A fan thinks that the Jeep J6 Honcho pickup truck concept would bring people back to the brand I have a hard time believing that Jeep/Stellantis has the budget to build something that won’t accomodate more than two people They have to look at how a production vehicle like this will give them a good return on their investment but there are too many consumers who would complain that it can’t hold more people This would most likely be a $35 – $40,000 truck which would start with the disadvantage with passenger space I just don’t see Jeep taking the gamble on going all-in on production there’s a chance that they would consider making this a MOPAR kit The JK-8 pickup conversion kit (to be used with the JK four-door Unlimited) cost about $5,500 – and that was before labor and even talked to a guy who added the conversion himself From what we’ve seen this this J6 Honcho seems like it could be a much more complete package one that might be a popular kit – if the pricing was reasonable One of the issues with the old kit was the towing and payload numbers were poor We’ll see what Jeep has in store soon There is no future with electric or hydrogen trucks… Rather than argue about energy density, or the potential for future applications I thought these videos would help answer some of that I do want to include something: I have never believed in “one size fits all” for any technical solution In some places it makes more sense to use one thing over another and I think there are some out there that agree with me In tandem with warmer weather and the blooming of downtown Fenton's many flowerbeds changes are happening at the city's former firehouse-turned-restaurant Known for more than a decade as the Fenton Fire Hall owners Curt Catallo and Amy Stevenson recently updated the concept to Latin-influenced Honcho Fuego and relaunched casual lower-level bar as Leroy's Lounge The rebranding means moving away from traditional barbecue cuisine and toward Latin flavors rice bowls and pizzas with a Mexican twist it was about woodfired meats on our Grillworks grill and about leaning into barbecue and having fun with the proteins," said restaurateur Curt Catallo commodity costs have changed and appetites have changed we thought it was time to kind of give it a little dimension and add some vibrancy." Catallo owns Union Joints restaurants with designer Ann Stevenson; these include Vinsetta Garage in Berkley Union Assembly in downtown Detroit and Union Woodshop in Clarkston Leroy in downtown Fenton by rebranding the lower-level Leroy's Lounge "We thought it was time to give Fenton a little bit of love and we started with the lower level adding that the burger joint is a partnership with Flint music venue Machine Shop It's got kind of a polished "dad bar" vibe with stained glass light fixtures Stevenson and her design team updated that in short order to fit the new name pizza and the restaurant group's famous macaroni and cheese Honcho Fuego's menu has chicken tortilla soup Barbecued proteins are still part of the operation Those familiar with sister restaurants Honcho in Clarkston and Gran Castor in Troy will notice similar menu items like chicken tinga tostadas and the "elote especial," a pizza with roasted garlic butter Stevenson and Catallo said they did the rebrand quickly they were able to send the Fire Hall staff to their Honcho Latin Street Food & Coffee in Clarkston for training on their Latin-influenced menu More: 12 restaurants and bars that opened in Metro Detroit in March, plus 7 that closed "We liked the idea of referring to the origin of the space itself," said Stevenson about to the brick building's former life as a fire station "We wanted to take just exactly seven days to do a complete redo and conversion to Honcho Fuego so we're still working on it while we threw open the doors "It is like Honcho but we have the pizzas at Honcho Fuego so we have the ability to do these interesting pizzas that lean into the Latin element so it really is this great amalgamation of these flavors that are interesting to us," said Stevenson Both she and Catallo pointed out that Honcho Fuego's rooftop space will be a great perch for sipping frozen margaritas and enjoying some chips and salsa this spring and summer now we're just giving the crew a greater license to play with it and that's what made Honcho (in Clarkston) work so well," said Catallo adding that he thinks Fenton "has an appetite for adventure." More: Slows Bar BQ to open second full-service restaurant in the suburbs "It's our same smoked meats that we're doing in the back lot but now it's on vessels like a rice bowl Honcho Fuego and Leroy's are open now at 201 S. Leroy in Fenton. Honcho's hours are 3-9 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 3-10 p.m. Fri., noon-10 p.m. Sat. and noon-9 p.m. Sun. Call (810) 936-0442 or visit honchofuego.com for reservations or more information If any game shows singleplayer still has that dog in it I'm fairly certain I've been alive long enough to see singleplayer games definitely roughly on par with the number of times I've seen industry panjandrums declare PC gaming dead but says the singleplayer-is-dead talk recently came up "from some very high-profile people," and that drove him round the bend because what it does is it cuts off a whole bunch of avenues because from that side you will not get the funding into singleplayer narratives." If the moneymen convince themselves singleplayer is dead they don't give their money to singleplayer projects and singleplayer starts dying (although you're never gonna fully kill it Vincke says he hears it "coming from directions where it's all focused on the microtransactions 'milk-it-all-you-can' type of business models." And hey a hit