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Benefit concert at AMB raises nearly $16K for local groups
The DB’s Mountain Summer Jam at Appalachian Mountain Brewery in Boone raised nearly $16,000 for Watauga County Habitat for Humanity and Blue Ridge Conservancy through a three-hour concert featuring local musicians in celebration of two business owners’ 50th birthdays.
Actor Sean Astin speaks on mental health at The Rescue Mission fundraiser
A well-known actor traveled to the Summit City to speak about breaking mental health stigma and valuing individuals.
Trump signs executive order rebranding AI as 'Super Intelligence' as tech titans ink separate SI accord
The order follows a White House summit with top tech executives and directs federal agencies to use "Super Intelligence" and "SI" in official communications.
Hancock play space aims to tackle student needs with summer program
While not a day care service, the business is aware of the area's need for such services and hopes the program will help.
A.I. Is ‘Better Informed’ Than Doctors, Kennedy Tells Industry-Backed MAHA Summit
The health secretary, Vice President JD Vance and other top officials addressed a conference sponsored by corporations, including A.I. companies and others with business before the government.
3 takeaways from the MAHA Summit
Trump administration officials mingled with insurers, corporate executives and wellness influencers at the second Make America Healthy Again Summit. They discussed issues ranging from affordability…
The Streamers Tried To Conquer Labor Day…and Whiffed
(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) What? Another Streaming Ratings Report already? You betcha. Nielsen has moved up the release of their Streaming Ratings data by two weeks, which means I’ve got two extra issues to get out. But I love this change because it will make this report more timely and easier to publish regularly. This week—with the viewership data for the week of 31-Aug—we’ve got some huge, huge topics to discuss. On the film side, two theatrical films (The Mandalorian and Grogu on Disney+ and Scary Movie on Paramount+) contend with two non-Netflix straight-to-streaming films (Mayday on Apple TV and The Runner on Prime Video). The streamers went all in to win Labor Day weekend in America. And we have a bunch of TV shows to analyze, both new shows (Netflix’s The Gentleman, Hulu’s Chad Powers, and an Alix Earle reality show) and weekly shows like Reacher, Ted Lasso, House of the Dragon and Lioness. All that, plus nepotism in Hollywood, some eye-popping fantasy football stats, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of August 31st to September 6th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - A Slew of Labor Day Disappointments? A lot of streamers released big new films this week, why? My theory is that the streamers know that four-day weekends can propel streaming films to glory. But if you’ve been reading more over the last two years, you know that big holiday weekends aren’t driving big viewership numbers the way they did post-Covid. And interestingly enough, Netflix didn’t put out a big new film this week. But four other streamers did, trying to take advantage of the holiday with some (not cheap) swings, including… The Mandalorian and Grogu on Disney+ (a Star Wars film that cost $165 million and made $177 million at the US domestic box office) Mayday on Apple TV (rumored $100 million budget, no theatrical release) The Runner on Prime Video (at least a $40 million budget, but likely $50 to $80 million, no theatrical release). Scary Movie on Paramount+ ($30 million budget, made $108 million domestically). (Paramount+ also released a made-for-streaming film based on the Thundermans IP, and I’ll discuss that later.) So…how’d they do? The Mandalorian and Grogu Leads The Way (But That Isn’t Enough) Let’s start with The Mandalorian and Grogu (which I’ll abbreviate to Mando for most of this article). We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… How Mando, Mayday, The Runner and Scary Movie performed on streaming... How the powerhouse weekly released shows (Reacher, Ted Lasso and Lioness) have accumulate a LOT of viewership… How House of the Dragon finished its run… The latest Netflix show to have a sophomore slump… Whether top creators can drive viewers to their shows… Nepotism in Hollywood and the music business... All the flops, bombs and misses for the week… And more… ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! Since Nielsen has accelerated their streaming data release schedule, I’ve got a lot of Streaming Ratings Reports coming your way! Next issue, I’ll be looking at the second season of Peacock’s The Paper, the latest season of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and a very, very expensive Daily Wire fantasy series that’s now on Prime Video. Plus Crew Girl and Dang! on Netflix, a new Tyler Perry film, and one of the biggest bombs of the summer, Supergirl. In the next two issues, I’ll take a look at the return of the NFL to streaming, Toy Story 5 on Disney+, Backrooms on HBO Max, and The Breadwinner on Netflix. On the TV side, we’ve got Netflix’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, Dancing with the Stars on Disney+, Apple TV’s Slow Horses, a Reacher spinoff on Prime Video, and Paramount+’s MobLand, a Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey comedy on Apple TV, a sequel to a Cosby Show spinoff on Netflix, The Great British Baking Show, and the Unabomber film. And while doing all that, I want to take a look at adult animated shows, Ride or Die’s cancellation, and Netflix’s summer films. So much great stuff! Long term, two bits of comic book news. The X-Men cast has been announced, and go ahead and color me bull-ish, if not very, very bull-ish on this bit of comic book IP. In weirder news, HBO Max ordered a “true crime” show by Jimmy Olsen about Gorilla Grodd being falsely convicted of murder. I mean, what? I don’t know, let’s see what happens.
