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PlayStation Reportedly Polling Game Developers After Decision to Kill Discs Sparks Backlash
PlayStation is reportedly sending a lengthy survey to game developers with a question about how they sell physical games after their decision to stop producing physical game discs prompted intense backlash.
Pa. lawmakers face deadline to regulate and tax skill games
Pa. lawmakers have less than three weeks to reach a deal on skill games, including how to regulate and tax the machines.
See Brevard County's high school football live scoreboard, Week 6
See Florida Today's live scoreboard for Week 6 high school football games across Brevard County on Sept. 24-25.
Ubisoft hosting new Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch sale, lowest prices ever for Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection, Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition, more
Ubisoft is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a brand new sale on the Nintendo eShop, which includes games like Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection, Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition, and more at new low prices. Other notable releases are included as well. You can save big on the Mario + Rabbids series, The Rogue Prince of Persia, and more. The full...
Angels Quest To Set Franchise Record Continues In Seattle
The Los Angeles Angels have never lost 100 games in a season, but they're playing record-setting baseball for sure.
Nintendo Reportedly Canceled A Ubisoft-Developed Zelda Game Starring Ganondorf
The project apparently began life with a different protagonist.
14 things to do around the Seattle area this weekend
From sightseeing on the way to WSU Cougar games to WhirlyBall, here are the latest local things to do around the Seattle area.
Rumor: Mario + Rabbids dev pitched Zelda spin-off to Nintendo featuring Ganondorf
According to a report from Insider Gaming, the team behind the Mario + Rabbids games once made a pitch to Nintendo for a Zelda spin-off featuring Ganondorf. Nintendo and Ubisoft Milan were apparently discussing their next collaboration in 2022. Previously, this team made Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. The initial pitch was an...
Josh McDaniels preaches patience with Patriots offense
New England has scored just two offensive touchdowns in its first two games.
Arc Raiders is Finally Testing a PvE Mode
It's been a long time coming. But don't get too excited, as it may not be here to stay.
An Iowa Football Fan's Guide To Week 4
Your afternoon viewing window will obviously be on the Iowa-Michigan game, but there's a lot of other football games that may catch your eye this weekend.
Rockstar Unveils $400 Grand Theft Auto VI Collector's Set — But It Doesn't Include the Game
Rockstar Games has announced a $400 Grand Theft Auto VI collector's set, but the Vice City box doesn't include a copy of GTA 6.
Pennsylvania skill games fight leaves small businesses facing an uncertain future
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For one Pennsylvania bar owner, skill games have been more than a source of entertainment. They've helped keep a small business afloat in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic changed how people spend their time and money. Now, with a state Supreme Court ruling putting the machines’ future
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Will Bridge The Gap Between The Animated Series And The Games
The success of the show has birthed a lot of fans waiting for a new Castlevania game to sink their teeth into
Miami Central at Northwestern rivalry football game has big stakes
USA TODAY Florida reporters Jon Santucci and Nick Wilson look at the key football games in Week 6 that have Open Division implications.
Important Games to watch: Week 4
Week 4 is here and important SEC Matchups this week can have some major implications for the rest of the season
Starfield 2 will likely never happen because the first wasn’t ‘anywhere near successful enough’, former dev says
A sequel could have been much closer to the original vision…
How do you feel about Newcastle's start to the season?
As we enter the season's first international break, we want to hear your thoughts on the opening five games in the Premier League. It was a frantic summer and start to the season on Tyneside, as the Eddie Howe era ended and Matthias Jaissle joined amid a flurry of player exits and arrivals. Jaissle began with an encouraging draw against Liverpool but the 4-1 defeat at Leeds United was a sore one for everyone connected with the club.
How do you feel about Leeds' start to the season?
As we enter the season's first international break, we want to hear your thoughts on the opening five games of the Premier League. Leeds have yet to be beaten in the league as Daniel Farke's men make a good start in their bid to solidify their place in the top flight. Two wins and three draws mean Leeds sit fifth and feeling buoyant about the campaign ahead.
Free Play Days features four free Xbox games this weekend
After digging around in the Microsoft Store, we can reveal this weekend's Free Play Days games, which include PGA Tour 2K25 and The Division 2.
