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AI Science Startup Periodic Labs Is in Deal Talks at About $7 Billion Valuation
Periodic Labs, an artificial intelligence research startup founded last year by former OpenAI and DeepMind staffers, is having discussions with investors about raising at least hundreds of millions of dollars at a valuation of about $7 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
Intel Arc Pro B70 Outclasses NVIDIA’s RTX Pro 4000 In AI At Half The Cost, 50% More Memory
Intel's Arc Pro B70 is designed to offer accessible local inference for AI, delivering more memory at half the price of the competition.
‘House of David’ to Showcase Major ‘Transformation’ After Goliath Slaying
Michael Iskander and the cocreators tell us what's ahead when 'The Chosen' spinoff returns.
Dell made its new Pro laptops thinner and tweaked their naming scheme, again
Say goodbye to Plus, Premium, and Max (mostly). And say hello to a series of odd numbers.
Trump Retained Classified Documents Because Of His ‘Business Interests,’ Jack Smith Alleged
Trump allegedly showed a classified map to people aboard his private plane, Smith found during his investigation.
UK moves closer to ban on crypto cash in politics
Official recommendation for a pause will be seen as a blow to Nigel Farage, whose Reform UK is the only party so far accepting donations using the technology.
EQB welcomes Daniel Rethazy as EVP, Personal Banking, adding top banking talent to reignite core business growth and execute on transformation
EQB Inc. (TSX: EQB) today announces Daniel Rethazy's appointment as Executive Vice President, Personal Banking. Mr. Rethazy brings deep experience in Canadian Banking to EQB that will accelerate momentum and unlock a new era of growth for the company's Personal Banking franchise, delivering a more competitive and rewarding banking experience, and a stronger and more resilient banking industry for all Canadians.
About 40 'No Kings' protests planned across Tennessee. See when and where
In total, organizers estimate about 3,000 events nationwide, surpassing previous 'No Kings' mobilizations since the movement gained traction on President Trump’s birthday in June 2025.
New public dining, entertainment space coming to downtown Rochester
More than $1.5 million will help to finance the project, which will transform a currently vacant commercial building into an outdoor public space for dining and entertainment.
The creator of Fortnite has laid off more than 1,000 staff – despite billions in revenue
Huge cuts announced this week show that truly no developer working in games is safe from corporate whims
The 2026 Cohort Of Schmidt Science Fellows Is Announced
The 2026 cohort of Schmidt Science Fellows has been selected. The 32 fellows are recent PhDs who’ve been nominated as some of the world's leading early-career scientists.
Palace Theatre to feature family entertainment with the two Kennys
After years of talking about performing a double header, two of the area’s nationally recognized entertainers will bring their acts to the Historic Palace Theatre on April 4. Ventriloquist and comedia...
Digital Science acquires Virtual Knowledge Graph pioneer Ontopic
Acquisition aimed at strengthening technology company's capabilities in semantic data and enterprise AI
Samsung’s Galaxy A57 gets thinner, faster, and more expensive
Samsung’s 2026 midrangers have arrived.
The System That Decides What Science Gets Published Is Breaking Down
The peer review system that validates scientific research is trapped in a self-defeating cycle. A new mathematical model shows why—and what comes next.
Political donations in cryptocurrency could be blocked in blow to Reform UK
Government review also recommends political funding from Britons living abroad be capped at about £300,000 a year
Compilation of Events Supported by Heron Sports & Entertainment
With the opening of Nu Stadium in Miami, Heron Sports & Entertainment, the dedicated platform focused on arranging, promoting, and producing major events in South Florida and Globally enters a new era. Since opening its doors in 2020, the Club’s state-of-the-art facilities have staged hundreds of events including Major International
Compilation of Events Supported by Heron Sports & Entertainment
With the opening of Nu Stadium in Miami, Heron Sports & Entertainment, the dedicated platform focused on arranging, promoting, and producing major events in South Florida and Globally enters a new era. Since opening its doors in 2020, the Club’s state-of-the-art facilities have staged hundreds of events including Major International
Cardinal Health (CAH) Emerged as a Key Contributor on Pharmaceutical Strength and Margin Expansion
Renaissance Investment Management, an investment management company, released its Q4 2025 “Large Cap Growth Strategy” investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The strategy faced a difficult fourth quarter of 2025, underperforming both the S&P 500, which gained 2.7%, and the Russell 1000 Growth Index as market leadership remained concentrated in […]
Amer Sports publishes annual report 2025
Amer Sports today published its annual report for fiscal year 2025 providing an overview of the company’s financial performance and progress on strategy execution.
Jair Bolsonaro granted temporary house arrest in Brazil for poor health
Former President Jair Bolsonaro was moved from his cell to hospital earlier this month with pneumonia.