stuffed with microtransactions is probably gonna produce "more revenue than you're going to get from your singleplayer games," but it's a leap of logic to then conclude that "singleplayer games are not a viable market." "there's lots of people that want to play a really good singleplayer game and put money in it." Larian proved that itself: "I think we've proven with BG3 that you can put in a pretty high budget and expect pretty high results." But if high-profile figures in the industry keep repeating that singleplayer is dead that idea can percolate whether it's true or not affecting everyone's chances of funding and success with singleplayer stuff But it's not just about singleplayer projects getting funding funding a diverse range of projects is vital to keeping games evolving continuing to clone this or that breakout hit—even if it's your own—just leads to stagnation and diminishing returns "If you are going to just clone the games that are successful and bring those to the market and not innovate at all then you can expect that they're not going to sell." Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals Vincke summons an example of the wrong kind of thinking: "Market research has shown that there's still a market for My Little Pony simulators in which you go to a hotel in Bavaria That's not the right reason for making a game." Personally I think Vincke could have used an example that was less strikingly whimsical than Bavarian Hotel Pony "We are an example of a company that at some point had external funding from non-games-industry people," warns Vincke "If somebody would have kept on repeating that singleplayer games don't make money they wouldn't have invested in our singleplayer game Joshua WolensSocial Links NavigationNews WriterOne of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War you will then be prompted to enter your display name This new suite of enhanced tools aims to make website building even more accessible to startup and small business owners who lack technical "Our goal with these AI-enhanced tools is to remove the barriers many small business owners face when trying to establish an online presence - namely creative and technical skills," said Matt Abrahams users can easily create and launch a professional website in minutes without any prior experience." AI streamlines the website creation process and the AI will automatically generate a customized website complete with text "Most small business owners just want a fully functioning website up and running … and fast," added Abrahams business owners can begin marketing their business Honcho is a well-established Australian business service with over 800,000 clients and has been operating in the website-building space for some time The prototype version of the newly launched site has been in stealth mode in Australia for two years while the company perfected its operations While the company will not provide numbers it is understood thousands of clients have successfully used Honcho's website-building services to date A minimum viable product aptly named 'Instant Website' was launched first on Sept prior to AI becoming the hot commodity it is today including business and domain name generators automatic AI text generation and free photo library services Honcho launched its latest version with a completely new design interface and built for the global market on its premium Honcho.com site in September 2024 The company has big plans for the future with more features featuring AI soon to be launched We are service-focused specialists helping business owners globally to design create and launch professional websites for their business - fast and simply AI is another technology that adds value to our robust ecosystem similar to many of the other technology tools we incorporate," he said Honcho is a provider of business services to startups and small businesses The technology company is dedicated to simplifying the process of creating and launching business websites Honcho has delivered business services to more than 800,000 clients With a focus on user-friendly design and AI technology Honcho continues to set standards in the sector Website: https://honcho.com Hell-raising Honcho: Most folks don’t even know this off-road ride is a Jeep Jered KorfhageWriter the Jeep Honcho still saw plenty of trail action After a few build iterations that involved increasingly larger tires and a switch from leaf springs to coil-overs the Honcho arrived at the state we found it in when we met Davison in Pritchett Canyon outside Moab Pritchett Canyon isn’t the only Moab trail Davison has driven with the Honcho: He’s wheeled every trail the 4x4 Mecca has to offer and many other landmark destinations in surrounding Utah and Colorado Radflo 2.5-inch coil-overs give the Jeep Honcho 14 inches of travel while front hydraulic jounce bumpers eliminate harsh bottom-out events Both ends of the Honcho feature a four-link suspension setup Davison’s plan is to swap it for a 6.0-liter LS in the near future The TH400 dumps power into the Advance Adapters Atlas transfer case where the 4:1 gear ratio divides the torque to the axles Up front is a Dodge Kingpin Dana 60 axle Davison treated to the Jantz Engineering Jana 76 kit This gives his front end the internal beef of a Dana 70 axle with no loss of ground clearance An Artec truss adds additional armor and serves as a mounting point for the front suspension links Both axles are spooled and stuffed with chromoly axle shafts from Dutchman Axles The set of 42-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Pro XS mudders smear over obstacles like wet rags Aiming those big tires is no sweat with the full hydraulic steering setup from PSC In place of a