SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " square " 1,845 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
PS5's New Firmware Update Available to Download Now, Here's What It Does
What does version 26.06-14.00.00 do?
New Small Business Alliances Signal Competitive Positioning by 40+ IT and Consulting Leaders Across FedCiv, FedHealth, and DoD
In the GovCon IT and consulting market, some companies react to opportunities. Others shape the board well before the game begins. Mentor-protégé agreements fall squarely into the latter category. These partnerships are not administrative check-the-box exercises. They require sustained commitment, alignment at the leadership level, and a clear view of where the market is heading. […]
Washington judges defend Supreme Court candidate amid partisan politics dispute
(The Center Square) — A group of 62 current and former Washington judges is defending state Supreme Court candidate Sean O’Donnell after his opponent accused him of pursuing a partisan
New PS5 Pulse Headsets Revealed by Sony with Better Sound and Comfort
Pulse headset this year, Pulse Edge headset in 2027
Mad Science: ‘Shaun The Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom’ Directors Steve Cox and Matthew Walker
With a monster on the loose and no time to lose, it’s up to Shaun and the flock to put things right before their Halloween celebrations turn into a real-life fright night. As Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom arrives in cinemas on 18 September, Film Review chats with directors Ste
New cinema, entertainment center announced for Huntington's Pullman Square
A new movie theater and entertainment center is moving into Huntington’s Pullman Square.City officials announced Tuesday afternoon that Icon Cinemas will be tak
Intermountain Health and West Valley City Unveil Plans for Major New Medical Campus That Will Significantly Enhance Access to Care for Residents in West Salt Lake County
Residents in West Valley City and west Salt Lake County will soon have easier access to healthcare services thanks to a major new medical campus planned by Intermountain.Intermountain Health has acquired the nine-story, 235,000 square-foot Fairbourne Building at 3535 Market Street, which is located on 8.5 acres in the heart of downtown W...
AbSciCon Poster Competition Winners
Each conference year, the AbSciCon Poster Competition recognizes outstanding research by early-career scientists working to understand life's place in the
Regional business leaders share their perspectives on great organizations
This month we asked: What qualities make an organization great?
Lean in: Tilt Studio planning Tallahassee debut
Tallahassee is set to welcome a massive new Tilt Studio entertainment center at the Governor's Square mall next year.
4 New September 2026 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games Available to Download Now
Full lineup outside of UK, USA, and Japan
TXCPA Fort Worth Recognizes 2025-26 Award Recipients
FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 14, 2026) — TXCPA Fort Worth recognized six members for their leadership, service and contributions to the accounting profession and
Celebrate the 25th Oktoberfest Southlake with great food, entertainment, and a Bavarian spirit!
The 25th Oktoberfest Southlake offers FREE, family-friendly fun from October 16 – 18 at Southlake Town Square.
Jean Smart wins Emmy for lead actress in a comedy for ‘Hacks’ final season, tying record
LOS ANGELES — What's more iconic than selling out Madison Square Garden? Winning an Emmy for every season of a show. Jean Smart won the Emmy for lead actress in a comedy on Monday for the fifth and final season...
2026-2027 Dean's Speaker Series
Join Dean Melissa Perry for a public health speaker series.
PS5 Blackout Protest Made 'No Significant Change at All' to Player Counts, Says US Data
The state of play
Empty Store? Try Out Vanity
Keith H. McCoy & Associates shuttered its fabric and wallpaper showroom at 8710 Melrose Ave. in 2021 after more than 10 years at the 4,144-square-foot
Lies of P Sequel Name Potentially Outed in Trademark Filing
It'll follow through on that ending tease
UMass Amherst Launches Historic, Transformational $120 Million Future of Food Initiative | Institute for Applied Life Sciences
UMass Amherst is launching a $120 million effort to address real-world concerns as the global food system faces critical challenges related to climate change and sustainability, food safety and a growing population expected to reach 10 billion people by 2050. The initiative will include a new 36,000 square foot research facility, a multidisciplinary collaborative research center, an endowed chair in food science and three endowed faculty positions who will examine crucial questions about the future of our global food system.
