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Review: Crimson Desert PC: Changing Just One Setting Dramatically Boosts Frame-Rate
The optimised settings collection.
Scientists testing new scanning technology discover mysterious structure beneath an ancient Egyptian city
Archaeologists working in Egypt's Nile Delta may have discovered a tomb or temple dating back around 2,600 years while testing a new technology designed to locate structures buried deep beneath the surface. ...
Gluten-free fried chicken, a Biblical fantasy and baking fails
In this week's food and culture newsletter, consider what makes "good" art, Hilldale gets a Chocolate Shoppe, and how to make Persian(ish) rice.
iOS 26.4 is Here: 12 Settings to Change for Better Battery and Privacy
Master the new iOS 26.4 update with these 12 essential setting changes. From optimizing Liquid Glass UI to enabling Adaptive Power Mode.
Data privacy déjà vu as bill bounces between chambers over exemption confusion
Exemptions are, again, a key sticking point of Maine’s attempt to pass a comprehensive data privacy law.
'Major disruption in Neanderthal history': 65,000 years ago, all Neanderthals in Europe died out except for one lineage
The last Neanderthals to survive in Europe came from a single lineage that survived the worst period of the ice age, ancient DNA reveals.
Health-Care Costs Are Forcing Terrible Trade-Offs
Earlier this month, as I waited to pick up a prescription at my local CVS, I watched a man leave without his elderly father’s medication. The pharmacist had tried several tricks to lower the cost. It wasn’t enough. When the man heard the bottom line, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and, after a long, awkward silence, walked away.
Advocate Health will take to the Charlotte skies to start hospital drone deliveries
The healthcare giant is partnering with a drone business to deliver prescriptions and supplies to homes in Charlotte and two other cities.
Citrus County Chamber calls out 'optics' of Jeff Kottkamp's appearance with CFO
'Public statements suggesting mismanagement, without full context, risk undermining community trust'
5 offensive prospects for Cowboys No. 12 draft pick
If the defensive options are wiped out before the 12th pick in the NFL draft, here are five offensive players the Dallas Cowboys need to consider.
'Growth' for Republic of Ireland despite Prague pain
Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson says there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic following his side's World Cup play-off shootout defeat by the Czech Republic.
Android 17 Beta 3 reveals Google may be testing a smarter charging feature (APK teardown)
Called 'Priority Charging,' the feature pauses background activity to speed up charging.
City Council holds entertainment zone study session
Music lovers at this year’s CreekWalk Concert Series may find more options to quench their thirst, as the Vacaville City Council held a study session regarding Entertainment Zones on Tuesday. Associate Planner Damiere Powell provided the…
Many of Trump’s remaining options in Iran risk heavy casualties with dubious chances of success
President Donald Trump is weighing several options for dramatically escalating the war against Iran should his latest push for diplomacy fail.
Implied Volatility Surging for Melco Resorts & Entertainment Stock Options
Investors need to pay close attention to MLCO stock based on the movements in the options market lately.
Kennedy’s Vaccine Agenda Hits Roadblocks, Diminishing His Clout
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine skepticism is posing challenges for the Trump administration. Top health jobs are unfilled, and a court has blocked his vaccine schedule changes.
Rajendra: In sports, there's more to winning than the scoreboard
Sports fans can transform their experience from passive consumption to mindful engagement, even amid the rise of sports betting.
Windows 11 KB5079391 out with features, direct download links for offline installers (.msu)
Windows 11 KB5079391 is available as an optional update, and there are several notable improvements. One change that stands out is support for 1000 Hz refresh rate monitors; another is the ability to turn Smart App Control (SAC) on or off without reinstalling the OS. Microsoft has also posted direct download links for KB5079391 offline […]
Kiva Microloans and Funding Paths for Small Businesses
Explore Kiva's 0% microloans and connect with lenders to understand financing options and steps to grow your small business.
Zone 2, 3, 4? What do heart rate zones mean for your health?
If you’re not an athlete or training to be one, how do you know how much time you need to spend in each zone to maintain optimal health?
Arts and Entertainment Agenda: March 27-April 3
Limitless Mountain Challenge, March 28 Challenge Aspen’s “Limitless Mountain Challenge” runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 28 at Snowmass Mountain. The all-abilities ski and snowboard event supports adaptive recreation, with a downhill ski and...
