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Threads Traffic Plummets. What Happened To The Twitter Rival?

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Threads may have been a flash in the pan after all. Meta’s answer to Twitter, as we covered previously, experienced a significant surge during its first week. Today, traffic to the new social media platform appears to have all but died.

PC Mag reported that web traffic to the Threads Android app dropped by more than 50%. However, we’re unsure how accurate the numbers are from SimilarWeb, a tool that charts web traffic.

Based on the SimilarWeb numbers, the Android user base shrank from 49 million to just under 24 million over a week. Here are the blog’s “key takeaways” from the data:

  • On its best day, July 7, Threads had more than 49 million daily active users on Android, worldwide, according to Similarweb estimates. That’s about 45% of the usage of Twitter, which had more than 109 million active Android users that day.
  • By Friday, July 14, Threads was down to 23.6 million active users, or about 22% of Twitter’s audience.
  • Usage in the US, which saw the most activity, peaked at about 21 minutes of engagement with the app on July 7. By July 14, that was down to a little over 6 minutes.
  • In the first two full days that Threads was generally available, Thursday and Friday, web traffic to twitter.com was down 5% compared with the same days of the previous week. Although traffic bounced back, for the most recent 7 days of data it’s still down 11% year-over-year.
  • On the days of peak interest in Threads, Twitter’s Daily active users on Android, worldwide were virtually unchanged, but time spent was down 4.3% – perhaps because some users were off trying Threads. Even with that drop, however, the average total time spent on Twitter was about 25 minutes.

The tracker does not provide info from users on Apple’s iOS. So, it’s hard to tell how the numbers are doing across the board.

Regardless, seeing such a drop from one of the two most used smartphones on the market is worrisome. Although, it’s not surprising.

As a social media platform, Threads isn’t exactly breaking new ground. Meta isn’t exactly known for keeping your information private, so starting a new account or linking an existing Instagram to Threads has potential issues.

Also, the experience is almost too similar to Twitter, but without the robust userbase, features, and readily available analytics.

[Source: PC Mag]

McFarlane Toys To Focus On Classic Versions Of Alan Scott, Catman, and Riddler

Three throwback DC Comic characters are making their way to stores this year. McFarlane Toys is bringing us Alan Scott, Catman, and the classic version of The Riddler.

The original Green Lantern is getting a new Collector’s Edition action figure from McFarlane Toys. The first Green Lantern is decked out in his classic costume and features a translucent lantern and green flame effect. He’ll be priced at $29.99 and can be pre-ordered directly from McFarlane Toys.

 

Alan Scott Green Lantern
Photo Credit: McFarlane Toys

Alan Scott comes with the following:

  • Designed with Ultra Articulation with up to 22 moving parts for full range of posing and play
  • Green Lantern Alan Scott includes a lantern, attachable flame accessory, exclusive card stand and base
  • Included collectible art card with character art on the front, and character biography on the back

Remember when The Riddler wasn’t a weird hipster incel edge lord? I ‘member. McFarlane Toys is bringing the classic leotard version of Edward Nigma to stores. Nothing flashy, just question marks, his golden cane, and a variety of hands. That’s all you really need.

It is evident, though, that most of The Riddler comprises parts from other figures. Oh well. At least he is only $19.99.

The Riddler
Photo Credit: McFarlane Toys

The Riddler comes with the following:

  • Designed with Ultra Articulation with up to 22 moving parts for full range of posing and play
  • The Riddler includes 6 alternate hands, question mark cane and base
  • The Riddler is featured in his classic comic look
  • Included collectible art card with character art on the front, and character biography on the back

Out of the three, Catman might be the standout. Although it’s easy to forget about this villain who debuted in 1963, the action figure looks great. The Secret Six member could easily be recolored to be a vintage-looking Batman. Or, with some retooling, we could get Cat-Man, who showed up briefly in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight during ’93.

Catman
Photo Credit: McFarlane Toys

The Gold Label Collection Catman comes with the following:

  • Designed with Ultra Articulation with up to 22 moving parts for full range of posing and play
  • Catman includes two knives, claw hands and base
  • Catman is featured with a fabric cape
  • Included collectible art card with character art on the front, and character biography on the back

McFarlane Toys’ other classic figures include the newly announced Batman 1966 Batgirl.

