 11 • 10:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • captimes.com
How the WNBA became a political prop in the culture wars

Despite record viewership and attendance, and amazing talent across the league, the WNBA has been caught up in the national conversation about the culture wars. Sportswriter Sabreena Merchant says, “everything in the WNBA seems to take on a political lens far beyond what is actually happening on the court.” Merchant spoke with Fresh Air guest interviewer Sam Fragoso (host of Talk Easy) about the expansion of the WNBA, the race and gender politics consuming the narrative, and the departure of commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Merchant writes for The Athletic, from the New York Times.Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews Practical Magic 2. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter Follow us on Instagram Subscribe to our YouTube channel Check out the Fresh Air Archives

npr.org logo
Sep 10 • 1:58 PM EDT • Politics • npr.org
High-Signal Publisher
Guide to New Orleans theater shows in September 2026, from real tales to mythological magic

From uplifting musicals like "Come From Away" to compelling dramas like "Something Cloudy, Something Clear," the New Orleans and northshore stages are set for a diverse and captivating fall season!

nola.com logo
Sep 10 • 12:00 PM EDT • Entertainment • nola.com
Orlando Magic Will Go as Far as Paolo Banchero Goes

Under new leadership and facing mounting playoff pressure, Orlando’s postseason ambitions hinge on Paolo Banchero’s physical durability and his ability to deliver superstar performances with newfound consistency.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 10 • 10:57 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
SF Giants Community: This is a Mike Krukow appreciation post

Today is an off-day for the Giants, so let’s take some time to appreciate the magic and legacy of Mike Krukow.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 10 • 8:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Nicole Kidman opens up about making 'Practical Magic 2'

Nicole Kidman talks to The Tennessean about returning as the Owens sisters with Sandra Bullock in the long awaited \

tennessean.com logo
Sep 10 • 6:07 AM EDT • Entertainment • tennessean.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (27%)
love
39%
wow
32%
ahah
29%
Can Orlando Magic Exceed Shockingly Low Expectations

Reeling from a playoff collapse and a dismal D+ offseason grade, Orlando bets on rookie coach Sean Sweeney and a veteran reunion to spark their stagnant offense.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 9 • 10:10 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (25%)
Red Sox drop series behind timely Angels home runs

The Red Sox haven’t been super sharp in September, though they haven’t exactly needed to be. There shouldn’t be a ton of panic after the Angels took two of three in Boston with the 6-4 loss for the Red Sox in the rubber match. The magic number will fall. The team will be whole soon. […]

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 9 • 9:43 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
iPhone Duo Gets Its Own Case and Folio With Kickstand

Apple today introduced two dedicated accessories for iPhone Duo, its Case and a Folio with Kickstand. The iPhone Duo Case is a thin, two-part design that wraps around both the front and back of the device. It uses built-in magnets that align with th iPhone Duo for what Apple calls a "magical attach experience". The case is made from polycarbonate with a matte coating and comes in Sand and Navy Blue.

macrumors.com logo
Sep 9 • 3:09 PM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com
Talent show brings joy to kids at children’s hospital

A weekly talent show at University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital helps pediatric cancer patients and families find support, healing and happiness through music, magic, and creative expression.

uofmhealth.org logo
Sep 9 • 11:43 AM EDT • Health • uofmhealth.org
Is 'Practical Magic 2' worth watching? The sequel took 28 years to happen — and critics say the reunion is complicated.

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as the Owens sisters alongside Joey King and Maisie Williams in the witchy cult classic's long-awaited sequel.

yahoo.com logo
Sep 9 • 10:49 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Carrick on Shaw, 'magical' Champions League and Sabah

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Champions League fixture against Sabah at Old Trafford (kick-off 20:00 BST). Defender Luke Shaw has been given an extra recovery day and they will know by Thursday whether he will be in the squad. Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt has trained well and is "on good track" to make a return soon but United have to "get the balance right" for the next steps.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 9 • 10:34 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Madera Fair brings daily entertainment

The 2026 Madera District Fair, presented by Valley Children’s Healthcare, is bringing entertainment beyond the main stage as part of its “All American Party!” celebration September 10-13. Throughout the four-day fair, guests can enjoy a free lineup of magicians, animal performances, characters, live music, interactive shows and specialty attractions appearing throughout the fairgrounds. Guests can […]

maderatribune.com logo
Sep 9 • 10:10 AM EDT • Entertainment • maderatribune.com
Review | Cavalluna’s Hong Kong debut was a magical, if cliché, equine spectacle

Cavalluna’s Asian debut stunned the city with its spectacular horsemanship, but plain and flawed storytelling was a fly in the ointment.

scmp.com logo
Sep 9 • 7:15 AM EDT • Entertainment • scmp.com
A little stardust, a little magic: Hyla senior takes science to the stage

There are plenty of reasons to spend a Saturday night looking up. On Sept. 12, Bainbridge Island has another one: a local high school senior who thinks quantum mechanics might go down a little easier with a dose of magic.

bainbridgereview.com logo
Sep 9 • 4:30 AM EDT • Science • bainbridgereview.com
'Practical Magic 2' is charming but cursed by repetition

The Owens sisters are as bewitching as ever – multiple generations of them, in fact – in “Practical Magic 2,” even if the sequel might only truly cast a spell

centraloregondaily.com logo
Sep 8 • 6:07 PM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com
Kathy Griffin reveals Dolly Parton wrote letter admitting she was a secret fan

Kathy Griffin reveals Dolly Parton wrote her a letter admitting she was a secret fan, after Griffin requested she appear on ‘My Life on the D-List’: ‘You say the stuff I’m afraid to.’

ew.com logo
Sep 8 • 5:03 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Three Marginal Trends For Orlando Magic Offseason

Navigating tight financial constraints, Orlando pivots toward low-risk gambles like Malaki Branham to bolster Paolo Banchero’s core while testing the limits of their high-apron roster flexibility.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 8 • 5:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Can This Orlando Magic Trio Exceed Expectations?

