All articles tagged with #industry news
GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen reportedly forfeits a $35 billion incentive tied to boosting the company's value to focus on pursuing an acquisition of eBay, a plan eBay has said is not credible or attractive. The move comes after Cohen’s leadership shift and while GameStop sees improved quarterly results, it has also shuttered stores and cut jobs, leaving investors wary amid ongoing stock volatility.
Revel Bikes announces the signing of freeride icon Cam McCaul, who will ride a Ritual and the redesigned Ranger as part of a long‑term partnership. The press release emphasizes aligned values, community building, and a shared belief in growing mountain biking, with Revel’s Adam Miller expressing excitement for Cam’s impact andCam’s goal to push the Ranger farther than anyone anticipated.
OtherSide Entertainment laid off 17 employees after canceling Argos: Riders on the Storm, saying the brutal games market made the project unviable; affected staff are being encouraged to seek new opportunities.
Ubisoft plans to close two studios (Winnipeg and Belgrade) and cut up to 380 positions as part of a broader restructuring that also reshapes its Global Publishing and Barcelona operations to focus on Rainbow Six projects. With over 15,000 employees, the company’s 2026 slate is thinner and several titles are delayed, following a $1 billion Tencent bailout and ongoing leadership and strategic changes that have sparked employee frustration.
On the first night without Stephen Colbert, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! dominated the 11:35 p.m. slot with 2.185 million viewers (295,000 in 18–49), while NBC’s Jimmy Fallon drew 1.301 million (194,000 18–49) and CBS’s Comics Unleashed fell to 628,000 (82,000 18–49) under Byron Allen’s time-buy arrangement; the shift highlights CBS’s pivot away from Colbert’s era and has Oliver mocking the replacement as the post-Colbert late-night landscape takes shape.
A Game File chart (via Stephen Totilo) tracks Sony’s total first‑party PS5-era game sales since 2020 against overall platform sales, showing first‑party copies peaked at 58.4 million in FY2020 and have fallen yearly amid long development times and a pivot to live‑service games. A rebound occurred in 2025 with titles like Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yotei, but the generation still lacks a signature PS5-era first‑party hit, raising questions about sustaining momentum into the PS6 era.
Analysts estimate Sony’s PS5 exclusive Saros sold just over 300,000 copies in its first two weeks, slightly behind Returnal, despite a more approachable design and upgrades. The bigger PS5 install base and stiff competition from back catalogs and new hits appear to be dampening momentum, though Saros shows a higher completion rate among top players. Sony has not released updated figures for other first‑party titles, raising questions about how to grow the platform’s audience amid rising development costs.
Sony’s PlayStation chief Hideaki Nishino laid out an ambitious AI strategy, arguing generative AI and tools like Mockingbird will boost studio creativity and cut tedious work—from rapid 3D facial animation to hair rendering—while enabling smarter store curation, NPC personalities, and personalized gameplay recommendations across the platform.
Sony booked a $560 million impairment in Q4 2025 tied to its Bungie acquisition, pushing the full-year Bungie deal losses to about $765 million and signaling potential further charges in 2026, while Bungie’s Marathon launches but fails to gain traction (low Steam activity and ongoing layoffs/leadership changes) — prompting talk of aggressive moves like price cuts or a free-trial weekend to revive the title.
Variety cites insiders claiming Meghan Markle would interrupt or recast Prince Harry’s input in Netflix meetings during their five-year deal, sometimes signaling interruptions with a touch; Netflix canceled Meghan’s With Love after two seasons, and sources say Ted Sarandos grew frustrated with the arrangement. Meghan’s lawyer and Harry call the allegations misogynistic and false, while Netflix says the reporting is inaccurate; the piece notes the couple later moved to a first-look deal as their Netflix relationship evolved.
Marc Beckman, a longtime adviser and producer of Melania Trump’s documentary, rejected claims that the film used Phantom Thread’s score without authorization, saying Universal did consult the composer and that legally binding contracts authorize the music. He called the accusations a “blatant lie” and said the film followed proper protocol and compensated artists, while the piece also notes the film’s ongoing controversy and soft box-office performance.
Meta announced that its VR fitness app Supernatural will stop receiving any new content or feature updates, though existing workouts remain accessible and users can still interact with past coaches. The move has sparked concern among users about lost coaches and licensing, with Meta directing questions to support; the company later clarified that current content will continue to be available.
Dylan Maples has joined Pivot Factory Racing ahead of the 2026 Elite Men's Downhill World Cup season, coming off a 19th‑place finish in 2025. He’ll race alongside Roger Vieira, Bernard Kerr, Jenna Hastings, and Morgane Charre, marking his first full World Cup season with Pivot as preseason preparations begin for the 2026 calendar.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has partnered with the Under the Radar Festival to give away 1,500 free tickets to 12 shows at the 2026 festival, aiming to make arts more accessible and foster community connection through theatre.
The American College Theatre Festival has ended its 58-year partnership with the Kennedy Center, citing irreconcilable differences, amid recent controversies including the Kennedy Center's proposed renaming after Donald Trump. The festival will continue independently, maintaining its regional conferences and commitment to promoting diverse college theatre work.