[Source: McFarlane Toys] [Source: McFarlane Toys] [Source: McFarlane Toys]

Nintendo Switch Used by the FBI to Find Abducted Child

It’s the greatest fear of every parent to hear that their child was kidnapped. There’s possibly no greater thing that would scare a parent more than something bringing harm to their kid, no matter the scenario. This is why every story about a child that is found after having gone missing is always a good thing to hear. In one case recently, a child that had been missing in August 2022 was found by the FBI through the most unusual means. A Nintendo Switch console was used to help locate and find them.

An unidentified teenage girl in Virginia went missing back in August after meeting a stranger, a man named Ethan Roberts. After the two chatted online for a bit, where Ethan took advantage of the girl by sending inappropriate images and advances. Eventually, Ethan traveled to the girl’s hometown and abducted her after coercing the two of them to meet up. After news broke out of the girl missing, people who lived in her town began to post fliers and share information in hopes of finding her.

For a long time, nobody could get information on her location, until something was able to give law enforcement a lead. The girl logged onto her Nintendo Switch online account to download a game and view YouTube videos, which a friend of the girl noticed and informed law enforcement. This allowed both the FBI and Nintendo to cooperate in getting the location through the Nintendo Switch IP address. Authorities were able to move to the location to arrest Ethan and rescue the girl.

Speaking with Kotaku in an email, an FBI representative gave thoughts on the case and why it’s important to use whatever resources are available to help those in trouble. “Thanks to the local police department’s quick response and FBI Norfolk’s ingenuity, we were able to locate the missing victim through her gaming account and reunite her with her family… As the world evolves, so does the FBI and how we solve cases. This is just one example of that. And while criminals might think crossing state lines will help them get away, this case also serves as a reminder that because of the FBI’s wide reach and partnership with local law enforcement. These predators will be caught, and they will pay the consequences.”

After being apprehended by law enforcement, Ethan was indicted on multiple counts. This included online enticement of a minor, receipt of child pornography, and transportation of a minor. He was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after taking a plea deal. In another report on ABC15, retired Arizona DPS director Frank Milstead gave thoughts on how law enforcement can use digital devices to find people who have gone missing and suspects in a case. “It’s probably nothing anybody even had thought of at this point… The fact that somebody else down the road, another child, was bright enough to go, ‘Hey, look, my friend is online, and she’s been missing, and I need to tell somebody.’ Everything’s connected to Wi-Fi… A cell phone, an iPad, a watch, whatever it is… you can use those things to locate people. The bad guys need to know that the police are watching and that you’re leaving a digital footprint everywhere you go. We will find you.”

What do you think about this story of a child missing and found using a Nintendo Switch? Is the news a scary thing to think about? Let us know your thoughts about everything down below in the comment section!

DC Comics To Release Kodansha Manga Featuring Batman, Superman, and The Joker

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Nerds and weebs are going to get some crossover with the announcement that DC Comics is bringing over manga based on some of their iconic characters from Kodansha. Superman, Batman, and even the Joker are featured in titles by Japanese authors and artists.

“Earlier this year, DC announced its collaboration with Japanese publisher Kodansha to release English-language, manga-style (right-to-left-reading) collected editions of three popular manga titles featuring DC Super Heroes and Super-Villains: Joker: One Operation Joker, Superman vs. Meshi, and Batman: Justice Buster. These titles were also announced as available for all paid subscribers to the DC Universe Infinite (DCUI) digital subscription platform, in the form of weekly chapters; each DCUI chapter will be an excerpt from the corresponding print chapter for each title,” DC Comics said on their website.

‘One Operation Joker’ is written by Satoshi Miyagawa and illustrated by Keisuke Gotou. It follows the Joker finding Batman as a baby after the Dark Knight falls into a de-aging chemical. The villain decides to adopt and raise his old nemesis as his own. ‘Batman Justice Buster’ is authored by Eiichi Shimizu and drawn by Tomohiro Shimoguchi who tells the story of how crime in Gotham has gotten so out of control that Batman must step up his arsenal of fabulous toys. Miyagawa also pens ‘Superman Vs. Meshi’ with the artwork handled by Kai Kitago. The plot follows Clark Kent as he visits Japan as Superman, traveling the country in pursuit of the culinary treat known as Meshi.

DC adds that the release date will be, “Tuesday, September 5, at participating comic book shops, bookstores, and mass-market retailers/e-tailers.

All three volumes of ‘Batman: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga,’ ‘Batman and the Justice League,’ and the complete ‘Batman: Death Mask’ will also be added to the DC Universe Infinite to bolster their online library.

