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NBA: Detroit Pistons stage epic 22-point comeback to defeat Boston Celtics as season tips off in style
Detroit Pistons rally from 22-points down to beat Boston Celtics 121-113 with Javonte Green and Cade Cunningham’s 22 points and 8 assists winning the day at Little Caesars Arena
30 residents of Massachusetts assisted living facility hospitalized in weeks after woman's death, health director says
Hopkinton's health director says 30 residents of Golden Pond Assisted Living Facility have been transported to the hospital in recent weeks as an investigation is ongoing at the facility.
Detroit Pistons Stun Celtics With Epic Fourth Quarter Comeback
Detroit Pistons overcome a 22-point deficit with a stunning 23-0 fourth-quarter run to beat the Boston Celtics 121-113 in their 2026-27 season opener.
Which Greater Boston business do you miss the most?
Several longtime businesses have shuttered this year, marking the end of an era for its employees and customers. Share your memories.
Gratitude and honor
Louis Campos, who works in the facilities electrical department, installs new ground lights on the Northeastern Veterans Memorial in preparation for the upcoming Veterans Day ceremony on the Boston campus.
Bruins to Host Hockey Fights Cancer Night, Presented by Beth Israel Lahey Health, on October 22
The Boston Bruins will host Hockey Fights Cancer Night, presented by Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH), on Thursday, October 22, during their home game against the Nashville Predators at 7 p.m. at TD Garden. Now in its 28th season, Hockey Fights Cancer is a joint initiative of the NHL and
Governor Healey's pro-business efforts hurt Minogue
Also a new (and free) downtown space for small businesses, local think tanks join forces, and yes to local control of liquor licenses .
R.I. Democratic Party chair faces calls to resign after spouse indicted on fraud charges
Both the Democratic and Republican nominees for governor call for party chairwoman Liz Beretta-Perik should step down.
Bickerstaff’s Pistons Open Against a Reshaped Boston Celtics
Detroit tips off the NBA season Tuesday against a Boston team that remade itself this summer. #Pistons
Braves Send Austin Riley Message As Concerns Mount
The Atlanta Braves’ boss offered a candid response about the star infielder’s shortcomings immediately after the season ended
Lowry joins McIlroy in first ever TGL Trade
Shane Lowry is the first player to be traded in the TMRW Golf League (TGL) as he joins Rory McIlroy at Boston Common Golf for 2027.
Opinion | The science behind leaf peeping
A psychophysiologist explains why fall colors really do help our minds
Bruins Nikita Zadorov Felt “Disgusted” By Being Scratched
Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm decided to send a message of tough love to bruising defenseman Nikita Zadorov when he designated him as a healthy scratch for their recent outing, a 4-1 victory on the road over the struggling Los Angeles Kings.Zadorov had been whistled for a penalty in their previous game against the […] The post Bruins Nikita Zadorov Felt “Disgusted” By Being Scratched appeared first on HEAVY.
Richard Riehle, dependable TV and film character actor who was in ‘Glory and ‘Office Space,’ dies
He often played authority figures but was equally skilled at comedy.
Japan launches spacecraft to Mars' moon in mission to bring back soil samples
Five of the world's space agencies have joined forces for the five-year mission that will attempt to land a robotic prospector plus a rover on Phobos, the larger of Mars' two moons.
Paul George welcomes playing under Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics challenges
"It's been a fun challenge," said the Fresno State alum. "How can I be myself, how can I find rhythm."
USA TODAY Sports Super 15 West region football rankings, Week 10
Santa Margarita's win over St. John Bosco (CA) and Chandler's victory over Centennial (AZ) caused adjustments in the Super 15 West Region rankings.
Massachusetts casinos see tax drop from horse racing machines
State tax revenue from casinos could drop by up to $73 million per year, the operators said.
Boston vs. Bullies Uses Sports and Star Athletes To Curb Bullying In Schools
Athletes from nine different Boston pro teams serve as representatives for the program.
Eagles announce Jalen Hurts diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis
The Eagles gave an update on Jalen Hurts, who went on injured reserve over the weekend.
How Boston Dynamics is turning robots into a real business
CFO Amanda McMaster explains how Spot found paying customers and why Hyundai's backing could help Atlas scale.
Celtic Boss Confirms Bad News for Celta Vigo Game
Martin O'Neill has confirmed some bad news for Celtic heading into the Europa League game against Celta Vigo.
Every Rouen Métropole player drafted by the Boston Celtics
Let's take a look at every player who has been drafted by the Celtics out of Rouen Métropole.
Japan's sample return mission to Phobos may also collect some Mars dust
Japan’s MMX mission will be the first to the moons of Mars and it aims to bring back precious rock samples — perhaps even indirectly from Mars.
