The New York Times has a report out on studios like Zynga and Riot that have secretive, casino-like programs designed to keep their most lucrative players — also known as whales — happy so that they continue spending. This can involve everything from cash prizes to “personalized dog training sessions at the celebrity trainer Cesar Millan’s ranch.”
[The New York Times]
Now that Cozy Grove developer Spry Fox is independent again following a split from Netflix, co-founder David Edery has detailed some of the work that’s going into continuing development on the studio’s ambitious MMO Spirit Crossing, including pay cuts for leadership. “I’d much rather give up my salary and the security of a big company job than be doing anything else right now,” he says of working on the game.
[Linkedin]
Following Guillermo del Toro’s opus last year, a very different take on Frankenstein is on the way. Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, this version sees Jessie Buckley play the reanimated corpse of a murdered woman in 1930s Chicago. It looks fun, and the trailer makes very appropriate use of Florence + the Machine. The Bride hits theaters on March 4th.
We don’t know anything about it just yet, but the next entry in the Life is Strange series is due out some time this year, with a full reveal is coming on January 20th at 1PM ET. It’ll be the first new game since 2024’s Double Exposure.
One day after announcing Kratos’ casting for its live-action take on God of War, Amazon has revealed the first image of Sophie Turner as Lara Croft in its upcoming Tomb Raider series. Not much else in the way of details about the show, but Amazon says “production is underway.”
Well, they’re not kids anymore, but things are not looking good for the cast of Euphoria in the new season 3 trailer, which sees just about everyone involved in some kind of criminal enterprise or... content creation. The series returns to HBO on April 12th.
