Month: September 2026

Jason Statham’s *Mutiny* is now No. 1 on Amazon after its theatrical flop

Jason Statham’s 2026 thriller Mutiny has climbed to No. 1 on Amazon’s video-on-demand chart, giving the movie a real second wind after a theatrical run that petered out somewhere between a reported $21.9 million and $28 million worldwide, against a reported $40 million budget.

Amazon Prime Video Download

Part of the problem was timing, and part of it was plain bad luck. Mutiny showed up on Amazon by mistake for several hours before its release, and Lionsgate pushed it to premium VOD less than a month after it opened. The official digital launch came about three weeks after the film first hit theaters.

Critics never fully bought in. Mutiny has been sitting around 50 to 51 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were a lot kinder, pushing the Rotten Tomatoes audience score to 86 percent on the strength of its stripped-down action. Statham plays Cole Reed, a former London cop and special forces veteran, sometimes identified as a Royal Marine commando, who’s framed for killing his billionaire employer and dragged into a cargo-ship conspiracy. The movie itself also has an odd bit of history, since it was reworked from a Gerard Butler Plane sequel.

If you’re someone who usually saves these mid-budget, standalone Jason Statham thrillers for home viewing, Mutiny seems like a pretty easy pickup. Its rebound, much like Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre and unlike stronger theatrical performers such as The Beekeeper, says a lot about how Statham’s audience now waits for the digital release, even if the full streaming numbers still aren’t public. You can rent or buy Mutiny now on Amazon and other premium VOD platforms.

JustWatch Download

Diablo IV gets its Switch 2 release date: it arrives with a 40 fps mode

Blizzard has locked in a Switch 2 release for Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection, and it’s coming on September 15, 2026.

The package includes the base game, Vessel of Hatred, and Lord of Hatred. On the technical side, Blizzard says you’ll get a Quality Mode that runs at 30 fps, up to 1080p in handheld and 1440p when docked. There’s also a Performance Mode at 40 fps and 1080p in both handheld and docked play, though that 40 fps docked option only works if your display supports 120 Hz.

So far, handheld impressions have been pretty positive. Docked play sounds less convincing. Early hands-on reports point to a softer image, shakier performance, and some input lag once the game’s on a TV.

Blizzard is also building in touchscreen controls for menus and inventory, plus USB mouse and keyboard support, rumble, accessibility settings, GameChat, cross-play, cross-progression, and Battle.net linking. That last part matters if you already have time in Diablo IV, since your purchases, characters, and overall progress will carry over.

If you’re already playing Diablo IV, this Switch 2 version looks like an easy pickup. The catch is that it still needs a constant internet connection.

Blizzard says Nintendo Switch Online won’t be required for everything. You’ll only need it for party play, trading, clans, PvP, and shared-world encounters. The solo campaign, side quests, open-world activities, couch co-op, leaderboards, and seasonal content don’t require it.

The digital version of Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection will cost $69.99 on Switch 2. Its launch is lined up with Season of Hell’s Legacy and Diablo’s 30th anniversary. If you want a physical copy, know what you’re getting: the retail release is just a code in a box.

Blizzard also dropped a couple of longer-range teases, including an Amazon class in 2027 and Diablo V sometime around 2029.

Diablo V is official: Blizzard targets spring 2029 and reveals first playable classes

Blizzard Entertainment has officially announced Diablo V for spring 2029, and the studio is framing it as a far darker trip through Sanctuary than the last game.

According to Blizzard, players will be stepping into a “fallen Sanctuary,” a world worn down by years of war, corruption, and constant demonic pressure. Strongholds are in ruins, settlements have been overrun, and the people still alive are scraping by in regions warped by disaster. On that first impression alone, Diablo V looks like more than a straight follow-up to Diablo IV.

The first class reveal points to a lineup that pulls from familiar Diablo archetypes while also introducing new class ideas shaped by this harsher version of the world. Blizzard still isn’t saying much about the full roster, though, or about skill trees, progression, endgame roles, and which builds will end up defining party play, solo viability, and the meta.

Since launch is still a long way off, Blizzard will likely keep feeding out details bit by bit on gameplay systems, multiplayer, itemization, and where the story lands in the broader Diablo timeline. A lot of that will land under heavier scrutiny, too, given the reaction to Diablo IV’s live-service updates, seasonal content, and ongoing player feedback.

If you still keep up with Diablo, this early Diablo V reveal is one to keep an eye on. Just don’t expect anything to download yet, beyond that spring 2029 release window.

Microsoft unveils 37-page AI agent rulebook draft

Microsoft has put out a 37-page draft called the “Humanist Code of Conduct” for autonomous AI agents and opened it up for public consultation. It lays out proposed rules on meaningful human control, safe failure, and stricter limits on what these systems are allowed to do.

