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The Division Was Originally A World Of Warcraft Clone, Says Ubisoft
There was a time when The Division didn't feature cover-based shooting, but instead had a hot bar and dog companion
Scientists Just Confirmed One of the Greatest Mysteries of Our Universe. Now What?
Observations don’t match the predictions of the standard model—and it’s not just a fluke.
Four things to watch as RFK Jr. defends his health agenda on the Hill
Vaccines and turmoil at the agencies under his leadership are expected to be hot topics.
Only the champions might be happy with Minnesota’s student-athlete transfer system
Inside an imperfect system: Because the high school league is “not an investigative body,” athletic directors own the burden of enforcing Minnesota’s trust-based transfer process. Coaches are often caught in the middle, too.
Airport's Darrell Mossburg named Girls Basketball Coach of the Year
Monroe County Region Coach of the Year Darrell Mossburg of Airport savors each day more after near-death experience during season.
📲 Thursday: Liberta, Sul-Americana, Europa League, Brazil +; guide
Today’s Highlights 🔥Libertadores7:00 PM - Palmeiras vs Sporting Cristal - Paramount+ 7:00 PM - Lanús vs Always Ready - ESPN 4 and Disney+9:30 PM - Flamengo vs Ind. Medellín - ESPN and Disney+ 9...
Steve Guttenberg broke into elderly couple's home and carried them out to save them from Palisades fire
Steve Guttenberg's tales of heroics during the 2025 Palisades fire continue, as the 'Police Academy' star opens up about breaking into an elderly couple's home and carrying them out during the blaze.
Steven Stamkos on Nashville Predators missing playoffs again
Steven Stamkos on Nashville Predators missing playoffs again
Trial date set for suspects in Kansas City sports reporter’s death
A trial date has been set for the three suspects in connection to a Kansas City sports reporter's death.
Outpatient & Specialty Care Stocks Q4 Recap: Benchmarking agilon health (NYSE:AGL)
The end of the earnings season is always a good time to take a step back and see who shined (and who not so much). Let’s take a look at how outpatient & specialty care stocks fared in Q4, starting with agilon health (NYSE:AGL).
CU Boulder’s Conference on World Affairs panel discusses urgent need for science funding
“This mass exodus of top talent, how it’s going to affect the U.S. research system and its global leadership will take time to see its full impact.”
CU Boulder’s CWA: The impact of federal funding cuts to science
“This mass exodus of top talent, how it’s going to affect the U.S. research system and its global leadership will take time to see its full impact.”
HealPort Raises 1.2M USD to Scale Global Digital Health Infrastructure
MUSCAT, Oman, April 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HealPort announced that it has raised $1.2 million in funding to accelerate development and deployment of its integrated platforms and supporting infrastructure designed to help governments, health agencies, and institutions strengthen health system intelligence, planning, and decision-making. The funding will be allocated to three priorities: infrastructure development and integration, global ecosystem expansion, and establishing HealPort as the
Fern Creek High School students participate in new fire science program
Students at Fern Creek High School have a new place to learn and explore careers as first responders.
Steelers LB Patrick Queen Reveals Odds on Aaron Rodgers’ Return
Like everyone, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen is just waiting to hear if four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers will […] This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers LB Patrick Queen Reveals Odds on Aaron Rodgers’ Return
What happens to the California governor's race after Swalwell's exit?
In a crowded race with no clear leader in the heavily Democratic state, Rep. Eric Swalwell's exit presents an opportunity for his one-time rivals to pick off former supporters just weeks before mail ballots go to voters.
I Feel So Sorry for My A.I. Sunglasses
Plenty of people hate Mark Zuckerberg’s superintelligent, supercharged spectacles. I was ready to hate them, too.
NASA science faces 'very serious threat' from new White House budget, experts say
"This is the least transparent NASA budget request I've ever seen — and I've literally looked through every single one since 1960."
House Ethics Committee investigating sexual misconduct allegations against Swalwell
The announcement comes one day after Swalwell suspended his campaign for California governor after the emergence of allegations that he continues to deny.
'Really, really weird': Physicists entangle two moving atoms for the first time, validating 'spooky' quantum theory
For the first time, scientists have observed quantum entanglement in the momentum of massive particles. The result, decades in the making, could help physicists probe the relationship between quantum mechanics and gravity.
