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2026 World Cup playoffs live updates, scores: Italy, Denmark, Sweden among those advancing as final 6 spots up for grabs
Pickup Lines: San Antonio business leader Charlie Amato reflects on humble beginnings, 50 years of SWBC
The latest episode of Pickup Lines features SWBC Chairman and cofounder Charlie Amato.
Winning teams bring business boost to Seattle’s Pioneer Square
Seattle business owners near the city’s sports stadiums are expecting a significant economic boost as the Mariners season begins and the region prepares for the upcoming World Cup.
MLB Opening Day scores, live updates: Paul Skenes falters in loss to Mets; Tarik Skubal faces Padres
Jacob Misiorowski sets Brewers Opening Day record with 11 strikeouts
Democratic lawmaker asks judge to remove Trump's name from Kennedy Center
In a motion filed Wednesday, Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio argues that Congress was clear in its intent that the Kennedy Center is named for the late President John F. Kennedy — and no one else.
Legacy and community: How Detroit small businesses are thriving with city support
In Round 3 of the Detroit Legacy Business Project, 30 local businesses are being honored with grants totaling $310,000, helping them modernize and continue serving their communities.
Opioid settlement funds designated to build 60-bed youth behavioral health facility in Anderson
The local nonprofit Family Dynamics Resource Center asked the county board for $2 million as a community match in order to receive $25 million dollars in funding from the state. The funds are intended to allow the organization, which provides counseling and parenting services, to develop a 60-bed behavioral health campus for youth.
Google begins rolling out Search Live globally
Following a false start last week, Google has begun rolling out Search Live globally.
Doc Rivers responds to NBPA's critical statement of Bucks sitting Giannis Antetokounmpo: 'He's just not healthy'
Doc Rivers responds to NBPA's critical statement of Bucks sitting Giannis Antetokounmpo: 'He's just not healthy'
WATCH: Trump promises 'bigger majorities' for Republicans at House GOP dinner
WATCH LIVE: Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick faces ethics charges in House hearing
How are schools divvying up money between sports in modern era? Here's an inside look at Duke's approach
Opinion: Business resilience requires smart connectivity
Enterprise leaders operate in an increasingly complex digital environment with the scale and sophistication of new threats looming large, making cyber resilience a prerequisite of doing business. | Understanding how connected technologies are evolving and what this means for security, performance and resilience is critical for businesses.
WATCH LIVE: Senate expected to vote on Republican proposal to fund TSA, DHS
9 from MSU named fellows of prestigious science association
Faculty recognized as 2025 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
WATCH LIVE: Trump holds Cabinet meeting amid Iran war, partial shutdown
Health Insurance May Slow Toxin-Related Aging
A new study found that people with health insurance showed fewer signs of biological aging than those without coverage.
Faculty voice: Why I'm a community-centered health psychologist
Kaston Anderson Jr. is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University. Here, he explains how his professional training and lived experience built his belief that a community approach is the best way to solve complex social issues.
Bleecker Street’s Crosswalk, LD Entertainment acquire ‘Hadestown’ ...
Hadestown: The Musical shot in London's West End in 2025.
Iran war's environmental toll could leave damage and health risks for decades, experts say
The Iran war is unleashing a toxic mix of chemicals, heavy metals and other pollutants that threaten everything from agriculture to drinking water to people’s health.
Iran war's environmental toll could leave damage and health risks for decades, experts say
The Iran war is unleashing a toxic mix of chemicals, heavy metals and other pollutants that threaten everything from agriculture to drinking water to people’s health.
WhatsApp rolls out updates including multiple accounts for iOS
WhatsApp shared multiple quality of life updates coming to its messaging platform starting today.
Chairman Griffith Delivers Opening Statement at Subcommittee on Health Legislative Hearing on Policies Protecting Communities from Emerging Illicit Drug Threats
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest standing legislative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives and is vested with the broadest jurisdiction of any congressional authorizing committee.
Spring Into Success: Events and Learning Opportunities to Help Small…
Entrepreneurs and business owners can discover AI tools, procurement insights and more at multiple April events.
Balen Shah's political rise in Nepal reflects a broader shift after youth-led protests
An engineer-turned-rapper who later became Kathmandu’s mayor is poised to lead Nepal as prime minister after his party won a landslide election.
Frame Art & Design celebrates 30 years of business
Frame Art & Design is celebrating more than 30 years of expert framing and fine art services.
