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Marc Merrill dropped a mention of the MMO while answering a different question during the panel, which was immediately chased up by host Greg Miller with half-joking prompts for further morsels of information. Merrill mostly laughs it off, but does give a somewhat half-answer that at least indicates development of it is moving along at… some sort of pace. Though Merrill's description of creating an MMO makes it seem like it's giving Riot a bit of a hard time.

Storytime w/ Marc Merrill | PAX West 2026 - YouTube

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"We know what players' hopes and dreams are," he said. "And it's on us as a team—can we exceed in the execution, you know? But what a worthy quest. We jokingly call it 'the grail' internally because we're like 'Fuck it, you know, many a brave knight are going to die on the grail quest. But fuck it, it's the grail, so let's go.' That's the mindset that we really try to cultivate and that is incredibly hard to do at scale. But I think we're doing a reasonable job and I think the future's incredibly bright."

I mean, I've never developed an MMO but… yeah, I suppose it's probably an absolute task and a half to undertake. I don't know if I necessarily would've gone all in on the grail and dying knight terminology since, y'know, that kind of makes me think about the layoffs. But hey, Merrill at the very least seems jazzed about the direction things are going in.

As for any sort of name (even a project name, damn), progression estimate, release date, or, well, any news of substance? Unfortunately, Merrill has absolutely nothing to offer us in that department. I'm just hoping we actually see this game manifest at some point in the future. And that Riot doesn't cut and run quite as quickly as it did with 2XKO if it isn't able to find its footing from day one.

Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.

Mollie spent her early childhood deeply invested in games like Killer Instinct, Toontown and Audition Online, which continue to form the pillars of her personality today. She joined PC Gamer in 2020 as a news writer and now lends her expertise to write a wealth of features, guides and reviews with a dash of chaos. She can often be found causing mischief in Final Fantasy 14, using those experiences to write neat things about her favourite MMO. When she's not staring at her bunny girl she can be found sweating out rhythm games, pretending to be good at fighting games or spending far too much money at her local arcade. %!s()

Although this result falls short of a majority, it is close enough. The small, populist BSW party has indicated that it may enable the election of an AfD head of government in the state. This would give executive power to an extreme-right party in a German state for the first time since World War 2.

The election has already deeply disturbed Germany. It is the culmination of a decade-long process that saw the AfD move from a marginal protest party to a major political power.

Although this election has been a tough blow for the other mainstream German parties, they still have an opportunity to reverse this dangerous trend. That would depend on whether those in power are prepared to take decisive action.

When considering what strategy must be adopted in response to AfD’s surge, it is important to explore the attitudes of its electorate and the socioeconomic conditions affecting them.

In recent surveys, conducted by the think thank I co-lead, d|part, people in Saxony-Anhalt were much more likely than the national average to report job prospects, education, health care and the social environment worsening where they live.

The mismatch between public demands for better economic opportunities and social services and what the government has delivered has resulted in the anger that the AfD has been able to exploit.

While AfD’s proposed policies in Saxony-Anhalt could worsen socioeconomic problems, many voters do not see an alternative. Their trust in the parties in power has eroded too much.

According to our surveys, roughly three quarters of AfD voters do not consider any other party as a viable option at all. Among supporters of other parties, more than half could name at least one other political option they would also consider. In short, most AfD voters are firmly and distinctively committed to the party.

Among those committed AfD voters, there are many who firmly agree with the extreme right and racist positions of the party. Over the last 10 years, the support base of the AfD has shifted from a majority, saying they vote for the party despite their positions to saying they vote for it because of them.

In the short term, those hardline voters of the AfD are not reachable. But the quarter of current AfD supporters who are open to other parties could be swayed. Most of them do not think the AfD is the best on areas like the economy or cost of living.

In the immediate aftermath of the Saxony-Anhalt election, this group should be the focus of mainstream parties. How they approach these voters could make a difference in the upcoming elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state later this month.

In the longer term, there should be a major overhaul of political strategies across the mainstream.

Our surveys show that across the country and the political spectrum, voters are deeply discontent with the status quo. Germans have a very low opinion of the current government. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has the worst approval rating of any German government head since polling began – currently at 13 percent. The disapproval of the work his government is doing is near unanimous across German society.

But dissatisfaction in the government does not mean people do not want strong state action. To the contrary, across the political spectrum decisive and transformative action is desired.

Our research shows that most people, including AfD voters open to other parties, fundamentally trust state institutions and want a government that takes actions to improve people’s living conditions. They do not just care about the money in their own pocket but rather want to see the areas they live in improve in terms of economic and job opportunities but also in terms of social, educational and cultural services.

There are many reasons why the current government – like its predecessors – is failing to deliver. But a major one is that the traditionally large parties, the Christian- and Social-Democrats, have made a huge mistake in recent years of letting the AfD set the agenda.