Spotter report: YouTube-led shows are reaching legacy TV levels
A new Spotter report says creator shows are approaching the output of legacy TV. The startup wants advertisers to shift spending.
DJ Lagway leaves Florida drama behind him, rewriting his story at Baylor
DJ Lagway was No. 1 QB in his recruiting class. But self-induced isolation and a run of injuries derailed Florida career. Baylor is a fresh start.
Anderson to get new youth behavioral health campus with $24.7M grant
A Redding nonprofit received a $24.7 million state grant to build a behavioral health campus in Anderson for vulnerable youth. Find out more.
Pitch deck: StoReel startup raised $34M to build AI micro dramas
StoReel describes how it uses AI and a user-generated platform to make micro dramas at a fraction of the cost paid by established players.
iOS 26.4—Update Now Warning Issued To All iPhone Users
Apple has released iOS 26.4, along with a warning to update your iPhone now, because it contains a whopping 37 fixes. Here's what you need to know.
U.S. Medicine, Science Facing An Online Misinformation Siege, Poll Concludes
By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterWEDNESDAY, March 25, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Americans are trapped in a ruthless social media spin cycle of viral misinformation regarding science and medicine, with many actively contributing to the problem, a new Harris Poll has found. People have come to ...
USA TODAY Sports Network picks for Iowa State vs Tennessee in Sweet 16
USA TODAY Sports Network picks for Iowa State vs Tennessee in Sweet 16.
Is Trumpism dead?
Right-wing populists say that Trump has embraced George W. Bush’s foreign policy. They’re half right.
Iowa State vs Tennessee prediction, analysis, Sweet 16 expert picks for men's March Madness
Our March Madness experts analyze the Sweet 16 matchup between No. 2 Iowa State vs No. 6 Tennessee in the 2026 NCAA Tournament on March 27.
MLB power rankings: Dodgers vs. Everybody as Opening Day ushers in 2026
Dodgers' quest for World Series three-peat begins. Can anyone de-throne LA?
How live selling is helping one entrepreneur grow his business
Running a business has been a "roller coaster of a ride," said Scott Wool, who nearly went bankrupt in 2013. Today, he's growing like never before.
The S&P 500 is flashing a warning sign. How to protect your portfolio.
The S&P 500 crossed below its 200-day moving average last week, a signal that the benchmark index could be headed into a downward trend.
Day in the life of Liz Plosser; former Women's Health editor-in-chief
Liz Plosser, the former editor-in-chief of Women's Health, starts her day with a precise alarm and has a tinned fish wrap for lunch every afternoon.
Cape Cod fishermen take science offshore to count monkfish
Cape Cod fishermen have been helping scientists track monkfish. Here’s why it matters for the fishery, the fish, and your seafood plate.
Scene Calendar: Local theater, art, local benefits and more
A comprehensive list of Gainesville-area entertainment events.
SW FL Business Hall of Fame honors four new leaders. Read about them
Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida inducted four new laureates into its Business Hall of Fame on March 24.
SW FL Business Hall of Fame honors four new leaders. Read about them
Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida inducted four new laureates into its Business Hall of Fame on March 24.
Synthesia's top lawyer vibe-coded an AI version of himself
Gabe Stern, Synthesia's general counsel, says he's developing a lawyer avatar built to negotiate his company's contracts.
The labor leader behind California’s billionaire tax showdown
For decades, Dave Regan has used California’s direct democracy system in a relentless campaign to shore up union power — and his own. But his newest mission is on an entirely different scale.
Greenwich doctor tied to Vince McMahon case wins key defamation ruling
The doctor has a defamation suit against the lawyer for a woman who sued former World Wrestling Entertainment boss Vince McMahon.
Poll: 1 in 3 Adults Are Turning to AI Chatbots for Health Information, Equaling the Share Who Use Social Media for Health
About a third (32%) of adults nationally say they have turned to artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots in the past year for health information, a new KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds. Most who turned to AI for health information say they were in search of quick and immediate advice, though challenges affording and accessing health care also play a role, particularly for younger adults.
KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: Use of AI For Health Information and Advice
This poll finds that about as many adults are turning to AI for health information as social media, with health care costs and access driving many users, particularly younger users.
Grace Lutheran in Oak Ridge offers a night of entertainment and coffee
Grace Lutheran Church of Oak Ridge presents Coffeehouse on March 27. It's a night to featuring music from three groups, coffee and snacks.
Sports Illustrated Stadium to host fan events during FIFA World Cup
Sports Illustrated Stadium will host fan events — unaffiliated with the 2026 FIFA World Cup — during the world's largest sporting event.
NHL games today: Schedule, odds, how to watch for March 25
Here's the full NHL schedule, for March 25, including game times, TV channels, scores, odds and how to stream.
