NetEase Inc. will cut off funding to the studio led by Yakuza franchise creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, the latest to be affected by the Chinese company’s broader strategy to shrink game development activities. Employees of Nagoshi Studio Inc. were told of the decision on Friday, according to people familiar with the situation. A NetEase spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg it will stop financing the st...
NetEase Inc. will cut off funding to the studio led by Yakuza franchise creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, the latest to be affected by the Chinese company’s broader strategy to shrink game development activities. Employees of Nagoshi Studio Inc. were told of the decision on Friday, according to people familiar with the situation. A NetEase spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg it will stop financing the studio from May. Nagoshi Studio’s impending closure underscores the struggles of a broader gaming industry that surpasses Hollywood in revenue, yet in recent years has faced growing competition from alternative entertainment outlets such as social media. Nagoshi Studio was created in 2021 after Toshihiro Nagoshi, one of Japan’s most famed game creators, decided to leave Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. and go independent. NetEase and Tencent Holdings Ltd. , which were both actively recruiting Japanese gaming talents for their expansion overseas, competed for Nagoshi at that time. NetEase began cutting its game investments in recent years under founder and Chief Executive Officer William Ding’s initiative , leading to job cuts and studio closures around the world. In Japan, Ouka Studio – a team that pioneered NetEase’s overseas push – was closed in late 2024, while Nagoshi Studio was given time to complete its first game in development. The studio unveiled a teaser for its first game, Gang of Dragon , in December. But the decision to stop sponsorship before the game is released came after NetEase discovered additional funding of at least ¥7 billion ($44.4 million) would be needed for the project to be completed, one of the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. Nagoshi is trying to find new sponsors without success so far, the people said. The studio is in discussions with NetEase on the handling of game materials already developed, they said. The studio has been informed by NetEase that while it’s free to continue on its own, it must bear the cor...
BalkansCat/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Energy prices move sharply higher Energy markets drove this week’s market volatility, with the conflict in Iran triggering a sharp rise in oil and natural gas prices. Through Thursday’s close, West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up roughly 17% from last Friday, pushing prices close to $80 per barrel. Moves in natural gas were even more pronounced, wit...
BalkansCat/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Energy prices move sharply higher Energy markets drove this week’s market volatility, with the conflict in Iran triggering a sharp rise in oil and natural gas prices. Through Thursday’s close, West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up roughly 17% from last Friday, pushing prices close to $80 per barrel. Moves in natural gas were even more pronounced, with Dutch TTF — a benchmark for European gas prices — climbing more than 50% over the same period. This represents a fairly large shock to global energy markets, with effects rippling across the global financial system . Equity markets have responded in largely textbook fashion, with the U.S. outperforming non-U.S. markets amid the drawdown and defensive sectors of the market generally faring better than cyclical ones. Through Thursday’s close, the S&P 500 Index was down roughly 0.7% on the week. In Europe, the STOXX 600 fell approximately 4.5%. Emerging markets experienced the largest decline, with the MSCI Emerging Markets Index plummeting by about 8%. This uneven performance reflects structural differences in energy exposure across various regions. The United States, for instance, is now a net exporter of oil and is far less vulnerable to energy shocks than it was decades ago. Europe and some emerging market economies, meanwhile, remain more directly exposed to imported energy costs. Yields spike on inflation worries Sovereign bond yields also moved higher across major markets this week. Part of that move reflects a reset, as yields had fallen sharply prior to the onset of the conflict amid concerns about AI-related disruption . This week’s energy shock reversed some of that decline. But part of the rise in yields also reflects renewed inflation concerns. Higher energy prices increase the risk that inflation could become stickier in the short to medium term, raising the possibility of a more hawkish stance from some global central banks. In the U.S., the 10-year Treasury y...
In this article Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Smoke and fire rise from the site of airstrikes at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on March 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty Images U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran continued on Saturday, one week after they launched their joint campaign to rid Tehran of its nuclear and balli...