News | SP Energy Networks takes 50,000 square feet at Knowsley Business Park
The letting completes Redsun Projects' speculative industrial development
Rice Business marks new era of growth with opening of Virani Hall
Asha and Farid Virani Hall, a 112,000-square-foot building which now stands alongside McNair Hall, offering students a combined 400,000 square-feet designed to support the school’s expanding community of graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, researchers and alumni.
Hackman Loses Culver City Office Campus
Troubled studio owner Hackman Capital Partners has lost control of the former Sony Pictures Animation campus in Culver City. The 198,000-square-foot
Focus on agentic commerce as customer data science firm dunnhumby wraps Retail Innovation Forum USA
dunnhumby held its annual Retail Innovation Forum in Bentonville, Arkansas, USA last week, bringing together retailers, brands, technology leaders, scale-ups, startups and investors. In a LinkedIn post, Dave Clements, Chief Strategy Officer at dunnhumby, said: "In many ways an eclectic group to
Sony Shuts Down The Last of Us 2 PC Multiplayer Fan Mod
Nine months of work down the drain
Scientists find evidence for an ancient supercontinent that covered 80 percent of Earth’s surface
Isotope mapping reveals millions of square kilometers of lost Gondwanan crust hidden beneath Asia, Europe and North America.
Launch Family Entertainment set to open at Golden Triangle Mall at end of October
Indoor amusement center Launch Family Entertainment is set to take over more than 30,000 square feet in Denton at the Golden Triangle Mall on Oct. 30.
Who's in, who's out for Bears-Panthers in Week 1?
The Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers square off on Sunday. We're keeping track of the latest injury updates and inactives.
Colorado author to host talk about mental health and a 500-mile long hike across the state
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to reflect, reach out to our loved ones, and understand that anyone can be struggling with their mental health. One individual decided to address her mental...
Squarepoint Ops LLC Invests $4.82 Million in Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. $MSGE
Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new stake in Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (NYSE:MSGE - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 59,537 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,816,000. Squar
USA rink building reuse, golf entertainment complex projects need rezoning in Mishawaka
Developer David Farhan says the former USA Skate Center site's zoning only allows up to two businesses in the 24,000-square-foot building but there isn't demand for such large spaces in that area.
Intermountain Health Primary Children's Hospital Behavioral Health Campus in Taylorsville Marks One Year Anniversary This Week
One year after opening its doors, the Intermountain Health Primary Children’s Hospital Behavioral Health Taylorsville Campus is marking a milestone year of expanding access to lifesaving mental health care for Utah children, teens, and families.Since opening in September 2025, the 90,000-square-foot campus at 5770 South 1500 West in Taylorsv...
Anthropic Signs 24,000-Square-Foot Lease in Cambridge, Drawn by Proximity to Life Science Research
Anthropic Signs 24,000-Square-Foot Lease in Cambridge, Drawn by Proximity to Life Science Research
Robo-Tech celebrates new chapter in business
Robo-Tech Fitness is celebrating a new chapter in its business with a new home. The physical fitness business recently moved to 2325 Cumberland Square, Bettendorf. The business celebrated its re-grand opening at its new location on Saturday, Aug. 29. The business was located at 1224 E. 37th St., Davenport, for several years. Robo-Tech offers a […]
Guy Fieri makes appearance in Myrtle Beach at Downtown Flavortown
Thursday was the official ribbon cutting ceremony at Myrtle Beach's Downtown Flavortown, the 50,000-square-foot restaurant that opened June 2.
Greenbrier Commerce Center Adds 262,880 Square Feet Of Industrial Space
Colliers | Alabama will serve as the exclusive landlord representative for Greenbrier Commerce Center, a 262,880-square-foot Class A industrial development
Squarepoint Ops LLC Decreases Stake in Sphere Entertainment Co. $SPHR
Squarepoint Ops LLC cut its stake in Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE:SPHR - Free Report) by 70.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,480 shares of the company's stock after selling 93,868
As fall sports season gets under way, boys soccer team earns 9-1 win, girls team ties
Compiled by Matthew Christopher Haraden • Hull High School’s fall sports season is under way. The boys varsity soccer team opened its season with a 9-1 win over Norfolk County Agricultural High School on Tuesday. The Pirates face Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School at home on Fr
$40M expansion at N.J. science center includes a goat playground, an upside-down balloon and a 9/11 memorial garden
The project will add 100,000 square feet of outdoor space, a river otter habitat, and a physics-based mini-golf course.
