Halo Studios, the developer of the beloved classic shooter game, celebrated &#8220;Pride Month&#8221; with an update to Halo on June 1. 
“Wear your #Pride all month long with the Unity armor coating, visor and emblem, available in the Halo Infinite Exchange,” Halo Studios wrote on social media, showing how gamers can change their armor skin and player icon to be adorned with rainbow colors.
Halo blocked comments on the post, silencing the reactions of their fanbase. However, quote retweets are allowed on X, and gamers didn&#8217;t hold back in roasting the company.
Many users called out Halo for being too weak to keep replies open. 
Some argued that the game&#8217;s protagonist Master Chief would disapprove of gay &#8220;Pride&#8221; and complained about woke activists seemingly infiltrating the beloved franchise to turn it into a propaganda machine.
&#8220;Dear Halo, It&#8217;s time to just start firing people who push for this to happen yearly, and then fire the artists because these suck,&#8221; one person wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Wear your <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/Pride?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pride</a> all month long with the Unity armor coating, visor and emblem, available in the Halo Infinite Exchange. <a href="https://t.co/Qu0z79tUMD">pic.twitter.com/Qu0z79tUMD</a>
— Halo (@Halo) <a href="https://x.com/Halo/status/2061510595455697006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" async="" charset="utf-8"></script>
Some users dubbed the game &#8220;Gaylo,&#8221; using AI to <a href="https://x.com/Captain_toke/status/2061562882048086096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2061562882048086096%7Ctwgr%5E0f97ea7298e16ffe5bbb4278e425f7c790ad83b7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnotthebee.com%2Farticle%2Fhalo-locked-the-replies-to-its-gay-pride-post-but-it-forgot-about-the-quote-tweets">reimagine</a> the game with safe diversity, equity, and inclusion objectives, such as safe spaces and pronoun affirmation. Other social media users posted a GIF of the scene from &#8220;The Godfather,&#8221; where Vito Corleone laments, “Look how they massacred my boy.” 
Former Blizzard Entertainment executive Mark Kern, known by his hundreds of thousands of social media followers as &#8220;Grummz,&#8221; has been a vocal advocate against DEI in video games. 
In a recent <a href="https://x.com/Grummz/status/2061885611473342959">post</a> on X, Kern pointed out that many major gaming companies have decided to avoid celebrating Pride Month, calling 2026 a “massive June month win for gamers.&#8221; 
&#8220;A year ago [these gaming companies] would have been all skittles,&#8221; he wrote. 
Kern reminded gamers that even though Halo might still be woke, many other gaming companies are not anymore.

Experience: HALO by Xbox 360

Gamers React After Popular Shooter Game’s ‘Pride’ Update

Entertainment

Gaming

LGBTQ

Pride

Twitter

Video Games

Woke Culture

Roblox, the most popular online gaming site in the world, announced new age-based accounts on Monday as the company seeks to address numerous allegations of sex predators targeting children on the platform.
Roblox <a href="https://about.roblox.com/newsroom/2026/04/introducing-roblox-kids-and-select-accounts">introduced</a> new age-based accounts for children under 9 and for children between 9 and 15, which the company says will limit the games children can access and how they can chat with others online. The new accounts will also give parents more oversight over their children&#8217;s gaming and chat activities, according to Roblox. The new age-based accounts are set to officially launch in June.
&#8220;When they roll out in early June, these accounts will more closely align content access, communication settings, and parental controls with a user’s age. We’re also establishing an ongoing selection process for games available to users under 16,&#8221; Roblox said. &#8220;This update will bring age-checks, account-level defaults, content ratings, ongoing moderation, and expanded parental controls together into a unified framework for younger users.&#8221;
The move comes after Roblox has faced intense scrutiny over its child safety measures and has been accused of standing by as child sex predators took advantage of the game&#8217;s realistic interactive settings and chat functions to prey on children. The platform, which boasts over 80 million daily users worldwide, allows gamers to develop their own games or play games developed by other users. Roblox is especially popular among children, with the company claiming that around half of all American kids under 16 are active on the platform.
The platform&#8217;s interactive concept has exposed children to sexually explicit content, exploitation, and grooming by predatory adults, according to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who sued Roblox in November. The <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/Petition_0.pdf">lawsuit</a> alleges that Roblox has deceived parents about the safety of the game when, &#8220;In reality, Roblox is a sprawling and unregulated digital playground that is overrun by predators and saturated with sexual content.&#8221;
When the changes announced by Roblox go into effect, it will mark the first time the platform has set up specific account barriers to separate children under 16 from adult users. Parents will also be given expanded oversight of their children&#8217;s accounts, including the ability to monitor and manage chats and block specific games they don&#8217;t want their children playing.
Alleigh Marré, the executive director of the American Parents Coalition — which raises awareness about activists agendas and corporate interests influencing children — told The Daily Wire that Roblox&#8217;s move isn&#8217;t enough to address the issues on its platform. Marré argued that the age-gated accounts are just another &#8220;toolset,&#8221; not an actual fix.
&#8220;Tools without accountability don&#8217;t solve systemic problems,&#8221; Marré said. &#8220;Now, that doesn&#8217;t mean that it&#8217;s not going to help parents, but it&#8217;s just another dashboard. So, without Roblox taking some responsibility and putting some controls on the back end with teeth, it really doesn&#8217;t do anything except foist responsibility from a platform they&#8217;ve created onto parents.&#8221;
For its new age-gated system, Roblox will rely on an artificial intelligence tool that estimates the user&#8217;s age based on a photo the user uploads to the platform. Parents can also manually verify their child&#8217;s age when they sign up for a Roblox account.
Under the new guidelines, kids between the ages of 5 and 8 would only be allowed to use a &#8220;Roblox Kids&#8221; account, which would only give them access to games with &#8220;a Minimal or Mild content maturity label,&#8221; Roblox said. Under the game&#8217;s <a href="https://en.help.roblox.com/hc/en-us/articles/8862768451604-Content-Maturity-Labels">rating system</a>, &#8220;Minimal&#8221; includes games that could &#8220;contain occasional mild violence, light unrealistic blood, and/or occasional mild fear.&#8221; &#8220;Mild&#8221; games could &#8220;contain repeated mild violence, heavy unrealistic blood, mild crude humor, and/or repeated mild fear.&#8221;
Kids under 9 would also have all online chat communications disabled by default. Parents, however, can turn on chat functions for a &#8220;Roblox Kids&#8221; account, which limits communications to &#8220;in-game chat with other users under 13-years-old&#8221; and users who are designated by parents as &#8220;trusted friends.&#8221;
Once a user turns 9-year-old, he is automatically moved up to a &#8220;Roblox Select&#8221; account, which will gives users between 9 and 15 access to a larger library of games, including games that fall under the &#8220;Moderate&#8221; maturity level. Roblox defines &#8220;Moderate&#8221; games as those which could &#8220;contain moderate violence, light realistic blood, moderate crude humor, unplayable gambling content, and/or moderate fear.&#8221;
Marré told The Daily Wire that the age-gated accounts still pose risks to children.
&#8220;When a child turns 9, they go from the entry-level Roblox to the 9- to 15-year-old bracket, which is a very wide maturity swath. You&#8217;re talking about a fourth grader with a sophomore in high school. That&#8217;s a very big difference,&#8221; Marré said. &#8220;And that&#8217;s if everybody is playing by the rules. That doesn&#8217;t stop a bad guy from creating a profile posing as a 14-year-old and reaching out to kids because now these bad guys are funneled into the &#8216;safe space&#8217; for kids too.&#8221;
Users 16 and older won&#8217;t see any changes to their accounts, Roblox said.
&#8220;Together, these updates are part of our ongoing work to build age-appropriate experiences for all users, apply safety-by-default protections for younger users, and give parents more visibility and control over how their children use Roblox,&#8221; the company added.

