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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.

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Sep 4 • 6:23 PM EDT • Technology • gamefile.news
Browns Given Bold Prediction Heading Into NFL Season

The Cleveland Browns have one area of the team that should give them hope entering the NFL season.

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Sep 4 • 6:13 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Apple’s Foldable iPhone Ultra Launch May Be Days Away, if You Can Get One

The iPhone 18 Pro could be upstaged by Apple's first foldable this year, though the iPhone Ultra might be hard to get at launch.

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Sep 4 • 6:03 PM EDT • Technology • cnet.com
Should the Miami Heat Have Aggressively Pursued Ben Simmons?

As Sacramento gambles on the former All-Star, the Miami Heat's championship-caliber roster avoids the risk, prioritizing established veterans over a reclamation project with declining production and immense pressure.

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Sep 4 • 6:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Foldable 'iPhone Ultra' Still Likely to Be Missing These Five Features

Apple's first foldable iPhone, dubbed the "iPhone Ultra," is expected to launch without at least four features that will be present on the iPhone 18 Pro models, despite a price tag of at least $2,000. The iPhone Air lacks Ultra Wide and Telephoto rear cameras, a SIM card slot, and stereo speakers.

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Sep 4 • 6:00 PM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com
Zooey Deschanel says “New Girl ”stars were ‘forced to drive home’ after long shoots: ‘The hours were insane’

The “Elf” star shared that she would have to call her mom to keep her awake during late night drives.

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Sep 4 • 5:56 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Paul Ryan: Current state of politics ‘fundamentally unserious’

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) blasted the current state of American politics, arguing that both parties have focused on embracing populism rather than serious efforts to rein in the natio…

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Sep 4 • 5:52 PM EDT • Politics • thehill.com
Scientists Push Molecules on a Surface to the Ultimate Quantum Limit

An ultra-clean crystal surface allowed individual molecules to preserve quantum coherence at the fundamental Fourier limit. A molecule placed on a surface should be easier to probe and manipulate than one hidden inside a solid or suspended in vacuum. In practice, however, surface contamination creates an unstable, noisy environment that can quickly degrade the molecule’s

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Sep 4 • 5:48 PM EDT • Science • scitechdaily.com
Deep dive
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Pender Unity Resource Expo offers vital health and housing services

Local service organizations and healthcare providers came together for the third annual Pender Unity Resource Expo Friday.

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Sep 4 • 5:39 PM EDT • Health • wect.com
‘Big Brother’ star Lala blasts Drew and Haley on her way to the jury house

Lala blasts Drew and Haley on her way to ‘Big Brother’ jury house, and reveals she thought she had the votes to stay.

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Sep 4 • 5:37 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
The 15 best witch movies, from “The Wizard of Oz” to “Weapons”

From horror to comedy to romance, witches have taken many forms throughout film history.

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Sep 4 • 5:00 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Already Threatened, Rare Wildlife Dealt Blow by Trump Administration Rule Change

Rule changes to the Endangered Species Act by the White House could make survival more difficult for rare wildlife. The Dept. of the Interior and Dept. of Commerce changed the definition of "harm" in the law, allowing industry to encroach on habitats of endangered species

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Sep 4 • 5:00 PM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com
Already Threatened, Rare Wildlife Dealt Blow by Trump Administration Rule Change

Rule changes to the Endangered Species Act by the White House could make survival more difficult for rare wildlife. The Dept. of the Interior and Dept. of Commerce changed the definition of "harm" in the law, allowing industry to encroach on habitats of endangered species

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Sep 4 • 5:00 PM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com
Erie organizations, businesses rally together to help those impacted by storm

Throughout the devastating damage, one positive thing remains true: the people of Erie will always be there for each other. With hundreds of households left without power, organizations across the …

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Sep 4 • 4:48 PM EDT • Business • yourerie.com
Nvidia Wants to Turn Your Idle PCs Into a Personal Home Data Center With 'PAIR'

Nvidia's PAIR links your unused laptops, desktops, and Macs together to run agentic AI locally without subscription fees or cloud privacy risks.

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Sep 4 • 4:24 PM EDT • Technology • pcmag.com
Opponents of new abortion law eye 2028 repeal effort

Activists angered over a new law that removes barriers to abortions later in pregnancy have filed paperwork seeking to suspend and ultimately repeal the measure in the 2028 election cycle.

