iWorld
Anime meets game as Crunchyroll and HoYoverse level up together
MUMBAI: It’s the ultimate crossover episode where watching and playing collide. Crunchyroll and HoYoverse are joining forces for a special global collaboration that promises to blur the line between anime marathons and gaming marathons. From 6 November 2025 to 27 January 2026, Honkai: Star Rail players will not only get in-game rewards but also a taste of Crunchyroll premium for free.
When the event page goes live on 6 November, eligible players of Honkai: Star Rail can snag a 14-day Crunchyroll Mega Fan free trial by linking their game and streaming accounts. But that’s not all, the anime world gets its own treat with the premiere of “Chimerric Park,” a special edition of HoYoFair 2025’s fan art series, streaming exclusively on Crunchyroll for two weeks.
By watching Chimerric Park and completing missions, fans can earn Honkai: Star Rail goodies including Stellar Jades, Lost Crystals, and other cosmic treasures. The campaign rolls out in four waves, keeping players hooked across the festive months:
. Round 1: 6 Nov 2025 (6 PM PT) – 25 Nov 2025 (5:59 pm PT)
. Round 2: 25 Nov 2025 (6 PM PT) – 16 Dec 2025 (5:59 pm PT)
. Round 3: 16 Dec 2025 (6 PM PT) – 6 Jan 2026 (5:59 pm PT)
. Round 4: 6 Jan 2026 (6 PM PT) – 27 Jan 2026 (5:59 pm PT)
Crunchyroll executive vice president of emerging business Terry Li explained why the partnership feels almost inevitable: “We know that nearly 80% of anime fans play anime or anime-related games, and 40% of our audience are spending more than 20 hours a week on games like Honkai: Star Rail. Delivering in-game rewards to Crunchyroll Members is our way of enhancing their gaming experiences and creating compelling moments to jump into titles that speak to our fans.”
For HoYoverse, the collaboration also celebrates the fans who turn Honkai: Star Rail into a cultural phenomenon. “Chimerric Park” brings together global artists who’ve transformed their passion for the game into dazzling visuals, now premiering alongside the world’s most beloved anime on Crunchyroll.
The partnership neatly coincides with the launch of Version 3.7 – “As Tomorrow Became Yesterday”, which introduces a slate of fresh content and the much-awaited five-star character Cyrene (Remembrance). Players diving into the event can collect up to 120 Stellar Jades and more through limited-time quests.
From premium streaming perks to in-game riches, this Crunchyroll x HoYoverse tie-up is more than a marketing move, it’s a love letter to fandom itself. So whether you’re grinding levels or bingeing arcs, this winter’s crossover gives you plenty of reason to hit “play.”
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
