Category Archives: Spotlight

Paramount Skydance launches Paramount Games Studio Combining Operations

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Paramount Games Studio

Paramount Skydance has shifted its focus for a bit on video games as it has launched Paramount Games Studio, a “core pillar” of the company’s content strategy. It’s a key focus along with television, film, and streaming. The move is the latest shakeup since David Ellison’s purchase of Paramount.

Paramount Games Studio merges Skydance’s existing game studios, Skydance Interactive and Skydance New Media, and mixes in Paramount’s intellectual property which has be mostly licensed to third parties.

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, which was announced in March of 2024, along with a Star Wars game made in collaboration with Lucasfilm are in the works. The studio has also teased TMNT: The Last Ronin and Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game.

Tony Driscoll will be the president of Paramount Games Studio and is also the company’s head of corporate strategy and development which he’ll continue to lead.

This is a bigger deal in that Paramount Skydance is currently attempting to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery. Along with a massive amount of intellectual property, Warner Bros. Discovery also has Warner Bros. Games which includes Avalanche Software, NetherRealm Studios, Portkey Games, Rocksteady Studios, TT Games (TT Games Publishing, TT Fusion, Traveller’s Tales, and TT Odyssey), as well as WB Games Boston, WB Games Montreal, WB Games New York, and WB Games San Francisco.

It’s likely all of those studios will be folded into Paramount Games Studio if not worse (like studios closed) if the purchase of WBD by Paramount Skydance is approved.

Demo-Graphics: Tabletop Game Edition – May continues the drop as Facebook users gain

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Demo-Graphics has generally focused on the demographics of comic fans but occasionally we have also reported on other fandoms and communities. In August 2025, we kicked off a new regular look at those interested in tabletop games. That includes board games, roleplaying games, and card games. Why? The question still remains… who are the fans of tabletop games?

What is Demo-Graphics?

Each month I dive into data from Facebook looking at the various demographics it can tell us about comic, and now tabletop game, fans. This isn’t hard numbers, purchasers, or “Wednesday warriors,” but best used to show trends in the industry and the potential of the market out there.

How does it work?

We use key terms, “likes”, that users have indicated and have come up with our own set to measure each month. There’s over 50 terms used (and no I won’t release them). We stick to specific terms for the industry such as “board games” and “collectible card games” as well as publishers and leave out broad terms.

Other things to know…

This data is important in that it shows who the potential audience could be. These are not purchasers, these are people who have shown an affinity for tabletop games, are potential purchasers, and those with a clear interest.

Also, with this being online/technology, due to laws and restrictions, those under the age of 13 are underrepresented.

The data that is presented as a wide range. I’ve taken the average of the range. So, if it’s presented as somewhere between 500 and 1,000 people, the number would be 750.

So, let’s kick off the first entry with the big question…

Facebook “Tabletop Gamer” Population: Around 76.7 million in the United States

The Facebook population increased by about 3.85 million over the month but the tabletop community dropped by about 1.75 million. This is the fourth month in a row tabletop fans has decreased and second where Facebook saw a user increase but tabletop fans dropped. The comic fans also saw a drop, with similar oddities in the report. Some reporting came back with results that made little sense, indicating either a glitch in Facebook or something has changed with the data reported.

Gender

Men remained the majority increasing slightly to 50.7%, up from the previous month’s 50.16%. While the percentage increased, the overall population decreased by 950,000. The previous month saw the population remain the same but percentage increase because the overall population decreased. Women saw their percentage decrease slightly to 47.52%, up from the previous month’s 47.99%. Women decrease by about 1.2 million. Those who are not reported as either gender increased by 400,000 going from 1.85% to 2.41%.

Gender breakdown for tabletop games in May 2026

Age

The data for “age” is rather interesting with a mix of some groupings increasing and others decreasing while others remained the same. “18 and under” increased in the population while “19-24” and “25-29” remained the same. The rest all decreased by varying degrees with the drop being anywhere from 50,000 to 450,000.

Age breakdown for tabletop games in May 2026

Relationship Status

This status saw some bizarre returns, the same happened with our monthly “comic fan” reporting. Both “engaged” and “unspecified” dropped to less than 1,000. “In a relationship” saw a steep drop of 4.05 million and “married” decreased by 8.8 million. We’ll see if these numbers return to much more expected results next month.