AAAS honors two Clemson University scientists as lifetime Fellows
Marco Ajello and Amy Lawton-Rauh were honored for their exceptional research and leadership in their fields.
Private Equity firm says
Thoma Bravo's Holden Spaht said the popular narrative around AI and software is incorrect, and not all software makers are equally exposed to disruption.
Movie Review: 'Two Prosecutors' is a perfect nightmare of state corruption
Sergei Loznitsa’s “Two Prosecutors” is a nightmare of government corruption so perfectly composed that, by the time it reaches its chilling conclusion, you feel nearly as entrapped as its young
AAN Art from the Schools at Johnson Gallery
The Artists Association of Nantucket kicked off its annual Art from the Schools exhibition of work by island students in grades six-12 with an opening reception and the presentation of
U.S. Accuses NewYork-Presbyterian of Reaching Deals That Kept Costs High
The Justice Department sued the large New York health system, saying it restricted insurance companies from offering patients cheaper options.
What to know about the "wild, wild West" of viral peptide health claims
Scientists Finally Figured Out the Math Behind How You See Color
The team behind the study created what might be the most accurate mathematical representation of photoreception ever.
Scientists Finally Figured Out the Math Behind How You See Color
The team behind the study created what might be the most accurate mathematical representation of photoreception ever.
Ahead of Atlanta visit, Cory Booker casts Georgia as key political battleground
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker heads to Atlanta on Friday to appear alongside U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock at the First Baptist Church of Decatur.
Letter | Abused Ridglan dogs are not good for science
Dear Editor: I am a professor and data scientist with over 25 years of experience in biomedical data collection and analysis, including studies that employ animal models for research. The
Celebrate Discovery at FAU’s Annual Art of Science Gallery Opening
FAU's Division of Research will open the Art of Science gallery with a reception and awards presentation on March 31 at the Ritter Art Gallery on the Boca Raton campus.
Can Artificial Intelligence Fix Social Science?
There’s a lot of optimism, but new research gives reason for caution.
Why politics, money, and construction capacity will limit any European turn toward nuclear power generation
The EU wants to reestablish the nuclear power supply it once had, when nuclear provided about a third of the bloc’s electricity supply. But Europe's industrial capacity, financial challenges, and politics are major obstacles to a European nuclear renaissance.
Samsung Reportedly Drops Plans To Design Its Exynos 2800 On A Sub-2nm Process, Preferring Healthy Yields And Optimizations Over Cutting-Edge Lithography
Rather than raise unnecessary production costs, the Exynos 2800 will utilize Samsung’s new 2nm process to achieve better yields and optimizations
Entertainment Listing: March 25
Wednesday March 25 Hangar 9 • Carbondale Open deck night, 9 p.m. PK’s • Carbondale Advertisement Trivia, 8 p.m. Project Human X • Carbondale Open studio, 4 p.m. Little Nashville • Marion Bingo, 6 p.m. Thursday March 26 Booby’s • Carbondale Karaoke, 8:30 p.m. Hangar 9 • Carbondale Jim Foerster and Jeff Bradley, 5 p.m....
If Trump’s diplomacy fails, the Iran war could get much worse
Iran doesn’t seem to be susceptible to the art of the deal.
AdeptiCon Preview 2026 – A new Lumineth Realm-lords warband breezes into Warhammer Underworlds
Awesome aelves and their adorable vulpine spirit revealed.
Scientists open a million-year-old time capsule beneath New Zealand
Deep inside a cave, scientists uncovered fossils from 16 species, including a newfound kākāpō ancestor that may have been able to fly. These remains reveal that New Zealand’s ecosystems were constantly disrupted by volcanic eruptions and rapid climate shifts. Long before humans, waves of extinction and replacement reshaped the islands’ wildlife. It’s a rare window into a missing chapter of natural history.
AdeptiCon Preview 2026 – The Red Terror hunts elite Cadians in new Kill Team expansion
A man-eating Tyranid terror stalks Devlan.
Top Trump housing official issues new criminal referral for New York AG Letitia James
President Donald Trump’s top housing official Bill Pulte issued two new criminal referrals for New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday, attempting to revive the administration’s ongoing legal pursuit of one of his political opponents.
Obstacles to ending war come into focus as US and Iran outline starkly different demands
Almost exactly one month ago, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met indirectly with the Iranians in Geneva as the Trump administration continued to claim diplomacy was its preferred option. Two days later, the US and Israel launched their war against Iran.