New head coach Sean Sweeney aims to ignite a stagnant offense and harness the defensive grit of Paolo Banchero’s crew to solidify Orlando as an Eastern powerhouse.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 8 • 1:51 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Brewers Magic Number Enters Single Digits

A thrilling Labor Day victory pushes the Milwaukee Brewers toward a fourth straight division title.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 8 • 1:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Disney On Ice coming to Mohegan Arena next year

WILKES-BARRE TWP., LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A new Disney On Ice production is skating into the Mohegan Arena in January 2027. Disney On Ice presents Spotlight Magic! Coming to the Mohegan Arena at...

yahoo.com logo
Sep 8 • 12:02 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
'Practical Magic 2' review: Sequel honors the original by being a similarly dopey mess

The original "Practical Magic" wasn't a great film — but its fans might appreciate this similarly muddled sequel more than our film critic did.

yahoo.com logo
Sep 8 • 12:00 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Two Factors Dictating Orlando Magic's Success

The Orlando Magic have to do a lot right to reach their desired heights next season.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 8 • 11:47 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
'Practical Magic 2' brings back the magic and the mess

The Owens sisters are as bewitching as ever – multiple generations of them, in fact – in “Practical Magic 2,” even if the sequel might only truly cast a spell

centraloregondaily.com logo
Sep 8 • 11:39 AM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com
Why electronic signatures are turning the business world upside down right now - Futura-Sciences

How electronic signatures actually work It’s true: electronic signatures save heaps of time. But – and this is a pretty big but – the level of legal protection in the event of a dispute depends entirely on the method you choose. So, how does the magic happen? Let’s start with...

futura-sciences.com logo
Sep 8 • 8:00 AM EDT • Business • futura-sciences.com
Senate candidate Todd Achilles talks costs, health care at Twin Falls County Fair

The Twin Falls County Fair wrapped up as independent U.S. Senate candidate Todd Achilles campaigned there, discussing rising costs, health care and congressional reform with voters in the Magic Valley.

kmvt.com logo
Sep 7 • 11:24 PM EDT • Health • kmvt.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (8%)
love
52%
ahah
24%
wow
24%
Two Orlando Magic Games Fans Should Circle

Not every Orlando Magic fan can make every game, so here are two worth considering next season.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 7 • 7:27 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
For Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, ‘Practical Magic 2’ heals old wounds

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman view “Practical Magic” very differently today than they did when they made it 28 years ago.

seattletimes.com logo
Sep 7 • 5:52 PM EDT • Entertainment • seattletimes.com
For Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, 'Practical Magic 2' heals old wounds

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman view “Practical Magic” very differently today than they did when they made it 28 years ago | WBBM Newsradio 780 AM & 105.9 FM

audacy.com logo
Sep 7 • 5:52 PM EDT • Entertainment • audacy.com
Is Aidan Quinn in 'Practical Magic 2'?

Aidan Quinn is sadly not part of the Practical Magic 2 cast, despite starring in the original 1998 movie. The 67-year-old actor played the detective in

justjared.com logo
Sep 7 • 3:39 PM EDT • Entertainment • justjared.com
Deep dive
🙂 Positive (35%)
wow
50%
ahah
25%
love
25%
Orlando Magic's Biggest X-Factor Next Season

Jalen Suggs holds the key to Orlando's championship aspirations. Success hinges on his ability to anchor a physical defense while recapturing the elite shooting stroke that vanished.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 7 • 12:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Ndiaye now at the top table of the game

Iliman Ndiaye's first comment in the interview room after Saturday's win was a bit of an understatement. Back in 2020, the Senegal winger was playing for Hyde United, on loan from Sheffield United. Six years on, Ndiaye is now at the top table of the game and it was a promising debut - including at least one bit of magic first half, which nearly set up a goal, and a half-chance with a flicked header in the second half, as well as some lovely touches throughout the game.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 7 • 2:14 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Recent Power Rankings Demonstrate Concern for Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic have a lot to prove in the 2026-27 season.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 6 • 11:01 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Why UTSA must beat Texas State to rediscover old magic

Give Jeff Traylor an ounce of buzz, and he can multiply it for the masses. Remember five years ago, when the downtown skyline lit up in blue and orange, and folks crammed into the Alamodome all the way to the top row? Remember how, for the first time in its history, one of the biggest cities in the country rallied around a college football team?

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 6 • 5:54 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
The Pressure on Orlando Magic Coach Sean Sweeney

Orlando Magic coach Sean Sweeney is tasked with a big job, but he has the tools to be successful.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 6 • 1:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Bold Predicition for Orlando Magic 'X-Factor' Next Season

Anthony Black’s breakout season has sparked intense extension debates as Orlando balances a looming salary cap crunch against the rising guard’s demand for a lucrative long-term future.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 6 • 11:26 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Mark Walter and Magic Johnson’s Dodgers deal gets the Pablo Torre treatment

The sports investigative journalist examines Mark Walter’s Dodgers purchase, tracing financial ties involving Magic Johnson.

chicagobusiness.com logo
Sep 6 • 11:16 AM EDT • Business • chicagobusiness.com
Imagicaaworld Entertainment And 2 Indian Undervalued Stocks To Watch

Global food and commodity prices remain elevated, and that keeps investors focused on cash rich Indian businesses that can handle higher input costs. When markets worry about inflation staying sticky, dependable cash generation often matters more than headline earnings. This article looks at three Indian stocks where current market prices sit below an internally assessed cash flow value. You will see why cash focused value hunters are watching these opportunities now. The three stocks covered...

simplywall.st logo
Sep 6 • 3:24 AM EDT • Entertainment • simplywall.st
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (22%)
wow
36%
ahah
32%
love
32%
Las Vegas startup turns desert air into water

It sounds like an illusion from a Las Vegas magic show.

telegraphherald.com logo
Sep 6 • 2:00 AM EDT • Business • telegraphherald.com
It's 'Put Up or Shut Up' Time for Orlando Magic

With a new head coach and sharpshooter Desmond Bane on board, Paolo Banchero faces immense pressure to transform Orlando's inconsistent offense into a legitimate Eastern Conference threat.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 5 • 9:52 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
The 10,000-step goal was never based on science: here's the number that actually matters, according to a major new study

You glance at your wrist, see 4,200 steps by mid-afternoon, and feel a pang of guilt because the magic number on your fitness tracker still reads so far away. That five-digit target – 10,000 steps – has become the unofficial finish line of daily wellness, the number we chase on treadmills, lunch-break loops, and weekend...

graziamagazine.com logo
Sep 5 • 1:30 PM EDT • Science • graziamagazine.com
Scientists discover how narwhals grow nature's only straight tusk

Narwhals have nature's only straight tusk, a single tooth up to three meters (10 feet) long, so strange they were sold as magical unicorn horns during the Middle Ages.

phys.org logo
Sep 5 • 11:00 AM EDT • Science • phys.org
Recently Released Rocket Signs for the Orlando Magic

JD Davison signs 10 day contract with the Orlando Magic. He will have to fight for his roster spot in the upcoming training camp

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 4 • 9:40 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (25%)
15 discouraging hours with Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and 10 brilliant ones with He Who Watches