Guitarist Tom Morello gets political on 'Everyone Gets Everything They Want'
NPR's Juana Summers talks with Tom Morello, co-founder of Rage Against the Machine, about his first solo rock record Everyone Gets Everything They Want.
Kyle Cooke Changes His Tune on Carl Radke’s Business Journey
Kyle Cooke has changed his tune about Carl Radke‘s business journey. The Summer House star praised Carl after Soft Bar + Café reached one year. He also reflected on the challenges Carl faced while bui...
Oil prices fall on signs Middle East crude flows recovering
Oil prices declined as Saudi Arabia resumed crude exports via the East-West pipeline, easing concerns over supply disruptions amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.
What the HealthPartners-Essentia merger means for consumers and Minnesota health care
Three merger attempts in one year, including the newly proposed HealthPartners-Essentia deal, reflect the “dynamic, almost chaotic environment” situation in U.S. health care right now.
Basalt Chamber announces 2026 Roaring Fork Valley Business Summit
The Basalt Chamber of Commerce has announced that the 2026 Roaring Fork Valley Business Summit will take place on Thursday, Oct. 8, from 8 to 11:30 a.m. at the Rocky Mountain Institute Innovation Center. The...
“Entertainment vs. Content vs. Traditional Advertising”: The Debate Questioning Why We Pay to Avoid Ads But Consume Brand Entertainment at LIA 2026
September, 2026.- At Creative LIAisons 2026, the panel "Entertainment vs. Content vs. Traditional Advertising" addressed one of the industry's most
RFK Jr hosts MAHA Summit: Business leaders RALLY
FOX Business' Jackie DeAngelis reports on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hosting the MAHA Summit to make America healthy again. A Steak 'n Shake executive praises the initiative,
RFK Jr hosts MAHA Summit as business leaders rally to make America healthy again
Jackie DeAngelis reports on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hosting the MAHA Summit. A Steak 'n Shake executive praises the initiative, while Democrat Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El Sayed outlines his proposals.
NBC Curbs One of Fans’ Biggest MLB Playoffs Issues
Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees fans will hear friendly TV voices call their team’s Wild-Card matchup this week. In the playoffs, that’s not always the case. Year after year, MLB followers grumble about losing the local announcing booths they’ve spent their summers with in favor of national voices brought in for postseason action. …
Are the midterms dictating Trump’s Iran strategy?
The president is apparently waiting until November to resume bombing
Representative Nathaniel Moran introduces H.R. 10582: Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act
We have received text from H.R. 10582: Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act. This bill was received on 2026-09-24, and currently has 9 cosponsors.Here is a short summary of the bill: This bill would create a new federal tax credit for certain U.S.-based film and television productions. In general, eligible productions could claim a credit equal to a percentage of their qualified compensation costs, meaning wages and c
Protecting What You Built: Six Assumptions That Can Derail an Exit from Your Business
Most owners assume the hard part of an exit is finding the buyer.
Trendiana: New businesses in historic buildings
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Ascot reorganizes underwriting businesses, names division presidents
Ascot Group on Tuesday announced a reorganization that will bring its global insurance and reinsurance underwriting operations into a newly created division and establish a separate consumer lines…
F1 Business Summit adds Haas boss Ayao Komatsu, Gordon Ramsay and Russell Wilson
The F1 Business Summit returns on 19 November at Caesars Palace, with Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu, Gordon Ramsay and Russell Wilson among the speakers.
Top U.S. Health Officials to Address Rare Disease Leaders at 2026 NORD Breakthrough Summit in Washington, D.C.