Roblox

The App Millions Of Kids Use Just Changed The Rules After Predator Fears Explode

Children

Sexual Abuse

Technology

A watchdog organization on Wednesday warned parents across the country about the significant dangers of allowing kids unfiltered access to popular online platforms that could expose them to sexual predators or even foreign terrorist groups. 
The American Parents Coalition <a href="https://americanparentscoalition.org/the-lookout-online-radicalization/">issued</a> a “Lookout” to parents, encouraging them to be vigilant about what their children have access to. The Lookout, which is texted to parents across the country, comes ahead of a House Oversight Committee <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/chairman-comer-invites-ceos-of-discord-steam-twitch-and-reddit-to-testify-on-radicalization-of-online-forum-users/">hearing</a> where executives from platforms like Discord and Twitch have been called to testify about the “radicalization of online forum users.”
“Today’s children are growing up in a digital age where online companionship and community are replacing human interaction at children’s expense,” the Lookout said. “Parents may not be aware that seemingly benign and popular gaming platforms like Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit can expose vulnerable children to radicalized views and extreme content with no guardrails.”
American Parents Coalition Executive Director Alleigh Marré told The Daily Wire that it was becoming increasingly important for parents to monitor their kids’ online activity. 
“It has been consistently flagged to parents that we need to be really mindful of our child&#8217;s online presence, where they&#8217;re spending their time, who they&#8217;re engaging with,” she said. “And we&#8217;ve continued to see the stakes of not doing that grow more and more concerning.”
The Lookout highlighted how Discord has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after it was reported that the man suspected of assassinating Charlie Kirk discussed the killing in messages on the platform. It was also <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1969108640255685108">revealed</a> that the man who planned to kill Justice Brett Kavanaugh mused about whether “removing” justices from the Supreme Court would “help women.” 
Other <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/discord-messages-server-dhs-terror-extremist-charlie-kirk-fbi-patel-rcna232377">reports</a> have said that young people have been exposed to materials from foreign terrorist organizations while on Discord. There are also concerns about children being <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/discord-child-safety-social-platform-challenges-rcna89769">targeted</a> by sexual predators via the platform or <a href="https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/when-teens-question-their-gender-social-media-can-provide-supportand-pressure-11634994000?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAgOtiieTiB_FVWBiVwl5_l-wKlWBfuXwpf-HXN2ECZy6H9-laaesI3J0omGIVk%3D&amp;gaa_ts=68dbf107&amp;gaa_sig=6LYtl3orBg1HfRSiILALhPg-tSA0B_29ehjiJDV9XGlTw-FNrmU8-e84m4-uWgW4xz0qGOZYuyXta1zgBQ5K4w%3D%3D">encouraged</a> to embrace transgender ideology behind their parents’ backs. 
In a statement to The Daily Wire, Discord said that it requires all users to be at least 13 years of age to use the platform. 
“We use a combination of advanced technology and trained safety teams to proactively find and remove content that violates our policies,” a spokesman said. “We maintain strong systems to prevent the spread of sexual exploitation and grooming on our platform and also work with other technology companies and safety organizations to improve online safety across the internet.&#8221; 
The Lookout also pointed to the dangers of kids being exposed to calls for political violence, particularly against conservatives. It highlighted a Reddit <a href="https://x.com/reddit_lies/status/1886487208695308564">thread</a> that was later removed, where users appeared to call for violence against employees of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The thread referred to the DOGE employees as “Muskrat’s DOGE Henchmen.” 
The comments were removed by Reddit’s safety teams within one day of being posted, a Reddit spokesman noted. Over 90% of Reddit users are reportedly over the age of 18, according to external market research. 
Another platform flagged by the American Parents Coalition was Roblox, an online game platform with tens of millions of users under the age of 13. In the aftermath of the Kirk assassination, the platform <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/11/charlie-kirk-shooting-roblox-game-removed">removed</a> dozens of game “experiences” after &#8220;seeing violative content around Charlie Kirk,” the company said. There have also <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2024-roblox-pedophile-problem/">been concerns</a> about predators targeting children on the platform. 
Twitch, a streaming platform, was also noted as a place where children could be exposed to violent political rhetoric and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2022-twitch-problem-with-child-predators/">sexual predators</a>. Leftist streamer Hasan Piker was suspended by the platform after comments about killing Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott. 
A Twitch spokesman said that the site monitors its channels 24/7 for any youth-safety violations on its platform. 
“We continue to increase our investments in youth safety on Twitch, and have developed a number of product interventions that let viewers customize and build the Twitch experience that is right for them – this includes limiting the visibility of content that may not be appropriate for all audiences,” the spokesman said. 
The Lookout included a list of general practices parents should take to protect their kids online.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-989619" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-22-at-9.58.18-AM.png" alt="" width="1583" height="899" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-22-at-9.58.18-AM.png 1583w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-22-at-9.58.18-AM-300x170.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-22-at-9.58.18-AM-1014x576.png 1014w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-22-at-9.58.18-AM-768x436.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Screenshot-2025-10-22-at-9.58.18-AM-1536x872.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1583px) 100vw, 1583px" /></div>
Marré said she thinks these tech companies should have a parental board to advise them on best practices. 
“These are very powerful technologies with extreme reach and they&#8217;re available to anyone,” she said. “There aren&#8217;t a lot of barriers to entry. And so when you have a technology like that, it&#8217;s all the more important to make sure that the people who are most vulnerable are protected, and I don&#8217;t really think anybody does that well.”

