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☆ Rejoice, millennials: The vampire boyfriend is cool again
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

If you've spent time on TikTok or X in the past few months, you may have spotted a proliferation of videos and posts about two video game characters. There's Astarion from "Baldur's Gate 3," and more recently, there's Vincent Valentine, a fan-favorite character from Square Enix's "Final Fantasy VII" remake. Square Enix; Gregg DeGuire/Getty ImagesMercer's opening line in "Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth" is now a fandom legend. from within the depths of his velvet-lined coffin, longtime "Final Fantasy" fans were introduced to the super-cool, uber-goth gunslinger. "I hope viewers of the work see, too, that there's more underneath the surface of a person than the trope of this decadent, hedonistic, theatrical vampire," Newbon said.

Persons: —, hasn't, you've, There's, there's Vincent Valentine, Edward Cullen sparkled, Edward, he's, there's, Alucard, Valentine, Matthew Mercer, Neil Newbon, Matt Mercer, Zelda, Vincent Valentine, Gregg DeGuire, Vincent, Mercer, I've, Vox, Scott Garfitt, who's, Astarion, Newbon Organizations: Service, Business, BAFTA, Getty Images

☆ Baldur's Gate 3 made more than $650 million last year, proving video games don't need microtransactions to succeed
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Baldur's Gate 3 made more than $650 million on Steam last year. Games that don't rely on microtransactions, in fact, dominated the bestsellers list for 2023. AdvertisementBaldur's Gate 3 smashed expectations, raking in hundreds of millions of dollars last year, proving that not all top-selling games have to have a battle pass. AdvertisementBaldur's Gate 3 was the top-selling game on the platform, outselling its closest competitor — Hogwarts Legacy — by $316 million, according to the report. One of the top trends last year among the top-selling games on Steam was a "lack of microtransactions."

Persons: —, Fortnite Organizations: Steam, Service, Larian, Book, North Carolina Better Business, Epic Games Locations: Baldur's, North Carolina

☆ Xbox is banning users for automatically uploading steamy sex scenes from Baldur's Gate 3
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewXbox Live users playing Baldur's Gate 3 are getting caught with their pants down, literally, sort of. Baldur's Gate 3 crashed onto the gaming scene last year, nearly sweeping The Game Awards and taking home the prestigious Games of The Year prize. AdvertisementIt's these spicy scenes, however, that are causing Xbox Live to ban users when their devices automatically record and upload them. Sensitive content can be found practically every second of Baldur's Gate because the game allows players to remove all their clothes at any point. how to turn off auto-upload when sensitive content is being captured)."

Persons: —, Vegas Organizations: Service, Games, Business, Kotaku Locations: Baldur's

☆ MGA Entertainment CEO: Toy industry will be down 8-10% by the end of this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMGA Entertainment CEO: Toy industry will be down 8-10% by the end of this yearIsaac Larian, MGA Entertainment founder and CEO, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss his thoughts on a slowdown in toy spending this holiday season, the issues for the toymakers, and more.

Persons: Isaac Larian Organizations: MGA Entertainment

The holiday season, which begins with Black Friday at the end of November and lasts roughly until the end of December, is expected to be especially tough for retailers selling discretionary items, executives say. "We are seeing some early Black Friday sales start just now," Barbie maker Mattel's (MAT.O) president and chief commercial officer, Steve Totzke, told Reuters on Monday. "The market for toys has been declining for the whole year," said Florian Sieber, CEO of German toy maker Simba. "We are expecting a good holiday season for Mattel," Totzke said. "We expect to continue to gain share throughout the holiday season."

Persons: Peter Nicholls, Larian, Santa Claus, Barbie, Loo, Isaac Larian, Toymakers, Nic Aldridge, Aldridge, Mattel's, Steve Totzke, Florian Sieber, Simba, Sieber, Totzke, Frédérique Tutt, Jerry Storch, Richa Naidu, Matt Scuffham Organizations: REUTERS, Hasbro, Mattel, Consumers, Euromonitor, MGA Entertainment, Toymakers Hasbro, Reuters, Bandai, P, Global, Storch Advisors, Hudson's, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Europe, Santa, United States, Loo Wee, U.S

"We are seeing some early Black Friday sales start just now," Barbie maker Mattel's (MAT.O) president and chief commercial officer, Steve Totzke, told Reuters on Monday. "The market for toys has been declining for the whole year," said Florian Sieber, CEO of German toy maker Simba. "We are expecting a good holiday season for Mattel," Totzke said. "We expect to continue to gain share throughout the holiday season." "But it's a reality that there won't be as many toys sold this year as last year."

☆ 'When I think of Bratz I think of Black girl': Bratz fans want to know why Kylie Jenner is the brand's first celebrity doll
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

MGA Entertainment tapped Kylie Jenner to create six collectible mini Bratz in her likeness. Loyal Bratz fans have questioned the brand's choice to partner with Jenner. Bratz tapped Kylie Jenner for its first-ever celebrity doll since the brand's debut 2001 debut. "This is a seminal moment in Bratz history to join forces with Kylie Jenner as the brand's first-ever celebrity collaboration," Bratz creative director Jasmin Larian said in the release. Bratz dolls dominated the toy industry in its first five years, grossing $2 billion in sales in their first five years on shelves.

Persons: Kylie Jenner, Jenner, Jasmin Larian, Kylie, Yasmin, I've, Jen, hou, tim e Organizations: MGA Entertainment, Service Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ U.S. retailers' ocean shipping price woes ending as new delays threaten
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Lisa Baertlein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONG BEACH, Calif., Feb 27 (Reuters) - Collapsing ocean shipping rates are not all good news for U.S. retailers, who paid as much as $20,000 to move a container of goods during the worst pandemic disruptions, as they now are bracing for delays due to plummeting demand. dolls to the short-term spot market from the long-term contract market. Volatile spot rates were the first to plummet when pandemic-weary consumers shifted spending from goods to travel and entertainment. Previously loyal customers are aggressively comparison- shopping, spreading their business around and gambling on the spot market, experts said. This time around, importer and exporter shipping managers, whose costs exploded when they were unexpectedly forced into the sky-high spot market, have the upper hand.

☆ Adults are buying toys for themselves, and it’s the biggest source of growth for the industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Sarah Whitten | Whitten Is A Social Media Writer For Cnbc. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

It’s an important moment for the toy industry, too, with the holiday season upon us. “The definition of adulthood has definitely evolved,” said Jeremy Padawer, chief brand officer at toy company Jazwares. Toy companies have even begun creating their own television and movie content in order to support toy lines. Still, the stakes remain high for the toy industry as it heads into the final weeks of the year. “Right now, adult toy buyers are the reason for growth in the toy business,” Larian said.

☆ Hasbro CEO says inflation won't ruin Christmas but Wall Street is worried
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN Business —The holidays are rapidly approaching, and for the toy company Hasbro, a slowing economy could be a proverbial Grinch that steals Christmas. Before joining Hasbro, Cocks was an executive at Microsoft (MSFT) from 1999 through 2006 and 2008 through 2016. Cocks said Hasbro is investing “significantly” in digital toys, particularly digital versions of classic Hasbro board games like “Monopoly” and “Scrabble” as well as D&D and the company’s “Magic: The Gathering” game. It’s definitely been a boon for the game,” Cocks said. “If there’s a couple of truisms in life, there’s death, there’s taxes, and there’s parents wanting to have a great holiday for their kids.”

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