Hoping to gain more votes, they have picked up AfD’s focus on immigration, placing it at the centre of their agendas and rhetoric. While that has fed anti-immigrant sentiments in the country, it has not made immigration the German people’s main priority.

Our surveys show that the overwhelming majority – 80 percent – of the public think that economic policy should be prioritised over immigration policy.

This means that the German mainstream should stop trying to “steal” AfD’s votes by adopting its agenda and rhetoric. It should not accommodate AfD because accommodation leads to normalisation, and that would only fuel its ascendance.

Instead, mainstream parties should regain the initiative by setting the political agenda, pursing a credible shift in policies, and demonstrating a capacity for decisive action.

The mainstream has to offer a clear plan of action to significantly improve people’s lives. The emphasis of policy making must shift from abstract macroeconomic indicators to tangible changes that affect directly ordinary Germans. Local authorities must be empowered and financially enabled to improve the socio-economic conditions at the local level.

Most Germans want a government that takes strong action and cooperates with businesses to improve life in urban and rural places. If the AfD is to be stopped from progressing, the confidence in the government at all levels must be restored.

In the 20th century, Germany saw the dangers of underestimating a rising extreme-right party during times of economic upheaval. The consequences of that mistake devastated Europe. We must learn from history and do better now.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. %!s()

Fest attendees were abuzz with speculation for days. For the vast majority of them, all that was known heading into the screening — for which lines of considerable and perhaps unprecedented length began forming hours ahead of time — was that it was a film (a) with a runtime just shy of three hours; (b) that was not included in the lineup; (c) that had not been screened, or even announced for a screening, at any other film fest; and (d) from which the principal creative talent would be in attendance.

Rumors soon began spreading like wildfire. Some suspected that it would be the world premiere of Digger, the forthcoming Alejandro González Iñárritu/Tom Cruise film, given that Iñárritu has premiered prior films at the fest and Cruise owns a home in Telluride. Others heard that it was something to do with the legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who was scheduled to be in town on Sunday night. And then, as word got out that it was an A24 production, speculation grew that it would be the film that Frank Ocean was long ago reported to be writing and directing for the label.

A few publicists and journalists claimed that the the identity of the film had been confirmed to them, but that they could not share it because they had been compelled to sign non-disclosure agreements. It was all very odd.

On Sunday night, as festivalgoers approached the entrance to the Herzog, they were required to lock their cell phone inside a Yondr pouch. Then, once everyone was seated inside, the theater manager announced that he was as excited as he had ever been for a screening in his 20 years at the fest. And only after that did festival director Julie Huntsinger confirm that the screening was the world premiere of You Can See Everything, a documentary, of sorts — directed by Nathan Fielder (TV’s king of awkwardness and blurring the line between fiction and reality via his shows Nathan for You and The Rehearsal) and Lance Oppenheim (a doc vet turned helmer of A24’s forthcoming Primetime) — about Elizabeth Holmes, the enigmatic founder of the blood-testing technology company Theranos.

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Warning: Do not keep scrolling unless you are okay with encountering details about the film.

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Fielder and Oppenheim confirmed, during a post-screening Q&A moderated by Fielder’s The Curse costar Emma Stone, that they had heard that Holmes and her husband, hospitality heir Billy Evans, were considering cooperating with a doc before she was to report to prison in 2023 to begin serving an 11-year sentence for defrauding investors about Theranos’s blood-testing technology. The filmmakers teamed up with A24 to pitch Holmes and Evans on doing the doc with them, and ended up being granted almost total access to the couple over the 34 days before Holmes turned herself in. (The terms under which that access being granted become a point of contention in the film.)

Meanwhile, Fielder, in a manner not dissimilar to Nathan for You and The Rehearsal, ends up becoming an active participant in You Can See Everything — not something he intended, he insisted during the Q&A — only this time he was not the most awkward person in the room. The film becomes a stranger-than-fiction portrait of Holmes and her relationship with Evans and the truth, and the couple’s insistence on her innocence and plans to essentially reboot Theranos — all while Fielder and his cameras are in their rental home, with Fielder literally living in their guest house. He is even the last person she hugs before boarding her ride to the prison.

Then, in the craziest twist of a crazy film, things get very meta when an A-list actress enters the picture. (The filmmakers and fest requested that her identity be kept secret until more people have a chance to see the movie. Fielder and Stone confirmed during the Q&A that Stone made the introduction.) She agrees to meet with Fielder, becomes increasingly invested in getting to the bottom of his questions about Holmes, and, rather amazingly, winds up becoming a full-fledged collaborator in the film, appearing throughout the rest of it alternatingly as herself, giving commentary on the insanity of the situation, and then in reenactments — long Fielder’s go-to way of making sense of things — as Holmes.

