Monthly Archives: November 2021

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Birds of Prey’s Broadcast Cable Version Was ‘Mistakenly Added’ to HBO Max and the Unedited Version Will Return

Update (11/26/21) - A Warner Bros. spokesperson has confirmed that the broadcast cable version of Birds of Prey was "mistakenly added to the service," and that "the unedited original version will be available on HBO Max instead."

The original story follows.

The HBO Max version of Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) has apparently been censored from the original version that was found on the streamer and in theaters.

As reported by ComicBook.com, HBO Max subscribers that start the DC film are greeted with a message saying, "This film has been modified as follows from its original version: it has been edited for content."

Birds of Prey is rated R and features language and violence throughout the film. As ComicBook.com notes, "one scene featuring Rosie Perez's Detective Montoya sees a phrase on her shirt being clearly edited, confirming the censoring of the outing." The movie that stars both Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor now boasts a TV-14 rating.

ComicBook.com also writes that this wasn't the first time a streamer has offered a "tamer version of the film," as Netflix had the TV edit of Back to the Future II for a while before it was corrected.

"The blame is on Universal who somehow furnished Netflix an edited version of the movie," writer Bob Gale told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. "I learned about it some 10 days ago from an eagle-eyed fan, and had the studio rectify the error. The version now running is the uncensored, unedited, original version."

Whether this was a mistake or otherwise remains to be seen, but we will update this story if the original version is restored.

Birds of Prey being brought down to TV-14 is somewhat of a big deal as it was the first DCEU title to be rated R beside the "Ultimate Edition" of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Following Birds of Prey, Zack Snyder's Justice League and The Suicide Squad both also earned an R rating.

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.

Birds of Prey Has Been Censored on HBO Max

The HBO Max version of Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) has apparently been censored from the original version that was found on the streamer and in theaters.

As reported by ComicBook.com, HBO Max subscribers that start the DC film are greeted with a message saying, "This film has been modified as follows from its original version: it has been edited for content."

Birds of Prey is rated R and features language and violence throughout the film. As ComicBook.com notes, "one scene featuring Rosie Perez's Detective Montoya sees a phrase on her shirt being clearly edited, confirming the censoring of the outing." The movie that stars both Margot Robbie and Ewan McGregor now boasts a TV-14 rating.

ComicBook.com also writes that this wasn't the first time a streamer has offered a "tamer version of the film," as Netflix had the TV edit of Back to the Future II for a while before it was corrected.

"The blame is on Universal who somehow furnished Netflix an edited version of the movie," writer Bob Gale told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. "I learned about it some 10 days ago from an eagle-eyed fan, and had the studio rectify the error. The version now running is the uncensored, unedited, original version."

Whether this was a mistake or otherwise remains to be seen, but we will update this story if the original version is restored.

Birds of Prey being brought down to TV-14 is somewhat of a big deal as it was the first DCEU title to be rated R beside the "Ultimate Edition" of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Following Birds of Prey, Zack Snyder's Justice League and The Suicide Squad both also earned an R rating.

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.

Nick Fury Is the Latest Marvel Character to Join Fortnite

While it may not be Samuel L. Jackson (yet!), Marvel's Nick Fury has arrived in Fortnite as part of a S.H.I.E.L.D. Set in the game's Item Shop.

Announced by The Fortnite Team, Nick Fury - the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. - has sneaked onto Fortnite's Island to "root out Cube corruption."

Alongside the Nick Fury Outfit, fans will also be able to pick up other Marvel-themed items in the Item Shop, including the F.I.E.L.D. Pack Back Bling. The full list of items, with their official descriptions from Fortnite, are as follows;

  • F.I.E.L.D. Pack Back Bling - Just the thing for Front-line Infiltration, Espionage, and Long-term Deployment.
  • Director's Scythe Pickaxe - Has sliced through many armored hulls.
  • First-Strike Infiltration Glider - Lets out a blue flame and emblazoned with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s logo.

Players have the option to purchase the Outfit (which comes with the Back Bling), Pickaxe, and Glider individually or as a complete set in the Nick Fury Bundle. Those who opt for the bundle will also unlock the Quinjets in Flight Loading Screen.

Fury arrives just as Fortnite's Chapter 2 is set to come to a close. This ending will see players facing off against The Cube Queen in a one-time-only in-game event called "The End."