In the last few weeks, while playing some video games that I might review, I emailed two cries for help. I sent the first to a rep for Capcom, confessing that the company’s samurai game Onimusha Way of the Sword (out today for PC and console) was crushing me. “Feels like I’m playing ‘hard’ mode, not ‘normal,’” I wrote. “And I don’t want to have to knock it down to “story”. I’m exploring, trying to level my gear, but these two-phase boss fights with no mid-fight checkpoints are brutal.” I wagered I was only about halfway through the game, if that. I wasn’t sure I could keep up with the steepening difficulty curve. Was I missing something? Then, on Monday, I took some photos of some puzzles that were baffling me in the mind-bending He Who Watches (out now on PC), wrote out lengthy descriptions of how I’d been trying to solve them and asked Bobby Vanden, the game’s solo developer, for a nudge in the right direction. I told Vanden I’d spent hours on these puzzles. “I’m stuck in triplicate,” I told him. Could he tell me if the solutions I was attempting were even on the right track? I didn’t mention that the puzzles—coupled with major time pressures from other work—were stressing me out so much that playing the game was giving me headaches. This double dose of panic was unusual. I’m used to managing a workload full of reporting and reviewing, used to a crowded schedule and the need to stay calm amid the bustle. But I was stressed about these games. No one was forcing me to review them, nor even play them. I’d simply found them interesting enough to start, hoped they’d be interesting enough to write about and I’d sunk hours into them assuming I’d made the right call. Suddenly, however, I felt trapped. I was emailing for a way out. Above: This guy took me about an hour to beat. The feedback I got from Capcom confirmed my fears. They didn’t say it, but I will: Onimusha Way of the Sword is not for me. It’s a brutally hard game in need of a normal difficulty level. It’s a game that spikes so severely during its abundant boss fights—yet offers such flawed ways to improve when outside of them—that it feels like a bait-and-switch. In the new Onimusha, you play as famed samurai Musashi Miyamoto, aided by a magical soul-absorbing gauntlet that is possessed by a lady who offers advice. (Way of the Sword is a continuation of Capcom’s long-dormant Onimusha series, but that set-up had me wondering if the company was cribbing from their ill-fated Bionic Commando reboot; read about “wife-arm” when you get a chance). Way of the Sword is partially set in 17th century Kyoto, an explorable city where Miyamoto can fight demons, help civilians and eventually rescue ghostly dogs. The city evolves over time, with new mini adventures and obtainable loot on offer, all feeding into systems that promise to upgrade your gear and sword-fighting skills. Upgrades, however, are so incremental as to be imperceptible, causing the exploration of Kyoto to feel like inconsequential busywork. From that hub, players can go on linear missions into forests and old temples, where they will encounter many of the game’s tough bosses. Combat in Way of the Sword is akin to many modern melee games. Players are asked to mix attacks with dodges and parries. They’re encouraged to deplete an enemy’s stamina bar in order to do greater damage to its health bar. The old Onimusha games’ signature move was the issen, a counter-attack so sudden it’s all but pre-emptive. You strike just as they begin to strike toward you, beating them to the cut. By definition, the issen is a high risk move, leaving you wide open to pain. It feels risky in the game, especially against bosses, who can maul you in just a few blows. A game might train you to perform an issen well by offering a variety of lesser enemies who are not as tough as the boss but get close. Or it might offer a toehold against bosses by saving or checkpointing the player’s progress when a boss’ first health bar has been destroyed and before the second health bar appears. It might offer the less skilled player a chance to over-level their character, should the player simply commit to playing through its optional sidequests. Way of the Sword does none of this. Fighting its trivially easy grunt enemies and then its ferociously adept bosses is like playing a game of chess where I’ve got a rook, while the opposing side is all pawns and five queens. Bosses simply don’t checkpoint. You may be able to clear a boss’ first phase without taking much damage. Good for you. Do it again, every time you fail the second phase. As for the the central Kyoto hub, I kept pace with all of its added side activities and never felt like I was overpowered. Bosses could still easily buckle me. The new Onimusha, I concluded, is just too discouraging to keep playing. The advice I got from Capcom had been well-intentioned. They reminded me of the game’s various systems. They alerted me to an optional assist that flashes recommended button inputs (basically: counter this move; dodge that move). It was a little helpful. So was dropping down to “story mode,” which I tried last night. Story mode turns on those button prompts by default. It makes countering and dodging way too easy, nearly automatic. I don’t consider myself a master of action games like these, but I’ve cleared the likes of God of War, Stellar Blade, Star Wars Jedi and others of sub-Sekiro difficulty and had a fun time doing so. Not here. Not yet. Unless they patch Onimusha: Way of the Sword and add a middle difficulty or just checkpoint the damn bosses when they’re between health bars, my streak of loving Capcom games released in 2026 will likely end at two. It’s a shame, because I was having a good time finding those ghostly dogs. And then there’s He Who Watches, a phenomenal first person puzzle game with Portal vibes, except instead of a portal gun you’ve got a magical bow that shoots one arrow that can activate switches or be used to drag blocks. The twist is an actual twist: you can also walk on walls and the ceiling, reorienting gravity as you do, thereby placing blocks onto those other surfaces. Walking on walls and ceilings to solve problems is really the best thing. Would that I could in reality. He Who Watches consists of locked-room challenges, each brief enough to only require about a minute to actually solving, though it will take five, 10, eventually 30 minutes to figure out said solutions. They are not obvious! It’s a game of layered mechanics and shocking solutions. For example, see if you can follow this: You can drag a block to a wall. Then you can walk on the wall, which now feels like the floor, and drag that block across the wall. Later, back on the floor, you might realize you can look up. The block is still on the wall, stuck to it. You can shoot your magic arrow to its underside. Doing so creates a tether, so that you can yank the block off the wall and carry it, as if it were a balloon, into the spot where you need it to be to solve the puzzle. Here, watch Vanden explain some of the game’s basics in this launch trailer: As with any great puzzle game, the solutions to He Who Watches’ puzzles elicit relief and amazement. Oh my god, that worked! I didn’t even think that could be possible! Learning to solve the game’s puzzles feels like learning magic. But, oh, does the game get hard. Its Steam reviews, mostly glowing, are full of players remarking how quickly He Who Watches made them sweat. Wrote one: “loving this one already although my brain is hurting!” Wrote another: “As you get further in the game it feels like you need an IQ level of at least 120+.” Vanden has shown some mercy. Each locked room puzzle includes an optional junior version of the puzzle, meant