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Sep 4 • 4:10 PM EDT • Politics • statehousenews.com
Houston Texans: Rework Contract of Receiver Rehabbing from Injury

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell is not quite ready to play after missing the rest of 2024 and the entire 2025 season while recovering from devastating ACL, MCL, and LCL tears, along with meniscus damage and a dislocated kneecap sustained in December 2024. Dell primarily participated in individual drills during training camp, along with […] The post Houston Texans: Rework Contract of Receiver Rehabbing from Injury appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.

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Sep 4 • 4:07 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
White House arcade games spark criticism

The Trump administration launched a series of arcade-style games on the official White House website Thursday to tout its priorities — the latest turn in its aggressive online effort to troll Democrats that has at times surfaced racist and offensive images. CNN’s Kit Maher reports.

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Sep 4 • 3:44 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Michigan House candidate Katrina Manetta talks about healthcare access and affordability

Manetta is challenging Republican state Rep. Ron Robinson in the 58th District in the Nov. 3 election.

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Sep 4 • 3:30 PM EDT • Politics • michiganindependent.com
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.

Labor unions are growing, but where depends on state politics

Labor union membership continues to climb in the United States, though the increase remains sharply divided by the politics of individual states. Last year, the nation added more than 411,000 union members — the largest annual growth since 2008, according to a study published just ahead of the Labor Day holiday by the Illinois Economic […]

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Sep 4 • 3:12 PM EDT • Politics • stateline.org
Engineer Turned Lawyer Says Legal Should Be a ‘Co-Builder’ of the Business

Kirupa Pushparaj became chief legal officer for Mews, a tech provider for the hospitality industry, in April.

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Sep 4 • 3:11 PM EDT • Business • law.com
Connor Wood says Derek Hough has him worried he’ll get a 3 from the ‘DWTS’ judges

Connor Wood shared his biggest worry ahead of the ‘DWTS’ season 35 premiere, admitting he’s worried about the judges’ scores.

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Sep 4 • 3:06 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Bollin pledges scrutiny of state health department contracts following auditor general report

The Michigan House of Representatives’ top appropriator said she intends to keep an eye on the state’s health department following the release of a report from the Office of the Auditor General looking into a department contractor, with the aim of ensuring that the department is managing public funds responsibly. The auditor general’s most recent […]

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Sep 4 • 2:49 PM EDT • Health • michiganadvance.com
‘Maybe we should call it egalitarianism, or even humanism’

Opinion, comment and editorials of the day

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Sep 4 • 2:29 PM EDT • Politics • theweek.com
Merchants Alley Happy Hour Music Series returns with free fall entertainment lineup

The Merchants Alley Happy Hour Music Series is returning for fall, bringing live music to one of downtown Athens’ favorite gathering spots every Friday evening from September 4, and running […]

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Sep 4 • 2:00 PM EDT • Entertainment • enewscourier.com
Epinephrine injection recalled over potentially fatal health risks

Consumers, retailers and health care facilities should stop using the product and discard or return it, the FDA said.

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Sep 4 • 1:54 PM EDT • Health • thehill.com
Tesla's Cybercab launch draws US regulator probe

Tesla is facing a NHTSA audit inquiry into its self-certification for the Cybercab hours after deploying a small number of the robotaxis in Austin.

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Sep 4 • 1:53 PM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com
Missouri court blocks Trump-backed U.S. House map and orders it to be put to a vote

Republicans had hoped Missouri’s new congressional boundaries could help them win an additional seat and hold onto their slim House majority in the midterms.

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Sep 4 • 1:48 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
Ode to the remote control, that tiny box that lets you channel your desires without ever getting up

If the TV remote hadn’t been invented, channel surfers and couch potatoes would have to argue about something else.

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Sep 4 • 1:41 PM EDT • Entertainment • seattletimes.com
'Unsafe levels' of fecal bacteria found at 3 beaches in this state

Visitors should not swim, surf, dive or kayak at the beaches, activities where they may swallow water, according to health officials.

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Sep 4 • 1:40 PM EDT • Health • usatoday.com
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I could see my kids' future careers before they were 10

Looking back, I can see signs of my five kids' future careers in their childhood interests. I'm glad I supported them without forcing a path.