Booth Insights: Who coaches the new boss? The support new CEOs need beyond the board.
First-time CEOs who buy a business need independent support. Coaches, peer groups and management-system guides can help them lead effectively.
Daily Bean: Maple Leafs Trade Talk; Matt Poitras; Hellebuyck Rumors
The Boston Bruins had the day off yesterday but are back to work today as they look to sweep their […]
Saros' Massive Zenith Update Is Available Now on PS5, Free for All Players
Boss rush! New Game+! More!
Man City star set for two months out injured
Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has revealed that Antoine Semenyo is facing eight weeks on the sidelines but Erling Haaland could be available for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with AEK Athens....
BREAKING: Sarina Wiegman signs Lionesses contract extension
Lionesses boss Serina Wiegman has signed a new contract with the national team, keeping her in post until the end of Euro 2029.Wiegman took charge of the side in September 2021, and has since lifted b...
Mass. nail salon workers face low pay, health hazards
A survey of Massachusetts nail technicians found that most earn less than $40,000 and suffer from headaches, asthma, and nausea.
Nvidia CEO among top business execs to attend German investment summit
Germany is set to host top business executives, including Nvidia boss Jensen Huang, on Monday for a summit that Chancellor Friedrich Merz hopes will help to attract private investment to boost the sluggish economy. Europe's largest economy has struggled to attract foreign investment amid years of weak growth, with high energy prices and labour costs continuing to deter businesses.
Opinion | Has Hyannis found the secret to a fun, thriving downtown?
Zoning changes plus beautification money raised from local businesses spur housing construction and attract businesses.
Celtics Get Unexpected Devin Carter Update After Roster Decision
Boston Celtics guard Devin Carter faces an unexpected setback just one day after securing a two-way contract. The post Celtics Get Unexpected Devin Carter Update After Roster Decision appeared first on HEAVY.
Streaming’s Biggest Show Returns…and a Buzzy Genre Struggles
(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.) Obviously, the big news of the week (if not month) is Netflix letting go of executive Bela Bajaria, their chief content officer. I’m going to cover this in my next “Most Important Story of the Week”, but I also have a data angle that I might publish before then. (Too much news this month, am I right?) But first, I have a bonus Streaming Ratings Report issue for you. Today’s article is a bit of a grab bag of topics I’ve wanted to write about, but couldn’t squeeze into the (already very long) Streaming Ratings Report issues. The NFL drives huge viewership numbers, so I’ve got a look at that. A whole bunch of TV shows returned to the traditional broadcast channels, and I have thoughts. And I have a quick look at adult animated shows, since a couple flopped earlier this month. Plus, the Emmys aired earlier this month, and we got some fun data bout how popular those nominated shows are and why I’m not optimistic about the show’s future. That’s a lot, so let’s dive right in. Subscribe Sports - Football Remains the King of Streaming Over the last two Streaming Ratings Reports, I sorta ignored the biggest “show” each week. (I was tempted to say “piece of content” but I know that word bugs folks.) In my database, I call these “specials”, and they sure are special. I speak of the king of American TV: football!!! Streaming football is back and, unlike some other sports, it routinely dominates all viewership. Probably the best way to show this is to update one of my favorite graphics, the “40 Million Hour Club”1 since football games have joined that club each week they’ve premiered: (Yep, that’s the data through 28-Sep, the first four weeks of the season. As a reminder, I take the average minute audience provided by Nielsen, factor out a percentage of linear TV viewers in home markets, and multiply the run time by the three-hour runtime.) Again, the numbers are huge. Let’s start with Netflix. They grabbed the rights to the bonus opening week NFL Kickoff game (which was on YouTube last year) and it put up 18.5 million viewers on average. That nets out to 47.4 million hours of estimated streaming hours. That’s good! Though, notably, it’s well below Christmas Day games from previous years. Compared to other streamers/broadcasters, that’s a bit of a mixed result. On one hand, Netflix’s 18.5 million average is about what YouTube claimed last year, though Nielsen used a bespoke methodology at that time, so I trust this viewership figure more. So that’s good. (The game also shifted from a Friday to a Thursday and that could have helped the viewership as well.) And Netflix continues to best Prime Video in total viewership—as you’ll see next—though Netflix has had much higher-profile (opening week and Christmas Day) games. NBC/Peacock’s opening game the night before averaged 25.1 million average viewers, which is just much bigger than Netflix (or Prime Video). That’s the big caveat to all streaming viewership records: even in success, they can’t compete with traditional linear TV. Previously, I called this my “hierarchy of viewership”, and the data keeps supporting that thesis. The downside for NBC is that this game’s viewership was down compared to previous years, though it may be a counting issue. Here’s a great chart from Sports Media Watch: Indeed, looking at all the opening week games across all windows, Netflix still lags the other primetime windows, but does well compared to the afternoon games: I saw a few folks make the case that streamers still lag traditional broadcasters in reach, and I’d add they really lag compared to “broadcast plus streaming” options like NBC/Peacock, ESPN/Disney+ and CBS/Paramount+. The best data I saw for this came from Samba TV, who charted reach through the 2025 season, and, wow. (Samba TV’s numbers are historically lower than Nielsen’s, so don’t compare their household figures to Nielsen’s hours, but use them as a proxy for the relative