to teach you. Difficulty nevertheless ramps severely. By the time I was emailing Vanden for help, I was struggling to even clear one of the hint puzzles. When I messaged him, my stress was exacerbated by strange things I’d found in the game’s various hubs: suspicious passageways, odd blocks and some intriguing locked doors. These were hints of secrets, I realized, yet I sensed I needed to play further into the game to understand them. I was stuck, but I wanted to see the rest. Vanden offered to give me the exact solutions, to solve those three puzzles for me, but first he gave four nudges. Three were for the specific puzzles, but his best hint was for all and ultimately proved to be a terrific life lesson: go back a bit, he suggested. Do the puzzles right before those. They were teaching you something. Focus on what their lesson was. Don’t rush, in other words. Recognize what you’ve accomplished. Build off of that. I did so. I absorbed the lessons. I saw those three tough puzzles in a new light. I solved one the night after he wrote back, another the morning after. I left a third for another time. I didn’t need it and I wanted to plunge deeper into the game, closer to the moment when I was sure I could start unlocking those secret doors. My head stopped hurting, too. He Who Watches feels special. It’s got more challenges, and I’m undeterred. It’s also nice that its puzzles don’t have a surprise second health bar. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Item 2: In brief… 🎮 Ilari Kuittinen, co-founder of Helsinki-based Housemarque (Super Stardust HD, Resogun, Returnal) has stepped down from his studio, after a 31-year run, saying he’s “ taking a rare and well-deserved breather.” Sony purchased Housemarque in 2021, and the studio released its newest game, Saros, earlier this year. Trend-watch: Sony-owned Insomniac saw its founder Ted Price retire in early 2025, after a 30-year run. Sony-owned Sucker Punch saw its co-founder Brian Fleming step down in late 2025, after a 28-year run. 👀 Savvy Games Group chief Brian Ward is stepping down from the Saudi-government-backed games conglomerate, Bloomberg reports. No word on a long-term successor yet, nor if this augurs any closer integration between Savvy and Electronic Arts. EA was purchased by a consortium led by Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund, in early August. 💿 Square Enix has denied a Japanese media report that the company was planning to go private. In very different Square Enix news, the company revealed that the physical version of Final Fantasy VII: Revelation, the April 2027 finale of its radical remakes of FFVII, will include just one disc in its case, requiring a download for the rest. The first two FFVII remakes in the trilogy shipped on two discs apiece. While Square hasn’t commented on the reason why, a feature here in Game File last month broke down the processes and costs for physical games. The expense of a second disc comes out of the game publisher’s cut of each copy. Square could be saving in excess of a dollar a copy with this move. 🟥 Grand Theft Auto IV’s 26-minute ’‘extended look” gameplay showcase that premiered on Netflix last week—and was exclusive to the platform for six hours—drew 31.1 million views in its first four days, the streamer announced. (Netflix calculates views as total viewed hours divided by runtime; excludes replays). Compared to YouTube: The version that later premiered on Rockstar Games’ YouTube channel is sitting at 22.6 million views after seven days (YouTube’s more liberal counting system tallies anyone who viewed even just the first few second.) Compared to other Netflix mega-events: Last year, Stranger Things season 5’s first four episodes, which debuted together, drew a record 59.6 million views in their first few days on Netflix. For more of a live event type of comparison, in 2024, the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match drew 65 million concurrent streams as it happened; Netflix didn’t release live numbers for the GTA premiere. ☁️ Microsoft is changing the way it charges for cloud gaming, from an all-you-can-play offer for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, to caps for the subscription’s tiers (15 hours per month at the Ultimate tier), with the option to buy more hours in bulk beyond that. The company also said it will sell batches of cloud gaming time to non-Game Pass subscribers, details TBA. Microsoft does not release figures for cloud game usage, but said its changes would impact 4% of Game Pass subscribers. That implies a small portion of its subscribers exceed the 15-hour monthly mark. Cloud gaming offers the promise of playing games without the need for console or PC hardware, as the graphics, sound and controls are all transmitted via a streaming connection. Microsoft notes that its cloud gaming service can be used for a range of things, including Xbox One players using it to play newer-gen Xbox Series games via streaming; and people playing games via streaming, sans any console, “in markets where consoles are less available or affordable.” (That latter use case could even be relevant in Xbox’s home market soon, as console prices keep rising.) Take Two Interactive chairman Strauss Zelnick recently told investors he expects game-streaming tech, which has been only lightly adopted by gamers for over a decade, to be widely used within three years. 🇺🇸 The Trump administration has published multiple agenda-driven web video games to the White House’s website. One called Build The Wall partially clones Tetris as it asks players to build a wall to stop a “zombie border siege.” While actual Tetris involves clearing lines and basically not building a wall, the Trump-backed game omits the line-clearing aspect (and omits the fun as well). On Instagram, Tetris’ official license holders reacted by stating: “At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them. To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we’re grateful to have you in our community. P.S. The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall.’ P.P.S.: We take copyright infringement very seriously.” Item 3: The week ahead: Tuesday, September 8 Game releases: Mewgenics (consoles; already out on PC) is an engrossing tactical combat game (with cats). It is getting its console port right after the release of a Star Wars tactics game and ahead of the late September launch of a Fire Emblem–a bumper crop for the genre. Wanderburg (PC) is an auto-shooting game like Vampire Survivors, but you’re a castle on wheels Event: Nintendo airs a 30-minute Nintendo Direct (10am ET) focused on The Legend of Zelda’s 40th Anniversary. A full unveiling of the upcoming remake of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is expected. Will they also show footage from next year’s live action movie? Tease the next big 3D Zelda? Add Link to Mario Kart World? Shadow-drop a new Tingle game? Wednesday, September 9 Event: Nintendo again! On this day, they’re planning to air a 45-minute Nintendo Direct (10am ET) focused on games heading to Switch 2 this winter. Followed by about an hour of gameplay demoed by the company’s Treehouse team. The September Nintendo Directs are always some of the year’s biggest. The 2025 edition included announcements of several major 2026 Switch/Switch 2 games: Pokémon Pokopia, Mario Tennis Fever, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave. Plus the return of the Virtual Boy. Friday, September 11 Game release: EA Sports NHL 27 (PlayStation, Xbox) is a hockey game. There are so few that an indie studio that had been making wacky sci-fi first-person shooters just announced that, hey, we’re going to fill a void and make a hockey game for PC.

