Blizzard Gifts WoW Veterans with Their Own Orc Statue
Blizzard Entertainment is sending out Orc statues as thank you gifts to World of Warcraft players that have had an account for ten years.
“As a way to thank our most loyal World of Warcraft players, we are sending a physical gift to players that have stuck with us since the very beginning,” Blizzard states on its support page.
Last week, Battle.Net forum user Smitti posted pictures of the statue he received on the forums, revealing that the gift is a scaled-down replica of the giant Orc statue that rests in front of the Blizzard Entertainment campus. The inscription thanking veteran players on the base of the gift reads, "The Orc statue is a constant presence in our life at Blizzard Entertainment. It's where we meet to talk, to eat, to celebrate. As we celebrate ten years of World of Warcraft, we present this token of appreciation to you, stalwart adventurer. Thank you for being a constant presence in our lives as we adventure together."
The Americans: 6 Things We Learned About Season 3
Forget figuring out who to trust outside the family, the third season of FX’s The Americans is going to focus many of its episodes on the ongoing saga of who to trust within the family. At least within the marriage of Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, as they’ve been “asked” to recruit their 16-year-old daughter into their world.
Stars Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys and Noah Emmerich and executive producers Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg were on hand to discuss the new season at the 2015 TCA (Television Critics Association) Winter Press Tour on Sunday as part of FX’s presentation. Here’s what we learned:
From the preview clips and early screeners sent to press, it’s obvious that Paige (Holly Taylor) is going to cause more than a few ripples between Philip and Elizabeth in the new season, as the parents differ on their opinions of whether to let her know about their true identities - and begin turning her to their true cause. While Elizabeth is leaning towards the pro side of it all, Philip seems vehemently opposed.
5 Free Tracks Coming to Driveclub on Monday
Late last week Driveclub developer Evolution showcased the first of five bonus tracks coming to Driveclub “later this month.” Turns out “later this month” is more-or-less now; Evolution has confirmed via the official Driveclub Facebook page the tracks are coming to the game for free from Monday, January 19.
Evolution has since published previews of the four other tracks on Facebook, a mix of point-to-point blasts and race circuits. Several of the videos also include sneak peeks at some of the new cars coming to the game via the Apex Expansion Pack (coming January 27-29) – including the new McLaren 650S, Jaguar C-X75 Concept and Enzo Ferrari.
New NASCAR Sim Headed to PS4, Xbox One, PC in 2016
New “NASCAR Interactive Entertainment publisher” DMi, Inc. has revealed the status and future of the NASCAR video game series, which it will now oversee exclusively, in an open-letter to NASCAR video game fans. UK-based Eutechnyx had previously been NASCAR’s licensee for video games since 2010, when it took over from EA.
“As of January 1, 2015, DMi became NASCAR’s exclusive licensee for video games and digital entertainment,” wrote DMi president Ed Martin. “It is a deal that had been in the works for several months. But it was something that could not be disclosed until everything was finalized. And by “everything”, I mean a very long and complex set of negotiations and agreements. Just to give you some context, a contemporary NASCAR video game has over 1,000 licensed and approved properties in it. That’s a lot of stakeholders and people to get organized!”
Revisiting Grim Fandango
Join Kosta as he plays through some of the most seminal adventure games of all time. You can read all the previous instalments here.
In the world of video games something strange happened in the mid-1990s. It didn’t happen all at once, or even within the same year, but it still happened fairly quickly. A general consensus was reached, you see, that 2D graphics were simply too old fashioned for the modern, polygon-obsessed, baggy jeans-wearing video game player of 1995.
Hypothetical Aussie teens from the '90s.
Dying Light Delayed in Europe, Australia and Other Regions
Dying Light’s physical release in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia is delayed until an as yet undetermined date due, according to a statement on the game’s official Facebook page.
“The game will have a global digital release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC of January 27, 2015. ” the statement reads. “As physical production has a longer lead time than digital there is some delay in the aforementioned territories. We will share information on the availability of physical copies as soon as it is confirmed.”
Techland’s first-person action survival horror game was originally slated to launch in Asia, Australia and New Zealand on January 28, 2015, and Europe and Japan on January 30. It will launch in North America as scheduled on January 27.
Jennifer Lawrence Reportedly Reuniting with Mockingjay Director
A new report claims Jennifer Lawrence will re-team with her Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence for The Dive, produced by James Cameron.
The Wrap has the news, via sources. Reps for Lawrence and Lawrence have declined to comment.
The Dive will tell the true story of Francisco “Pipin” Ferraras and wife Audrey Mestre, who were regular record breakers in 'freediving', where competitors try to travel as deep as they can underwater on one breath. Lawrence will reportedly play Mestre, who famously died after trying to beat the world record of 160 meters.
Ant-Man Probably More Comedic Than the Trailer Indicated
Known for her roles in comedies like Arrested Development, Two and a Half Men and Married, Judy Greer now finds herself appearing in several huge movies in a row. Last summer, in a mo-cap performance, she played Caesar's wife Cornelia in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and this coming summer, she’ll appear in both Jurassic World and Ant-Man – playing “Maggie” in the latter, ex-wife to Ant-Man himself, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), and the mother to his daughter, Cassie.
Greer was at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour today to promote the current season of Archer (in which she voices Cheryl) and I was among a small group who spoke to her after the show’s panel. We discussed her sudden ascension into the world of big summer movies, why she’s having a great time working on them and the role comedy plays in Marvel’s films, Ant-Man included - despite the mostly dramatic tone of that film's teaser trailer.
Sony Will Lose $30 Million on The Interview, Says Theatre Group
Despite the grand proclamations of a new business model, The National Association of Theater Owners in the United States has declared Sony will lose at least $30 million on The Interview.
"In this simultaneous-release game, Sony is $30 million in the hole and almost out of cards," said vice president of NATO Patrick Corcoran for NATO publication Box Office Magazine. "The only game changed here was just how much Sony left on the table."
This comes in the wake of Sony's decision to release The Interview simultaneously on VOD and in theaters on Christmas Day, after terrorist threats scared the company into pulling it from its original theatrical run. However, The Interview only opened in independent cinemas, as most major exhibitors have a policy against screening films that are widely available on other platforms.
FX Prez Says FX Second Only to HBO in Terms of Quality
This morning at the Television Critics Association press tour, FX president John Landgraf had a few words (and slides) for those TV watchers out there who think HBO dominates the realm of critically-acclaimed series.
"Over the past few years with insanely increasing competition, I’ve spoken about the importance of having a report card and being honest about that report card, good and bad," Landgraf opened. "But it’s always much better when the grades are good. And the FX report card for 2014 was our best by nearly every measure."
"The general perception about TV today among many consumers, and perhaps some TV critics," Landgraf continued, "is that HBO is the runaway leader in quality and depth and that the other networks and programming services that produce and air the highest-quality original programming are in a pack battling it out for second place."