Facebook tabletop relationship status May 2026

More Stats!

Spanish Speakers: NEW STAT! – 15.45 million (20.14%)

Education: This is another state with a very weird result. 12.35 million, 16.10% have a college degree or higher, a drop of 8.45 million from the previous month. In 2022, 37.7% of the American population had at least a college degree.

Parents: 11.65 million, 15.19%, are parents! That’s a decrease of 2.05 million individuals from the previous month.

And finally, what’s the crossover with fans of board games and video games? 44.8 million, 58.41% of board game fans also enjoy comics. 42.55 million, 55.48% also enjoy video games. Combined, 63.1 million like board games or video games and 24.3 million enjoy board games and video games. Get your licensing engines revving!

Demo-Graphics: Comic Fans Continue to Tumble While Facebook Continues to Grow

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Demo-Graphics is back! Demo-Graphics was relaunched in 2025 because the question still remains… who are comic fans?

What is Demo-Graphics?

Each month I dive into data from Facebook looking at the various demographics it can tell us about comic fans. This isn’t hard numbers, purchasers, or “Wednesday warriors,” but best used to show trends in the industry and the potential of the market out there. This has shown the shift towards women being a major force in readers and a shift to the younger demographic.

How does it work?

We use key terms, “likes”, that users have indicated and have come up with our own set to measure each month. There’s over 50 terms used (and no I won’t release them). We stick to specific terms for the industry such as “comics” and “graphic novels” and “one-shots” as well as publishers and leave out broad terms like specific characters or stories. Just because someone likes Batman doesn’t mean they like comics.

Other things to know…

This data is important in that it shows who the potential comic audience could be. These are not purchasers, these are people who have shown an affinity for comics, are potential purchasers, and those with a clear interest.

Also, with this being online/technology, due to laws and restrictions, those under the age of 13 are underrepresented.

Since the last time this feature was run, Facebook has made adjustments as to what it can report so some data is no longer available and we’ve also added in new data that hasn’t been reported before, and it now presents the data as a wide range. I’ve taken the average of the range. So, if it’s presented as somewhere between 500 and 1,000 people, the number would be 750.

So, let’s kick off the latest entry with the big question…

Facebook “Comic Fan” Population: Around 75.7 million in the United States

After last month’s adjustment, comic fans decreased this month by about 5.9 million individuals. That’s on top of the 2 million individuals from the previous month. But, overall, Facebook gained around 3.85 million individuals on top of last month’s 2.15 million individuals. Men decreased by 2.8 million while women decreased by 3.05 million. The population that doesn’t list either gender decreased by about 50,000.

It’s possible there’s an issue with Facebook itself, as there’s some strange changes that will be discussed below but this could be a sign of rockier times for the industry to come.

Gender

Women remained a majority of the population with 50% of the population. Last month they accounted for 50.1%. Men increased as a percentage from last month’s 48.1% to 48.2%. Those who don’t report themselves as “male” or “female” account for 1.8%, up from 1.78%.

Age

The biggest issue with all of this reporting is the limitation of those under the age of 13 using the system. With new laws limiting the use of social media by children, it’ll be interesting to see if this shifts at all. But, compared to the previous month, the percentages have changed very little with a few going up or down a tenth of a percent.

Facebook Comic Age May 2026

Relationship Status

This is one of the stats that has been odd. Those marked “engaged” and those as “unspecified” each dropped to less than 1,000 individuals from the previous month’s 1.5 million and 21.3 million. We’ll see if things return to more expected numbers next month but it’s one of the odd results.

Facebook Comic Relationship Status April 2026

New Stats!

Spanish Speakers: New for the month, there’s 15.35 million Spanish speakers who are comic fans in the US.

Education: This is another stat that’s rather odd. This month 12 million have at least a college degree, down from the previous month’s 21.8 million. About 36.4% of Americans have a bachelor degree or better while about 26.72% of comic fans do.

Parents: This continues to slide down to 10.9 million from a 22.65 million in January and 3 million from April 2026.