How to stream all Yankees games in 2026 if you don't have cable TV
Here's how to watch all New York Yankees games during the 2026 season.
How magnetic is the moon? A new study cracks the long-standing mystery
Researchers believe rock samples taken from the Apollo missions gave scientists a misleading impression
Epstein accountant, lawyer explain finances in Congress testimony
Jeffrey Epstein's longtime lawyer Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn manage Epstein's $630 million estate without salaries.
United CEO tells Congress: 'Please get the deal done soon'
United CEO Scott Kirby said that it's "unconscionable that our politicians haven't gotten this done."
Brian Brobbey’s On My Mind
It was the nearest to a complete performance I’ve seen from a Sunderland striker for a long time.
Some Meta employees told to work remotely for the day as layoffs loom
The note comes as the company gears up for layoffs. Business Insider reported that some managers were tasked with drawing up cost-cutting plans.
Russia breaks record, launches nearly 1,000 strike drones in a day
Ukraine said it shot down 906 out of 948 long-range drones launched into its borders within a single 24-hour window.
Shohei Ohtani shows CY Young form in spring finale
The Sporting Tribune's Fredo Cervantes writes on Shohei Ohtani's pitching approach this upcoming season as they are on the quest to a three-peat.
Federal prosecutors to get classified House documents in Brennan probe as decision on charges against former CIA chief nears
The House Intelligence Committee voted Tuesday to give federal prosecutors classified records related to John Brennan, according to a committee spokesperson, signaling the Justice Department’s investigation into the former CIA director may be heading towards possible charges.
Trump votes by mail amid his push to end mail-in ballots
President Donald Trump cast a ballot by mail in the March 24 special election in Palm Beach, Florida, even though he has spent years attacking mail-in ballots as susceptible to fraud.
Some Meta executives could make billions under new pay package
AI competition is heating up as Meta plans new pay increases. CEO Mark Zuckerberg isn't included in the plan.
The BB-777 is the ultimate in boombox nostalgia
It’s a modern recreation of the iconic Sharp GF-777.
8 new emojis arrive in Apple iOS 26.4 update for iPhone users
Along with eight new emojis, the latest Apple iPhone and iPad software update includes new Apple Music features such as AI-generated playlists.
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.
Trump-endorsed North Carolina state Senate leader loses by 23 votes
Phil Berger conceded the race to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.
Instagram and Facebook are pushing deeper into shopping and ads
Meta unveiled a slew of new shopping and advertising updates to woo brands and creators. Influencers can soon earn a commission from affiliate links.
Memphis area spring sports top performers for Week 4 of the 2026 season
Here are Memphis area high school baseball, softball, boys soccer and lacrosse top performers from Week 4 of the 2026 season
Source: Evan Power a 'favorite' to secure Donald Trump endorsement in CD 2
Trump signals support as crowded GOP field forms in Panhandle
Marvel Rivals Devs Won't Introduce Original Characters Anytime Soon, Because There Are Simply Too Many Marvel Characters Already
NetEase Games isn't worried about balance in Marvel Rivals as its roster expands with more playable heroes, but don't expect to see any original characters anytime soon.
Trump sinks to record low approval rating due to Iran war in new poll
President Donald Trump's approval rating dropped to 36%, its lowest level since his return to the White House, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Meta found liable in New Mexico suit for failing to protect children
A jury in New Mexico found Meta liable for failing to protect kids from sexual exploitation across its social media platforms.
Democrats throw cold water on shutdown deal, call for more ICE reforms
Senate Democrats are cautiously optimistic about a potential agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security. But it's far from a done deal.
AMC Entertainment (AMC) Declines More Than Market: Some Information for Investors
In the closing of the recent trading day, AMC Entertainment (AMC) stood at $1, denoting a -2.36% move from the preceding trading day.
NFL rule changes 2026: Competition committees submits five proposals
The NFL's competition committee proposed five rule changes for 2026, including adjustments to onside kicks and a referee contingency.
Scientists Reinvent a Classic Material To Help Power the Future of Quantum Tech
Researchers have revisited a long-known material and uncovered a way to dramatically enhance its performance by altering its structure at the nanoscale.
Public health alert issued for this ground beef product. Here's why.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert for a ground beef product on March 23, due to metal contamination.
New Mexico jury finds Meta violated consumer protection law at trial over child safety
A jury in New Mexico has found that social media conglomerate Meta violated state consumer protection law and failed to disclose the risks of its platforms to children.
New Mexico jury finds Meta violated consumer protection law at trial about child safety
A New Mexico jury found Tuesday that social media conglomerate Meta is harmful to children's mental health and in violation of state consumer protection law. Jurors sided with state prosecutors who argued that Meta — which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp — prioritized profits over safety. The jury determined Meta violated parts of the state’s Unfair Practices Act on accusations the company hid what it knew about about the dangers of child sexual exploitation on its platforms and impacts on child mental health.