Jessica Shepard secures another triple-double and Wings beat Storm 103-91
Dallas (27-16), which won just 10 games last season, set a WNBA record for the best single-season turnaround in league history with a 17-win improvement.
Week 4 college football viewer's guide: Loaded Saturday slate features 6 games between ranked teams, including Texas at Tennessee
2026 Heisman Week Three Poll
Welcome to the 2026 Heisman Week Three poll. Our Heisman hopefuls had some big record-breaking weekends. As we enter week four of the season, most teams are entering conference play, so the games get bigger and the stakes get higher. There has been some movement from last week, and to see all the movement from …
Denver Broncos look to continue success vs. NFC opponents
In the last nine games against NFC teams, the Broncos are 9-0. All streaks end. When will this one?
"I assume someone is being greedy somewhere" - Tim Schafer discusses current game industry woes following Double Fine's split with Xbox
Tim Schafer speaks to the BBC about Double Fine going independent, Game Pass, and the games industry in general.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered Global Release Times Confirmed by CD Projekt
CD Projekt has confirmed the global release times for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered. Here's when you can play in your region.
Spartans Wire Big Ten Football Picks: Week 4
Check out our picks against the betting spread for each of the Big Ten games this week
Patriots set to kick off region slate with unbeaten Science Hill
The most pivotal stretch of the year for the Jefferson County Patriots has officially arrived. This week begins the Patriots’ Region 1-6A slate for the 2026 season, and it gets underway with Science Hill and Dobyns-Bennett, two perennial threats to win the league each year, in back-to-back weeks. “Obviously two football games that are very,
Pokémon TCG Pocket: Deluxe Pack: Mega Coming Soon
These four-card packs are guaranteed to include one Pokémon ex, helping you fill out your collection.
Predicting upsets in Week 3 of NFL season
These games all have upset potential in Week 3 of the NFL season.
College football Week 4: How to watch this Saturday's NCAA football games
How you can keep up with every NCAA football game this week.
Free Agent Addition Named Contract New Orleans Saints Already Regret
There was a lot of excitement around the New Orleans Saints addition of running back Travis Etienne Jr. over the offseason. However, the early results have been underwhelming.Over the first two games of the season, Etienne tallied just 71 total yards, and he’s yet to get into the End Zone in a Saints uniform.Contract for […] The post Free Agent Addition Named Contract New Orleans Saints Already Regret appeared first on HEAVY.
Yankees To Try Anthony Volpe At New Position This Week
The New York Yankees are using the final five games of the regular season to test some things out
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies VR announced for Quest, Meta VR Glasses
AMATA Games, under licensing from Capcom, has announced Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies VR for Quest and the newly announced Meta VR Glasses. It will launch in 2027 with English…
Panthers Announce Devin Lloyd News Ahead of Week 3
The Carolina Panthers got some unexpected injury news on Devin Lloyd right after he was recognized for putting together one of the best games of his career. The post Panthers Announce Devin Lloyd News Ahead of Week 3 appeared first on HEAVY.
Here’s how much UNC, NC State will receive for their men’s basketball games in Greensboro
North Carolina and NC State are scheduled to play in the inaugural Tobacco Road Classic on Dec. 15 in Greensboro. The teams will meet next season, too.
AL West Race Comes Down to the Wire!
The American League West is turning into one of baseball’s most dramatic division races, and it could come down to the final game of the regular season. The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are tied at 78-79 with just five games remaining. Houston currently holds the tiebreaker after winning the season series against Texas, giving…
Rockies Have Five More Games to Pick Up Victories
With the 100-loss mark reached yet again, the Colorado Rockies are looking to get a win or two before the 2026 MLB season ends.
Angels Are ‘Chasing’ Rockies To Set A New Franchise Record
The Los Angeles Angels are close to losing 100 games in a season for the first time, and the Rockies have been there.
San Francisco Giants Make Marcelo Mayer Move During Twins Series
The San Francisco Giants certainly have not had the season they’d hoped for by any stretch.They’re coming off a 3-2 loss against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night and sit at 65-93 overall with just five games remaining in the regular season.And while these games don’t count for anything and it’s likely most in San […] The post San Francisco Giants Make Marcelo Mayer Move During Twins Series appeared first on HEAVY.