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.

Nick Fury Is the Latest Marvel Character to Join Fortnite

While it may not be Samuel L. Jackson (yet!), Marvel's Nick Fury has arrived in Fortnite as part of a S.H.I.E.L.D. Set in the game's Item Shop.

Announced by The Fortnite Team, Nick Fury - the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. - has sneaked onto Fortnite's Island to "root out Cube corruption."

Alongside the Nick Fury Outfit, fans will also be able to pick up other Marvel-themed items in the Item Shop, including the F.I.E.L.D. Pack Back Bling. The full list of items, with their official descriptions from Fortnite, are as follows;

  • F.I.E.L.D. Pack Back Bling - Just the thing for Front-line Infiltration, Espionage, and Long-term Deployment.
  • Director's Scythe Pickaxe - Has sliced through many armored hulls.
  • First-Strike Infiltration Glider - Lets out a blue flame and emblazoned with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s logo.

Players have the option to purchase the Outfit (which comes with the Back Bling), Pickaxe, and Glider individually or as a complete set in the Nick Fury Bundle. Those who opt for the bundle will also unlock the Quinjets in Flight Loading Screen.

Fury arrives just as Fortnite's Chapter 2 is set to come to a close. This ending will see players facing off against The Cube Queen in a one-time-only in-game event called "The End."

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.

Fans Think Zack Snyder May Have Teased His Next DC Movie Project

Justice League director Zack Snyder has shared a video that some fans think means he’s taking on another DC movie project.

The clip, which was posted to social media site Vero, shows a thanksgiving turkey with the simple caption: “Thankful”. However, it’s what’s shown in the background that has Justice League fans convinced the director will be returning for another movie.

Sat on the kitchen counter in the background is what appears to be a copy of DC’s Absolute Final Crisis, coupled with a pair of notebooks.

That may not be much to go on, but DC fans are convinced this is teasing a Final Crisis film project – especially since Clay Staub, second-unit director on Zack Snyder’s Justice League, recently tweeted an image (via comicbook.com) of Darkseid and Desaad with the words “Let it begin…”.

Final Crisis was launched in 2008 – a seven issue miniseries by Grant Morrison. This crossover event featured Darkseid heavily, who successfully uses the Anti-Life Equation to enslave millions of humans on Earth, before his defeat at the hands of DC’s heroes.

Both Darkseid and Desaad have roles to play in Final Crisis, making Staub’s sketch particularly interesting. However, Staub later clarified that his drawings were simply something he did while watching the Snyder Cut. Even with that clarification, the timing seems suspicious to some DC fans.

Of course, Zack Snyder was said to be finished with the DC Universe after releasing Zack Snyder’s Justice League, otherwise known as the Snyder Cut. However, earlier sequel plans for Justice League 2 would have involved Superman succumbing to the Anti-Life Equation – a plot that’s in some ways similar to DC’s Final Crisis.

Ultimately, there’s nothing to get excited about – at least, not yet. The video released by Snyder is a long way from any kind of official announcement, and it’s also likely that it’s just a coincidence… or even the director having a bit of fun with his fans.

After all, Snyder previously stated that Warner Bros. has been aggressively against his take on DC’s superheros. Warner CEO Ann Sarnoff also confirmed that the studio has no plans to expand Snyder’s Justice League. So, it seems unlikely that Snyder will return to the DCEU.

Even if his thanksgiving turkey suggests otherwise.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Zachary Levi Thinks Failing to Get Into Guardians of the Galaxy Got Him Shazam Starring Role

Zachary Levi, the actor who has played both Shazam in the DCEU and Fandral in the MCU, discussed that he believes his failed audition to play Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy may have led to him actually winning the role of Shazam.

As reported by Slashfilm, Levi was a guest on The Playlist's podcast The Fourth Wall and he shared that he got far into the audition process for Star-Lord after his friend and GotG director James Gunn asked him to read for the character. Unfortunately, according to Levi, the role was always Chris Pratt's to lose.

"James and I knew each other, we were friends, we would have game nights at each other's homes, had a lot of mutual friends," Levi said. "And so he had asked me to come in and read for Star-Lord, and I did, and then that led to the next step, and then all of a sudden I was camera testing.