/PRNewswire/ -- Three of the nation's leading federal health officials will join more than 900 rare disease leaders across patient advocacy, industry, policy,...
African leaders to gather in Egypt for business summit
African leaders will meet in Egypt on Friday for a business summit that Cairo hopes will bolster its clout across the continent.Friday's forum is expected to bring together more than 20 heads of state...
Avex Increases Ownership of Brandon Silverstein's S10 Entertainment
Japanese entertainment giant Avex Inc. owns 85% of Brandon Silverstein's S10 Entertainment with a shared goal of reaching 100%.
Avex Music Group CEO Brandon Silverstein Expands Global Role as Avex Acquires His S10 Entertainment
/PRNewswire/ -- Avex Inc. (TSE: 7860) ("Avex"), the publicly traded global entertainment conglomerate led by CEO Katsumi Kuroiwa, has increased its ownership...
Watch live: RFK Jr., Vance outline MAHA agenda at health summit
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Vice President Vance will headline the annual Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) summit in Washington on Tuesday. The daylong gathering …
Bayern Munich considering Bernd Leno as Manuel Neuer replacement
Bayern Munich are considering Bernd Leno as Manuel Neuer's replacement this summer, according to German outlet Bild.
Newsom vetoes insurance-claim bills: Is it ‘petty’ politics?
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed two bills that would have helped improve the insurance-claims process for consumers but signed one that also addresses claims-related issues, leaving Los Angeles County fire survivors and others wondering whether the vetoes were retaliatory. One bill, Senate Bill 877, […]
Newsom vetoes insurance-claim bills: Is it ‘petty’ politics?
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed two bills that would have helped improve the insurance-claims process for consumers but signed one that also addresses claims-related issues, leaving Los Angeles County fire survivors and others wondering whether the vetoes were retaliatory. One bill, Senate Bill 877, […]
Newsom vetoes insurance-claim bills: Is it ‘petty’ politics?
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed two bills that would have helped improve the insurance-claims process for consumers but signed one that also addresses claims-related issues, leaving Los Angeles County fire survivors and others wondering whether the vetoes were retaliatory. One bill, Senate Bill 877, […]
b.well Connected Health Awarded on TIME's List of the World's Top HealthTech Companies 2026 List
/PRNewswire/ -- b.well Connected Health, the infrastructure powering AI-driven consumer health experiences, today announced it has been named to TIME's World's...
THORNE SETS A HIGHER STANDARD FOR SCIENCE-BACKED WELLNESS WITH NEW CREATINE + ALPHA-GPC CONSUMER RESEARCH SUPPORTING MENTAL AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE
/PRNewswire/ -- Thorne, the leader in science-backed health and wellness solutions, today announced results from a new consumer study evaluating its Creatine +...
FTSE 100 rises as AstraZeneca lifts healthcare sector
London's FTSE 100 rose on Tuesday, lifted by pharmaceutical stocks after AstraZeneca agreed to take a $2 billion stake in Summit Therapeutics to advance cancer research.
Meta launches Muse for Small Business as Zuckerberg pushes beyond consumer AI market
Following the success of its Muse personal AI agent, Meta is introducing a specialized version for small businesses.
Commentary: Never heard 'Choosin' Texas'? Consider that a wake-up call
Music fans and journalists who spent the last few months looking for the song of the summer faced a plot twist fit for Hollywood: The winner was a single released
From England: Manchester United monitor Wesley
English sirens are calling for Wesley. Roma already rejected a significant offer from Chelsea for the Brazilian full-back this summer, but another English club could make a move in the near future. As...
Morrison extends Bristol City stay until 2028
Bristol City defender Elijah Morrison signs a new deal to stay at Ashton Gate until the summer of 2028.
Can Pakistan’s Sohail Afridi win freedom for ex-PM Imran Khan?
At 37, he's the PTI's top elected leader. But the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister is assuming a national role too.
How an obscure government code unlocks opportunity for businesses
What rhymes with "snakes" and helps the government classify economic activity? NAICS — or the North American Industry Classification System. These codes categorize every industry from artificial turf installation to zucchini farming. But they’re not exactly easy to get. Today we look at one business’ quest for a NAICS code and what makes them so valuable. Fact checking by Leyla Doss. Your Next Listen — How to take the temperature of the US consumer Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator’s weekly newsletter! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
Nathaniel Brown: 'Keep going!'
