The Silicon Valley Bank saga, a gigantic Fifa World Cup, Meta’s answer to Twitter, storytelling in video games and a film winning every award, everywhere, all at once appear in the latest Trippant Takeaways, our weekly round-up of features on communications trends across sport, tech, entertainment and culture.
Sky News on Silicon Valley Bank
The worst possible short-term effects of the Silicon Valley Bank collapse appear to have been seen off for now, with the deposits of its tech-heavy client base protected and the threat of contagion receding.
Nevertheless, it is an episode with new lessons about confidence in the financial sector and changing demands on startups in an era of higher interest rates.
The Athletic on the new-look Fifa World Cup
Fifa’s plans to expand the men’s football World Cup from 32 teams to 48 have been public for years. What was still undecided, however, was the format that would replace the neatly balanced, folding tournament structure that has sustained the event since 1998.
The global governing body has now confirmed the shape of the next competition – to be played across the US, Canada and Mexico in 2026 – after discussions at the Fifa Congress in Rwanda this week. A reworked opening stage with 12 groups of four teams will retain a little of the jeopardy of previous editions but the schedule will swell to an incredible 104 games, transforming the World Cup experience forever.
The Drum on a TikTok-free future
Some brands are only just beginning to grapple with the marketing potential of TikTok’s fast-moving content generation dynamics and recommendation algorithm.
But with the geopolitical and regulatory picture also shifting rapidly, is it already time to plan for a media world beyond it?
Platformer on plans for a Meta-backed Twitter rival
You might have heard something about a tough spell at Twitter since its takeover by Elon Musk in October.
That has fed speculation about whether rivals might move in to compete for its disgruntled user base. Now, reportedly, the biggest company in social media is ready to do just that, with Meta exploring plans for a real-time, text-led platform.
The Verge on Meta’s newfound NFT scepticism
Meanwhile, Meta has been rationalising the activities of core services like Facebook and Instagram in the wake of its own financial challenges. That could be bad news for the NFT space…
Polygon on a videogame tribute to Black baseball history
The 2023 baseball season is just weeks away and that will herald the latest edition of the videogame series MLB The Show.
For this year’s instalment, developers San Diego Studios have taken on the delicate task of recreating the segregation-era Negro Leagues. That has involved a careful, sensitive process of celebrating great players while acknowledging the difficult social context.
Wired on The Last of Us and ‘transmedia’ storytelling
The enormous critical success of HBO’s The Last of Us has made video game adaptations safe for prestige TV – and it has also reignited thinking about how to tell stories across different forms of media.
Fast Company on boots made for jumping
Another gaming hero making the leap to scripted media in 2023 is Super Mario, whose new animated adventure will hit the big screen next month.
And the Minnesota-based Red Wing Shoe Co has taken Nintendo’s fabled plumber back into our dimension, with a real-world ‘pixel to stitch’ recreation of his Goomba-stomping footwear.
The Guardian and Vox on a dominant Oscar winner
There is a cliché of an Academy Award favourite from years past and it probably doesn’t look much like Everything, Everywhere All At Once.
Yet the multiversal sci-fi comedy-drama – which follows an Asian-American family as they navigate marital strains and an IRS audit of their laundry business – all but swept the board at the 95th Oscars, picking up seven of the major artistic prizes. That unlikely success is another landmark for cult studio A24, resulting from a combination of old-fashioned word of mouth and updated marketing nous.
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