You Can See Everything makes for an immensely entertaining and unexpectedly profound moviegoing experience. (It played through the roof at Sunday’s screening — here is THR’s review and a sampling of reactions.) It’s also unlike anything anyone has done in a film before, as far as I know, in terms of the way that it blends documentary with acting. (2006’s Borat and 2020’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm might be the closest comps, although they are still very different.) All of which begs the questions: Could this film — which A24 will release in October — be recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences? And, if so, how?

The Academy’s rules for the 99th Oscars clearly state that a film like You Can See Everything is eligible. According to Rule Thirteen, Special Rules for the Documentary Feature Film Awards, “An eligible documentary film is defined as a theatrically released nonfiction motion picture dealing creatively with cultural, artistic, historical, social, scientific, economic, or other subjects. It may be photographed in actual occurrence, or may employ partial reenactment, stock footage, stills, animation, stop-motion, or other techniques, as long as the emphasis is on fact and not on fiction.”

But the Academy’s doc branch has long been resistant to reenactments, denying even best doc feature Oscar nominations to several all-time great docs that ventured into that style, including Ross McElwee’s Sherman’s March (1985), Errol Morris’ The Thin Blue Line (1988) and Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell (2012). And quite frankly, I’m not sure that the doc branch, to this day, is hip enough to embrace You Can See Everything… which leads me to think that the filmmakers and A24 should also appeal to the full Academy for a best picture nomination — members of all of the Academy’s branches get to weigh-in on that caegory — which would make their film the first doc ever nominated for the organization’s top honor. The Academy, as currently composed, seems open to new things — in just the last few years, a non-English-language film won best picture for the first time, a trans person was nominated for an acting award for the first time, etc. So why not take a big swing?

Most importantly, in my humble opnion, and stay with me now: there needs to be a real best supporting actress campaign for the A-list actress (a past nominee in the category) who shows up and elevates the movie from a triple to a home run. But can the actors branch of the Academy, which solely determines the acting Oscar nominees, nominate someone for an appearance in a film that is technically a doc? According to the aforementioned Rule Thirteen, Special Rules for the Documentary Feature Film Awards, “Documentary feature films submitted in this category may also qualify for awards in other categories if they meet the specified requirements and submission deadlines.” That reads to me like the doc branch has no reason to object.

And according to Rule Six, Special Rules for the Acting Awards, “The Actors Branch Executive Committee shall have the right and responsibility to resolve all questions of eligibility, rules, and the designation of award recipients.” I have a hard time believing that the members of the executive committee would block the members of their branch from having at least the option of voting to nominate the actress.

In other words, bring it on! A24 is as smart and savvy as anyone out there. I would bet anything that they are already laying the groundwork for such a push. And I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens. %!s()

Longoria says she now always travels with two paddles. She has padel courts at her homes in Los Angeles, Mexico City and Marbella, Spain.

“It is fun for anybody, if you’re an expert, if you’re a novice, if you’ve never played before, if you’re really good, or you’re kind of good like me,” Longoria says during a phone interview on a break from editing her second feature film, Netflix’s The Fifth Wheel, starring Kim Kardashian.

Padel is fast becoming the hottest trend among the celebrity luxury class. David Beckham, DJ Khaled, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jay-Z, and former NBA stars Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard have all been spotted on the courts. Comedian Andrew Schulz riffs about it on his podcast. Cristiano Ronaldo recently said he loved the game so much it was one of the reasons he was looking forward to retirement. 

WME has run one-day tournaments the past two years featuring sports and entertainment stars and sponsored by Tom Holland’s non-alcoholic beer brand, BERO. This year, Jay Shetty, Steve Aoki and Diplo were among the celebrity players. Holland told THR he stopped playing padel to avoid getting injured while filming The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day back to back, but he returned to the courts for his 2026 event. “Padel is one of my favorite sports,” Holland says. “I love playing it with my family. I love the social element of it.”

For Longoria, the padel passion goes beyond just playing. She has invested in a padel team, in addition to her stakes in soccer clubs Wrexham and Necaxa, as well as a Brooklyn pickleball team. In 2024, she became co-owner of the Eleven Eleven padel team that competes in the Hexagon Cup, an annual World Cup-style tournament held in Madrid. Other celebrity team owners include tennis player Andy Murray, boxer Anthony Joshua and soccer’s Sergio Agüero. British musician Stormzy is an investor in the London-based Paddle Social Club. The leading international pro tour, Premier Padel, is owned by Qatar Sports Investments, which also owns French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain.

Padel is attractive for its sociability and ease of learning. “I hate tennis,” says Longoria. “The court is too big, and I’m just chasing the ball.” A padel court is about half the size of a tennis court and surrounded by glass walls that can be used in play. The racket, called a pala, has no strings and is shorter and thicker than a tennis racket, resembling a beefier, perforated pickleball paddle.

