Vin Diesel will star in a new live-action film based on Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, the latest in the burgeoning list of films based on classic children's toys. According to a report by Variety, the story will follow a father, played by Diesel, who forms a bond with a fighting robot alongside his son. If that sounds oddly familiar, it may be because 2011's Real Steel had basically the same plot. Real Steel was joking called a Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots film when it was first released, but the film starring Diesel will be the real deal. Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots is a two-player boxing game first introduced in 1964. It features two boxing robots — Red Rocker and Blue Bomber — who punch one another until the loser's head pops off. A video Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots video game was released in 2006. It was extremely bad. Diesel's new Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots movie is a part of a broader trend of children's games being adapted into movies going back to at least 2012 when Universal Pictures released Battleship. Battleship lost an estimated $83 million for Universal, but that hasn't stopped Mattel from developing a string of films based on properties like Uno and Barbie. In the meantime, Vin Diesel continues to be quite busy these days. F9, the latest entry in the Fast & Furious series, is set to release in May, and Diesel is also attached to an animated series based on Ark: Survival Evolved. Kevin McKeon will lead the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots project for Mattel Films. Ryan Engle, who wrote Rampage, is writing the screenplay. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN. She saw Real Steel on a plane once and actually liked it quite a bit.

Extremely OK Games, the developer of Celeste, has teased its next game and it's a pixel art, 2D "explor-action" game called Earthblade. Extremely OK Games' Maddy Thorson released a blog post today all about Earthblade and the team is referring to the announcement as a "vibe reveal." The reason the team went with "vibe reveal" is because it "didn't want to reveal much about the game or its story yet," but it thinks this reveal will establish "the world and feeling of being in it." [caption id="attachment_2502336" align="alignnone" width="720"] Earthblade Teaser Poster, Photo Credit: Extremely Ok Games[/caption]   The vibes, as it were, come by way of a new teaser poster, which you can view above, and a track from the game's soundtrack, which is being composed by Celeste composer Lena Raine. You can listen to that track here. Thorson says the "air of mystery" surrounding this vibe reveal works well for the game, which is why Extremely OK Games has opted to save details about the game's story and more for a "big reveal that will hopefully blow your socks off." As for what is known, however, it took the team four different prototypes to "find Earthblade," according to the blog post. It's not mentioned in Thorson's blog post, but if you click the link to their teaser poster embedded in the post, it takes you to a page that calls Earthblade "a 2D explor-action game in a seamless pixel art world." It also says it's coming in 20XX — at least we know it's coming this century. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-platformers-of-2020&captions=true"] The team originally hoped for the game to be released sooner than five years from their last release, which Thorson remarks is how long it took for Celeste to come out after TowerFall, but "now it sounds optimistic to say out loud that Earthblade could be released within five short years of Celeste." Extremely OK Games doesn't know how long it will take for Earthblade to come out, but it does know that "it will take as long as it takes...and that it will take a long time." "I can see the general shape of it, and I feel really good about where it's going," Thorson writes. "Now it's our job to turn this ephemeral, pristine mind-object into a real, imperfect and human actual-object. We'll be here, slowly grinding away at that task every day. We really hope that at the end of this, some of you will enjoy what we make." While waiting for Earthblade to release, check out this surprise semi-sequel to Celeste and then read our thoughts on the original Celeste in IGN's review of the game. If you haven't played Celeste yet and are planning to jump in, head to IGN's Celeste Wiki Guide for tips, tricks, walkthroughs, and more. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. He loves Celeste and is very excited for Earthblade. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.   