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Sep 4 • 1:31 PM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com
🙂 Positive (50%)
Texas House Select Committee on Health Care Affordability Holds Hearing on Bringing Down Costs

The committee heard testimony from billionaire Mark Cuban, among others.

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Sep 4 • 1:13 PM EDT • Health • thetexan.news
Cathy Engelbert built the WNBA into a sports powerhouse. Her successor will inherit a league at a crossroads

After Engelbert’s tenure as WNBA commissioner, the league is more valuable and popular than ever—but her successor will inherit a league facing tensions.

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Sep 4 • 1:11 PM EDT • Sports • fortune.com
Packers can be optimistic about forcing turnovers in 2026

If the Packers are even average, they should do better at creating turnovers.

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Sep 4 • 1:02 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
NFL Executive Makes Bold Claim About Houston Texans' Roster
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Sep 4 • 1:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Start Your EA SPORTS NHL 27 Season Now With EA Play

Get a taste of life on the ice with the EA Play 10-hour early access trial of EA Sports NHL 27, available now.

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Sep 4 • 1:00 PM EDT • Sports • news.xbox.com
Health Your Self: Losing it

A few months ago, I couldn’t find my cell phone. I called again and again from our landline. I never heard it ring. Hours later, I found where I’d left it: in the refrigerator. My husband and daughter thought this was hysterical. I found it scary. Was I having early cognitive decline?

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Sep 4 • 12:52 PM EDT • Health • wamc.org
Howie Roseman explains why Eagles build beyond their starters

The Eagles want enough quality depth to survive injuries without changing their expectations.

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Sep 4 • 12:44 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Bloom Healthcare Acquires Christian Care House Calls

Colorado-based Bloom Healthcare has acquired Christian Care House Calls, which provides home-based senior primary care in Texas. The deal expands the

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Sep 4 • 12:30 PM EDT • Health • hospicenews.com
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Epinephrine injection recalled over potentially fatal health risks

Consumers, retailers and health care facilities should stop using the product and discard or return it, the FDA said.

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Sep 4 • 12:14 PM EDT • Health • fox40.com
Chiefs ‘X-Factor’ Predicted to Make Significant Impact in 2026

The Kansas City Chiefs have a lot of impressive young talent on their roster.That is especially true on the defensive side of the ball. Players such as Peter Woods, R Mason Thomas, Jeffrey Bassa, Mansoor Delane, and Nohl Williams are all either rookies or second-year guys who should have big roles within the unit this […] The post Chiefs ‘X-Factor’ Predicted to Make Significant Impact in 2026 appeared first on HEAVY.

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Sep 4 • 12:13 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
HawkeyeRoundtable's Iowa-Northern Illinois Game Prediction

Even with all the unanswered questions at the quarterback position, the Hawkeyes should have little trouble getting off to a 1-0 start.

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Sep 4 • 12:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
What Gina Hinojosa’s Deeply Personal New Campaign Ad Doesn’t Say

The Democratic candidate for Texas governor highlights her reproductive choice—without noting that choice no longer exists in the state.

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Sep 4 • 11:47 AM EDT • Politics • texasmonthly.com
Gloria Steinem Stayed Positive, Even as the Manosphere Took Hold

The feminist icon thought many women would carry on her legacy. But at an unsteady time for feminism, how will the movement carry on?

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Sep 4 • 11:47 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
16th Annual Men’s Health Event

The Michigan Men’s Health Foundation is hosting the 16th annual Men’s Health Event on Saturday, September 26, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit.Men 18 years and older, with or without health insurance, are encouraged to take advantage of this free event focused on preventative healthcare. | WWJ Newsradio 950

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Sep 4 • 11:32 AM EDT • Health • audacy.com
The Trent Grisham issue Yankees fans should be concerned about

This should concern the Yankees in September.

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Sep 4 • 11:17 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Xbox imposes monthly strict hour limits on cloud gaming

Another not-great headline for Xbox.

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Sep 4 • 11:17 AM EDT • Technology • mashable.com
Clippers could trade $197M All-Star after NBA ruling

Should the Clippers do this?

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Sep 4 • 11:13 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Epinephrine injection recalled over potentially fatal health risks: FDA

Consumers, retailers and health care facilities should stop using the product and discard or return it, the FDA said.