Entertainment in the AI Era: Music, Games and Film: 2nd LA CorpGov Forum
CorpGov hosted the second LA CorpGov Forum on Sept. 18, 2026, at The Huntington Library in San Marino, California. This event brought together members of the financial community from both LA and beyond in panels focused on the finance of entertainment and media, sports, along with capital markets and shareholder activism. Panel: Entertainment in the […] The post Entertainment in the AI Era: Music, Games and Film: 2nd LA CorpGov Forum appeared first on CorpGov.
‘I just assume someone is being greedy’: Double Fine’s Tim Schafer says he doesn’t know why the industry isn’t recovering
He also says Double Fine’s survival is “worth fighting for” following its split from Xbox…
Trae Young Throws Subtle Shade at Former Atlanta Hawks Teammates
The Atlanta Hawks traded Trae Young to the Washington Wizards back in January, ending nearly eight-year tenure there.Young played just five games with the Wizards for the rest of the season due to injuries. He signed a new contract this offseason and will anchor the team’s offense as the primary playmaker.The Wizards have a loaded […] The post Trae Young Throws Subtle Shade at Former Atlanta Hawks Teammates appeared first on HEAVY.
Arc Raiders' Battle Pass Won't Be Totally Free Anymore, But It'll Pay For Itself
Embark's new Reward Pass replaces the Raider Deck, and with it comes a new premium version.
TNIAAM roundtable: thoughts on Syracuse Football after 3 games
We check in with the Orange at the 1/4 pole of the season
Quinn Meinerz and Garett Bolles Are Powering the Broncos' Commitment to the Run Game
Quinn Meinerz has a 90.9 PFF grade and zero penalties through two games, and Garett Bolles leads Denver's line as three starters still find their footing.
Tigers Top Prospect Zyhir Hope Nears Detroit Debut
Zyhir Hope hit .269 with six homers in 30 games at Erie after the Skubal trade. #Tigers
Colts’ Major Problem is ‘Real’
There’s a stat going around on social media that says the Indianapolis Colts have allowed the most yards through two games of an NFL season in 50 years. That’s not actually true, but it does make a valid point: The Colts are getting gashed. Whether the opposition decides to run the ball or throw it, […] The post Colts’ Major Problem is ‘Real’ appeared first on HEAVY.
Dragon Age Director Finally Says What Fans Have Been Thinking For Years: The Fade Needs To Go
Mark Darrah also shared what he'd change about the other games in the series
How do you feel about Everton's start to the season?
As we enter the season's first international break, we want to hear your thoughts on the opening five games of the Premier League. After an underwhelming summer transfer window, perhaps some fans will still be restless with the club's hierarchy. On the pitch though, David Moyes has made the most of his squad as the Toffees have made a strong start to the season.
How do you feel about Palace's start to the season?
As we enter the season's first international break, we want to hear your thoughts on the opening five games of the Premier League. It has been a mixed start to life under Pierre Sage after a summer of change at Crystal Palace. Sage replaced arguably the Eagles' greatest manager in Oliver Glasner and saw some key players leave and others become unsettled.
Wild announce Spectrum deal under new TV contract
Spectrum customers will be able to watch Minnesota Wild games this season.
High school football Week 6 predictions of the Milwaukee area
Journal Sentinel sports reporters Zac Bellman and Michael Whitlow make their predictions for the Week 6 games to watch in the Milwaukee area.
Brewers postseason tickets: Milwaukee guaranteed home NLDS games
The Brewers clinched a first-round bye in the 2026 MLB playoffs. NLDS tickets in Milwaukee are on sale now, here's everything you need to know:
Why Cherries must rediscover goal threat
Rediscovering a goal threat will be the priority when the international break ends and Bournemouth face seven games in the last 22 days of October.
