Monthly Archives: March 2015
Report: Phil Harrison Resigns From Microsoft
Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Business VP Phil Harrison is leaving the corporation, GamesIndustry.biz reports multiple sources as saying at GDC.
Microsoft is currently refusing to confirm Harrison's departure to various publications, with a representative telling IGN that "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation." Xbox head Phil Spencer told Eurogamer at GDC, "I don't, no. I'm sorry, I don't think I can say anything about that" when approached about the matter. Chris Charla, director of ID@Xbox, also couldn't comment on the reports.
Star Wars Rebels Creator on the Big Death and Big Surprise
Note: Full (and major!) spoilers for the Star Wars Rebels: Season 1 finale follow.
So that happened! And then that happened! And then THAT happened!
Yes, suffice to say, the Star Wars Rebels season finale was jam-packed with one major event after another, including a big character death and a huge character return – one that was notable enough to trump the impressive arrival of Darth Vader, even.
Yes, Ahsoka Tano is back in play in Star Wars, as Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan returned and was revealed as the true identity of the mysterious “Fulcrum.”
With the season over, I spoke to Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni for an in-depth conversation about bringing Ahsoka back, killing off the Inquisitor, growing the Rebel Alliance and putting Tarkin and Darth Vader into the mix going into Season 2.
Super Dungeon Bros Multiplayer Works Across PC and Xbox One
During GDC 2015, indie games publisher Wired Productions announced its upcoming co-op brawler, Super Dungeon Bros, will be among the first cross-device multiplayer games compatible with Xbox One and Windows 10. The game will be released on both platforms via Microsoft's ID@Xbox self-publishing program.
"We’re very excited to feature cross-device multiplayer in Super Dungeon Bros," said Wired Productions' Leo Zullo. "Cross-device gameplay has long been a wish of the gaming community. We’ve worked extremely closely with our development partners to make Super Dungeon Bros one of the first titles to support this innovative feature."
Super Dungeon Bros sets four co-op players in the realm of Rökheim, taking on a series of perilous dungeons. Other indie titles, including Wasteland 2 and Shovel Knight, were also announced as taking part in the ID@Xbox program today during GDC 2015.
Juno’s Diablo Cody to Script Barbie Movie
Sony Pictures has hired Diablo Cody to write the next draft of their live-action Barbie movie, based on Mattel's iconic line of dolls. Both Sony and Mattel struck a deal awhile back to develop the film as a comedy, and had Jenny Bicks write the first draft.
As source Deadline notes, Cody is an interesting choice given her older-skewing filmography -- Juno, Jennifer's Body, Young Adult -- compared to Barbie's "squeaky-clean," if also empowering, image.
Barbie and Ken in Toy Story 3
Game Preservationist Tells Developers to “Steal From Work”
Speaking at the 2015 Game Developers Conference, Jason Scott of Internet Archive offered unique advice to a crowd of game industry professionals. "Steal from work," he joked. “Workplace theft is the future of game history.”
Scott clarified that he wasn't advocating the pickpocketing of intellectual property. Rather, he emphasized that important fragments of our video game heritage would have been lost without materials preserved by game company employees who took home mementoes from their projects.
Avengers: Age of Ultron Trailer’s 27 Notable Moments
Warning: this article contains spoilers from the comics!
With the third Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer hitting, we got a bunch of new stuff to sink our teeth into. We’ve already broken down the other trailers, so we’ll mainly be sticking to all of the new Easter eggs, references, and general craziness that popped up in this one.
The Trouble With Gotham
Hey guys, we're back this week for more TV talk and more of me coughing (Sorry - freaking bronchitis!).
We kick off the latest Channel Surfing talking about the legacy of Leonard Nimoy and why his recent death had such an impact. I then pitch both IGN readers and Roth on why you should be watching The 100, if you're not already, and we chat about Helen Slater and Dean Cain joining Supergirl.
On the new series front, we have discussions about the soon-to-debut Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Returned and iZombie.
Reader email then brings us into a discussion about Gotham and what's working and what's not for the series, which is already renewed for Season 2. Plus, we get to geek out about why we loved Fringe - and why we think you should check it out if you never have.
Standalone HBO App May Be Apple Launch Partner
The long awaited, standalone HBO service finally has a name. HBO Now, as the service will be called, may even be launching in April in tandem with the Game of Thrones season 5 premiere.
According to a report by the International Business Times, HBO is in talks with Apple to make AppleTV one of the service's launch partners.
HBO Now, which will reportedly cost $15 monthly, will let people holding onto their cable package just for the sweet, sweet HBO programming available on its current HBO Go service cut off their cable entirely.
It should be noted that a cable subscription to HBO costs the same as the standalone service. If you don't plan to cut cable out of your life entirely, HBO Go is probably the preferred method of streaming all 40 current episodes of Game of Thrones in one weekend of televised blood and nudity.
SMITE on Xbox One Producer Talks When You Can Play
Welcome to IGN Godlike, IGN's new show dedicated to covering the mythological mayhem that is SMITE. In the second episode, hosts Brandin Tyrrel, Alfredo Diaz, and Kyle O'Connor are joined by Hi-Rez co-founder and COO Todd Harris, and SMITE Xbox One Producer Andy Anderson as they talk SMITE's past, present, and future, and answer your questions.
Download IGN Godlike Episode 2
NOTE: Due to technical difficulties with our video we overlaid SMITE Pro League gameplay footage over the audio discussion. Please enjoy the SMITE action in lieu of our mugs. Thank you.
Poltergeist Release Date Moved
20th Century Fox has made some changes to its summer schedule, moving its Poltergeist remake up by two months while also delaying the Paul Feig/Melissa McCarthy comedy Spy and the young-adult adaptation Paper Towns.
Poltergeist will now arrive on May 22 while Spy has moved from that date to a June 5 slot. Paper Towns, which is based on The Fault in Our Stars author John Green’s book of the same name, moves to July 24.
That means Poltergeist, which stars Sam Rockwell and Jared Harris, will face off against Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof's George Clooney-starring Tomorrowland. Spy, which also stars Jason Statham, will open against the Entourage movie and Insidious Chapter Three, and Paper Towns will battle Adam Sandler’s Pixels and Hugh Jackman’s Pan.