Boy using Ai to generate something or help solve work problems.

Discord And Twitch Are Not ‘Benign.’ They Pose Serious Risks To Your Children From Predators, Parents Group Warns

Reddit And Twitch Are Not 'Benign.' They Pose Serious Risks To Your Children. 

kids

Political Violence

Social Media

In the past year alone, titles like &#8220;Assassin’s Creed: Shadows&#8221; (which featured a <a href="https://notthebee.com/article/new-assassins-creed-game-has-gay-black-samurai-kiss-theythem-character">romance</a> between a bisexual black samurai and a nonbinary Japanese character) and the remastered version of &#8220;The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion&#8221; (which <a href="https://steamcommunity.com/app/2623190/discussions/0/604154245960211414/">replaced</a> the “female” and “male” options from the original game with “Body Type 1” and “Body Type 2”) have drawn significant backlash. 

But forcing woke content into video games isn’t the only way progressives are trying to ruin the gaming industry.
Now, they’re coming for its business model. 
 
Recently, the American Economic Liberties Project (AELP), a <a href="https://www.economicliberties.us/about/#">think tank</a> stacked with progressives, <a href="https://www.economicliberties.us/press-release/ninth-circuit-affirms-epic-games-victory-over-google-forces-monopolist-to-lift-app-store-restrictions/">cheered</a> a major court victory against Google’s app store that they aggressively pushed.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Epic Games’ case against Google was legitimate. Per the suit, Google forced developers into a rigid system with up to 30% fees, banning rival app stores and alternative payment methods, hurting both creators and consumers.
But don’t be fooled. AELP’s broader agenda has nothing to do with helping gamers or developers. Its antitrust crusade would shackle gaming — and every other innovative industry — under permanent bureaucratic control.
For example, AELP was the <a href="https://www.economicliberties.us/press-release/ftc-must-pursue-administrative-case-against-unlawful-microsoft-activision-merger/">loudest cheerleader</a> for the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/2210077-microsoftactivision-blizzard-matter">Biden-era push</a> to block Microsoft from acquiring Activision-Blizzard — a case the Trump administration just killed.
Biden’s FTC, egged on by AELP, claimed Microsoft would make &#8220;Call of Duty&#8221; and Overwatch Xbox exclusives, supposedly “suppressing competitors” in consoles and cloud gaming. They wouldn’t have. Microsoft committed to keeping &#8220;Call of Duty&#8221; <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/16/microsoft-and-sony-sign-deal-to-keep-activisions-call-of-duty-on-playstation.html">on PlayStation</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2023/02/21/microsoft-signs-call-of-duty-contract-with-nintendo-pressuring-sony-and-regulators/">bringing it to Nintendo</a>.
Courts saw through the AELP’s claims. A federal U.S. judge <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/07/11/microsoft-activision-ftc-decision/">rejected</a> the FTC’s suit in 2023, and by May 2025, Trump’s FTC wisely <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trumps-ftc-walks-away-from-microsoft-activision-merger-fight-started-by-biden-131433987.html">dropped</a> the case. Even the ultra-liberal European Union <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/eu-antitrust-regulators-clear-69-bln-microsoft-activision-deal-2023-05-15/">approved</a> the Microsoft-Activision deal.
Liberal activists like those at AELP may not want to admit it, but the truth is that gaming is a fiercely competitive industry. It doesn’t need Washington activist groups or government bureaucrats picking winners and losers. 
 