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Sep 4 • 11:06 AM EDT • Health • newsnationnow.com
Eagles Get Important Zach Ertz Prediction Before Commanders Game

The Philadelphia Eagles are heading into Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season without making any changes to the tight end room so far. While there’s been some smoke surrounding a reunion with the former Washington Commanders pass-catcher Zach Ertz, the team hasn’t gone in that direction at this time. One Eagles insider predicts that […] The post Eagles Get Important Zach Ertz Prediction Before Commanders Game appeared first on HEAVY.

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Sep 4 • 11:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Bath show highlights sibling finds – and England’s first paid female astronomer

Exhibition features artworks in townhouse where William and Caroline Herschel worked and lived in late-18th century

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Sep 4 • 11:00 AM EDT • Science • theguardian.com
Johnson scraps House votes before midterms

The move will leave just four days for legislation before the midterms

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Sep 4 • 10:50 AM EDT • Politics • theweek.com
Gilchrist and Ann Arbor politicians discuss affordability and civic engagement at College Dems event

Students gathered at the Michigan Union Thursday evening to meet Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Michigan secretary of state candidate, and other local political officials. The event, hosted by College Democrats at the University of Michigan, featured conversations about data centers, housing, and the importance of voting.

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Sep 4 • 10:50 AM EDT • Politics • michigandaily.com
Investors flip Mount Joy medical office building for $6M

For the second time in two years, the building housing Lancaster Orthopedic Group’s Mount Joy offices has been sold for approximately $6 million.

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Sep 4 • 10:27 AM EDT • Business • lancasteronline.com
Greystar Announces BMW Lease at Mid85 Logistics Park Near Spartanburg

Greystar, a global leader in rental housing, investment management, development, and property management, today announced a long-term lease with BMW North America at Mid85, its Class A logistics park in the Greenville-Spartanburg...

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Sep 4 • 10:23 AM EDT • Business • greenvillebusinessmag.com
Minister MacDonald announces support to advance swine health surveillance in Canada

Canada's pork industry is an economic powerhouse. Recognizing that infectious disease is one of the major risks to swine production, the Government of Canada is helping industry further develop the tools needed to safeguard animal health, strengthen sector resilience, and support future growth.

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Sep 4 • 9:47 AM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com
'I really believe in the manager and the club'

Liam Delap says Oliver Glasner played a big part in his decision to sign for Nottingham Forest because he feels he "can really improve" under his coaching. The 23-year-old striker was made available for sale this summer by Chelsea after he scored just one Premier League goal in a 2025-26 campaign disrupted by shoulder and hamstring injuries. Delap's frustrating season was off the back of a hugely successful one at Ipswich Town in which he scored 12 goals in 37 Premier League games.

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Sep 4 • 9:39 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (20%)
Global Business Travel Group (GBTG) to Be Acquired for $9.50: What Investors Should Know

Gabelli Investment Management Firm recently released its “ABC Fund” second-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The Fund benefited from a favorable merger-arbitrage environment in the second quarter of 2026, as global announced M&A value reached a record $2.85 trillion in the first half of the year, up 50% […]

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Sep 4 • 9:35 AM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com
Oscar Health, Inc. (OSCR) Just Overtook the 20-Day Moving Average

Good things could be on the horizon when a stock surpasses the 20-day simple moving average. How should investors react?

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Sep 4 • 9:35 AM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com
A campaign hangover, one political sign at a time

Thousands came down, but officials say signs still crowd roadsides and intersections.

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Sep 4 • 9:20 AM EDT • Politics • axios.com
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St. Ambrose health clinic seeks patients for no-cost rehabilitation services

St. Ambrose University’s Interprofessional Health Clinic is putting out the call for patients throughout the Quad Cities who need neurological rehabilitation services but face barriers to accessing traditional care. As of Tuesday, Sept. 1, the SAU student-led clinic began providing the free rehabilitation services on Tuesday evenings at the St. Ambrose University Center for Health […]

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Sep 4 • 9:19 AM EDT • Health • quadcitiesbusiness.com
The Wild Lower West: A Statement Victory

Reading FC comfortably saw off Mansfield Town on Wednesday night, scoring five times without reply.

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Sep 4 • 9:05 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
After 2 Hours, Exodus Feels Like the Second Coming of Mass Effect

We're so back

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Sep 4 • 9:00 AM EDT • Technology • polygon.com
Bumbershoot 2026: Lineup, schedule, tickets and what else to know

Here’s a taste of what you can look forward to at this year’s Bumbershoot, and other information you should know.