"Oh man, I wanted that role so bad, like so, so, so, so bad. It came down to me, one other guy, and Chris Pratt, but Chris was always their favorite and he was hesitant to take it, which is understandable, I mean it's a big franchise thing, it's Marvel, does it work out, does it not work out? Is this what everyone is going to know me as for the rest of my life? All of those things that go through your head."

While he obviously did not get the role and lost to the actor who will soon be lending his voice to Mario in Super Mario: The Movie, the process led him on the path to another big win.

"But eventually, and I think smartly, [Pratt] decided to take the job and so it didn't go my way or anyone else's way for that matter, but I hoped I left enough of a good impression with James that when I was auditioning for 'Shazam,' and his very dear friend, and manager, and sometimes producing partner, Peter Safran, calls up James because this is how our industry works," Levi said.

"Fortunately, I was in good standing with James, I try to be in good standing with as many people as I can be and try to be a decent person, and I think between that and how well James thought I did in the Star-Lord test, he said, 'Yeah man, you really should give Zach an opportunity at this. I really think he could be great.'

"Was that the thing that sent it all over for me? I don't know that, but I'm sure it was part of that conversation, absolutely. I'm indebted to James that he would believe in me enough to remember that and pass that info on."

Thanks to this, Levi is now finishing up Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Pratt is working on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - two films that are set to be released in theaters on June 2, 2023 and May 5, 2023, respectively.

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.

Xbox Knows It Needs to Improve Its Video Capture and Sharing Features

Jason Ronald, Xbox's director of project management, has both acknowledged that the Xbox Series X/S' video capture and sharing features still have a long way to go while also confirming it is a priority for the team to get them right.

As reported by VGC, Ronald was speaking on the Iron Lords podcast and was asked if the company was still focused on improving Xbox Series X/S' Game DVR/in-game recording capabilities.

“I will definitely say that Game DVR is the one area – the capture and share experience – that I wish we were able to make more progress [on] this year than we were able to,” Ronald replied. “It is definitely a priority for us.

“We definitely hear the feedback. We have made some changes and we have made some improvements to the reliability and the quality of the captures but we know we still have work to do here. So that is definitely a priority for us and something that we’re going to continue to iterate on."

Ronald also recommended that people check out the Xbox Insider program, as that is where the team tests out new features and improvements and is a great place to have their feedback heard.

“You know, the best thing I can recommend is if you’re not in the [Xbox] Insider rings, get on the Insider rings, so that as we bring new capabilities and improvements, we want that feedback to know where we’re meeting the bar, and where we’re not meeting the bar," Ronald said. “But definitely, message heard, and like I said, it’s definitely an area that I wish we're able to make more progress this year than we did but it will definitely be a priority for 2022.”

Ronald shared that the team had heard the complaints back in January 2021 and, as with many things, these problems can take some time to solve.

For more on Xbox, check out all the best Xbox Games and Accessories Black Friday deals and the wonderful Xbox Virtual Museum Exhibit that shows your history with the platform. Additionally, it also contains the letter Microsoft sent to Nintendo when it tried to purchase the company in 1999.

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.

Babylon’s Fall Contains Gear and Emotes ‘Borrowed’ From Final Fantasy 14

Babylon's Fall, the upcoming online fantasy RPG from Platinum Games and Square Enix contains a range of gear and emotes 'borrowed' from Final Fantasy 14.

During a recent closed beta for Babylon's Fall, a number of players noticed that the game's armour sported some similar looks to the Final Fantasy MMO. Following speculation, producer Yosuke Saito confirmed the connection in an update post, confirming that not only had Babylon's Fall borrowed a number of assets from FF14 but also that this came following an offer from Final Fantasy 14's director Naoki Yoshida.

"To get straight to the point: yes, Babylon's Fall contains gear and emote data borrowed from Final Fantasy 14," confirms Saito in the post. "When I gave my Babylon's Fall presentation at a company meeting, Final Fantasy 14 Producer & Director Naoki Yoshida was also in attendance and offered his help, to which I replied, “Yes, please!” This is how the plan came to fruition. We then carefully implemented the data while closely coordinating with the Final Fantasy XIV team."

Saito says that by borrowing data from FF14, the team has been able to add a far greater range of gear and emotes to Babylon's Fall than originally planned. That being said, the producer was also keen to point out that the majority of the gear sets that players will be able to obtain in-game are unique to Babylon's Fall itself.

