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Canceled Iron Man Game Footage From Just Cause and Mad Max Developer Leaks Online
Alleged footage from Avalanche Studios' canceled Iron Man game has surfaced online.
Warhammer 40k: Space Marines Codex Moves 16 Units To Legendary Status!
Some universe-shaking changes are coming for Space Marines this fall. Just an hour after the reveal of the new Outrider Captain, a full preview of the new Codex: Space Marines is here! The studio kicked things off with a brief video overview of what to expect, so take a few minutes to watch and let’s […]
Economic Development Forum returns to Downtown Memphis Aug. 25-27
The Economic Development Forum will be at the Renansant Convention Center from Aug. 25 through Aug. 27.
Fanta Brings Halloween to Life with an All-New Entertainment Universe
, , , , • This Halloween, Fanta is unleashing Fanta’s Haunted Universe - a new world of four original characters inspired by classic horror legends, bringing fans a season packed with spooky surprises. , , , , , , , , , , • Launching today with an introductory cinematic trailer, Fanta’s Haunted Universe has been developed with entertainment studio GRAiL, bringing together leading creative talent and new technology to build an original world for a new generation of Halloween and Horror fans. , , , , , ...
New Universal roller coaster sends thrills and noise into nearby neighborhood
They say the noise coming from the new ride is disturbing and disruptive
Building the beat: How New Orleans can grow the business behind the music
People dance to the music of the TBC Brass Band Photo by Michael DeMocker / The Times-Picayune This week New Orleans hosts the annual Cutting Edge CE Conference, which brings together members of the music industry, musicians, lawyers and others to learn about and discuss the latest changes in the business of making, producing and selling music. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1492300'); }); The conference comes as AI and streaming are causing upheavals in the industry. Meanwhile, we’ve seen at least a partial collapse of the global festival industrial complex which has long been a key financial lifeline for many artists.All of that can feel a bit removed from life in New Orleans. After all, we are a city filled with music. On any given day or night, there are dozens of shows across the city, ranging from jazz and blues to hip-hop, bounce and house. Whereas in other cities kids dream of being the star of their local sports team, in New Orleans more often than not they dream of leading their own band.And music is a huge part of our economy. Before New Orleans was known as a foodie destination, it was already drawing millions of visitors from around the globe to experience our jazz, soul and funk scenes firsthand.But the reality is, if you want to make it big, you’re probably going to end up leaving the city. We’ve seen major performers like Lil Wayne, Master P and Jon Batiste (though he’s back on the Northshore) decamp to Los Angeles, Miami and New York. Likewise, up-and-coming musicians like Greer Grimsely, $leazy EZ and Lucky Daye have also left town in search of more profitable pastures.Meanwhile, our local universities train some of the best producers and engineers in the business — only to see them head to one of the big music industry cities after graduation.It’s not a new phenomenon, though the reasons have changed over the years. Like a lot of early jazz musicians, Louis Armstrong famously left New Orleans, first for Chicago before ultimately settling in New York City. But while those early migrations had more to do with racism, in today’s day and age, musicians end up leaving because New Orleans doesn’t have the industry infrastructure necessary to sustain the kind of growth and, well, success, a lot of folks dream of.It’s a hard, but very real, truth. Artists have to go to Nashville for publishing, Los Angeles for production, Atlanta to join a label or New York for representation. That, in turn, is a drain not only on the city’s talent pool but on money that could be staying here at home.Not being an industry town inevitably makes it that much harder for musicians who don’t leave to get the recognition and success they deserve. It also undoubtedly plays a part in keeping the wages working musicians in New Orleans make at their gigs here lower than in places like Austin or Nashville.That’s not to say we don’t have any of the infrastructure needed to make New Orleans a music industry town. We’ve got live music venues, studios, record labels, management companies, copyright attorneys ... all the various building blocks are there. We just haven’t ever built upon that solid foundation. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1492297'); }); The question is how do we do that in a way that supports our existing industry and artists, respects our cultural traditions and ensures the wealth generated is equitably distributed so it isn’t just C-suite executives who end up reaping the benefits. And the time to start figuring out the answers is now: next year the legislature will focus on taxes and spending, making it vital that New Orleans leaders have a plan to try and secure funding to help grow our industry.So we asked a group of New Orleanians to give us their thoughts, ranging from industry attorneys and venue operators to working musicians and cultural advocates. Their answers point toward turning New Orleans into a music industry city without leaving musicians behind or abandoning what makes us the greatest music city on earth.If a dusty city like Austin can transform itself into a major hub not just for music but the industry behind it, surely the birthplace of jazz — and pretty much all modern music by extension — can figure it out as well. +3 Mailbox Money: The Recording Academy’s Reid Wick on supporting, and growing, New Orleans’ music industry Reid Wick has been a part of the New Orleans music landscape from virtually every angle. He'… California Dreaming: Pell discusses his time in L.A. and how New Orleans can help young musicians In 2015, New Orleans-born rapper Pell decided to make the move to Los Angeles. He was fresh … +2 Up from the street: To build a stronger music industry, support community first. At MaCCNO, most of our team aren’t just advocates, we’re also working musicians. Here are a … +2 Live and direct: Public investment in independent venues is key to a robust music economy. I’ve spent most of my adult life looking at the New Orleans music business from every side o… +2 Helping Hand: New Orleans doesn’t need more talent. It needs more infrastructure. People love to call New Orleans a music town. And they’re right. +2 \We out here: New Orleans doesn't need to be Austin. It's already a music industry city. +2 Futureshock: New Olreans has the music talent. Now it needs the innovation. New Orleans has long been known as a place for music creation and innovation. People travel … .donate-gambit-article-module-container { text-align: center; padding: 10px; /* background-color: #24da6d; */ background-color: rgb(153, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 20px; } .donate-gambit-article-module-title { font-weight: bold; color: #fff; } .donate-gambit-article-module-copy { color: #fff !important; font-size: 16px; } .donate-gambit-article-module-button { background-color: black; width: 50%; border-color: black; font-size: 16px; } .donate-gambit-article-module-button:hover { background-color: black; } @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) { .donate-gambit-article-module-button { font-size: 14px; width: 100%; } .donate-gambit-article-module-copy { font-size: 14px; } } BECOME A GAMBIT MEMBER AND JOIN OUR KREWE TODAY For more than 40 years, Gambit has covered New Orleans, for New Orleans. We’ve stood up to city hall with you, cheered the Saints with you, danced in the streets with you and cried over our collective loss with you. And we’re plannin’ on being here for 40 more. To do that, we need your help. Become a Gambit member today and help us continue our mission SUPPORT GAMBIT
Arc Raiders' fifth Expedition will be its last until early 2027
Embark Studios has confirmed the fifth Arc Raiders Expedition will be the last for a while, as it takes time to rework the system's core issues.