An Indiana town shows two sides of Trump's factory "boom"
In industrial communities like South Bend, government policies are lifting some sectors while clouding the outlook for others, leaving many manufacturers navigating a patchwork of incentives, tariffs and shifting signals from Washington.
Quantum computers take a step into real materials science
An IBM quantum computer reproduced experimental signatures of real materials, according to a new preprint from IBM and researcher partners.
Inside the GOP struggle with bigotry among young activists
Many Republicans dismiss such party members even as white supremacists like Nick Fuentes gain popularity, but there’s growing unease at their presence in the rank and file.
Michael Matt Named as Associate Athletic Director for Business Operations
MEDFORD, MA (March 25, 2026) – Director of Athletics Ryan Pisarri announced that Michael Matt has joined the Tufts University athletics department as the Associate Athletic Director for Business Operations.
Jaylen Brown, Celtics make statement against Thunder: 'I guess that was a little payback'
Timberwolves stun Rockets, become first NBA team on record to erase 13-point deficit in OT
MLB Opening Night: Yankees thump Giants behind Max Fried's gem for fifth straight season-opening win
McCollum well represented in 2026 SA Sports All-Star Basketball Game
Wednesday’s featured players, who will play on Team White, are from McCollum, Harlandale, South San, and John Jay high schools.
Palmetto Sports & Entertainment and Greenville Drive expand partnership
Viewers will be able to watch Drive home games on Palmetto Sports & Entertainment, from the opening weekend through the end of the season.
Business owner shares concerns about Cargill’s intentions to close local facility
The facility has been in operation since 2011.
AP report: Justice Department settles lawsuit from Trump ally Michael Flynn for $1.2 million
The settlement resolves a 2023 lawsuit in which Flynn sought at least $50 million and asserted that the criminal case against him amounted to a malicious prosecution.
At Pentagon Christian service, Hegseth prays for violence 'against those who deserve no mercy'
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has hosted a monthly Christian prayer and worship service at the Pentagon, the first since the Iran war began.
Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders push bill to impose AI data center moratorium
A bill introduced by two high-profile progressive lawmakers would pause new data centers in the United States until national safeguards are in place to protect workers and consumers and ensure the technologies don’t harm the environment.
Melania Trump shares the spotlight with a robot at an education and technology event
Melania Trump and the humanoid walked slowly side by side along the red carpet from the opposite end of a White House hallway.
Record-high passenger wait times at airports, but no deal yet on the 40th day of the shutdown
The acting head of the Transportation Security Administration says air travelers are experiencing the highest airport wait times ever under her agency.
NBA Coach of the Year? It's time to add an All-Coaching team
Trump showed off a classified map during a 2022 plane trip, Raskin alleges in letter
President Donald Trump showed off a classified map on a 2022 flight to his New Jersey golf club and held onto a record from his first term that was so sensitive only six people would have had access to it, according to a letter released Wednesday by a top House Democrat.
Grad students earn awards for national energy research
For MSU graduate students Ethan Fletcher, Bill Good and Brandon Kristy, the program supports their thesis research in collaboration with host scientists at U.S. National Laboratories.
White House delays CDC pick as officials search for permanent director
The responsibilities of leading the agency will fall to Jay Bhattacharya, the head of the National Institutes of Health, who has been serving as acting CDC director since last month
After delay due to Iran war, Trump will travel to Beijing for rescheduled China trip in May
The White House says President Donald Trump will travel to Beijing for a rescheduled summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14 and 15.
UK bans crypto donations to political parties in bid to curb foreign influence
The move is likely to hurt the hard-right party Reform UK, which accepts crypto and has received large donations from a businessman living abroad.
Casey Means' surgeon general nomination is stalled
The nomination has languished despite ongoing efforts from the White House and Make America Healthy Again activists, revealing how intractable rifts over health policy can be even when Congress has shown deference to President Donald Trump.
Casey Means' surgeon general nomination is stalled
The nomination has languished despite ongoing efforts from the White House and Make America Healthy Again activists, revealing how intractable rifts over health policy can be even when Congress has shown deference to President Donald Trump.
Seahawks, WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba agree to 4-year, $168.6 million extension
Razer's new Blade 16 has Intel's latest chips and ultra-fast RAM
The Razer Blade 16 has Intel's latest Core Ultra 9 chips and up to 64GB of LPDDR5X-9600 RAM.