Playoff Countdown: New England Revolution, St. Louis CITY mean business
Most teams have eight games left. The end is nigh. Until then… Each week, we’ll look at four teams rising or falling in the standings, three players making an impact, and three storylines to watch. An Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs race 4-3-3, if you will. Four teams we're monitoring
Aberdeen's attacking issues laid bare
The 48 chances created by Stephen Robinson's side is the lowest tally in the division - same for their 37 chances from open play - while they have the fewest shots on target (18) and second-fewest shots (70). It must be noted Aberdeen haven't had the kindest fixtures, with Robinson keen to point out they have faced five of last season's top-six teams in their opening seven games. Eight points have been accrued, leaving the Dons seventh in a congested table and just two points shy of fourth, so there's no reason for panic.
Matt LaFleur calls out Packers’ “Disgusting” third down struggles
The Green Bay Packers managed to even its record at 1-1 by escaping with a 20-17 overtime victory against the New York Jets in Week 2. Despite securing the win, the Packers offense has yet to fully click through the opening two games. Their struggles on third down have been particularly noticeable, and Matt LaFleur [...]
D’Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai present major challenge for Eagles
Chicago enters Monday night averaging 212.5 rushing yards and 6.1 yards per attempt through its first two games
Shohei Ohtani expected to be activated on Wednesday
Ohtani has missed the last 13 games due to multiple injuries, spot in starting lineup remains undecided.
Week 3 fantasy kicker rankings: Top streamers, starts
The Bengals' Evan McPherson is one of several NFL kickers who haven't missed a field goal or extra point attempt through the first two games.
Showcase your research at Science is Wonderful! 2027
Science is Wonderful! is the annual science fair organised by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). It invites EU-funded researchers from around the world to come to Brussels and explain their work to children and youngsters. MSCA is calling on its fellows and alumni to apply and present their research project to over 4,000 pupils coming from all corners of Belgium to see science come alive. The 2027 edition will take place in Brussels, from 17 to 19 March 2027. Teams of researchers will showcase their work at booths through live experiments, interactive presentations, floor games, physical challenges, and many other
Kostoulas & Vuskovic shining for high-flying Seagulls
Brighton are flying high under the youngest manager in the top flight after five games of the Premier League season. Fabian Hurzeler guided his side to a 3-0 victory against Arsenal on the 125-year anniversary of the club in style - and the Seagulls sit in a very pleasing third place in the table. Former Brighton midfielder Warren Aspinall told Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast that the Gunners were "out-thought and out-battled".
This week's top high school football games
A look at two of this week's top high school football games: Hart plays Saugus in a key Foothill League game; Crenshaw takes on unbeaten Cleveland.
Exclusive: The next Pokémon TCG Delta Reign illustration rare officially revealed
Sprigatito will get a new illustration rare in the new set…
Netherlands vs Germany: First big test awaits Xavi and Klopp
Netherlands host Germany on Thursday in one of the standout UEFA Nations League games during this international break.The fixture marks a new era for both teams. Xavi Hernandez is in charge of the Net...
Aaron Rodgers Ranks Almost Last in Key NFL QB Stat
Aaron Rodgers is not off to a great start in what appears to be his final NFL season. The Pittsburgh Steelers signal-caller does have the team at 1-1 in the standings, but his production has been the problem. That is, the lack of production.Rodgers has one touchdown pass through two games, averaging 204 yards per […] The post Aaron Rodgers Ranks Almost Last in Key NFL QB Stat appeared first on HEAVY.
New Adtech From Microsoft Would Interrupt Your Game at 'Promoted Content Trigger Events'
Fantastic news for everyone who loves ads in their video games.
Colts Coach Detailed What’s Wrong With The Indianapolis Defense
The Indianapolis Colts have lost nine consecutive regular-season games. It has been a very significant reality check for head coach Shane Steichen. At one point, his collective was on op of the NFL world with an 8-2 record. The post Colts Coach Detailed What’s Wrong With The Indianapolis Defense appeared first on HEAVY.
Former Saints WR Brandin Cooks Gets Big NFL News: Report
Brandin Cooks’ Saints reunion ended after 10 games. Now the former first-round pick has another NFL opportunity — and a milestone within reach. The post Former Saints WR Brandin Cooks Gets Big NFL News: Report appeared first on HEAVY.
