Thanks to a "first-of-its-kind" Netflix deal, an exclusive version of the card game Exploding Kittens is launching on the streamer ahead of an animated series.

This will be the first time Netflix will release a mobile game and a TV series from the same franchise and Exploding Kittens - The Game will be released on Netflix in May 2022 and the adult animated comedy series will premiere in 2023.

The animated series, which will be titled Exploding Kittens, is set to star Rush's Tom Ellis, The Boys' Abraham Lim, Elementary's Lucy Liu, Toy Story 4's Ally Maki, What We Do In the Shadows' Mark Proksch, and Woke's Sasheer Zamata.

"The eternal conflict between Heaven and Hell reaches epic proportions when both God and the Devil are sent to Earth - in the bodies of chunky house cats," the official description reads.

Shane Kosakowski and Matthew Inman will serve as Exploding Kittens' showrunners and its executive producers include Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, Dustin Davis, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Elan Lee.

The game will feel very similar to those who have played the card game as it tasks players with avoiding the titular Exploding Kitten. The game will feature two new exclusive cards, Radar and Flip Flop. Radar will reveal the position of the next Exploding Kitten in the deck and Flip Flop will reverse the order the cards are drawn.

Future cards and game mechanics will be added once the series arrives so "friends and families can play with their favorite characters and bring the show to life." Furthermore, the game will feature single and multiplayer modes and will be available to all Netflix members "without additional fees or in-app purchases."

“Netflix is the only service that could bring Exploding Kittens to life in both a series and a game,” said Matthew Inman, Exploding Kittens Chief Creative Officer and Creator of The Oatmeal. “We actually launched Exploding Kittens on Kickstarter as a weekend project, but our community has been the heart and soul of the company over the past six years. The new series and game will give our fans new ways to connect and interact with the franchise.”

Exploding Kittens was brought to life thanks to a Kickstarter in 2015 that raised $8,782,571 - which was well over its inital goal of $10,000. Backers began recieving the game in July 2015 and it was released on iOS/Android in 2016 and on Switch in 2021.

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Portal 1 & 2 co-writer Erik Wolpaw has shared his desire to begin work on Portal 3, but warns it may be tough to actually get it started at Valve.

As reported by VGC, Wolpaw appeared on the Kiwi Talkz podcast and ended his appearance by saying, "we've gotta start Portal 3. That's my message to... to whoever."

He continued to say that he isn't getting younger and that, if Valve wanted to do a Portal 3 with any of the original team members, it should greenlight the project sooner rather than later.

"I am not getting any younger," Wolpaw said. "We are reaching the point where it’s crazy to think [that we’re] literally going to be too old to work on Portal 3, so we should just do it.”

Alongside working on the Portal franchise, Wolpaw has also written on Half-Life 2: Episode One and Two, Left 4 Dead, and Half-Life Alyx, so one would assume that he has some power in convincing Valve to act. Unfortunately, it still isn't that easy. While he admits he'd "love" to work on Portal 3, he understands he can't "make it happen by myself."

"Oh, I could advocate for it […] it might help a little bit, but the problem is [Valve has] 300 employees and I don’t know exactly the breakdown – how many of them are on the production side versus Steam business side versus legal versus whatever," Wolpaw explained.

“So there’s a lot of opportunity cost to taking 75 people and trying to get a game made," he continued. "As much as it seems like Valve often [is] just a bunch of people sitting around sipping gin and tonics by a pool, everybody’s working.

“They’re working all the time, it’s just you don’t always see the [result], it doesn’t always end up coming out, or it comes out years later, it gets turned into something else. So everybody is accounted for, I guess is what I’m saying. People are all doing something.

“So you’d almost have to take them – it’s like a revolution – [and] stir up a bunch of people to leave what they’re currently working on and come work on something else, in this case it would be Portal 3.”

Many, including Wolpaw, agree that Portal 3 would be a moneymaker for Valve. The problem, however, is how much money it could actually make.

"The problem is, you would make money, but what kind of money will you make? Are you gonna make Counter-Strike: GO money? Probably not. But having said that, maybe every game doesn’t need to make Counter-Strike: GO money, you know, Gabe, if you’re listening," Wolpaw said with a smile.