Amex launches new Graphite Business Cash Unlimited Card: Earn unlimited 2% on every purchase
Earn cash back on every purchase with the new American Express Graphite Business Cash Unlimited Card. Here's what business owners should know.
Meta and Google liable for social media harm to children’s mental health in landmark US case
Jury awards at least $3mn in damages with Instagram owner to pay the majority
WATCH LIVE: White House briefing may address Iran troop buildup, DHS funding deal
Jaguars open 75K-square-foot business office at One Tower Court in downtown Jacksonville
The Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday opened a 75,287-square-foot business operations office at One Tower Court, downtown Jacksonville’s first multi-tenant Class A office building built since 2007. The team occupies the building’s second through fourth floors.
FIU hospitality program ranked No. 3 among U.S. public universities, politics ranked No. 15, joining several other top-ranked FIU programs in 2026 QS World University Rankings
The hospitality program is No. 23 in the world overall and No. 1 in Florida in the just-released rankings.
NFL news, free agency updates: 'Tush push' is back for the 2026 season, won't go up for vote at owners' meetings
UK bans crypto donations to political parties in bid to curb foreign influence
Britain is banning political parties from taking cryptocurrency donations in a move the government says will help protect democracy from illicit finance
The right is openly divided over the Iran war as conservatives gather for CPAC
This year, neither Trump nor Vice President JD Vance has been publicly announced as speaking to the gathering. But among those who are slated to speak are big names in the MAGA movement who have voiced conflicting views on the Iran war.
Xiaomi's EV business defies industry slump with standout profitability
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Florida Democrat flips seat in special election in district that includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago
Democrat Emily Gregory won a Florida special election on Tuesday, flipping a state legislative district that is home to Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach estate that President Donald Trump counts as his residence. The president had endorsed Gregory’s rival, Jon Maples. In a social media post Monday, he urged voters to turn out, saying Maples was backed “by so many of my Palm Beach County friends.” READ MORE: Trump casts Florida ballot by mail as he
These 7 players will define the 2026 fantasy baseball season
PHOTO RELEASE: Gottheimer Tours Atlantic Health’s Newton Medical Center
Above: Congressman Gottheimer Tours Newton Medical Center NEWTON, NJ — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) toured Atlantic Health System’s Newton Medical Center and met with hospital leadership to discuss improving access to health care, supporting our health care workers, and ensuring New Jersey families continue to receive the high-quality care they deserve. During the visit, Gottheimer […]
Qualified Health locks in $125M in fresh funding to scale enterprise AI at health systems
Qualified Health, a startup that works with health systems to evaluate and adopt artificial intelligence technology, raised $125 million in fresh funding to scale up its business. | Qualified Health, a startup that works with health systems to evaluate and adopt artificial intelligence technology, raised $125 million in fresh funding to scale up its business.
RPI Athletics Celebrates 50 Years of Women's Sports
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute proudly celebrates 50 years of women's varsity athletics—a milestone that reflects decades of progress, achievement, and opportunity for generations of student-athletes. What began as a commitment to expanding access in intercollegiate athletics has grown into a vibrant and competitive tradition that continues to shape the RPI community today.
Patience and Hard Work Paying Off for Karl - Kansas State University Athletics
Cadyn Karl remembers the at-bat so perfectly, as you'd expect from a guy who had never reached such heights before in his three seasons as centerfielder on t...
UM Health-Sparrow honored for organ, tissue donation impact
University of Michigan Health-Sparrow will receive an award Wednesday for its efforts in giving patients a second chance at life through organ and tissue donation.
She taught backyard swim lessons. A single complaint shut them down.
Local governments should encourage home businesses instead of making them illegal.
Pulitzer winner 'Fairview' is a little cloudy in its L.A. premiere
Jackie Sibblies Drury's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama "Fairview" receives its L.A. premiere at the Matrix in a Rogue Machine production directed by Oz Scott.
When is work on the RenCen going to start?
In this video, Crain’s Detroit Business senior reporter Kirk Pinho outlines the steps needed for the project to become a reality.
Trump had business motive for keeping classified documents, Jack Smith finds
The special counsel’s team found Donald Trump held onto documents so secret only six people could legally review them — and believed his reason for doing so was personal financial gain.