‘Horimiya: The Missing Pieces’ Finds It English Dub Cast

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The second season of the anime ‘Horiyama’ from the Japanese animation studio CloverWorks debuted in 2023 as ‘Horiyama: The Missing Pieces,’ which recounts stories from the manga that were not adapted in the 2021 first season. Crunchyroll announced that they would stream season two and would produce an English dub.

Crunchyroll revealed the cast on their website:

  • Hori voiced by Marisa Duran (Sagiri in Hell’s Paradise)
  • Miyamura voiced by Alejandro Saab (Gabimaru in Hell’s Paradise)
  • Ishikawa voiced by Zeno Robinson (Hawks in My Hero Academia)
  • Yoshikawa voiced by Anairis Quiñones (Mirko in My Hero Academia)
  • Iura voiced by Y. Chang
  • Sengoku voiced by Belsheber Rusape
  • Ayasaki voiced by Jalitza Delgado
  • Kono voiced by Celeste Perez
  • Yanagi voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch
  • Kyosuke voiced by Bill Butts
  • Yasuda voiced by Gabe Kunda
  • Shindo voiced by Christopher Llewyn Ramirez
  • Makoto voiced by Emi Lo
  • Sota voiced by Emily Fajardo
  • Sawada voiced by Apphia Yu
  • Mizouchi voiced by Mark Allen Jr.
  • Terashima voiced by Monica Rial
  • Sasaki voiced by Irwin Daye

The anime is directed by Masashi Ishihama with Crunchyroll tasking Caitlin Glass to work as the ADR Director for the dub.

You can watch the trailer below:

Wikipedia describes the synopsis as follows,

“Kyouko Hori is a bright and popular high school student, in contrast to her classmate Izumi Miyamura, a gloomy and seemingly nerdy, glasses-wearing boy. At home, Hori is a homebody who dresses down and looks after her younger brother, Souta. She takes every attempt to hide this from her classmates, as to not disrupt her social status and cause others to worry. One day, Souta comes home with a nosebleed. He had been accompanied by a boy with numerous piercings and tattoos, who introduces himself as Miyamura. After recognizing Hori, even when she is dressed down, they agree to keep their true identities concealed from their peers. However, over time, when the two begin to learn more about each other, they learn they have more in common than they originally thought. Together, they agree to assist one another in keeping their after school identities a secret. As time goes on, the two suddenly find themselves closer than ever.”

The anime was first adapted as a six-part OVA in 2021.

Batman Returns To Beast Kingdom’s DAH Action Figure Line

Batman Returns to Beast Kingdom’s DAH (Dynamic 8ction Heroes) line of 1:10 scale action figures! Unlike the Hot Toys version of The Dark Knight, this one won’t break the bank. Bruce’s alter ego will only cost you $59.99.

Those who pre-order the 1992 Batman will get the gliding version of the cape. The bonus accessory was not shown in the photos. Oddly, Beast Kingdom mentions the figure comes with “mini darts and a communicator,” which I don’t see anywhere in the pictures. Another weird choice was not to include the programmable flying Batarang.

Regardless, the figure looks like something I want to add to my collection. The intended release date is February 2024.

From the wonderfully unique mind of Tim Burton comes the 1992 classic “Batman Returns,” a fantastical journey into a gothic world with intriguing characters like the mysterious and seductive Catwoman, and the vengeful Penguin. After defeating the Joker in the previous movie, Batman returns to protect Gotham City from a new wave of criminals. “Batman Returns” was highly successful, and now, after over 30 years, the iconic Michael Keaton version of the Dark Knight is set to grace our screens once again in the latest Flash movie.

’92 Batman comes with the following:

  • Over 20 points of articulation
  • 4 interchangeable hand types (Fist, open palm, gripping object, gripping dart)
  • Cape made of real fabric
  • Gliding cape (Pre-order exclusive bonus)
  • Accessories: Batarang x1, small darts x1, grappling gun x1

The Batman Returns Batsuit is my favorite of the early films. The semi-modular plates made more sense than a single molded torso piece. It also helps that the bat symbol finally matched the comics. I’m unsure why Tim Burton chose a variant in the first film.

The last time Beast Kingdom visited the Tim Burton Batman universe was two years ago when Dynamic 8ction Heroes figures of the Joker and the Caped Crusader were announced. Does this mean that Catwoman and the Penguin could be on the way?

If you want to know more about the DAH line of toys, check out our review of the Donald Duck figure at Pirates and Princesses.

[Source: Beast Kingdom]

Memorial Service Held In Honor Of The Victims of The Kyoto Animation Arson Attack In 2019

A memorial service was held on the fourth anniversary of the arson attack that took the lives of 36 employees and injured 32 others who worked at the building of the much loved and respected animation studio Kyoto Animation on July 18, 2019.