Board Game Fans: 48.3 million (63.8%)
Video Game Fans: 38.3 million (50.59%)
Board Game and Video Game Fans: 26.6 million (35.14%)
Board Game or Video Game Fans: 59.95 million (79.19%)

Dark Horse’s Workers are Unionizing with Dark Horse Workers United

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Dark Horse Workers United

Unionization is coming to Dark Horse Media, one of the largest comic publishers, with the launch of Dark Horse Workers United. The movement is asking Dark Horse interim CEO Jay Komas and Dark Horse leadership to recognize the union by June 3, 2026.

In their announcement the organization said a supermajority of staff, including staff from Things From Another World which Dark Horse announced its intention to close, have voted to unionize. They are working with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Local 7901.

If the union isn’t recognized by the June 3rd date, they will petition the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for an election.

A letter featuring 59 employees was provided explain the motivations for forming the union. They have stated they have 70 public supporters and more aligned but not public. The support comes from across multiple departments in the company who is headquartered in Milwaukie, Oregon.

We, the workers of Dark Horse Media, have come together to form one union, Dark Horse Workers United (DHWU), with our parent union, the Communications Workers of America (CWA). In solidarity we stand together to contend for our rights as workers, vote as a democratic body, and improve our material conditions.

Dark Horse was purchased by Vanguard Visionary Group in 2018, and then by Embracer Group in 2022. In March 2026, it was announced that its founder, Mike Richardson, was no longer with the company. It is currently being spun out by Embracer into its own company as part of Fellowship Entertainment, the latest in a rocky experience since its purchase in 20222.

The union is being formed on five principles:

  • Democracy: Our voices should be heard and valued, with fair representation.
  • Diversity: Our work environment and publication titles should foster an inclusive atmosphere where everyone feels respected.
  • Equity: We must collectively address each other’s individual needs, and work to reduce systemic inequality.
  • Solidarity: We are strongest together. We stand together.
  • Transparency: We are committed to safety and approachability in our work environment through clear communication and fellowship.

It also has stated three goals:

  • Improve job security, wages, and benefits by advocating and determining strategies for the improvement of the material needs of our workers.
  • Create a transparent and equitable workplace culture where all teams feel comfortable communicating with each other, and vital information is shared company-wide.
  • Acquire a seat at the table when critical decisions are made that will affect all stakeholders, including the workforce.

The union has also said that conditions and policies vary sharply between departments at the company due to siloed management practices. Disputes over remote work after the Covid-19 pandemic also led to the unionization effort. Cost of living is an issue with employees not being able to afford to live near the company’s office and being forced to commute and not being compensated for it despite the jobs being able to be performed remote. They are hoping to gain clearer, more consistent policies as part of the effort.

It’s the latest in the increase of Unions in the comic space. Hachette Book Group Employees announced their intention to unionize in April 2026, which followed Abrams Books employees in 2025, Seven Seas in 2022, and Image Comics in 2022. Seven Seas and Image’s unions are also with the CWA.

Michael Kelly to Leave BOOM! Studios in June

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Michael Kelly, the VP, Publisher of BOOM! Studios will be leaving the position in June 2026. Adam Schmidt, VP, Editor-in-Chief of BOOM! will take over and report to Keith Clayton, the SVP Publisher of Random House Worlds Group, the division BOOM! is a part of. Kelly is leaving to pursue other opportunities.

Kelly joined Hasbro in 2006 and worked there for 18 years rising to the position of Vice President, Global Publishing. He joined BOOM! as its Publisher in 2024 when it was acquired by Penguin Random House. His career began in 1994 in the stock room of a Barnes & Noble.

BOOM! was purchased by Penguin Random House in 2024 and has since been more integrated into its structure as well as losing some staff. There’s been small changes on the backend that have been noticeable but maybe not obvious to comic readers.

It’s been a weird time for corporate owned and VC funded publishers, with Marvel’s longtime publisher Dan Buckley announced to leave the company in 2027 and Dark Horse founder Mike Richardson leaving the company a few months ago.

Dark Horse Shutters Things From Another World and launches Dark Horse Games in Corporate Focus Reshuffle

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Dark Horse logo

Earlier this week, Dark Horse‘s parent company Embracer announced that it was going to split off Fellowship Entertainment, the division that includes Dark Horse. The shakeup is the latest for Embracer and Dark Horse that has includer the ouster of Dark Horse founder Mike Richardson. That’s not the end of the changes as the company announced more changes. As part of Dark Horse Comics’ continuing efforts to modernize, strengthen collaboration within the company, and build a more-connected organization across Fellowship Entertainment, they have announced several updates to its business.

