Monthly Archives: January 2018
Marvel Reveals the Founding Avenger Everyone Forgot
In Avengers #676, the second chapter of the “No Surrender” storyline where the Earth has been mysteriously “stolen,” sending the world into chaos and calling all active and reserve Avengers to action, we learned a great deal about the mysterious character named Voyager.
Warning: full spoilers ahead!
Art by Mark Brooks. (Marvel Comics)
Nintendo Keeps Thinking Outside the Box
Welcome back to Game Scoop!, IGN's weekly video game talk show. This week we're discussing Nintendo Labo, Final Fantasy 15: Royal Edition, a new Alien game, and more. Watch the video above or download the podcast below.
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Epic Slows Paragon Development to Increase Fortnite Focus
In the wake of Fortnite's incredible success, Epic Games has moved some members from the Paragon team over to work on its popular sandbox survival game.
In a post on Reddit, Epic addressed the future of Paragon, explaining that while support for the title will continue, the studio is scaling back its focus on the free-to-play MOBA in favor of increasing its focus on Fortnite.
"Progress has been slower lately for two reasons: First, the team's time is split between immediate improvements and longer-term efforts, so there's less visible progress," the studio explained. "Second, a number of Paragon team members jumped onto Fortnite to help sustain the game as it has grown far larger than anything in Epic's past."
Hemsworth Talks Trading Thor for a Real-Life Hero in 12 Strong
Chris Hemsworth might be best known for playing Marvel's Mighty Thor (and being a stealthy comedic scene-stealer), but in 12 Strong, he's embodying a real-life hero -- the leader of an elite US Special Forces team sent into Afghanistan in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 to join up with one of the local warlords, General Abdul Rashid Dostum, in the fight against the Taliban.
And if that tricky political terrain wasn't dangerous enough, the mountainous landscape also meant that the soldiers couldn't use traditional transportation, instead charging into battle on horses, even though most of them had no riding experience.
Activision CEO Leaving Company After 8 Years
After eight years as Activision Publishing CEO, Eric Hirshberg will depart the company in March, the publisher confirmed to IGN today.
An Activision representative provided the following statement to IGN:
After serving for eight years as the CEO of Activision, Eric Hirshberg has decided to leave the company at the conclusion of his contract on March 31st, 2018.
Eric has had a great run, has delivered many historic successes and is departing on a high note after a great year in 2017. As of December 21, 2017, Call of Duty®: WWII and Destiny 2 were the #1 and #2 top-selling console games of 2017 in North America, based on revenue. Additionally, Call of Duty was the top video game franchise for the ninth year in a row in North America, and eight of the last nine years globally, based on revenue.
Justice League Blu-ray and Digital Release Announced
Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment have announced Justice League will arrive in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-Ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD on March 13. Fans will also be able to purchase a digital copy of the film one month early, on February 13.
The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack will cost $44.95, with the Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack priced at $44.95, Blu-ray Combo Pack for $35.99 and DVD for $28.98.
The Justice League Blu-ray/DVD/digital combo packaging
Nintendo Switch Sold 1.5 Million Units in the US Last Month
Nintendo celebrated the holiday season by coming in with the top sales numbers for the month of December.
According to Nintendo, reporting numbers from analysts The NPD Group, Nintendo Switch moved 1.5 million units in the month of December, making it the top-selling console in the United States once again.
At the beginning of the month, Nintendo announced the Switch was the fastest-selling console in US history, selling 4.8 million units since its introduction in March 2017.
The success of Switch seems to have bled over to Nintendo 3DS, with Nintendo reporting it sold 750,000 units in the month, a "27 percent increase over the same period a year ago."
Why Have The Avatar Sequels Taken So Long?
It took 15 years for James Cameron - the visionary filmmaker behind The Terminator, Aliens and The Abyss - to transform his original pitch for Avatar into a feature film. It may have been worth the wait. The technologically innovative science-fiction thrill ride became the highest grossing film in history, jumpstarted a new wave of 3D blockbuster filmmaking, and raised the bar for motion-capture visual effects technology.
So you would think that, with all that money filling 20th Century Fox’s coffers, they would have moved as quickly as possible to get Avatar 2 into theaters. In fact, that was actually the plan, but it’s been almost 10 years now since Avatar became the biggest “original” film since the first Star Wars, and for the most part, the only new content we’ve had in all that time is news stories about what may or may not be in the sequels. Eventually.
4 Superstars Who Should Win the Women’s Royal Rumble (and 4 Who Shouldn’t)
The wrestling world is all abuzz, atwitter even, about the upcoming Women's Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble PPV on Sunday, January 28th. With 30 entrant spots in play, there are a ton of empty spaces that need to be filled with fun surprises - be they NXT call-ups or returning legends.
There's already an avalanche of articles out there speculating about which names we might see pop up for the Rumble, but I thought we should look at who we'd actually like to see win the damn thing. Acting under the assumption (and this is, naturally, subject to change) that Charlotte and Alexa Bliss will be the brand champs being challenged by whoever takes the contest, we've cooked up a few names we'd love to see be the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble winner.
Metal Gear Survive Beta Starts Today
The beta for Metal Gear Survive begins today.
Konami announced the dates for the beta back in December, and reconfirmed today it will be available from now until January 21 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
The beta includes two maps with three missions for co-op mode. Players participating in the beta will earn bonus in-game items, which will be unlocked for the full game. The items include a FOX HOUND name plate, a Metal Gear Rex head accessory, and a bandanna accessory.
Metal Gear Survive picks up where Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes left off, following a group of soldiers who were pulled through a wormhole and end up in a hostile world fighting for their own survival. Players will develop a camp, build weapons and structures, and forage for food as deadly creatures lurk around every corner.