The game was invented in 1969 by Enrique Corcuera in Acapulco, Mexico, because the tennis enthusiast did not have room at his home for a full-size tennis court. Padel, which is always played in pairs, expanded to Spain and Argentina in the 1970s. There are now 290 tournaments across 49 countries. But Spain remains the epicenter, with more than 17,000 courts; Italy is the only other country with 10,000.

The U.S. has roughly 1,000 courts, up from fewer than 30 in 2020, a number that is expected to hit 20,000 by 2030, according to the United States Padel Association. The Pro Padel League launched in 2023, and in 2025 Charlotte Hornets owner Rick Schnall led a $15 million Series A funding round.  

“We are still in the top of the first inning of where padel is going to be at maturity in the U.S.,” league CEO Mike Dorfman says. “But from an attraction and momentum and cultural zeitgeist standpoint, there’s definitely a lot more familiarity around the sport.” Dorfman jokes that he spends much less time telling people how to pronounce padel (it is “paddle” and not “pa-DEL.”)

In 2018, there were fewer than 8 million padel players worldwide, but that figure had reached 35 million by the end of 2025, according to the International Padel Federation. Like other racket sports, accessibility and price point remain barriers, but among the well-heeled, padel is booming. Dorfman says he knows of multiple Hamptons summer home rentals that were contingent on converting the backyard tennis court to one for padel.

The latest report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association shows padel participation rates up 14.5 percent in the 12 months ending June 2026. It is the fastest growth among the 30 activities tracked by the SFIA — pickleball was 1.3 percent.

Luxury brands have awoken to the sport, too. Rolex did its first padel deal this year, sponsoring world No. 1 player Arturo Coello, a week after Swiss sneaker brand On signed the Spanish player for its first padel endorsement. The PPL inked a long-term deal with watchmaker Frédérique Constant. Prada and Lamborghini offer branded rackets for $2,500 and $800, respectively.

WME, which has a long history in tennis, launched a padel group in 2024 run by Daniel Dios, Hernan Auguste and Juan Acuna. Dios says many global brands had been taking a wait-and-see approach to padel, but the surge in interest has forced brands to reconsider.

Longoria can comfortably say she is good at padel now, after taking lessons at Nueva Alcantara Club and Puente Romano, home to one of Spain’s original padel clubs. Her schedule has prevented her from playing in Holland’s tournament the past two years, but she says she wants in: “I’m dying to play with him because he’s as obsessed with it as I am.”

This story appears in The Hollywood Reporter’s August 2026 Sports issue. Click here to read more. %!s()

The world's largest LGBTQ+ dating app was sued in the High Court in 2024 over claims it misused people's personal information.

The class action suit was later served in the US, with the law firm leading the case saying it had signed up more than 11,000 claimants.

According to a US regulatory filing, Grindr will make two £13m payments to settle the claims. The firm said the settlement includes no admission of liability.

Grindr stressed the claims relate to "historical data practices" before 2020 when it was owned by Chinese firm Kunlun.

The filing submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, external by Grindr said a settlement had been reached on 2 September.

"While Grindr disputes the allegations, it recognizes and acknowledges the distress and loss of trust expressed by some of its UK users regarding that pre-2020 period," the company said in its filing.

The firm has agreed to pay £13m to the counterparties by 31 December and a further £13m by 31 March 2027.

'Significant distress'

The claims brought more than two years ago by law firm Austen Hayes alleged Grindr had shared sensitive data with third parties for commercial purposes, breaching UK privacy laws.

It said this included information about the ethnicity and sexual orientation of its users.

People on Grindr have the option to share their HIV status along with when they were last tested - a move it says aims to reduce stigma, facilitate conversations and help users make informed health choices.

Chaya Hanoomanjee, the lawyer who led the claim, said in April 2024 claimants had "experienced significant distress" over their sensitive and private information being shared without their consent.

She said the company "owes it to the LGBTQ+ community it serves to compensate those whose data has been compromised".

Two data analytics services, Apptimize and Localytics, were identified as third parties with access to the sensitive data.

The claim said a potentially unlimited number of third parties used it to customise advertisements to Grindr's users.

It followed revelations in 2018 that Grindr had been sharing personal data, including the HIV status of its users, with the two data analytics providers.

Grindr defended the practice at the time as in line with industry standards – but it said it then stopped sharing HIV data with those companies.

It was fined £5.5m by Norway's data protection watchdog and, later in 2022, reprimanded by the UK Information Commissioner's Office for its data practices.

The company said in its filing on Friday that since 2020, it had "overhauled" its privacy practices to help meet the "unique needs of its community".

"Grindr is and remains a safe space for users, committed to transparency, user control, and responsible data practices," it said.