Georgia Bulldogs, Clemson Tigers cancel future games, per report
According to a new report, the Georgia Bulldogs and Clemson Tigers are cancelling four future non-conference football games.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Game Discussion Tuesday
Just 6 games to go for the St. Louis Cardinals this season. Tuesday night, it’s the beginning of a 3-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Andre Pallante will get the start for the Cardinals while the Pirates will give the ball RHP Jared Jones. First pitch at PNC Park in Pittsburgh is scheduled for 5:40pm […]
How can the Diamondbacks still make the 2026 MLB postseason?
PHOENIX – With six games remaining, the Diamondbacks are still alive in the NL Wild Card race, but barely. Arizona sits four games behind Philadelphia for the third National League Wild Card spot.
Grand Theft Auto 6's Miami Takeover Begins as Rockstar Spends Nearly $1 Million on 'Welcome to Vice City' Signage
Rockstar Games has reportedly spent $1 million to install a "Welcome to Vice City" sign in Miami as part of Grand Theft Auto 6's marketing push.
Grading first-year Lions OC Drew Petzing after Week 2
The Lions have posted 31 points in each of their first two games. How is first-year OC Drew Petzing grading out through two weeks?
Dodgers activate Andy Pages, Roki Sasaki from injured list
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers on Tuesday got a few regulars back as reinforcements heading into the final week of the regular season and into October, activating center fielder Andy Pages and pitcher Roki Sasaki off the injured list. Pages missed 27 games after getting hit by a fastball on his left hand on August […]
Packers Get Brutal ‘Season Is Chalked’ Message After Jets Escape
Green Bay avoided an 0-2 start, but its first two games left one ESPN analyst questioning how much can be trusted going forward. The post Packers Get Brutal ‘Season Is Chalked’ Message After Jets Escape appeared first on HEAVY.
20+ "Delta Reign" Card Images Revealed!
TPCi's European branches have sent out Delta Reign card images to foreign press outlets, including IGN, Gamesradar, Nintendo Life, NME, Maville,
Detroit Pistons reach streaming agreement with DAZN
In addition to broadcasting for free on local TV, the Detroit Pistons will also stream games with an exclusive partner next season.
College Football Playoff odds entering Week 4: Texas begins gauntlet
A loaded Week 4 slate of games could drastically shake up the CFP landscape.
Tyrone Tracy News: Steelers, Giants Connected In Trade Rumors
Tyrone Tracy is still a member of the New York Giants, but that may not be the case for long. A former fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Purdue product began his career on a relatively high note. Appearing in all 17 games while making 12 starts, the rookie finished his inaugural campaign …
Graham says getting first Scotland call-up was 'surreal'
Luke Graham says getting his first call-up to the Scotland squad was "pretty surreal". The 22-year-old defender has impressed since making the summer switch to Stoke City, playing eight games so far in the Championship. Sebastien Pocognoli included the former Dundee defender in his first Scotland squad - a pleasant surprise for the Graham family.
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Week 3
The PAC-12 had an opportunity to prove itself with a weekend of big games
Tigers Face a $24 Million Javier Baez Decision
Javier Baez hit .240 in 56 games and is owed $24 million next season. #Tigers
State Of Decay 3 Lives On, And Is Still Coming To Game Pass
Undead Labs has found a new publisher for its survival game but hasn't yet said who it is.
Plan a Night Out in Downtown Bloomsburg, PA
Plan a night out in Downtown Bloomsburg, PA, with local food, shopping, games, live music and creative activities. Explore walkable stops near Bloomsburg University for date nights, group outings and evenings with friends.
Xbox Is Merging Its Two Forza Teams Into One Studio Focused On Forza Horizon And Fable
Playground Games and Turn 10 are merging
Xbox is merging its Forza developers into a single studio
Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios staff will now focus on Forza Horizon and Fable together.
Watch schedule highlights of Cincinnati's Week 6 high school football
Cincinnati Week 6 high school football games include St. Xavier at Elder, Moeller at La Salle, East Central at Harrison and Deer Park vs. Madeira.
Week 3 power rankings: 49ers rise after 2-0 start
The 49ers proved their one of the top teams in the NFL after winning their first two games of the season.
Sony appears to be testing PlayStation Store credit offers when you buy certain games
What looks to be an unannounced PlayStation loyalty programme of some kind has seemingly gone live for some, offering store credit.
