Pixel P&L: Crunchyroll Partners With Cricket Star, Paramount Sues Warner Bros.

Welcome to another Pixel P&L edition. This issue takes 5 minutes to read. If you only have one, here are the 5 most important things:

• Crunchyroll partners with Indian cricketer Shubman Gill to bring anime to mainstream audiences beyond its core fanbase.

• Paramount sues Warner Bros. Discovery over Netflix's $82.7B acquisition, demanding disclosure of deal terms.

• Steam breaks its own record with 42 million concurrent users, though Roblox still holds the crown at 68 million.

• Warner Bros. Games cuts jobs at San Francisco studio after MultiVersus shutdown, continuing 2025's industry layoffs.

• Maxis insists creative values remain unchanged despite EA's $55B Saudi-backed acquisition.

Let's get into it.

Crunchyroll Partners with Indian Cricketer Shubman Gill to Expand Anime Reach

Crunchyroll has partnered with Indian cricketer Shubman Gill as the streaming platform seeks to capitalize on anime's growing popularity among Indian audiences. The collaboration reflects anime's shift into mainstream entertainment, particularly among Gen Z and millennial viewers.

The partnership aims to leverage Gill's profile as one of India's prominent young sports figures to introduce anime to audiences beyond its core fanbase. Akshat Sahu, Crunchyroll's vice president for GTM and partnerships marketing in APAC and MENA, said the collaboration connects cricket and anime through shared themes of dedication and perseverance.

Gill acknowledged his limited anime experience but noted parallels between sports and anime storytelling, particularly in how both mediums emphasize passion and discipline. The partnership will include fan-focused initiatives designed to expand anime's cultural presence in India.

Crunchyroll offers over 850 anime titles globally, with more than 130 dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. Monthly subscriptions in India start at 79 rupees.

Paramount Sues Warner Bros. Discovery Over Netflix Acquisition Details

Paramount has filed suit against Warner Bros. Discovery in Delaware Chancery Court, demanding disclosure of terms underlying Netflix's $82.7 billion acquisition of WBD announced last month.

The lawsuit follows WBD's board rejecting Paramount Skydance's amended hostile takeover bid for the company. Paramount CEO David Ellison claims WBD has withheld critical information preventing shareholders from making informed decisions about Paramount's competing $30-per-share cash offer.

Ellison argues Paramount's bid exceeds Netflix's proposal, which comprises $23.25 cash, Netflix shares worth $4.11, and equity in a to-be-issued Global Networks spinoff that Paramount values at zero. The lawsuit seeks court orders compelling WBD to disclose the Global Networks spinoff valuation and debt transfer mechanisms affecting shareholder consideration.

"WBD has provided increasingly novel reasons for avoiding a transaction with Paramount, but what it has never said, because it cannot, is that the Netflix transaction is financially superior," Ellison wrote to WBD shareholders.

Ellison said the legal action aims to facilitate constructive board discussions while securing the best outcome for shareholders.

⚡️Quick Bytes

Steam Sets Concurrent User Record at 42 Million

Valve's Steam platform reached 42 million simultaneous users on January 11, surpassing its previous record of 41.8 million set two months earlier, according to tracker SteamDB. Of those logged in, 13.1 million were actively playing games. The milestone comes as digital storefronts compete for market share, with Roblox holding a higher peak of 68 million concurrent players during summer 2024.

Warner Bros. Games Cuts Jobs at San Francisco Studio

Warner Bros. Games has laid off staff at its San Francisco studio, according to former employees posting on social media. Director of design Tony Perkins said his team was eliminated in December after "a great game didn't find the success it needed." The studio houses Warner Bros.' Digital Publishing division and developed MultiVersus, shut down last May. Warner Bros. closed three other studios earlier this year.

Maxis Says Values Unchanged After Saudi-Backed EA Acquisition

Maxis said its creative control and values remain intact following Electronic Arts' $55 billion acquisition by a consortium including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The Sims developer emphasized its commitment to inclusivity and single-player experiences, with over half its development team working on The Sims 4 and future titles. The PIF will own 93.4% of EA after the deal closed last month.

⚔️Side Quest

🤣Laugh:

📺 Watch: Why gaming's "recession-proof" myth might be collapsing under a perfect storm. "If your game needs to sell 8 to 10 million copies just to break even, your business model is already broken."

🎮 Play: StarRupture delivers an addictive factory-survival experience on a hostile alien planet with engaging base building, simple crafting, and personality-driven character dynamics. The Solar Rupture mechanic creates thrilling high-risk exploration windows in dangerous zones. Despite minor issues like missing defensive walls and repetitive caves, this early access gem already surpasses many full releases with its vibrant world, fair combat, and scattered lore. 

📚 Read: Tom Francis distills 15 years of indie success into four principles: stay small to maximize runway, prioritize prototypable concepts, test relentlessly with players, and trust player-driven pricing. The Suspicious Developments founder argues that sustainability trumps scale, revealing how maintaining a three-person team across projects like Gunpoint and Tactical Breach Wizards enabled years of iteration that converted time into quality.

💡Did You Know

Contrary to popular belief, Pong was actually not the first computer game. That distinction belongs to Bertie the Brain, developed on August 25, 1950, by Dr. Josef Kates for the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. This towering four-meter-tall machine allowed visitors to play tic-tac-toe against an artificial opponent, using lights to display the game grid with adjustable difficulty levels. Though Bertie the Brain was dismantled after the exhibition and largely forgotten, it predated Atari's iconic Pong by over two decades. While Pong became the first commercially successful video game in 1972, Kates' creation marks the true beginning of interactive electronic entertainment history.

📜 Quote of the Day

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