gamefile.news logo
Sep 4 • 6:23 PM EDT • Technology • gamefile.news
The Fierce Battle For Kids’ Eyeballs...Plus Two “Devils” Face Off

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) During the week of this report, Spider-Man: Brand New Day hit theaters and went on to become one of the biggest films of all time. So, you know what that means! It’s time for a poll! Recently, Project Hail Mary came to Prime Video and became a top five film for them, but didn’t smash streaming records, a feat I cautiously thought it could accomplish. Can Spider-Man 4 do better? To set the stakes, some of the biggest films of all time do just okay on streaming. Wicked, Top Gun: Maverick, and Barbie come to mind... But unlike those films, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a Sony film which means it’s headed to Netflix, the world’s largest streamer. Now, per friend of the newsletter and my go-to Netflix expert, Kasey Moore of What’s on Netflix, Sony films usually appear on Netflix 120 days after they premiere, which means Spidey 4 would land on Netflix on, checks notes, 28-November, one of the two biggest streaming weekends of the year! But Sony occasionally delays its biggest hits for a bit longer, to give them more time to make money on PVOD, so Spider-Man: Brand New Day might not swing onto Netflix until late December or even February 2027. Loading... Okay, on to this week’s issue. Since The Super Mario Galaxy Movie made its way to Peacock, I’m looking at the true workhorse of streaming viewership: kids films. And the surprising film that bested most Netflix animated movies. All that, plus Hulu has a new show that might be a hit (for them…?), two “Devils” square off on streaming, Zendaya tries to find some streaming magic, Netflix’s I Will Find You continues to do well, House of the Dragon tries to break into the season three top ten, some big NBC sports and summer programs, what friendly neighborhood Spider-Man character actually generates the most viewership on streaming, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of July 27th to August 2nd, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - As The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Hits Peacock, How Have Kids Films Fared in 2026? Like Mario hopping on a Koopa, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie landed on Peacock on 30-July. (Yeah, I kinda forced that Mario reference.) How did it do? Great, just like the first film. It got 13.0 million hours on its opening, and that’s good enough to take second place among Peacock films on the Nielsen charts all time: As I mention all the time, Peacock just isn’t the world’s biggest streamer—in fact, nowhere close—so its films struggle to put up numbers like Netflix (or even Prime Video and Disney+). So this is a solid debut for that streamer. And as we saw last time, The Super Mario Bros. Movie had a HUGE second life on Netflix when it moved streamers. This chart doesn’t even show how long the first Mario lasted on Netflix: a whopping, KPop-esque 31 weeks. For NBCUniversal, though, the big win was the second Mario movie grossing $429 million in America and over $1 billion globally. But yeah, to add a very strong streaming performance only makes its success even greater. Illumination pretty clearly has another hit franchise on their hands. This is a good time, though, to check in on kids films so far in 2026. We’ve had a few big, big titles, a rare Netflix success, and some disappointments. Let’s start with the top animated films since November of 2025, over their first four weeks on the charts, along with a few of the “best all time” animated films: (As a reminder, if a film doesn’t make the Nielsen top ten lists, I don’t have data for it, so it gets a “zero” in terms of viewership. Now, it had some viewership, but I don’t know what it is, so it gets a zero.) I added a few titles to get an idea of what the best of the best looks like in terms of animation. And you can see, through four weeks, Zootopia 2 can now claim “one of the biggest streaming films of all time” titles. GOAT too did surprisingly well, besting Netflix’s biggest films (Swapped and In Your Dreams) through four weeks. When I’ve talked about how films can have varying performances on streaming compared to their box office, this is what I mean. Goat just managed to gross even $103 million at the box office—so it’s popular, but just barely—but did very well on streaming. Of course, what set Encanto and KPop Demon Hunters apart from the rest was their absolutely insane longevity. Here are the kids film charts through eight weeks to show that: And really KPop Demon Hunters just kept going, and no 2025 or 2026 kids films have had that sort of longevity. I can’t wait to see the sequel in theaters. Film - Two Devils and a Drama As I wrote last week, in the past, theatrical-first film flops weren’t eligible for “Miss of the Week” or “Miss of the Year” honors/dishonors, but since so many more films go to theaters first these days, I’ve made them eligible now! But it’s complicated. You see, this is a Streaming Ratings Report, emphasis on streaming, which makes analyzing this week’s two biggest streaming misses—The Drama on HBO Max (A24’s dramedy starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson) and Prime Video’s The Devil Mouth (a killer shark movie starring young attractive people)—somewhat tricky. The Drama isn’t eligible for Luminate, but The Devil’s Mouth only had 1.5 million hours in its first week: The Devil’s Mouth notched 5.2 million hours according to Nielsen. Meanwhile, The Drama missed the charts entirely. Not great! But Prime Video is a much bigger streamer than HBO Max. That said, HBO Max titles are on Prime Video, but I think Prime Video prioritizes their original/exclusive titles, which helps boost their viewership. Complicating this further, The Drama made $48 million in the US—while A24 sells foreign distribution; the $57 million of overseas grosses helps A24 sell overseas rights for money in the future—off of a $28 million budget (which seems low for Zendaya and Pattinson, so they might have backend). The Devil’s Mouth, though, had zero dollars at the box office. The other stats for The Devil’s Mouth are bleak, and by “bleak”, I mean horrendous: a 4.7 on 15K reviews on IMDb (yikes) and a 46 on Metacritic (double yikes). The Drama, though buzzy online, only has a solid (but far from elite) 7.1 IMDb score on 121K reviews and a 59 on Metacritic (which is far, far lower than I’d have guessed). So which film is the “Miss of the Week”? I’m giving it to The Devil’s Mouth for one simple reason: it’s a horror film. And almost all horror films, even poorly reviewed horror films, should get a shot in theaters to at least try to recoup some of their budgets. The Drama made money at the box office and The Devil’s Mouth didn’t. It’s just like the situation last issue with Obsession and Masters of the Universe. Sure, Obsession didn’t pop on the streaming charts, but at least it already made it money at the box office. And as we’ve been seeing for years now and we’ll see all fall, theatrical films just do better on streaming. After all, the big “devil” winner this week was actually The Devil Wears Prada 2 with 14.8 million hours according to Nielsen. That’s right, The Devil Wears Prada 2—one of the box office success stories of May—came to streaming and parlayed its $220 million box office into 14.8 million Nielsen hours. Disney also put out a datecdote that it had 15.2 million “views” globally in five days, but again we don’t have a lot of great context for what that means. Here’s how it stacks up to other Hulu films, since I’m categorizing this mainly as a Hulu title (though it was also on Disney+): Share Quick Notes on Film We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… Whether Hulu has a new hit show on its hands... The top first and third seasons of all time and which shows are climbing those charts… What version of Spidey is the most popular... What sport and TV show are performing better on NBC than the NBA... All the flops, bombs and misses... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! Next week, wow, things stay so busy. One of streaming’s biggest shows of all time, Ted Lasso, returns along with new YA-ish shows from Hulu (The Shards, from Ryan Murphy) and Prime Video (Sterling Point). The Challenge moves to Paramount+, plus My Life with the Walter Boys returns to Netflix and Futurama returns to Hulu. And Netflix has a new horror film, The Last House. Lots to talk about! All month, things stay busy. We’re talking Reacher on Prime Video! Outer Banks and Tires on Netflix! Lanterns on HBO Max! UFC 330 on Paramount+ and the MLB Field of Dreams game on Netflix. And a ton of smaller films come to streaming. Long term, the VMAs are back on 27-Sep! I feel like I haven’t heard much about this show in past years, but I’m seeing more news coverage and buzz for this show than in past years. I’m curious to see how it does.

entertainment.substack.com logo
Sep 4 • 3:16 PM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com
Three Crucial Storylines for Orlando Magic this Season