reach of the streamers.) The good news is Prime Video is NOT having a down year. Their opening Thursday Night Football game reached 18.6 million viewers (about what Netflix got), but that’s a high for Prime Video on Thursdays and the biggest Thursday night game since 2015. The TNF games the weeks of 21-Sep and 28-Sep continued this streak, getting 43.1 (16.8 million average viewers) and 42.5 total hours (16.6 million average viewers), which were both up from last year. Still, that continues the (typical) season slide: (For those new-to-streaming-football-numbers folks, the viewership declines for Thursday Night Football as the year goes along.) Overall, it appears as if Prime Video is now part of the “football habit”, be it for customers at home or out at places like bars and restaurants. And its viewership is slowly catching up to broadcast. One last chart shows this. Last season, Nielsen started adding out-of-home viewership to the charts, so I try not to do season-to-season comparisons as I did for the first few years. And while Nielsen added Big Data viewing this year, I’m going to compare the last two seasons. Here’s that chart, which shows the season-over-season gains: When it comes to streaming football, we have to keep a few seemingly contradictory thoughts in our head… First, streaming doesn’t come close to matching broadcast’s reach and, thus, viewership. Second, even with that gap, football is still the biggest “thing” on streaming. It’s very, very popular. Third, while some methodology changes have likely helped Prime Video’s numbers, their viewership does appear to be growing. Lastly, yeah, the NFL started the season off poorly, with week one dragging down the numbers in year-over-year comparisons. However—and again, methodology changes may have helped this—the viewership grew compared to previous seasons over the next couple of weeks. So football is still king. On streaming and off. Television - Adult Animation Continues to NOT Make the Streaming Charts In the last two reports, two adult-animated shows whiffed: Netflix’s animated comedy, Dang! Paramount+’s Sega-video-game-inspired fantasy/comedy, Golden Axe. Neither made the charts, but that’s usually the case for animated shows. I mean, here’s literally every animated show that’s made the Nielsen Original charts since the start of 2025: And one of those shows is G_abby’s Dollhouse_! A kids show! The problem with charts like this is that they don’t give you a sense of how many shows miss the charts. Netflix had at least eleven animated flops, including comedies like Big Mouth (a show everyone assumed was popular in the pre-Streaming Ratings Era), Long Story Short, Haunted Hotel, Mating Season, Strip Law, and Alley Cats, and action shows like Blood of Zeus, Castlevania: Nocturne, Devil May Cry, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, and Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. Prime Video had at least six animated misses, two in the same universe (Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss), three more comedies (#1 Happy Family USA, The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy and Kevin) and an action show (The Mighty Nein). Disney+ had MCU and Star Wars animated misses (Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Zombies, Star Wars: Visions, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, and Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld) but I can’t tell how many of those shows were geared towards adults. HBO Max had Harley Quinn and Hulu had Solar Opposites. None of these shows made the charts! That’s a lot of misses! If I remade the chart with all those misses, here’s how it would look: Listen, I know the counter arguments. First, it’s cheaper to produce animated shows than live action. Fair enough, but with viewership this low, even that cheaper price point starts to not matter. Second, just look at the acquired charts. Hit animated comedies can generate viewership for years! Shows like The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, and Bob’s Burgers do really, really well. Fair enough, but streaming has failed to recreate the dynamic that Fox has mastered so well. That’s a problem for streaming still. Television - Emmys! The annual Emmys broadcast was a few weeks ago, and I’ve got data on how the nominees performed on streaming, plus hot takes on this year’s viewership (and the big news about the broadcast’s, er, streamcast’s future). 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… The top Emmy-nominated shows… ...why I’m worried about the future of the Emmys telecast... ...the pros of broadcast television ...and the cons... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! Next week, we’ve got a double issue (since the weeks of 21-Sep and 28-Sep were so light), but then I’ll be all caught up after a deluge of streaming ratings data from Nielsen in September. In the meantime, I’m going to try to take a look at Netflix’s stats to explain why Bela Bajaria is out. But even light weeks give me plenty to talk about. The Great British Baking Show returns to Netflix and Apple TV has a buzzy new star-studded comedy. And Netflix has a controversial-but-appears-to-be-popular new game show. Plus big films like Toy Story 5, Backrooms and The Breadwinner head to streaming. And is East of Eden a hit? After that, The Kardashians return to Hulu, Prime Video has a reboot of Carrie, and Netflix has a horror show, Below. Disclosure Day heads to Peacock, The Housemaid heads to HBO Max_,_ a new Ben Affleck film, Animals, lands on Netflix, and Apple TV has a new John Cena action film based on, checks notes, Hasbro’s Matchbox toys. Okay. Longterm, some interesting TV production news. HBO Max ordered How to Survive Without Me, starring Kaley Cuoco, Joshua Jackson, Ray Romano and Rita Wilson, for fifteen episodes! I love that some streamers (or, at least, HBO Max) are finally ordering TV shows with more than eight episodes. In less wise production news, Landman does not appear to be coming back this year, since it just started production. Frankly, I don’t love this (get your shows out on time) but Landman is so popular, I doubt it matters.