The memorial service was held at the site of the studio, with only families of the victims and company officials in attendance. The official YouTube channel of Kyoto Animation held a live-stream of the memorial at 10:30 am Japan Time, or 9:30 pm on the 17th in eastern standard time. The stream was only available to watch for that day.

Fans and supporters stood in silence in support of the families and victims, from over a mile distance away from the site.

Shinji Aoba, 45, who was indicted for crimes such as murder and arson, will be held for the first time on September 5th, and the verdict will be handed down on January 25th next year.

The service began with one minute of silence, when the attack took place four years ago. The alter was decorated with 36 sunflowers along with the words “memorial”, and each person who attended offered flowers and prayers to the victims who died in the arson attack.

Kyoto Animation President Hideaki Hatta said, “It is extremely painful to lose a truly excellent colleague in an instant.”

Before the attack, KyoAni had 176 employees, but about 40% were lost from being part of the first building. After some time, the studio began accepting applications for employment and now currently has about 190 employees.

Some of the employees who were injured in the fire have returned to the company after treatment, but others are still unable to return and are continuing their medical treatment to this day.

The first studio building is in the quiet neighborhood of Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, away from the busy city life. There has been concern over the years of having a monument built on site. Though they do sympathize with the tragedy that happened, the residents of the neighborhood believe the area is not ideal for having fans and tourists coming to pay their respects.

So after much deliberation an agreement has been made to create two separate monuments. One for the public to be able to easily visit, while keeping the monument at the Kyoto building off limits to the general public. Where exactly the public monument will settle at is not yet known for sure, though it is speculated to be somewhere near Kyoto Animation headquarters. The public monument will “preserve the memories of what happened, the lives of those who passed away and were injured, and the prayers and support offered by people from around the world.”

The monuments are expected to be completed in 2024, in time for the fifth anniversary.

Source: NHK, SoraNews24

Gkids Acquires The Rights To Studio Ghibli’s Newest Film

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The newest film in ten years by beloved Academy Award-winning Hayao Miyazaki has been acquired for North American distribution rights by Gkids. Miyazaki, who co-founded Studio Ghibli, wrote and directed the new film The Boy And The Heron. The film has been produced by fellow Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki, with musical score from Miyazaki’s long-time collaborator Joe Hisaishi.

The film was released in Japan under the title Kimitachi wa Do Ikiruka, which translates to How Do You Live? It has been clarified that it is not an adaptation of the 1937 Japanese novel of the same name. Internationally, it is known as The Boy And The Heron.

The Boy And Heron opened in theaters in Japan on July 14th, also making it the first Studio Ghibli film to be available to watch in IMAX. During its’ opening weekend box office in Japan, the movie earned about $13.2 million USD. According to Deadline, IMAX said the movie set a new three-day opening record with $1.7 million USD from 44 IMAX screens. In the US, the movie will be theatrically released later this year.

In a highly unusual move for a hand-drawn, animated feature (or any feature), it received barely any campaign ads. No images, trailers, synopses, advertisements, or other information about the film was given to the public leading up to the release of the movie in theaters. Gkids intends to honor the spirit of Studio Ghibli’s intent of very little advertising, and will not release any further details or marketing materials at this time.

The only artistic sneak peek Studio Ghibli has released so far are some drawings of this mysterious heron. The drawing at the top of this page was the only visual shared for nearly a year until the day before the theatrical release date in Japan.

See the tweets of the latest drawings here. The texts say:
-Feel free to use it within the bounds of common sense.
-It’s too hot, so in the studio, “Kahe~ (hot~)” I decided to talk to you. Feel free to use the icon within the limits of common sense.

https://twitter.com/JP_GHIBLI/status/1679505979262619649

https://twitter.com/JP_GHIBLI/status/1681147878952284162

Gkids president David Jedeadt gave a statement, which reads: “Hayao Miyazaki is a living legend in film-making, as evidenced by his Academy Award win for Spirited Away and his two Oscar nominations for Howl’s Moving Castle and The Wind Rises. It’s been ten years since the world has seen a new film from Miyazaki-san, and GKIDS is so proud and honored to unveil his latest, highly anticipated masterpiece in North America.”

Gkids has the US distribution rights to all Studio Ghibli library of films. Every year since 2017, Gkids has their annual Ghibli Fest, a monthly nationwide theatrical program of Ghibli film screenings in over 800 theaters across the country. The theme for this year is a focus on the films by Hayao Miyazaki.