A left-back wearing the number of a forward? It’s unusual, but it’s the perfect fit for our new No.11 Nathaniel Brown. The summer signing – known to his teammates as Nene – has spoke to member...
AB Science provides an update on its development plan and financial calendar following a sponsor Good Clinical Practice inspection
PRESS RELEASE AB SCIENCE PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON ITS DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND FINANCIAL CALENDAR FOLLOWING A SPONSOR GOOD CLINICAL PRACTICE INSPECTION Confirmation of the relevance of having, among the first decisions of the new management, given priority to the development of a new quality management system Expected resumption of the AB8939 phase 1 (acute myeloid leukemia) in the first quarter of 2027, followed by the masitinib phase 3 (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) in the last quarter of 2027, subj
Liverpool handed blow in chase for Premier League defender
One of Liverpool’s problem areas this season has been at left-back. Long-time first choice Andy Robertson left the club on a free transfer in the summer, and his presence is greatly missed.Milos Ker...
Analysis-Euro’s dollar resilience faces energy price, political risk tests
By Sophie Kiderlin and Dhara Ranasinghe LONDON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The fortunes of the euro, trading not far off its lowest levels of the year against the dollar, are in the grip of a global energy shock and growing political risk in Europe. The euro...
VP Vance & HHS Secy. Kennedy Join Admin. Officials and Health & Tech Industry Leaders at MAHA Summit
Vice President Vance and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. join administration officials and health care and tech industry leaders at the 2026 MAHA Summit in Washington, DC.
Pistons Exec Hasn’t Spoken to Jalen Duren All Summer
Trajan Langdon said he has not spoken to Jalen Duren once all summer. #Pistons
Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce plans Women's Leadership Summit
The daylong event will feature a theme of “Bold Optimism,” the belief that change begins with the courage to imagine what is possible.
Bickley: Hungry Suns exert newfound continuity, camaraderie in 2026
They summered together in Las Vegas, Toronto and Flagstaff. But mostly, the Suns spent their offseason playing basketball in their Valley gym.
Toledo summit will focus on women’s health issues including menopause and hormones
The Northwest Ohio Women’s Health Summit is described as a day of evidence-based answers for women who are ready to feel better, get well and take charge of their health.
AP Entertainment SummaryBrief at 6:11 p.m. EDT
Taylor Swift becomes most-awarded artist in MTV VMAs history, dedicates top prize to Dolly Parton
TTEC Digital Earns Microsoft AI Business Solutions Inner Circle Award for 2026-2027
TTEC Digital has earned the Microsoft AI Business Solutions Inner Circle award for 2026-2027 for sales achievements.Quiver AI SummaryTTEC Digital has been awarded the Microsoft AI Business Solutions Inner Circle award for the eleventh consecutive year, recognizing its position among the top Microsoft partners globally based on sales achievements. The Inner Circle designation highlights TTEC Digital's expertise in leveraging AI and customer experi
Bobby Kotick’s lawyers sent me a bad email (and later apologized)
The message I had received was unsettling—for a moment. Then it was just really confusing. Back on January 20 of this year, at 5:15pm ET, I received an email with the subject line “Legal Correspondence re Bobby Kotick.” It was from the law firm Clare Locke, a firm I’d heard had been emailing reporters in recent years about their coverage of Kotick, the former, longtime CEO of Activision Blizzard. The letter was threatening. A lawyer from the firm introduced themselves as “defamation counsel to Bobby Kotick.” They issued a “demand” that I “correct” a Game File article I’d published a week prior. The article that had irked them had been a scoop of sorts. I’d written about a a 2022 lawsuit brought by a Swedish pension fund, AP7, over Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard. The suit wasn’t news, but I was first to review and report about Kotick’s extensive pushback to the fund’s claims. The pension fund’s core contention was that the sale had been rushed by Kotick to avoid the consequences of sexual misconduct scandals swirling around the company in 2021. (He’d not been accused of misconduct himself in those suits, to be clear.) As I wrote at the time, Kotick had denied the allegations of the rushed sale. Beyond that, Kotick used a December 2025 reply to the Swedish fund’s lawsuit to assign blame for those workplace scandals, the bad press and even for the AP7 lawsuit. I’d found Kotick’s arguments novel and newsworthy. Across nearly 3,000 words, I explained Kotick’s take: that a Swedish gaming company was behind the Swedish fund’s lawsuit (the Embracer group; they denied it); that the Microsoft-Activision deal was not rushed and was secured at what Kotick felt history had proven to be an optimal price for shareholders; that he believed a conspiracy of people at unions government agencies, PR firms and the media had spun up claims of widespread workplace misconduct at Activision Blizzard