2026 NFL mock draft 8.1: Cardinals surprise with their picks (yes, plural), while Giants take a weapon at No. 5
After shedding legacy units, Kustom cuts annual loss by nearly $12M
Revenue from continuing operations reached $13.8M as stockholders' equity rose $11.4M; stronger working capital backs Kustom's entertainment-only pivot.
Does the moon look the same from everywhere on Earth?
The moon's orientation changes quite dramatically across time and between places, largely due to differences in perspective.
Yankees news: Boone angry with ABS failures
Yanks worst in baseball at challenges; bottom of lineup a Problem; farewell to Winquest; RIP to an old-timer.
2026 NFL mock draft 8.1: Cardinals surprise with their picks (yes, plural), while Giants take a weapon at No. 5
Masters 2026: Brooks Koepka's driver was set to the wrong setting
Koepka noticed the error after his round on Thursday at Augusta National.
NFL Draft 2026: Ohio State has 3 defenders who are worth top-10 picks, positional value be damned
Sports dealmaking drives legal hires
Private capital is flooding into sports and law firms are hiring to keep up.
2026 NFL mock draft 8.1: Cardinals surprise with their picks (yes, plural), while Giants take a weapon at No. 5
GlassWorm Campaign Uses Zig Dropper to Infect Multiple Developer IDEs
GlassWorm uses a fake WakaTime VS Code extension to infect IDEs, deploy RATs, and steal data, prompting urgent credential rotation.
Q4 Rundown: Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ:CZR) Vs Other Consumer Discretionary
Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ:CZR) and the best and worst performers in the consumer discretionary - casino operator industry.
Peru's Dysfunctional Politics Are an Economic Time Bomb
Peru has gone through three presidents since October, yet markets have largely yawned: Country risk has edged up only marginally, credit default swaps remain well below their five-year average and the currency has even gained against the dollar.
Flutter Entertainment (FLUT) Stock Trades Down, Here Is Why
Shares of global online betting powerhouse Flutter Entertainment (NASDAQ:FLUT) fell 4.3% in the afternoon session after an analyst from Citizens lowered the price target for the company, citing a cautious outlook for the U.S. online gaming sector.
How $2M has helped KC’s Black businesses grow: ‘Represents what is possible’
“We were doing pretty well,” one business owner said. “They just kind of added a little bit more gasoline to the fire.”
Amazon upsets ebook lovers by ending support for old Kindle devices
Up to 2m e-readers made before 2013 will no longer be able to download new titles
Science history: Doctor hypothesizes that 'transmissible proteins' can cause disease, contradicting a 'central dogma' of molecular biology
Prion diseases, such as "mad cow," are caused by transmissible proteins that were identified in the 1980s.
Kansas City youth sports complex proposal prioritizes local students
The City Council will vote Thursday on a resolution directing the city manager to identify property and financing for the facility.
Browns hosting dynamic tight end for pre-draft visit
Could the Browns go a different route to improve the pass game? Drafting Kenyon Sadiq sure would be a shock
Veradigm brings in new CFO after years of finance pain
Veradigm has named a permanent chief financial officer who will start work only after it finally files its 2023 and 2024 annual reports, the first step for the Chicago-based health care company to renew its Nasdaq listing.
Charlie Crist-aligned committee raises nearly another $500K, surpasses $1.2M
Crist’s fundraising in the first quarter is more than Mayor Ken Welch raised throughout all of 2025.
SC GOP, Democratic gubernatorial candidates make pitch to business leaders at bipartisan forum
Democratic and Republican candidates for South Carolina governor made their pitches to members of the state’s business community Tuesday night at a bipartisan forum held at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business.
Sarasota Opera House celebrates 100 years of arts and entertainment
Historic downtown venue has survived near-demolition to become cultural landmark
Patriots to release former third-round draft pick
Marte Mapu will be let go by the team ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft.
Trump’s many threats of possible war crimes reach a crescendo in Iran
After more than a decade floating actions that might constitute war crimes, US President Donald Trump is threatening to make good on such threats in Iran.
Virginians deeply divided on Spanberger months after her landslide win
A Washington Post-Schar School poll finds that Virginia voters are highly polarized over Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D), who ran as a unifying centrist.
Opinion | Health care prioritizes paperwork over patients
Prior authorization has become a barrier to care rather than a safeguard against excess.