Paolo Banchero’s quest for durable superstardom and Franz Wagner’s pivotal summer of recovery define a high-stakes season as Orlando’s core prepares for a grueling 82-game grind.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 4 • 2:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Full Court Magic Episode 34: Full Breakdown

Don Strouble analyzes Orlando’s low-risk gamble on Malaki Branham and how Paolo Banchero’s development shapes a roster navigating tight salary cap constraints ahead of training camp.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 4 • 12:13 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
“Practical Magic” star Alexandra Artrip addresses being recast in sequel after Evan Rachel Wood’s comments

Artrip portrayed Antonia in the original film, a character Maisie Williams now plays in “Practical Magic 2.”

yahoo.com logo
Sep 4 • 11:18 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
‘Practical Magic’ star Alexandra Artrip addresses being recast in sequel after Evan Rachel Wood’s comments

‘Practical Magic’ star Alexandra Artrip, who played Antonia Owens in the 1998 film, addressed the ‘negativity’ surrounding her recasting in the sequel.

ew.com logo
Sep 4 • 11:18 AM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Nicole Kidman & Sandra Bullock on Reuniting for 'Practical Magic 2' & the Fans Who Made It Happen
yahoo.com logo
Sep 4 • 10:48 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Sandra Bullock reveals the shocking question she kept getting asked about ‘Practical Magic’

‘Practical Magic 2’ star Sandra Bullock reveals the shocking question she kept getting asked about the original 1998 film during its promotion three decades ago.

ew.com logo
Sep 4 • 8:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
'Magic: The Gathering' Zeta Set Drop Was a 'Disaster,' Says Wizards of the Coast

The Secret Lair platform is no stranger to botched sales, but this one was particularly bad.

gizmodo.com logo
Sep 3 • 6:00 PM EDT • Technology • gizmodo.com
Can Paolo Banchero Recapture LeBron James Comparison?

At Paolo Banchero's best, he shows flashes that are similar to LeBron James, but can he do it consistently?

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 3 • 6:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Joey King has her ‘Practical Magic 2’ costars cackling over this naughty Sandra Bullock joke

Joey King shocked her ‘Practical Magic 2’ costars with a racy Sandra Bullock joke while chatting with Entertainment Weekly.

ew.com logo
Sep 3 • 3:19 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Konami announces magick action adventure game Rhapsody in Scarlet for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC

Konami has announced Rhapsody in Scarlet, an original magick-themed action adventure game coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam. A release date was not announced.

gematsu.com logo
Sep 3 • 9:32 AM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Business Briefs: Sept. 4, 2026

Garden Cinemas plans special events for ‘Practical Magic 2’ release GREENFELD — The Garden Cinemas is bringing “Practical Magic 2,” the long-awaited PG 13 sequel to the 1998 classic starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, to the city not only through a themed float in the Franklin County Fair Parade, but with two events. “Practical […]

recorder.com logo
Sep 3 • 9:00 AM EDT • Business • recorder.com
Konami Announces Rhapsody In Scarlet, Bringing Urban Fantasy

The new title stars Ellie Myers as a magical singer blasting spells in New York. - Game Informer

gameinformer.com logo
Sep 3 • 8:00 AM EDT • Technology • gameinformer.com
A ‘Social Network’ follow-up and a ‘Hunger Games’ prequel headline fall movies

Audiences can also catch “Practical Magic 2,” “Sense and Sensibility” and a transformed Tom Cruise on the big screen.

washingtonpost.com logo
Sep 3 • 7:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • washingtonpost.com
Sandra Bullock reveals her son and daughter have secret “Practical Magic 2” cameos

The actress said she’s “unbelievably proud” of Louis and Laila.

yahoo.com logo
Sep 2 • 6:29 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Sandra Bullock reveals her son and daughter have secret ‘Practical Magic 2’ cameos

Sandra Bullock doesn’t share much about her kids, Louis and Laila, but she’s spilled that they appear in ‘Practical Magic 2.’

ew.com logo
Sep 2 • 6:29 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Camp BHC Sees Magic and Science

Professor Mike’s Science and Magic Show came to Camp BHC a few weeks ago. Who doesn’t like juggling?

jewishtimes.com logo
Sep 2 • 2:08 PM EDT • Science • jewishtimes.com
Evan Rachel Wood speaks out about being replaced in 'Practical Magic 2'

Evan Rachel Wood says she wasn’t asked to return for “Practical Magic 2” and reveals Joey King reached out after taking over her role.

usatoday.com logo
Sep 2 • 12:29 PM EDT • Entertainment • usatoday.com
Can Desmond Bane, Jalen Suggs Thrive With Magic Next Season?

The Orlando Magic need the best version of the Desmond Bane/ Jalen Suggs backcourt next season.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Sep 1 • 10:17 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
NVIDIA DLSS 5 Technical Preview Review

NVIDIA DLSS 5 is the first technology that adds to a scene rather than reconstructing it—a generative model running locally that magically improves things. In our DLSS 5 Technical Preview we look at how the model works, what it costs in performance, and how much control developers really have.

techpowerup.com logo
Sep 1 • 10:34 AM EDT • Technology • techpowerup.com
😐 Neutral (0%)
gamescom 2026’s Steam wishlist winners