full-coverage front bumper that can get snagged on rocks Davison’s Jeep Honcho keeps it stout and simple with a pair of shackles and a winch tray There’s a 12,000-pound-capacity Badlands Apex winch on board for when his trail friends need a tug out of a hole and a pair of Baja Designs S1 LEDs to supplement the driving lamps This Jeep Honcho’s bed is dedicated to the fuel cell Subscribe to our newsletters to get the latest in car news and have editor curated stories sent directly to your inbox The Shady Records newcomer gave Eminem a major spotlight during his surprise set at the world’s biggest Hispanic rap battle event Ez Mil is not wasting any time making moves under the Shady Records banner he popped up as a special guest at the FMS (Freestyle Master Series) Internacional Finals the world’s biggest Hispanic rap battle showdown and delivered a set that doubled as a salute to his label boss He opened with a nod to the legend himself performing “Lose Yourself” before launching into “Realest” his first official collab with Eminem from his debut Shady release Ez Mil emphasized just how much that partnership means to him and hinted that more is on the way Then came the surprise: a first look at the music video for “Head Honcho,” another collab with Em from “The Death of Slim Shady” a sneak peek of an anime-style video he directed himself proving he is not just a rapper but a creator with vision Fans might not have expected that particular cut to get the spotlight but this move is bound to keep Ez Mil’s momentum going “Head Honcho” might not have been the most streamed track off TDOSS but if there is one thing we know by now — it is that Eminem always takes care of his own To improve your experience in interacting with our website we use cookies By continuing to browse or by choosing “Accept” you consent to our use of cookies You always can change your preferences in the browser settings John Phelan co-founded Michael Dell's family office and PE firm Rugger Management. Senators voted 62-30 to approve Phelan as the 79th secretary of the Navy. Phelan is the second of President Donald Trump’s service secretary picks to be confirmed, following Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, who was sworn into office shortly after his Feb. 25 confirmation on a similar vote total Despite his lack of national security experience Phelan’s road to the Navy secretary job has been largely uncontroversial 27 confirmation hearing centering around high priority shipbuilding programs such as the Constellation-class frigate and Virginia-class submarine as well parochial issues important to individual lawmakers’ respective states “You’re a nontraditional nominee but you’re nominated in a position where the tradition doesn’t seem to be working,” Virginia Sen the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services seapower subcommittee “That makes me intrigued about what you might do differently.” Phelan said one of his top three priorities would include a focus on shipbuilding acquisition programs and strengthening the industrial base going as far to say that a “day one” priority would be evaluating every contract and potentially even reworking deals where there was the flexibility to do so “The president has been very consistent when he spoke with me: Shipbuilding shipbuilding shipbuilding,” he told the committee adding later in the hearing that Trump had texted him a photo of three rusty ships at 1:18 am “What are you doing about this?” is a sense of urgency,” Phelan said “It’s almost as if you’re waiting for a crisis to happen to ignite things.” Hours after Phelan’s confirmation hearing ended, Trump announced he was nominating Hung Cao Cao is still awaiting his hearing in front of the SASC With two service secretaries in place, all eyes now turn to Troy Meink, the Air Force nominee who is scheduled to have his hearing in front of the SASC later this week For more of the latest in litigation, regulation, deals and financial services trends, sign up for Finance Docket, a partnership between Breaking Media publications Above the Law and Dealbreaker.  Stephen Feinberg headed the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board Elizabeth Warren argues that his children and the private equity firm he founded could financially benefit from the ongoing lawsuit between Ligado and the US government to treat contractors fairly and prioritize the Air Force’s mission over Elon Musk’s business interests,” wrote Democratic Sens the companies said in a statement announcing the deal SYDNEY, Feb. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Honcho a leading provider of business services in Australia is making trademark registration more accessible for small businesses The company has developed a program streamlining the process helping business owners protect their brand identities and ensure long-term success A registered trademark grants businesses exclusive rights to their name preventing unauthorised use and safeguarding their reputation and legal disputes that can impact customer trust and business growth explains the importance of trademark registration: “A registered trademark is more than legal protection — it is an essential investment in a business’s future It signals professionalism and trustworthiness to customers while ensuring that brand identity remains secure.” Trademark registration can be complex and time-consuming but Honcho has developed a user-friendly process designed for busy business owners The process begins with a free trademark search allowing business owners to check the availability of their desired trademark through a simple online form Honcho provides personalised guidance from trademark specialists The company’s registration team