Final Four scores, results: Michigan throttles Arizona in one-sided beatdown, UConn tops Illinois to set up NCAA tournament title game
NHL Playoff Race: What the Penguins need to do
The Penguins lost to Tampa last night but still remain incredibly well-positioned to secure a playoff spot this season. Here’s the relevant standings for them as of now. While there could be other avenues with a Wild Card spot, for now we’ll keep it simple on the most straight-forward path available to Pittsburgh: finishing in […]
A Look Back at Health Insurance Providers Stocks’ Q4 Earnings: Alignment Healthcare (NASDAQ:ALHC) Vs The Rest Of The Pack
The end of the earnings season is always a good time to take a step back and see who shined (and who not so much). Let’s take a look at how health insurance providers stocks fared in Q4, starting with Alignment Healthcare (NASDAQ:ALHC).
Hims & Hers Health, Regeneron, Biogen, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, and Moderna Shares Are Falling, What You Need To Know
A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after reports revealed that the US may impose up to 100% tariffs on imports of branded and patented drugs.
Sphere Entertainment (SPHR) Stock Is Up, What You Need To Know
Shares of content production and distribution company Sphere Entertainment (NYSE:SPHR) jumped 4.2% in the afternoon session after Guggenheim raised its price target on the stock to $160 from $150 while keeping a Buy rating.
What should the Packers do at backup quarterback?
PackersNews columnist Pete Dougherty fielded a question from a reader about what the Packers should do for a backup to quarterback Jordan Love.
Albany County leads Capital Region with $42M in small business loans
Capital Region small businesses saw their strongest U.S. Small Business Administration loan financing in four years.
In photos: Artemis II's historic launch for the moon
Millions watched on April 1 as the Artemis II mission sent humans back to the moon for the first time since 1972. Here's the day in pictures.
New York Is a Hot Spot for Alpha-Gal. Why Doesn’t the State Track Cases?
In more than 10 states, laboratories or doctors must notify the state health authorities of each positive test for a marker of the syndrome.
Live updates: Trump to address nation, give updates on Iran war
President Trump is set to address the nation at 9 p.m. ET in what is set to be his first prime-time address since the U.S. and Israeli assault on Iran began.
Cleveland Browns NFL Draft Profile: QB Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Cleveland’s QB room likely already has enough backups without adding another one in the draft.
Sphere Entertainment (SPHR): Buy, Sell, or Hold Post Q4 Earnings?
The past six months have been a windfall for Sphere Entertainment’s shareholders. The company’s stock price has jumped 82.8%, hitting $116.50 per share. This was partly due to its solid quarterly results, and the performance may have investors wondering how to approach the situation.
GOP leaders declare path to end DHS shutdown — but enormous hurdles remain
Days after a messy intra-party blowup, President Donald Trump and GOP leaders are projecting unity on a plan to reopen the Department of Homeland Security amid the longest-ever partial government shutdown.
Is Zion Williamson's time in New Orleans nearing its end? 'I could be traded ... that’s just the realism of it'
2026 NFL mock draft 7.1: Jeremiyah Love, pair of Buckeyes go top-5 as attention turns to April
As a Jewish Entertainment Editor, I Watch These Passover Movies Every Year
If you're looking to watch Passover movies to celebrate the holiday, look no further. We gathered the best Passover movies to watch on Amazon Prime, Apple TV+ and more.
As a Jewish Entertainment Editor, I Watch These Passover Movies Every Year
If you're looking to watch Passover movies to celebrate the holiday, look no further. We gathered the best Passover movies to watch on Amazon Prime, Apple TV+ and more.
Byron Donalds posts record $22M quarter to kick off 2026 Governor's race
That's more than any non-incumbent running for Governor raised in the first quarter of an election year.
Apple's 50-year journey from garage to tech titan
In early 1976 in California, Steve Wozniak had just completed the design of a computer circuit board he intended to share with fellow hobbyists at a prominent local club. His friend Steve Jobs also saw a business opportunity to manufacture and sell the boards, and thus Apple was born.
Under Armour, Kontoor Brands, PENN Entertainment, Deckers, and Carnival Stocks Trade Up, What You Need To Know
A number of stocks jumped in the morning session after investors priced in a potential de-escalation of the conflict in Iran alongside reassuring commentary from the Federal Reserve on interest rates.
Polaris, Callaway Golf Company, Compass, Sphere Entertainment, and Viking Shares Skyrocket, What You Need To Know
A number of stocks jumped in the morning session after investors priced in a potential de-escalation of the conflict in Iran alongside reassuring commentary from the Federal Reserve on interest rates.