What do you think of the strategy to not have any sort of advertising, except for a few artworks and theater dates? Will you see Hayao Miyazaki’s possible last film he’s directed when it hits theaters later this year? Let us know what you think!

Source: Gkids

 

 

 

 

Take-Two Shuts Down Unofficial GTA Restaurant at Comic Con

Do you remember the fictional restaurant that was in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and GTA 5? Specifically, the ones that were known as Cluckin’ Bell and Burger Shot can be found as you were running around San Andreas. These were goofy parodies of the real-world fast food joints KFC, Taco Bell, and Burger King. In the game, CJ could stop by for a quick bite in the middle of a mission or while roaming around the city. For Comic Con 2023, there were plans to have a real-life Cluckin’ Bell for attendees to visit during the convention. But it looks like publisher Take-Two Interactive may have put a stop to that before the event.

This isn’t the first time that something like this was done during San Diego Comic Con. In 2022, the company Smokin J’s BBQ and the Las Vegas fashion brand boyworldwide had a Cluckin’ Bell open just outside the convention center for everyone to check out. The response to it was incredibly positive and prompted the companies to plan to do so again for 2023, only this time it would include a Burger Shot with it. However, that appeared to show up on the radar of Take-Two Interactive and they decided to take action.

Lawyers for Take-Two sent over a cease & desist letter to the group, asking them to stop everything they were doing. Because of that, Smokin J’s BBQ had to abide by Take-Two’s request. But instead of outright canceling everything, the group decided to pivot and mix things up. Opting to change the name of the spot to Don’t Cluckin’ Tell instead.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CusGyYXu7Es/

In an email exchange with Rockstar Intel, Smokin J’s BBQ sent an email detailing the situation and explaining their plans for Comic Con. “Last Night, we received a cease and desist letter from the law firm representing Take-Two Interactive. In response, we have been forced to scrap the Burger Shot event that was planned for this weekend. We are still doing a Cluckin’ Bell type installation next weekend, however, it is now going to be a spoof installation branded as Don’t Cluckin Tell.”

Since the time of the article’s publishing, and after reporting on other outlets, Take-Two has not made any comment. Even though it might not be exactly what GTA fans know of from the games, those attending Comic Con will still be able to stop by and grab a bite to eat.

Do you think Take-Two Interactive was right to stop Smokin J’s BBQ from their Comic Con plans? Would it have been better if they decided to collaborate with them instead? Tell us your thoughts on everything in the comments down below!

Star Wars Outlaws Planets Will Be Huge

When it was first revealed during the Ubisoft Forward event, Star Wars Outlaws had a positive reception. The game is set during the timeframe of the original trilogy, taking place in between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and follows an original protagonist named Kay. And while the gameplay reveal gave Star Wars fans a look at what to expect, something everyone wanted to know was how big were the environments. Will this game allow Star Wars fans to explore large areas within a galaxy far, far away? You may want to prepare yourself because the planets in Star Wars Outlaws might be huge locations to explore.

Speaking with Edge Magazine for an interview, Julian Gerighty (creative director of Star Wars Outlaws) talked about just how large the locations in the game will be. It was reported by various outlets that exploring different planets in Star Wars Outlaws may be equivalent to some of the locations players would find in something like the Assassin’s Creed games. This can mean that each new location you travel to in the game could be massive, with tons of things within them.

“It’s a crude analogy, but the size of one planet might be equivalent to two of the zones in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey… It could be two to three zones. But it’s not this sort of epic ‘the whole of England recreated’ approach.”

Julian went on to talk about how Star Wars Outlaws won’t use procedural generation for any planets that you can visit in the game. Every planet will be built and tailored to be unique. This can possibly mean that multiple planets that Kay will travel to may or may not have specific things that Star Wars fans will recognize.

Star Wars Outlaws is going to be the first open-world game set within the Star Wars universe. It will allow players to freely explore the galaxy around them while following the story of Kay Vess and her companion Nix, a Merqaal critter from an unknown location in the galaxy. Based on the reveal and gameplay trailers shown at Ubisoft Forward, Kay will be taking on jobs to pull off a major heist while evading both the Empire and the various scum & villainy of the Star Wars underworld.

The rest of the interview can be found in the latest issue of Edge magazine, which also reveals other details about the game. Star Wars Outlaws is set to release in 2024 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

What do you think about the planet sizes we’ll see in Star Wars Outlaws? Are you excited about the game and what it’s doing for the Star Wars franchise? Tell us everything down below in the comment section!

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