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Black Myth Zhong Kui is the second game in Game Science's Black Myth series. Their first action RPG, Black Myth Wukong, was highly praised for its beautiful graphics and combat animations upon its release in August 2024. Black Myth Zhong Kui was revealed a year later, in a two-minute teaser trailer at Gamescom 2025. Although this trailer made it clear that the next Black Myth game would stick with the Chinese folklore theme, we've had to wait for the new gameplay trailer to get a good look at the new protagonist and combat system (they weren't featured in Game Science's demonic cooking show from earlier this year, either).

While this Black Myth Zhong Kui trailer reveals many things regarding the weapon type, enemy types, and setting, it also raises a big question: Who is the main character, and if he's not Zhong Kui, what's his relationship with the Taoist deity who lends his name to the game's title? Clearly, the young and handsome protagonist doesn't match Zhong Kui's traditionally scary appearance, as the latter is usually described as a very large fellow with a big beard and frightening eyes. We already got a look at him in Black Myth Zhong Kui's reveal trailer, where he wore a dark cloak and rode a tiger.

Image: Game Science

The first part of the gameplay trailer shows no hints of Zhong Kui. The protagonist appears to be stranded in a remote, mountainous region, where he meets an elderly man. Together they explore the island, escape falling trees, slurp a giant barnacle, and build a raft. It's not long before they run into demons, whom the protagonist defeats with a one-handed blade. Take note of the gourd hanging from his belt; just like in Black Myth Wukong, it seems we'll get to fill this organic flask with attack-boosting and HP-restoring potions again.

After the elderly man seemingly dies and turns into a swarm of tiny snippets, things get more interesting; the protagonist throws a firebomb, then draws fire from the burning trees to enhance his sword. Later, after he takes a swim and is promptly attacked by a clam-winged, barnacled lake monster, he spawns a dark-cloaked companion into the fight — a cloak that appears similar to the one worn by Zhong Kui in the reveal trailer. After a while, the protagonist merges with the cloaked companion, and they continue to fight as one person. Is this cloaked fellow Zhong Kui? An alter ego? An ability granted by Zhong Kui? The first option may seem unlikely at first, as the cloaked companion appears too short and human-like compared to the tiger-riding deity from the reveal trailer, but Zhong Kui was once a mortal man… Perhaps he's young Zhong Kui?

The gameplay trailer ends with a series of sneak peeks wherein the protagonist once again appears alongside the cloaked companion. In the final scene, Zhong Kui is seen riding his tiger on a cliff, revealing a green sword sheath on his back. It looks very similar to the one carried by the protagonist… But it's not quite the same.

Image: Game Science

The cloaked companion is wielding an arched sabre, so there's no match there, either. It appears we'll have to wait for the next Black Myth Zhong Kui trailer to get more insight into the protagonist's identity, and find out if he's really Zhong Kui split in two. %!s()

“These transformative transactions create the leading broadband and video company in the nation and the fastest-growing mobile provider in its footprint, with seamless connectivity and video entertainment, and high-quality customer service delivering powerful benefits for customers, local communities, employees and shareholders,” the cable giant said.

“The addition of Cox to the Spectrum footprint is one that can be celebrated by customers, employees and investors alike,” said Chris Winfrey, Charter president and CEO. “Together, we will bring the best products, at the best price, coupled with the highest level of customer service to more customers across our expanded 45-state Spectrum footprint. And Cox employees will soon have access to all the programs and benefits that have made Charter an employer of choice where its 100 percent U.S.-based employees can build long-term careers.”

He added: “The market has changed considerably over the past decade, and regional providers like Spectrum are competing with national and even global connectivity and entertainment companies. Today, with expanded scale, we are better positioned to compete and continue investment in our products and service, tools and platforms, and to further the capability and reach of our Spectrum Fiber Broadband Network.”

Eric Zinterhofer, who had served as chairman of Charter’s board, added: “Congratulations to Chris, the Charter team and the Cox family for completing an industry-transforming transaction. I look forward to serving as lead independent director as Alex Taylor becomes Charter’s next chairman.”

Cable pioneer and Liberty Broadband chair John Malone shared: “When Liberty first invested in Charter more than a decade ago, we saw an opportunity to build scale behind a great management team and operating model. The combination of Charter and Cox creates a stronger, more competitive company to further invest and innovate, while giving Liberty Broadband shareholders a direct interest in its future.”