Pols & Politics: Could the Minogue-Healey polls signal an upset?
GOP rival Mike Minogue won the two debates by a country mile over Gov. Maura Healey — according to two Herald online polls. Plus: California Gov. Gavin Newsom to stump for Healey
‘Your health is your wealth’: Martin Ho, away from the game
The Tottenham boss on golf, yoga and why switching off makes him better at the day job, plus the Spurs staff who’d give him a game.
Japan to launch world-first mission to collect samples from Martian moon
Japanese space agency leading five-year mission to Phobos, one of ‘most important unclimbed mountains in the solar system’
AI-assisted pricing tools increase US consumer apprehension
It’s unclear how widely retailers use AI to help set prices, but research suggests businesses across industries are adopting it.
Opinion | Don’t roll the dice on public health
Massachusetts should care less about gambling competition and more about public health guardrails.
Bruins vs. Kings Takeaways: Bruins Rally Past Winless Kings
Boston erased an early deficit to beat Los Angeles 4-1. The Bruins have won five straight and will head to Dallas to finish their road trip.
Tyrese Maxey assesses Sixers after preseason finale loss to Celtics
Tyrese Maxey assesses the Philadelphia 76ers after a preseason finale loss to the Boston Celtics.
Every NYU player drafted by the Boston Celtics
Let's take a look at every player who has been drafted by the Celtics out of NYU.
Poldark’s resilience helped me turn round my business
Staffing issues, financial woes, equipment failure and a thousand other things made it seem as if being the boss of a dental practice wasn’t for me, but TV’s burly hero inspired me to push on
Trump faults aides as Republican midterm prospects dim
By Nandita Bose, Bo Erickson and Steve Holland WASHINGTON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is blaming senior aides and political operatives for a faltering midterm strategy, questioning
Boston stabbing survivor calls for more mental health resources to prevent violence: "It's really a shame"
A 23-year-old man who was stabbed in the neck during an attack in Allston is speaking out about his experience and calling for more mental health resources to help prevent future violence.
Triple stabbing survivor calls for more mental health resources in Boston
Denzel Boston good to go for Week 6
The Browns top receiver will be in the lineup for the team in Week 6.
Reaching peak fall color: The science of autumn's transformation
Ever wonder how every year nature transforms green leaves into a stunning array of colors?
PSV Secure Shuryjano Cornecion’s Future With New Contract Until 2031
Fresh off an impressive first-team debut, the teenage midfielder commits his long-term future to the Eredivisie giants as Peter Bosz looks to integrate the academy graduate permanently.
R.I. Health and Human Services head to replace Roger Williams, Fatima hospitals CEO
Revolving door? Richard Charest’s jump from government to industry raises ethics questions.
'We F***ed Up' — Wardogs Boss Admits Season 2 Hasn't Gone Particularly Well
Wardogs developer Bulkhead had some strong words to say about the rough launch of Season 2, admitting: "We f***ed up."
How“ Street Fighter”’s surprising ending sets up a sequel — and introduces an iconic final boss
The new video game adaptation comes across as a clear part one of a two-part series.
Sixers vs. Celtics preseason: How to watch, lineups, broadcast info
The Philadelphia 76ers will take on the Boston Celtics in the preseason finale on Friday back in the City of Brotherly Love.
Entertainment RX: Matthew Gilbert's recommendations for the grieving
Entertainment RX is an entertainment-guided advice column offering things to read, listen to, or watch that somehow address — or, in some cases, distract from — the issues readers write in about.
Where to watch Sixers vs. Celtics today: Channel, live stream, time, TV schedule for NBA preseason game
Philly and Boston close out the preseason Friday night. Here's when and where to watch.
BankFive president named Women Who Mean Business honoree
The Boston Business Journal selected BankFive President Anne Tangen as one of 10 honorees in its Women Who Mean Business program.