handles the entire legal and administrative process from filing applications to providing regular updates This allows business owners to focus on their operations while ensuring their brand is professionally protected Honcho has registered nearly 5,000 trademarks for Australian businesses since introducing its trademark services The company’s approach removes barriers that often prevent small businesses from securing their intellectual property Honcho’s trademark registration services are designed to be cost-effective Businesses can register a trademark for $799 For businesses that need additional protection across multiple product or service categories Honcho offers a discounted rate of $599 per extra class By making trademark registration a tax-deductible expense Honcho ensures that small businesses can access professional protection without significant financial strain A registered trademark is an asset that grows in value as a business expands and makes companies more attractive to investors their trademarks become increasingly valuable,” says Ishkhanian “Honcho’s goal is to help businesses secure their brand identity today so they can focus on long-term success.” Honcho has helped over 800,000 Australians start The company provides a comprehensive range of services By simplifying complex legal and administrative processes Honcho enables business owners to focus on what they do best - running their businesses I'd start a new TV channel just to air a Big Bang Theory spinoff and she says it was beyond her decision-making Clearly that was something that Warner Bros But it was not brought into our side of the business As a fan of all things Chuck Lorre and Big Bang Theory I’m thrilled that there will continue to be more of the Big Bang Theory universe Such duality is understandable in this case CBS execs can currently boast Georgie & Mandy as one of its bigger freshman hits in recent years so the network is not exactly lacking in BBT-verse content And even if it doesn't share the same home any Big Bang continuation will only help to keep the franchise alive thus leaving the door open for CBS to pick up other spinoffs in the future So I'd also be "thrilled" for such a possibility despite it perhaps not being the first instinct But then obviously I can also understand why Amy Reisenbach and other CBS suits would be disappointed that Chuck Lorre & Co apparently didn't even call or send a memo to alert anyone that the next multicam chapter was being eyed for Max Not that it seems to have been a rushed desicion since it's been in various stages of development for the past couple of years Considering Netflix boss Ted Sarandos’ stance on traditional sitcoms there might be a future where the streaming giant drops a mint on exclusive rights to its own corner of the Big Bang Theory franchise all 12 seasons of the sitcom can be streamed on Max Nick VenableSocial Links NavigationAssistant Managing EditorNick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories There Are Some Brutal Kills In Tom Hardy's Havoc But One Had My Wife And Me Gasping (And Laughing) In Disgust I Just Found Out How Much More Rob McElhenney And Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham Football Club Is Worth Now They've Taken Over Paul Rudd Did A Play Where An Audience Member Died But That's Not Even The Craziest Story From His Theatre Days By Michael Doyle | 11/19/2024 04:24 PM EST Hawk Hammer previously worked at Defenders of Wildlife Hawk Hammer is now the national communications and media director of American Rivers Hawk Hammer trained as a lawyer and worked as a reporter before he started speaking up for the earth following several years with the communications team at Defenders of Wildlife Hammer has a new gig as national communications and media director for American Rivers “This includes developing strategy for strong safeguards to protect clean water and public health and leading the organization’s America’s Most Endangered Rivers campaign,” Hammer said in an email The latter in particular carries the weight of legacy as Hammer noted that American Rivers initiated the most endangered rivers campaign back in 1984 with the annual listing coming out in April Request a FREE trial to receive unlimited access to Honcho Fuego in downtown Fenton is open for business ICYMI - the Fenton Firehall announced its closure at the end of March 2025 Honcho Fuego is ready to serve you delicious Latin street food and super excited to check out the new Honcho Fuego please be patient and considerate to staff during this learning curve but I will have that information for you this week I plan to visit Honcho Fuego to get it firsthand Honcho Fuego is located at 201 South Leroy Street The popular Leroy's Lounge is in the same building as Honcho  Fuego You can view some photos of Leroy's Lounge in the gallery below After Fenton Firehall's departure, Honcho Fuego brings a fresh taste of Latin cuisine. Will you be one of their first guests?