Taylor touted the deal as well. “For generations, my family has believed in building businesses that matter and stand the test of time,” he highlighted. “The broadband industry has shaped how people live, work and connect with one another, and we believe deeply in its future. I look forward to partnering with Chris and the board to build on a proud legacy and create long-term value for our shareholders, customers, employees and the communities we serve.”

Within a year following the transaction’s close, the firm will change its parent company name to Cox Communications but will continue to operate as Spectrum across all markets. The company will remain headquartered in Stamford, Conn., keeping “a significant presence” in Atlanta.

“To welcome its new customers, Spectrum is offering a free year of mobile service to Cox internet customers who don’t already subscribe to Cox Mobile; the first of many benefits Spectrum will

offer,” the company also said on Thursday. “In mid-September, Spectrum plans to launch its entire suite of products to all consumers, including existing customers, in former Cox markets offering Spectrum’s simple and transparent pricing and packaging, greater value and more opportunities to save.” %!s()

Meanwhile, revenue rose 9% to 268.95 billion Chinese yuan, slightly higher than an LSEG estimate of 268.88 billion yuan.

As the AI race accelerates, companies across the sector are increasingly contending with rising expenses for computing power and hardware. In March, the company reportedly said it was raising prices for its AI computing and storage products by as much as 34% amid surging demand.

Alibaba's U.S. listed shares were volatile Thursday, initially falling 4% in premarket trading before paring losses. They were last down 3.1%.

Alibaba's U.S. listed shares year-to-date.

Revenue at the tech giant's key cloud division totaled 48.4 billion yuan, up 45% year-on-year. Alibaba's cloud unit is seen as key to the company monetizing artificial intelligence, much like Microsoft or Google.

AI-related product revenue delivered "triple-digit growth for the twelfth consecutive quarter," CEO Eddie Wu said in a Thursday statement. "With our full‑stack AI strategy, we have put Alibaba in a superior position to capture the substantial growth of demand for artificial intelligence and AI compute," he added.

Competition heats up for AI models

The Chinese tech giant operates across a wide range of industries, including chips, cloud infrastructure and models. Shares rallied earlier this month after Alibaba unveiled what it described as its "most powerful" AI model Qwen3.8-Max. Alibaba shared results showing it delivered comparable, or sometimes better, scores than Anthropic's Fable 5.

This month also saw Alibaba release an AI model that's designed to run on consumer hardware like laptops — a new battleground for AI model developers. Qwen3.8-27B has "excellent capabilities" in handling coding, professional work, research, and long-horizon agentic tasks, the company said at the time. %!s()

ForbesApple iPhone 18 Pro Release Date: Discounted Day Re-Enters The September ScheduleBy David Phelan

Why The macOS Code Leak Doesn't Mean An Immediate Launch

The confirmation came in what Mark Gurman at Bloomberg described as when “a developer version of a Mac computer software update accidentally included references to several upcoming Apple products, including a video of the AirPods with cameras in action,” he said

Whenever they arrive, the new earbuds will not use the cameras to shoot video or take photos — the privacy issues raised would be way too much for Apple to sanction that, it’s thought. Instead, they would be used for Visual Intelligence, the smart feature which uses the camera on the iPhone to translate the poster in front of you, add the content to a calendar and more. Right now, there’s no way to use this feature on AirPods as they are camera-free.

Gurman has long predicted that the earbuds are on their way, but he wasn’t expecting them to land just yet.

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Apple Pushes AirPods With Cameras To 2027

“An Apple Inc. effort to sell camera-equipped AirPods remains on track for 2027, despite a leak from the company indicating that the product might arrive sooner,” he has now said.

His mid-June report that supply chain and software snags “led Apple to postpone the product until 2027,” as he put it, still stands. Product challenges are still being resolved, Gurman claims, as he noted the privacy concerns that the news evoked.

“Some users are uncomfortable with the idea of Apple offering a product that could record or take photos of people unknowingly. Some have even started calling the device ‘pervertpods’,” he noted.

The cameras will be low-resolution sensors, it’s claimed. “They won’t be designed to take photos or video; rather, they’re meant to scan the surrounding environment and provide context to the Siri digital assistant and other AI tools,” Gurman said.