gamescom wrapped up last weekend, and it was bloody fantastic. It really felt like the industry had a spring in its step again. The show itself was BUZZING, with 368K attendees (+3% over last year), maxed-out exhibit space, and Opening Night Live pulling over 78M online views (+7.5%). Let’s have a look at the games at the event that brought in the most new Steam wishlists between August 23 and 30. One quick thing before we start, and stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but wishlists are NOT a barometer for launch sales (they’re bookmarks, not baskets is what we always say over here at Alinea). With that aside, wishlists are a nice gauge of hype, so let’s dive in. Witche(r)s and Warlocks take the top two spots The biggest game of the event (by new wishlists, anyways) wasn’t a game at all. It was an expansion. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s upcoming expansion, Songs of the Past, nabbed 451K Steam wishlists by the end of the weekend. It’s a big example of something we bang on about constantly: proven IP with built-in fandom is the most powerful force in this market. But said IP can also ripple into other external success stories (more on that later!). Anyway, Songs of the Past debuted at Opening Night Live, and it’s the first Witcher 3 expansion in over a decade, landing next year after a full Witcher 3 remaster (free for existing owners!) arrives next month. The Witcher 3 has sold around 66M copies, and I’ll be one of those owners jumping back in to refresh myself on the core game (like there isn’t enough to play!), then play the expansion next year. This is all part of CDPR’s plan. The studio is clearly whetting everyone’s appetite for The Witcher 4 in 2028 via a classic bridge strategy. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Releasing a free 4K remaster next month – followed by a proper expansion in 2027 – keeps IP top-of-mind across a huge gap between content (games-wise, anyway). It kind of echoes Capcom’s evergreen catalogue strategy. And outsourcing co-development to Fool’s Theory (a studio led by trusted Witcher 3 veterans) keeps CDPR’s internal headcount focused on The Witcher 4. #2 by wishlists between Aug 23 and 30 went to another giant IP: Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons, published by Wizards of the Coast and developed by Invoke Studios (a team of ex-Far Cry, Watch Dogs, and Splinter Cell devs). It’s due to launch in 2027, and it looks brilliant so far. It’s a dark-fantasy open world with third-person spell-slinging. It’s a very Witcher-ish aesthetic. As you might expect, 48% of Warlock’s Steam wishlisters have played Baldur’s Gate 3, and 46% have played The Witcher 3. One to watch. For sure! Mash-ups: Anime GTA (!?) and a city-builder for kids (and adults) Ananta took #3 with 302K new wishlists. It’s an open-world game that looks like GTA and Persona had a baby. It was published by NetEase, developed by Naked Rain, and got a trailer at Opening Night Live. I got hands-on at the show, and it wears its influences openly; there’s literal web-slinging (very Spider-Man) and a LOAD of mini-games (Like a Dragon). It’s free-to-play and out in January. For Ananta, Naked Rain is taking the free-to-play, cosmetics-only route. That’s certainly a choice for a single-player open-world game. Without gacha mechanics driving high ARPU, Ananta is betting purely on top-of-funnel reach and long-term retention. This puts pressure on skin appeal when there’s no multiplayer lobby to flex in (although, co-op is reportedly coming later). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Then there’s Lego Skylines (273K wishlists between Aug 23 and 30), which does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a cosy Lego twist on the city-builder genre, as shallow or as deep as you fancy (five min quick sesh or ten-hour no-lifer session; latter for me). There’s some family-friendly stuff in there like couch co-op, which is only really viable on console. Iceflake Studios, which Paradox acquired back in 2020 is developing this one. So Paradox is probably looking for a family-friendly onramp to its rad Cities: Skylines games. The overlap there is plain, with 33% of Lego Skylines wishlisters having played Cities: Skylines and 16% Skylines II. There’s no doubt plenty of parents here (and uncles, ahem) planning to indoctrinate the next gen of city-builders. I’ll definitely be playing with my youngest nephew. This one could be big and educational. I’m very curious to see more. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Mature IP, new and old, rounds out the list As for the rest of the list of gamescom games by new wishlists between Aug 23 and 30: Heroes of Might & Magic III Remake got 189K new wishlists. It remakes the iconic 1999 turn-based-strategy classic in full 3D and 4K. It follows this year’s Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era (~1.8M copies sold, as per our estimates), and around a quarter of the III Remake wishlisters have played Olden Era, including 7% of them this month. Wardogs – a $40 PvP shooter – added another 146K to an already massive pile (nearly 1.6M total). It’s published by Team17 and made by Bulkhead. It plays somewhere between the tactical squad stuff of … Squad and the all-out-chaos battlefield of … Battlefield. It’s up to 100 players, and it’s out in about 10 days. It’s already pre-sold over 500K copies on Steam ($16.6M), boosted by a pre-order-only beta. It sold another 70K copies during gamescom, too. Afterworld managed 121K new wishlists. It’s a Paradox-made post-apocalyptic grand-strategy game, and it was announced at the show. It’s a departure from Paradox’s usual historical stuff, and the studio’s first new setting in over a decade. The Paradox purists are into it, with over half its wishlisters having played Hearts of Iron IV (19% this month) and 41% Crusader Kings III (17% this month). Metro 2039 got 110K during the show, tunnelling its total past 1.3M. Nearly 40% of wishlisters have played 2020’s Metro Exodus, the previous mainline title in the series. The Metro novels are Russian, dev 4A Games is Ukrainian, and it’s set in Moscow, so it’s unsurprising that – after the US (17.3% of wishlisters) – the next two countries are Russia (12.7%) and Ukraine (10.0%). The Blood of the Dawnwalker drew in (the blood of) 108K new wishlisters, now totalling an impressive 1.7M (at a $70 price point, though). It’s an open-world dark-fantasy action-RPG set in 14th-century Europe (with vampires!), made by some former Witcher devs at Rebel Wolves. Again, it shows. Over half of Blood of the Dawnwalker’s wishlisters have played The Witcher 3, and its #2 market is Poland, home of Rebel Wolves. That’s that hometown-hero effect we keep banging on about again! And Blood of the Dawnwalker plays very well, by the way. While it looks like a Witcher clone on the surface, it actually brings a lot to the table mechanics-wise. I love the whole time-as-a-currency spin on RPG gameplay. It gives the game a different, refreshing pace. Essentially, you start Blood of the Dawnwalker with a pool of 480 action points spread across 30 days and 30 nights. As for how the game performs, we’ll be posting some numbers next week, so hit subscribe below to get that in your inbox when it’s ready. Subscribe The Witcher’s legacy ripples Make no mistake: on a high level, this was The Witcher‘s gamescom. The #1 game by wishlisters was a Witcher 3 DLC. Warlock is clearly Witcher-inspired – as is Blood of the Dawnwalker, which was made by ex-Witcher devs. There was a lot of other cool stuff on the floor that we’ll no doubt be covering in subsequent newsletters, though! As always, wishlists went through the roof for sequels, remakes, DLC, and licensed IP. As always, though, these wishlists will likely convert to about 5% to 10% of launch-day buyers, with the probable exception of The Witcher DLC – the exception that proves the rule. Either way, we’ve got a nice, diverse list here – one that is very Witcher-y, Paradox-y, and – if you’re a fan of great games on Steam – a bloody good list. We even got a bunch of new IP to get excited for. Great gamescom! Even if we are still processing that unfathomable number of mini Kölsch beers! One more thing: GTA 6 broke the internet (again) Move aside, Spider-Man and The Odyssey (I love you both, really). But the decade’s defining entertainment zeitgeist is round the corner. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that Rockstar dropped an extended look at GTA 6 last week. It was INSANE, the most impressed I’ve ever been by a showcase like this. You can see the budget seeping through every second of the extended look, and this level of game is unobtainable for any other publisher. Everyone’s going nuts, and rightly so. GTA 6 is out in holiday 2026, and it’ll be the biggest entertainment release ever, full stop. For those without a PS5 or Xbox Series console, a $500-$900 console is a big ask in this economy, but GTA will pull a lot of last-generation-console fence sitters over the current-gen fence either way: The autumn timing puts GTA 6 on (digital) shelves for the holidays, meaning a PS5 or Xbox (let’s be honest, mostly the former) will be on many a Christmas and Hanukkah list. Demand will outweigh the struggling supply, though, and PS5 Pros are already sold out and being sold at a markup via scalpers. Every console that isn’t on a shelf is a sale deferred or lost, and worse, it hands scalpers the margin. GTA has cultural clout that reaches everyone. It’s been a mainstream fixture since 2001’s GTA III and its clout has only grown exponentially since then. There’s a touchpoint for every generation alive. The FOMO-word-of-mouth double punch does the rest. Loading... It’ll reactivate the lockdown cohort, the millions who picked up gaming in 2020-21 and churned. GTA 6 will bring them back. Remember when College Football 25 brought a bunch of US gamers to current-gen consoles? GTA will do that globally. Once they’re back (or upgraded), and all GTA’d out, the fresh current-gen-console folks will check out the rest of the current-gen catalogue they missed. GTA Online, if not free to play, will also lead to a boost for PS+ and Xbox Game Pass, another boost for the ecosystem players. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Even some of the smug PCMR 60FPS crew won’t be able to resist their FOMO and will bite the bullet on a console to play this one early (then double dip). The consoles cost the same as a decent stick of RAM these days anyway lmao… Don’t get me wrong, though. GTA 6 is no silver bullet for the mature console market, but it does prime the current gen for a couple of strong swan-song years. And it’ll also give the consoles more users from which to maximise ARPU. ‘’We are in the latter half of the lifetime cycle of [the PS5],’’ said Sony President and CEO Hiroki Totoki in a Wall Street Journal interview. ‘’That means we do not need to aggressively sell the console today; rather than that, we are focusing on the current revenue from the current user base.’’ The biggest, best premium games always arrive late in a console cycle, so getting more players aboard now, ahead of that content storm (the new current-gen-only Call of Duty included), is a clear win for the platforms. On the Netflix thing, though: let’s all chill out a bit, like. Half my LinkedIn feed was going bonkers treating the reveal debuting on Netflix like it’s the future of entertainment. It wasn’t. It was a six-hour head start, and Netflix left that detail out of the “first-of-its-kind partnership” press release. The extended look hit Netflix at 3pm ET on 27 August, then went up on YouTube and Rockstar’s site for everyone six hours later. And it was all over social immediately, anyways. This reveal was going to reach an untold number of people whether it debuted on Netflix, YouTube, a Times Square screen, or a group chat. The last trailer did nearly half a billion views in a day with no gatekeeper at all. Netflix just stood next to that audience for six hours, borrowing it. It’s was a tidy deal for Netflix, sure. But every outlet on earth was breaking the thing down frame by frame by the evening anyway. Anyway. I’m hype. And we’ll be covering some GTA numbers on the newsletter soon. So hit subscribe below to get that in your inbox when it’s ready! Subscribe The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]