in 2021. The article gave context for all of this, letting readers assess the claims and weigh their credibility. As I’d later write to Kotick’s lawyers: I would be surprised if you could point to any news article about Bobby Kotick in the last five years that has spent more of its wordcount articulating his point of view. He is welcome to do an interview with Game File any time. Nonetheless, there they were in my inbox that Tuesday evening: Clare Locke, the law firm that secured a $787.5 million settlement from Fox News over false statements about voting machines. They were emailing me, threatening that failure to comply with their demand could support a claim of “actual malice,” a legal standard for libel. Unless… Unless, they said, I added a key paragraph to my article. This was a paragraph that I already knew Kotick’s lawyers had been emailing reporters about for at least a year, and it was a paragraph that was already in my article. The paragraph they wanted is from a 2023 settlement that California’s Civil Rights Department struck with Activision Blizzard. The settlement had closed a two-year-old lawsuit over alleged sexual discrimination at the game maker. The paragraph basically said that claims of systemic or widespread sexual harassment—or of execs like Kotick tolerating such behavior—had never been proven. I’d already seen proof that Kotick’s lawyers had pushed for the settlement’s language to be added to reports about 2021 sexual discrimination and misconduct lawsuits brought against Activision Blizzard by California and, separately, by the U.S. federal government (both suits were since settled). I knew that Kotick and his lawyers felt that the California settlement language should be mentioned in the same breath as references to an article he hated and denied, a November 2021 Wall Street Journal article claiming Kotick knew “for years” of sexual misconduct at Activision Blizzard. So, in the Game File article that Clare Locke emailed me about, in the interest of ensuring I was being fair and balanced regarding the person I was covering, I had already included the following excerpt from the California settlement [emphasis added in bold]: (Kotick has repeatedly pushed back against that November article in the Wall Street Journal, citing among other things, language from a court-approved consent decree as part of Activision’s 2023 $54 million settlement over the California suit. It states: “no court or any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations that: there has been systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard [or] that Activision Blizzard senior executives ignored, condoned, or tolerated a culture of systemic harassment, retaliation, or discrimination.”) On the evening of January 20, I was incredulous. How do you write a four page legal threat about a week-old article and miss this? While scrambling to also make my kids dinner, I wrote a lengthy reply to Clare Locke’s lawyers, basically asking them to cool it with the threats and to start making sense. In part, I wrote: I hope you can understand why I am having trouble understanding what you’re asking for, when the statement you’re demanding to see in Game File’s article already appears in Game File’s article. Actual malice, as you know, refers to a reckless disregard for the truth. I’m not sure what your argument is when my article already states your client’s position. Here is where I should remind you, the reader, that I am an independent journalist. I publish on Substack, and have availed myself of the Substack Defender program that provides writers on the platform with legal support. But I’m no Wall Street Journal or New York Times, nor even IGN or GameSpot when it comes to such things as, well, having a legal department. There are more fun things for me to do as an independent journalist than writing back to a powerful law firm representing a very rich person. On the evening of January 20th, I was just trying to cook some pasta, broccoli and chicken nuggets for hungry twins. Nevertheless, I wrote back to them. Two hours later, I got a reply. Summarizing: A lawyer for Clare Locke said they’d “reviewed an incomplete version” of my article and they “apologize for the confusion.” (My guess: Someone didn’t read past the piece’s paywall, even though they’d had a full week to scrounge up the funds to do so. What I’d published above the paywall was balanced, as was what came after.)1 That was almost that, but something about the situation bothered me. The letter had been marked “confidential.” I hadn’t agreed to that, and I disliked the idea that powerful people on the beat that I cover would act like they could unilaterally control what I might tell my readers about. On the morning of the 21st, having already gotten the powerful law firm to back off, I oh-so-wisely re-approached them with just one more thing. I thanked them for clearing things up the night before but noted that I’d never agreed to keep their letter confidential. I’m all for agreeing with a source to keep things off the record, but that’s the thing. We have to agree. You can’t just declare it. I’m not bound by that. I wrote to Clare Locke’s lawyer and said, in part: I trust the matter is resolved. It was disappointing to have to spend less time with my kids last night in order to