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Sep 4 • 9:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • yakimaherald.com
How MSU’s WR Room Has Changed Without a Star

No superstar, no problem, says Courtney Hawkins. With Nick Marsh at Indiana and eight freshmen in the room, Michigan State's receivers will go seven or eight deep, and the rule is simple: no block, no rock.

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Sep 4 • 9:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
EU and ASEAN discuss health emergency preparedness and response

The Director-General of the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), Dr Florika Fink-Hooijer, met with the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Kao Kim Hourn, in Jakarta on 4 September 2026 to discuss health emergency preparedness and response to emerging health threats, and to explore deeper cooperation between the EU and ASEAN. Both regions face similar challenges from emerging threats such as infectious diseases, which will further increase with climate change and increased travel, requiring global and regional cooperation. Both sides acknowledged that regional partnerships are essential to prepare for the next health emergency — it's a matter of when, not if. Building close EU-ASEAN cooperation on health emergency preparedness and response is therefore critical to ensuring a collective response, as we look ahead to the Commemorative Summit in 2027 marking the 50th anniversary of EU-ASEAN Dialogue Relations. Among other topics, discussions covered future partnership in the establishment and operations of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED), as well as other key avenues for deeper collaboration.

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Sep 4 • 8:49 AM EDT • Health • eeas.europa.eu
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HERA Director-General visits Indonesia to strengthen health cooperation

The Director-General of the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), Dr Florika Fink-Hooijer, met with Indonesia's Minister of Health, H.E. Budi Gunadi Sadikin, in Jakarta on 4 September 2026. Discussions centred on Indonesia's expansion of surveillance capacities, including genomic sequencing as well as local manufacturing capacity. There was a clear commitment to work together on wastewater surveillance going forward. Earlier that day, Director-General Fink-Hooijer, met with the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Kao Kim Hourn, at the ASEAN Secretariat to discuss health emergency preparedness and response to emerging health threats, and to explore deeper cooperation between the EU and ASEAN. More info on the meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat: https://link.europa.eu/HdVV7q

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Sep 4 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • eeas.europa.eu
Indiana football: Looking back at week 1 in 2025

Indiana did not have a good week one in 2025. The season ended okay though.

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Sep 4 • 8:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
A famous singer’s niece built a food business on her own name. A fire threatened to end it

Long Beach has rallied around Casa Camaron y Gavino’s Sushi, raising thousands of dollars for the wife and husband behind it to rebuild.

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Sep 4 • 8:00 AM EDT • Business • lbpost.com
Sony's PlayStation disc plant is losing 10 percent of its volume in 2028, not 90