Ryan Fireprotection plans headquarters expansion in Noblesville
The expansion will consist of a nearly 50,000-square-foot warehouse, a two-story office structure of more than 67,300 square feet and a 28,000-square-foot outdoor supply yard.
Chicopee chamber launches downtown revitalization initiative
The Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce is launching a downtown revitalization initiative featuring an upcoming “Falling for Chicopee Center” open house and monthly co-working sessions…
Nintendo Switch 2 Docked VRR Leapfrogs PS5, but the Catch Falls Squarely on Game Developers
Nintendo Switch 2 gets docked VRR support, matching Xbox Series X|S and beating PS5 per Digital Foundry analysis
LEGO PS1's Freebie Astro Bot Set Revealed in New Images, and Everyone Wants It Standalone
Astro not
Inconsistency Of EV Battery Pack Performance Remains A Challenge
Electric cars are currently limited in utility, which means continued government subsidies and high cost, because battery technology has not changed in the last 35 years.
CHI Health St. Francis Hosts Free Low Carb Cooking Session Sept. 17
CHI Health St. Francis hosts a free community session on low-carb living for busy families in Grand Island, Nebraska on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Pennsylvania’s biggest Medicaid insurer is building political clout
Newtown Square-based AmeriHealth Caritas has boosted its political giving and lobbying. “That’s money that’s supposed to be going out to our hospitals,” said one Pennsylvania Republican lawmaker.
Cosm opens immersive sports-watching venue with stadium-sized ambitions in Detroit
The 70,000-square-foot, three-level facility features “Shared Reality” technology — a high-resolution, wraparound display system designed to simulate courtside or front-row stadium sightlines.
'Final Fantasy VII Revelation' Game Director Interview
Square Enix game director Naoki Hamaguchi talks about the expansive world of the Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, character risks and TV show potential
New Exhibit Shows Where Sports And Science Meets
It's opening Soon At The Buffalo Museum of Science
Manufacturer begins facility expansion
ATC Manufacturing Inc. is nearly doubling its 67,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility at 1224 N. Lean with a new 57,600-square-foot expansion project.
Law Enforcement Honors Dr. John Howard and the World Trade Center Health Program Team With ‘Service Above Self’ Award on 9/11
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, September 8, 2026 / EINPresswire.com / -- The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Foundation , in partnership with the Police Unity Tour and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, is proud to announce that the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP)
What's happening in local business
Massimo’s Pizzeria in Towne Square Shopping Center has announced it will open Monday, Sept. 14. For more information, visit “Massimo’s Pizzeria” on Facebook.
Cosm aims to dazzle Detroit sports fans with tech and comfort
The main attraction in downtown Detroit's Cadillac Square is an 87-foot-diameter LED Dome with plush seating, a gametime menu and multiple bars.
Mixed-use development to honor late developer
Fayetteville-based High Street Real Estate and Development plans to invest $7 million in an eight-residence building with a restaurant space at Johnson Square. The building is named in honor of...
Mixed-use development to honor late developer
Fayetteville-based High Street Real Estate and Development plans to invest $7 million in an eight-residence building with a restaurant space at Johnson Square. The building is named in honor of...
Vendor applications open for Downtown Winter Farmers' Market
Vendor applications are open for the Downtown Winter Farmers’ Market, which will return to Capital Square in downtown Des Moines Nov. 20-22. Farmers, producers, makers and small businesses can apply to participate through Sept. 25. The three-day market, produced by the Downtown Farmers’ Market, will feature local food and gifts, live entertainment and food trucks…
'Like Science Fiction': Resident Votes and Virtual Reality Drive NYCHA Campus Transformation
Maria Guzman, 71, said she couldn’t believe that a man who helped her garden for a few minutes one afternoon would, within weeks, donate millions of dollars to redesign 33,000 square feet of outdoor space at her public housing development.
