Update: Following reports that Amazon wanted to save the canceled show, The Expanse will ride again. During a conference dinner where he was being honored, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos broke the news that 10 minutes earlier he had gotten the call that his company was officially reviving the show. The Expanse's cast was in the audience for the moment and shared the news via social media.
"The show is extraordinary and these guys are unbelievably talented," Bezos said, adding that The Expanse will be a Prime Original from here on out. There's no word on when a new season will premiere or how many episodes it will contain.
In a statement, Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, co-CEO's of The Expanse production company Alcon Entertainment say, "We couldn't be more excited that The Expanse is going to continue on Amazon Prime! We are deeply grateful that Jeff Bezos, Jen Salke, and their team at Amazon have shown such faith in our show. We also want to thank Laura Lancaster, head of Alcon Television for her tireless efforts. We are fully aware that this wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for the staggering outpouring of support from the most creative, hardest working sci-fi fans around the world. From Reddit campaigns to airplanes, we say thank you. It worked!" Original story follows.
Less than two weeks have passed since Syfy pulled the plug on The Expanse and the series looks to already be rising from the dead--making it the second such canceled series this season. Syfy previously announced that the show's third season, which is currently airing, would be its last. Now it may be Amazon to the rescue.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon is in talks to bring the series to its Prime Video streaming service. THR notes that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is a fan of the books The Expanse is based on and was not happy when the TV adaptation went to Syfy.
Though an agreement to move the show to Amazon Prime Video is not finalized, a Twitter account associated with the show's writers rooms has confirmed that talks are ongoing. "We're excited, but the deal's not closed...we're not quite through the woods yet," the account writes in a tweet that has since been deleted. "Keep up the fight Expansers & watch this [week's] episode LIVE with us on SyFy. [W]e'll be dancing in the streets right along with you as soon as we get anything official."
Should it be saved, The Expanse wouldn't be the only show revived by another entity after cancellation this year. Days after Fox canceled Brooklyn Nine-Nine, NBC announced it would revive the series. According to TVLine, Nine-Nine will return in 2019 for a 13-episode Season 6.
Though Solo: A Star Wars Story tells the origin of the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy, and in doing so fills in a lot of the blanks in Han Solo's past, the movie is also loaded with other connections to the larger Star Wars universe. If you've yet to see Solo, consider this a spoiler warning. You should stop reading now.
Whether it's references to other characters and planets, or the cameo by Warwick Davis reprising his role from Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, there's so much for Star Wars fans of all ages to enjoy about Solo. However, there is one particular character appearance that might have really caught audiences by surprise.
After the death of Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) makes contact with his superior to inform the mysterious figure that she will be taking Vos's place in the Crimson Dawn criminal syndicate. That superior is none other than Darth Maul, making his first big screen appearance since The Phantom Menace in 1999.
If you're a Star Wars fan who sticks to watching only the movies, Maul's presence might be a bit confusing. During the climax of Episode 1, the Sith was cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi's blade and fell down a shaft, presumably leaving him dead. In the end, though, it's simple. Rumors of Darth Maul's death have been greatly exaggerated. While being cut in half would kill most, that just doesn't seem to be the case for Maul.
For fans of the Star Wars animated series, this isn't news. Maul has played a major role in both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, which expand on his story, taking it all the way to his actual death before A New Hope. What's more, while Ray Park reprises his role as the physical premise of Maul, he's voiced by Sam Witwer, the voice actor behind Maul in the animated series and Star Wars: Battlefront II.
The Clone Wars and Rebels have become integral pieces of Star Wars canon thanks to the standalone movies thus far. In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Forest Whitaker plays Saw Gerrerra, a character first introduced in The Clone Wars. What's more, he then went on to voice Saw in Rebels. Additionally, Chopper, a droid from Rebels, made a brief appearance in the background of a scene in Rogue One, as did the Ghost ship that the Rebels crew inhabits. Interestingly enough, Han references the VCX-100 ship model while gambling with Lando, which is the line the Ghost belongs to.
The inclusion of Maul in Solo, however, is the next evolution of Star Wars incorporating its animated universe into the movies, and it's the perfect example of a bridge between the two. With a galaxy full of stories to tell and only so many movies each year, using other mediums to populate the franchise with character backgrounds to enrich plots is exciting.