Things From Another World 

Part of the changes is the closing all three of the Things From Another World retail locations, effective June 30, 2026, for the Oregon locations and September 30, 2026, for the California location. From the announcement:

This was not an easy decision, and we do not take lightly the impact it has on the people directly affected.

To the employees whose jobs will be affected by this closure, we are deeply grateful for your dedication, your hard work, and the care you brought to your roles every day. We are committed to supporting the affected employees through this transition. We are working to ensure that this process is handled with the care and respect it warrants.

The writing was on the wall for the retail locations as TFAW ended its affiliate program, of which we were a part, which often signals shifts at the company such as closures.

Dark Horse Entertainment

Dark Horse Entertainment is sharpening its focus on what has always been at the heart of this company — its creators. Going forward, they are deepening their commitment to its writers, artists, and storytellers who define the Dark Horse voice, ensuring they have the development support, creative partnerships, and resources to bring their visions to life across film and television. They believe the strongest path forward for Dark Horse Entertainment runs directly through the creative talent that makes this company extraordinary.

Dark Horse Games

Dark Horse Games is a new initiative dedicated to bringing the company’s rich creative universes to interactive entertainment. Just as Dark Horse Entertainment exists to champion our storytellers in film and television, Dark Horse Games will provide creators with the development opportunities and creative partnerships needed to realize their worlds within interactive entertainment. The same spirit that has defined Dark Horse Comics for four decades — independent, creator-driven, uncompromising — now has a home in Fellowship Entertainment.

Dark Horse’s parent company includes numerous video game publishers as well as the tabletop company Asmodee which includes numerous publishers. It was expected that we’d see more leveraging of Dark Horse IP into tabletop games and video games and tabletop games and video games spun out into comics. While there’s been some, the volume hasn’t quite panned out.

That’s a lot of changes for the publisher this year. Will we see a renewed a reinvigorated Dark Horse debut at San Diego Comic-Con later this year?

Exclusive: EC’s Catacomb of Torment #14’s Covers Revealed!

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Feel the rank air of the humid summer swelter? The year is crumbling away like a desiccated corpse but, never fear, you would have wasted it anyway . . . Do something with a purpose: Become a blank canvas for the Tormentor’s palette of pain inside the Catacomb of Torment! 

Catacomb of Torment #14 features three brash and brutal tales of danger and depravity splashed onto the page in the immortal EC Comics manner, courtesy of writers David M. Booher, Jordan Clark, Jude Ellison S. Doyle, and art by N. Steven Harris, Lukas Ketner, and Oliver Dominguez! This one is a macabre masterpiece in the making—and we’re dying to share it with you, one page and pinprick at a time! 

We have an exclusive covers reveal! Check out the covers by Oliver Dominguez (Cover A), Danny Luckert (Cover B), Shawn McManus (EC Homage Variant 1:10), Danny Luckert (B&W Artist Edition Variant 1:20), and Patricia Martín (Archive Edition 1:50).

Catacomb of Torment #14 comes so shelves August 26.

Embracer Group is Spinning off Fellowship Entertainment which includes Dark Horse

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Embracer Group

Embracer Group is a company that will be studied for a while. After going on a buying spree and gobbling up video game studios, Asmodee (the tabletop game publisher), Dark Horse, and more, the company in April 2024 announced it was going to split into three different entities, Asmodee Group, Coffee Stain & Friends, and Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends. During that announcement, it was stated that each entity would be a separate, publicly listed company.

In an announcement released today, Embracer has announced its intention to separate the group into two publicly listed companies, through the spin-off of Fellowship Entertainment with a listing on Nasdaq Stockholm planned for calendar year 2027.

Fellowship Entertainment will be the home of: 4A Games, Crystal Dynamics, Dambuster Studios, Dark Horse Media, Eidos-Montréal, Fishlabs, Flying Wild Hog Studios, Gunfire Games, Middle-earth Enterprises, Redoctane Games and Warhorse Studios.

Fellowship Entertainment aims to create a new publishing group, operationally consolidating the talents from PLAION and other parts of the group. IPs include Darksiders, Dead Island, Kingdom Come Deliverance, Metro, Remnant, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Tomb Raider, and many more.