Jalen Brunson to host 'Saturday Night Live' alongside musical guest Katseye
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks celebrates in the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 03, 2025, in New York City. (Photo by
Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United announced for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Switch, and PC
Square Enix has announced Romancing SaGa 3 remake Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Switch, and PC (Steam, Microsoft Store). It will launch on February 16…
Newmark Advises Havas Health in 254,000-Square-Foot Headquarters Expansion & Extension at 200 Madison Avenue
/PRNewswire/ -- Newmark Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMRK) ("Newmark" or the "Company"), a leading commercial real estate advisor and service provider to large...
GameSquare to acquire sports, music, and entertainment IP assets from FanEngine
Content provided by Seeking Alpha is intended for information purposes only, and that Seeking Alpha does not offer any personalist investment advice and is not a licensed securities dealer, broker, US investment adviser or investment bank.
GameSquare Enters Definitive Contribution Agreement to Acquire Sports, Music and Entertainment IP Assets from FanEngine
("FanEngine"), a technology and media asset consolidator that collectively enables sports, music and entertainment IP owners to build direct relationships with fans and monetize those relationships through gamification, brand integration, events, content, commerce, and experiences.The Transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to profitability and represents the next step in GameSquare's strategy to build a differentiated, end-to-end platform spanning audience analytics, creators, agenc
GameSquare Enters Definitive Contribution Agreement to Acquire Sports, Music and Entertainment IP Assets from FanEngine
Highly profitable transaction expected to be immediately accretive to earnings and support multiple recurring revenue opportunitiesFanEngine's assets add well-known global IP assets Peaky Blinders, Simon's Cat, The Two Robbies and Friends, 4Cast Media Platform featuring Former England Captain Ben S…
The Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce 2026 Small Business Award Recipients Announced
ARLINGTON, TX – September 8, 2026 – The Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the recipients of its 2026 Small Business of the Yea
Savannah Square Pops celebrates 10 years with community event
Ten years, one local business: Savannah Square Pops is inviting the community to celebrate Thursday
Actor Says Theatre Fired Him from “Bright Star” Over His Adult Entertainment Past
An actor says he was fired from an upcoming production of Bright Star just before rehearsals began after the theatre learned about his past work in adult entertainment.
The Legend of Zelda Is the Only Big Name Willing to Go Up Against GTA 6 in November
Clash of the titans
It’s harmful for professors to preach their political beliefs
Senior staff writer Abby Breidenbach discusses the need for political discourse in the classroom and why that is harmed when a professor preaches their own beliefs.
Xbox Fans Report Companies ‘Not Participating’ In Disc-To-Digital
Fans report Sega, Ubisoft, Square Enix, and Bandai Namco games are ‘not participating’ in the newly introduced service
OPM Names New Health Benefits Chief Ahead of Open Season
There’s new leadership at the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) healthcare and insurance division with open season right around the corner and the agency dealing with staff reductions. According to an internal memo obtained by GovExec , Matthew Kiley was hired as associate director of OPM’s h
A university professor spent 100 days living in a 100-square-foot habitat 22 feet beneath a Key Largo lagoon — and when he finally surfaced, he measured half an inch shorter after spending the entire mission under elevated pressure
Joseph Dituri went into the water at 73 inches tall. He came out, 100 days later, at just over 72. The final measurement came on a Key Largo dock in June
Ubisoft, Square Enix Opt Out of XBOX Disc to Digital Program
Ubisoft and Square Enix are not participating in XBOX's disc to digital program, players have discovered, with rumors of more big absences.
Columbia and JED partner on teen mental health and AI safety | ETIH EdTech News
Columbia University’s Technology & Democracy Initiative and The Jed Foundation have partnered on teen mental health and AI safety. ETIH covers the edtech news project, including an expert roundtable, working paper and planned guidance for AI developers, policymakers and youth mental health speci
Forza Horizon 6 Dev Reiterates 2026 Release for PS5 Version
Excellent racer still on course for PS5
Scientists covered 200 square metres of a Swiss glacier with sheep’s wool; early tests found it protected the ice about as well as plastic sheets, but only 0.02% of Swiss glacier ice is covered
A natural wool covering placed over 200 square metres of high-altitude Alpine ice has proved as effective at slowing summer melting as conventional synthetic tarpaulins, offering a possible biodegradable alternative to plastic sheets. Initial results from the "Keep It Wool" trial on the Tsanfleuron Glacier in western Switzerland show that prototype wool blankets protected snow and ice from heat about as well as plastic geotextiles.