Weird and misleading political ads: How to talk to kids about them
It’s hard to distinguish reality from fiction in a world of AI and desensitization.
Boston Celtics Broadcaster Earns Exciting New Opportunity
Drew Carter will get some opportunities to call games nationally.
Remedy Boss Reacts After Control Resonant Sells 1 Million Copies, Becoming Studio's Fastest-Selling Game
Control Resonant has sold one million copies, becoming Remedy’s fastest-selling game in spite of leakers cracking the title and pirating it after its digital launch in September.
Denzel Boston remains a limited participant
Browns WR Denzel Boston has chance to play after back-to-back limited practices
Boston security guards could strike over health benefits
Security officers' contracts expired July 31, and the sole issue preventing a new deal is health benefits.
PAHO Director calls for country ownership and regional solidarity in reshaping global health architecture
Berlin, 15 October 2026 (PAHO) – Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director and WHO Regional Director for the Americas Dr. Jarbas Barbosa called for countries and regional institutions to have a stronger role in shaping ongoing reforms of the global health system during the World Health Summit 2026 in Berlin this week, arguing that clearer responsibilities across national, regional and global levels can reduce duplication and help limited health resources deliver greater impact.
Why Kerry Washington Credits This 1 Role With Launching Her Business Career
The star said at the Inc. 5000 Conference & Gala that she learned 'how to be a boss' by playing the iconic Scandal role.
Boston Celtics establish clear, dominant identity in preseason play
Or at least that is the point of view of the folks behind the "NBC Sports Boston" YouTube channel's "Celtics Talk" podcast.
Former Boston TV meteorologist, ‘Today’ co-host says divorce is official
A former Boston television meteorologist says her divorce is now official more than a year after she and her husband announced their separation.
Blackburn defender Wharton added to squad
Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray tells BBC Radio Lancashire defender Scott Wharton is fit and ready to play a part in the first team.
Fever star Aliyah Boston undergoes right knee surgery following team's playoff loss to Aces
Aliyah Boston turned in fantastic numbers in 2026.
Mariners News: Boston Smith, Cole Young, and Joe Espada
Taking a look at the 2026 Gold Glove finalists. Plus, Joe Espada is officially a free agent.
US lawmakers unveil bill to hold Wall Street’s ‘Epstein-connected’ bosses to account
Move comes as Senator Elizabeth Warren condemns Barclays response to questions over ex-boss’s ties to sex offender
Boston Celtics season preview: Opening schedule, win projection and everything to know for 2026-27
Every Hapoel Tel Aviv player drafted by the Boston Celtics
Let's take a look at every player who has been drafted by the Celtics out of Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Phillies News: Don Mattingly, Kevin Long, Dave Dombrowski
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss
Mikel Arteta Defends Noni Madueke Over Output Concerns
The Gunners' boss insists the £48million winger will decide matches, dismissing concerns over his final product following a pivotal assist in Arsenal’s latest European triumph.
Newcastle boss 'relishing' Scarlets challenge
Newcastle Red Bulls boss Dan McFarland says he is "relishing" the challenge of facing Scarlets in the European Challenge Cup.
At the Museum of Science's new venue, live music is on the agenda
Jacob Collier, the genre-breaking English polymath, will christen the new museum's new 500-person space with an inaugural performance Friday.
New £24m children's healthcare facility opens
It brings clinical care and child health technology development under one roof, say hospital bosses.
FBI Adds Ex-Bellum Entertainment CEO To Most Wanted Fraudsters List; Offering $150K Reward For Info On Fugitive Mary Carole McDonnell
In a true turn of events that would seem almost incredulous in a Hollywood script, the boss of a now defunct production company that specialized in true crime is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Invest...
FBI Most Wanted Fugitives List Adds Ex-Bellum Entertaiment CEO
Mary Carole McDonnell, the boss of a now defunct production company that specialized in true crime is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Beth Israel Lahey Health wins state OK for nearly $80m Lahey Clinic expansion
The expansion comes as BILH gains a new CEO in Peter Shorett, who will succeed Dr. Kevin Tabb in January.