"The data borrowed from Final Fantasy 14 was used for gear from the introduction to mid-level range of the game, which is why they were so prevalent in the Closed Beta Test," concluded Saito before apologising for any concerns that players may have felt following their recent hands-on experience with the game.

Elsewhere in the post, Yoshida gave his thoughts on Babylon's Fall borrowing assets from FF14. After stating that he was "kind of jealous" not to be making a hardcore action-based hack and slash game himself, the FF14 director noted that "preparing all of the gear variations needed for the gameplay [would be] really difficult."

"So, I said, 'Let’s use FFXIV’s assets too. We have so many, it’d be a shame to limit them to FFX14 alone,' and that’s how it all started," explains Yoshida in the post. The director then goes on to confirm that the use of any FF14 assets in Babylon's Fall would be "fully supervised" by the Final Fantasy 14 team while also admitting that at the time, he didn't think it would become such a hot topic.

For more on Babylon's Fall make sure to check out our preview of the game in which we discuss some of the factors which have contributed to its rough start to life. Alternatively, you can watch the interview below to hear more about the game from its development team.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

YouTuber Offers a $10,000 Reward to Anyone Who Creates a Multiplayer Mod for Zelda: Breath of the Wild

A YouTuber has offered a ten thousand dollar reward to anyone who can successfully create a multiplayer mod for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The content creator, who goes by the YouTube handle PointCrow and runs a channel featuring a range of Zelda-based content, has announced a five-figure reward on Twitter for anyone who can make a Breath of the Wild multiplayer mod.

While cash promises can often be found around social media, it seems that PointCrow is pretty serious when it comes to getting the mod made. Alongside a tweet notifying fans of the mod-based bounty, the creator has laid out a number of stipulations that people must follow in order to claim the prize.

While a full list of terms and conditions can be found in the tweet above, highlights include the fact that the mod must be playable anywhere on the map, grant PoinCrow access to the mod exclusively a week or two prior to release and be free to play for anyone who wishes to access it. Initially, the terms of the bounty also stated that the mod would need to host multiplayer for up to four people, however, in a recent update to the terms, PointCrow lowered this requirement meaning that it now only needs to support two players.

For those hoping to claim the $10,000 reward, it should be noted that PointCrow has also stipulated that the mod must be finished at least two months before the release date of Breath of the Wild's sequel. As Breath of the Wild 2 is currently aiming for a release window sometime in 2022, technically that means the bounty could already have expired - though it's far more likely that you've got a good few months still left on the clock.

For more quirky Breath of the Wild news, make sure to check out this piece detailing the altered take on Google Street View that one software developer created for the game. Alternatively, if you'd like to find out the latest on Breath of the Wild 2, you can switch over to our dedicated IGN page for the game.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Cricket 22 Delayed Because of Sex Scandal

Developer Big Ant has delayed Cricket 22 to swap out one of the game's cover stars, following a sex scandal involving the athlete.

As reported by Kotaku, the sports game developer was set to include Australian Cricketer Tim Paine on the cover of this year's cricketing title but has taken the decision to remove his image following the emergence of a sex scandal, after the star was revealed to have sent "lewd messages" and a picture of his genitals to a former female colleague.

Big Ant posted a statement to Twitter earlier this week confirming that it was delaying the game from November 25 to December 2. "Unfortunately, factors beyond our control have meant that we need to update the game’s cover art, other visuals, and team lists," the studio confirmed on Twitter before confirming the game's new release date.

The incident between Paine and his former female colleague is reported to have taken place back in 2017. Following an investigation in 2018, Paine was cleared of wrongdoing by cricketing authority Cricket Tasmania, which determined that the incident involving the cricketer and his colleague had been "consensual". However, after it emerged that the texts were due to be revealed publicly, Paine stepped down as captain of the Australian men's cricket team last week.

Per the BBC, Paine subsequently said, "Although exonerated, I deeply regretted this incident at the time and still do today." Despite Paine no longer captaining the side, he is set to play in the team's upcoming Ashes test series against England in December.

Following the announcement of the game's delay, Big Ant has confirmed that fellow Australian Cricket star Pat Cummins will replace Paine on the cover. Cummins will be joined alongside Australian woman's team captain Meg Lanning, who was already set for the cover.

For more on Cricket 22, make sure to check out this article detailing the different tournaments coming to the series this time around.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

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