Could another Hollywood mega-merger cost California thousands of jobs?
Former studio execs warn industry uncertainty could pause production and already cost Hollywood jobs
Proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. merger threatens 4,500 Los Angeles County entertainment jobs
Local officials and labor leaders warn that proposed studio consolidation could wipe out billions in business revenue and devastate local vendors. By A new economic report warns the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger puts 4,500 direct Los Angeles County jobs and billions in revenue at risk.
Double Fine Owns IP and Publishing Rights for All of Its Games Following Xbox Split, Psychonauts Studio Confirms
Psychonauts and Brutal Legend developer Double Fine Productions has confirmed it has regained the IP and publishing rights for all of its games released under Microsoft following its split from Xbox.
ARC Raiders Cancels Expeditions Until Early 2027
Embark Studios has announced that the fifth Expedition coming to ARC Raiders will be the last until at least early 2027.
Compulsion Games officially separates from Xbox – "The team told me we would rather eat rocks and drink gasoline than be split up"
Studio regains ownership of its IP and is transferring publishing rights back
Keystone Cooperative ag business invests in Indianapolis-based One Health Studio
Indianapolis-based agriculture and energy business Keystone Cooperative has become a corporate partner and investor in One Health Studio, an Indianapolis venture studio that launched late last year.
Watch Post-Strike Movie Supply is Driving Theatre Demand, Vue Entertainment CEO says
Vue Entertainment CEO Tim Richards says the chain may see its strongest summer box office since the pandemic. "What we are seeing this year is all the movies in the post-strike period now hitting out screens. But we are also seeing the studios and content-makers producing and releasing movies at unprecedented levels." He speaks to Bloomberg's Guy Johnson, Tom Mackenzie, and Skylar Montgomery Koning.
‘We would rather eat rocks and drink gasoline than be split up’: Compulsion Games has completed its buyout from Xbox
The South of Midnight studio now officially owns all its IP…
This app makes the Pixel 11’s HiLight feature actually useful
Devs are already doing what Google won’t.
How Michael Jackson and Richard Pryor helped ease racial concerns over “E.T. ”(exclusive)
The upcoming book “Stranded on Earth: How Night Skies Became E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial” details how the two entertainers helped the studio before the movie’s release.
Asking the next question: Orton peels back curtain of science in new UGA podcast
The tiny studio is dark and cramped as Ginger Orton settles into her seat, the long arm of a microphone stand stretching toward her as if an overeager cub reporter hanging on her every word. In many ways, she’s surprised to be here. For one, she never really expected to be a faculty member at
This app does with Pixel 11 Pro's HiLight what Google should have done in the first place
Pixel 11 Pro's HiLight LED is heavily restricted in functionality, but the HiLight Studio app turns it into a proper notification system.
The ReTerminal Sticky Is An E-Paper Display Begging You To Hack It
While companies like Xteink have found an unlikely audience with hackers and tinkerers, Seeed Studio is actively cultivating one.
'Michael' Remains Atop Weekly U.K. Home Entertainment Sales Chart Through Aug. 19
Lionsgate/Universal’s Michael Jackson biopic Michael continues its Official Film Chart run, spending a fifth non-consecutive week atop the weekly U.K. home entertainment sales chart through Aug. 19. Also making a return at No. 2 in its 10th week on the chart was Amazon MGM Studios’ Project Hail Mary, starring Ryan Gosling as science teacher who … Continue reading "‘Michael’ Remains Atop Weekly U.K. Home Entertainment Sales Chart Through Aug. 19"
'Michael' Remains Atop Weekly U.K. Home Entertainment Sales Chart Through Aug. 19
Lionsgate/Universal’s Michael Jackson music biopic Michael continues its Official Film Chart run, spending a fifth non-consecutive week atop the weekly U.K. home entertainment sales chart through Aug. 19. Also making a return at No. 2 in its 10th week on the chart is Amazon MGM Studios’Project Hail Mary, starring Ryan Gosling as science teacher who … Continue reading "‘Michael’ Remains Atop Weekly U.K. Home Entertainment Sales Chart Through Aug. 19"
"We chose the worst time in history" – Harvey Smith on starting his own studio after Arkane
Black Pony Immersive has been built to create the games that Smith and his Dishonored and Deus Ex colleagues do best
Raccoon causes chaos in a Pittsburgh small business
A raccoon caused significant damage to MH Custom Studio in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood after breaking into the shop early in the morning.
Tina Charles, Renee Montgomery join TNT for FIBA World Cup coverage
Tina Charles will reunite with former UConn teammate Renee Montgomery in the TNT Sports studio.
14 Black-owned media companies that are taking over entertainment one film (or TV series) at a time
Black-owned media companies are driving film and TV hits. See which studios are behind major projects in Hollywood and streaming.
GTA 6 gameplay and map leaks see DMCA strikes, as confidence grows in their legitimacy
A series of GTA 6 leaks has piqued the interest of Rockstar Games followers. Videos feature Jason playing basketball and driving haphazardly around Leonida streets. The studio has sent DMCA takedown notices to users sharing the alleged in-game footage and a leaked map.
