Monthly Archives: December 2017
Up to 10,000 Jobs May Be Lost Because of Disney-Fox Deal
A Wall Street analyst has predicted that up to 10,000 jobs may be lost as a result of Disney's pending buyout of 21st Century Fox.
As detailed in the Hollywood Reporter, there are widespread expectations of "cost-savings" following the buyout in the realm of $2 billion, owing mostly to the fact that there is a "high degree of overlap" between Fox and Disney's operations. The most likely place for these savings to be made, argues analyst Rich Greenfield, is job cuts, with estimates of anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 jobs being lost.
Last week, Disney announced their intention to buy the media giant in an all-stock transaction valued at $52.4 billion. For many, this was seen as an exciting development, since it means that the rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four characters revert to Marvel, a subsidiary of Disney. The real-world implications could be much less fun.
The Significance of Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s Final Scene
The last scene in Star Wars: The Last Jedi calls back to one of the greatest moments in the Star Wars saga and means a lot more than it seems on the surface. Here’s an analysis of what that scene is based on, what it symbolizes, and what it sets up for Star Wars going forward.
Warning: full spoilers ahead!
The Last Jedi bucks the normal Star Wars trend of ending on a shot of members of the principal cast by closing out with a scene featuring an unnamed character we met earlier in the film. It was an unexpected move on writer/director Rian Johnson’s part, but it was one that pays off with great significance.
To recap, in the middle of the movie Finn and Rose received help from the children who care for the horse-like Fathiers and manage the stables in the city of Canto Bight. At the end of the movie, we see those same kids playing with makeshift toys, acting out an encounter with Luke Skywalker. Their taskmaster disrupts playtime and puts them back to work, and so one boy walks outside, casually summons a broom to his hand with the Force, and starts to sweep. Obviously it’s a big deal for a new Force-sensitive character to appear, which implies there’s a chance for the Jedi to return and so much more, but the truly special part of the coda, in a symbolic sense, is what happens next: the boy looks up at the stars and holds a long gaze.
WWE Clash of Champions: Match Results and Reaction
2 Clash 2 Champions! Are you ready for WWE's final PPV event of the 2017? Ready to go out with, hopefully, a bang and not a whimper? Strap yourselves in for some Blue Brand action.
First off, if you didn't get the chance to already, check out the final Wrestling Wrap Up on IGN. That's right, the times they are a' changing. Nature bats last. That doesn't mean you won't see me writing about wrestling, but the weekly column is gone. If you find yourself missing me more than you can bear, follow me at @TheMattFowler. I'll be live-tweeting the PPV there all night along with doing up the live blog here.
Frame Rate Should Trump Fidelity on Xbox One X / PS4 Pro
Now that we live in a world with both PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, Sony and Microsoft respectively have been spent much of the year making a case for why you need their shiny, new(ish) machines, and a lot of the arguments have revolved around visual fidelity – aka eye candy.
Why buy a new console? 4K resolution! Supersampling! HDR, of course! Haven’t you seen how mind-boggling great our games look with all that stuff? It makes sense, but I feel we’re paying attention to all of this at the expense of a far more important qualitative aspect - frame rate. After all, what’s really more important – how good a game looks or how good it is to play?
Higher frame rates make for smoother gameplay, which is particularly noticeable during faster-paced games when making dramatic camera movements. While the 30 frames-per-second (fps) game blurs and obscures details during movement, forcing the player to stop and refocus for clarity, the 60fps game retains greater detail during movement. More importantly, 60fps translates your controller input faster because it’s polling your inputs twice as often as 30fps.
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Gets Garden Update
Nintendo's mobile Animal Crossing title has just received a new update, which includes new gardening activities.
After being teased last week, players can now visit their campsite to find a new garden area off to the left where they can plant, cross-pollinate, and harvest flowers. Harvested flowers can be exchanged for potted variants and used as furniture in the main campsite.
Completion of the tutorial should see players having three different kinds of flowers, but it looks as though more should be discovered through cross-pollination and become available as seasonal variants.
Deus Ex Dev Eidos Montreal to Increase Online Focus
Deus Ex developer Eidos Montreal will increase its focus on online experiences moving forward.
In a recent statement posted on the studio's official website, Eidos Montreal head David Anfossi said the developer will emphasize online play in its future projects.
"At Eidos Montreal, we're constantly working towards creating innovative and exciting experiences for gamers everywhere," Anfossi said. "In turn, we are placing an added emphasis on the online experiences in our games, striving to continually provide players with content that is memorable and impactful."
Eidos Montreal is best known for its single-player content, with last year's Deus Ex: Mankind Divided being a prime example. However, according to Anfossi, the studios' upcoming games will truly thrive with the added element of online gameplay, and it's hiring new staff to support the shift.
Obsidian’s New RPG Won’t Have Any Microtransactions
Role-playing game developer Obsidian Entertainment has confirmed its next game won't have any microtransactions.
"The answer is simply: 'no.' No microtransactions, of any kind, in our game," the studio said in a post on its official forums.
While not much is known about Obsidian's currently untitled RPG, just last week Take-Two Interactive announced its new label Private Division will publish the upcoming title. Speaking to its partnership with Private Division, the Obsidian said, "Far from 'pushing' us to put anything—microtransactions or otherwise—into our game, Private Division has been incredibly supportive of our vision, our creative freedom, and the process by which we work to make RPGs."
The Last Jedi Has Second Biggest Opening of All Time
Star Wars: The Last Jedi enjoyed a strong first weekend at the domestic box office, placing first with an estimated $220 million.
Not only did The Last Jedi eclipse its projected $200 million domestic debut and have the biggest opening of 2017—soaring well past Beauty and the Beast's $174.8 million debut—the film had the second biggest opening of all time, trailing only Star Wars: The Force Awakens' $248 million domestic debut in 2015. The Last Jedi opened significantly ahead of 2016's Star Wars release, with Rogue One debuting to $155.1 million last December.
Get Xbox One X With PUBG and Four Free Games for £450
Last Jedi: Why Benicio Del Toro’s Character Is Named DJ
Warning: There are SPOILERS ahead for Star Wars: The Last Jedi! If you haven't seen the movie yet then bookmark this page and come back and read it when you have!
Still here? OK, you've been warned ...
Newly published tie-in books for Star Wars: The Last Jedi reveal why Benicio Del Toro's character is nicknamed "DJ." The shady character is a "slicer" (hacker) enlisted by Finn and Rose in Canto Bight.
The Star Wars The Last Jedi The Visual Dictionary reveals "DJ" aren't his initials but actually stands for "Don't Join." Indeed, his cap bears a tin plate with the motto "don't join" stamped on it.