In this article Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Smoke and fire rise from the site of airstrikes at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on March 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty Images U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran continued on Saturday, one week after they launched their joint campaign to rid Tehran of its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities while also pushing for regime change. Tehran's energy-rich neighbors in the Gulf said they intercepted more missiles and drones headed for their airspace from Iran as the country's president reportedly apologized for the attacks. "U.S. forces have struck over 3,000 targets in the first week of Operation Epic Fury, and we are not slowing down," U.S. Central Command said in a post on X. President Donald Trump on Friday demanded unconditional surrender from Iran, raising fears of a prolonged war that could wreak havoc on the global oil and gas market. The war has already brought traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for energy supplies, to a near standstill. Israel's military said "another wave of attacks in Tehran has been completed". "Within the framework of these attacks, Air Force fighter jets launched approximately 230 munitions toward several military sites of the regime," the Israel Defense Forces said in a Farsi post on X. The targets included the Central Military University of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a missile storage site and an underground site for storing and producing ballistic missiles, the IDF said. The strikes involved more than 80 Israeli fighter jets, the IDF said in a separate post. "These strikes degrade the Iranian regime's ability to fire at Israeli civilians," the IDF said. Gulf region under threat Countries in the region said they launched air defenses to fend off Iranian attacks. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense reported the "interception and destruction of a drone east of Riyadh city". Th...
A new compensation package would make Sundar Pichai one of the highest paid CEOs in the world (Ludovic MARIN) · Ludovic MARIN/AFP/AFP The CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet could earn up to $692 million over the next three years under a new compensation plan published Friday by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The deal would make Sundar Pichai, who has been chief executive of ...
A new compensation package would make Sundar Pichai one of the highest paid CEOs in the world (Ludovic MARIN) · Ludovic MARIN/AFP/AFP The CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet could earn up to $692 million over the next three years under a new compensation plan published Friday by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The deal would make Sundar Pichai, who has been chief executive of Google since 2015 and of Alphabet since 2019, one of the highest paid CEOs in the world. Under the plan, Pichai's three-year salary of $6 million, or $2 million per year, would remain unchanged. The remainder of his compensation would be paid in the form of Alphabet stock, as well as shares in two subsidiaries -- the autonomous vehicle company Waymo and the drone delivery service Wing. The SEC filing suggested Pichai could receive about $130 million from Waymo and $45 million from Wing. The allocation will depend on the performance of the shares and, for Alphabet, on the amount of dividends paid. In the event of his dismissal, Pichai would forfeit all stock options that are not yet exercisable, according to the document. "Current and previous incentives in Mr Pichai's compensation have benefited Alphabet and its stockholders significantly," the company said in the filing. tu/vla/lpa/lga/fox
Investing.com — China’s government signaled on Saturday that it will aggressively harness artificial intelligence to absorb a record-breaking influx of 12.7 million university graduates into the labor market this year. The staggering number of new jobseekers, a figure larger than the entire population of Belgium, has pushed Beijing to pivot toward tech-driven employment strategies as demographic a...
Investing.com — China’s government signaled on Saturday that it will aggressively harness artificial intelligence to absorb a record-breaking influx of 12.7 million university graduates into the labor market this year. The staggering number of new jobseekers, a figure larger than the entire population of Belgium, has pushed Beijing to pivot toward tech-driven employment strategies as demographic and economic pressures mount. The Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 remained sensitive to the news, closing the week at 3,842.15, as investors weighed the potential for state-led AI investment against a cooling domestic economy. Human Resources and Social Security Minister Wang Xiaoping, speaking at a press conference during the National People’s Congress, emphasized that the government intends to use AI to "upgrade" traditional roles and tap new employment channels. Wang cautioned that "growing uncertainties" continue to threaten broader employment stability across mainland China despite the government’s ambitious plans. Vocational shifts and the low-altitude economy To meet its goal of adding 12 million urban jobs in 2026, Beijing is rolling out large-scale internship and training programs focused on high-growth emerging sectors. Specific emphasis is being placed on vocational development within the "low-altitude economy," new-energy vehicles (NEVs), and generative AI. The strategic shift suggests a move away from traditional manufacturing toward higher-value, technology-intensive industries. Global investors understand that the success of this transition is critical for maintaining China’s targeted surveyed jobless rate of 5.5% through 2030. Analysts at Goldman Sachs noted that AI integration could boost long-term productivity, but the immediate challenge remains the "skills gap" among fresh graduates entering a highly competitive environment. The government’s focus on AI as a job creator marks a departure from global concerns regarding automation-led displacement. By positioning...