Monthly Archives: August 2017
Game of Thrones: S7 Finale Sets Another Record for HBO
In a fractured television market, Game of Thrones remains an immensely popular, record-breaking show.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Season 7 finale set yet another all-time high for HBO viewers, solidifying the show's status as HBO's most popular program ever.
Game of Thrones has been setting records left and right as it grows in popularity. The Season 7 finale, "The Dragon and the Wolf," though, took things to a whole new level. A whopping 16.5 million people watched the finale either live or streamed it the same night it aired. That breaks HBO's prior record, which had been set, fittingly enough, by Game of Thrones two weeks prior with 10.7 million viewers. Meanwhile, the Season 6 finale pulled in 8.9 million viewers.
Game of Thrones Actor on What’s Next for Jon and Daenerys
Game of Thrones left a number of unanswered questions hanging in the air in its Season 7 finale, but one of the biggest that will need to be resolved at the beginning of the eighth and final season is, "What comes next for Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen?" That's a question that's hanging over the heads of all the actors involved on the series, as well.
Full spoilers for Game of Thrones continue below. Make sure to check out IGN's review of "The Dragon and the Wolf."
In the finale, the audience learns that Jon Snow is actually Aegon Targaryen, true born heir to the Iron Throne and son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, at the same time that he consummates his season-long romance with Daenerys Targaryen, who we realize in that moment is actually his aunt. Jon and Daenerys are on a ship heading for Winterfell to prepare for the Night King's invasion, and Bran Stark and Samwell Tarly are waiting for them to arrive so they can tell Jon the game-changing news. Just like every Game of Thrones viewer, actor Liam Cunningham, who plays Davos Seaworth, can't wait to find out what happens next.
Ant-Man and the Wasp First Look at Hope in Costume
While Marvel has previously unveiled looks at The Wasp art — and the costume on display in the original Ant-Man, star Evangeline Lilly has offered a first look at the actress as Hope van Dyne suited up.
Lilly tweeted out the photo of what appears to be Hope in a classroom in honor of what would have been Jack Kirby's 100th birthday today, saying "I am honoured to be on set today playing #TheWasp on what would be Jack Kirby's 100th birthday."
Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne
Come Hang With IGN at PAX West 2017
It's that time of year again -- IGN is heading over to Seattle, Washington for PAX West 2017! We'll be providing tons of impressions and footage from Destiny, huge upcoming Switch games, and BioMutant, as well as rad-looking indies like Where the Water Tastes Like Wine and PUBG for Xbox One. Also, we're partnering with our pals at 2K for BioShock's 10th anniversary party!
If you're in Seattle at the show, come stop by any of the following panels to meet us, hang out, and talk about stuff like dogs. And if you spot us wandering the city/show floor, be sure to say hi!
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Temporarily Becomes Most Played Game On Steam
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, for a moment, had the most concurrent players of any game on Steam.
Both yesterday and earlier today, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds reached another milestone by beating Dota 2’s concurrent player count and becoming the most played game on Steam temporarily, according to Steam Charts. Each time, PUBG overtook the Valve title by about 30,000 concurrent players, though neither game reached their all-time records for most concurrent players ever.
PUBG vs. Dota 2 player count from August 26-28
Nintendo Switch Nindies Showcase Announced
A new Nintendo Switch Nindies Showcase will be held this week, Nintendo has announced.
The showcase, a Nintendo Direct-style reveal of a host of indie games coming to the Switch, will air on Wednesday, August 30 at 10 a.m. PT.
No information has been revealed about what games will be included in the showcase, but it comes just ahead of PAX West 2017, at which Nintendo will have a daily Nindie Arcade space, as well as a Nindies@Night event on August 31.
Nintendo's first Nindies Showcase for the Nintendo Switch aired earlier this year and included the announcement of 17 games for the Switch. Those reveals included the already released Overcooked! Special Edition, Mr. Shifty, and more, as well as the yet-to-debut Switch versions of Yooka-Laylee and Stardew Valley. Stardew's developers recently offered an update about what to expect from that game. IGN had a chance to preview that slate of Nindies following the Showcase, including several that have still yet to be released.
Apple Reportedly Revealing New iPhone in September
Apple will reportedly be holding a new product launch event on September 12, during which the company is expected to unveil the newest slate of iPhones.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the company, which has not publicly confirmed any plans, will hold the event to reportedly showcase a 10th anniversary iPhone and updated iPhone 7 models. According to WSJ, the celebratory anniversary iPhone will be the larger — and more expensive — version and will include an edge-to-edge display, facial recognition tech, and more.
Those reported features would line up with what appeared to be a leak by Apple of both face-scanning tech and a screen that covers nearly the entire front of the phone.
14 of the Craziest PCs at QuakeCon 2017
I searched the floor of QuakeCon last weekend for the most amazing custom PCs people had brought to play on.
There was a computer inside of a functional gumball machine, full replicas of Overwatch's Bastion and Half-Life 2's Citadel, a case made entirely of Legos, and a whole lot more impressive stuff.
Here are 14 of the coolest and craziest PCs, customs cases, and downright incredible builds at QuakeCon this year:
I think my favorite is probably Bastion. It's a dark room so it may be hard to tell in the photo, but the detail on it is just perfect. It looks like it's straight out of the game, while also being able to run the game itself!
Tom Marks is an Associate Editor focusing on PC gaming at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Sony Unveils New, Cheaper PlayStation VR Bundle
Sony has unveiled a new PlayStation VR bundle that comes packaged with the PlayStation Camera.
According to PlayStation Blog, the bundle will only be available across the US and Canada and is priced at $399 USD/$499 CAD. The camera is required to use the VR headset and had largely been sold separately outside of retailer-specific bundles and the original launch day bundle revealed for the VR headset ahead of its launch last year.
Nintendo Debuts SNES Classic-Themed Nintendo Power Cover Poster at PAX West
Ahead of the Super NES Classic Edition's release on September 29, Nintendo will continue to fuel nostalgia for SNES with collectible Nintendo Power covers.
Available to attendees at PAX West 2017, which runs in Seattle, WA from September 1-4, three Nintendo Power cover posters created for SNES Classic titles have been revealed. Check them out below:
Among those games featured in the cover is the never-before released Star Fox 2, which IGN had a chance to play. Super Mario World and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past are also included as collectible cover poster options.