Cloud Of Duty

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Happy Monday, party people. We’re two games into the World Series between the LA Dodgers and the NY Yankees, with the Dodgers in the lead 2-0. The battle between the two baseball giants is as good as the Fall Classic can get… but it also highlights how big each team’s wallet is. Their payroll for their players is a combined $650 million this season alone. Those are star-power salaries. Neither team’s general manager is having this conversation from Moneyball.

DAILY TOP TRENDS

Can Call Of Duty Put Gamers In The Cloud?

Microsoft is putting its $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard to the test by putting the new installment of Call of Duty on the tech giant’s cloud-gaming subscription service, Xbox Game Pass.

The Big Picture: Microsoft sees cloud gaming as the next era of the industry, allowing people to stream any game on any number of devices without the need to ever purchase an Xbox console. Gamers are still on the fence because of several concerns, so if the most popular franchise out there can’t convince them, nothing probably can.

Between The Levels: Can Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 be to Xbox what House of Cards was to Netflix?

• The game launched Friday for streaming and downloading on Game Pass, which costs $19.99 per month. The game is also available to purchase for $69.99.

• Microsoft hopes there will be a major increase in Game Pass sign-ups as people look to avoid shelling out a big, one-time fee.

• That turns players into recurring subscribers, which will equal the costs of a purchase in four months. But as gamers start playing the other games available, they’ll get locked in for the long haul. That’s the hope, at least.

• That could potentially be a lot more revenue per gamer, especially as most people typically only purchase a couple of new titles a year.

Closing Credits: Microsoft has a lot riding on its gaming ambitions — it’s now the tech giant’s fourth-largest business. By putting Black Ops 6 on the Game Pass, it’s positioning the game as a loss-leader — new Call of Duty games sell an incredible average of 25 million units annually —  to change people’s habits. If gamers sign up for just a month or two to play the game and then churn, that’s a lot of money that Microsoft is leaving on the table.

Game Pass had 34 million subscribers as of January 2022, and Microsoft hasn’t reported new numbers since that disclosure. Whether or not Black Ops 6 is a long-term success for its streaming ambitions, expect enough of an uptick that the company will tout its new subscriber growth at the next quarterly earnings report. Staying silent would essentially be game over.

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Cafeteria Pays Teens For Their Opinions

A new startup called Cafeteria is hoping to disrupt the consumer insights and marketing industry with an app that connects brands with the opinions of its most hard-to-pin-down customers — teens.

Why It Hits: There’s a growing number of protections around the ability to harvest the data and insights of younger users, which is the sector most prized by marketers looking to go viral and create early customer loyalty. So, companies that can find a way to connect them widely (and legally) could be a winning business.

Behind The Curtain: Cafeteria is paying kids for an inside look into their brains.

• When onboarding to Cafeteria’s app, teens are asked a range of questions about topics like retail, food, music, and more. They’re also prompted to select the brands they love.

• They can then participate in five-minute surveys (“Tables”) about anything from product development to advertising ideas, which they can answer via text or voice (data is anonymized only to show gender, age, and zip code).

• Teens are paid $5 to $20 for their answers, which can be transferred to a bank, Venmo, PayPal, or Cash App. Teens can only do up to five Tables per month, which prevents them from being addictive.

• Brands can access these insights in a dashboard (dubbed “Albums”), which is organized by category. Subscriptions for brands start at $5,000 per month.

The Future: Cafeteria isn’t starting from scratch. It’s already raised $3 million in a funding round led by Collaborative Fund and Imaginary Ventures, already has thousands of users after being in beta for three months, and has 2,200 Tables with over 50,000 insights already completed. That should entice brands with a little money to spare in their marketing or R&D budgets.

As the app grows, don’t be surprised if teens who provide insights get granted special perks or access when projects being tested on the app are brought to life.

DEEP DIVES

• Read: THR interviews 20th Century Studios head Steve Asbell about the company’s balance between original films and IP-driven titles to build a healthy movie slate.

• Watch: WSJ explores GM’s updated Michigan campus built for developing next-generation vehicles.

• Listen: The Future of Everything explores how ping-pong star Ni Xia Lian, an Olympian at 61-years-old, has been able to play sports professionally for so long.

86.1% of you voted Yes in Friday’s poll: Can a powerful film change your perspective?

“[I’m a] lacto-ovo vegetarian, thanks to a romantic movie character explaining why they don’t eat animals.”

“Requiem for a Dream makes me take a step back from my vices every time I see it. For a little while, at least.”

“I think it depends on the movie’s writing and character development. If done right, I’d most likely be swayed towards a certain perspective, even if I less than likely experienced the struggle myself. Basically, it’s gotta be relatable.”

“I’m a skeptic. Solid research changes my mind.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

QUICK HITS

→ Technology

🤖 OpenAI is reportedly set to launch its next big AI model, Orion, in December.

🚀 Boeing may offload its struggling space business in hopes of raising cash.

📰 Meta struck an AI-licensing deal with Reuters — its first news deal in the space.

→ Fashion / E-commerce

🧑‍⚖️ A federal judge blocked Capri Holdings’ $8.5 billion acquisition of Tapestry on antitrust grounds.

👟 Sneaker moves: WNBA star Angel Reese gets a Reebok shoe next year, Charli XCX becomes a Converse ambassador, and Wu-Tang Clan’s signature Nike Dunk finally gets released widely.

🥡 Wonder is bringing food-delivery logistics to the world of fancy chefs.

→ Creator Economy

🤳 Bluesky is soaring with a new $15 million fundraise and plans for creator monetization to further take on X.

📱 The fediverse — an interconnected, decentralized community of platforms — is getting its version of TikTok with Loops.

🌮 Facebook Marketplace is becoming the hottest place for at-home chefs. Call it home-to-table eating.