Halo: Campaign Evolved patch kills LASO achievement glitch, but it may still work in co-op
Halo Studios has rolled out a new Halo: Campaign Evolved update, fixing a glitch that allows solo players to easily unlock the game's hardest Xbox achievements.
August 20 Vallejo/Vacaville Arts-Entertainment Source: Faces and Places
From burgers to judges to the trophy created by ceramic artist Amy Stellato, studio co-owner of Happy Life Pottery, the entire competition stayed in Benicia. It was made here, judged here, and awarded here.
Studio Entertainment: Adie Bonebrake of Atypical Brewery and Barrelworks in Minot
MINOT, ND (KXNET) — For music Monday, this week’s Studio Entertainment features Adie Bonebrake of Atypical Brewery and Barrelworks in Minot. They’ve got a great list of live entertainme…
Pluto TV Bows 'Double Feature Fridays' Weekly Movie Promotion With 'Entertainment Tonight'
Pluto TV is rolling out a weekly classic movie promotion, “Double Feature Fridays,” with “Entertainment Tonight” beginning Aug 21. The free ad-supported streaming television (Fast) platform will pair a studio classic with a new indie title, streaming 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Each pairing is connected by shared talent, genre, or theme, and introduced through original … Continue reading "Pluto TV Bows ‘Double Feature Fridays’ Weekly Movie Promotion With ‘Entertainment Tonight’"
Oh look, it’s the new 223mph, €1m+ Brabus Bodo Cabriolet
Liked the Brabus Bodo Coupe? Here’s the limited edition droptop
Call of Duty studio Sledgehammer reportedly worked on a Halo multiplayer prototype before it got canned
The next Halo game may be developed by an unlikely studio.
Insomniac Staff Pins Overnight Wolverine Hate On Twitter
The studio’s marketing director blows off some steam on the sudden surge of scrutiny, believing this kind of culture can’t possibly be good for anyone’s mental health
Halo Studios Reportedly Outsourced Campaign Evolved to 15 Studios, as Microsoft Weighs Involving Activision’s Sledgehammer Games in the Process
Halo Studios reportedly outsourced Campaign Evolved, as Microsoft weighs having Activision's Sledgehammer Games help build future Halo games.
‘The New Simpsons Movie’ gets a sketchy 1st look from Disney
The Mouse House showed a rough sequence from the upcoming film during the studio's D23 showcase. Watch it now.
PxlPerfect Designs Urges Home Service Businesses to Export Local Services Ads Data Before Google's Migration
Google began migrating Local Services Ads into Google Ads as a pay-per-lead Performance Max campaign type in August 2026. Historical performance...
'X-Men' cast, release date revealed at D23
Maya Boyd, Inde Navarrette, Samara Weaving, Christopher Abbott, Kit Connor, Jake Schreier, Sadie Sink and Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios, speak onstage at the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23: The
D23's Disney Entertainment Showcase: Anna Hathaway Surprises Crowd, 'Incredibles 3' & 'Coco 2' Announced
A look at what the studio has to offer next.
D23’s Disney Entertainment Showcase: Anna Hathaway Surprises Crowd, Announces ‘Incredibles 3’ & ‘Coco 2’
A look at what the studio has to offer next.
Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. tease 'Avengers: Doomsday' at D23
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed that the upcoming "Avengers: Doomsday" will unite the Avengers, Fantastic Four and the X-Men.
Netflix plans to close two gaming studios, including one in Hollywood
Netflix said has closed Hollywood-based Night School and plans to close Helsinki-based Moonloot.
Halo: Campaign Evolved studio outlines five key updates that'll drop with next week's big patch
Halo Studios has outlined five key fixes that'll land in a new update next week.
“The End of Oak Street” first reviews: Anne Hathaway’s “Jurassic Park” riff hailed as ‘dumb fun done well’
While some critics flamed the sci-fi flick’s obvious Spielberg homage, others heralded it as “what the big studios should be doing right now.”
ESPN reveals College Football studio commentators for 2026
With the 2026 college football season approaching, ESPN has revealed its studio lineup for the upcoming season. For the seventh consecutive season, Kevin Negandhi and Booger McFarland will be in the lead studio for ESPN. For the first time in 2026, the duo will also be joined by Jordan Rodgers. Rodgers previously served as the…
NEO BERLIN 2087 launches in 2028
Action RPG NEO BERLIN 2087 will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam in 2028, publisher ByteRockers’ Games and developer ELysium Game Studio announced.
Entertainment headlines for Thursday, Aug. 13 with 95.7 The Jet
Mireya and Bender give the breakdown on Thursday's episode of Studio 13 Live.
Netflix Closes 'Unhinged' Video Game Studio Night School, Moonloot
Netflix is shutting down two studios, including the developer behind horror game, "Unhinged," which released less than two months ago.
