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Zapak launches online game based on sci-fi film District 9
MUMBAI: Zapak.com, Reliance ADAG’s online gaming portal, has been announced as the official gaming partner of the upcoming science fiction movie, District 9.
Zapak will host the official game based on the movie, which is slated for release on 11 September in India. The game, available on www.district9.zapak.com, allows the gamer to play as a human or a non-human. As a human, the gamers’ mission is to be on patrol in District 9 as a MNU officer and to arrest or shoot non-humans. If the gamer chooses to play as a non-human, then the mission is to take action against the oppressive MNU Corporation and its patrolling guards. Zapak Digital Entertainment COO Rohit Sharma said, “District 9 gives us an opportunity to provide a sci-fi game to our Indian audience. Zapak will be able to reach out to maximum gamers in the country. We believe this game will be well accepted as it has a unique offering for our gamers.” The movie is directed and written by Neill Blomkap and produced by Peter Jackson. The film stars Jason Cope, Sharlto Copley and Robert Hobbs. The story of the movie was adapted from Alive in Joburg a short film directed by Blomkamp and produced by Copley. The title and premise of the film are inspired by historical events that took place in District Six, a residential area in Cape Town in South Africa under apartheid. District 9 has already raked in $37.4 million in its opening week in US. The film will be released by Multivision in India. Said Multivision director Ajay Gupta, “District 9 is an internationally acclaimed film. Multivision is proud to release it in India and have a 360 degrees marketing strategy for it.”
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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.