Extremely OK Games, the developer of Celeste, has teased its next game and it's a pixel art, 2D "explor-action" game called Earthblade. Extremely OK Games' Maddy Thorson released a blog post today all about Earthblade and the team is referring to the announcement as a "vibe reveal." The reason the team went with "vibe reveal" is because it "didn't want to reveal much about the game or its story yet," but it thinks this reveal will establish "the world and feeling of being in it." [caption id="attachment_2502336" align="alignnone" width="720"] Earthblade Teaser Poster, Photo Credit: Extremely Ok Games[/caption]   The vibes, as it were, come by way of a new teaser poster, which you can view above, and a track from the game's soundtrack, which is being composed by Celeste composer Lena Raine. You can listen to that track here. Thorson says the "air of mystery" surrounding this vibe reveal works well for the game, which is why Extremely OK Games has opted to save details about the game's story and more for a "big reveal that will hopefully blow your socks off." As for what is known, however, it took the team four different prototypes to "find Earthblade," according to the blog post. It's not mentioned in Thorson's blog post, but if you click the link to their teaser poster embedded in the post, it takes you to a page that calls Earthblade "a 2D explor-action game in a seamless pixel art world." It also says it's coming in 20XX — at least we know it's coming this century. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-platformers-of-2020&captions=true"] The team originally hoped for the game to be released sooner than five years from their last release, which Thorson remarks is how long it took for Celeste to come out after TowerFall, but "now it sounds optimistic to say out loud that Earthblade could be released within five short years of Celeste." Extremely OK Games doesn't know how long it will take for Earthblade to come out, but it does know that "it will take as long as it takes...and that it will take a long time." "I can see the general shape of it, and I feel really good about where it's going," Thorson writes. "Now it's our job to turn this ephemeral, pristine mind-object into a real, imperfect and human actual-object. We'll be here, slowly grinding away at that task every day. We really hope that at the end of this, some of you will enjoy what we make." While waiting for Earthblade to release, check out this surprise semi-sequel to Celeste and then read our thoughts on the original Celeste in IGN's review of the game. If you haven't played Celeste yet and are planning to jump in, head to IGN's Celeste Wiki Guide for tips, tricks, walkthroughs, and more. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. He loves Celeste and is very excited for Earthblade. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.   

Lady Dimitrescu, the gigantic vampire lady who's amassed a fandom ahead of Resident Evil 8, will seemingly be a version of the Resident Evil games' stalker enemies. In our exclusive hands-on with the first 5 hours of the game, we discovered that Lady Dimitrescu (and her three daughters) will be patrolling the game's Castle area at all times, and in real-time. Oh, and as if her reach isn't already good enough, she has giant claws, too. As she roams the castle – which, of course, is designed like a maze – she'll laugh if she spots you, and stride towards you, slowly but surely, extracting her claws to strike. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/18/resident-evil-village-22-minutes-of-the-village-demo-gameplay-full-playthrough"] The experience looks to be a mixture of the Baker family in Resident Evil 7, and the imposing size and relentlessness of Mr. X in the Resident Evil 2 remake – and that's to say nothing of the Dimitrescu sisters, who'll eventually offer mini-boss fights to remove them. While Dimitrescu's imposing height makes her more of an "in-your-face" kind of fear, her daughters are more agile and elusive. This makes them terrifying differently because they have a tendency of sneaking up on you when you least expect it. Stalking enemies in Resident Evil are a hallmark of the series and stretch all the way back to the original game. Lady Dimitrescu stands out, literally. Jokes aside, despite Dimitrescu's popularity on the web you still best be keeping away from her and her daughters if you want to survive your time in Resident Evil Village. Getting caught over and over again will really mess with your speedrun. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=resident-evil-village-the-evolution-of-lady-dimitrescu-and-her-daughters&captions=true"] Check out IGN's full hands-on Resident Evil Village preview for our take after five full hours dodging Lady Dimitrescu. And check out the rest of our IGN First coverage for Resident Evil. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor.

