Eli Roth wants to make more Hostel movies, just so nobody else can

Happy December, Polygon readers! It’s the last weekend before the Christmas holiday, and we’ve got a whole sack full of exciting new releases on streaming and VOD for you!

“Hеre is the child that you left behind. Here is the kid with the curious mind. Here is the wonder we used to feel, back when the magic was real.” These are lines from “A World of Your Own,” a song performed late in Wonka, the 2023 movie starring Timothée Chalamet as a young version of Roald Dahl’s eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The song keys into a frequently stated motivation for this movie’s version of the character: He wants to use his candymaking magic to create a feeling of childlike wonder in his customers, and indeed, the whole world.

After a 32-year career, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is officially stepping down next week, with his last day at the company being Friday, December 29. Meanwhile, Microsoft has announced a series of key leadership changes as it works to bring Activision Blizzard into Xbox's fold.

Blizzard is hinting at a pretty massive change to its monetization model, with executive producer Jared Neuss saying on a recent podcast that the "goal" is to make all new heroes free for everyone at the start of new seasons.

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It turns out we could have had more Obsidian games of Bethesda’s properties, if Bethesda had only said yes.

Ottawa will keep pushing Meta to comply with a new law requiring large internet companies to pay Canadian news publishers for their content, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday, but the Facebook parent stood by its decision to block news sharing rather than pay. The government on Friday published final regulations for the Online News Act before enforcement starts Dec. 19. The law requires technology companies with 20 million unique monthly users and annual revenues of C$1 billion ($748 million) or more to compensate Canadian news outlets for publishing links to their pages.

By Emma Roth, a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

Today, December 14, there were some interesting reports coming from the artificial intelligence (AI) space. Ahead of the 57th anniversary of World Day of Peace, Pope Francis urged world leaders to ensure that progress made in developing AI tools “will ultimately serve the cause of human fraternity and peace”. In other news, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared briefly lost for words when he met with an AI-generated version of himself. This and more in today's AI roundup. Let us take a closer look.

This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.

Thanks to the impressive critical and commercial success that the incredible Dead Cells has enjoyed, indie team Motion Twin has become something of a household name for the gaming audiences. At The Game Awards, the developer took the stage to showcase what it’s going to be coming out with next.

Apple's AirTags have helped countless users locate their belongings since their debut. Last month, Washington. D.C. police advised users to get an AirTag last month to prevent car theft. Now, the police want users to buy the AirTags for their Canada Goose jackets amid rising theft concerns. Canada Goose jackets are expensive and have become a prominent target among thieves as the weather gets colder in Washington, D.C.