Ubisoft plans cuts at German studios, adding to wave of workforce reductions
Ubisoft is planning to reduce its workforce in Germany, where it operates a trio of studios, by about 100 workers, Game File has learned. The company wants to offer employees buyouts to, should enough people accept, avoid having to lay anyone off. “In Germany, we initiated discussions with the Works Council last week regarding a proposed voluntary departure plan across Ubisoft Dusseldorf, Ubisoft Berlin & Ubisoft Mainz,” a company rep told Game File. A “works council” is a union-like group representing employees. “The voluntary plan is the primary measure being proposed to support the intended organizational changes,” the Ubisoft rep added. The company declined to confirm the scale of the potential headcount cut. Of the impacted studios, Mainz might be the best known to the public. It leads development of the Anno series and shipped the well-reviewed strategy game Anno 117: Pax Romana in November 2025. Berlin and Dusseldorf operate as support studios within Ubisoft’s creative network. Berlin recently supported the development of Rainbow Six Siege and the Rayman Legends Retold remake. Dusseldorf also contributed to those projects, as well as The Settlers and Ubisoft-branded escape rooms. Dusseldorf is the biggest of the three studios, with some 400+ workers, compared to just over 100 at the other two, a source familiar with the reductions and the teams told Game File. More than half of these new reductions of about 100 people are expected to happen at Dusseldorf. The planned cuts were announced at a town hall for the German studios on Tuesday of last week. In an email follow-up, the studio group’s managing director, Benedikt Grindel, said the cuts were intended to “best position our German studios for the future... with a clearer focus on their role, capabilities and organizational setup needed for the work ahead.” The email was an echo of the past. In January 2025, Grindel had emailed the Ubisoft developers in his region (or studio “zone”) to explain that a round of 185 cuts at the time, including about 65 at Dusseldorf, were “essential to improve our operational efficiency and ensure the long-term sustainability of our studios, the zone and the company.” A half-decade of continued job cuts Ubisoft has been aggressively cutting its headcount for years. At the end of September 2022, it had 20,729 workers. By the end of March 2026, that total was down to 16,590. Studio management is trying to trim costs as it grapples with a changing industry and a drought of releases, let alone hits. The company announced earlier this year that it had reduced its costs since 2022 by “nearly €325 million” ($362m) and planned to lower them through 2028 by another €180 million ($200m). In June the company said it was closing down its Winnipeg and Belgrade studios and cutting roles in its Barcelona team. Even commercial and creative success hasn’t spared studios from this ongoing company-wide contraction. As Game File was nailing down details around the proposed cuts in Germany, Ubisoft management was informing workers of cuts in its Singapore studio, which shipped a hit remake of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag this past July. Some 70 positions in Singapore are being eliminated “to align the studio with upcoming production needs,” per a company rep’s statement to Game File. In early 2024, a large team in the Singapore studio launched the multiplayer pirate game Skull & Bones. It performed poorly but has been supported with regular content updates since. Many of Ubisoft’s studios around the world are heavily subsidized via regional grants and tax breaks. Singapore had been among them for years, but received no such local assistance in the 12 months ending this past March. News of the Singapore cuts broke today alongside word that Ubisoft is also proposing the closure of RedLynx, pending negotiations with officials. The Finnish studio behind the motorbike series Trials was founded in 2000 and sold to Ubisoft in 2011. As reported by VGC (and corroborated by Game File), Ubisoft management told employees it could not come up with a new, sustainable assignment for RedLynx. The 2025 workforce at Ubisoft Dusseldorf were straight-up cuts. This time, Ubisoft is hoping the reductions at its trio of German studios will largely come from workers taking a payout to leave. The company offered such voluntary dismissals at its Massive Entertainment studio (The Division) a year ago. For the German studios’ buyouts this time around, Ubisoft and the Works Council had discussed a formula that’d pay a worker’s monthly salary multiplied by 1.5 and by the number of years they’ve worked at the company, according to Game File sources. The formula is still subject to negotiations with the Works Council and has not yet been part of an official offer to workers. It could be adjusted up or down, and it could be supplemented with additional bonuses. Asked about the floated payout formula, a Ubisoft rep told Game File, “The terms of a potential voluntary departure program remain subject to negotiation with employee representatives. No final agreement has been reached, and we won’t comment on specific proposals while discussions are ongoing.” Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Item 2: Epic’s AI adventures Epic Games (Fortnite, the Unreal engine) is all-in on using AI to try to transform the way it makes video games and game-making tools. It’s leaders appear to be undeterred by any resistance among gamers and some game developers around generative AI—and instead emboldened by advances, particularly in AI-assisted programming. A recap of the last three days: On Monday, Bloomberg reported that Epic management told workers last week that development of an upcoming game combining Star Wars and Marvel characters would be “AI first.” Employees would be expected to use AI models such as Claude to code the game. A manager told Epic’s developers there would be “[n]o more hand-written code” and that art for the game would be “generated with full AI workflows,” per the outlet. Just ahead of that story running, Epic founder Tim Sweeney tweeted: “We have a huge pivot underway here at Epic, moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration. The aim isn’t to do the same stuff with fewer people, but to enable everyone here to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal.” In a follow-up, Sweeney predicted that most game development processes would be at least three times faster a year from now than they were in January 2026, thanks to AI. To a person on X who told him he was failing to read the room, Sweeney said: “Much of the room wants it to be 2016 again, but it’s not. Our job, as the provider of tools and technology to much of the industry, is to design for the present that is and the future that will soon be.” On Wednesday, Epic announced it was releasing a faster launcher for its Epic Games Store marketplace. It did so by stating in a blog post as clear as could be that the launcher is an AI-enabled, vibe-coded project: Programming is hard. So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher that’s way faster and more responsive than the current one, and has a new look. Programming is hard? That was unexpected phrasing from a company founded by a legendarily great programmer. Back in 2011, Sweeney told me that he’d picked up programming quickly as a kid and rejoiced at the power it gave him. “I could look at any program that anybody else had written and, with enough effort, build something cooler.” Item 3: The Xbox Labs experiment (and one of the people behind it) Microsoft’s Xbox division, which is flooding the zone with announcements lately, yesterday revealed a new internal tech-tinkering team called Xbox Labs. In the words of Xbox boss Asha Sharma Labs is “a small group of game makers, engineers and scientists whose job is to turn emerging ideas into things our players and developers can experience.” Conventional wisdom coming out of the announcement is that Labs is a team that’ll focus on ideas driven by generative AI. In her announcement, Sharma cited some of the dizzying achievements in tech and gaming over the past month as AI agents and other AI tools have been deployed to swiftly figure out how popular games work, then rebuild them and mix them up. She mentioned seeing ”games rapidly decompiled and rebuilt to run on hardware they were never originally designed to support” and said “[p]erhaps more surprisingly, we’ve seen many of the biggest games in the world have been remixed into the source code of another.” (Minecraft plus Elden Ring, for example, or Fortnite + Super Monkey Ball + Overwatch + Diablo + others.) Sharma also cited the work of Windows PC games being ported to run in browsers, a seeming reference to a recent AI-assisted fan port of Halo. Or perhaps Call of Duty or GTA. Sharma didn’t use the specific term “AI” in her memo, but she came close, citing AI “agents” and their potential for game-making tools that Labs could help craft: I think XBOX has an important role to play here. Coding became the first major workload for agents because they can write, run, and test software. Games share many of those same properties, and people spend more than 72 billion hours a year playing XBOX games, roughly five times the estimated time spent writing code worldwide. We’ve spent 25 years learning how to make great games, and I want our game makers to help shape what these new technologies make possible. As we learn, we’ll share the tools we build with developers across the industry, just as we always have. When I asked an Xbox rep if Labs was an AI-centric team, they said genAI was not the focus, describing it as having a broader mandate for using new tech in new ways in gaming. As an example, they pointed to Xbox’s recently launched disc-to-digital gaming usage rights program. Microsoft didn’t specifically name anyone involved full-time in Xbox Labs yesterday, but on social media and LinkedIn, I spotted Adrian Mato IDing himself as leading the creatio of tools at Labs and talking up the launch. Mato first caught my attention in late September, when he said on X that he was “starting to build a new team at Xbox focused on products and tools for how games get built and distributed as agentic tools become more capable.” At the time, he framed AI-based tools as a supplement to traditional game dev tools. “I don’t think we need to replace them,” he said. Since then, he’s publicly shown interest in AI and in games. He’s recently spent some of his X feed marveling at the power of AI agents and praising the lighting in the latest Gears of War. Following the Labs announcement yesterday, he enthused about the Xbox Labs’ stylish landing page. He wrote: “We built some fun tools to art-direct shaders in real time, experimented with interactive ASCII art, and sprinkled in lots of tiny details. “Move your mouse to leave a colorful trail that reveals the original footage, or interact with the video to trigger bursts of particles. “A lot of love went into making it all feel just right. “More to come”
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BUSINESS UPDATE: A 138-year-old New York Manufacturer Gets Another Life in Fulton
E.J. Willis Co. was founded in New York City in 1888 and for generations it has made ship’s bells and other equipment for the U.S. Navy and American shipbuilders. This summer, the new owner moved the company’s equipment to Fulton By Stefan Yablonski E. J. Willis Co. cast brass ship’s bells — handcrafted in the United States since 1888. Ship bells, “built to last a lifetime at sea,” are now manufactured in Fulton. E.J. Willis Co. has moved its operation and manufacturing business to Fulton. They are currently operating out of N.E.T & Die. The company is now under the ownership of Jonathan Hyatt. He recently acquired the company after seeing a for sale note on Craigslist. [caption id=attachment_11110 align=alignright width=400] Entrepreneur Jonathan Hyatt is the new owner of E.J. Willis Co. He bought the business this summer after finding a listing on Craigslist by chance.