address your legal letter. Family time’s precious. I will add, for clarity’s sake, that, while your letter stipulated that it was confidential, I did not agree to those terms. In the future, should you wish to communicate with me confidentially, I am happy to agree to classifying our communication as “off the record” prior to the actual communication—as is standard with any professional journalist. The firm’s lawyer replied, not directly addressing the confidentiality issue but asserting that the matter was resolved. Why I didn’t write about this until now In May, I told this story on an episode of Simon Parkin’s podcast My Perfect Console, but I held off on sharing it directly with Game File readers. I held off to avoid stepping on the toes of another reporter, the journalist Mikhail Klimentov. He’d interviewed me in the spring of 2025 about an investigation he was working on regarding Bobby Kotick lawyers pressing the media to add the California settlement language to stories referencing the 2021 lawsuits. And about how some outlets had changed their stories and how some simply deleted them. Initially, I was a third-party source for Klimentov’s reporting, providing on-the-record context about the state of the games media. I’d heard about the letters but hadn’t put the time into pursuing the story. I thought it was interesting, and I was glad he was covering it. When the outlet that Klimentov was going to run his reporting in dropped the story, I began talking to him about potentially publishing his reporting on Game File. This was tentative. Then, in January, when I got my own Clare Locke letter, I told Klimentov that I didn’t think it would make sense for me to publish him, not with me now being part of the story. I had my own version of this situation to tell. But I wished him well and said I’d refrain from telling my tale until he could get his reporting out there. Last Friday, Klimentov finally ran his investigation, in a nearly 48-minute video report for People Make Games. It covers various Clare Locke letters, how media outlets reacted to them and what to make of all this. His video weighs the merits of Kotick’s request and looks at some of the articles that were changed (one of which had a glaring error). I highly recommend watching it: (Note, I did some editorial consulting for a People Make Games video last year but nothing to do with this report.) While many outlets haven’t left any public evidence that they updated their Kotick coverage at Kotick’s counsel’s request, at least one has. Back in October 2025, the mainstream outlet Reuters applied the most transparent article update I’ve seen. On the 3rd of the month, they published an article about the state of the Swedish pension fund’s lawsuit. Days later, they added this: In an October 7 letter sent after publication of this article, Kotick’s defamation counsel disputed claims of widespread harassment at Activision. “Not a single investigation, court finding, verdict, or ruling ever concluded that there was any merit” to the allegations of widespread harassment at Activision, Tom Clare and Nick Brechbill of Clare Locke wrote. I’ve never added a statement to my article on Game File, because none was needed. Not for fairness’ sake, nor to meet any demands of Kotick’s lawyers. I’ve nevertheless wanted to be transparent with Game File readers. If someone powerful is questioning my reporting, is threatening a lawsuit over it… if that threat is part of a pattern involving other games media outlets and if, in my case, the whole thing ran into a ridiculous ditch, I want you to know about it. I also share this as a real example of how I handle threats to Game File. I stand up for my own reporting, even when it’s not comfortable to do so. (In that same category of standing up for the work I do, I’ll point to an incident in late August. Asocial media post I published to X/Twitter regarding reporting I did about Take Two and GTA VI was hit by bogus copyright claim by a firm working for the publisher. I pushed back and got it reversed; even while a bigger games media outlet let themselves be censored. This is the other reason I’m sharing this story: To emphasize that dealing with threats from powerful people is one of the costs of covering the video game industry independently and as fearlessly as possible. This is where you come in. Your support, through free and paid subscriptions (sign up here!), can help me keep doing that. It can ensure that I’ve got the back-up I need. And it can help make fiascoes like this even less of a worry, so I can spend my evenings dealing with more important things, such as making sure I steam the kids’ broccoli just right. 1 That pension fund lawsuit I wrote about in January has all but gone away. In May, the fund and Activision Blizzard owner Microsoft agreed to settle. Lawyers for the fund brokered a $250 million settlement for former Activision Blizzard shareholders. In the settlement, the fund’s lawyers changed their rhetoric. Where once they’d questioned the meaning of the California settlement language, they adopted a version of it for themselves. Several weeks ago, while seeking to get a court to sign off on the terms of the settlement, they proposed their fee for their work in the case: $60 million.
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