W49: Midweek
We're into the first real week of Liminal Holiday Reality, somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas where parties and gatherings are possible, but the gift-wrapping and decorations may not even be finished. Amidst all of that, here are a few things to pause and consider.
Do you have brain rot? Oxford University's Word of the Year for 2024 recognizes just how much the internet, especially social media, is shaping our collective consciousness and the fabric of society. Maybe we're all overdue to take a step back and ask ourselves if we're on the right path.
Digital storytelling is taking a beating. Multiple studios including Lilith Games, Torn Banner, Ubisoft, and Sweet Bandits are going through significant layoffs or altogether closing. Reasons vary, but are largely focused on difficulty maintaining profitability in what is becoming a very competitive market, especially for independent multiplayer shooters. Here's to a shift towards more single-player or cooperative narrative game development as new studios emerge in the firmly post-COVID reality of 2025.
Mubi is going physical, announcing a new publishing line Mubi Editions. Their approach remains fiercely dedicated to their existing pursuit of arthouse above all else, albeit in print form. The first print release - Read Frame Type Film - promises to be an interesting curation of often-overlooked elements of film, including title cards and typography. A24 has set the standard for what's commercially possible by creating a culture around their work that extends into clothing, books, collectibles and more.
Is an Asian all-female gang, brought to you by Studiocanal what you were expecting? Us neither, but we're more than interested. The series, Red Butterfly, sounds exciting and engaging, and very much like a welcome change-up to the typical gang fare. Female representation and enterprising international series? We'll happily have some more of that.
OpenAI is celebrating 'shipmas' with an accelerated slate of launches. We can expect Sora, their much lauded and recently-leaked text-to-video generator, alongside a slew of other improvements. This will be launching within the same general window as Google's text-to-video offering, Veo. A lot is about to change - the tide is rising. Grab your surfboards.