[/caption] “I had been looking for something to do. I had been 20 years in corporate America and I was just tired of building someone else’s empire, you know what I mean? I was in consulting, pretty much a jack of all trades. I wanted to do something that I could call my own,” he explained. “I’d been on this path of trying to find a business to buy for about a year. One night I am on Craigslist about 11:30 in mid-April searching for something completely unrelated. At the bottom of Craigslist was a ‘things you might be interested in from outside of your area.’ There was an ad that said 138-year-old bell manufacturing company for sale. So, I clicked; why not, right? I wasn’t looking to buy a manufacturing company, but I went down the rabbit hole, absolutely fell in love with the history and ended up buying it.” He read the ad and responded. “I called and I am talking to the owner of the business for about two hours. We ended with, let’s have another chat and then come on out here and have a look. I figured, well I might wind up getting kidnapped and getting murdered or there is a real business here. But I gotta see it through,” he quipped. “And sure enough, there is a big machine shop operation there. The gentleman who owned it was retiring and in the corner of this shop is a little room where they make bells and they have been doing this ever since the company had started.” That’s the one constant thing that has survived the changes of the business. [caption id=attachment_11061 align=alignright width=300] Sales 1929 general catalog published by E. J. Willis Co, listing all the merchandise it sold. It’s like the Sears Roebuck and Co. catalog for marine parts.[/caption] “I drove home and told my wife, ‘This is what I am doing for the rest of whatever we are calling this — mid-life crisis.’ And she said, ‘absolutely you got to do it.’ I took out a loan and off we go.” He put in an offer on the business and they closed on July 1. He didn’t disclose what he paid for the company. “In terms of price, the seller and I have agreed to keep those terms private.” “I am finding that I am a business owner, an archeologist, opening files and cabinets that haven’t been opened in 100 years. It’s just amazing, just cool things that I am finding,” he said. “I want to build the business back. I want to be able to sell the bells to outsiders. I think they are beautiful. “It’s really a wild story about a company that started in lower Manhattan, exploded in the automotive space, sold parts to the Wright Brothers, moved into the aeronautical world and then landed in marine. The cool thing, I have been digging around and the gentleman who owned the company prior to me was not a digital guy. There is nothing out there. “Now I am sitting here with all the art from like the 1930s, the E.J. Willis boat catalog it’s like 250 pages of things this company used to make. It’s like the Sears-Roebuck and Co. catalog for marine parts. We are modernizing, we are staying true to the heritage of the business. It’s exciting to be the next steward of the whole business.” Initially he thought he’d move everything from the company’s plant in Middleville, Herkimer County, to Boston, out of convenience. “Then I thought let’s keep the foundry where it is. Let’s not move anything right away,” he said. “I want to get a good sense of what we’ve got, what works and what doesn’t. “I went to the foundry and met with the people there, lovely people, and said here is my position — I am buying a company where everyone is retiring. There is machining and polishing to be done, who would you work with around here? Without hesitation they said, ‘you need to go to NET Tool & Die and talk to Michelle [Shatrau]. She is a third-generation machinist and she runs the company now.’” So, he drove to Fulton. “I knocked on the door, they let me in. And she said, ‘how’d you get in here?’” he said with a laugh. “We became fast friends. I told her what I am doing. It must have struck a nerve. She has a very entrepreneurial background. I must have said something right because she came out and she said, ‘I’d love to help you. Why don’t we move the equipment that you have into my large building and I will give you a space to work at and use my team?’” [caption id=attachment_11058 align=alignleft width=300] Bell in progress awaiting assembly[/caption] It’s a great relationship so far. “We are bringing the business into the modern world. It’s been a lot of stuff all at once. But it has been very exciting,” he said. “We moved in a month ago [in July]. We closed on the business July 1. We moved a couple weeks later. We had all our equipment set up, electrical being run, everything. [caption id=attachment_11059 align=alignright width=300] Bell attached to a lathe going through the machining process[/caption] “We’re working with NET Tool & Die to rebuild production and preserve manufacturing processes that, in some cases, existed mostly in the heads and hands of the people who had been doing them for decades. We’re currently working on several 200-pound ship’s bells and bringing an old two-way manual bilge pump back into production.” He said he will be working with NET employees for the time being, adding, “I’d love to get to a point where I have so much growth that I need to hire people.” No one wakes up and says, ‘I am buying a bell today,’ Hyatt admitted. [caption id=attachment_11060 align=alignleft width=225] Bell after receiving a custom etching toward the bell mouth[/caption] “Everyone does wake up and has things that deserve acknowledgment and remembering — a promotion, a marriage, the birth of a child,” he said. “These are the things I feel like if there was something that could capture a particular moment in time and will literally outlast the person that bought it, a bell is that. We can engrave a bell if you get married or the birth of a child. We can put anything on a bell. “I have orders, yes. I am working on several orders right now. We have a little bit of busyness. But there are still some things to work out. I want to make things consistently and continue to move forward.”
Delta unveils its upgraded business class. Take a look.
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