Monthly Archives: July 2018
Stan Lee Drops $1 Billion Lawsuit Against POW! Entertainment
Stan Lee has dropped his $1 billion lawsuit against POW! Entertainment, a company he co-founded.
Per THR, Lee released an official statement announcing the lawsuit has now been dropped. Lee was suing POW! on the grounds that the company and two of its officers stole his name and likeness to sell POW! to a Chinese company, saying the terms were never disclosed to him.
Lee also accused POW! CEO Shane Duffy and co-founder Gill Champion of fraudulently obtaining a document in which Lee gave over exclusive rights to his likeness and identity to the company.
YouTube Pledges $25 Million to Fight Against Fake News
YouTube announced Monday an initiative they're launching to commit $25 million in support of legitimate news organizations. They will also roll out a new feature to flag misinformation on the platform, as well as the ability to highlight reliable news sources.
YouTube has encountered multiple incidents where fake news has circulated on their platform in recent months. They decided the next step is to take action against false information by supporting trusted journalistic organizations on YouTube and educating users on how to use their best judgment when spotting false information in the digital age.
Dead Cells Launching on PC and Console Next Month
Indie roguelite/Metroidvania mashup Dead Cells will release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, and Linux on August 7 for $24.99, developer Motion Twin announced today.
Motion Twin released the below trailer alongside the release date announcement. The trailer showcases plenty of sidescrolling hack-and-slash action as well as a quick glimpse at Dead Cells' upgrade system and some of its Metroidvania-style hidden areas.
Dead Cells is available for preorder right now on all platforms except Nintendo Switch, which will begin preorders on July 18. Anyone who preorders one of the console versions will get a 20 percent discount, bringing the price down to $19.99. Motion Twin noted that this discount will end when Dead Cells launches, so gamers have a little under a month to take advantage of it.
Avengers: Infinity War Digital and Blu-Ray Release Dates Announced
UPDATE: In addition to the Avengers: Infinity War Blu-ray release date, Marvel also announced 4K UHD Blu-ray releases for The Avengers and The Avengers: Age of Ultron, both coming August 14.
Avengers: Infinity War will be available on digital, Movies Anywhere, and 4K UHD on July 31, with the Blu-ray release arriving two weeks later on August 14.
Marvel announced the release date along with the news that those who purchase Infinity War digitally will be able to view a “30-minute roundtable with Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) directors Anthony and Joe Russo, Jon Favreau, Joss Whedon, James Gunn, Ryan Coogler, Peyton Reed and Taika Waititi who reflect on how their movies contribute to the MCU’s larger storytelling adventure.”
Another Fortnite: Season 5 Teaser Image Arrives
With two days to go until Fortnite: Season 5, another teaser image as popped up.
Epic Games revealed on Twitter a screen of what looks like a Viking axe along with a rift caused by the Fortnite rocket launch. This new hint comes just 24 hours after the first Season 5 teaser image was unveiled.
Epic Games released this second Fortnite: Season 5 teaser image on Twitter.
Nintendo Wants to Release ’20 to 30 Indie Games’ Each Week on Switch
Nintendo wants Switch to be a full throttle indie machine.
During its 78th annual general shareholder's meeting at the end of last month, Nintendo executives faced questions about the future of Switch and, specifically, about indie games.
During the meeting, one shareholder asked: "Indie games have become a hot topic recently. As games made by small-scale developers around the world with relatively low development costs, how will Nintendo integrate these kinds of games into its future business strategy?"
Nintendo managing executive officer Shinya Takahashi gave a surprisingly high estimate for exactly how many games the company hopes to bring to the Switch.
HBO Exec Says Network Will ‘Change Direction’ After Merger
HBO is set to "change direction" following Time Warner and AT&T's recent $85.4 billion merger.
Per The New York Times, Warner Media chief executive John Stankey said during a town hall meeting that HBO will need to make adjustments as a result of the merger.
“It’s going to be a tough year,” Stankey said. “It’s going to be a lot of work to alter and change direction a little bit.”
Stankey sees HBO becoming more like a streaming service with a bigger and broader appeal instead of being more niche. This is all despite AT&T promising “to take a hands-off approach" with HBO, according to The New York Times.
Game of Thrones Prequel Will Reportedly Begin Filming in October
The recently announced Game of Thrones prequel will reportedly start shooting in Belfast this October.
The Belfast Telegraph reports the staff at the Paint Hall studios in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter have been told the prequel will be their next major project. Paint Hall has served as the main studio for Game of Thrones, with the original show being filmed mostly in Northern Ireland.
HBO recently gave a pilot order for the untitled prequel, which hails from Kingsman writer Jane Goldman and George R.R. Martin. It's not yet known when the prequel will premiere. Though Martin has confirmed it will have an entirely different cast and its title could be The Long Night.
The Binding of Isaac Card Game Hits $1.1M on Kickstarter
The Binding of Isaac card game on Kickstarter has surpassed $1.1 million — and still has 16 days to go.
Called The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls, the card game has smashed its $50,000 goal and actually hit that target in just one-and-a-half hours. Isaac creator (and Super Meat Boy co-creator) Edmund McMillen is behind the project.
The card game, planned to release this November, includes "iconic monsters, items, characters and random happenings" from The Binding of Isaac. And to celebrate hitting the $1 million milestone, a semi transparent Stained Glass sticker will be included in all game boxes.
WWE 2K19 Not Coming to Switch After Last Year’s Disastrous Port
WWE 2K19 won't be coming to Nintendo Switch after the widely-criticised port of WWE 2K18.
Per PowerupGaming, 2K has confirmed this year's upcoming entry won't have a Switch port. 2K released the following statement on the matter:
“WWE 2K19 will not be available on Nintendo Switch. 2K is focused on making the best possible experience for WWE 2K fans and will continue evaluating all opportunities to deliver the franchise across additional platforms.”
WWE 2K18 was the first game in the series to come out on Nintendo's console and was panned. In IGN's review of the port, which we scored a 3.8, we said its "awful performance problems and bugs make it all but unplayable."