Former PlayStation chief talks “importance” of platform-exclusive games

Naman Ramachandran British actor Sheyi Cole has a prominent role in Thea Sharrock’s Netflix original film “The Beautiful Game.” The film revolves around the Homeless World Cup, an annual soccer tournament bringing together displaced or dispossessed players from nearly 50 countries, playing not merely for a trophy but for a second shot at life. Cole plays Jason, a would-be ladies’ man given a sharp #MeToo education when he inappropriately comes onto sparky Mexican-American player Rosita (Cristina Rodio). “One thing that was great about Thea is that she was so hands on – any concerns that we had, she was willing to have conversations and was able to alleviate any concerns that we essentially had, surrounding that conversation with Jason,” Cole told Variety.

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of crypto exchange FTX, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for defrauding investors.

PlayStation Plus subscribers get a few games to add to their collection for no extra cost every month, and April’s ones are an interesting batch.Up for grabs are Immortals of Aveum, Minecraft Legends, and Skul: The Hero Slayer. Also on the docket is a mega bundle for Overwatch 2 that adds several skins to the hero shooter.First, Immortals of Aveum, a magical first-person shooter that got mixed reviews on launch. This is a game that reportedly cost $125 million to make.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Stassi Schroeder Clark’s weekly lifestyle podcast, “Straight Up With Stassi,” has joined Dear Media’s roster of 80-plus shows — and it’s getting a new name. Beginning today, the podcast will be renamed “Stassi.” With distribution deal for Schroeder Clark’s podcast, Dear Media has announced a “refreshed content format” along with new visual branding across all podcast distribution platforms.

EXCLUSIVE: Former A3 Artists Agency Partner and President Brian Cho has started Arise Artists Agency, with former A3 agents Ashley Partington, Abbie Waters and Nic Frascino joining the newly launched company. The news comes a month and a half after the abrupt shutdown of A3 Artists Agency last month.  

George Lazenby is sharing his thoughts on Aaron Taylor-Johnson being rumored to be the next James Bond.

NBC News is facing an internal and external backlash over its hiring of former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel as a paid contributor, with critics blasting the decision given her past support of Donald Trump’s unfounded election claims.

PlayStation 1 game covers.Over the past few days, X user wxrldprinceii has shared a series of images that see modern-day classic records transformed to look like PS1 games.Dua Lipa’s ‘Future Nostalgia’, Lady Gaga’s ‘The Fame Monster’, Lana Del Rey’s ‘Born To Die’, Charli XCX’s ‘How I’m Feeling Now’ and Caroline Polachek’s ‘Desire, I Want To Turn To You’ have all been featured, with each cover racking up plenty of views and reposts across social media.Desire, I Want to Turn Into You (PS1) pic.twitter.com/4OPJTS79YC— shy ✫彡 (@wxrldprinceii) March 21, 2024Future Nostalgia (PS1) for @LipaKacper_ pic.twitter.com/aqOm8VrlVT— shy ✫彡 (@wxrldprinceii) March 21, 2024Of course, this viral success hasn’t come without criticism. Responding to complaints that the images are far more polished than PlayStation 1-era games, wxrldprinceii wrote: “Reminder that this is what PS1 covers looked like! They rarely used in game stuff for the art, so pls stop @ing me saying it doesn’t look like a PS1 game because it’s not meant to!”reminder that this is what PS1 covers looked like! they rarely used in game stuff for the art, so pls stop @ ing me saying it doesn’t look like a PS1 game cause it’s not MEANT TOOOO AHHHH pic.twitter.com/JhDOY87Ro6— shy ✫彡 (@wxrldprinceii) March 21, 2024Several other creators have also gotten involved in the trend, with hussi_maraj sharing reworked takes on Grimes’ ‘Art Angels’ and Nicki Minaj’s ‘Pink Friday’.I would play this all day everyday! pic.twitter.com/ZeP1MvhYAT— Hussi (@hussi_maraj) March 22, 2024Other people have taken issue with the AI filter used to create these pieces, when artists have been creating their own low-poly images for several years now.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Former ID-PR brands boss Michael Smith has launched a new communications firm, Midnight Dawn. Smith departed ID-PR in January. “Midnight Dawn has been 25 years in the making and I’m honored to have the privilege of representing a world class group of talent and brands,” Smith said in an exclusive statement to Variety on Tuesday.

Shakira’s new album is set to release on March 22, and in a recent interview, the singer shared some of the personal struggles she faced in recent years. She talked about her separation from Gerard Piqué and how she coped. Shakira also mentioned the sacrifices she made to support the father of her two children in his career.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Will Keenan has returned to the entertainment industry, joining Coy Creator, a startup touting a full-service “business-in-a-box” platform for digital creators, as chief revenue officer. Keenan had joined Endemol Shine North America in 2013, where he launched the company’s Endemol Beyond division.

Jaden Thompson “Vanderpump Rules” producer Alex Baskin has tapped Joe Kingsley and Jeff Festa to join the creative executive team of his new company, 32 Flavors. He recruited both Kingsley and Festa from Evolution Media, his former company, where they all previously worked on unscripted projects together.

Tim Chan If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Lando Norris has landed a new partnership with PlayStation, with the McLaren Formula One driver officially announced as the lastest “PlayStation Playmaker.” The F1 star unveiled the partnership in a new video posted to social media this week, noting that PlayStation has been “a part of my life for as long as I can remember.” “As much as I use PlayStation to help me develop and be a better driver, I also use it to relax and chill out,” he adds.PlayStation has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, so it’s awesome to say I’m now @PlayStation's latest #PlayStationPlaymaker #ad pic.twitter.com/zfpEy2iLUR In the clip, Norris recalls first picking up the gaming console as a child, when his father introduced him to Gran Turismo on the PlayStation 2.

Disney’s latest salvo in a proxy fight with activist investor Trian Fund Management highlights the firm’s “silent partner” Ike Perlmutter and his “difficult history with Bob Iger.”

Welcome to ElectionLine’s A View From Abroad series, in which we speak with media figures who don’t live in America but keep a close eye on its politics. Every few weeks, these smart observers will provide a unique perspective on what promises to be a fraught and unpredictable campaign for the White House. This week, our interview is with Kéthévane Gorjestani, the foreign affairs correspondent for France 24, the international news network.

Liz Truss has been accused of bringing shame on the office of Prime Minister by Rochdale’s council leader after she was involved in a disparaging interview about the town.

A new social gaming bar in the heart of the City Centre will be opening its doors this weekend with great food, drinks and rounds of darts.

The team bidding to revive Ayr's former Odeon Cinema say community spirit will play a key role in its rebirth.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Issues around the use of AI in the production process is the big sticking point in SAG-AFTRA’s negotiations with the largest video game companies, SAG-AFTRA chief Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said Saturday during a wide-ranging Q&A at SXSW in Austin, Texas. Crabtree-Ireland, who is national executive director and chief negotiator of the performers union, said he put the chances of union members striking against key game companies is “50-50, or more likely than that we will go on strike in the next four to six weeks because of our inability to get past these issues,” Crabtree-Ireland told Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company, during a conversation focused on AI.

Nelson Peltz and Jay Rasulo, who are fighting to get themselves elected to the Disney board against the company’s wishes, said today they’re not out “to fire the CEO.” Peltz of Trian Partners has been publicly bashing the company and Iger for a year. Rasulo hasn’t taken the stage publicly until today as the two answered questions from shareholders on a live webcast.