Happy Wednesday, FutureParty people… well, maybe happy for everyone but David Ellison. In another dramatic twist to the Paramount Global auction, Shari Redstone, the president of Paramount majority-shareholder National Amusements, has rejected Skydance’s takeover bid. Like, for real this time. Redstone is apparently only interested in selling National Amusements now, instead of also merging a company with Paramount as Ellison wanted. With several other bidders in the wings, this drama is far from over.

In other news… news organizations go big on games, a retail experience recreates Batman’s Wayne Manor, and Starbucks brews some film and TV ambitions.

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The Future. After NYT acquired the viral Wordle in 2022, news publishers and tech platforms have gone on a game-creating spree to keep users coming back daily and eventually engage with their core offerings. Don’t be surprised if some experimental organizations start adding games within stories that unlock new details or hidden features to hook readers.

The Wordle effect
Introducing games to their platforms has scored publishers record engagement.

Jonathan Knight, head of games at NYT, says that subscribers who engage with both games and news have “some of the best long-term subscriber retention” for the paper. Additionally, subscriptions for non-news products, such as Games, are growing faster than new subscriptions for news.

After reading a ton of depressing headlines, we guess people just want to decompress… and need more than just the classic crossword.

86.6% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Do you have a blue-collar job?

“Starting to think I should, though…”

“I did use a vo-tech degree to pay my way through college. It was a rung on my ladder.”

“And a white-collar job, too! I am a project manager in a cubicle by day and a general contractor on my off time.”

What if you had the opportunity to invest in the biggest electronics products as they launched into big-box retail? Would you?

Ring changed doorbells, and Nest changed thermostats. Early investors in these smart-home companies earned massive returns, but the opportunity to invest was limited to a select, wealthy few.

Not anymore. RYSE has just launched in 100+ Best Buy stores, and you’re in luck — you can still invest at only $1.50/share before their name becomes known nationwide. It’s already grown 20% from their last round!

RYSE has patented the only mass-market shade automation device, and their exclusive deal with Best Buy resembles that which led Ring and Nest to their billion-dollar buyouts.

The Future. The Wayne Enterprises Experience wants you (if you’re very rich) to shop for Batman-branded merch as if you were Bruce Wayne himself, exploring a shoppable recreation of Wayne Manor. If the retail experience is successful, studios and streamers may roll out their own versions to tout limited-edition merch collabs, like a shoppable Bridgerton ball.

Batman for sale
The Wayne Enterprises Experience, billed as “a weeklong, invite-only interactive luxury shopping adventure,” per Fast Company, summons shoppers to a tony townhouse in Manhattan.

The shopping experience, which is like a mix of luxury retail and immersive activation, was put on by strategic communications and marketing firm Relevance International and was all signed off by Warner Bros.

Expect the studio to take some cues to market the next iteration of The Batman.

Batman — king of the brand refresh.

Today we get into the Sony CEO's comments on their use of AI technology, how Snoop Dogg is working on selling his collectibles, and how Dave and Buster's is betting on gambling. We also have an extra special guest with us today, the co-founder and CEO of Tastemade, Larry Fitzgibbon!