Netflix is shutting down Oxenfree studio Night School, six weeks after its last game was released
It also plans to shut down Finnish studio Moonloot…
BREAKING: Netflix to shut down two more game studios
Netflix is sticking with video games but once again reducing the number of studios it owns making games. The streaming giant is closing Los Angeles-based Night School studio, which it acquired in 2021 and plans to close Helsinki-based Moonloot, which was founded in 2022. Just six weeks ago, Night School had released Unhinged, a novel 30-minute first-person horror game, streamable on TVs to Netflix users. The game was hailed by Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters in a call with investors. Six weeks later, Night School is closing. Prior to its Netflix tenure, Night School had developed the award-winning supernatural thriller Oxenfree. A second Oxenfree game followed after the purchase, as well as a mobile game designed to tie in to an episode of the Netflix show Black Mirror. Netflix attributed the studio closures to a prioritization around kids gaming, party games, story-driven fare and games with mainstream hooks, such as a recently released FIFA game. “We see an opportunity to be more focused in our execution, so we are making organizational changes to the business to match those priorities,” a Netflix spokesperson told Game File. Netflix is also cutting jobs from its internal games team. A rep declined to say how many jobs were being lost by these cutbacks. “We are incredibly grateful to the talented colleagues we’re saying goodbye to today. We thank them for all their contributions to Netflix, and wish them the best,” the rep said. Netflix started releasing video games, initially on mobile as a free bonus to subscribers, in 2021. By 2023, Mike Verdu, then the head of Netflix’s game operations, was telling me that the company was committed to growing carefully, as it offered more games and built up internal game studios. At the time, it hadn’t made any gaming job cuts. Since then, Netflix has altered its approach. In 2024, it shut down Team Blue, a start-up studio led by ex-Call of Duty and Halo developers that was exploring making a high-end first-person game for the service. Last October, Netflix shut down another studio, Boss Fight, shortly after Peters praised the team’s Squid Game game to investors. (One of Boss Fight’s main developers now works on the Netflix FIFA game for outside studio Delphi.) And in December, Netflix sold cozy game studio Spry Fox back to its founders. Amid all of this, Netflix has shifted from emphasizing mobile games to offering games through TVs and PCs, via streamed connections, with phones used as controllers. That’s how Night School’s Unhinged worked, along with games such as Boggle and Party Crashers that have collectively helped the Netflix game controller app chart well on mobile app stores. The studio cuts leave Netflix with a central gaming team that works with external developers, and a dedicated first party studio in, Helsinki-based Next Games, which produced many of the company’s couch-centric party games. The move away from having a roster of internal game studios aligns with Netflix’s own approach to shows and movies, which are largely produced externally. The company owns few TV/film production studios of its own. The gaming industry overall is seeing large holders of multiple studios cut back, with Sony, Ubisoft, Embracer, Microsoft and other giants closing or selling off studios. Cuts in California-based studios, where costs often run relatively high, have been particularly acute. Netflix has faced skepticism about its gaming plans for years. The moves today are likely to fuel them, and the company has few upcoming projects to counter the narrative. Among the few hinted, acclaimed independent studio Don’t Nod said last year it was working on a game tied to a major Netflix franchise.
Suno is trying to look more like a real music production tool
The latest version of Suno Studio adds MIDI, a chatbot, and custom AI effects.
Entertainment venue Great Big Game Show opening at Short Pump Town Center
It's the first Richmond-area location for the Nashville-based chain of entertainment venues that offer a live game show experience with studio rooms outfitted with buzzers, a spinning prize wheel, podiums and other trappings of TV game shows.
Starbreeze Entertainment & VICE Studios Partners with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and G-Unit Film & Television for PAYDAY
Starbreeze Entertainment together with VICE Studios (Gangs of London) have partnered with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and his G-Unit Film & Television, to executive produce an adaptation of Starbreeze’s iconic, long-running video game franchise PAYDAY® for global audiences. , , , , “G-Unit Film & TV has built cinematic crime stories that connect with audiences around the world. Teaming up with Starbreeze and VICE Studios and bringing the world of PAYDAY to the screen gives us the chance to build...
Immortality Studio's Next Game Was Once An FMV Metroid Idea
It's called Precognition, it's out in 2028, but there's no Samus Aran anywhere
Neighbors complain about noise from Universal’s ‘Fast & Furious’ ride
Universal Studios Hollywood plans new sound barriers around its “Fast & Furious” coaster after neighbors complained about screaming during ride testing.
Amazon Game Studios gives Lost Ark and Throne & Liberty back to their studios to run, ending its MMO presence
Amazon is handing over each game’s operational duties to their developers…
Brands Are Devouring Hollywood. Are Studios Ready?
Studios may be strapped, but big brands are rolling in dough. How companies from Gap to General Mills are luring A-list talent and keeping an ailing industry afloat.
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North – Legacy Edition now available for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Switch, and PC
Aspyr ha announced and released The Lord of the Rings: War in the North – Legacy Edition, a remastered version of Snowblind Studios’ 2011-released action RPG, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Se…
Supermassive Games announces layoffs, up to 75 workers may be affected
This marks the third round of job cuts at the Guildford-based studio in three years
Lionsgate: Filmed Entertainment Backlog Jumps 21% To $1.5 Billion As Library Revenue Approaches $1 Billion
Lionsgate Studios' filmed entertainment backlog increased 21% year-over-year to $1.5 billion during its fiscal first quarter of 2027, while trailing 12-month library revenue reached $987 million as the company’s existing film and television catalog becomes an increasingly important source of recurring cash flow.
Studio Maks tops science pavilion in Austria with undulating mirrored roof
Thousands of mirrors line the gently undulating ceilings of the VISTA Science Experience Centre in Austria, completed by Studio Maks.
Battlefield 6 Player With Over 400 Hours Gets Full Refund from Steam After Key Modes Were Removed
A Battlefield 6 player with hundreds of hours of playtime has scored a full refund of the game after Battlefield Studios removed key modes from the game's quick-play matchmaking.
