• by Ray Schultz , July 7, 2025

Empire, which claims to be the world’s biggest movie magazine, has created a limited-edition light-up cover to highlight its coverage of the new Tron film, Tron: Ares, due this fall after a 15-year hiatus in the series.  

The fully illuminated cover, which features a red neon glow and action movement, can be activated by a push-button powered by a hidden battery pack. The issue will appear in August. 

“Every now and then, an opportunity comes along to push the limits of print,” says Nick de Semlyen, editor of Empire, a Bauer Media publication based in the UK. “We spotted such a chance with the return of Tron, a movie franchise fuelled by eye-popping, neon-tinged visuals — and couldn't be happier with our high-impact Tron Ares light-up cover, a perfect fusion of movie and cover treatment, created in collaboration with the filmmakers and Walt Disney Studios. Now, if only we could build our own Light Cycles...” 

As part of its regular coverage, the Empire team goes on the set of Tron: Ares to report on Light Cycles, identity discs, and rogue AI. 

The first Tron film in 1982 was an early cyber movie with digital effects. The next entry in the series was the 2010 film Tron: Legacy.

“In a world where so much of design lives on-screen, seeing something so tactile, physical, and imaginative is inspiring — especially for magazine creatives who live and breathe layout, ink, and production,” says Chris Lupton, creative director of Empire. “It really is a glowing example of what can still happen with print!”