Monthly Archives: April 2018
343 Lays Out Upcoming Halo: Master Chief Collection Changes
343 has explained some of the coming changes set to hit the Halo: Master Chief Collection in the near future.
Detailed in a Halo Waypoint developer update, the planned changes follow what was promised late last year and include public flighting which is essentially releasing unfinished builds for testing to some members of the Master Chief Collection insider program.
The Master Chief Collection has had matchmaking issues since its release and the first public flight is set to test new matchmaking updates added to Halo 2's Team Slayer mode on a few maps. To be included in these tests, players do not need to own a copy of the Master Chief Collection as it is a standalone download, but owning the game will increase your chances of being selected.
xXx 4 in the works With Vin Diesel
xXx 4 is in the works, with Vin Diesel set to reprise his role as Xander Cage.
The H Collective and Diesel’s production company One Race Films acquired the rights to the franchise from Revolution Studios, with the latter retaining its rights to the first three movies. Production on xXx 4 will begin this December.
D.J. Caruso, who directed 2017's xXx: Return of Xander Cage, is returning to helm the new entry. Joe Roth, Samantha Vincent, Jeff Kirschenbaum, and Diesel are producing. Not much about the film's plot is currently known, as well as who'll be starring alongside Diesel.
The xXx franchise, which also includes 2002’s xXx and 2005’s xXx: State of the Union, has grossed nearly $1 billion worldwide.
Netflix is Now Bigger Than Warner Bros., Fox, Sony
Netflix is now one of the eight largest media conglomerates after their market cap soared to $146 billion.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streaming services' good fortune is due to the 7.14 million new subscribers the company acquired in its first quarter. Netflix's impressive new market cap overshadows five other major players in the industry:
Time Warner (Warner Bros.) - $76 billion
21st Century Fox - $70 billion
New Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Poster
Arrow Gets New Showrunner as Marc Guggenheim Steps Back
Arrow has named its new showrunner as co-creator Marc Guggenheim takes a step back from the series.
Deadline reports Beth Schwartz, who started as a writer's assistant on Season 1, is set to be the new showrunner for Season 7. Current co-showrunner Wendy Mericle will depart after the end of Season 6, with fellow co-showrunner Guggenheim transitioning into an executive consultant role.
Guggenheim is also taking a step back on the other series he's been co-showrunning, DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Phil Klemmer, who's currently co-showrunner on Legends of Tomorrow, will serve as the sole showrunner for the fourth season.
How Fortnite Became the Biggest Game in the World – IGN Expert Mode
About 45 million people have played Fortnite Battle Royale, and well over half a million have tuned in to watch the game on Twitch... concurrently. Not bad for a mode that came together at the drop of a hat. I sat down with design lead Eric Williamson at Epic Games who told me the story of Fortnite Battle Royale's blisteringly fast initial development, and how the team has iterated and adapted to keep the growing fanbase satiated ever since.
Some of Willaimson's design philosophies might come as a surprise, for example, Epic has no plans at this time to add a second map. But as you'll hear below, behind every perplexing design decision is a logical and well-informed explanation that betrays a great aptitude and understanding of the Battle Royale space. When you consider the talent, work ethic, and willingness to communicate present in the team behind Fortnite Battle Royale, its success isn't all that baffling.
Spielberg May Direct DC Movie Blackhawk
Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. are teaming up for a film adaptation of DC's Blackhawk.
DC revealed Spielberg is intended to direct Blackhawk, with Jurassic Park writer David Koepp on board to write the screenplay. Koepp has collaborated with Spielberg before, including on The Lost World: Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Spielberg will also produce the film for Amblin.
Star Wars: Episode 9 Will Reportedly Bring Back This Legacy Character
POTENTIAL SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS: EPISODE IX FOLLOW:
Star Wars: Episode IX will reportedly bring back a beloved legacy character.
NY Daily News reports everyone's favorite Jedi Master Yoda will return as a Force ghost to mentor and share some precious words of wisdom with Rey (Daisy Ridley). According to NY Daily News' source, Yoda's scenes in The Last Jedi were very successful.
"Yoda will again appear as a ghost as he acknowledges Rey's success and growth as a Jedi,” the sourced told NY Daily News. “The scenes are due to be put together later this year.”
PUBG Test Server Patch Adds Custom Games Spectator Mode, New Crates, and Weapon Skins
A new patch is coming to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, and it will add custom game spectating, new crates and weapon skins, and a host of bug fixes.
Patch #11 is hitting PUBG test servers soon, and depending on how things go, the update may hit live servers within the week. The live server update schedule will be revealed later, and full details on the patch are available on PUBG's Steam page.
After the update, players will be able to watch ongoing games from the lobby's custom match list. Games which have Public Spectating enabled can be viewed in Custom Match, and private matches can opt to use passwords to allow selective viewership.
Mark Hamill to Guest Star on Big Bang Theory Season Finale
The upcoming Season 11 finale of The Big Bang Theory will guest star a certain Jedi.
CBS has announced that Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, will appear on the finale and will attend Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Amy's (Mayim Bialik) wedding. However, there's no word yet if Hamill will play a character or if he'll star as himself, which is quite common on the CBS comedy show. Bill Gates recently appeared as himself in an episode.
Along with Hamill, other new guest stars include Kathy Bates, Teller of Penn and Teller, and Jerry O’Connell as Sheldon’s older brother, George Jr. Laurie Metcalf will show up once again as Sheldon’s mother and Courtney Henggeler as his twin sister Missy.