Saber's newest game trailer takes a shot at Gearbox's CEO, if you look closely
The first hint that something might be up with the recent debut trailer for Saber Interactive’s Rideshare Stimulator is an unusual choice of words—aside from that second one in the game’s title. “Don’t take your passengers too seriously,” the trailer’s narrator says, as he describes this upcoming game. It a car game about the gig work of driving eccentric people to their destinations, a riff on Crazy Taxi. And then, he says: “When I think I’ve met the randiest of passengers, someone even stranger gets in.” “Randiest”? That suggests “randy,” which usually means having strong sexual desire. Yet none of the oddball backseat occupants featured in the trailer seem particularly lustful. One is an old man who considers his grandson a failure, another shares the theory that birds might control traffic lights, another says he’s banned from an aquarium. A little later, there’s a license plate, shown 63 seconds into the trailer, on the front of an SUV: USB DRV It’s a Texas plate. The symbol between those letters is a cog wheel. If you know, you know. That’s a reference to Texas-based Borderlands game development studio Gearbox Software (their logo features a cog wheel). More specifically, it’s a reference to Gearbox’s CEO Randy Pitchford, who in 2018 found himself explaining the nature of video he’d saved on a USB drive that was found at a Medieval Times restaurant before being returned to the studio: “It was ‘barely legal’ porn. This girl’s handle was ‘Only 18.’” The “girl” in the video had committed a solo sex act that Pitchford, an avid practitioner of magic, found remarkable. “I realized, this is not a sex worker…This is a fucking magician.” Back then, the USB drive was central to competing lawsuits against Gearbox by the studio’s former lawyer and by Gearbox against him. A settlement in late 2019 “exonerated” Pitchford, per the Hollywood Reporter. The USB story has resurfaced at times, now in a trailer from a company that not long ago was corporate brethren with Gearbox. Saber vs. Gearbox The head of Saber told Game File that the reference is payback. “The dig is because Randy took shots at Embracer in Borderlands 4,” Saber CEO Matt Karch told me when I asked him about the license plate. “Without Embracer, Randy is performing magic tricks at birthday parties for a living.” Having interviewed Karch during a cross-country flight in late 2024, I can confirm that Karch was unimpressed with Pitchford during their time both working in the Embracer group. I’d approached him not out of surprise that there was animosity but that it was manifesting publicly now. Gearbox was founded in 1999, worked on a port of Halo early on, and developed hit series such as the loot-based sci-fi shooter Borderlands before it was purchased by The Embracer Group in early 2021 for $363 million (with a possible earn-out of over $1 billion, if certain targets were hit by 2027). Saber was founded in 2001, worked on a remaster of Halo early on, had a big hit with zombie shooter World War Z and was purchased by Embracer in early 2020 for $150 million, with a potential earn-out of up to $375 million. For a few years, the Embracer group was a voracious acquirer of game studios. Then, as investment dried up, it choked. In March 2024, Embracer sold Saber to an investment company controlled by Saber CEO Matt Karch, and it sold Gearbox in an all-stock deal to long-time Borderlands publisher Take Two Interactive. Other studios were shut down. Hundreds of developers were laid off. Gearbox didn’t say much about their Embracer experience, nothing too direct, at least. In the summer 2024, Pitchford told reporter and occasional Game File contributor Nicole Carpenter that Borderlands 4’s story was in some way thematically connected to Gearbox’s experience at Embracer: “There’s this cultural and emotional shift in me, personally, and at the studio. What does it mean to trade some autonomy for organization?” When Borderlands 4 came out, there was something stranger: the matter of “Embracer’s Bluff,” a location in the game featuring an AI-powered toilet and a large trash dump, according to a detailed Kotaku account of the place. Gearbox never commented on it; Take Two never got back to me about it when I asked them last year. By contrast, since Saber exited Embracer, Karch has been one of Embracer’s biggest defenders, casting their management as well-meaning and supportive despite the layoffs and studio closures that resulted from their excessive expansion. Like others, Saber’s Karch saw Embracer’s as a shot. With Rideshare Stimulator’s trailer, he’s returned fire. “It’s amazing to me how fast people forget those who went above and beyond for them,” Karch told Game File. A rep for Gearbox did not comment by press time. Game File is a reader-supported publication. Your backing makes my reporting—including any coverage of trailer-based beefs—possible. Good news! I’m currently running Game File’s first big sale of 2026. You can get a one-year subscription for 23% off. Click here to take advantage of the limited-time offer. And thank you for your support! Item 2: In brief… 🚫 Wal-Mart has laid off the staff of Restart, a games media outlet launched in 2024, Aftermath reports. 🟥 A GTA VI preview is on the way, at last, via an “extended look” that will premiere, unusually, on Netflix at 3pm ET on August 27, then officially go live elsewhere six hours later. Last week, Game File noted that Take Two label Rockstar Games is overdue for showing off GTA VI, based on the timing of the initial hands-off previews of GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2. During a call with investors, Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said pre-orders for GTA VI were “unprecedented and astonishing,” but added the company can’t predict how many of those pre-orders represent bonus sales vs. sales that otherwise would have been made at launch. During the same call, Zelnick was noticeably bullish on the future of playing games over streaming cloud connections (predicting wider adoption in three or so years). He sounded unbothered by Sony’s plans to stop making discs for new games (he said the business is 90% digital already and predicted that there could still be limited edition physical editions of games “in the same way there’s still vinyl in the recorded music business.”) 👀 Take Two wrote off $43 million in their spring quarter after deciding “not to proceed with further development of an unannounced title in its pipeline from a third-party developer.” 🤔 Some rare age-demographics from a big publisher: Capcom recently told investors that “users in their 20s account for approximately half of the users of both Pragamata and Resident Evil Requiem.” Item 3: The week ahead Tuesday, August 11 Game releases: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (Switch 2; already out for PC, PS5, Xbox) continues the Bethesda strategy of putting Elder Scrolls games on everything; Royalty Free-For-All is a Smash Bros.-style fighting game featuring public domain characters such as Mother Goose brawling with Oliver Twist in a stage based on the original Little Shop of Horrors movie. Wednesday, August 12 Game release: Pro Jank Footy (PC, console) is an arcade-style Australian Rules Football game with increasingly ridiculous rules, the more you play (I enjoyed the Steam demo) Thursday, August 13 Game release: Super Mario Sunshine (Switch 2, originally released in 2002 on the GameCube) is released for Switch 2’s Nintendo Switch Online service. This game is the black sheep of 3D Mario games. It’s the successor to the breakthrough Super Mario 64 and the rare Mario game built around a single (vacation resort) theme. Mario’s got a water-spraying backpack, a Yoshi pal and a lot of blue coins to collect.
Battlefield 6 Removed A Fan-Favorite Mode, As Devs Look For "Best" Way To Bring It Back
Battlefield Studios is, however, looking for the "best" ways to bring it back.
Robot24.com Launches Global Robotics News Platform With Original Reporting, Business News and Correspondents on Every Continent
Robot24.com has launched as a new global robotics news platform dedicated to covering the companies, machines, people and technologies shaping t...
