Studio Ghibli’s Biggest Secret Is What Comes Next

The secret developers of the video game industry

In July 2015, developer Comcept launched a Kickstarter campaign for its game Red Ash. It didn’t go well. Despite raising over $500,000 in pledges, the campaign missed its target and critics pummeled its approach — pointing to Comcept launching the campaign before seeing through a previous one, announcing a console port without identifying which console and continuing the campaign after finding external funding. For production studio Hyde, which had teamed with Comcept to develop the game, the campaign presented a new problem. Hyde has been around since 2002, has worked on over 200 games and has had a hand in some of Japan’s biggest franchises, including Final Fantasy, Persona and Yakuza. It just can’t talk about most of them. The team often works in secret, doing its job but not appearing in the credits or mentioning the work publicly. Speaking with Polygon, Hyde President Kenichi Yanagihara estimates that he will never be able to talk about 70 percent of what the company does. And that worked fine until Hyde asked the public for money.

Weekend Long Read: Two Takes on China’s $14 Billion Micro-Drama Machine

From tourist sites in Xi’an to algorithm-driven studios in Zhengzhou, the boom has turned short-form storytelling into a full-scale industry in both cities

Disney's Sora Disaster Shows AI Will Not Revolutionize Hollywood

It turns out when you try to serve slop on a product people pay for, no one wants it.

Figma’s CEO on his new approach to AI

Figma is coming for the entire creative software industry.

Gary Marcus on Twitter / X

Sheer insanity. Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Meta collectively are spending more money than the Manhattan Project *every single month*. More than 12x the Manhattan Project every year.And what they have got to show for it? None are making major profits on AI; none has a… pic.twitter.com/1XeMRxDcQX— Gary Marcus (@GaryMarcus) April 29, 2026

GitLab Master Plan

GitLab announces $20M in Series B funding, and its Master Plan to build an integrated toolset for the modern developer!

HBO Max and Paramount+ Will Be One, But What Happens to Discovery+?

No one is talking about Skydance's other streamer.

Why China is giving away its best AI models

Chinese labs like Moonshot are forcing OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic to rethink what they lock away.

Zingroll – Always something to binge watch

Zingroll is an AI powered platform for cinematically unprecedented movies and shows that Hollywood won’t dare to make. Experience dynamic storytelling, infinite seasons, and engaging content like never before. The future of entertainment is here

Where is all the new, good software?

Here's a question we see, especially from AI skeptics: if AI coding is so great, shouldn't we be seeing more new, good software by now? Here are some answ...

OpenAI Announces $122 Billion Additional ‘Committed Capital’, and Announces Their ‘Superapp’ Plan for the Future

I don’t see the path from here to there, where *there* is a justification for a trillion-dollar-ish valuation.

Meet the AI OnlyFans: How one startup raised millions to build an ‘erotic companions’ platform | Kai Nicol-Schwarz

Meet the AI OnlyFans: How one startup raised millions to build an ‘erotic companions’ platform --- When AI erotic companion startup Oh raised a $4.5m funding round in January, it had something few in the shadowy new sector could boast. A roster of named investors, publicly backing the company. VCs are often bound by “vice clauses”, which prohibit firms from investing in controversial products like pornography or weapons. As a result, startups working on ethically contentious products often rely on angel investors and family offices to stay afloat. But Oh, which generates NSFW adult content and conversations with both fictional characters as well as bots based on real people, has tapped into a group of seemingly less squeamish investors: crypto VCs. It’s drawn backing from the likes of Tangent, Kosmos Ventures, Big Brain Holdings, Bodhi Ventures and Tagus Capital. “Raising money for a business like this from non-crypto VCs is very difficult,” says Oh founder and CEO Nic Young, who positions the startup as a “decentralised platform” and offers payments via crypto. “A lot of crypto VCs don’t have vice clauses — it’s more liberal and free.” Oh wants to use those fresh funds to build the “AI OnlyFans”, with plans to roll out autonomous scantily clad bots that can market themselves on social media and direct message users with spicy conversation starters. The biggest challenge? Convincing enough users it’s not that weird turning to AI when you’re looking for romance. https://lnkd.in/eRF7a5Dn

TrendLife Study Shows AI Is Moving Fast, but Consumers and Families are Being Left Behind

New study of over 10,000 consumers across 9 countries reveals worry exceeds excitement about generative AI as most lack the tools and confidence to use it safely TOKYO, May 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ --...

Luozhu on Twitter / X

For AI products, people generally think the intelligence dominates everything, while privacy and cost are seen as secondary. The industry’s path shows this: we’ve spent huge money in leading labs to build the largest models with exceptional intelligence.But I believe we’ve… pic.twitter.com/oobAyk55rh— Luozhu (@LuozhuZhang) September 10, 2025