Consider the very video game example that AELP loves to harp on — &#8220;Call of Duty.&#8221;
Yes, it’s a mega-blockbuster franchise that has sold over 500 million copies since 2003. But it is far from unstoppable. When &#8220;Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare&#8221; launched in 2016, its <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeF3UTkCoxY">reveal trailer</a> was ratioed with 4 million dislikes to 667,000 likes. 
Four days later, video game developer DICE <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7nRTF2SowQ">unveiled</a> &#8220;Battlefield 1&#8221; — a rival shooter with a World War I setting — and its trailer’s likes outnumbered dislikes 37-to-1. &#8220;Infinite Warfare&#8221; only <a href="https://www.vg247.com/call-of-duty-infinite-warfare-was-the-best-selling-game-of-2016-despite-all-your-protests-but-battlefield-1-was-hot-on-its-heels">outsold</a> &#8220;Battlefield 1&#8221; because it bundled a remaster of &#8220;Modern Warfare.&#8221; Activision learned its lesson and abandoned the futuristic setting.
Market dominance in gaming seldom lasts. AELP <a href="https://www.economicliberties.us/media/vertical-merger-scrutiny-needs-an-upgrade-after-microsoft-activision/">argues</a> that video game consoles “rely on unique intellectual property that cannot simply be replicated,” but that’s simply not true. Blockbuster franchises are frequently copied, challenged, and displaced.
For example, &#8220;Guitar Hero&#8221; ruled the mid-2000s until &#8220;Rock Band&#8221; split the market — and soon after, both faded into irrelevance.
Yet, if regulators used AELP’s &#8220;Call of Duty&#8221; logic, perhaps they would have treated &#8220;Guitar Hero&#8221; like an untouchable monopoly, freezing the industry in place while gamers missed out on the next wave of competition.
Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft have spent decades battling to build their own “killer apps.” Players bought Xboxes for &#8220;Halo,&#8221; PlayStations for &#8220;Uncharted,&#8221; and Nintendo consoles for &#8220;Zelda.&#8221; If Microsoft ever made &#8220;Call of Duty&#8221; exclusive, the proper response from Sony wouldn’t be to run to regulators, it would be to make something better. That is how markets are supposed to work.
Instead, AELP and the far left’s vision appears to be to turn antitrust into a permanent chokepoint for the entire economy, swapping innovation for bureaucratic control.
Unfortunately, the Microsoft-Activision case was just a warm-up for them. After celebrating victory with Epic, AELP continues to push crackdowns on everything from <a href="https://www.economicliberties.us/press-release/ain-vetoing-anti-algorithmic-rent-fixing-bill-gov-polis-sides-with-corporate-landlords-over-colorado-renters/">dynamic pricing</a> to <a href="https://www.economicliberties.us/press-release/dot-greenlights-united-jetblue-partnership-deepening-airline-consolidation-crisis/">airline partnerships</a> that help travelers redeem miles across carriers.
If AELP succeeds in locking its mindset into law, it won’t just be gamers who lose — it will be every industry that depends on competition and creativity to thrive.
Gamers don’t need Washington lawyers and think tank activists deciding what they can play, and neither does any other sector caught in AELP’s crosshairs. What the market needs is the freedom to build, compete, and win without having to beg permission from the same professional regulators who mistake every successful product for a monopoly.
If AELP gets its way, innovation won’t just stall in gaming — it will stall everywhere. That would be bad news for everyone.
The Trump administration should continue to stand its ground and fight AELP’s agenda tooth and nail. We’ll all be better off for it.
* * *
James Skyles is a legal policy analyst and the principal of Skyles Law Group. He has written for some of the largest legal publications in the United States, including Law.com and Law360.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Friends shouting and cheering while playing the game battle on the playstation