"They don't understand art" - id Software lead slams Xbox, says it's "impossible" to make games like 2016's Doom now
id's lead services provider Chris Hayes spoke to the Well Played podcast about the studio, and the problems he has with the company post-layoffs.
Blizzard Reportedly Leads Xbox as 'Top-Performing' Studio Thanks to Overwatch and Diablo
Blizzard Entertainment is reportedly Microsoft's golden child after Overwatch and Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred helped it become the "top-performing" Xbox studio.
'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' keeps record pace, ‘The Odyssey’ sets new high for Nolan
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” continued its blistering pace in theaters, collecting $144.5 million domestically over its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. And Christopher...
Music Review: ‘Lost Weekend’ is Phoebe Bridgers' evocative sonic collage
On her third studio album, “Lost Weekend,” Phoebe Bridgers pairs unique sonic arrangements with her signature complex lyrical verses to create a collage of the years since we last heard
Blizzard is now the "top performing" Xbox studio, says internal emails — as the Overwatch-maker ends FY26 over-delivering on Microsoft's projections
In leaked emails verified by Windows Central, Blizzard President Johanna Faries celebrated the Xbox division's stunning growth, over-delivering on expectations.
Improv Launches Dedicated Sports and Entertainment Venues Practice for UKG Workforce Management
Improvizations, LLC (Improv), an Austin-based HCM and WFM advisory and implementation firm, has launched a dedicated Sports and Entertainment Ve...
Blinded by science: The Thomas Dolby interview
“To get out and play a show like this, in the summer, is really an antidote to academia.”…
Lettuce brings the heat to the Englert
Lettuce continuously hones its improvisational skills, drawing inspiration from legends like the Grateful Dead and Miles Davis to authentically capture spontaneous musical moments live and in the studio.
Future of Marketing Briefing: Creator agencies are becoming entertainment studios — brands are footing the bill
Creator agencies are either rebuilding themselves as entertainment companies or launching as one from day one.
Adventure Science Center in Nashville to host Phoebe Bridgers album listening party
Adventure Science Center will be holding a listening party for Phoebe Bridgers anticipated 3rd studio album, Lost Weekend.
Measles exposure warning issued at Universal Studios Hollywood after confirmed case in visitor
Public health officials said there was a confirmed case of measles in a person who was infectious while they visited the theme park on July 26.
Quake remaster ‘Dawn of the Machine’ update now available
Publisher Bethseda Softworks and developers id Software and Nightdive Studios have released a free update for the 2021-released first-person shooter remaster Quake, adding the new expansion “…
Measles exposure reported at Universal Studios Hollywood
Health officials in Los Angeles County said a person infected with measles visited Universal Studios Hollywood and potentially exposed others to the virus.
Halo Studios hit by layoffs after release of Halo: Campaign Evolved
An unconfirmed number of developers have been let go from Halo Studios just over a week since Campaign Evolved's release.
Ample Entertainment Launches New Documentary YouTube Destination
Ample Entertainment, a nonfiction studio based in New York, on Aug. 6 announced the launch of Ample Originals, a new YouTube destination for original documentaries, series, creator collaborations and companion content. The channel gives audiences an early look at its inaugural slate with exclusive previews available now, ahead of the Aug. 7 premiere of “Ample … Continue reading "Ample Entertainment Launches New Documentary YouTube Destination"
Halo Studios is the latest Xbox Games Studio to be hit by layoffs just days after Campaign Evolved launch, as reports reveal "troubled" development
A number of developers previously employed at Halo Studios have posted on LinkedIn confirming layoffs at the studio.
Celebrating Small Business: Harvard Place Shopping Center
For most of her life, Jessi Midstokke hated gyms. She wasn’t athletic, and most fitness studios made her feel like she didn’t belong.
Aware Recovery Care Caught in Multiple Financial, Operational Crises
Aware Recovery Care, a Connecticut-based addiction treatment provider with locations in 11 states, is embroiled in a tangle of legal issues and lost
Rihanna Is ‘in the Studio Right Now’ & She’s ‘Cooking,’ Teases A$AP Rocky
"I'ma get in trouble for this," the rapper playfully admitted.
Atlanta’s entertainment scene gives rise to lawyer John Rose
Atlanta-based entertainment attorney John Rose helps recording artists land deals, film studios relocate productions and creatives understand their value.
Disney Consumer Products Division Moves Under Company's Studios Umbrella
Disney is moving its powerhouse Consumer Products division from the Experiences division to Disney Entertainment, specifically under the company's Studios umbrella.
Disney Moves Consumer Products to Studios
Disney is restructuring its Consumer Products division, moving operations from Experiences to Entertainment Studios in October.
New DC Studios Show 'Lanterns' Is Out This August on HBO Max, Plus New 'Hard Knocks,' Conan and More
These shows and tons of great new movies arrive to HBO Max this month.
MrBeast Sales Slow, Angel Stock Falls, MUBI and Neon Look for Hits, and Will an NBA Franchise Set a Sales Record?