\nRead More The popular Leroy's Lounge is in the same building as Honcho  Fuego Ray Honcho Drops Highly Anticipated Music Video “Thru the City” Shot in Poland NV – Rising rap sensation Ray Honcho is back with a powerful new visual for his single “Thru the City,” a bonus track from his upcoming Polish project with renowned producer Tytuz Fresh off dominating the European basketball scene as the #1 scorer in Poland during the 2023-2024 season Ray Honcho is proving that his talents extend far beyond the court shot in Poland by the acclaimed Green Bros captures the gritty energy and sleek aesthetics of the track blending the raw streets of Radom with Honcho’s Las Vegas roots The synergy between Honcho’s dynamic flow and the cutting-edge visuals exemplifies his ability to command attention on both an international and local level “Thru the City” is more than just a single—it’s a declaration of Ray Honcho’s global ambitions Coming off a championship season in Poland where he solidified his dominance as the league’s leading scorer Honcho is now setting his sights on becoming the #1 rapper in the world a meteoric rise that mirrors the trajectory of artists like Central Cee Ray Honcho is determined to break boundaries using his unique story of success in both sports and music to inspire fans worldwide With two music videos already dropped and consistent content keeping his fanbase engaged His focus is clear—he’s not just entering the rap game; he’s here to take over Stay tuned as Ray Honcho continues his journey to the top further cementing his status as one of the most exciting artists of 2024 and follow Ray Honcho as he brings the heat from Vegas to Poland and beyond Also subscribe to this post or post as a guest Post Loading comment.. The comment will be refreshed after 00:00 If you've ever wondered how Saber Interactive ended up handling the remaster of one of the biggest shooters of all time Saber's CEO Matthew Karch recently regaled journalist Stephen Totilo with the tale of landing the contract for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and includes some of the most absurd business shenanigans I've read about for a long time Saber eked out a hand-to-mouth existence making games like Will Rock and Timeshift Then chance intervened and Saber was invited to pitch for the Halo remaster Karch opted for an absolutely bananas gambit and essentially told Microsoft that Saber would do the remaster for free "I said I'd do it for free because it's Halo," Karch told Totilo "It’s the biggest franchise in the world at the time I said: ‘It’s like putting a Harvard diploma on your wall Everyone in the world is going to want to work with me after they see that I've worked on this last Halo game So I’ll suck it up and I’ll do it at a loss.'” because while Karch's offer might sound like a deal too good to miss you don't really want an unpaid studio handling one of the most hotly coveted remasters of the time So Karch sent a new pitch raising the number from but that seems like quite a lot more than zero Yet Karch reckoned nobody could do it cheaper because Saber at the time was based in St Petersburg This is where things all get a little Mad Men Microsoft neglected to send a contract for the port work until right before the release of The Master Chief Collection demanding that Microsoft reverse their position regarding Halo: Anniversary royalties and Saber began to receive royalties for its previous work which Karch claims amounted to tens of millions of dollars "We've watched other people make money on our work," Karch allegedly told his partner Andrey Iones "Now we're going to make money on our own." Karch made a wild lowball bid for Halo: Anniversary and then by pure chance found himself in a position where he could stonewall Microsoft until he got what he wanted Rick has been fascinated by PC gaming since he was seven years old, when he used to sneak into his dad's home office for covert sessions of Doom. He grew up on a diet of similarly unsuitable games, with favourites including Quake, Thief, Half-Life and Deus Ex. Between 2013 and 2022, Rick was games editor of Custom PC magazine and associated website bit-tech.net But he's always kept one foot in freelance games journalism While he'll play anything that can be controlled with a keyboard and mouse he has a particular passion for first-person shooters and immersive sims is faring even worse: It's currently sitting at "Mostly Negative," with just 38% positive user reviews Pagliarulo said that—though Starfield might not be "everyone's cup of tea"—he reckons "it's also he does offer some justification for the judgement Starfield is also the "hardest thing Bethesda has ever done" in many ways "We pushed ourselves to make something totally different richest space simulation RPG anyone could imagine." That the studio—by its own assessment at least—succeeded in doing that makes it one of its most ambitious and best games "I'm not saying Starfield is better or worse than any other game," says Pagliarulo It's that weird Bethesda blend of immersion I do salute Bethesda for trying its hand at something outside its usual wheelhouse with Starfield and I wouldn't want to discourage the studio from trying that again I just don't think the experiment was ultimately a success in this case Morrowind was a much more narratively ambitious game, Skyrim saw Bethesda distil its rambling open worlds into something that still has people hooked 13 years later. Even Fallout 4 was more successfully experimental with its building mechanics than Starfield was with its countless blank-slate planets Calling Starfield the best game in your library seems more like a statement of defiance against the backlash than a true assessment of its qualities apparently Bethesda hasn't been too dissuaded by the lukewarm reception its space sim got Pagliarulo says it's now joined Fallout and Elder Scrolls on the podium as one of Bethesda's "big three” is on its way to immerse players in the world of commercial kei trucks is probably best-known for its 2018 title Jalopy which centered on a drive around the former Eastern Bloc of Europe in the 1990s in a junker that the player had to maintain during the journey The car was a fictional “Laika 601” based on the old Trabant and keeping it running was a core feature of the game — with a story revolving around family separation due to the Berlin Wall currently in development and available to wishlist on Steam has a similar vibe but this time it’s set in