alineaanalytics.substack.com logo
Sep 1 • 10:27 AM EDT • Technology • alineaanalytics.substack.com
'Practical Magic' was filmed in this WA town. It left a legacy

Ahead of the Sept. 10 release of “Practical Magic 2,” we visit Coupeville on Whidbey Island, where the original movie was filmed.

seattletimes.com logo
Sep 1 • 9:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • seattletimes.com
The Fashion Politics Of Nicole Kidman’s Pieter Mulier Versace Debut

At the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Practical Magic 2’, Nicole Kidman offered the first glimpse of Pieter Mulier’s vision for Versace.

vogue.com logo
Sep 1 • 7:00 AM EDT • Politics • vogue.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (20%)
ahah
50%
wow
50%
What a Healthy Season Can Mean for the Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic need to have a healthy 2026-27 season.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 31 • 8:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (23%)
What a Healthy Season Can Mean for the Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic need to have a healthy 2026-27 season.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 31 • 8:00 PM EDT • Health • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (23%)
Scientists Crashed An Unusual Sea Urchin Party And Were Delighted To Discover They Were All Wearing Hats

“There is just so much about this that is magic.”

iflscience.com logo
Aug 31 • 12:03 PM EDT • Science • iflscience.com
CardVault by Tom Brady store to open in downtown Indianapolis

The Boston-based business co-owned by the former quarterback specializes in collectible cards ranging from sports stars to Pokemon to Magic: The Gathering.

ibj.com logo
Aug 31 • 12:00 PM EDT • Business • ibj.com
Dick Van Dyke shares impressive workout video at 100 years young

Dick Van Dyke’s latest workout video has fans floored by the 100-year-old actor’s physical fitness.

ew.com logo
Aug 31 • 9:21 AM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Why Paolo Banchero Needs to Have an Elite Year

With Desmond Bane joining a revamped roster, Orlando’s franchise centerpiece faces a defining crossroads to silence critics, master his shooting, and elevate the Magic into elite contention.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 30 • 9:22 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Orlando Magic Facing Early Challenges

The Orlando Magic have a lot on their plate early in the 2026-27 season.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 29 • 6:26 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
“Practical Magic 2” star Maisie Williams once paid an Etsy witch to help land a film role

“She told me some things I had to say every night,” the actress revealed.

yahoo.com logo
Aug 28 • 7:18 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Some Scientists Have ‘Magic Hands’ in the Lab. This A.I. Is Learning Why.

Even the most adept researchers may not know exactly what they do to get successful results. An A.I. model is trying to figure it out by watching every move.

nytimes.com logo
Aug 27 • 5:01 AM EDT • Science • nytimes.com
Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake: Return to Erathia in 2027

Remaining faithful to everything that made the original game so beloved, the remake will feature updated visuals and audio for current-gen consoles, a cohesive narrative, and improved UGC features.

news.ubisoft.com logo
Aug 25 • 4:07 PM EDT • Technology • news.ubisoft.com
D&D Action Game Shows Off A Bunch Of Cool Powers

Warlock is an upcoming third-person action RPG that appears to be filled with wild magic

kotaku.com logo
Aug 25 • 3:34 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake announced for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC

Ubisoft has announced Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake, a remake of the 1999-released turn-based strategy game. It will be available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Ubisoft…

gematsu.com logo
Aug 25 • 3:32 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Apple releases new Magic Keyboards with one notable change

Today Apple launched minor updates to its Magic Keyboard accessories, a revision timed with the latest Mac mini and Mac Studio releases.

9to5mac.com logo
Aug 25 • 10:52 AM EDT • Technology • 9to5mac.com
Apple Quietly Refreshes Magic Keyboards

Apple today quietly introduced updated Magic Keyboard models with revised U.S. English key labeling. On the new keyboards, the tab, caps lock, shift, return, and delete keycaps are labeled with glyphs rather than edge text. On the full-size models with a numeric keypad, the change goes further, with the home, page up, page down, end, clear, and enter keys also swapping their text labels for symbols.

macrumors.com logo
Aug 25 • 10:22 AM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com
'Magical day' for Luston campaigner as bikini song used in health demo

Ashleigh Harley describes the live performance and crowds of supporters in London as "magical"

bbc.com logo
Aug 24 • 8:23 AM EDT • Health • bbc.com