It’s focus will be to create “recurring revenue streams across games, film, consumer products, and additional areas.

Embracer will focus on mergers and acquisitions and four business areas; PC/Console Games, Mobile Games, Entertainment and Services, and “Other.”

Embracer’s CEO Phil Rogers COO Lee Guinchard will transition to Fellowship Entertainment when that spins off along with CFO Müge Bouillon.

Embracer is in the process of finding a new CEO and CFO.

This is the latest shake up for the company that has been full of them for years. The company stated in 2023 a $2 billion deal collapsed while it also suffered low earnings and just this year Dark Horse founder Mike Richardson left the company after 40 years with it.

Kickstarter Reverses Course on its Mature Content Putting the Blame on Stripe… Who is Still a Hurdle

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Earlier this week, we reported that Kickstarter updated its rules regarding projects that was an attack on mature/adult material on the site. It followed previous actions of censorship and attacks by groups that have gotten games removed from Steam and Itch. While not confirmed at the time, the payment processor Stripe was at the center of Kickstarter’s policy change as Stripe’s policies have been a known cause of similar situations on other platforms. Now, Kickstarter has retracted its rules update for mature content and puts the blame squarely on Stripe.

In their update, Kickstarter states their intention was to “give creators more clarity upfront so they could make informed decisions about their projects before launch” and they admit they botched the new guidelines.

But, this is the first real confirmation that Stripe is the issue, making it clearer that actions need to be focused on Stripe to get them to clarify their own policies regarding adult/mature content.

The updates to the rules were primarily driven by requirements from our payments processor, Stripe. Stripe operates under its own legal and compliance requirements separate from Kickstarter’s own rules. And even Stripe’s rules are dictated by a larger system shaped by financial institutions that govern how money moves globally. Under this system, many platforms – including other crowdfunding and creator monetization platforms – struggle with how to create space for mature content while getting the creators of that work paid without friction.

Kickstarter states they’ve seen an increase in campaigns have their funding suspended by Stripe mid-funding and that Kickstarter has advocated on the behalf of creators with Stripe to get the decisions reversed.

Kickstarter has now reverted back to their previous guidelines which prohibited pornography and illegal content.

Kickstarter is committed to providing a space for creative expression. We do not allow pornographic or illegal content.

Projects are also subject to our partner’s Rules and Restrictions, including Stripe’s Prohibited and Restricted Business List. Our partners reserve the right to restrict projects that violate their Rules even if it is allowable under Kickstarter’s policies.

Kickstarter makes it clear that Stripe is still the issue:

It means that at any point, whether that’s before launch, while a campaign is live, or after it ends, while a creator is still collecting pledges made via Pledge Over Time or Late Pledges, Stripe can still suspend a campaign that Kickstarter has approved. That’s the reality of operating within a payment system we don’t fully control.

Kickstarter has linked to Stripe’s guidelines within their rules and put together a guide to help creators understand the issue and common triggers that might get Stripe to suspend payments.

The issue of credit card companies and payment processors censoring art/entertainment has become an issue over recent years. “Anti-porn” crusaders have targeted them to get the payment processing for things they don’t like pulled. It’s a popular tactic for anti-LGBT bigots in an attempt to de-platform what they don’t like.

Binc Opens Application for the Macmillan Professional Development Scholarships

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Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation

Applications for the Macmillan Booksellers Professional Development Scholarship, which provides $750 to booksellers traditionally underrepresented within the industry to attend their region’s fall trade show, are open until June 1, 2026. 

The scholarship allows eight booksellers from underrepresented groups to attend their regional independent book association trade show. Each scholarship covers the cost of travel, lodging and meals for one bookseller up to $750.

Categories of eligibility:

  • People of color, defined as people of African/African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latin American, Middle Eastern, or Native American/Indigenous descent.
  • People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, genderqueer, or queer.
  • People with disabilities (including but not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses).

Applicants must be employed and have 90 days of continuous employment as a regular part-time or full-time employee to be eligible to apply. The bookstore must be a member in good standing of one of the regional trade associations and applicants must discuss their application and potential selection as scholarship recipient with their store owner/manager prior to applying for the scholarship.

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