Q&A: An AI-Powered Way to Help Detect Brain Bleeds Faster
Timing and accuracy are vitally important when it comes to a brain bleed. Viz.ai, the company behind an artificial intelligence platform for disease detection and workflow optimization used in about 2,000 U.S. hospitals, wanted to streamline the process of identifying hemorrhages. Their solution,
South Florida car business hit by global conflict after missile damage in Dubai, as shipping disruptions mount
New images out of the region show destruction tied to escalating tensions involving Iran, and for one Miami Lakes-based company, the fallout is both immediate and costly.
U.S. Circulates Iran Peace Plan While Sending Troops to the Middle East
The 2,000 paratroopers heading to the region may give President Trump more leverage in negotiations, but they also leave him with the option of doubling down on military force.
Duke University Health System names new CEO
Dr. David Zaas will return to Duke University Health System as its new CEO effective May 1. He brings experience from his recent leadership roles at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and MUSC Health.
Iran dismisses Trump's peace plan as 'deceptive,' as U.S. deploys more troops to Mideast
The Trump administration reportedly presented a 15-point peace deal to Iranian leaders. Iran rejected the proposal, according to its state media.
New Amex Graphite business card offers flat-rate rewards, but there are better options for your business
Before you apply for the Amex Graphite Business Cash Unlimited, carefully consider all of your options.
Apple overhauls its app developer platform with 100 new metrics, more tools
Apple is adding 100+ new App Store Connect metrics, giving developers deeper, first-party insights into monetization, subscriptions, and user behavior as it doubles down on its app ecosystem in the AI era.
Emily Gregory is Donald Trump's new state representative and a new hope for Democrats in Florida
Florida state Rep.-elect Emily Gregory is the latest face of Democrats' optimism after she won a special legislative election in President Donald Trump's home state House district. Florida Democrats...
Baptist Health-Fort Smith may cease full hospital operations - Talk Business & Politics
Little Rock-based Baptist Health is planning to end hospital operations at Baptist Health-Fort Smith with the campus providing emergency room and possibly limited surgery services. Existing physician agreements are set...
States Brace for a Potential Supreme Court Ban on Late-Arriving Ballots
The court’s conservatives appear skeptical of laws allowing mail ballots to arrive after Election Day. A decision could come as late as June, potentially scrambling midterm elections.
Bipartisan Support for Small Business AI Bill » CBIA
The Commerce Committee unanimously approved a bill supporting small business adoption of artificial intelligence technologies March 24.
The politics of California’s surging gas prices
Gas prices continue to spike amid oil market disruptions caused by the war in Iran — and both Republicans and Democrats are working to capitalize on the issue.
How Weight Training Helps Women Through Hormonal Changes
The hormonal changes women undergo throughout their lives can affect muscle and bone health. Menopause, for example, dramatically speeds bone loss, with
Glyphosate: A story of science, risk, and nuance
In the summer of 2014, a California groundskeeper named Dewayne Johnson started noticing patches of raw, weeping skin spreading across his body. He had spent years applying Roundup, Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicide, for a school district, sometimes drenched in it when equipment malfunctioned. By 2014, he had a diagnosis: non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In 2018, a jury awarded him $289 million in damages, later reduced on appeal. Tens of thousands of lawsuits followed. The story hasn’t quieted down. It’s all over the internet, swinging between “this will kill you, buy organic” and “relax, you’re fear-mongering.” Some of that recent chatter stems from an Executive Order protecting glyphosate and its production, which set off intense infighting within the MAHA movement. Some of it reflects a deeper truth: Americans genuinely care about harmful chemicals in their environment (see poll below). And the conversation isn’t going anywhere, with a Supreme Court case involving Monsanto set for this April. Glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. But does glyphosate cause cancer? And how much exposure is actually risky? With so much mistrust in institutions and corporations (and some genuine conflicts of interest), making sense of the actual scientific evidence is genuinely hard. Here is a translation of what the scientific evidence actually says. Does glyphosate cause harm? Glyphosate is an herbicide that kills most plants it contacts rather than targeting specific species. It works by blocking an enzyme pathway (EPSPS) that plants and many microorganisms need to produce essential amino acids. Without those amino acids, the plant can’t grow and dies. Glyphosate was first developed by Monsanto in the 1970s and became ubiquitous after the company introduced “Roundup Ready” crops in the 1990s. In 2024, Bayer removed glyphosate from residential Roundup-branded products due to litigation pressure. But today it is still the most widely used herbicide in the world. Farmers also discovered they could spray it directly on crops like oats, lentils, beans, and