Japan in the 1980s and the vehicle of choice is a dinky kei truck We do love a bit of kei truck action at GTPlanet, as do a lot of our members. Indeed we recently covered how one of our members acquired a Daihatsu Midget II and imported it to the USA so Honcho gives you the chance to muck about in one in the virtual world With the game still in development it’s not totally clear how many different trucks will be available but we have only seen one so far: the Daizo T360 which seems pretty obviously based on the Honda T360 — even sharing the AK250E engine code that’ll be it in terms of car choice You’ll buy your kei truck through auction While we’d not exactly call it a hardcore driving simulator there’s plenty of road-action as you explore the world and complete missions MinskWorks founder Greg Pryjmachuk has been touting spatial audio and a vehicle wear system that takes into account road surfaces Drive safe – don't stress out Keiko.#Honcho pic.twitter.com/m5RfTOFn03 The central theme of the game is actually the management of a vending machine company as you play as the character Keiko who is attempting to build up her recently deceased grandfather’s business and battle with the big companies at the top of the industry Your kei truck will be at the heart of that as you drive around a procedurally generated completing deliveries and managing your vending machine empire from the back of a two-meter long truck It’s likely to be a while until we see Honcho, with the title’s release date still TBA — but you can wishlist it on Steam now if you want to keep abreast of its development A missing DiMera honcho is resurfacing on Days of our Lives Check out the latest comings and goings casting news at Days of our Lives Find out if any popular stars from yesteryear are joining the show this week or in the near future if any newcomers are boarding the soap in contract or if any of your favorite actors or actresses are leaving the Peacock show a key member of the board of directors at DiMera Enterprises look for the executive to meet with Paul Telfer’s Xander and John-Paul Lavoisier’s Philip Rachel Boyd returns as pregnant teenager Sophia Choi and Shi Ne Nielson appears as her overbearing mother The pair share scenes with Leo Howard’s Tate Carson Boatman’s Johnny and others on Monday EJ’s laser-wielding assistant at DiMera Enterprises Ros Gentle returns as Rachel Blake, aka The Woman in White she shares scenes with her onscreen daughter Kristen (Stacy Haiduk) "Not every [Microsoft] game will do expansions." But that's part of a wider slew of offerings that tend to exclude most DLC and expansions across the slate In a new interview with newsletter GameFile reporter Stephen Totilo pointed out to Spencer that three of Microsoft's nine fall releases are expansions: Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred Given that the Game Pass model is the blindingly simple subs Totilo suggested that expansions are becoming more important revenue-wise with Microsoft able to hive off paid expansions for popular titles and then offer them to a captive audience This isn't small beans: Shattered Space was a $30 release while Vessel of Hatred was $40 Spencer says there's no "top down mandate" on expansions but then that's exactly what he would say from the top "It's really left to the creators what plan they have for their stories I think it's a great way for us to re-engage players who may be lapsed." Big Phil points out that Vessel of Hatred offered a new class in Diablo 4 while Shattered Space added a new world to Starfield both being of obvious interest to existing players "I don't like expansions that are manipulative," said Spencer the third level that you cut before you launched Todd [Howard] and I were talking about Shattered Space Starfield is a game I put a ton of hours into and really love but they've had this thing where they've added features throughout the year and then they had an expansion I think some of the feedback on the expansion is: 'We wanted more features.' And he's like should we have waited to put buggies out?'" The buggies arrived shortly before the paid expansion though I'm not sure they're the slam-dunk response to player issues that Howard and Spencer think solving a traversal problem where the game's treks between locations can be extremely boring Spencer goes on to talk about balancing "both development effort and the impact of the expansion" when managing Microsoft's portfolio in this respect ending on the note that "not every game will do expansions." The odd element is that idea of expansions being exploitative. Players are rarely happy about the pricing of any expansion (unless it's free) but the better examples quickly win over the crowd: For many people, this year's GOTY may well be Elden Ring's $40 Shadow of the Erdtree expansion When I think "exploitative" I don't think of expansions for games like Diablo 4 or Starfield so much as the pattern followed by the likes of the Sims with constant minor DLCs and a nickel-and-diming approach generally Shattered Space didn't seem to go down tremendously well or offer a huge amount of new content but I wouldn't call it "exploitative" or muse too much about the balance between the free buggies and the paid stuff The truth is more banal: People will smile and fork over for great expansions without complaint Maybe Starfield's expansion just wasn't a very good one Rich StantonSenior EditorRich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike." Retail technology news and views for omnichannel retailers Retail and e-commerce are facing major disruption due to AI Co-founder and CEO at buy now pay later big hitter Klarna In a LinkedIn post, he said: "After 20 years in e-commerce, I´ve met them