It’s More Than Woke Storylines Ruining Video Games

It's More Than Woke Storylines Ruining Video Games

Blizzard Entertainment

Microsoft

Progressivism

Video games pose a very real threat to Hollywood’s box office hopes.
Modern games are more interactive and snazzier than their predecessors, digitally enslaving Gen Z in the process. “Netflix and Chill” doesn’t come close.
Studios surveyed the landscape and said, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Or, in this case, leverage their IPs for serious coin.
“A Minecraft Movie” earned a <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/box-office/minecraft-movie-box-office-success-blockbuster-1236361148/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">whopping $313 million</a> across the globe in its opening weekend, pumping life into 2025’s sad theatrical start.
<div id="attachment_906797" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-906797" class="size-large wp-image-906797" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207107585-864x576.jpg" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 30: (L to R) Sebastian Hansen, Jennifer Coolidge, Jack Black and Jason Momoa attend the World Premiere of &quot;A Minecraft Movie&quot; at Cineworld Leicester Square on March 30, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/WireImage)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207107585-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207107585-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207107585-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207107585.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/WireImage</div>
The smash comes on the heels of the “Sonic the Hedgehog” series, the burgeoning “Five Nights at Freddy’s” franchise, 2023’s “Super Mario Bros.” animated reboot and 2022’s “Uncharted” with Tom Holland. Let’s not forget 2021’s “Free Guy” with Ryan Reynolds as a lovable NPC (non-player character). The latter wasn’t based on any one video game but sprang from a sensibility gamers understood.
We’ve come a long way from wobbly video game adaptations like “Super Mario Bros.” (1993), “Max Payne” (2008) and “Alone in the Dark” (2005).
What changed? Studios started taking the source material seriously, expending big budgets to recreate the look and feel of the games in question. It helps that CGI advancements make it all possible, visually speaking. The sight of John Leguizamo and Bob Hoskins fleeing rubbery dinosaurs in 1993’s “Super Mario Bros.” still makes us wince.
Studios have hired A-listers like Jack Black, Jim Carrey, Mark Wahlberg and Chris Pratt to bring video games to stunning life.
They also didn’t make them woke or forget the core audience in question – boys and young men. Disney spent years transforming the “Star Wars” saga into a feminist-friendly franchise with shows like “The Acolyte.”
How did that work out again?
<div id="attachment_906779" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-906779" class="size-large wp-image-906779" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-11-Apr-2025-03-17-PM-8107-1024x576.jpg" alt="Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Sebastian Hansen in ‘A Minecraft Movie’. Photo by Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures/Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. IMDB." width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-11-Apr-2025-03-17-PM-8107-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-11-Apr-2025-03-17-PM-8107-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-11-Apr-2025-03-17-PM-8107-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-11-Apr-2025-03-17-PM-8107-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-11-Apr-2025-03-17-PM-8107-2048x1153.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. IMDB.</div>
It’s notable that “A Minecraft Movie” features two key female characters and gives them little to do. The film’s creative team checked those Identity Politics boxes but neglected to give the stars any sense of agency.
Still, the film’s cast and crew didn’t leave longtime fans behind. The new video game movies efficiently work elements of the games into the on-screen adventures. Those blocky swords in “A Minecraft Movie” are just one of many familiar sights for hardcore fans.
That, plus a wave of “easter eggs” make gamers feel seen. And they’re telling their friends all about it.
Black’s performance in “Minecraft” shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s like the Energizer Bunny on screen, but with even more energy. He also promoted the film without going full or even the semi-Zegler. He praised the feature as a fun, upbeat adventure that could heal a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/jason-momoa-jack-black-minecraft-movie-jennifer-coolidge-1236175713/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fractured nation</a>.
<blockquote>We’ve got to work together, my God. There’s so much violence and war and hatred. And that’s what I love about this movie — there’s a lot of love in it and there’s a lot of creativity. There is some anger and violence too, but in the end it’s about friendship and working together to make [the world] a better place.</blockquote>
Black has been a vocal Obama supporter in the past, even shooting a video to support the Democrat’s Iran policies – which haven’t aged well, to say the least.
He hasn’t been as loud about the political scene in recent years. He even <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/blindsided-jack-black-axes-tour-after-bandmate-cheers-trump-assassination-attempt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">temporarily shelved his Tenacious D band</a> when fellow rocker Kyle Gass wished for President Donald Trump’s assassination on stage.
<div id="attachment_906787" style="width: 859px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-906787" class="size-large wp-image-906787" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207617384-849x576.jpg" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 30: Jack Black attends the World Premiere of &quot;A Minecraft Movie&quot; at the Cineworld Leicester Square on March 30, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Pictures)" width="849" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207617384-849x576.jpg 849w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207617384-300x204.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207617384-768x521.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207617384.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 849px) 100vw, 849px" />Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Pictures</div>
Carrey similarly <a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/art-industry-news-february-23-2021-1945969" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stopped his barrage of hard-Left, anti-GOP paintings</a> in recent years. Meanwhile, Reynolds and Pratt are known for their upbeat, mostly apolitical personas.
Not every recent video game movie snagged “Minecraft”-sized numbers. Last year’s “Borderlands” debacle got ignored by gamers and torched by film critics.
The smart 2023 drama “Grand Turismo” offered a novel way to bring the driving game to the big screen, but audiences didn’t bite in “Minecraft”-sized numbers ($44 million US).
Still, the recent hits have given Hollywood exactly what it needs – young movie goers eager to share their thoughts on social media. “A Minecraft Movie” became a meme sensation in real time, with users producing “Chicken Jockey” gags on TikTok and elsewhere.
If you have to ask, you either never played the game or don’t have children under the age of 16.
Those memes made “Minecraft” an “event,” much like the 2023 “Barbie” movie. Women gathered their friends together to see the film wearing their best, “Barbie”-like outfits.
Now, teens are devouring “Minecraft” movie memes and celebrating them in theaters en masse. That’s exactly what studios love to see, even if some young fans are getting <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/teen-boys-trashing-theaters-causing-mayhem-at-a-minecraft-movie-showings?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=Entertainment&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Teen+Boys+Trashing+Theaters%2C+Causing+Mayhem+At+%E2%80%98A+Minecraft+Movie%E2%80%99+Showings">carried away with their exuberance</a>. Those viral clips, ironically, will only build on the film’s popularity.
<div id="attachment_906791" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-906791" class="size-large wp-image-906791" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207397332-864x576.jpg" alt="THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON -- Episode 2117 -- Pictured: (l-r) Actor Jack Black and host Jimmy Fallon during the &quot;Minecraft Claw Machine Challenge&quot; on Monday, March 31, 2025 -- (Photo by: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207397332-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207397332-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207397332-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2207397332.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images</div>
There’s another factor here, one that plugs in seamlessly to the “Minecraft” ethos. Many modern video games offer a canvas for inspired young minds. “Fortnite,” for example, allows gamers to choose from any number of “skins” and weapons. Players can team with friends across the street – or the globe – to create their own adventures.
They’re not just part of the action, they’re making the games up as they go. “Minecraft” might be the ultimate example of that ethos. The pixel-friendly game demands creativity from start to finish.
Movies aren’t interactive, at least for now. Films like “A Minecraft Movie” tap into that sense of self-directed adventure, the kind that makes video game adaptations into blockbuster hits.
The only downside for Hollywood? Studios will learn the wrong lessons from “A Minecraft Movie” and we’ll suffer through a few more “Borderlands” in the coming years.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