Sony’s PlayStation disc plant is losing 10 percent of its volume in 2028, not 90 Sony won’t license disc pressing to anyone else, Microsoft does, and a former PlayStation boss thinks that’s the whole problem. When Sony DADC chief Dietmar Tanzer spoke with an Austrian broadcaster in July about PlayStation disc production at the Thalgau plant, a number of press outlets misunderstood the report, writing that production would fall to a tenth of current levels. It won’t. Sony DADC confirmed to Game this week that the figure is a 10 percent decline, not a decline to 10 percent. “To clarify and avoid any misleading information: in that statement Dietmar anticipated an overall product volume decline by 10 percent, not a decline down to 10 percent,” a spokesperson with Sony DADC told Game. That figure covers 2028. Tanzer didn’t put a number on the years after, and the spokesperson declined to comment further. What we do know is that on July 1, PlayStation announced that physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028 and that the transition has no impact on games that have already released in disc format or will be releasing in disc format prior to that month. “So, there will be reorders going to the market after January 2028,” the Sony DADC spokesperson said. “For details around that I would ask you to liaise with the PR team from PlayStation, as we can’t speak or comment on their behalf.” PlayStation officials did not respond to questions about reorders or other disc-related matters. But I did recently speak with Shawn Layden, Game Industry Strategic Advisor and former chairman of SIE Worldwide Studios, who called a future without physical PlayStation discs “depressing, but solvable.” then added, “I think.” The chief hurdle to third-party manufacturing of collector’s editions or any other version of a PlayStation game disc is that Sony owns the proprietary process to press those discs, Layden said. “And unless they decide or determine a way to license that to some of these bespoke disc manufacturers, there’s no way to make it happen,” he said. Layden was careful to add that he understands the concept but doesn’t have “line of sight on the particulars.” “Depressing but solvable, I think.” — Shawn Layden Microsoft already licenses replication to outside plants. Xbox discs are pressed by manufacturers Microsoft certifies as Authorized Replicators, a term defined in its publisher agreements, with the approved list set at the company’s sole discretion and Microsoft retaining the right to halt manufacture. The structure is still in place today: publishers select an Authorized Replicator in Partner Center and submit a bill of materials created with a Microsoft representative. Sony, by contrast, presses PlayStation discs through Sony DADC, its own manufacturing subsidiary. No one I spoke with said they were in discussions with Sony about doing that, and PlayStation hasn’t responded to questions about whether it would be open to a licensing deal. There is an obvious reason Sony might not want to. Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad pointed it out on the day of the announcement: it’s a platform-led decision, he wrote, designed to cut costs, eliminate the resale market, and drive all revenue through the PlayStation Store. The math is not subtle. On a $70 third-party game sold through the PlayStation Store, Sony keeps $21. Sold at retail, Ahmad says, it earns about half that. Licensing disc replication to an outside manufacturer might not be worth it. And even if it were, it seems unlikely that such a deal would come from boutique companies like iam8bit, which sells collector’s editions of video games. “We would absolutely love to find a way forward to continue making physical PlayStation games,” said Jon Gibson, co-owner and co-creative director of the company. “We are big believers in giving humans the option to truly own media. If we can play a role in helping make that a reality for the future of PlayStation games, count iam8bit in!” If it were to happen, it would most likely be with a company like Conectiv Supply Chain Solutions, a Memphis-based manufacturer of optical discs and vinyl records that also runs third-party logistics, fulfillment and distribution for packaged media. The company, which was formed in 2025 when Los Angeles private equity firm Variant Equity Advisors purchased Vantiva’s Supply Chain Solutions division, traces its lineage back to Technicolor. When it sold the division, Vantiva described the business as having served video game creators for more than 25 years. Conectiv is also buying, not shrinking. Last month it acquired SDS, the distributor for Universal and Warner Bros. home entertainment, consolidating those studios’ packaged-media pipeline from pressing plant to retail shelf. I reached out to Conectiv and its CEO, but haven’t heard back. Layden pointed to music and books in our discussion about the ongoing value of physical media. “No one ever saw the comeback of cassette tape,” he said. “And vinyl didn’t so much come back. The flame went down, the fire’s dying, but the ember was always there, and it just kind of came back. Much like the book business. We thought we’d all be on Kindles right now. “I believe that physical media is crucial and important. One of the things that makes us gamers, one of the core game mechanics, going back to the beginning of time, is collecting stuff. “Did you get all the diamonds in Crash Bandicoot? Did you get all the stars in Mario? And we like to collect our games. And we have a game shelf. And we put all our boxes up there. And if you’re super hardcore, when you buy a game, you buy two copies, right? One stays in the shrink wrap, and you play the other one. What happens to that important cultural part of the gaming world? You know, we buy the steelbook and the three-disc Final Fantasy set and the figurine and, you know, you can’t download any of that. “What happens to that?” And Layden believes it shouldn’t have been a revenue question for PlayStation. “This was a core thing to the experience of our most devoted fans,” he said. “Yeah, it’s fan service. Why would we take that away? Well, we can’t afford to. It’s already 120 bucks, you know, limited edition special purchase onyx box version of whatever, and those sell at a higher rate than the box selling at $69.99 does. So yeah, the market has said they will continue to buy them. You’re just saying you just don’t want to make them anymore.” Layden said he was recently talking with someone about these sorts of business decisions and how they’re made. Too often, he said, it’s all about the financials and nothing else. “OK, we can do this and save this much money, or we can invest this to look at that outcome, or we can do this and have this happen over there, or move this team to Sri Lanka,” he said. “But each one of those, someone also has to have a ledger there saying, ‘OK, what is the brand impact from that move?’ “Iif you can’t resell it, do you really own it?” — Shawn Layden “If we do that, dollars and cents work out. I get it. That’s just math. But what’s the brand impact? Are people going to say, ‘Good move, you guys?’ Or are they going to say, ‘We hate you guys. Quit doing that.’ And sometimes they say, ‘We hate you.’ Then you take a note and say, OK, how much of that can we live with? How much ‘we hate you’ is OK. And when does it go over the line? “I see a lot of companies making decisions which, objectively speaking, I don’t know what the dollar end of that was for you, Mr. Company, but your brand value just dropped 30 percent. So I hope it was worth it.” Of course, shifting to a digital-only model for games raises other issues beyond simply wanting to collect. The biggest is ownership. Layden pointed out that once you go to a streaming-only or download-only model, it’s just a digital footprint on a hard drive. “What does ownership mean anymore?” he said. “It’s a genuine question. Well, in fact, it’s not even a question anymore. It’s like you are shifting the model from ownership to accessibility. “And what’s always been true, which people forget, is you’ve never been able to sell your iTunes library. And you can’t sell your PlayStation download library. So if you can’t resell it, do you really own it?” The touching tribute found in the credits for Star Wars Zero Company. Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy Interview and Hands-On with a Minoan Masterpiece Star Wars Zero Company hands-on: Attack Astromechs, permadeath, and delightfully fatal Rube Goldberg tactics Control Resonant opens up as you get stronger — and as characters start trusting you