San Francisco 49ers schedule, stats through 2 games
A look at the 49ers, whom the Cardinals face in Week 3, and what they have done so far in their 2-0 start.
VITIK CALLED UP BY CZECHIA
Today, Martin Vitik has joined the eleven other Rossoneri players who have already been called up by their national teams. He will join the Czechia squad for the home games against Croatia (26/9) and ...
Patriots offense sputtered as Drake Maye looks for answers
The Patriots have serious offensive issues despite their 20-3 win over Pittsburgh. They've scored only two touchdowns in 20 drives over two games.
PS Plus Discount for One of PS5's Best New Indie Games
Well Dweller opens to 90+ critic reviews
One of 2026's Best-Rated PS5 Games Is Out Today, and You Probably Don't Even Know It
Well Dweller opens to 90+ critic reviews
'A really positive start for Barry'
Thierno Barry has been the surprise hit of Everton's season so far, with the 23-year-old striker the match-winner against Ipswich to take his tally to five goals this season. It is a marked improvement in scoring ratio from his eight goals in 41 games last season - and BBC Sport Merseyside commenter Chris Coughlin believes Barry is becoming a favourite with fans. It is Everton heritage and an honour to wear the number nine.
Argentina gifts Lionel Messi special jersey for final retirement match
A few weeks ago, soccer legend and World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi announced his goodbye to international soccer . After representing his country for almost 207 games, Messi is now all set to don the blue and white jersey for one final time. Messi, 39, will play his last international match against West African nation Benin on Oct. 6, 2026. […] The post Argentina gifts Lionel Messi special jersey for final retirement match appeared first on ClutchPoints.
How lip-syncing to AI let Forced Entertainment ‘play the game of theatre’
Today we have a fascinating piece by long-time Forced Entertainment fan Ben Kulvichit, speaking to Tim Etchells about their latest show Cold Sweat, how they are integrating lip-sync and AI voices into their work, the question of ‘authenticity’ on stage, and how lip-sync has even opened the door for them to make “something a little bit like drama”. This piece is a paid partnership with the Southbank Centre, where you can see Cold Sweat next month – we’re very grateful to the Southbank Centre for their ongoing support for Exeunt. Holly Williams ‘It was immediately interesting and uncanny’ **By Ben Kulvichit** “Is the microphone on?” So goes one of the opening lines of Signal to Noise, delivered by a human performer lip-syncing to an AI-generated voice. The voice is American, cheery but sluggish, slowed down into a gelatinous drawl. It repeats ad infinitum in a farce of stuckness; an answer never materialises. I find myself asking the same question as I hop on a Google Meet call with Tim Etchells, the artistic director of Forced Entertainment. We spend five or ten minutes frowning at each other, muting and unmuting, me gesticulating in semaphore into my webcam, checking if I am coming through now, restarting the laptop. To Etchells, I appear exaggeratedly mouthing words, my voice missing. In this gloopy purgatory of broken communication, life imitates art imitates life imitates art. We try a Zoom instead. Forced Entertainment, the pioneering British theatre company who have been at the avant-garde of performance since the 1980s, turned an interesting artistic corner with Signal to Noise, created on the occasion of their 40th anniversary. The whole performance employed this lip-sync technique to AI voices; on the face of it a left-field move from a company whose identity has long been grounded in the earthy, immediate presences of its performers and its unassuming, low-tech approach to theatricality. The technique, however, turned out to provide the company with a “rich new seam” of artistic enquiry, and has now spawned a trilogy of works. The second instalment, Cold Sweat, plays at Sheffield Theatres, Southbank Centre, and Lancaster Arts in October, while the third part, Everything Must Go, has been touring in Europe and is slated to come to the UK in 2027. As is often the case with Forced Entertainment shows, the main conceit for this work didn’t arrive until quite late. They were “four or five weeks into rehearsals for Signal to Noise,” Etchells recalls, and getting nowhere. Away from rehearsals, he had been playing around with feeding “weird texts” to AI voices to see how they would cope with them – “basically for my own amusement” – and was compelled by the uniformly “serviceable, benign, good-natured” tone they would read in, no matter how poetic, fractured or experimental the writing. On a hunch, he brought some examples into rehearsals and the performers gave lip-syncing a go. “It was immediately interesting and uncanny,” he recalls, with the performers having to deal in the moment with the problem of