Mustafa Suleyman, who leads Microsoft AI, called the draft an early blueprint, not a finished rulebook. The basic idea is that humans remain in charge. If you tell an AI system to stop, correct itself, or shut down, it has to comply. If a task would require breaking the rules, the system should fail safely, not improvise. Microsoft also says an autonomous agent shouldn’t drift into broader goal-seeking behavior, go beyond what a user actually authorized, or rely on opaque private communication that makes oversight harder.

If you follow AI safety, this is worth reading, even as a first pass. Microsoft is making this push after reports of a roughly 700-agent swarm targeting Hugging Face, along with a separate case involving a coding agent accused of deleting a production database and allegedly trying to hide it. The bigger enforcement problem still isn’t solved. Europe has tightened oversight, and the US still has no single federal framework.

You can read the draft now on Microsoft’s public consultation page.

XChat, Elon Musk’s new app, has disappeared from all stores: here’s what we know

XChat, X’s standalone messaging app, has disappeared from the App Store and Google Play just a few months after its launch. The app launched as a separate extension of X’s direct messages, it was even presented as a replacement for that feature, although they have remained available in the main app, and now it has simply vanished. This is what we know.

XChat disappears from the two main app stores

App Store Download
XChat Download

According to 9to5Mac, XChat disappeared first from the App Store and, shortly afterward, also from the Google Play Store. The removal, as far as we know, comes directly from the app’s developer, according to a source familiar with the situation, leaving Apple and Google out of the decision.

XChat launched earlier this year as a standalone version of X’s direct messages, a feature that has become more prominent on the platform. It offered one-on-one and group chats, disappearing messages and end-to-end encryption.

Everything points to a change in strategy

X has kept messaging inside its main application all this time, where even today we can still access our conversations. The disappearance of the dedicated XChat app, therefore, fits with a possible streamlining of the service, once again bringing everything back into one app and/or abandoning the possible plans to separate the social network from its messaging side.

If Elon Musk wanted to make X a superapp, one that offered all its services under a single umbrella, the disappearance of XChat makes sense. While we may be left wondering whether it made sense as a dedicated app in the first place, we’ll have to wait to see how the company’s plans evolve to learn more.

Christian Bale has just shown that he’s more than a good actor: he’s also a fantastic person.

Although we all believe Bruce Wayne is the person behind Batman’s mask, the truth is that there’s every chance Christian Bale is the one hiding in there. After all, the actor has just shown that, besides being an incredible and skillful performer, he’s also a good person. A very good one, I’d say. After all, not everyone opens a foster care village for children without parents or in vulnerable situations without expecting anything in return.

Acting better than ever

That’s right: Bale has opened in Palmdale, California an entire village for children in foster care, more than a square kilometer in size, which will also make it easier for siblings to enter the system together, something that isn’t always guaranteed. In short, the actor has spent part of his fortune on doing good in ways that quite a few multi-billionaires convinced that AI, and not kindness, is the future could learn from.

“Our job is to turn their broken hearts and their grief into love, hope and a sense of a future”, Bale has said. All told, the place has 12 houses ready, with two independent studios for those in the process of leaving the system and building a life of their own. You may be wondering where this altruism came from, and it’s lovelier than it seems: Bale has two children, Luka and Rex, who made him wonder how less fortunate children lived… and, after finding out, he decided to do something about it. To make a difference.

According to reports, with the complex now open, families will begin moving in next month, hopefully starting a lovely tradition and setting an example for other celebrities of what they can do with their money instead of wasting it. Christian Bale is always the best, right?

It’s official: the new ‘Scooby-Doo’ series has wrapped filming for Netflix, and all that’s left is to wait to see the detective dog

If, when you hear the phrase “Scooby-Dooby-Doo!”, you reply without hesitation “Where are you?”, the good news is that retirement is already well within sight. After all, the first episodes of the Scooby gang and their Great Dane aired in 1969, and it’s kept going ever since with sequels, spin-offs, movies and even live-action versions surprisingly scripted by James Gunn. And now, officially, it will add a new installment about its origins thanks to Netflix.

Netflix Download

Time to solve mysteries!

It’ll be in 2027 when we get to see this new version of the pooch and his friends. That said, unlike other versions, he’ll be a real dog, and we don’t know whether he’ll talk or how much CGI he’ll use to get scared and chase the owner of the mansion who, surprise, surprise, had dressed up as a ghost. In any case, now at last we get our first look at the new Velma, Shaggy, Daphne and Fred, who over eight episodes will try to find out what really happened in the murder they witness.

Netflix have already said that “The beloved franchise has had an undeniable impact on pop culture: it has a lot to offer, with universal themes about friendship that generations of fans have embraced”. I don’t know whether what interested us was the friendship or the fact that there was a ghost in a big old mansion, honestly. I’d say the latter.