MixCollage-11-Apr-2025-03-09-PM-2616

‘A Minecraft Movie’ Smashes Box Office … And A Few Theaters

'A Minecraft Movie' Smashes Box Office ... And A Few Theaters

Hollywood

Jack Black

Jason Momoa

Movie Theaters

Movies

Two new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/video-games" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video games</a> that push the propaganda of the Left, like DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), have turned out to be total flops, with a non-woke one booming.
The first-person online shooter Concord &#8212; developed by Firewalk studios and published by Sony &#8212; came out on August 23 and Sony announced on Tuesday that it was shutting down the game on September 6 and promising that sold copies would be refunded, <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/playstation-shooter-concord-going-offline-this-week">IGN</a> reported.
It was released only on PS5 and Windows and in a very short amount of time, gamers proved they didn’t want to play the game with weirdly-drawn <a href="https://x.com/TheBugleDaily1/status/1830721273753743699">DEI characters</a> who had their pronouns proudly flagged in the corner, as The <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2024/09/02/politics-free-black-myth-sells-10-million-in-three-days-as-dei-games-dustborn-and-concord-flop/">Federalist</a> reported.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Concord will be taken offline on September 6, 2024 and all players will receive a full refund. <a href="https://t.co/nhuQVFnSqu">https://t.co/nhuQVFnSqu</a> <a href="https://t.co/vMNQurgPJI">pic.twitter.com/vMNQurgPJI</a>
— IGN (@IGN) <a href="https://twitter.com/IGN/status/1831000818037776625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2024</a></blockquote>
On the day Concord launched, it had a total of 697 concurrent players worldwide. To put those numbers into perspective, largely-panned gaming disappointment Rocksteady’s “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League” was considered a bomb when it debuted to a comparatively large <a href="https://steamdb.info/app/315210/charts/">13,000</a> players. The game was slammed for its woke elements like a lesbian race-swapped version of Batman nemesis <a href="https://boundingintocomics.com/2024/07/18/rocksteady-confirms-next-suicide-squad-kill-the-justice-league-dlc-character-mrs-freeze-is-a-lesbian/">Mister Freeze</a>, the outlet noted.
Playstation Director Ryan Ellis said of Concord’s failure that &#8220;while many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724211156439000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2-L2DitSaIUj5wz8v0bgxx">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a>
Days earlier, the adventure game Dustborn &#8212; developed by Red Thread Games and published by Quantic Dream &#8212; was released with gamers completely uninterested in the political and leftist setting and characters of the game.
Forbes described it <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattgardner1/2024/08/22/dustborn-review-love-it-or-hate-it-it-dares-to-be-different/">as</a> “among the most unrepentantly liberal and left-leaning games out there.”  The Federalist and others <a href="https://x.com/GiveMeBanHammer/status/1830122758313034085">noted</a> the characters in the game have the ability to “cancel and bully opponents, get triggered, and call people racists.&#8221;
&#8220;Dustborn emphasizes the power of words and the importance of building an inclusive society where everyone belongs,” one person wrote. “Is that so PC Gamer? Me looking at the game in any detail, it seems to indicate that its doing everything in its power creating the complete OPPOSITE in every way.”
In response to the criticism, <a href="https://x.com/RedThreadGames/status/1829503995192222020">Red Thread Games</a> developers said that from the start, they wanted to create a world where “everyone can feel safe,” calling the complaints a “tidal wave of hate and abuse.”
The game debuted with an all-time peak of just <a href="https://steamdb.info/app/721180/charts/">83 players</a>, while current player totals hover around the mid-20s, The Federalist noted.
And while several reports have noted the problem with the game is all the leftist propaganda, others have said the game’s just bad. One critic <a href="https://x.com/LifuLifuVT/status/1831003860963373181">called</a> out “the writing” and said the “one-dimensional” characters with a “storyline with absolutely zero depth” and an “unlikeable main character with no trace of human empathy” is just “bad, plain and simple.”
Meanwhile, the Chinese developed “Black Myth: Wukong,” which was released on August 19, is exploding, selling <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/black-myth-wukong-sells-an-incredible-10-million-copies-in-just-3-days">10 million copies</a> in only three days, the outlet noted.
&#8220;Black Myth&#8221; &#8212; a game based on the ancient Chinese classic &#8220;Journey to the West&#8221; &#8212; contains no politics and diversity propaganda.
Forbes reported that creators who requested a review copy of the game were asked not to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2024/08/18/the-black-myth-wukong-no-feminist-propaganda-no-covid-19-discussion-email-is-real/">include</a> things like &#8220;politics, violence, nudity, feminist propaganda, fetishization and other content that instigates negative discourse.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gaming-convention-slammed-for-creating-bipoc-lounge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gaming Convention Slammed For Creating ‘BIPOC Lounge’</a>

Woke Video Games Flopping As A Non-Woke One Booms

General

U.S.

Wokeness

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/video-games">gaming convention</a> Gen Con is under fire for introducing a “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/segregation">BIPOC Lounge</a>” for black, indigenous, and other people of color who attend. 
“The BIPOC Lounge is a dedicated space for BIPOC attendees to connect, relax, network, and utilize for career focused endeavors. With the intention to build, assist, and provide resources for the growth of the community, we encourage BIPOC attendees to visit the space,” the Gen Con Instagram description <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfo4gTApn0w/">said</a>. 
“This space was created to follow through on our goals of spotlighting underrepresented voices, supplementing convention experiences, and supporting new opportunities for those seeking to enter or move further into the tabletop industry. Gen Con is committed to maintaining this goal and will ensure this space is used for this purpose throughout the show.”
Comments were disabled on the Instagram post, but reactions on Twitter were brutal, especially after the popular account Libs of TikTok <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1545069629210591233">shared</a> a screenshot of the post announcing the BIPOC Lounge.
“So inclusive,” the account for The Daily Wire&#8217;s &#8220;Candace&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/thecandaceshow/status/1545073100504670213">wrote</a>.
“They’re so progressive that they’re actually regressive,” another Twitter user <a href="https://twitter.com/PrimeSC30/status/1545070523373199361">shared</a>.
While the BIPOC lounge at Gen Con is optional, leftists have been accused in the past of advocating for segregation in certain settings, mainly schools. Last September, Texas Tech University canceled a so-called anti-racism seminar that segregated students by race, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-cancels-anti-racism-seminar-that-segregated-students-by-race">reported</a> at the time. 
“Upon reviewing materials from the ‘Deeply Rooted Conversations’ discussion series, we learned that some of the content does not align with our university values, and we have discontinued this program,” Texas Tech spokesman Matt Dewey told The Daily Caller News Foundation. This was after Young America’s Foundation revealed the segregation through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The groups for the event were divided up as “BIPOC affinity space” and “Ally affinity space” before the seminar got canceled.
In August, black parents in Atlanta became furious upon learning that their elementary school children were being <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/black-parents-outraged-after-learning-atlanta-elementary-school-segregated-classes-by-race">segregated by race</a> in their classrooms. 
“[The principal] said, ‘That’s not one of the black classes.’ And I immediately said, ‘What does that mean?’ I was confused,” mother Kila Posey told the local news outlet. “I asked for more clarification. I was like, ‘We have those in this school?’ And she proceeded to say, &#8216;Yes, I have decided that I’m going to place all of the black students in two classes.’”
“We’ve lost sleep trying to figure out, like, why would a person do this? First, it was just disbelief that I was having this conversation in 2020 with a person that looks just like me, a black woman,” Posey continued. “It’s segregating classrooms. You cannot segregate classrooms. You can’t do it.”