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) You probably remember egg prices spiking a few years ago. This led to a lot of debate between the pro-market/pro-competition/antitrust/Neo-Brandesian crowd and the center/center-right/center-left/abundance/libertarian crowd over the cause, whether it was the avian flu outbreak or whether industry consolidation led to price fixing, using avian flu as a convenient cover. Basel Musharbash wrote a whole investigation at BIG looking at it. Well, two years later, we have our answer: it was price fixing. The Justice Department found proof, via emails, of price fixing. Indeed, just the threat of an investigation brought prices down two years ago: I bring this up because at least half a dozen of my favorite political writers and pundits, who were skeptical about price fixing at the time, haven’t written any mea culpas on this issue. It’s really dispiriting and makes it much, much harder to trust their work on other issues. If you take a hard stand on an issue, then you get it wrong, you need to explain how and why you got it wrong. Or update your priors. This is how epistemological bubbles are formed! All of which is to say, it’s time for another installment of “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong”. Last issue, I mostly focused on the “wrong” side of the equation, so today’s is a bit more balanced, but with one big mea culpa (though I still stand by my original concerns). Let’s dive right in! Subscribe CORRECTION: UFC Didn’t Release Subscriber Data (But Seems to Have Bragged About It Internally) In my analysis of the viewership of UFC Freedom 250, I wrote... “Paramount has also released datecdotes bragging about their subscriber numbers. Earlier this year, they claimed that the first UFC fight on Paramount+ brought in 1 million subscribers.” Well, that datecdote did not come from a PR rep, but from great reporting from James Faris at Business Insider. The actual quote was this: “Paramount’s flagship streaming service generated about a million new subscribers on the day of its first-ever UFC event, Paramount product chief Dane Glasgow told employees in a town hall on Tuesday morning, three staffers who attended the meeting told Business Insider.“ This wasn’t the biggest goof in the world; even Faris emphasized to me that this is more a “clarification” than a correction. Still, it sounds like, internally, the folks at Paramount were very happy about this result—and I’m guessing they were happy with this news getting out—even though the gains didn’t last through the quarter, dropping to 700K adds. RIGHT: MrBeast’s Struggles Continue... I’m very skeptical about MrBeast’s burgeoning media “empire” and, in particular, its $5 billion valuation, as I wrote earlier this year and last year. Sure enough, according to Business Insider, regarding its “booming” consumer products division_:_ “US sales volume grew 13% year-over-year in 2025, following a 33% leap the previous year, according to a presentation deck dated May 2026....A February 2025 investor deck viewed by Business Insider showed Feastables’ net revenue more than doubled in 2024 from 2023, to $215 million, and was forecast to grow 74% in 2025, to $375 million.” [Emphasis mine.] If you told investors that you projected 74% growth but delivered 13%,1 that’s not ideal. But it’s not just MrBeast. Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime had sales drop in half for their energy drinks. It’s one thing to build a successful entertainment company and an entirely different thing to succeed in the heavily-consolidated-but-also-very-competitive consumer packaged goods space! CPGs are dominated by a few firms with very wide moats compared to YouTube, which has few barriers to entry. These businesses require different skill sets and have completely different business environments. WRONG: Does the NBA Have an $8 Billion Bidder? Almost as soon as I published my article about the NBA’s finances, casting skepticism on NBA expansion, I saw this Front Office Sports headline: One group “claims to have already raised $8 billion” for the Vegas expansion team. I mean, wow. That’s just $2 billion less than what the Los Angeles Lakers were valued at when they were sold just last year. And they’re arguably the most popular team in the NBA. (Side note: the new owner is now under an investigation for fraud in how he went about financing the Lakers and the Dodgers purchases.) So much for the “dried up” language I used in that article. (This is why I usually stick to my “Entertainment Nuance Guy” tone in articles...) I went off old information—from April, when I read/heard about the NBA downplaying expansion efforts—instead of doing a quick double-check for new news. That said...if you read the article, the market for Seattle is “slow”, with just one reported bidder. So I wasn’t entirely off. This goof has annoyed me since I first published it, mainly because it undercut that article’s real point, which I stand by: NBA franchises are really overvalued right now. Now, I get why NBA teams are overvalued. When it comes to owning sports teams, it’s basically never wrong to assume that some rich person somewhere will care more about owning a team (or just being part of a group since they’re so expensive) than the actual financials. There are only so many teams to own, and opportunities to buy in preferred markets don’t come along very often. This explains why the teams sell for such high multiples (usually above a 10 to 12.5 revenue multiple, which is very high). You only need one person to overpay! Beyond the ultra-wealthy luxury good explanation, I worry NBA teams are becoming speculative assets. More and more private equity investors are buying into NBA teams. But the value, in owning a team, comes from selling it later, not any meaningful relationship to revenue or profit growth. In other words, the newer NBA owners are increasingly expecting someone later to buy their inflated asset. That’s not sound economics; that’s the “greater fool” theory at work.2 At some point, actually making money has to matter. Especially since revenue growth is now below the growth of the stock market. (And this matters because the NBA doesn’t have easy levers to pull to drastically lower their costs—half of their revenue has to go to players and then you actually have to run a team, including coaching, training, travel, media expenses, and more—or raise revenues aside from one-off expansions in America and overseas.) I just don’t see how investors make their money back buying NBA teams, except for selling at a higher price later on down the line. But if revenue/profit growth continues to slow, at some point, someone will be left holding the bag. RIGHT: Baseball and Basketball are about equally popular. Related to the above, I wanted to cite two quick pieces of evidence for one of my other theories: that the NBA and MLB are about as popular as each other, but the NBA gets much, much better media coverage. One YouGov survey has that fans prefer basketball to baseball by 52% to 48%, which I’m guessing is within the margin of error for that poll. That’s virtually even, meaning they’re about the same popularity. Over on NBC, a recent Red Sox-Yankees game averaged 4 million viewers, higher than Sunday Night Basketball’s average of 3.4 million on the same network. A Yankees-Dodgers game averaged 3.9 million two weeks ago. Not every game averages this much, but it shows you that baseball isn’t far off from basketball, depending on the matchup. Altogether, the NBA is just slightly more popular than baseball, but NBC is paying MLB a fraction of what they pay the NBA, a point I’ve made before. RIGHT: Angel, MUBI and Neon Updates... I’ve