all: Zappos Here is how AI assistants will change the game Amazon is allowing you to shop on other websites OpenAi continuously uses shopping examples in their promotion videos for ChatGPT" at the core e-commerce and retail can be divided in three core components: Product and brand; Curation and discovery; Infrastructure Siemiatkowski added: "You used to visit your local department store where someone had curated some product for you First e-commerce companies were infrastructure Still in 2015 Levi's would sell in Germany only accepting payments with credit cards issued in Great Britain Infrastructure is profitable at scale but also commoditised Or new brands just came along like Allbirds and many others suddenly from zero to massive sales overnight helped by Facebook." While it used to happen via Cosmopolitan magazine this all changed with the arrival of the internet - review sites With AI comes the next generation of curators Imagine an AI that doesn’t just assist you with recommendations "Here’s the big shift: as customers get used to using AI agents to research and buy an AI agent will drive customers to you - no detours "But for retailers who curate products from multiple brands For businesses with strong brand identities and unique offerings But those relying on traditional curation or browsing experiences RTIH, organiser of the industry leading RTIH Innovation Awards, proudly brings you the first edition of the RTIH AI in Retail Awards As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory uncovering insights into consumer behaviour and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Wednesday This will kick off with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room Please email our Editor, Scott Thompson, if you have any questions or need further information: scott.thompson@retailtechinnovationhub.com 3rd September: Winners announced at the 2025 RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony to be held at The Barbican in Central London Sign up with your email address to receive the daily RTIH newsletter straight to your inbox We respect your privacy and will not pass your email address on to third parties we will occasionally send you promotional messages on behalf of our advertisers or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Paxton Media Ltd Square Enix titles will be released simultaneously on each platform more and more." Kicking off this newfound spirit of openness is Fantasian: Neo Dimension the big-screen version of the Apple Arcade game from 2021 that's hitting Switch "We will release it simultaneously on five platforms so that as many people as possible can pick it up," says Yoshi-P Thanks to the hard work of the Mistwalker [Corporation] programmers." Yoshi-P calls out the hard work of Mistwalker a couple of times It seems like putting out Fantasian on a bunch of platforms at the same time might have caused one or two headaches for the studio "We apologise for the trouble we caused the Mistwalkers but the fact it's released simultaneously on so many platforms has led to overall excitement so we are grateful that you did a good job." but I suspect Square Enix might have seen just as much—perhaps more—overall excitement if you and I hadn't had to wait a year to get our hands on FF16 I just write about games; I don't make them If a simultaneous release caused Mistwalker issues it could well be the case that Square had to retool some processes and internal workflows to get things running well enough to amp up the cadence of simultaneous releases IFLR is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025 Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement The content you are trying to view is exclusive to our subscribers You have reached the limit for gifting for this month Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Forgot your password? The company trades on Nasdaq under the OUT symbol TV programming blocks aren’t what they once were where network television is concerned, at least outside of NBC’s One Chicago Wednesday lineup and CBS’ FBI trio of dramas but ABC’s TGIF run was successful enough to make or break a sitcom like Family Matters and all during one of the weakest nights for TV ratings Years after the programming block faded away its creative spearheader has shared a few reminders with longtime fans such as what the famed acronym actually stands for Janicek had the bright idea to utilize the shows' showrunners and stars for promos to run between episodes with the idea being that after each sitcom aired its characters were hopping on the couch to watch their network neighbors along with everyone watching from home And so when the idea came up to go bigger with Friday night's shows Janicek said he worked on a few other ideas before striking gold We were talking about things like the 'Friday Fun Club.' There's a whole list somewhere I probably could dig up 'It's Friday Night.' Lots of little short 'isms.' And wouldn't you know it, in came future Disney boss Bob Iger and fellow exec Stu Brower who more formally pitched the idea for TGIF as the hook for ABC's pre-weekend comedies But their idea wasn't to go with the standard "Thank God It's Friday," which wouldn't be very organic to the TV approach [ABC executives] Stu Brower and Bob Iger called and said We wanna call it TGIF.' So that's where we got the name and we started animating those letters into the open and went from there We were literally standing by in a post house about to execute on that idea because time was ticking came up with 'Thank Goodness It's Funny,' to avoid any conflict with any restaurant Now why would Chili's or Outback Steakhouse have a problem with the name TGIF he means that other restaurant....Ruby