Concert crowd from above

Gaming Convention Slammed For Creating ‘BIPOC Lounge’

Gaming Convention Gen Con Slammed For Creating 'BIPOC Lounge'

Indiana

Segregation

A gamer leaked classified Chinese military schematics to win an argument online.
Gaijin Entertainment, the developers of free-to-play online vehicle combat game, “War Thunder,” host a forum where fans can discuss vehicles, items, realism, and other aspects of the game. One post on May 31 went viral when it <a href="https://americanmilitarynews.com/2022/06/report-gamer-leaks-classified-chinese-tank-schematic-to-win-online-argument/">revealed</a> what appears to be a real schematic of the Chinese DTC10-125 armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) shell, which inspired an in-game item of the same name. The shell is employed by the PLA’s ZTZ Type 96, 96A, 99, and 99A tanks.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Leak of Chinese DTC10-125 APFSDS dart on the War Thunder game forum. Round is compatible with Type-96 and Type-99. 680mm RHAe @ 2km. The velocity and the penetration at 2km seems to be the equivalent of the frontline Russian 3BM60. <a href="https://twitter.com/adgpi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@adgpi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DRDO_India?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DRDO_India</a> <a href="https://t.co/EprWtMQzd2">pic.twitter.com/EprWtMQzd2</a>
&mdash; Krishna Kalagara 🇮🇳 (@KrishnaKalagara) <a href="https://twitter.com/KrishnaKalagara/status/1532166122752966657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Chinese speaking users of the site have translated the document and it has been circulating online. According to the <a href="https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/classified-specs-leaked-on-war-thunder-forum-for-third-time/">U.K. Defense Journal</a>, the leak illustrated the shell’s muzzle velocity at ambient temperatures, as well as its efficiency against rolled and homogeneous armor (RHA) and a range of factors that could affect the shell’s trajectory. If the image is authentic, it is the first known internal documentation of &#8220;one of the [People&#8217;s Liberation Army&#8217;s] main tank killing rounds.&#8221;
The user appeared to be irritated by inaccuracies in the projected in-game specs of the shell, and wanted the internal statistics updated to match its real world equivalent. <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/war-thunder-players-have-leaked-classified-military-intel-for-the-third-time-on-its-forums">Ironically enough</a>, the shell is not yet available in game, and the statistics in question were only placeholder values that would have been updated in the final product, meaning the leaker likely committed treason to correct values that were never meant to be accurate in the first place.
&#8220;Our community managers immediately banned the user and deleted his post, as the information on this particular shell is still classified in China,&#8221; the Hungarian studio said in an email to PC Gamer. &#8220;Publishing classified information on any vehicle of any nation at War Thunder forums is clearly prohibited, and the game developers never use it in their work. While we understand that our players want the game to be as realistic as possible, we&#8217;re kindly asking them not to do anything illegal and jeopardize their safety, as well as safety of our community team members.”
This is not the first time classified military intelligence has been leaked on this forum. In July 2021, a self-described captain of a British Challenger II tank leaked classified schematics in the hope that the developers would improve its in-game design. In October 2021, a French Army tank crewman leaked a portion of the Leclerc Main Battle Tank’s classified manual, again for the sake of in-game accuracy.

3D Render futuristic Military battle tank wire frame front

Gamer Leaks Classified Chinese Intel To Win Argument

China

Chinese Communist Party

Internet

Leak

Microsoft has announced its plans to buy gaming giant Activision Blizzard, in a deal worth a reported $68.7 billion.
“With three billion people actively playing games today, and fueled by a new generation steeped in the joys of interactive entertainment, gaming is now the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment,” the Big Tech icon announced in a <a href="https://news.microsoft.com/2022/01/18/microsoft-to-acquire-activision-blizzard-to-bring-the-joy-and-community-of-gaming-to-everyone-across-every-device/">statement</a>. “Today, Microsoft Corp. announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard Inc., a leader in game development and interactive entertainment content publisher. This acquisition will accelerate the growth in Microsoft’s gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud and will provide building blocks for the metaverse.”
In an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion, Microsoft will acquire Activision Blizzard for $95.00 per share.
“When the transaction closes, Microsoft will become the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony,” Microsoft announced. “The planned acquisition includes iconic franchises from the Activision, Blizzard and King studios like ‘Warcraft,’ ‘Diablo,’ ‘Overwatch,’ ‘Call of Duty’ and ‘Candy Crush,’ in addition to global eSports activities through Major League Gaming. The company has studios around the world with nearly 10,000 employees.”
“Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms,” said Satya Nadella, executive chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all.”
“Players everywhere love Activision Blizzard games, and we believe the creative teams have their best work in front of them,” said Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming. “Together we will build a future where people can play the games they want, virtually anywhere they want.”
“For more than 30 years our incredibly talented teams have created some of the most successful games,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard, who will continue to serve in this role following the acquisition. “The combination of Activision Blizzard’s world-class talent and extraordinary franchises with Microsoft’s technology, distribution, access to talent, ambitious vision and shared commitment to gaming and inclusion will help ensure our continued success in an increasingly competitive industry.”
This acquisition is the largest ever by Microsoft, as well as within the gaming world, with the company expecting the deal “to close in fiscal year 2023.” 
“The acquisition also bolsters Microsoft’s Game Pass portfolio with plans to launch Activision Blizzard games into Game Pass, which has reached a new milestone of over 25 million subscribers. With Activision Blizzard’s nearly 400 million monthly active players in 190 countries and three billion-dollar franchises, this acquisition will make Game Pass one of the most compelling and diverse lineups of gaming content in the industry. Upon close, Microsoft will have 30 internal game development studios, along with additional publishing and esports production capabilities,” the statement added.
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at<a href="https://twitter.com/ighaworth"> @ighaworth</a>.