long been skeptical about many of Hollywood’s buzziest startups/smaller indie studios. It’s not that they don’t make great movies—films like Anora and Everything Everywhere All at Once are amazing—or that they’re not (rightfully) pushing the majors to make better films, but...they get a ton of hype, and that hype often doesn’t live up to the reality or difficulty in scaling up. Starting with MUBI, well, The Wall Street Journal wrote a feature on MUBI’s struggles last April, best summarized by the subheader “After Sequoia valued Mubi at $1 billion, a left-wing revolt sent the indie film company into a tailspin”. MUBI lost $7.3 million on $200 million in revenue in Q4 2025, but reportedly hit a record 1.7 million subscribers at the end of Q1. As for Neon, Department M purchased a “significant stake” in the company earlier this year. How much is that “stake” worth? According to Deadline, “No financial figures for the Neon-Department M deal were disclosed.” So...that’s not great! If it was a big valuation, we’d hear about. Also, I found this curious: “Both Neon and Department M already have separate partnerships with Qatar. The Qatar Film Committee has a slate deal in place with the former, and a biopic production pact with the latter.” Color me skeptical about much Middle Eastern investment dollars. See: LIV Golf. Finally, as for Angel (formerly Angel Studios), their stock very, very slightly popped last month after Young Washington ($20 million budget) which made $45 million in the US, but their stock is still way down from its opening. Smaller Updates RIGHT: The WGA should focus on antitrust concerns! I’ve been on this for years. Post-WGA/AMTPT deal in 2023, I wrote an article for the Ankler calling on the WGA to focus and organize against industry consolidation. Sure enough, the WGA filed a lawsuit against the Paramount-WBD merger, and people are organizing around this issue now. I wish this energy had coalesced earlier (specifically to lobby Washington much earlier), but better late than never! WRONG: Actually, the chip shortage might be due to market manipulation. In my last “Long Reads for the Long Summer” article, I shared an article about how LLMs are causing memory chip prices to spike, which will make all electronics more expensive. Well, turns out, three RAM manufacturers control 90% of the market, and now a private lawsuit accuses them of price-fixing. So yeah. WRONG/UPDATE: The Odyssey will hold! Two weeks ago, I wrote, “As of this moment, we haven’t had a super-blockbuster, though The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday could all cross the $500 million mark. (At this point, The Odyssey would need a very strong hold to get there.)” Well, it’s safe to say it’s going to have that hold! It only dropped 30% in weekend two and IMAX screenings are sold out all month. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is also off to a great start. RIGHT: People are rushing to get shows out yearly. I’ve long been bullish on yearly, weekly-released shows, and Leslie Goldberg at The Ankler wrote about how many people in town are now listening. WRONG: Mark Carney reverses Canada’s stance on homegrown production. After writing about Canada installing domestic production quotas, Canada has backed off. WRONG: I don’t trust Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s online “views”. When I originally wrote about the latest Spider-Man film’s record-breaking trailer, I thought this was just YouTube views, but after watching this Corridor Crew video and doing more research, well, it’s all social views of the trailer globally. Really? That stat includes TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts views. Basically, I don’t trust it anymore. (This film will probably set record, but I trust the pre-sales data more.) RIGHT: Celebrity Production companies are still struggling. I’ve written about this for years, but the company that I didn’t track was Kevin Hart’s HartBeat, which was valued at $650 million but is struggling now and might just end soon, especially after Kevin Hart pulled his endorsement deals. And Bad Robot is moving to NYC. CORRECTION: SpongeBob is a “second run” title. In my 2025 recap article, I had _SpongeBob SquarePants_labelled as a “library” title, when it is still a “second run” show, with new episodes still coming out on Nickelodeon. CORRECTION: In my last “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong” update, I offered a correction from Doug Creutz and misspelled TD Cowen. Thanks, Grammarly! 1 Though he could have increased prices to make up for the gap, he couldn’t have increased them that much. 2 There’s a theory, which I think that Daryl Morey created and Bill Simmons popularized, that, to be successful building your team, you only need a handful of bad GMs in the league to take advantage of. To be clear, Daryl Morey’s theory was also for signing bad contracts, that you could always get out of bad contracts. Basically, there’s always someone who will make a bad trade. It’s not the same exact thing, but similar enough to the Greater Fool Theory that I really like it.
Joe Budden Is Launching a True-Crime Podcast With Wolf Entertainment, Advance Local's Headline Studio
Joe Budden partnered with Wolf Entertainment and news publisher Advance Local's Headline Studio for a new podcast, "Crime in America."
Business partner details 'buffer' role in Brandon Deriso's show bookings
Brandon Deriso's history of controversial business partnerships, from a pole-dancing studio to music productions, detailed in This Is Reno investigation.
The studio behind Pokémon struggles to find its voice in Beast of Reincarnation
A beast of burden.
Wishbone, pioneer restaurant of West Loop dining scene, is closing
The restaurant moved near Oprah's Harpo Studios long before the neighborhood became the hot spot it is today.
Studio Entertainment: Laila Noelle
BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — Laila Noelle was with Studio 701 for Music Monday. She told us about her upcoming show with Tigerlily Gold, which will be held at Burning Hills Amphitheater August 10. She al…
2064: Read Only Memories Studio Files For Bankruptcy
2064: Read Only Memories dev MidBoss' filing was made by former and now-current CEO Matt Conn
Google is canceling an unreleased app after 800,000 people pre-ordered it
The company says it will bring AI-powered app creation directly into the Gemini app, eliminating the need for a separate app.
BUSINESS A Chicago couple’s recording studio showcases underrepresented musicians
Queer couple and Friends of Friends Recording (FOF) Co-Founders DeAnna Doersch and Brok Mende met each other in Chicago when they were both youth group leaders for an Evangelical Christian organization. Each of them now agree that that meeting felt like a lifetime ago. Doersch and Mende were in college at the time and discovered a shared […]
Silent Hill: Townfall's dev team wrecked old TVs with magnets to make its in-game gadget feel real
Silent Hill: Townfall studio Screen Burn used broken TVs and magnets to make its in-game gadget, the CRTV, feel analogue as well as look it.
Gemini will create mobile & desktop apps in the future as AI Studio for Android, iOS is canceled
At I/O 2026, Google teased an AI Studio app for Android and iOS. This mobile application has been canceled...
New Fallout Game in Early Development at "RPG Specialist" inXile Entertainment
It was recently revealed that Xbox would be leaning into inter-studio collaborations to increase output and efficiency at its in-house game studios, and this seems to be the case now. In a recent podcast, Windows Central journalist and notable industry insider, Jez Corden, commented that he had...