Our Great Dane pup and his gang of meddling kids have officially wrapped production on Scooby-Doo: Origins, coming 2027! pic.twitter.com/k6rjFYRSUe

— Netflix (@netflix) September 13, 2026

Lately, Scooby-Doo has had some bad luck with its adaptations: Velma, the animated prequel for HBO Max, was a train wreck, and its movie Scoob! Holiday Haunt was cancelled once it was finished so they could save a few bucks in Warner’s darkest period. Besides, no one seems to remember its crossover with Krypto in 2023 or the fantastic Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?. A series that keeps going, though maybe we should ask whether it does so in spite of itself.

Mega Man X: Command Mission is now on PS Plus Premium for PS5 and PS4

Mega Man X: Command Mission, Capcom’s 2004 Mega Man X spin-off, joined the PlayStation Plus Classics Catalog on September 15, 2026. That puts the game back in reach for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

This marks its first re-release since the original PlayStation 2 and GameCube launch. Command Mission was always a strange little branch in the Mega Man X line, pushing the series into turn-based JRPG territory. It built a cult following anyway, thanks to the cel-shaded visuals, the lively soundtrack, and a battle system with a bit more tactical weight.

Reviews in 2004 were mixed. A lot of the praise went to the combat, while the story, dialogue, and character depth got a more divided response, based on coverage from the time. The game’s reputation has improved since then, now that players don’t have to track down original hardware or a used copy just to play it. Some early reports also mention a minor legal design tweak, though regional details and performance information are still pretty limited.

If you follow Capcom’s blue bomber universe, this PlayStation Plus addition is an easy one to grab. It shows up alongside RuneScape: Dragonwilds, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Sniper Elite: Resistance, WWE 2K26, Slitterhead, and Ball X Pit in a September refresh that’s all over the map. You can download Mega Man X: Command Mission now through PlayStation Plus Premium on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The timing matters too, since Capcom has been signaling Mega Man’s 40th anniversary in 2027 with Mega Man: Dual Override and broader hints that it wants to return to Mega Man X.

The Emmys are tonight. On paper it’s clear who’s going to win, but there could be surprises

I’m old enough to remember when the Emmys could still surprise. Now, with all the awards already all but handed out and the prediction pools picking their favorites, what’s rare is for something to break from the norm and not be a predictable gala. And yet, all signs point to tonight crowning three series that we can all, more or less, see coming. It is what it is.

And the Emmy goes to… Exactly who you expect!

Does anyone doubt that this year The Pitt will pull off the same feat with season 2 that it did in season 1? It’s a fabulous series, unique, fantastic, well shot, with interesting characters and one that has also improved from one season to the next. And on the comedy side, it’s between The Curse of Widow’s Bay, which has captivated critics and audiences, or a win for Hacks’ ending, as recognition for the impact it’s had — and one that will surely earn Jean Smart another award. As for the one real doubt, let’s celebrate it.

And as for miniseries, all eyes are on DTF St. Louis, which should win unless Beef gets in the way. After all, this is the second installment of Beef, so it no longer qualifies for the “miniseries or limited series” category, and the HBO Max series has hit something of a sweet spot with critics and audiences. In any case, the rest of the series shouldn’t even bother preparing a speech. Really, what’s the point.

Like someone writing the obituary of someone who hasn’t died yet, culture journalists can start to start drafting the tributes to Noah Wyle, Jean Smart, Matthew Rhys, and Rhea Seehorn so they can save time during the gala. There are things that are a foregone conclusion at one of the biggest (and boring) awards ceremonies every year.

Volkswagen unveils ID.7 Pro S test car: claimed 9.2 kWh/100 km

Volkswagen says a specially optimized ID.7 Pro S test car averaged 9.2 kWh per 100 km over a long-distance drive. The car was based on the rear-wheel-drive Volkswagen ID.7 Pro S, and Volkswagen credits the result to aerodynamic tuning, careful power management, and the efficiency of its MEB platform. If that number holds up, it would put this test car ahead of most production EVs on sale today, which usually land somewhere between 14 and 20 kWh per 100 km depending on size, speed, weather, and wheel choice.

That matters because efficiency sits underneath range. A car that uses less energy can travel farther on the same battery, squeeze more range out of every extra kWh, lower charging costs, keep weight down, and cope better in winter or at motorway speeds.

What Volkswagen is really arguing here is that the next stage of the EV race won’t be decided only by stuffing in bigger battery packs. It’ll come from better aerodynamics, lighter parts, smarter thermal systems, improved software, and getting more out of every kilowatt-hour the car already has.

If you pay attention to EV running costs, this is a claim worth following. Still, take it with some caution until independent tests back it up, because consumption can swing quite a bit with speed, temperature, tyres, and the shape of the route.

The production Volkswagen ID.7 Pro S is available through Volkswagen, but this record number came from a specially optimized test version.