2026 NFL mock draft 7.0: Jeremiyah Love, pair of Buckeyes go top-5 as attention turns to April
NFL partners with TMRW Sports to operate new professional flag football league
NFL partners with TMRW Sports to operate new professional flag football league.
Scientists Investigating Whether Object NASA Is Approaching Is Core of Destroyed Planet
Scientists are trying to figure out how "the pizzas were made."
Scientists discover potentially huge freshwater reservoir hidden beneath Great Salt Lake
Researchers have found a layer of fresh water beneath Utah's Great Salt Lake that reaches up to 2.5 miles deep and could turn out to be as big, or bigger, than the lake.
AMC Entertainment (AMC) Stock Trades Up, Here Is Why
Shares of theater company AMC Entertainment (NYSE:AMC) jumped 4.7% in the afternoon session after strong box office trends boosted investor confidence in the movie theater industry.
Your guide to April events and things to do in Memphis
In Memphis, April offers plenty of opportunities for those seeking entertainment or enlightenment or some combination thereof. Here are 8 of them.
NCAA tournament takeaways: UConn reaches Final Four on wild game winner over Duke; UConn and UCLA women each pull away in Elite Eight
Are the Nuggets finally healthy as a team?
Here's where the Nuggets stand injury-wise, after everything they've endured, for their matchup with the Warriors on Sunday night.
Chicago woman has $600K after selling a $1.2M business, but husband is gambling it away. How Ramsey says to double it
With retirement on the horizon, now is not the time for risky bets.
Arizona fans pack Arcadia sports bar to watch Wildcats advance
Arizona fans filled a popular UofA sports bar in Phoenix's Arcadia neighborhood to cheer on their Wildcats.
A newly-discovered molecular process explains how our bodies perceive the cold
Research by Nobel laureate David Julius has captured how the TRPM8 protein changes when exposed to low temperatures, opening a new avenue for treating cold-induced pain
Stunner! Wisconsin’s huge rally denies Michigan State Frozen Four
Michigan State lost in its bid to make the Frozen Four for the first time since its NCAA championship season of 2007.
Blackhawks’ $22M forward drops bitter truth on Chicago’s season
Chicago Blackhawks forward Tyler Bertuzzi did not hold back after another tough loss, admitting the team is struggling to find answers late in the NHL season. Chicago has now dropped six of its last eight games, falling further out of…
Laredo weighs increases in employee health care due to $12M shortfall
With a projected health care shortfall of $12.85 million next year, Laredo is exploring alternatives to a suggested 32.5% increase in employee contributions.
China Is Rapidly Overtaking the United States as the World’s Scientific Superpower
The Trump administration has been a disaster for science.
TA446 Deploys Leaked DarkSword iOS Exploit Kit in Targeted Spear-Phishing Campaign
TA446 used leaked DarkSword on March 26 to target iOS devices, prompting Apple alerts and widening mobile espionage risks.
NCAA tournament takeaways: Duke, UConn men and women thrill and advance, and Jon Scheyer gets emotional
Newmark, AMC Entertainment, Frontier, fuboTV, and Somnigroup Stocks Trade Down, What You Need To Know
A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after the latest University of Michigan survey revealed a sharp drop in consumer sentiment to its lowest level for the year.
Why Young People Are Embracing Kennedy’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Lifestyle
Disillusioned with doctors, they went on a search for answers. They found supplements and a lot of red meat.
Consumer Discretionary - Casino Operator Stocks Q4 Recap: Benchmarking Golden Entertainment (NASDAQ:GDEN)
Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at Golden Entertainment (NASDAQ:GDEN) and the best and worst performers in the consumer discretionary - casino operator industry.
Denver’s forgotten trailblazers: The Colorado Xplosion’s lasting impact on women’s sports
The first professional women’s sports team in the Mile High City, the Colorado Xplosion, was short-lived but not forgotten.
German business sentiment fell noticeably in March, Ifo finds
German business morale fell in March, a survey showed on Wednesday, as the Iran war made companies grow more pessimistic about the future.
Sphere Entertainment (SPHR) Stock Trades Up, Here Is Why
Shares of content production and distribution company Sphere Entertainment (NYSE:SPHR) jumped 3.1% in the afternoon session after positive analyst sentiment and a rating upgrade from an investment analysis firm fueled investor optimism.
FTI Consulting (NYSE:FCN): Strongest Q4 Results from the Business Process Outsourcing & Consulting Group
As the Q4 earnings season wraps, let’s dig into this quarter’s best and worst performers in the business process outsourcing & consulting industry, including FTI Consulting (NYSE:FCN) and its peers.