Inside WPP’s new business approach under Cindy Rose
WPP has shown signs of life under new CEO Cindy Rose. Ad Age digs into what's working.
Conservatives gather for CPAC with the right openly divided over the Iran war
Conservatives are holding one of their largest annual gatherings as President Donald Trump faces a tough moment and a growing rift over the war in Iran
Asking Eric: Skip my niece’s wedding over political divide with her dad?
Letter writer abhors her brother’s politics and wants to skip his daughter’s wedding.
DeForest Yards developer looks to add a hotel to mixed-use housing and entertainment district
Developers for an upcoming mixed-use housing and entertainment district in DeForest are looking to adding a hotel to their plans
Zach Wilson reportedly joins Saints as competition behind Tyler Shough
Zach Wilson has a new home.
Democrat gets upset win in Trump’s backyard in Florida state house race
Emily Gregory won the special election to represent a district that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home on Tuesday, the Associated Press projected.
Entertainment Poll: Who is the highest paid (annually), active athlete on the planet?
Test your knowledge!
Long lines persist at some U.S. airports despite ICE arrival
The Trump administration’s deployment of ICE officers to more than a dozen U.S. airports appeared to have a limited effect on reducing security lines.
League personnel being able to weigh in on on-field calls among NFL's new proposals if replacement refs are used
Voting will take place at the Annual League Meeting on March 29 in Phoenix
Mike Tomlin reportedly signs with sports media agency, expected to have multiple broadcasting suitors
MLB Opening Day 2026: Top 50 people who will impact the MLB season, starting with Nos. 50-26
Joe Flacco reportedly agrees to return to Bengals
Flacco went 1-5 in his starts with the Bengals and earned a Pro Bowl selection.
WATCH: 'We negotiate with bombs,' Hegseth says of U.S. air campaign in Iran
President Donald Trump has listed five objectives that the U.S. wants to achieve before ending its war with Iran. Now, as he suggests the U.S. may soon be “winding down” the operation after three and a half weeks, some of his key aims remain undefined or unfulfilled.
Pistons’ Duncan Robinson shares personal story while supporting Detroit youth mental health
The Detroit Pistons Foundation, Children’s Foundation of Michigan, Duncan Robinson, and the Robinson Family Foundation made a special announcement in support of SAY Detroit’s LiveWELL Program, which provides school-based youth development programming focused on mental health, wellness, and life skills for Detroit Youth inside the SAY Detroit Play Center at Lipke Park.
2026 NBA Awards predictions: Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year and the awards races to watch down the stretch
Rural health’s tech push has its limits
Plus: Focus on private equity in daycare as costs rise
Warriors' Moses Moody reportedly diagnosed with torn patellar tendon after being stretchered off vs. Mavs
Moses Moody went up for a breakaway dunk, but his left knee gave out in the final minute of overtime on Monday night.
Pentagon will remove media offices after judge reinstates NYT's press credentials
The U.S. Defense Department will remove media offices from the Pentagon after a federal judge sided with The New York Times in a lawsuit challenging limits on reporters' access to the building, a department official announced Monday.
Kevin McGonigle, No. 2 prospect in baseball, makes Tigers' Opening Day roster
The Tigers open the season on Thursday against the San Diego Padres.
WATCH: Kushner, Witkoff, Rubio and Vance are 'in negotiations' with Iran, Trump says
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf denied on Monday that Iran was negotiating with the U.S. to end the war.
Veteran prosecutor confirmed to lead new Justice Department division targeting fraud nationwide
The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to lead a new Justice Department division focused on prosecuting fraud over critics’ concerns of potential political pressure to target White House opponents
AccuWeather is now available inside ChatGPT
Never again will you have to exit your AI app to check the forecast.
Cloudflare’s new Dynamic Workers ditch containers to run AI agent code 100x faster
Cloudflare says dynamically loaded Workers are priced at $0.002 per unique Worker loaded per day, in addition to standard CPU and invocation charges
Missouri court upholds mid-decade congressional redistricting backed by Trump
A Missouri court has upheld a mid-decade redistricting plan that gives Republicans a chance to win an additional congressional seat in this year’s midterm elections
Bolsonaro allowed to serve 27-year sentence at home due to ill health
The decision by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes follows Bolsonaro’s hospitalization since March 13 for pneumonia.