mapping themselves onto another artificial ‘performer,’ which itself was dealing with the problem of a very human text. “Almost all the writing for these projects would be useless to us unless it was done in this way,” says Etchells. “We wouldn’t know what to do with it. It’s too poetic. It’s too fictional. It’s too tangled.” But exploring lip-syncing along to the text has opened “an enormous reservoir of ways of thinking about writing and performing.” Subscribe to Exeunt, and get two in-depth pieces on theatre a week, direct to your inbox Subscribe Forced Entertainment have long been sifting through the detritus of popular culture, from daytime TV to end-of-the-pier vaudeville, magic acts and clown shows, to find frameworks for their own unusual entertainments. Lip-syncing, then, makes sense for them to experiment with. As a mode of performance, it’s wired into popular consciousness through pop stars trying to convince stadium audiences of their liveness, or those same voices as channeled through the made-up lips of contestants on RuPaul’s Drag Race, or movie dialogue spreading virally through the host bodies of TikTok users. For Etchells, lip-syncing is often about “approaching real voices and trying to take on their aura,” subsuming that original human presence into yours. “There’s a very basic, elemental sort of theatre magic to it, produced in this very easy way.” This broad approach resonates with instances of lip-syncing within contemporary performance, too. In works like Re-Member Me and Showmanism, performance artist Dickie Beau acts as a kind of spirit medium for archival recordings (this process of re-membering – as in, giving corporeal form to voices – relies on his masterfully precise actor’s technique), while Frankie Thompson is similarly possessed by a host of characters ranging from a nine-year-old Jacob Rees-Mogg to Cliff Richards, all of whom she finds compellingly nauseating, in the exorcism ritual that is her latest show, Horrible Things. What’s different about Forced Entertainment’s use of lip-syncing is that here, there is no original presence to be channeled. The performers are instead taking on what Etchells describes as “the voices of nobody,” or rather the “phantasmic, aggregated echoes” of the many many voices on whose data the AI has been trained, and which are now conjuring into existence words they never actually said. There is a sort of mournful, empty quality to these voices, having “washed up” far away from the people they originally belonged to, to find themselves in stranger’s mouths listing objects, wondering if anyone can hear them and glitching in interminable loops. There is a cold, sad anonymity to it all. Etchells remarks that occasionally the software company he used has notified him that particular people are withdrawing their voices from the platform, instructing him to cease use of those voices. Using these technologies in performance certainly brings up ethical questions around digital rights, consent, identity and ownership, although in the grand scheme of things, Etchells is fairly blasé about it: of all the purposes someone’s voice might be put to without their knowledge, “an avant-garde performance is probably the least of their worries.” [ ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/frankie-thompson-horrible-things-essay-mental-health-compulsive-behaviours-pleasance-courtyard-soho-theatre) [ Frankie Thompson: How I manage my own ‘horrible things’ at the Edinburgh Fringe ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/frankie-thompson-horrible-things-essay-mental-health-compulsive-behaviours-pleasance-courtyard-soho-theatre) Exeunt · Aug 25 [ Read full story ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/frankie-thompson-horrible-things-essay-mental-health-compulsive-behaviours-pleasance-courtyard-soho-theatre) For the performers, though, lip-syncing to these strange, artificial voices is an odd task, requiring them to bend their live, human presence into the shapes produced by machines. Politically, it mirrors processes that are already at play in the continued computational automation of human life. Etchells brings up James Bridle’s writings on new technologies as a reference point: one example Bridle gives is of “chaotic storage”, a logistics technique employed by Amazon fulfilment centres whereby items are stored not according to traditional methods of categorisation or alphabetisation, but in a way that an algorithm determines to produce the most efficient routes for ‘picking’ based on customer purchase patterns. This appears completely random and incomprehensible to humans, with paddling pools sitting next to USB sticks sitting next to blowtorches, and so for the warehouse workers, the process of picking items becomes completely reliant on technology which tells them where to go. Our world is increasingly being designed not with humans in mind, but rather machines. As Etchells puts it, “technology malforms