While fans may have to wait a long time for a Portal 3, Switch owners will be able to jump into the legendary series with the Portal: Companion Collection - which includes Portal 1 & 2 - later this year.

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The first trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder has arrived and it features not only the Guardians of the Galaxy, but also our first look at Natalie Portman as The Mighty Thor.

Marvel shared the trailer of Thor: Love and Thunder ahead of its July 8, 2022, theatrical release date, and it has Thor trying to figure out exactly who he is. He also wants to "choose his own path" as he claims his "superheroing days are over."

Perhaps most exciting is the end of the trailer, as it gives us our first look at Natalie Portman as Mighty Thor. As if her introduction wasn't enough, it also shows her calling the reassembled Mjolnir to her and proving she is just as worthy to wield it.

Russell Crowe's Zeus also makes an appearance, but we only see his back and a moment of him catching one of his iconic lightning bolts. Notably absent from the trailer is Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher, but it shouldn't be too long until we see the film's villain in action.

We also know that Thor left with the Guardians of the Galaxy after the events of Avengers: Endgame, and the trailer shows Star-Lord, Drax, Rocket Racoon, Nebula, Mantis, and a Groot who looks like a lanky teenager. Oh, and of course the wonderful King Valkyrie and Korg are there as well, which is always great news.

A new Thor: Love and Thunder poster was also revealed alongside the trailer, and shows Thor calling lightning down from above.

"The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace," the official description reads. "But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods.

"To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who – to Thor’s surprise – inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late."

Thor: Love and Thunder will arrive a bit over two months after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is released in theaters and one month after Ms. Marvel arrives on Disney+.

Yes, Marvel fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming months.

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Atlus has confirmed that Shin Megami Tensei V has sold over one million units worldwide, seemingly making it the best-selling entry in the franchise.

The news was shared on Twitter alongside a special illustration of Nahobino from character designer Masayuki Doi to celebrate the milestone.

Shin Megami Tensei V has sold 1 million units worldwide! ✨

Character Designer Masayuki Doi has created a special illustration to celebrate! Thank you so much for your support! #SMT5 pic.twitter.com/ZDKePUroZS

— Official ATLUS West (@Atlus_West) April 18, 2022

Crossing one million copies appears to make Shin Megami Tensei V the best-selling game in the franchise, as Atlus previously confirmed that 3DS' Shin Megami Tensei IV sold 600,000 units.

The success of SMT5 is another example of franchises finding a massive bump in sales on the Nintendo Switch and it is added to an ever-growing list that includes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's 43.35 million, Animal Crossing: New Horizons' 37.62 million, and so many more.

In our Shin Megami Tensei V review, we said that its "excellent JRPG combat and deeply rewarding customization shine bright, even when it sometimes feels like Persona without the heart."

The Megami Tensei series began all the way back in 1987 with Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, a game that itself was based on a trilogy of science fiction novels by Japanese author Aya Nishitani. Fans of the Persona series owe a lot to Shin Megami Tensei as it was a spin-off from that original franchise.

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A Half-Life 2 mod is in the works that not only swaps Alyx Vance for Star Fox Adventures' Krystal, but it will also have all of Alyx's dialogue replaced by Krystal's original voice actress Estelle Ellis.

As reported by Polygon, Gagnetar created this mod four years ago when he replaced Alyx for Krystal, but he has now taken it one step further by bringing Ellis out of retirement to record brand-new lines for the project.

Gagnetar shared an early look at the mod with Krystal and Ellis' voice in Kleiner's Lab of Half-Life 2 and it shows how the character created for GameCube's Star Fox Adventures fits into this new universe.

On a Krystal fan site, Gagnetar said he is planning on releasing the full mod on September 23, 2022, which just so happens to be the 20th anniversary of Star Fox Adventures. It was also confirmed that some of the lines were rewritten to help Krystal "fit better" into the world.

As for how he made this happen, he shared in the YouTube comments that he had been talking to Ellis off and on for years now that he "decided to just get her a decent microphone and we worked from there."

