Category: Industry Insights

Disney Completes Third Wave of Mass Layoffs; Cost Restructuring Reshapes Business Strategy & Triggers Structural Changes Across Global Entertainment Industry

Posted on by Awn China

On July 21, 2026, The Walt Disney rolled out its third company-wide round of layoffs this year, cutting hundreds of employees across core divisions including Pixar Animation Studios, National Geographic, ESPN and corporate functional departments. This workforce reduction is not a short-term emergency measure, but a core overhaul launched by newly appointed CEO Josh D’Amaro[…..] […]

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Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis to Cease Global Operations This October: Root Causes, Player Impacts and Strategic Adjustments for Square Enix Mobile Business

Posted on by Awn China

Square Enix pulls the plug on FF7: Ever Crisis after less than three years; Sluggish revenue growth forces strategic reshuffle of its mobile game portfolio Square Enix officially issued an end-of-service notice on July 7, 2026, confirming that its cross-platform free-to-play RPG Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis will permanently shut down at 11 PM PDT on[…..] […]

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Stop-Motion Short *Into the Forest* Claims Young Audience Award at Annecy Festival, Elevating Swiss Animation on Global Stage

Posted on by Awn China

Antonin Niclass’ Stop-Motion Gem *Into the Forest* Wins Annecy Young Audience Award, Celebrating Creativity and Swiss Handcrafted Animation LONDON, June 27, 2026 – The 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, widely hailed as the “Oscar of Animation”, has handed its coveted Young Audience Award to Swiss stop-motion short film *Into the Forest*, helmed by award-winning[…..] […]

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H1 2026 Chinese Animation Industry Summary: Differentiated Layout Across Platforms, Premium Annual Series Lead Streaming Rankings

Posted on by Awn China

In the first half of 2026, the Chinese animation (Guoman) sector on mainstream domestic video platforms achieved sustained quality improvement and content expansion. Tencent Video, Youku, Bilibili and iQiyi have built a differentiated, featured and high-quality content ecosystem based on their respective positioning. Focusing on classic cultivation, fantasy, urban superpower, folk adventure and other diverse[…..] […]

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game Charts: The most successful new games of the first half of 2026 in Germany

Posted on by Awn China

game Charts: The most successful new games of the first half of 2026 in Germany ‘Resident Evil Requiem’ tops Germany’s game Charts for the first half of 2026 ‘Forza Horizon 6’, ‘007 First Light’, ‘Pragmata’ and ‘LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight’ among the Top 5 most successful newly released games of the first[…..] […]

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AI Otome-Style Animated Dramas Undergo Industry Restructuring

Posted on by Awn China

AI Otome-Style Animated Dramas Undergo Industry Restructuring: Fading Traffic Dividends, Compliance, IP and Long-Term Operation Become Core Breakthrough Drivers Driven by iterative AIGC video technology and surging female emotional consumption demand, AI otome-style animated dramas have emerged as the fastest-growing subcategory in the micro-short drama track. Drawing on the character design, favorability systems, multi-male lead relationship[…..] […]

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AI Reshapes Global Manga Industry Amid Cross-Border Anti-Piracy Crackdowns

Posted on by Awn China

 Piracy Inflicts Trillion-Yen Losses on Japanese & Korean Manga; AI Emerges as Core Weapon for Copyright Protection A sweeping global crackdown on manga piracy unfolded across 2026, with major illegal scanlation platforms shut down one after another. Artificial intelligence presents a dual-edged impact on the creative industry: low-cost AI translation tools fuel the global spread[…..] […]

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Dual Impacts of AI on Gaming Market – Divided Steam Players, Industry’s Trade-off Between Efficiency and Trust

Posted on by Awn China

43% of Steam Gamers Accept AI-Made Games While Only 8% Reject Them Fully; AI Labels Bring Market Backlash, Mandatory Transparency Two pivotal industry surveys released in July 2026 expose a contradictory landscape of AI in gaming. A questionnaire of 3,800 core Steam players shows over 40% of users accept AI involvement in game development, with[…..] […]

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miHoYo Launches AI Desktop Companion App BSide: Olivia Lin on Steam Early Access;

Posted on by Awn China

miHoYo Launches AI Desktop Companion App BSide: Olivia Lin on Steam Early Access; Diverse Industry & Player Feedback Emerges A Non-Game AI Emotional Experience Built Around Virtual Pianist Olivia Lin; Steam Hits “Very Positive” Reviews Amid Mixed User Expectations On July 13, 2026, miHoYo officially launched the free Early Access version of BSide: Olivia Lin on Steam.[…..] […]

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AI SBoom or Bubble? AI-Generated Games & Films Flood Steam, Pitting Industry Insiders in an Ultimate Standoff Between Low Costs and High Quality

Posted on by Awn China

If you’ve browsed Steam’s new releases lately, you may have noticed a striking trend: interactive movie games are multiplying, and they share a new label — AI. Some games use AI to generate entire video sequences, branding themselves as “cinematic FMV experiences.” Others deploy AI for character art, backgrounds, voiceovers, music, and promotional materials. Still others[…..] […]

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