Tuesdays Now while I've personally always had it lurking in my brain somewhere that TGIF stood for "Thank Goodness It's Funny" as opposed to the other phrase populating coffee mugs and airbrushed T-shirts I'd completely forgotten about the animations that introduced the block in the early days Before the full TGIF idea was introduced and explored Jim Janicek and others worked on the initial interstitial animations that didn't last too long alongside the live-action promos considering the animated mice skewed a bit young for the all-aged audiences that ABC was trying to bring in But the point was still to create something catchy and the team employed a well-known advertising animation company to help out with a little mouse called Friday the Mouse We were animating that with a guy by the name of Bob Kurtz but [Kurtz and Friends Animation] did the original commercials for Shell and for [Sinclair] Considering how lucrative the idea of nostalgia is at this point I'm kind of shocked that there aren't 3 different kinds of Funko Pop figureines for Friday the Mouse and that he doesn't have a rap album or a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade float or a Disneyland ride But maybe one day ABC sitcoms will one day group together for more Friday night mouse-capades That Time Walton Goggins Almost Got Arrested In His Bathing Suit For Having A Photoshoot In The Middle Of Traffic 'I Would Have Never Imagined': As The Righteous Gemstones Ends Danny McBride Talks John Goodman '69ing Someone' And The A-List Actor's Alleged Over-The-Top Reaction To It I Just Found Out It Was James Holzhauer Who Brought The Friendly Ken Jennings And Brad Rutter Feud Back To Jeopardy The Duke and Duchess are allegedly involved in another scandal The Prince has come under fire recently as he has severed ties with Dr which is the African charity co-founded by Prince Harry Chandauka claimed they originally were able to strike up a deal with the venue [The venue owners were] happy for us to use their polo grounds at a material discount After the Netflix show came into play however the charity event became a “commercial venture,” and they were apparently no longer able to afford the venue for the event the charity was able to find another venue Yet that was supposedly only the beginning of the collaboration strain tied to this event Chandauka alleges that Markle arrived unannounced at the polo event with a celebrity friend This resulted in an awkwardly choreographed picture taken on stage The charity head said it looked strange because she wasn’t expecting Markle to be there Said awkwardness was heavily reported on by the press and Markle’s alleged attitude towards Dr Chandauka ended up overshadowing the entire event After Markle received this backlash for the clunky charity moment Chandauka claimed that Prince Harry asked her to make a statement of support towards his wife Not because I didn't care about the duchess but because I knew what would happen if I did so because we cannot be an extension of the Sussexes Dr. Chandauka also lamented that the Sussexes seemed to be doing more harm than good to the charity due to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s reputation and controversial public image She additionally alleged that Harry was trying to oust her from the charity and made claims about his poor attendance at meetings for the organization The Duke of Sussex released a statement denying this and the bullying allegations Chandauka was the one doing damage to the charity for her own self interest it remains to be seen if it'll do more harm than good Caroline YoungSocial Links NavigationWriterWriter Hoping to bring undying passion for storytelling to CinemaBlend And More: 6 Streaming Shows And Movies To Watch This Week (May 5-11) Harrison Ford Shares Thoughts On Returning To Yellowstone After 1923 But I'm More Fixated On Helen Mirren Talking Spencer And Alex's Baby John And Revealed One Key Detail About His Split With Vanessa Guerra Netflix's CEO says Marvel wasn't interested in making good shows when they made their groundbreaking deal which led to conflicts between the two sides we were dealing with the old Marvel television regime And every time we wanted to make the shows bigger or better We wanted to make great television; they wanted to make money I thought we could make money with great television with no pilots or anything to really determine what everybody was getting into Netflix and Marvel would ultimately make 13 total seasons of television, which included The Punisher being tacked on While the early seasons were largely great it’s difficult to argue that The Defenders wasn’t a disappointment or that most of the seasons that followed it weren’t weaker than the ones that came before Ted Sarantos very bluntly stated that any lack of greatness was due to Marvel’s unwillingness to spend more to make the shows better You want to work with people whose incentives are aligned with yours they’re trying to produce as cheaply as possible My incentive is to make it as great as possible So every time we wanted to add something to the show to make it better It's unclear if Netflix thinks it ultimately got its money's worth out of the deal maybe we’ll get to see more of the Defenders crew return Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018 He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry He has a degree in political science from the University of California Another Simple Favor's Ending Leaves A Huge Mystery Ncuti Gatwa Landed Another Gig As Doctor Who's Fate Hangs In The Balance But This One Gives Me Hope The Series Will Return Fire Country Season 3 Ended With Cliffhangers And Some Major Exits I Have A Bunch Of Questions About Season 4