Genki Kawamura’s eerie new film expands on a haunting video game that leaves players lost in endless subway tunnels. He explains how this makes viewers and players face their worst fears Genki Kawamura is something of a polymath. A bestselling author, film-maker, script writer and producer – he is also a lifelong gamer who grew up playing and being inspired by the games of legendary Nintendo desig...
Genki Kawamura’s eerie new film expands on a haunting video game that leaves players lost in endless subway tunnels. He explains how this makes viewers and players face their worst fears Genki Kawamura is something of a polymath. A bestselling author, film-maker, script writer and producer – he is also a lifelong gamer who grew up playing and being inspired by the games of legendary Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto . His latest project Exit 8, now in cinemas, is a fascinating adaptation of the Japanese horror game, developed by a lone coder based in Kyoto, operating under the name Kotake Create. “I was captivated by its game design and the beauty of its visuals,” says Kawamura. “At the same time, I watched many streamers play it. As I did, I realised that although the game is incredibly simple, each player creates their own story, and each streamer brings their own unique reactions. It felt like a device that could reveal something fundamental about human nature.” The concept behind Exit 8 the game is simple. The player finds themselves trapped in an endlessly looping section of a Tokyo subway station. Viewing the narrow, brightly lit corridors in first-person, you pass the same posters, the same silent commuter, the same locked doors over and over again. The only way to escape is to spot anomalies each time you pass through – maybe the eyes on a poster start following you, maybe the commuter stops and smiles – at which point you have to double back the way you came. Complete eight runs without missing an anomaly and you get to leave through the eponymous way out. There’s no story, no reason for it at all. The mystery is part of the appeal. Continue reading...
Marvin Samuel Tolentino Pineda/iStock Editorial via Getty Images CAGE:CA at a Glance The Avantis CIBC All-Equity Asset Allocation ETF ( CAGE:CA ) is a new actively managed exchange-traded fund (also known as an ETF) with a NAV of ~$100MM CAD that invests in stocks designed to provide exposure to a portfolio of global stocks. CIBC recently notched a deal with Avantis to bring some of their actively...
Marvin Samuel Tolentino Pineda/iStock Editorial via Getty Images CAGE:CA at a Glance The Avantis CIBC All-Equity Asset Allocation ETF ( CAGE:CA ) is a new actively managed exchange-traded fund (also known as an ETF) with a NAV of ~$100MM CAD that invests in stocks designed to provide exposure to a portfolio of global stocks. CIBC recently notched a deal with Avantis to bring some of their actively managed expertise and branding into the fund space. Avantis, based in the USA, was spun out of American Century and has >$100 billion in AUM. At the time of the alliance announcement, it piqued my curiosity, as CIBC has historically not ventured into asset management with a heavy marketing push, unlike some other Big 5. While CIBC has many publicly available ETFs, partnering with Avantis, known for value factor funds, highlights a strategic push to acquire customers in its wealth management business. This new offering is part of that outreach—though I'm not convinced it's differentiated enough to break through in the Canadian market. CAGE:CA's benchmark target is the MSCI ACWI IMI Index, which captures large-, mid-, and small-cap representation across developed and emerging market countries. Right off the bat, this is one of the more normal indexes to track, and it makes me a bit skeptical of how differentiated the fund is willing to go. Peers in this space include VEQT:CA, XEQT:CA, and ZEQT:CA, all established funds from Vanguard, BlackRock, and BMO, respectively. The bottom line here is that Canada is not a big market—if fund managers want to attract new capital into their funds, highlighting an alliance with a solid active fund manager from the U.S. is not enough. For now, I say keep an eye on this fund, but it's not worth buying until further details emerge. Fund Profile CAGE:CA was launched on March 18, 2026 , by CIBC and Avantis with a plan to create a diversified, easily tradable fund that selects companies based on value and profitability characteristics, using a b...