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Tech News
During a video marking Bethesda's 40th anniversary, the studio confirmed the long-awaited title for its next Elder Scrolls installment: The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel. Executive producer Todd Howard announced the name in the video, saying the anniversary felt like the right moment to share it, while Bethesda noted on Twitter that development continues and more details will come later.
The Zach Cregger-directed reimagining of the 'Resident Evil' franchise, starring Austin Abrams, has been released for digital purchase or rental. The film marks a new creative direction for the long-running horror property.
Elon Musk and segments of social media have been engaging in a political discussion around the 'Star Wars' franchise, framing it through meme culture rather than factual critique. The commentary has drawn attention for conflating entertainment commentary with broader political arguments.
Actor Patrick Stewart has died, with his family citing Alzheimer's disease and Lewy Body Dementia as the cause. Stewart was best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard across seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, four films, and the revival series Star Trek: Picard, which concluded three years ago. He also had a long career in the X-Men franchise and on stage.
Crumbl, the cookie chain known for its rotating menu and oversized treats, has been shutting down locations across the US this year, with closures reported in more than a dozen states. The closures mark a reversal for a brand that expanded rapidly after gaining popularity on TikTok following its 2017 founding.
A franchise-marketing consultant describes testing three ad videos with brand leaders at a conference: two AI-generated clips (a talking abs-and-juice ad and an AI avatar reciting a firm's history) and one real franchisee testimonial. The real video drew unanimous approval while the AI versions produced little emotional response, prompting the consultant to cite Merriam-Webster naming 'slop' its 2025 word of the year and eMarketer research suggesting visible AI in marketing is roughly four times more likely to damage trust than build it.
Super Smash Bros. and Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai told Japanese outlet Denfaminico Gamer that AI is being used to rapidly produce video games at the cost of originality and quality. He pointed to the roughly 19,000 games added to Steam annually, predicting that number will keep growing as AI tools make it easier to mass-produce titles that copy existing game systems.
A franchising industry analysis argues that most franchisors lack consistent, comparable unit-level financial data because expense reporting is decentralized and varies across franchisees. This creates a 'profitability blind spot' that obscures underperformance and undermines benchmarking across a brand's system. The piece proposes a 'Point-of-Profit' system to normalize operational profit-and-loss data across units.
An updated franchise disclosure document shows Pizza Hut increased the pace of restaurant closures in the United States during 2025, with the list of shuttered locations continuing to grow into 2026. The filing comes as the chain is set to move toward operating independently of parent company Yum Brands.
Brandon Wilhelm, a nearly two-decade Subway franchise development veteran, visited Hangry Joe's restaurants unannounced before later becoming a multi-unit franchisee, equity investor, board member and acting CMO at the hot chicken chain. He officially became CEO on Oct. 6. Hangry Joe's has grown to more than 90 locations across over 20 states and several international markets since its 2021 founding.
Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 ranking for 2026 spotlights children's enrichment franchises, a category spanning art, music and STEM education. School of Rock, founded in 1998 and franchising since 2005, ranked #154 overall with 449 units and 32.8% unit growth over three years, requiring an initial investment of $378,050 to $756,100. A newer entrant founded in 1999 and franchising since 2020 ranked #380 with 57 units, showing 418.2% growth over three years and a lower initial investment range of $149,268 to $294,110.
Concept art has surfaced showing alternative directions once considered for the Power Rangers franchise, including redesigned suits and a different arrangement of the Rangers' traditional color scheme. The designs were not used in the final production.