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Endemol, basketball star partner with 6waves for social game
MUMBAI: Basketball star Kobe Bryant will be the inspiration and focus of a new social game from television format creator and distributor Endemol USA.
Social gaming publisher 6waves will co-produce the new game. Bryant, who has developed and starred in a web series with Endemol, will also play a role in the creative development.
Endemol USA will co-produce the game and secure sponsorships and brand integrations and 6waves will manage the development and distribution of the game on Facebook and other top social networking and gaming sites globally.
With an impressive network of more than 75 million monthly active users, 6waves is one of the largest social gaming publishers worldwide. Its published games include Ravenwood Fair, Mall World, Resort World, Simply Hospital and My Fishbowl.
The social game will give players the opportunity to win real prizes and experiences, such as Kobe-autographed memorabilia or tickets to attend a Lakers game. The social game could also involve integrations with Kobe‘s Endemol-produced online video series, Dream Makers, resulting in a ground breaking multi-media social game.
6waves co-founder and CEO Rex Ng, said, “This is an unprecedented opportunity to transform the world of social games. While social games are incredibly popular, they have never included a global entertainment icon such as Kobe Bryant. Social gaming is still a fairly young platform, and we are going to completely change the experience for the player.”
The untitled game expands on Endemol‘s relationship with Bryant and is part of a growing slate of social games currently in development.
Endemol US chairman David Goldberg said, “Expanding into the exciting world of social gaming feels like a natural progression for Endemol and we are thrilled to collaborate on this project with Kobe Bryant, one of worlds most talented athletes and the gaming masterminds of 6waves.”
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