the space, and then you end up having to live in it.” Initially, Forced Entertainment tried their best to live in the world of machines: “I was in the it’s-got-to-be-perfect school of lip-sync,” says Etchells. But with their aesthetic being so tied to the failing act, the slipping mask, the shoddy costume, “it’s no surprise really that that didn’t last.” Instead, the performers got to enjoy being late for a line, or playing games with each other, “stealing” each other’s voices. Etchells compares it to the principles of ventriloquism, in which a free-floating voice unattached to a body is fundamentally discomforting and “sort of traumatic”. That discomfort is equally as alluring to Forced Entertainment as the satisfaction of precision, the pretence of authenticity only interesting if shown to be a pretence. Lip-sync has also opened up new avenues for the company. Having been allergic all their lives to Plays-with-a-capital-P, with Cold Sweat Forced Entertainment find themselves approaching something a little bit like drama. Rather than the presentational arena of Signal to Noise’s open white stage, Cold Sweat places us more decisively in a “fictional locale”: what appears to be “the aftermath of some disastrous party or backyard drinking binge” where three figures – family members, or neighbours, perhaps – are the last ones standing. “It’s all quite acrimonious and accusatory, everyone’s talking over each other.” For Etchells, this more fictional mode is “a door that we’ve never been able to open. We’ve just never really gone there.” Perhaps it is the technique of lip-syncing, an extra buffer of mediation, that allows them to venture away from the here-and-now without feeling that they have to commit to the “psychological claptrap” that comes along with acting; to be able to “play the game of theatre, without getting one’s hands too dirty.” As I wonder how else the impulses behind Forced Entertainment’s work have changed over time, it occurs to me that over the last ten years of new creations, with the exception of If All Else Fails, the company’s performers haven’t ever spoken on stage: there were two shows without any language at all, Out of Order and Under Bright Light, and then this trilogy of lip-sync works. Etchells agrees it’s a shift away from earlier productions, that were so often about “the actual voices of the performers and their actual presences. We had a lot of money, in some ways, on an authentic approach to what it might mean to speak on the stage.” But this sense of authentic presence itself had a fakeness to it; these days, Etchells can’t stand that mode of being onstage where performers “are here to be cheeky and witty versions of themselves. I don’t want to be charmed.” Pulling back into a more anonymous space has resulted in works that feel slightly sharper-edged, more brutal in a way. “All of these shows are post-Brexit, post-Trump, post-truth, post-everything,” Etchells notes. Speech, charisma, authenticity – these things feel politically loaded, and perhaps warmth and openness just don’t feel like the right tools to reflect the world we’re living in. “It feels like the space is closing down, and we’re trying to deal with the fact that the system, the structure that you’re in, is more oppressive and more powerful. It probably always was, but I think we’re just more tuned to it now.” Yet even without their voices, the performers’ distinctive presences – ones that many audiences have followed around for years, if not decades – still, inevitably, shine through as they physically navigate whatever unending task the system of the piece has set for them. They’re still trying to keep up with the onslaught of text, still running about, changing costumes, moving stuff around. The human is always stuck in the teeth of the machine, jamming the smooth, frictionless cheeriness of the not-real, gesticulating silently, trying desperately to communicate. Cold Sweat is at Sheffield Theatres, 2 to 3 October; Southbank Centre, London, 9 to 10 October; Lancaster Arts, 14 October [ ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/exeunt-recommends-the-best-autumn-theatre-2026-lives-of-others-standard-of-living-our-friends-in-the-north-lanny-) [ Exeunt recommends... the best autumn theatre ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/exeunt-recommends-the-best-autumn-theatre-2026-lives-of-others-standard-of-living-our-friends-in-the-north-lanny-) Exeunt · Sep 16 [ Read full story ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/exeunt-recommends-the-best-autumn-theatre-2026-lives-of-others-standard-of-living-our-friends-in-the-north-lanny-) This piece was paid for by the Southbank Centre. Such support helps Exeunt to keep publishing the most interesting writing, about the most exciting theatre. Interested in partnering with Exeunt? Visit our Advertise with Exeunt page, where you can get more information, download an advertising pack, and find our contact details.