Ellis also voiced Queen Earthwalker and Mother Thorntail in Star Fox Adventures and appeared in Perfect Dark Zero and Grabbed by the Ghoulies. 2005's Perfect Dark Zero was her last voice acting credit.

Star Fox Adventures was released in 2002 and remains a divisive entry in the long-flying Star Fox series. In our Star Fox Adventures review, we said that it "arrives as a truly excellent 3D action-adventure for GameCube owners. It's a clear Zelda rip, and not quite as good, but that's okay in my book as Rare has still done a pretty good job of it."

If that's not enough for you, be sure to check out the leaked playable version of N64's Dinosaur Planet, which ended up being repurposed into Star Fox Adventures.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda has once again shared his interest in exploring the world of blockchain video games.

As reported and translated by VGC, Matsuda was speaking to Yahoo Japan and shared that focusing on only traditional games would be "not enough" for the company's future. His thoughts revolve around rewarding those players who want to create content for the games they love.

"In the future, we would like to try our hand at providing ‘autonomous game content’,” Matsuda said. “Until now, in most games, we provided the content as a finished product and the players played that content. However, there are a certain number of players in the world who want to contribute to making games more interesting, by creating new settings and ways of playing.”

Matsuda continued to say that, instead of hoping players would only create content for games because it was their passion, he thinks there could be a world where the company can incentivize those who go above and beyond to create something special using "technologies such as blockchain."

“In the future, we want to utilise the power of these people to create games that will continue to evolve," Matsuda said. “If, instead of relying on goodwill, we can also provide incentives to those who contribute to development by utilising technologies such as blockchain, there is a possibility that innovative and interesting content can be created from the ideas of users.”

These comments follow the controversial letter written by Matsuda on New Year's Day 2022 that was all about NFTs, blockchain games, the Metaverse, and more.

At the very least, Final Fantasy 14 director and producer Naoki Yoshida confirmed that he and the team have no intentions of incorporating NFTs into the MMO.

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As Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore won the domestic weekend box office with a Harry Potter franchise-low $43 million, The Batman has soared to over $750 million globally.

As reported by Variety, Fantastic Beasts 3 continues the downward trend that began after the original Fantastic Beasts was released and followed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2's $169 million opening.

The first film brought in $74 million, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald earned $62 million, and now the third entry has brought that down to $43 million. Fantastic Beasts 3 has brought in $193 million globally so far, and it is on its way to recouping its $200 million production cost.

In our Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore review, we said that it "looks drab and feels like it was made by people who want to leave its magical premise behind, even though the series refuses to have anything resembling grown-up politics or perspectives."

The Fantastic Beasts saga was meant to last for five films, but Warner Bros. is allegedly waiting to see how this latest film performs before moving forward with a script for a potential fourth film.

Besides middling reviews, the Fantastic Beasts franchise has been marred with J.K. Rowling's anti-trans rhetoric, domestic abuse allegations that led Johnny Depp to exit, and Ezra Miller's recent arrest for disorderly conduct and harrassment.

The Batman, on the other hand, continues to impress and has reached $750 million globally. The Batman remains the highest-grossing film of the year and has brought in $365 million domestically and $386 million internationally.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 sped to second place this past weekend with $30 million in ticket sales. Sonic's second outing saw a 58% decline from its opening weekend but still managed to pass $119 million in North America.

The Lost City took third with $6.5 million, Everything Everywhere All at Once took fourth place with $6.1 million, and Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson's Father Stu rounded out the top five with $5 million. Morbius was pushed out of the top five as it only brought in $4.7 million.

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Kiefer Sutherland believes Jack Bauer's story in 24 remains "unresolved" and he would be open to returning to the character if all the cards fell into place.

As reported by Variety, Bauer was speaking to GQ Magazine and talked fondly of his time on 24 alongside sharing that he hasn't yet fully closed the door on that chapter of his life.

"I miss it. It was an incredible experience,” Bauer said of 24. “I have learned that you’re just better off not to be definitive about your answer of whether you will do something or not do something. I love playing that character.

"I do believe the story is unresolved. If something were to be written that made sense to me and that I thought was going to contribute to the franchise then I would be behind it, even if my participation in that were to be limited.”