peas just before harvest to dry them out faster and make harvesting easier. Because of its widespread use, it’s obviously really important to understand if it’s harmful to humans. The key principle: The dose makes the poison The most important concept in toxicology is that “the dose makes the poison.” Sixteenth-century physician Paracelsus articulated what remains the foundational principle of toxicology: sola dosis facit venenum. Water will kill you if you drink enough of it. Aspirin saves lives at 81 milligrams and causes internal bleeding at higher chronic doses. So, at what dose is glyphosate poisonous? The LD50 in rats (the dose that kills half the test animals) is around 5,600 mg/kg body weight. Table salt is roughly 3,000 mg/kg. By that classic measure, glyphosate is less acutely toxic than salt. But some people are exposed to a lot of glyphosate through their work. And among the general public, there are many questions about low-dose, cumulative exposure from multiple sources over long periods. Does glyphosate cause health problems? Cancer Correlation maps are striking, with one analysis finding that 60% of counties that spray the most glyphosate have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma rates above the national average. But correlation alone doesn’t establish cause, which is why animal and human studies matter. In animals: Rat studies are typically what most fear is rooted in, but most people don’t know the study details on the dosage given to rats. A pooled analysis of the 13 most rigorous rat studies found evidence that very high doses, around 55,000 times greater than typical food residue exposure, can cause certain cancers. In humans: One of the strongest studies followed 55,000 herbicide users over 20 years and found no overall increased cancer risk. There was one signal: among those with the highest use, rates of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) appeared elevated. A broader meta-analysis of 18 human studies also found no overall cancer risk, though a separate meta-analysis focused specifically on non-Hodgkin lymphoma found that people with high cumulative glyphosate exposure faced a 41% higher relative risk compared to those with low or no exposure. These human studies are observational studies (randomized controlled trials would be unethical), and meta-analyses are only as reliable as the studies they pool. But the story seems consistent: at very high exposure levels, there may be some cancer risk. But that’s about as far as the science currently takes us. Emerging research: gut and reproductive health Gut: Because glyphosate targets a pathway that exists in some gut bacteria, scientists have questioned whether it could affect the microbiome. In mice, a 2023 University of Iowa study found that glyphosate altered gut bacterial composition and raised markers of intestinal inflammation. A 2024 systematic review found similar patterns: disrupted gut bacteria and problems with the mucus layer that protects the intestinal wall in mice. Whether this translates to humans is an open question. The human gut is highly variable and resistant, and we don't yet have strong studies confirming the same effects in people. Reproductive health: Animal studies have found that glyphosate-based herbicides can interfere with reproductive hormones, including disrupting egg cell development in mice and reducing the number of eggs available in sheep’s ovaries. However, the doses used in these experiments were high, so it’s not yet clear whether the same effects would occur in humans. On the human side, a 2021 pilot study led by Mount Sinai researchers tested urine samples from pregnant women across the U.S. and found glyphosate in 95% of them. The study also found a possible connection between higher glyphosate exposure during pregnancy and a subtle physical difference measured in female newborns. That said, some connections weren’t statistically reliable and this was a small study. The researchers themselves said more and larger studies are needed before drawing firm conclusions. What do regulators say about glyphosate safety? In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2A). The classification is worth taking seriously. But, there’s an important distinction: IARC classifies hazard, meaning the potential to cause harm under some conditions. It does not assess risk, which accounts for actual exposure levels and the real-world probability of harm. The U.S. EPA, the European Food Safety Authority, Health Canada, and regulatory agencies in Australia and Japan have all concluded that glyphosate is “unlikely to be carcinogenic to humans” at realistic exposure levels. They’re asking a different question: given how much of this people actually encounter, what is the probability of harm? Your actual exposure is what determines your actual risk. What does glyphosate mean for your daily life? At the grocery store: Food residues are small. The EPA’s acceptable daily intake is 1.75 mg/kg of body weight per day. To hit that threshold from oatmeal alone, a 150-pound adult would need to eat roughly 50 pounds of oats every day. But this calculation addresses only one pathway (food), and we don’t yet have robust tools to measure people’s actual total exposure. If reducing exposure matters to you, organic certification prohibits synthetic herbicides, and organic oat products generally test at lower or undetectable levels. Either way, a diet rich in whole grains, conventional or organic, is far better for