Lady Dimitrescu, the gigantic vampire lady who's amassed a fandom ahead of Resident Evil 8, will seemingly be a version of the Resident Evil games' stalker enemies. In our exclusive hands-on with the first 5 hours of the game, we discovered that Lady Dimitrescu (and her three daughters) will be patrolling the game's Castle area at all times, and in real-time. Oh, and as if her reach isn't already good enough, she has giant claws, too. As she roams the castle – which, of course, is designed like a maze – she'll laugh if she spots you, and stride towards you, slowly but surely, extracting her claws to strike. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/18/resident-evil-village-22-minutes-of-the-village-demo-gameplay-full-playthrough"] The experience looks to be a mixture of the Baker family in Resident Evil 7, and the imposing size and relentlessness of Mr. X in the Resident Evil 2 remake – and that's to say nothing of the Dimitrescu sisters, who'll eventually offer mini-boss fights to remove them. While Dimitrescu's imposing height makes her more of an "in-your-face" kind of fear, her daughters are more agile and elusive. This makes them terrifying differently because they have a tendency of sneaking up on you when you least expect it. Stalking enemies in Resident Evil are a hallmark of the series and stretch all the way back to the original game. Lady Dimitrescu stands out, literally. Jokes aside, despite Dimitrescu's popularity on the web you still best be keeping away from her and her daughters if you want to survive your time in Resident Evil Village. Getting caught over and over again will really mess with your speedrun. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=resident-evil-village-the-evolution-of-lady-dimitrescu-and-her-daughters&captions=true"] Check out IGN's full hands-on Resident Evil Village preview for our take after five full hours dodging Lady Dimitrescu. And check out the rest of our IGN First coverage for Resident Evil. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor.

EA has officially revealed Apex Legends Mobile alongside announcing that it will be kicking off the first regional beta tests later this month. Apex Legends game director Chad Grenier shared the news in a blog, confirming that Apex Legends Mobile is a new version of the game that is "specially designed for touchscreens, with streamlined controls and thoughtful optimizations that result in the most advanced battle royale combat available on a phone." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=apex-legends-mobile-screenshots&captions=true"] The regional beta tests will begin with "a few thousand players in India and the Philippines," and the team will be rolling it out to many more players throughout the year. The beta will begin on Android phones only, but iOS support is planned. Once the tests are "ready to go broader," EA will launch a page that allows players to pre-register for the game and sign up for further updates. Since Apex Legends Mobile is being designed as a new game, it will not feature cross-play with other versions of the game, but it will be free-to-play. It will also have separate Battle Passes, collectible cosmetics, and unlockables unique from other versions. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/22/apex-legends-the-story-so-far"] EA CEO Andrew Wilson previously discussed at an EA Fireside Chat that Apex Legends Mobile was being planned for a soft launch in 2020, and while it's a bit delayed, Apex Legends fans will soon have a new way to play the battle royale. EA also confirmed that Apex Legends Mobile's development is lead by a dedicated team at Respawn in collaboration with "the established Apex Legends team and other partners." This news follows the announcement of a new Apex Legends hero, Valkyrie, who is the daughter of a Titanfall pilot. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/19/apex-legends-stories-from-the-outlands-northstar-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

EA has officially revealed Apex Legends Mobile alongside announcing that it will be kicking off the first regional beta tests later this month. Apex Legends game director Chad Grenier shared the news in a blog, confirming that Apex Legends Mobile is a new version of the game that is "specially designed for touchscreens, with streamlined controls and thoughtful optimizations that result in the most advanced battle royale combat available on a phone." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=apex-legends-mobile-screenshots&captions=true"] The regional beta tests will begin with "a few thousand players in India and the Philippines," and the team will be rolling it out to many more players throughout the year. The beta will begin on Android phones only, but iOS support is planned. Once the tests are "ready to go broader," EA will launch a page that allows players to pre-register for the game and sign up for further updates. Since Apex Legends Mobile is being designed as a new game, it will not feature cross-play with other versions of the game, but it will be free-to-play. It will also have separate Battle Passes, collectible cosmetics, and unlockables unique from other versions. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/22/apex-legends-the-story-so-far"] EA CEO Andrew Wilson previously discussed at an EA Fireside Chat that Apex Legends Mobile was being planned for a soft launch in 2020, and while it's a bit delayed, Apex Legends fans will soon have a new way to play the battle royale. EA also confirmed that Apex Legends Mobile's development is lead by a dedicated team at Respawn in collaboration with "the established Apex Legends team and other partners." This news follows the announcement of a new Apex Legends hero, Valkyrie, who is the daughter of a Titanfall pilot. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/19/apex-legends-stories-from-the-outlands-northstar-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Sony has changed its decision and will now be keeping the PlayStation Store operational for PS3 and PS Vita devices. As detailed on PlayStation.Blog, this is a reversal from its announcement in March 2021 that it would be closing down the PlayStation Store for PS3 and PSP on July 2, 2021, and the PSN store for the Vita on August 27, 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/29/sony-confirms-its-shutting-down-playstation-stores-for-legacy-consoles"] In a letter to the community, Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan said that it was "clear that we made the wrong decision here," and that the stores for PS3 and PS Vita will continue to live on. However, PSP commerce functionality will still end on July 2, 2021. "When we initially came to the decision to end purchasing support for PS3 and PS Vita, it was born out of a number of factors, including commerce support challenges for older devices and the ability for us to focus more of our resources on newer devices where a majority of our gamers are playing on," Ryan wrote. "We see now that many of you are incredibly passionate about being able to continue purchasing classic games on PS3 and PS Vita for the foreseeable future, so I’m glad we were able to find a solution to continue operations. "I’m glad that we can keep this piece of our history alive for gamers to enjoy, while we continue to create cutting-edge new game worlds for PS4, PS5, and the next generation of VR. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us – we’re always listening and appreciate the support from our PlayStation community." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/03/04/igns-top-25-playstation-vita-games-spring-2015"] Sony's change of course is similar to Microsoft's decision to not change Xbox Live Gold pricing following outcry from the community, and is great news for those who still use these systems and for the preservation of video game history. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Sony has changed its decision and will now be keeping the PlayStation Store operational for PS3 and PS Vita devices. As detailed on PlayStation.Blog, this is a reversal from its announcement in March 2021 that it would be closing down the PlayStation Store for PS3 and PSP on July 2, 2021, and the PSN store for the Vita on August 27, 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/29/sony-confirms-its-shutting-down-playstation-stores-for-legacy-consoles"] In a letter to the community, Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan said that it was "clear that we made the wrong decision here," and that the stores for PS3 and PS Vita will continue to live on. However, PSP commerce functionality will still end on July 2, 2021. "When we initially came to the decision to end purchasing support for PS3 and PS Vita, it was born out of a number of factors, including commerce support challenges for older devices and the ability for us to focus more of our resources on newer devices where a majority of our gamers are playing on," Ryan wrote. "We see now that many of you are incredibly passionate about being able to continue purchasing classic games on PS3 and PS Vita for the foreseeable future, so I’m glad we were able to find a solution to continue operations. "I’m glad that we can keep this piece of our history alive for gamers to enjoy, while we continue to create cutting-edge new game worlds for PS4, PS5, and the next generation of VR. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us – we’re always listening and appreciate the support from our PlayStation community." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/03/04/igns-top-25-playstation-vita-games-spring-2015"] Sony's change of course is similar to Microsoft's decision to not change Xbox Live Gold pricing following outcry from the community, and is great news for those who still use these systems and for the preservation of video game history. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The standalone Flash movie has begun day one of production, and has a new logo. On Instagram, director Andy Muschietti wrote, "Here we go!!! THE FLASH Day 1", and posted a short visualisation of the new Flash logo appearing. It's a major milestone for The Flash movie, which has undergone many, many changes since being announced in 2014. While Ezra Miller has always been attached in the lead role, the movie has lost two directors, been delayed, got a complete rewrite, and been involved in an acrimonious bust-up between Warner Bros. and Cyborg actor Ray Fisher. The cast includes Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash, Sasha Calle as Supergirl, Michael Keaton returning as Batman (although the actor is assessing the COVID pandemic), Ben Affleck as a whole other Batman, and, reportedly, Ron Livingston as Barry Allen's father, replacing Billy Cudrup who played Allen's dad in Justice League.. Touted as a version of the classic DC Flashpoint story, the story will apparently "restart everything" in the DC cinematic universe. "It's going to be fun and exciting and there are a lot of DC characters in it," said producer Barbara Muschietti. "Flash is the superhero of this film because he is the bridge between all of these characters and timelines. And in a way, it restarts everything and doesn't forget anything." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-flash-movies-possible-dceu-cameos&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.