Marvel’s Big Merchandise Plans for Avengers 2, Spidey
Avengers products sold more than $1 billion worldwide in 2014. Now Disney intends on expanding its merchandising and licensees for Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron to demographics beyond just the core fan base.
Or as Paul Gitter, Disney Consumer Products’ senior VP of Marvel Licensing, put it to Variety: "Make the big bigger."
Whereas the licensing and merchandising for the first Avengers movie was centered around the team itself, Variety reports that Marvel intends on broadening products to appeal to fans of the individual members of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. They are also courting women as an important demographic of consumers. Furthermore, "Disney is particularly looking forward to new products in the food and packaged goods categories, including Sage Fruit, Conagra granola bars, Crunchpak and Chobani."
Our Most Emotional Gaming Moments
DOWNLOAD PODCAST UNLOCKED EPISODE 186
A discussion about our early Ori and the Blind Forest impressions turns into an impromptu chat about our most emotional gaming (and movie) moments. Plus: we have a theory on the timing of this week's Halo: The Master Chief Collection Xbox One bundle, another theory about how Kudo Tsunoda's promotion proves last week's Phil Harrison rumors, why Quantum Break would be better off releasing in 2016 regardless of the validity of this week's rumors, and more! Plus: a very personal, 40-minute interview with Adr1ft creator Adam Orth. He discusses how his personal life is reflected in the new game, what his life was like during the #DealWithIt controversy, and more.
PlayStation Boss Teases Project Morpheus Game Reveals at E3
PlayStation gamers may be getting their first peak at proper games for Project Morpheus as early as E3, according to a tease from Sony worldwide studio boss Shuhei Yoshida.
"Many studios of ours are working on actual games," Yoshida told GameSpot in an interview at this year's Game Developers Conference. "We haven't talked about these games as yet. We are waiting for the right time. Starting probably at E3, we will start to show the actual games."
The PlayStation exec also shared a few details on how Sony is looking to price its VR headset, noting that affordability is definitely on the forefront of the company's mind.
Cards Against Humanity Available as Free Web App
You can now play Cards Against Humanity for free on your smartphone, tablet, or PC, thanks to a web app called Cards Against Originality.
Cards Against Originality includes all of the original cards from Cards Against Humanity, as well as its five expansion card sets, according to Business Insider.
To play the "party game for horrible people," simply go to the app's site and start a new game. This will generate a URL which you can use to invite other players via message or e-mail. The site is currently down, but its creator tells Mashable it will be "running at full capacity by the weekend."
Rings Will Be a Prequel to The Ring
The next film in The Ring franchise -- aptly titled Rings -- is reportedly going to be a prequel.
According to Bloody Disgusting, Rings will be set before the 2002 American remake and tell the origin of the series' iconic haunted VHS tape. The site notes, "Rings will take place years before the creation of said tape and tell the origin of Samara’s reign of terror."
The site also mentions that Rings was the name of the short-film that accompanied the DVD release of The Ring Two back in 2005.
Akiva Goldsman is producing Rings, which is to be directed by Before the Fall helmer F. Javier Gutiérrez. Italian actress Matilda Lutz will star.
Deals of the Week: Best Buy Gamer’s Club, $360 PS4 With Last of Us and Headset, Call of Duty for $33
20% Off New Games From Best Buy For Two Years
This is kind of a big deal. Pay $30, get 20% off copies of new games, 10% off used games, and 10% extra store credit when you trade in your own copies for two whole years. Math: on a $60 game, you'll save $12. So if you buy just three new games in two years from Best Buy, you'll save $36, and your membership will basically have paid for itself. Just don't buy any HDMI cables while you're there. Get those on Amazon.
Evolve Patch 1.1 Now Live on PC
Evolve players on PC can now download Patch 1.1, Turtle Rock Studios announced today.
Most notably, Patch 1.1 adds an FOV slider to the options menu, as well as a number of balance changes to the 4v1 shooter's progression/mastery system.
The patch also fixes a number of bugs, while improving 21:9 monitor support, Direct X stability, and support for shared memory GPUs.
Patch 1.1 hit Xbox One late last month, improving matchmaking and more.
To learn more, head over to the Evolve wiki or check out IGN's Evolve review, which called it a "deeply rewarding multiplayer experience that packs both brains and brawn."
Soul Axiom: A First-Person Puzzler that Rides the Lightning
It begins on the deck of a ship, slick with rain and shrouded in darkness. A flash of lightning reveals a man's silhouette on the sterncastle above, and then he vanishes, leaving me alone with the wind and rain. It doesn't take me long to stumble my way below deck, where I discover a huge generator situated next to a pair of big electrodes. Gripping both turns me into a conductor for their electricity, and while it costs me a few screams, the ship hums to life, a huge neon sail suddenly unfurling from its mast.
I climb a glowing, newly materialized ladder to the crow's nest and zipline down to where I saw the man's silhouette, but the thrill of discovery doesn't last. The ship – which appears to be floating in the sky – comes under attack from a huge, winged shadow, which plunges its hands into the deck and rips out the generator. As the ship takes a nosedive, I plummet from stern to bow, take a falling lantern to the face, and black out.
Fight of the Living Dead Trailer Debut & Deets
We have your first look at the trailer for CONtv's new series Fight of the Living Dead, a mash-up of reality and scripted genres that "follows a collection of online celebrities including Joey Graceffa, Jesse and Jeana (PrankvsPrank), Justine Ezarik (iJustine), and more as they work to survive the first 24-hours of a simulated zombie apocalypse. Contestants will face a series of grisly challenges in an attempt to eliminate the competition through the undead’s frightening realistic onslaught."
All 11 episodes of the series will debut at CONtv on March 22.
The show -- from Alpine Labs, BlackBoxTV, and Revolver Picture Company -- was shot over the course of two days at Sybil Brand Women’s Prison in Los Angeles. Here's the official description of the show's making:
PlayStation Gear Store Offers Exclusive Apparel, Collectibles
PlayStation is offering fans the chance to pick up exclusive licensed gear and apparel.
Through the recently-opened PlayStation Gear Store, people can browse through a variety of clothes and accessories branded by many of the exclusive games featured on Sony's platforms, including The Last of Us, The Order: 1886, and Infamous: Second Son.
An announcement on the PlayStation Blog claims more designs and gear from other Sony exclusive franchises like Journey, Bloodborne, God of War, and LittleBig Planet are set to release in 2015. Those interested are invited to "keep an eye out" for more upcoming releases.