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Sep 4 • 7:57 AM EDT • Technology • game.substack.com
Puck Drop Preview: 2026-27 Detroit Red Wings

Last Word On Hockey‘s Puck Drop Previews are back for the 2026-27 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team’s current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming year. We’ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team throughout the campaign. Today, we’re previewing the 2026-27 …

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Sep 4 • 7:55 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Xbox to limit cloud gaming to 15 hours a month for Game Pass users

Xbox said the limits were due to the rising cost of cloud gaming, and would allow it to invest more in its performance

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Sep 4 • 7:48 AM EDT • Technology • bbc.com
Psychological capital is a business advantage. Here’s why it matters

How can organizations navigate sustained disruption without worsening employee disengagement? Psychological capital begins to explain this.

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Sep 4 • 7:45 AM EDT • Business • hrexecutive.com
Israel's water crisis eases, but algae bloom still threatens desalination

Israel's Water Authority said supplies to households and agriculture have stabilized through controlled desalination, increased flows from the Sea of Galilee and hundreds of groundwater wells, but it gave no estimate for when the algae bloom will subside

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Sep 4 • 7:41 AM EDT • Science • haaretz.com
Israel's water crisis eases, but algae bloom still threatens desalination

The Water Authority said supplies to households and agriculture have stabilized through controlled desalination, increased flows from the Sea of Galilee and hundreds of groundwater wells, but it gave no estimate for when the algae bloom will subside

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Sep 4 • 7:41 AM EDT • Science • haaretz.com
Indiana’s Curt Cignetti should feel disrespected

The National Champion head coach isn't getting the love he should be.

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Sep 4 • 7:33 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Repeated attacks on humanitarian warehouses put vital medical aid at risk in Ukraine: WHO

A new airstrike overnight damaged one of the main warehouses used by the UN health agency in Ukraine to store humanitarian medical supplies in the Kyiv region, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

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Sep 4 • 7:30 AM EDT • Health • news.un.org
Judge clears path for LSU to add former NFL players to roster

A Louisiana judge has cleared the path for Louisiana State University to add former NFL players to its roster. This comes just hours after the SEC filed a lawsuit against LSU and head coach Lane Kiffin.

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Sep 4 • 7:15 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
1K views · 24 reactions | Fish make up just a tiny fraction of...

Fish make up just a tiny fraction of Europe's economy. But they play a big role in its politics. Most recently, the fishing industry dominated the referendum on whether Iceland should restart talks...

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Sep 4 • 7:15 AM EDT • Politics • facebook.com
US Open Influencer Credentials Double, And Tennis Etiquette Cracks

The U.S. Open nearly doubled its creator credentials to close to 100 this year. A halted Osaka match and viral ring-light clips show the cost of reach without onboarding.

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Sep 4 • 7:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
MV Learning in Retirement to hold open house for seniors

The Mohawk Valley Institute for Learning in Retirement (MVILR) will hold its annual Fall Open House & Senior Showcase from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10 at Mohawk Valley Community College in Rome, according to organization officials.

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Sep 4 • 7:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • romesentinel.com
Shoppers buying online while drunk is big business

If online retailers can tell when someone is drunk, perhaps they shouldn’t simply take the cash.