OpenAI discontinues its Sora app amid robotics shift, compute limits
A spokesperson for OpenAI said the discontinuation of Sora comes as the company plans to focus on robotics rather than generative imagery.
Scientists discover mirror of our solar system in 2 exoplanets forming around a star
Astronomers have spotted two planets forming around a distant infant star, offering a time capsule into see what the solar system looked like billions of years ago.
Judge says it looks like the Pentagon tried to 'cripple Anthropic'
Anthropic has sued to stop Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from labeling the company a risk after it set limits on the use of its technology.
Andre Iguodala says winning NBA Finals MVP with Warriors meant ‘nothing' to him
Former Warriors forward Andre Iguodala revealed why winning NBA Finals MVP with Golden State in 2015 wasn't as meaningful to him as one might think.
New ‘Marathon’ Sales, Playercount Reports Are Close To Reality
New third-party estimates are in for Marathon sales and playercounts, and they are very close to the actual numbers inside Bungie.
The real roadblock to government formation in Iraq isn’t Maliki—it’s Kurdish power politics
A dispute between Kurdish factions presents a significant structural obstacle to Iraq’s government formation regardless of who is nominated for prime minister.
How AI agents are changing cybersecurity jobs and cutting workloads
Cybersecurity firms are being tasked with implementing AI agents across their teams. But the technology's capabilities remain limited.
ASU lands former Saint Mary's recruit JRob Croy
Arizona State basketball earned a commitment from JRob Croy, who was set to join Randy Bennett's 2026 recruiting class at Saint Mary's.
Apple launches iOS 26.4 with AI playlists, purchase sharing, and more
You can now ask Apple Music to generate a playlist based on a description.
Tua Tagovailoa breaks silence on Dolphins exit, addresses lingering injury concerns after signing with Falcons
The former first-round pick signed a one-year deal with Atlanta earlier this month
The politics of public health from Obamacare to COVID
The last three presidents — Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Donald Trump — have all had to deal with health care in America. And along the way, they've clashed with how politics works in Washington D.C. This created today’s environment where the understanding of science is scorned, medical disinformation thrives and creating a nation unprepared for the next health crisis.
Apple Combines Business Offerings on Single Platform
Apple has introduced a platform that brings together several of its business offerings. Dubbed “Apple Business,” the platform will be launched April 14 in
Tone, Humor, and the Performative Aspect of Politics
Senators John Kennedy (R-LA) and Peter Welch (D-VT) joined C-SPAN "Ceasefire" host Dasha Burns to discuss the roles of tone and humor in politics.
Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO said doctors "better find me incompetent"
The prison recording emerged during a three-day competency hearing over the ability of Michael Jefferies to stand trial for sex trafficking.
Brazil’s former president Bolsonaro allowed to serve 27-year sentence at home due to poor health
The decision follows Bolsonaro’s hospitalization for pneumonia, one of several health problems he has faced since he was stabbed by a man in 2018 before he was elected president.
PlayStation Closes Shooter Studio Formed By Former Call Of Duty Lead
Dark Outlaw Games grew out of the ashes of another failed Sony project
Business Notes: Rocco’s Smokehouse Grill to reopen in temporary location
Rocco’s Smokehouse Grill soon plans to operate out of the Shops at High Street in the space formerly occupied by Strangeways.
New poll finds Trump's net favorability at record low in Wisconsin
The first Marquette University Law School poll conducted after the U.S. attacks on Iran found 61% oppose the war, with divides among Republicans.
PlayStation Shuts Down Dark Outlaw Games A Year After Its Formation
PlayStation is shutting down first-party studio Dark Outlaw Games just one year after it was announced, and before it shipped a game.
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!]
'SNL' alum calls out cast members who break into laughter during sketches: 'It doesn't work'
Former 'Weekend Update' anchor Kevin Nealon isn't a fan of 'SNL' cast members breaking during sketches.
My unsung hero of science: Buckminster Fuller, the architect who wanted to redesign the world (and inspired a nanosized one)
Few 20th-century scientific figures are as hard to classify as Buckminster Fuller.
Joy Behar skips 'View' interview with Carrie Underwood after criticizing Trump performance
Joy Behar left 'The View' table Tuesday morning, skipping an interview with Carrie Underwood after publicly criticizing the 'American Idol' winner's decision to perform at Donald Trump's inauguration.
Analysts' new AI stock rating system reveals these winners and losers
William Blair analysts revamped how they are rating AI stocks. In their new framework, seven stocks emerged as winners, while four were downgraded.
'We Will Do It' — Marvel Rivals Dev Confirms Nintendo Switch 2 Version in the Works
Marvel Rivals is officially coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, according to its developers in an interview with IGN. We just don't know when.