Activision

Microsoft To Buy Activision Blizzard For $68.7 Billion In All-Cash Deal

The CEO of a video game developer based in Georgia is now out of the company after he tweeted his support for Texas&#8217;s pro-life law, which bans abortions once cardiac activity is detected in the baby.
&#8220;Proud of #USSupremeCourt affirming the Texas law banning abortion for babies with a heartbeat,&#8221; John Gibson, CEO of Tripwire Interactive, tweeted on Saturday. &#8220;As an entertainer I don’t get political often. Yet with so many vocal peers on the other side of this issue, I felt it was important to go on the record as a pro-life game developer.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Proud of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USSupremeCourt?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USSupremeCourt</a> affirming the Texas law banning abortion for babies with a heartbeat. As an entertainer I don’t get political often. Yet with so many vocal peers on the other side of this issue, I felt it was important to go on the record as a pro-life game developer.
&mdash; John Gibson (@RammJaeger) <a href="https://twitter.com/RammJaeger/status/1434245886670901250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tripwire Interactive released a statement on Monday evening saying that Gibson was out, effective immediately, because of the comments that he made. The statement claimed that he &#8220;stepped down.&#8221;
&#8220;The comments given by John Gibson are of his own opinion, and do not reflect those of Tripwire Interactive as a company,&#8221; the company said. &#8220;His comments disregarded the values of our whole team, our partners and much of our broader community. Our leadership team at Tripwire are deeply sorry and are unified in our commitment to take swift action and to foster a more positive environment.&#8221;
&#8220;Effective immediately, John Gibson has stepped down as CEO of Tripwire Interactive,&#8221; the statement added. &#8220;Co-founding member and current Vice President, Alan Wilson, will take over as interim CEO. Alan has been with the company since its formation in 2005 and is an active lead in both the studio’s business and developmental affairs. Alan will work with the rest of the Tripwire leadership team to take steps with employees and partners to address their concerns including executing a company-wide town hall meeting and promoting open dialogue with Tripwire leadership and all employees. His understanding of both the company’s culture and the creative vision of our games will carry the team through this transition, with full support from the other Tripwire leaders.&#8221;

Protestors Rally Against Restrictive New Texas Abortion Law In Austin

CEO Of Video Game Developer Supported Texas’s Pro-Life Law. Now He’s Out From The Company.

Abortion

Netflix is down nearly half a million subscribers in North America this quarter, leading to a stock drop of nearly <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-20/netflix-falls-after-forecasting-another-quarter-of-subpar-growth">5%</a> on Wednesday — the company’s biggest slide since its last poor earnings report in April.
This marks the first time the platform has lost domestic customers in two years.
<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/97ccbdab-6547-4d1b-bb3f-f251931901c2">The Financial Times</a>, which ran the headline, “Netflix bleeds subscribers,” says the streaming platform’s failure to meet analyst projections has investors jumpy.
“The California-based company predicted it would add 3.5 [million] subscribers in the third quarter, disappointing investors who were looking for a stronger rebound in the second half of the year,” the outlet reported, adding, “Analysts had forecast that Netflix would add 5.9 [million] subscribers during the third quarter.”
In a shareholder <a href="https://s22.q4cdn.com/959853165/files/doc_financials/2021/q2/FINAL-Q2-21-Shareholder-Letter.pdf">letter</a>, Netflix executives blamed their failure to meet projections this quarter on “unusual choppiness in our growth” and cited the pandemic, something CFO Spencer Neumann echoed on an <a href="https://s22.q4cdn.com/959853165/files/doc_financials/2021/q2/Netflix,-Inc.,-Q2-2021-Pre-Recorded-Earnings-Call,-Jul-20,-2021.pdf">earnings call</a>. But CEO Reed Hastings had to assuage similar worries after disappointing numbers the previous quarter in April. At that time, too, the company claimed COVID was hurting business, with Hastings <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9NojXGRTFU">saying</a>, “We had those 10 years that were smooth as silk, and we are just a little bit wobbly right now.”
Some people aren’t buying the coronavirus line, however, and blame other factors for Netflix’s poor performance.
Conservative radio host and commentator Todd Starnes believes pushing a woke agenda and filling original series and movies with hard-R-rated material could also be driving viewers away.
“They’ve gone woke,” said Starnes in an <a href="https://www.toddstarnes.com/media/netflix-aint-mayberry-and-thats-why-nearly-500000-americans-unsubscribed/">op-ed</a>, pointing out the deal the company struck with Barack and Michelle Obama to create politically themed films and series, which he classified as “propaganda disguised as entertainment.”
The former Fox News host also referenced the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netflix-subscription-cancellations-soar-after-cuties-controversy">scandal</a> over the movie “Cuties,” which showed preteen girls performing sexually suggestive dance moves, that hit the platform late in 2020. Starnes argued it highlighted for families that Netflix isn’t producing content they want to welcome into their homes.
“[Netflix] is basically becoming a soft porn channel,” he said, later adding, “Families are just not going to spend money on that sort of garbage. They long for the days of Everybody Loves Raymond and the Andy Griffith Show.”
In the midst of Wall Street worries, the streaming giant is looking to gaming as a future saving grace.
The company confirmed this week that it plans to move into video games during its earnings call, with Chief Operating Officer Greg Peters saying, “This is a core part of our subscription offering.”
Some tech insiders, like the analysts at <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/7/20/22586084/netflix-gaming-strategy-earnings-explained">Recode</a>, are skeptical though. “Figuring out how to make games is a very different skill set than making TV shows and movies — which is why most big entertainment companies have failed whenever they’ve tried to get into games themselves,” the outlet reported. “Big tech companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google have all swung and missed to varying degrees, as well. So it’s entirely possible that Netflix’s move into games could flop, too.”

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