While introducing a secondary character from The Clone Wars, like Saw, is a welcome addition, Maul is a well-known piece of the Star Wars universe that is immediately recognizable to practically any fan. Revealing that he's not only alive but has mechanical legs immediately places him within the animated continuity for fans of the shows. However, it also invites fans unfamiliar with that side of the franchise to explore his story arcs on both The Clone Wars and Rebels--including his continued battles with Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Jedi. From there, Maul has even more of his story told in canonical comic books.
This idea of expanding continuity across multiple mediums seems simple enough, especially when you have an audience constantly craving more. Still, there is another franchise that includes both movies and TV that just can't seem to get the hang of it--even though they're owned by the same parent company as Star Wars. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, when it first launched Agents of SHIELD, left fans believing the two sides would interact with each other fairly regularly. That's never been the case, though. While SHIELD reacts to things that happen in the films now and then, the movies never acknowledge the show. What's more, the TV side of the universe has become too fragmented between ABC, Netflix, and Hulu, where the shows don't even manage to reference each other.
Meanwhile, Star Wars is only continuing to make that bond stronger by showing what happens on the small screen is important to the rest of the story. Speaking to GameSpot, even Solo co-writer Jonathan Kasdan recognized the importance of The Clone Wars and Rebels when it came to featuring Maul in the film. "I did my homework to know that, because of Rebels, because of Clone Wars, we were in a position where this part of his life was grey enough that we could fill it in with this thing," he explained. "And it worked nicely with Rebels and Clone Wars in that he did survive that incident with Qui-Gon, and he did go into the world of crime and self-interest and was separated from the Empire and the Sith and that whole thing, to go pursue his own life."
Now, as the Star Wars franchise continues, the links between the two sides of this galaxy will only grow stronger. With Rebels finished, its co-creator is already at work on his next project. The animated Star Wars: Resistance is set before The Force Awakens and will focus on a new Resistance pilot named Kazuda Xiono. It will also feature appearances by Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) and BB-8. Beyond that, Jon Favreau is developing a live-action TV series set seven years after the events of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and introducing yet more new characters to the franchise.
The force is clearly strong with the Star Wars franchise. Hopefully, that's a trend that continues as Lucasfilm continues to make movies and TV shows that further expand upon this unique universe. Now if only they were easier to stream. While The Clone Wars is waiting for you to binge on Netflix right now, the same cannot be said for Rebels. However, you can purchase it digitally or on Blu-ray.
"There are currently no plans for release on Xbox or other platforms," 343 said.
Halo: Fireteam Raven
In the post, 343 said Fireteam Raven is a "unique arcade experience" that makes uses of a giant custom-made cabinet with a 130-inch 4K screen and four mounted machine guns. So yeah, that kind of experience was never likely to be possible in your home on an Xbox anyway.
The game was developed by arcade game companies Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix with the idea that it would be "uniquely suited" for arcades and other places like that. The game will be available in Dave & Busters locations in the United States later this year, with availability in other parts of the world coming sometime after.
But if you have a lot of money burning a hole in your pocket and want a Fireteam Raven cabinet for yourself, will that be possible? It sounds like it, as 343 said the game will be available from distributors "on a broader level" later this year; other details, like pricing, will come later.
343 also confirmed that Fireteam Raven's story is indeed canon. It's set in the timeline of Halo: Combat Evolved, putting players into the shoes of ODST troopers that make up Fireteam Raven. While you don't play as Master Chief, you're battling his enemies: Covenant forces.
Finally, 343 also reiterated that its efforts to support Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix on Fireteam Raven is not taking away resources from Halo 6. "Halo: Fireteam Raven was built by arcade legends Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix, collaboration with specific teams at 343 for story, art, and other franchise elements," 343 said. "The core 343 Industries game development team remains hard at work on the next Halo FPS installment."
For more on Fireteam Raven, check out the announcement trailer above. And as for E3, our predictions for the Xbox show include a Halo 6 reveal and lots more.
The rumor was that Battlefield V's loot boxes would contain only cosmetic items, but the statement makes it sound like there will be no loot boxes whatsoever. The last big Battlefield game, 2016's Battlefield 1, featured loot boxes, as a lot of games today do.