your health than one that omits them out of fear of residues. On the farm: Occupational exposure is orders of magnitude higher than consumer exposure. Farmers and farm workers who mix, load, and apply glyphosate-based herbicides, especially without protective equipment, face meaningfully different risk profiles. Proper PPE isn’t optional. Integrated weed management strategies that rotate chemical modes of action are also worth taking seriously, both for health and for long-term effectiveness. If you live near a farm: Spray drift is real. Concentrations near field edges can spike during and after application, particularly on windy days. This is an area where I think public health could really step up and empower rural communities with buffer zones, rather than placing the onus on individuals. But for now, knowing your local agricultural calendar and keeping windows closed during application are the first steps. Bottom line Dewayne Johnson was exposed to glyphosate at levels most people will never encounter, and a jury decided he deserved compensation. That outcome is not evidence that the oatmeal in your pantry is dangerous. But it is a reminder that the dose, the context, and the person doing the exposing all matter enormously. Glyphosate is a chemical tool with benefits, trade-offs, and genuine open scientific questions. Learning to hold that complexity without collapsing into panic or dismissal is, honestly, one of the most useful and hardest things to do in navigating modern health science. Love, YLE Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) is founded and operated by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD—an epidemiologist, wife, and mom of two little girls. Hannah Totte, MPH, is an epidemiologist and YLE Community Manager. YLE reaches more than 425,000 people in over 132 countries with one goal: “Translate” the ever-evolving public health science so that people will be well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below: Subscribe
Longtime ESPN Hosts Endorse Celtics' Jaylen Brown For MVP Award
Pardon The Interruption's Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser both backed Jaylen Brown as this season's rightful NBA MVP.
Who's a rising star in Capital Region health care?
Every seasoned health care leader started somewhere. The question is: Who in the Capital Region is just getting started, and already making an impact? That’s the focus of the Emerging Health Care Leader category in Business Report‘s inaugural Excellence in Health Care Awards. This recognition is for the early-career professionals who aren’t waiting their turn—the […]
Four from Greater Grand Forks on Top 25 Women in Business list
Prairie Business contest honors exceptional professionals in the region
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.
Effectiveness of politicians’ public denials amid corruption accusations examined in new study
A new article investigates how public denials by politicians accused of corruption influence electoral accountability and why positive and negative partisanship shapes voter reactions.
Review: Super Mario Bros Wonder's 4K Upgrade For Switch 2 Shines
But the lack of a 120fps option feels like a missed opportunity.
Ilia Malinin seeks his 'redemption' at World Figure Skating Championships
Ilia Malinin goes for a World Championships three-peat this week, live on NBC Sports and Peacock.
Lawmakers ramp up fight against sports betting on prediction markets
The political battle over sports betting on prediction markets is heating up as professional leagues dive deeper into the national gambling frenzy. Lawmakers in both parties are attempting to stifl…
Yankees’ Netflix debut is latest example of sports’ complicated TV landscape
Fans have never had more access to live sports on TV. But it comes with costs, like navigating a maze of networks and new subscription fees.
“Redemption Arc Complete” — Sunderland AFC Have Returned!
There’s no need to quietly ghost around town anymore, trying to hide who we are. It feels as if we’ve tunnelled under the Berlin Wall and to freedom.We are Sunderland AFC. And we’re back.
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.
Sphere Entertainment (SPHR) Stock Trades Up, Here Is Why
Shares of content production and distribution company Sphere Entertainment (NYSE:SPHR) jumped 3.1% in the afternoon session after positive analyst sentiment and a rating upgrade from an investment analysis firm fueled investor optimism.
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.
Julio Fuentes: Florida amends SB 1760 to protect access to lower-cost drugs
Lawmakers preserve competition to keep prescription drugs affordable for Floridians
Did Scientists Overestimate AI’s Ability To Think Like Humans?
A new wave of AI research is attempting to tackle one of psychology’s oldest questions: whether the human mind can be unified under a single theory.
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.
Williamston woman accused of punching ECU Health police officer in face
Tyniqua Keener was charged with assaulting a company or campus police officer, intoxicated and disruptive, resisting a public officer, and disorderly conduct.
Dimon warns on AI job losses, calls for government-business incentives
The potential AI-related disruption of the job market is a critical issue in Washington, with lawmakers trying to curb the amount of job displacement.
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!]
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