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Sep 4 • 6:46 AM EDT • Business • theconversation.com
Maxwell: Remember the Florida politicians who cast cruel votes against heat safety

Maxwell: Two years ago, Florida lawmakers voted to ban counties from giving outdoor workers basic heat-safety protections, like guaranteed access to water and shade. You should remember who they are and how they voted.

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Sep 4 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • orlandosentinel.com
KFile: Swing-seat Democrat deleted posts envisioning ‘a world without police and prisons’

William Lawrence, the Democratic nominee in one of the country’s most competitive House races in Michigan, deleted hundreds of old social media posts in which he embraced police and prison abolition, called for nationalizing fossil-fuel companies to end their production, attacked moderate Democrats and argued for a “fundamental overhaul” of the Constitution.

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Sep 4 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
'The Odyssey' continues IMAX run throughout September

Matt Damon stars as Odysseus in 'The Odyssey.' (Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures)

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Sep 4 • 6:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • kmaland.com
Nithya Raman is the comeback kid of L.A. politics

The Dodgers should sit Raman in their dugout come playoff time, because her knack for scoring while behind is almost preternatural.

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Sep 4 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • latimes.com
The Future of Porto-Linked Juventus Man Still Uncertain

Federico Gatti has been in limbo throughout the summer, and his future continues to be uncertain, even though Juventus repelled a late attempt to lure him by Porto. The market is still open in such a ...

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Sep 4 • 5:20 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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Amorim tactics complicated things at Manchester United, says Rasmus Højlund

In a recent interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Rasmus Højlund discussed, among other things, his time at Manchester United.When asked about his thoughts on why things didn’t work out at Old Tr...

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Sep 4 • 5:20 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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How Penn State football will wear down, overpower Marshall

See why Penn State football should overcome early struggles to dominate Marshall in the season-opener in Beaver Stadium.

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Sep 4 • 5:05 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Bologna troubles continue as Orsolini ruled out until international break

Bologna are without a victory after their first two Serie A matches of the 2026-27 season and the troubles for head coach Domenico Tedesco have now increased as Italy international Riccardo Orsolini h...

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Sep 4 • 4:50 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
‘Furious’ Pellegrini Refuses to Leave Lazio After Squad Omission

On Wednesday, Lazio raised eyebrows by dropping Luca Pellegrini from their Serie A squad list, even though two spots were left vacant.The BackgroundThe 27-year-old is a lifelong Lazio supporter who jo...

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Sep 4 • 4:50 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Milan Reportedly Made Late Attempt for Atalanta Star

Milan didn’t sign a new defender but was active in trying to find one on deadline day, even though their attempts were in vain. In particular, they tested the waters for Giorgio Scalvini. However, A...

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Sep 4 • 4:50 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Roma Evaluating a Few Free Agents to Plug Some Holes

Roma didn’t reach all their goals during the summer window, but some help could come from the players currently without a team. The Giallorossi are currently short one attacker and one wing-back.Acc...

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Sep 4 • 4:50 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Missouri candidate charged with trying to plant cocaine on his political rival

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A candidate for the Missouri House made an initial court appearance Thursday on a federal drug charge accusing him of trying to plant

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Sep 4 • 4:09 AM EDT • Politics • wtop.com
Diamondbacks visit the Astros to open 3-game series

The Houston Astros begin a three-game series at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday

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Sep 4 • 4:08 AM EDT • Sports • foxsports.com
More Georgia jobs as business investment tops record for second year

Georgia reports a record $35.2 billion in business investments and thousands of new jobs for the past fiscal year.

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Sep 4 • 4:04 AM EDT • Business • augustachronicle.com
Three Jesuit scientists who changed the world

The Society of Jesus has produced some of the most important scientific minds in history. Here are three you should know.

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Sep 4 • 3:37 AM EDT • Science • aleteia.org
Xbox adds monthly cloud limits to Game Pass as it "continues to invest in its reliability and performance"

Once caps are reached, players can purchase additional cloud playtime hours through the Xbox Store

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Sep 4 • 3:37 AM EDT • Technology • gamesindustry.biz
Wilfried Zaha emerges as possible free agent target for Roma

Atalanta is just around the corner, but at Trigoria, one eye remains on the transfer market. The summer transfer window ended without the arrival of the left-back requested by Gian Piero Gasperini, an...

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Sep 4 • 2:50 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com