Hornets eyeing entertainment district around Spectrum Center
That new headquarters and practice facility is supposed to be open by early 2027.
Marathon has sold 1.2M copies across Steam, PS5, and Xbox
Alinea Analytics estimates show that Marathon has generated gross revenues of $55M via 1.2M copies sold on Steam, PS5, and Xbox: Looking at the split between Steam, PS5, and Xbox, Steam is clearly the main platform for Marathon, accounting for a little under 70% of the audience (800K copies sold). Meanwhile, PS5 takes about 19% (217K) and Xbox (including console, PC, and cloud) accounts for a bit over 11% or 133K. Marathon is technically a first-party Sony title, so seeing the home console struggle to break 20% of the volume is a notable data point for the ongoing platform-agnostic debate. PlayStation Studios online games will almost certainly continue being multiplatform (despite Sony reportedly pulling back on PC releases). Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe As for Marathon, the consensus among hardcore players who pushed through the awkward onboarding phase – myself included – is that it’s fantastic. The gunplay, aesthetic, and presentation are among the best in the shooter genre. A great game doesn’t always equal an immediate hit, though, as shown by our estimates. Things are looking lukewarm right now. But this might be one of those marathon-not-a-sprint situations. Had to, didn’t I? Why wasn’t Marathon a hit on the same level as Arc Raiders? One topic that came up in a lot of conversations at GDC this year was why Marathon hasn’t hit the same stratosphere as Arc Raiders. On paper, they’re both extraction shooters, and Marathon has the Bungie pedigree – the house that built the gold standard for gunplay in Halo and Destiny. Marathon’s neon-futuristic aesthetic also distinguishes itself from the gritty realism of Tarkov or the post-apocalyptic hope of ARC Raiders. But vibes can only get you so far for first impressions if the onboarding feels like a brick wall. Marathon is a sweaty PvP-focused experience with a first-time user experience and UI that I can only describe as dreadful. Players are dropped into a complex ecosystem where the UI, though visually striking, is functionally uninformative, forcing users to manually hover over nondescript, identical icons just to identify basic gear or weapon mods. This lack of clarity is compounded by punishing mechanics like a severe heat gauge for movement and a scarcity of vital resources, all without a clear tutorial or a low-stakes mode to learn the ropes. Most people – even top streamers and veteran shooter players – have no idea what’s going on in Marathon at first. Arc is on the complete other end of the spectrum. As we covered here and here, Arc Raiders offers a more collaborative, approachable loop where players often work together toward shared goals. And the objectives are instantly clear. To many players, this contrast only emphasised Marathon’s issues, especially during the testing period. Players understand the Arc Raiders loop within 30 minutes, while Marathon acts as a massive filter, chewing up newcomers and spitting them out before they can experience the depth of Bungie’s signature gunplay. What I’m getting at here is that the poor first-time user experience of Marathon’s Server Slam likely stifled launch sales, while the opposite was true for Arc. Let’s look at the pre-launch copies sold for each game during their respective Server Slams (launch-aligned) : Looking at the trajectory: Arc Raiders saw a massive 80% jump in copies sold during its three-day Server Slam (day -13 to -11). Players jumped in, realised the water was fine, and immediately opened their wallets. Marathon, meanwhile, saw a 49% increase in the four days following its Slam (Day -7 to -3). At the time of each game’s respective launch, Arc Raiders had nearly double the Steam footprint of Marathon – and word of mouth only continued to grow. Bungie could have had more time to fix the onboarding process had the beta happened earlier. But Marathon launched three days after the beta finished. These factors limited the launch sales quite a bit, I reckon. Marathon has found a niche audience, though Despite the friction-heavy start, the data suggests that those who survived Marathon’s onboarding are loving life. We’ve been tracking cross-platform DAUs, and while there’s the expected post-launch leakage, many players are sticking with it. After peaking at 478K total DAUs on its first Saturday, Marathon has settled into a respectable rhythm, holding 345K DAUs as of yesterday and averaging 380K DAUs across the weekend. Steam continues to do the heavy lifting here, consistently accounting for the lion’s share of the daily players. Players have been putting in the hours, too: On Steam, Marathon’s average playtime has climbed to 27.8 hours, significantly outpacing the console averages on PS5 (16.5h) and Xbox (17.3h). Even more telling than the averages: 22% of the Steam audience has surged past the 50-hour mark, and nearly 7% have already logged over 100 hours. Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe This data suggests that once the Bungie magic clicks, it hooks players deeper than the average extraction shooter. There’s also started to be a shift in the game’s discourse. Marathon launched as one of those games that’s cool to hate. But as Marathon’s 100-hour club grows, we’re seeing conversations around its mechanical merit outweigh the negativity. Several high-profile creators, who were initially vocal critics, have spent the last week coming around on the mechanical depth of the endgame. It’s a subtle but positive signal; the hate train is losing steam, and a new narrative about the game is emerging. Bungie faithfuls unite Another interesting metric in Marathon’s first few weeks is who, exactly, is playing. Bungie leans heavily on its prestige as the “makers of Halo and Destiny,” in its marketing, and that message has clearly hit the mark. On Steam, the gravity (hammer) of Bungie’s previous work is unavoidable. A staggering 78.2% of Marathon players also played Destiny 2. The trend carries across other platforms, with 74.2% of PS5 players and 82.7% of Xbox players also having played Destiny 2. The Halo legacy lives on, it seems. More on that in a bit. While Destiny 2 went free to play, these numbers still represent a high-intent migration of a fanbase that trusts Bungie’s specific brand of kinetic gunplay and cryptic world-building. The Xbox data adds another layer of legacy. About 85.7% of Marathon players on Xbox have played Halo Infinite, while over half of the Steam audience has spent time in Halo Infinite and 36.1% in the Master Chief Collection (a paid collection of the old Bungie-made legacy games). Interestingly, we see a 55.9% overlap with ARC Raiders on Steam. Overlap is even higher there on PlayStation (60.5%) and Xbox (66.5%). And there’s also significant crossover with Helldivers 2 on all platforms, too. Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe Bungie has found some of its fans with Marathon, and the challenge now is keeping this engaged in a high-stakes PvP environment when they’ve spent the last decade primarily enjoying the power fantasies of PvE. On that note… Go the full 26 miles? Or cut and run? Time for some could’ve, should’ve, would’ve. These things would have improved Marathon’s performance at launch: A more robust onboarding process, perhaps in the form of a short single-player/PvE campaign. We know Bungie fans love this stuff. A traditional arena-based mode akin to Destiny’s Crucible could have been a bridge for the cautious players who’d have been otherwise deterred by the Server Slam. It’s also a great palate cleanser after getting merked. Introducing a dedicated PvE environment would have similarly diversified the conversation and lowered the barrier for the Bungie faithful who found the pure PvP extraction loop too abrasive. PvE is safer than PvP these days. There’s an argument that a thin PvE mode would have just felt like a budget Destiny, potentially hurting the brand more. But given how dire the FTUE is, I think it would have been a net positive. Any kind of tutorialised loop that demystifies the stakes, really. While there is merit in a studio sticking firmly to a singular creative vision, and going all in on the hardcore extraction loop. Less forgiving is the technical reality is that the user interface and first-time user experience (FTUE) were not at a commercial standard for launch. Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe In a landscape where player time is oversaturated and the most contested currency, a flawed FTUE is a critical failure point. But it’s not all doom and gloom, as Marathon has an incredible, unique gameplay loop, suggesting that financial success is still attainable if Bungie can pivot effectively. Bungie and PlayStation now face a difficult strategic crossroads, though – one within a challenging games market. They could: Double down on Marathon with a long-term Rainbow Six Siege- or No Man’s Sky-style recovery plan, which is something I heard Last Stand Media’s Chris Maldonado mention last week. While this could be a sunk-cost fallacy in action, it could eventually yield the audience the game’s mechanical depth deserves. Shift focus toward the inevitable Destiny 3 or another project, mitigating the escalating opportunity cost and cutting their losses, so to speak. Doing both is an expensive proposition, given the high overhead and burn rate of operating out of Bellevue, Washington. With Sony recently demonstrating a lower threshold for underperforming studios and projects, the margin for error has vanished. Whatever happens, the next six months will determine whether Marathon becomes a cornerstone of Sony’s live-service portfolio or a cautionary tale of vision exceeding accessibility. I’m hoping it’s the former, because Marathon rocks. As always, hit subscribe to get updates on Marathon and other relevant games. Subscribe Want to get your hands on our data for yourself – for free? We’re offering a free trial of our platform for games companies. Send us a message here, or reply to this email, and we’ll set you up. 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!]