Video game remakes just did something Hollywood remakes have not managed in years, and the numbers make the case on their own. A pirate game older than most Netflix subscriptions outsold a brand new Disney movie.

The comparison is Assassin Creed Black Flag Recync against the live action Moana remake. Moana opened to just forty three million dollars in North America against a two hundred fifty million dollar budget, while the thirteen year old pirate game got rebuilt from the engine up and sold two million copies on day one.

Creative director Terry Hahn explains what actually changed, cutting every loading screen between ports so the open world finally feels seamless, and why the characters and story still do the heavy lifting even with all the new tech. The takeaway lands on why refreshing the look is not the same as understanding what made the original work.

Topics: video game remakes, Assassin's Creed Black Flag, Moana box office, movie remakes, Terry Hahn

Originally aired on 2026-07-15

Video game remakes just did something Hollywood remakes have not managed in years, and the numbers make the case on their own. A pirate game older than most Netflix subscriptions outsold a brand new Disney movie.
The comparison is Assassin Creed Black Flag Recync against the live action Moana remake. Moana opened to just forty three million dollars in North America against a two hundred fifty million dollar budget, while the thirteen year old pirate game got rebuilt from the engine up and sold two million copies on day one.
Creative director Terry Hahn explains what actually changed, cutting every loading screen between ports so the open world finally feels seamless, and why the characters and story still do the heavy lifting even with all the new tech. The takeaway lands on why refreshing the look is not the same as understanding what made the original work.
Topics: video game remakes, Assassin's Creed Black Flag, Moana box office, movie remakes, Terry Hahn
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-07-15

Shane Hewitt & The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world—always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.

From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane’s signature style—thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.

If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt &amp; The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world&mdash;always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.
From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane&rsquo;s signature style&mdash;thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.
If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

NEW - What Video Games Get Right That Hollywood Doesn't

Ash falling from the sky. Homes smelling like campfires from the inside. A town called Collins evacuated by boat as flames closed in. This is what forest fire season actually looked like on the ground this year, told through the voices of the people who lived through it.

The reporting pulls together on-the-ground accounts from across Ontario, including firsthand descriptions from Thunder Bay of skies turning burnt orange by mid-afternoon and temperatures swinging by ten degrees once the smoke rolled in at night. It also tracks the federal response as Ontario requested outside help fighting fires that outpaced the crews available to handle them.

Then the numbers get stranger. This year's national fire count sits at a fraction of where it stood in 2011, and even further below decades before that. What that gap actually means, and why the smoke has felt this much worse anyway, gets laid out plainly.

Topics: forest fires Canada, wildfire smoke, Thunder Bay, Ontario wildfires, wildfire statistics

Originally aired on 2026-07-16

Ash falling from the sky. Homes smelling like campfires from the inside. A town called Collins evacuated by boat as flames closed in. This is what forest fire season actually looked like on the ground this year, told through the voices of the people who lived through it.
The reporting pulls together on-the-ground accounts from across Ontario, including firsthand descriptions from Thunder Bay of skies turning burnt orange by mid-afternoon and temperatures swinging by ten degrees once the smoke rolled in at night. It also tracks the federal response as Ontario requested outside help fighting fires that outpaced the crews available to handle them.
Then the numbers get stranger. This year's national fire count sits at a fraction of where it stood in 2011, and even further below decades before that. What that gap actually means, and why the smoke has felt this much worse anyway, gets laid out plainly.
Topics: forest fires Canada, wildfire smoke, Thunder Bay, Ontario wildfires, wildfire statistics
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-07-16

SHIFTHEADS: The Skies Over Thunder Bay Turned Burnt Orange

NASA closed out thirty years of space shuttle missions the same year Vancouver's streets filled with flipped cars after a Stanley Cup Game 7 loss. 2011 packed in more than it gets credit for, and laying it side by side makes that obvious fast.

Stephen Harper won a federal majority that spring. Jack Layton led the NDP into official opposition for the first time in the party's history months later. Meanwhile people were still sharing music through file-sharing sites that don't exist anymore, and an iPhone in Canada was still something not everyone had.

One listener's message cuts through the nostalgia entirely: a stepson starting 25 months of chemo that year, treatment so severe it required two hip replacements afterward. He's cancer-free today, building a career as a sous chef, a reminder that behind every throwback year are real people who lived through it.

Topics: 2011, space shuttle, Canadian politics, Vancouver riots, technology in 2011

Originally aired on 2026-07-16

NASA closed out thirty years of space shuttle missions the same year Vancouver's streets filled with flipped cars after a Stanley Cup Game 7 loss. 2011 packed in more than it gets credit for, and laying it side by side makes that obvious fast.
Stephen Harper won a federal majority that spring. Jack Layton led the NDP into official opposition for the first time in the party's history months later. Meanwhile people were still sharing music through file-sharing sites that don't exist anymore, and an iPhone in Canada was still something not everyone had.
One listener's message cuts through the nostalgia entirely: a stepson starting 25 months of chemo that year, treatment so severe it required two hip replacements afterward. He's cancer-free today, building a career as a sous chef, a reminder that behind every throwback year are real people who lived through it.
Topics: 2011, space shuttle, Canadian politics, Vancouver riots, technology in 2011
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-07-16

NEW - The Last Space Shuttle Flew the Same Year Vancouver Burned

Four years of saving points. One redemption. And the taxes and fees still took a $900 bite out of a flight that was supposed to be free. That's the moment most people quietly give up on the whole idea.

Patrick Sojka never did. He's built a specific combination of cards and programs that gets a flight to zero dollars, taxes and fees included, and it has nothing to do with hoarding points for years. It comes down to which two tools you pair, and most flyers only ever use one.

There's also a fare-class habit almost nobody checks before booking, and it's costing people money in the exact opposite direction they'd expect. Sojka walks through both, live, with real numbers from real flights.

Topics: flying for free, travel rewards, credit card points, Aeroplan, WestJet points

Originally aired on 2026-07-16

Four years of saving points. One redemption. And the taxes and fees still took a $900 bite out of a flight that was supposed to be free. That's the moment most people quietly give up on the whole idea.
Patrick Sojka never did. He's built a specific combination of cards and programs that gets a flight to zero dollars, taxes and fees included, and it has nothing to do with hoarding points for years. It comes down to which two tools you pair, and most flyers only ever use one.
There's also a fare-class habit almost nobody checks before booking, and it's costing people money in the exact opposite direction they'd expect. Sojka walks through both, live, with real numbers from real flights.
Topics: flying for free, travel rewards, credit card points, Aeroplan, WestJet points
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-07-16

NEW - What Video Games Get Right That Hollywood Doesn't

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