He continued to say that his "involvement will always be predicated on what I perceive is the quality of the writing. If [original showrunner] Howard Gordon is motivated to do it, we’ll see what happens.”

24 ran for nine seasons, each of which consisted of 24 episodes that took place over the course of one day in real-time, and the series began in 2001 just two months after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Sutherland spoke on that topic, saying that he almost quit the show during the filming of its first season following 9/11.

"All of us felt very strongly that after that terrible day of 9/11 when our show started emulating one of the great tragedies in American history, ... I remember going through weeks of not wanting to do it anymore, and I think everybody on the show felt the same,” Sutherland said. “Nobody wanted anything coming close to representing this awful thing we just watched happened. Having said that, the country felt very differently. Even if it was just a television show and a guy fighting back, that’s what they wanted. So that’s what we did.”

24 ended in 2010 - after winning an Emmy for outstanding drama series in 2006 - and it returned in 2014 for a limited series called 24: Live Another Day.

In 2017, a spinoff called 24: Legacy premiered and Sutherland executive produced the series but did not reprise his role as Bauer. Instead, Corey Hawkins lead the show as an ex-Army Ranger named Eric Carter. The spinoff only lasted for that initial season.

In 2021, a report said that there are "active creative discussions" happening at Fox over a "potential" return of the show. Who knows? Maybe these comments will kick those discussions into an even higher gear.

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After nearly two years, Sucker Punch has released what appears to be the final planned patch for Ghost of Tsushima and has said it is not "actively working on any additional patches at the moment."

As reported by PlayStation LifeStyle, Sucker Punch shared the news on the notes for Patch 2.18 of Ghost of Tsushima, indirectly teasing that they are full steam ahead on what is undoubtedly its next, unannounced project.

"While we aren’t actively working on any additional patches at the moment, we will continue to monitor feedback on the community-run Gotlegends subreddit and messages sent to @SuckerPunchProd on Twitter for any high priority bugs or issues that emerge," Sucker Punch wrote. "We want to say a huge THANK YOU to the entire community for the incredible amount of support and feedback we’ve gotten since launch.

"When Legends launched in October 2020, we never expected to have such an active community more than a year and a half later, and we could not be more thankful to everyone who has been with us on this journey!"

Ghost of Tsushima was released for PS4 on July 17, 2020, and the Director's Cut for PS5 and PS4 followed on August 20, 2021. While it began its life as a single-player game, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends brought a well-received multiplayer component to the title on October 16, 2020.

Ghost of Tsushima was a bonafide hit for Sony, and a film based on its world is currently in development at Sony Pictures with screenwriter Takashi Doscher and John Wick director Chad Stahelski.

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HBO Max has cast Riverdale's KJ Apa and 1883's Isabel May as Zan and Jayna, respectively, in the upcoming live-action DC comedy The Wonder Twins.

As reported by Deadline, Apa and May will play alien siblings from the planet Exxor. In the past, Zan was a shapeshifter and Jayna was able to take the forms of various animals.

They made their debut on The All-New Super Friends Hour, and would continue on to appear in The World’s Greatest Super Friends, Super Friends, Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show, Smallville, Teen Titans Go!, and The Flash.

The siblings were informally trained by other DC superheroes and a comic from 1977 by E. Nelson Bridwell and artist Ramona Fradon revealed they were "orphaned during a plague and adopted by the alien Exorians."

They would continue their journey by heading to Earth after they discover Grax is bent on destroying it. Zan and Jayna's goal was to warn the Justice League and they eventually make a life among humans as Swedish exchange students who attend Gotham City High School. Oh, and they also travel with a space-monkey sidekick named Gleek.

Black Adam and Rampage co-writer Adam Sztykiel is writing and directing The Wonder Twins, and production is set to begin this summer in Atlanta.

Alongside Riverdale, Apa has starred in Songbird, The Hate U Give, A Dog's Purpose, and I Still Believe. May has also starred in Alexa & Kate and Young Sheldon.

If you want to learn more about The Wonder Twins, be sure to check out the reboot comic that was released in 2019. In our review, we said, "This series retains the campy charm of these two teen heroes while sprucing them up for a contemporary audience. This first issue manages to be both sweetly innocent and self-aware at the same time."

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