MLB Opening Day 2026: Top 50 people who will impact the MLB season, starting with Nos. 50-26
Marathon has sold 1.2M copies across Steam, PS5, and Xbox
Alinea Analytics estimates show that Marathon has generated gross revenues of $55M via 1.2M copies sold on Steam, PS5, and Xbox: Looking at the split between Steam, PS5, and Xbox, Steam is clearly the main platform for Marathon, accounting for a little under 70% of the audience (800K copies sold). Meanwhile, PS5 takes about 19% (217K) and Xbox (including console, PC, and cloud) accounts for a bit over 11% or 133K. Marathon is technically a first-party Sony title, so seeing the home console struggle to break 20% of the volume is a notable data point for the ongoing platform-agnostic debate. PlayStation Studios online games will almost certainly continue being multiplatform (despite Sony reportedly pulling back on PC releases). Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe As for Marathon, the consensus among hardcore players who pushed through the awkward onboarding phase – myself included – is that it’s fantastic. The gunplay, aesthetic, and presentation are among the best in the shooter genre. A great game doesn’t always equal an immediate hit, though, as shown by our estimates. Things are looking lukewarm right now. But this might be one of those marathon-not-a-sprint situations. Had to, didn’t I? Why wasn’t Marathon a hit on the same level as Arc Raiders? One topic that came up in a lot of conversations at GDC this year was why Marathon hasn’t hit the same stratosphere as Arc Raiders. On paper, they’re both extraction shooters, and Marathon has the Bungie pedigree – the house that built the gold standard for gunplay in Halo and Destiny. Marathon’s neon-futuristic aesthetic also distinguishes itself from the gritty realism of Tarkov or the post-apocalyptic hope of ARC Raiders. But vibes can only get you so far for first impressions if the onboarding feels like a brick wall. Marathon is a sweaty PvP-focused experience with a first-time user experience and UI that I can only describe as dreadful. Players are dropped into a complex ecosystem where the UI, though visually striking, is functionally uninformative, forcing users to manually hover over nondescript, identical icons just to identify basic gear or weapon mods. This lack of clarity is compounded by punishing mechanics like a severe heat gauge for movement and a scarcity of vital resources, all without a clear tutorial or a low-stakes mode to learn the ropes. Most people – even top streamers and veteran shooter players – have no idea what’s going on in Marathon at first. Arc is on the complete other end of the spectrum. As we covered here and here, Arc Raiders offers a more collaborative, approachable loop where players often work together toward shared goals. And the objectives are instantly clear. To many players, this contrast only emphasised Marathon’s issues, especially during the testing period. Players understand the Arc Raiders loop within 30 minutes, while Marathon acts as a massive filter, chewing up newcomers and spitting them out before they can experience the depth of Bungie’s signature gunplay. What I’m getting at here is that the poor first-time user experience of Marathon’s Server Slam likely stifled launch sales, while the opposite was true for Arc. Let’s look at the pre-launch copies sold for each game during their respective Server Slams (launch-aligned) : Looking at the trajectory: Arc Raiders saw a massive 80% jump in copies sold during its three-day Server Slam (day -13 to -11). Players jumped in, realised the water was fine, and immediately opened their wallets. Marathon, meanwhile, saw a 49% increase in the four days following its Slam (Day -7 to -3). At the time of each game’s respective launch, Arc Raiders had nearly double the Steam footprint of Marathon – and word of mouth only continued to grow. Bungie could have had more time to fix the onboarding process had the beta happened earlier. But Marathon launched three days after the beta finished. These factors limited the launch sales quite a bit, I reckon. Marathon has found a niche audience, though Despite the friction-heavy start, the data suggests that those who survived Marathon’s onboarding are loving life. We’ve been tracking cross-platform DAUs, and while there’s the expected post-launch leakage, many players are sticking with it. After peaking at 478K total DAUs on its first Saturday, Marathon has settled into a respectable rhythm, holding 345K DAUs as of yesterday and averaging 380K DAUs across the weekend. Steam continues to do the heavy lifting here, consistently accounting for the lion’s share of the daily players. Players have been putting in the hours, too: On Steam, Marathon’s average playtime has climbed to 27.8 hours, significantly outpacing the console averages on PS5 (16.5h) and Xbox (17.3h). Even more telling than the averages: 22% of the Steam audience has surged past the 50-hour mark, and nearly 7% have already logged over 100 hours. Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe This data suggests that once the Bungie magic clicks, it hooks players deeper than the average extraction shooter. There’s also started to be a shift in the game’s discourse. Marathon launched as one of those games that’s cool to hate. But as Marathon’s 100-hour club grows, we’re seeing conversations around its mechanical merit outweigh the negativity. Several high-profile creators, who were initially vocal critics, have spent the last week coming around on the mechanical depth of the endgame. It’s a subtle but positive signal; the hate train is losing steam, and a new narrative about the game is emerging. Bungie faithfuls unite Another interesting metric in Marathon’s first few weeks is who, exactly, is playing. Bungie leans heavily on its prestige as the “makers of Halo and Destiny,” in its marketing, and that message has clearly hit the mark. On Steam, the gravity (hammer) of Bungie’s previous work is unavoidable. A staggering 78.2% of Marathon players also played Destiny 2. The trend carries across other platforms, with 74.2% of PS5 players and 82.7% of Xbox players also having played Destiny 2. The Halo legacy lives on, it seems. More on that in a bit. While Destiny 2 went free to play, these numbers still represent a high-intent migration of a fanbase that trusts Bungie’s specific brand of kinetic gunplay and cryptic world-building. The Xbox data adds another layer of legacy. About 85.7% of Marathon players on Xbox have played Halo Infinite, while over half of the Steam audience has spent time in Halo Infinite and 36.1% in the Master Chief Collection (a paid collection of the old Bungie-made legacy games). Interestingly, we see a 55.9% overlap with ARC Raiders on Steam. Overlap is even higher there on PlayStation (60.5%) and Xbox (66.5%). And there’s also significant crossover with Helldivers 2 on all platforms, too. Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe Bungie has found some of its fans with Marathon, and the challenge now is keeping this engaged in a high-stakes PvP environment when they’ve spent the last decade primarily enjoying the power fantasies of PvE. On that note… Go the full 26 miles? Or cut and run? Time for some could’ve, should’ve, would’ve. These things would have improved Marathon’s performance at launch: A more robust onboarding process, perhaps in the form of a short single-player/PvE campaign. We know Bungie fans love this stuff. A traditional arena-based mode akin to Destiny’s Crucible could have been a bridge for the cautious players who’d have been otherwise deterred by the Server Slam. It’s also a great palate cleanser after getting merked. Introducing a dedicated PvE environment would have similarly diversified the conversation and lowered the barrier for the Bungie faithful who found the pure PvP extraction loop too abrasive. PvE is safer than PvP these days. There’s an argument that a thin PvE mode would have just felt like a budget Destiny, potentially hurting the brand more. But given how dire the FTUE is, I think it would have been a net positive. Any kind of tutorialised loop that demystifies the stakes, really. While there is merit in a studio sticking firmly to a singular creative vision, and going all in on the hardcore extraction loop. Less forgiving is the technical reality is that the user interface and first-time user experience (FTUE) were not at a commercial standard for launch. Subscribe for free to get the most accurate games estimates in your inbox twice a week 🫶 Subscribe In a landscape where player time is oversaturated and the most contested currency, a flawed FTUE is a critical failure point. But it’s not all doom and gloom, as Marathon has an incredible, unique gameplay loop, suggesting that financial success is still attainable if Bungie can pivot effectively. Bungie and PlayStation now face a difficult strategic crossroads, though – one within a challenging games market. They could: Double down on Marathon with a long-term Rainbow Six Siege- or No Man’s Sky-style recovery plan, which is something I heard Last Stand Media’s Chris Maldonado mention last week. While this could be a sunk-cost fallacy in action, it could eventually yield the audience the game’s mechanical depth deserves. Shift focus toward the inevitable Destiny 3 or another project, mitigating the escalating opportunity cost and cutting their losses, so to speak. Doing both is an expensive proposition, given the high overhead and burn rate of operating out of Bellevue, Washington. With Sony recently demonstrating a lower threshold for underperforming studios and projects, the margin for error has vanished. Whatever happens, the next six months will determine whether Marathon becomes a cornerstone of Sony’s live-service portfolio or a cautionary tale of vision exceeding accessibility. I’m hoping it’s the former, because Marathon rocks. As always, hit subscribe to get updates on Marathon and other relevant games. Subscribe Want to get your hands on our data for yourself – for free? We’re offering a free trial of our platform for games companies. Send us a message here, or reply to this email, and we’ll set you up. The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]