Art & Culture

LOS ANGELES – September 03, 2026 -- Bandai Namco Entertainment has confirmed that its free-to-play team fighter DRAGON BALL GEKISHIN SQUADRA will shift from a top-down camera to a third-person, over-the-shoulder view as part of a Year-End Overhaul, the company revealed during a "SQUADRA Talk" livestream.

The change, aimed at pulling players closer to the action, will arrive alongside simplified win conditions and a redesigned battle system, though team-based strategy will remain central to the 4v4 format. Bandai Namco said the overhaul was shaped by player feedback collected since the game's launch.

Season 7 launches September 9 with Super Gogeta as a new playable hero.

The update marks the game's first anniversary and adds the fusion warrior to the roster, alongside Android 19 as a new Technical-role Helper and San-Shinron as a new boss. From Season 7 onward, the boss lineup will rotate every two weeks.

Unterföhring – September 03, 2026 -- German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 has extended its exclusive partnership with journalist Jenke von Wilmsdorff for several more years, launching a dedicated "JENKE." Thursday programming block starting in October 2026.

Von Wilmsdorff has been ProSieben's face for in-depth documentaries and reportages since 2020, producing 29 films covering topics from everyday drugs to shopping addiction, organized crime and immortality. His programs have drawn market shares of up to 18.1 percent among viewers aged 14 to 49, the broadcaster's key demographic.

Seven new prime-time films air this fall on the new Thursday slot

ProSieben will broadcast seven new "JENKE." prime-time films this autumn, kicking off with "JENKE. Experiment. Schlaflos -- Wie uns schlechter Schlaf krank macht" on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 8:15 p.m.

LOS ANGELES – September 03, 2026 -- Bandai Namco Entertainment announced a major camera overhaul for DRAGON BALL GEKISHIN SQUADRA during a "SQUADRA Talk" livestream, shifting the free-to-play team fighter from a top-down view to a third-person, over-the-shoulder perspective by year's end.

The change, dubbed the Year-End Overhaul, aims to bring players closer to the action while simplifying win conditions. Chief Producer TOSHI and Producer KEN said the redesign builds on player feedback collected since launch, with strategic teamwork remaining central to the 4v4 battles.

Erfurt, Germany -- September 01, 2026 -- Families looking for new children's programming this fall can find a fresh batch of shows from Germany's public children's channel KiKA, starting with a 50th-anniversary re-release of "Die Biene Maja" now streaming on kika.de. The lineup for September 2026 also includes the new preschool series "Karlchen" launching September 2, the desert adventure film "Prinzen der Wüste" arriving September 6, a live AI-education event called "Check die KI" on September 15, and new episodes of "Rabbit Academy - Die Häschenschule" from September 16. All titles are available on kika.de, the KiKA app, and the Kikaninchen app.

Cologne, Germany -- September 01, 2026 -- Huawei closed out five days of hands-on gaming at Gamescom 2026, drawing players from around the world to its AppGallery and GameCenter booth in Hall 7, Stand B.031, from August 26 to 30. Visitors tried titles including World of Tanks Blitz, Asphalt Legends and MapleStory R: Evolution, took on stage challenges, and collected stamps around the booth for a raffle. The event capped a week built around live gameplay, community contests and giveaways tied to Huawei's game ecosystem.

MIAMI -- August 30, 2026 -- House of Horror Haunted Carnival opens its 25th season on Thursday, Sept. 24, at a new home inside Tropical Park in Miami, running through Sunday, Nov. 1. The anniversary lineup replaces every haunted house from prior years and adds Howie's Blind Terror, billed as the only haunted dark roller coaster of its kind in the United States. A single ticket, priced from $39.99 online, now covers all five haunted attractions, unlimited carnival rides, outdoor scare zones and a new family zone, with free parking included.

"Celebrating 25 years of House of Horror is an incredible milestone, but this season is really about what comes next," said Tony Albelo, president of Loud And Live Events, the company that produces the event.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING -- August 28, 2026 -- James Malcolm Band's "Is It Never Too Late" advanced to the Finals of American Songwriter's 3rd Annual Road Ready Talent Contest, the publication announced Aug. 27, 2026. The South Florida band, led by singer Malcolm Philip Flavell, moved past an earlier Semi-Finalist round and now stands one selection away from a live performance slot in Nashville this October. American Songwriter will select three finalists for that Nashville show. The recognition adds to a breakout year for the Davie, Florida-based act.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING -- August 28, 2026 -- Ten of the best young songwriters competing on Germany's "Dein Song" spent last week filming at a new songwriting camp in Frankfurt am Main, part of the ZDF and KiKA competition's 19th season. The camp followed a casting round held in Wiesbaden in late July 2026. Contestants reworked their compositions and performed a semi-final round for the judging panel. The 16-part documentary series and finale are set to air in February 2027 on KiKA, kika.de, the KiKA app, ZDF streaming and the ZDFtivi app.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING -- August 28, 2026 -- Seven new animated short films from Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia went live on the ARD Mediathek streaming platform today, the result of the "Key Frames 2026" funding program run by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) and Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM). Regional filmmakers and production companies completed the films within a few months. MDR has scheduled a televised premiere for October 30 during its MDR Kurzfilmnacht broadcast.

SHERIDAN, WYOMING – July 4, 2026 – Festival season hits its peak this weekend as Summerjam returns to the Fühlinger See near Cologne, Germany, promising three days of reggae, dancehall and hip-hop against a backdrop organizers describe as ideal summer weather. The event, which unfolds on the festival's signature island grounds, is built around music, community and a handful of low-key touches like a rooftop lounge and an on-site box office for last-minute arrivals. Organizers are framing the weekend less as a lineup showcase and more as a shared experience, urging attendees to stay hydrated, wear sunscreen and check in on each other throughout the run. For fans who missed presale or are still deciding whether to go, there's still a path in — tickets remain available both online and at the gate.