This confirmation that Battlefield V won't have loot boxes comes after the uproar over how loot boxes factored into Star Wars: Battlefront II--which was made by DICE, the same team behind Battlefield V. Battlefront II's loot boxes feature items that can actually affect gameplay, so some thought the game became pay-to-win in some capacity.
Now we know that Battlefield V will have no loot boxes at all, and that is good news for some. The game will still have currency that you can buy with real money, though you can only buy cosmetic customisation items, not anything that actually affects gameplay, it seems. What's more, Battlefield V does away with the franchise's Season Pass in favour of giving maps to all players for free.
The move away from loot boxes from EA comes as loot boxes face increased scrutiny around the world from industry groups and lawmakers. Some argue that loot boxes constitute a form of gambling because people pay real money for the chance to get an item they are after. Additionally, many games do not disclose loot box odds, though some do.
Battlefield V launches for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Origin on October 19. It will be available in both standard and Deluxe editions; those who purchase the latter will get access to the game three days early, on October 16.
Additionally, EA/Origin Access subscribers can start playing a trial on October 11, which is notable because that is one day before Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches on October 12. Prior to its release, EA will also hold an open beta for Battlefield V later this year.
This time last year, it was PUBG setting the records and getting most of the attention in the battle royale genre, but now Fortnite is dominating in almost every way. Part of what makes Fortnite so appealing is that developer Epic Games updates and the game on a near-constant basis with new content and tweaks, which encourages players to continue coming back to see what's new and improved. And that in turn gets more people spending money on the free-to-play game's microtransactions, which have reportedly been incredibly lucrative. PUBG also updates regularly, but now developer PUBG Corp. has acknowledged that the game has "fallen short" in some ways.
In a blog post recently, the studio said it's been focused on hiring as part of its effort to "invest in [PUBG's] ongoing development." Alongside the hiring, the studio is working on new content--like the Sanhok map--and various "quality of life" improvements. On top of this, the studio is working on a "series of aggressive anti-cheat measures" for PUBG. The studio has made strides and the game is generally speaking in a better place now, but it hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows for PUBG Corp.
"Although we've made some meaningful improvements to PUBG, we've fallen short in other ways," the developer said. "Players have rightfully called us out for failing to address complaints about performance, and recently we haven't done the best job of communicating about the changes we're making to the game."
To address this, PUBG Corp. published the first in a series of "Dev Letters" that aim to give the player community and update on what's been going on at the studio and what they can expect from PUBG going forward.
The full blog post is very in-depth and well worth a read for PUBG fans. In short, the company listed off three main priorities that PUBG Corp. will focus on in the future, and these include performance, server-side optimization, and cheating.
Looking ahead, the new map Sanhok should be available on PUBG's live servers "before the end of June." After that, the studio will new vehicles and one weapon that will be exclusive to Sanhok.
"We'll have a lot more to share about the other goodies coming to Sanhok in the coming weeks," the developer explained. "There's so much work we have to do to truly deliver on PUBG's potential."
The newest Star Wars movie, Solo, opened this weekend--but it was not the hit that Disney and Lucasfilm would have wanted. The movie is tracking to make around $101 million in the US and Canada over this Memorial Day long weekend, according to Entertainment Weekly. That would put the film easily in the top spot, but it's well below what projections said it might make. Industry watchers said the film was expected to pull in between $130 million and $150 million for its opening.
Solo made an estimated $83.3 million in the Friday-Sunday period, which gives it the worst three-day opening weekend box office figure of any of the new Star Wars films by a very, very large margin. Here are the three-day domestic opening-weekend figures for the three previous new era Star Wars films.
The Force Awakens ($248 million)
Rogue One ($155.1 million)
The Last Jedi ($220 million
Solo made around $65 million in the Friday-Sunday window from international markets--including China--which is not the greatest.
Being a spinoff movie, Solo was never going to be able to make as much as The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi. But the comparisons to Rogue One are noteworthy, given that was a spinoff as well and it did considerably better.
Solo is the first of the new Star Wars movies to not open in December, and it comes just five months after the release of The Last Jedi in December 2017.
The 2011 From Software and Bandai Namco legend Dark Souls is back to terrorize you once again on Xbox One, PS4, and PC with a brand-spanking new coat of paint. Dark Souls Remastered is out now, as are its reviews.