Note that this isn’t a delay: a product that hasn’t been announced goes through development until it’s ready, rather than public deferment.

AirPods With Cameras: Possible Branding

I’m pretty sure that “pervertpods” won’t be Apple’s final name for them, by the way.

Actually, they won’t be called AirPods With Cameras, either. It’s a clumsy, awkward name but, hey, I’m not in product marketing. Perhaps AirPods Vision or AirPods Pro Vision are in contention? I don’t think the early rumored name for the Vision Pro, Apple Reality Pro, will be considered: AirPods Reality Pro is a bit clunky.

The next Apple keynote, then, won’t feature AirPods with cameras, it seems. You can read when that special event will be here, and when Apple will announce the keynote here.

Volk said they will evaluate the first edition of the Residency and decide whether to keep the current format or make specific changes. The inaugural edition gathered 60 filmmakers aged between 18 and 35, who attended 17 masterclasses and talks during three days.

“The first Residency program was a major success. It is a way of training the filmmakers who, 10 years from now, will have films screening in Gramado, I’m confident,” Volk told Variety. “We will review the program and discuss how we can improve it. We will assess whether 60 participants is the ideal number, whether we should keep just one group or create two, and whether the age range we established was appropriate,” she added.

The filmmakers attended 27 hours of masterclasses and talks with leading execs and talent of Brazil’s film industry, such as distribution and production company Paris’ Márcio Fraccaroli and Verônica Stumpf, production company Panorâmica’s Mara Lobão, actor and director Silvio Guindane, RioFilme’s Leonardo Edde, Amazon MGM Studios Brazil’s Julia Priolli, lawyer Thaís Colli, Globo’s Flávia Pereira Costa and filmmakers Allan Deberton, Luiz Alberto Cassol and Renato Falcão.

Ralfe Cardoso, general coordinator of the Gramado Film Market, stressed the potential of the young filmmakers and their different backgrounds. They are from nine states in Brazil.

Marlon Andrade, a resident of Embu das Artes, a blue-collar town in the São Paulo metro area, has directed five short films and worked in various roles on three others. He worked as production manager on the feature film “Amor Doce Confusão,” helmed by Toti Loureiro, which is due to premiere at this year’s edition of the Rio de Janeiro Film Festival, and served as a camera assistant on Hélio Goldsztejn’s feature-length documentary “Amelia Toledo – Lembrar de Não Esquecer” that opens on Aug. 20.

“My dream is to have a film screened at the Gramado Film Festival, but being selected for the Residency is already a major achievement. Here, we are networking with people from different parts of the country who work in many different areas. Cinema is a collective art form, and the Residency allowed us to meet people with different life experiences, while also learning from established industry professionals through the masterclasses,” Andrade told Variety.

Vitória Mantovani is a director, producer, event organizer and screenwriter from the city of São Paulo. She is the general director of AI Film Awards Brasil, a Brazilian version of an international festival dedicated to audiovisual productions developed with artificial intelligence, which will take place in São Paulo over Sept. 24-26. The event is part of an international platform organized by KM Universe that has already held initiatives in major creative-industry hubs, including Cannes, Venice, Dubai, Marrakech, Paris and Bali.

Carol Guimarães, CEO of WeDo! Entretenimento and founder of e-Teatro WeDo!, Didi Paulini, co-founder of the e-Teatro WeDo!, and producer Sérgio Sá Leitão, director of Instituto ArteCidadania, senior consultant at FGV Projetos and head of LIDE Cultura, are the exec producers of AI Film Awards Brasil.

“Our event aims to broaden the debate over the impact of artificial intelligence on the transformation of the audiovisual industry and to promote the convergence of technology, cinema, advertising and innovation,” Mantovani said.

Gabrielly Pires is from Estância Velha, in Rio Grande do Sul state, where Gramado is located. She has produced three professional short films, besides 10 short films, music videos and documentaries in college. One of them, music video “Morphe,” screened at the Gramado Film Market’s University Film Showcase at Gramado Fest 2024.

“The Residency was useful in helping me reassess the direction of my career. I really enjoy production. Through the Residency, I became interested in distribution and in working in an area focused on helping filmmakers bring their films to audiences,” Pires said. %!s()