Monthly Archives: September 2015
GameStop Says Disc-Based Games Are Here to Stay
GameStop CEO Paul Raines thinks physical games aren't going anywhere. Speaking to Fortune, Raines said disc-based games "will be around forever."
Raines referenced a 50% decline in physical music sales and a 60% decline in physical movie sales, but said "even in a doomsday scenario, disc-based games will be around for a long time."
GameStop is well prepared for the digital-distribution future, even if its corporate leadership believes physical media is sticking around. The company did just under a billion US dollars in revenue from digital sales, which accounted for slightly more than 10% of its $9.3 billion in revenue for 2014.
6 Upcoming Vertigo Comics We Know Are Great
With popular Vertigo series like Fables and The Sandman: Overture ending, the DC Comics imprint is looking to invigorate their publishing line with 12 new series debuting this Fall. I was invited to DC Comics HQ to check out the #1 issue for each new book, and while I can’t give any spoilers, I still want to share which books looked the best and got me the most excited to keep reading.
Before I get to the list, please note that Last Gang in Town #1 wasn’t available for reading, and Lucifer #1 was incomplete at the time of our visit, so those weren’t considered for this list.
Now, here are the new Vertigo comic you should keep an eye on.
Yes, Universal Has Delayed PacRim 2 Indefinitely
While it hasn't been outright cancelled, Universal Pictures confirmed today that Pacific Rim 2 has been put on indefinite hold and will not be opening in 2017 as originally planned.
Few details regarding the reasons why the film has been put on hold have been provided, other than it will allow the "creative team
continue in its efforts to exceed the amazing experience of the first film."
Director Guillermo del Toro recently spoke about the current status of the film, explaining that another project currently has his attention, but the sequel is not facing cancellation.
Opinion: Activision’s Black Ops 3 Publicity Stunt Is Irresponsible
Call of Duty games have never shied away from sensitive and political subject matter, but when Activision’s official Call of Duty account started "live reporting" a fictional terrorist attack, we saw a marketing move exit the realm of entertainment.
2.88 million people follow the @callofduty Twitter account, which recently rebranded its page to reflect its new name: Current Events Aggregate, a faux news outlet whose tagline is "We bring you the real news." The Call of Duty social media page update was pretty believable: Save for the small grey text that said "callofduty," it looked like a media outlet on the Twitter timeline.
It tried very hard to not look like Call of Duty.
Google Announces the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P
At Google's event in San Francisco earlier today, the company announced the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P, thereby confirming reports from earlier this month.
The Nexux 5X, manufactured by LG, is the cheaper of the two new phones, and greatly resembles 2013's Nexus 5. It features a 5.2” HD LCD screen that hides a Snapdragon 808 processor, a 12.3 MP camera that allows for 4K video, and a USB Type-C port. The larger Nexus 6P, courtesy of Huawei, comes with all of the same hardware features, but it instead has a 5.7" display and a more powerful Snapdragon 810 processor.
Twitter Building New Product to Move Past 140-Character Limit
Twitter's well known 140-character limit may soon be a thing of past if a new report is to be believed.
According to Re/code and its sources, Twitter is in the midst of creating a new product that will allow users to publish tweets that exceed the aforementioned limit. What form the product will take, how it will work, and when it will be introduced are all unknown, but talk of the social media platform's limitations has recently become a hot topic at the company, which includes discussions about removing links and usernames from the character count.
This wouldn't be the first time changes have been made to Twitter's character limits. Back in August, it increased the limit for Direct Messages from 140 to 10,000, saying the expansion made DMs "even more powerful and fun," while nothing that regular tweets would be unaffected.
Harvey Winner Chip Zdarsky Declines Award
Comic creator Chip Zdarsky has declined the Harvey Special Award for Humor for the comic Sex Criminals.
In a post on Zdarsky's blog, he explained that the reason he didn't accept the award was that Sex Criminals' writer, Matt Fraction, was left out of the nomination. "I pointed this out to the Harvey Awards and told them I wished to have Matt on the ballot with me, or to remove me completely, and they declined to do either," Zdarsky wrote.
Death Note Movie Has Found Its Light Yagami
Warner Bros. is in final negotiations with Paper Towns' star Nat Wolff to play the lead role in its upcoming live-action adaptation of the popular anime series Death Note.
According to Variety, Wolff will play a student who stumbles upon a notebook that grants him the ability to kill others by simply writing their name on one of its pages. The character, known by fans of the anime as Light Yagami, then finds himself hunted by the law after taking justice into his own hands.
Nat Wolff in Paper Towns
Kingsman’s Matthew Vaughn to Direct I Am Pilgrim
Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kick-Ass filmmaker Matthew Vaughn is set to direct I Am Pilgrim, based on the best-selling espionage thriller book.
MGM is developing the movie version of I Am Pilgrim. Vaughn is also producing the film and co-financing it through his production company Marv Films.
Vaughn had previously said he was open to directing the next installment of Kingsman, though he admitted he had a rule against helming sequels. Vaughn also had been linked to a Flash Gordon movie recently.
GTA Online Exploit Could Expose Game to Rampant Cheating
A new exploit for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto Online could allow previously banned players to return anonymously to the game, among other things.
According to a modder on the Se7enSins forums, temporary characters, which are created only "when 95% or more of server assets" are unavailable, aren't authenticated by the usual process, meaning GTA Online will "allow access to the temporary character functionality," without knowing the player is banned.
"You can create disposable characters, cheat cash and stats and troll other players as much as you'd like," modder LondonTown2004 explained. None of the actions taken by temporary characters will be logged or recorded, meaning it's "a way to play anonymously."