While we are waiting for the Switch version of the remastered title to release this summer before our review, you can check out what we said about the original game in our Dark Souls review. Back in 2011, Kevin VanOrd gave the game a 9.5 stating "Any game can deliver a few cheap scares. It takes a special one to terrify you. Dark Souls is such a game. It's a thoughtful, atmospheric, and mysterious role-playing adventure that challenges your mind and your mettle."
Keep on reading for other voices around the industry and their thoughts. Or, head on over to GameSpot's sister website Metacritic to get a more general perspective of the title.
Game: Dark Souls Remastered
Developer / Publisher: From Software / Bandai Namco
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, and PC
Release date: Out Now
Price: US $40 / £28 / AU $56
Destructoid -- 9, Superb
"Dark Souls Remastered speaks for itself just in terms of the raw mysteries it offers beyond its new coat of paint. The feeling of zoning into Firelink Shrine is just as special the 100th time as it is the first, and the open-ended nature of the world is just as fresh. Sometimes needlessly so, From Software has packed so much into Dark Souls that I'm finding new items or experimenting with strategies I've never seen before -- a testament to the longevity of this particular entry, and a more than justified remaster." -- Chris Carter [Full review]
IGN -- 9, Amazing
"Dark Souls Remastered does a fair job of bringing the brutal but fair essence of the original Dark Souls up to the standards of current-generation consoles, including running an almost locked 60 frames per second and the option to play at 4K resolution. A few muddy textures and some slowdown in the most intense and fiery moments are noticeable, but still a vast improvement. Now that Dark Souls Remastered exists, there's no reason to play any other version, whether this is your first run through or your 100th." -- Filip Miucin [Full review]
USGamer -- 4.5/5
"While bare-bones on the surface, Dark Souls Remastered is one of the best games of the last 20 years running better than it ever was. New players will find all of the mood, challenge, and tension of the original, and returning vets are given beefier online options and minor tweaks to small details. More importantly, it keeps one of the medium's best games easily accessible and readily available." -- John Learned [Full review]
Push Square -- 9/10
"Dark Souls Remastered is an excellent remaster of a standout entry in the Souls franchise. Those who played the original will feel right at home, and will really appreciate the visual and technical improvements – particularly to Blight Town, which now runs at a butter smooth 60 frames-per-second. However, those that weren't there at the beginning may not appreciate the inferior visuals and general jankiness that later entries have all but ironed out." -- Glen Fox [Full review]
Attack of the Fanboy -- 4.5/5
"So if you've been there and done that do you need to go back and play Dark Souls again in Dark Souls Remastered? It's a game that definitely laid the roadmap for the Souls games to come. The level designs, boss designs, art style, and gameplay certainly hold up. It's the Dark Souls of Dark Souls games, and the issues that plagued the console versions that released in 2011 have been remedied… what else needs to be said here." -- William Schwartz [Full review]
GameInformer -- 8.75/10
"All improvements aside, Dark Souls does feel its age in the face of From Software's recent contributions to the genre. The drop off in quality in the second half of the game, bosses like Bed of Chaos and incomprehensible zones like Lost Izalith remain curious blemishes on an otherwise incredible experience." -- Daniel Tack [Full review]
When you're taking on horde, after horde, after horde of zombies, sometimes numbers are your only way to survive. In just two days after its global launch on Xbox One and PC, State of Decay 2 racked up over one million players.
It should be noted that the number of players doesn't necessarily account for the number of sales. State of Decay 2 is currently available on Xbox Games Pass, Xbox One's game streaming service. Members of the service can play the game in its entirety without having to have purchased it.
That's not the only impressive number Undead Labs and Microsoft have shared either. From May 18 to 22, players have collectively played over 6 million hours and streamed 3.5 million hours on Mixer, Twitch, and YouTube with 41,000 broadcasts.
Within the game, players have slaughtered over 675 million zombies, thrown 6 million firecrackers and fireworks, munched on 6 million bags of snacks, read 2 million textbooks, and on average have survived for three in-game days.
State of Decay 2 had a bit of a rough launch, earning mostly mediocre and OK reviews due to the amount of bugs. In our State of Decay 2 review, Alessandro Barbosa gave it a 5/10, stating "Often though, it's the game itself that will do its best to deter you from playing rather than its lack of depth. State of Decay 2 runs extremely poorly, even on Xbox One X."
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