Manta to Distribute Manga from KADOKAWA and Square Enix Globally
SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 7, 2026--
NC father at center of US Senate ad says he was ‘swindled’ by GOP political operatives
Despite his intentions, the ad has landed a North Carolina man squarely in the middle of one of the nation’s most watched races.
Rumour: Killzone Project in Early Development, Probably a Remake
Bulletstorm dev People Can Fly linked
Letitia James’ Times Square shooting probe draws GOP criticism over New York’s mental health crisis
Saritha Komatireddy proposes a new Office of Civil Commitment after the Times Square fatal stabbing, saying New York fails mentally ill people.
Healthcare billing startup leases RiNo office after $120 million raise
Candid Health, which says it has 250 health care organizations as customers, is upgrading from the 2,000 square feet it had in the Wells Fargo Center downtown.
Riverhead closer to taking over Long Island Science Center property
The vacant department store, officials said, threatens Riverhead's town square project.
Surprising things about staying in a tiny home Airbnb on wheels
I spent two nights in a 250-square-foot tiny home on wheels during a trip to Miami. I was surprised by how spacious it felt.
Boeing opens its own medical clinic at Port San Antonio
Boeing's new 4,200-square-foot medical clinic near its Port San Antonio facility will provide primary and dental care to its workers.
Du-Pec takes the Silver Bucket Showdown against Winnebago
Friday night, for the first time since 1989 Pecatonica (in this case Du-Pec) squared off with Winnebago in IHSA football. The battle saw the Du-Pec Rivermen emerge with the Silver Bucket and a 23-0 win.
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.
Bungie Confirms Plans to Sublease Parts of Its Enormous Bellevue Headquarters Following Mass Layoffs
Bungie has responded after announcing plans to sublease 210,984-square feet of its massive headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, saying this move reflects its continued focus on a “digital first” model.
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.
Get to know business professor, ‘Accomplished Under 40’ winner Goede
Leah Goede, adjunct professor in the Boise State Professional MBA program and Director of National...
Drone business opens Winchester manufacturing facility
Sterling-based Heven AeroTech opens a 56,000-square-foot Winchester facility to manufacture hydrogen-powered drones
Sony Factory Will Still Have Significant PS5 Disc Manufacturing Capacity After Physical Media Deadline
Production will decline by 10%, not to 10%
Four Years of Lower Drug Prices: Real Savings, Unfinished Business
The administration is touting these agreements as proof that drug prices are coming down. However, we don’t have the evidence to back that up.
Miguel Studios Expands Beyond Podcasting
Miguel Studios, a Fort Worth-based content studio and digital marketing agency, announced an expanded business model designed to help companies solve an i
Football and politics: Courtroom battle over ex-pro athletes draws in Louisiana heavyweights
Two sitting district attorneys squared off against each other in open court as the SEC and NCAA try to stop LSU from adding some former pro players.
Inter Miami plays Atlanta United in conference action
Inter Miami and Atlanta United square off in Eastern Conference play
New website bridges science and community to help Chicagoans understand air quality
A new platform developed by Illinois GGIS professor Marynia Kolak is making it easier for Chicago residents to explore and understand one of the nation's largest urban air-quality monitoring networks by connecting air-quality data with information about where people live, work, and learn.
Science of Speed off to fast start
PITTSBURGH — One month in and Pittsburgh is proving it’s ready to put the pedal to the metal. Since opening Aug. 1, Science of Speed, Powered by Lenovo, at Kamin Science Center has welcomed nearly 10,000 visitors, with 90 percent of racing experiences selling out through the first month of operations. The 21,000-square-foot immersive experience […]