Monthly Archives: June 2015
Star Wars Rebels: Season 1 Blu-ray Release Date
The first season of Star Wars Rebels will be released on September 1, according to Amazon.
The retailer's online listing (via Star Wars Collector), indicates that Star Wars Rebels: Season 1 will come to both DVD and Blu-ray on the first of the month, and will be priced at $46 USD. It's worth noting, however, that neither Disney nor Lucasfilm have confirmed its release so keep that in mind.
This Is How You Play Quidditch
The governing body of Quidditch has released their 9th edition rule book.
US Quidditch updated the rule book for the 2015-2016 season, outlining a few new safety procedures and giving players a guide for playing the Muggle version of the sport from Harry Potter.
Additionally, this book provides players with a guide for organizing positions and playing a sport which normally requires the use of magic. It will eventually be available in paperback, but can now be downloaded via the US Quidditch website.
Originally mentioned in the 1998 novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Quidditch is a sport combining elements of flying, lacrosse, and baseball. i09 reports the sport was first played at Middlebury College, followed by an International Quidditch World Cup in 2007.
The Skyrim Library Vol. 1 Book Contains Lore, Exclusive Artwork
Bethesda has announced plans to release a compendium collecting some of the writing found in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Called The Skyrim Library Vol 1: The Histories, the book compiles Skyrim's history, lore, and mythology along with original artwork bound in hardcover. Much of the text is pulled from in-game books.
It can be pre-ordered for $35 through The Bethesda Store, along with Tales of Tamriel, a compendium of lore and stories from the world of The Elder Scrolls Online. The Skyrim Library: Vol. 1 is estimated to ship later this month.
Brad Pitt to Star in Netflix Original Movie
Netflix and Plan B Entertainment have announced their plans to release War Machine -- an upcoming satirical comedy starring Brad Pitt -- exclusively to subscribers sometime in 2016, followed by a limited release in select theatres.
Principal photography for War Machine is scheduled to begin in August, with Australian writer/director David Michôd at the helm. Netflix is producing the original movie with Ian Bryce (World War Z) and Pitt, through his Plan B banner.
App Store Update: June 8
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Threes! – ($1.99, Down from $2.99)
The 2014 App Store Game of the Year is celebrating its accolade by going 33.3333333% off!
Apple’s New Smartwatch is Getting Some Upgrades
Even though it's just over a month old, the Apple Watch is already getting ready for some updates and support for native app with WatchOS 2.
With the new upgrade to Timepiece, you can choose any photo as a watch background, or you can select an album and have a rotating set of watch faces throughout the day. There are also time-lapse faces, which show cities like Shanghai, New York City, and London at your time of day.
With Time Travel, you can use the "crown" dial to quickly browse through future events in your calendar, weather, and more. By fast-forwarding through your day, you can also check how much battery life you'll have at different times.
When you put the Apple Watch on its side while charging, the watch can now function as a regular alarm clock. The buttons on the top work as the off and snooze buttons. Communication has been improved on the watch too, as you can now reply to emails and take Facetime audio calls directly from your wrist.
Ex-Blizzard Executive Joins The Order: 1886 Studio
Blizzard's brand building veteran Paul Sams has departed the company for a position as CEO at Ready at Dawn, the studio behind games like The Order: 1886.
Sams replaces Ready at Dawn's former CEO, Ru Weerasuriya, who is switching roles to chief creative officer.
As CCO, Weerasuriya will focus more on creative aspects of the company while Sams takes over daily business operations and works on launching a new publishing arm based in Austin, Texas, meant to expand Ready at Dawn's horizons.
One of Ready at Dawn's biggest priorities for the future is retaining ownership of its IPs. Sams expressed Ready at Dawn's regret at transferring ownership of The Order: 1886 to Sony in an interview on GamesIndustry.biz
Quantum Break Is Skipping E3
Quantum Break developer Remedy Entertainment has announced that it won't be showing off its upcoming Xbox One exclusive during next week's gaming expo in Los Angeles.
Instead, the studio has decided to forgo E3 2015 altogether in favor of a major blowout at Gamescom. Remedy co-founder Sam Lake confirmed the news in a video celebrating the developer's 20th anniversary.
"We were at Gamescom last year with Quantum Break. We had great fun," Lake said. "We’ll be there again this year—the next time we are releasing new material. We have a theater on the show floor where every one of you is welcome to check us out and see the new, exclusive Quantum Break demo."
Back in April, Remedy announced Quantum Break's release had been pushed to 2016. As such, it's absence from E3 in favor of a major push at Gamescom isn't all too surprising, especially when considering the studio's proximity to Germany's gaming convention.
Apple Expands its Apple Pay Service
Originally announced last September during Apple's iPhone 6 event, the company's Apple Pay service will be expanding.
At its WWDC keynote, today Apple announced that Passbook – its all-in-one application for storing card information, travel documentation, etc. – has been renamed to Wallet.
Apple Pay will also bring new retailers like Best Buy, Trader Joe's, and Dunkin Donuts into the fold, extending the service to applicable loyalty and reward programs with iOS 9. Additionally, credit provider Discover will join Apple Pay in the same time frame.
Here’s What’s Coming with Apple iOS 9
At its WWDC keynote, Apple shared new details on iOS 9, the next update to the operating system powering the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi took the stage to show off iOS 9's new features. According to Apple, it will extend battery life, increase general performance, enhance security, and improve the user interface, starting with the most-used apps.
One new feature is the "proactive assistant," which makes several quality-of-life changes to the operating system.
For example, if an unknown phone number pops up, Siri can now look through your email and suggest who the caller might be. Or, if you're out for a morning jog, plugging in headphones can instantly bring up a "now playing" music list. If you receive an event invitation via email, Siri can automatically set up calendar events and reminders.