During the Google GDC 2019 keynote, company VP Phil Harrison revealed a new cloud gaming streaming service called Stadia. At a later point in the presentation, id Software executive producer Marty Stratton took the stage to announce Doom Eternal would be one of the games coming to Stadia.
Stratton said that Doom Eternal both plays and looks "great" on Stadia. The sequel to 2016's Doom will play in true 4K HDR at 60 FPS on the cloud gaming platform. Stadia itself is designed to unite players, spectators, and developers all on one platform. For example, during Google's keynote, the company showcased how you will be able to watch a trailer for a game on YouTube and then start playing said game through streaming within a few seconds.
Stadia will also feature cross-platform support. Harrison confirmed cross-platform play, allowing you to play with others regardless of platform. Stadia will also support cloud saves for game state and save files, so specific titles could have cross-platform progression as well.
Stadia will be supported across several platforms, including desktops, laptops, TVs, tablets, and phones. At launch, the service will be able to stream games up to 4K HDR at 60 FPS with surround sound, and Google has scheduled plans to increase that to 8K resolution in the future. Although you can use existing controllers with Stadia, Google is also releasing its own controller--which supports Google Assistant. Stadia scheduled to release sometime this year.
For more information on cloud gaming, you can read up on how it works as well as which companies other than Google are investing in the technology behind it. We're collecting all the Google gaming news announced at GDC today as well.
Doom Eternal is also loosely scheduled for 2019, coming to Xbox One, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and now Stadia. Neither Bethesda or id Software has announced whether the game is coming to the Switch the same day as the other platforms, or if that version will be delayed. Eternal is more immersive and gruesome than its predecessor. The new game also offers additional means of moving around the map--including a grappling hook and free running.
During Google's GDC 2019 keynote presentation, the company's vice president and general manager Phil Harrison announced Stadia, a cloud-based streaming service that allows you to play games across most of your devices. At the end of his portion of the keynote, Harrison also mentioned that most games on Stadia would feature cross-platform support.
Cross-platform play has been confirmed as a part of this feature, allowing you to play with your friends regardless of whether you're gaming on console, PC, tablet, or mobile device. Harrison also said that Stadia would support cloud saves for game state and save files, so specific titles will also have cross-platform progression. So, if you were to play a multiplayer-focused game on your PC, navigating over to your phone would bring all your unlocked items with you.
Google plans to use Stadia to bring together all aspects of gaming--whether you want to play, spectate, or develop--on to one platform. During the GDC keynote, for example, the company showcased how someone watching a trailer for Assassin's Creed Odyssey on Ubisoft's YouTube channel can click a link at the end of the video which allows them to begin playing the game through streaming in just a few seconds.
Harrison promises Stadia will be supported across several platforms, including desktops, laptops, TVs, tablets, and phones. At launch, Stadia will support streams in 4K at 60 FPS with surround sound, and Google plans on upping that to 8K resolution in the future. You'll be able to use existing controllers with Stadia, but Google also announced its own controller specifically built for the service. The controller features most button inputs seen on Xbox One and PS4's respective controllers, but it will also include one that allows you to ask Google Assistant a question. Stadia is scheduled to launch in 2019.
For more information on cloud gaming, you can read up on how it works as well as which companies other than Google are investing in the technology behind it. We're collecting all the Google gaming news announced at GDC today as well, including the reveal that Doom Eternal is coming to Stadia.
Google has revealed a vague release window for its new Stadia platform. The service will launch later this year, coming first to the US, UK, Canada, and "most of Europe," with a worldwide release coming at some point after that.
Pricing was not revealed for the new platform, but we did get lots more details besides that. Stadia is Google's vision for a new kind of gaming service powered by the cloud.
As well as offering cloud streaming of games to phones, laptops, PCs, and TVs, it will also launch with its own controller. In addition, the company has founded a first-party development house to make games exclusively for Stadia.
Stadia will support cross-platform multiplayer and allow you to seamlessly switch between devices. You can also simply click a link while watching a game on YouTube to dive into that very same game at the exact same point.
At launch, Stadia will support 4K HDR gameplay at 60 FPS, with plans to scale that up to 8K at 120 FPS. Ubisoft, Doom Eternal developer Id Software, and Q-Games were among the developers mentioned as partners at Google's GDC conference, while more than 100 studios already have Stadia in their hands. For more, check out everything we know about Google Stadia.
At the Game Developers Conference, Google unveiled its vision for the future of video games: a cloud streaming service called Stadia, which gives instant access to play games across Chromebooks, smartphones, tablets, and TVs. While it will be compatible with keyboards and other input devices, Google will also release its own proprietary Stadia controller, and now we know how it looks.
The Stadia controller was shown off in three different color schemes. It connects to Google's servers through Wi-Fi, and it identifies what screen you want to play on. In addition to the standard array of inputs, it also features two unique buttons: one allows you to capture gameplay and share and save it to YouTube, while the other is a Google Assistant button, which accesses the controller's built-in microphone to get gameplay advice from an assistant.
The streaming tech behind Stadia is the same that powered the Project Stream test that ran last year, when Google partnered with Ubisoft to stream Assassin's Creed Odyssey for free through a Chrome browser. The company has made other big moves into the video game space, recently hiring Jade Raymond, best known for her work at Ubisoft and EA. Raymond will head up Stadia Games and Entertainment, a new first-party studio that will develop games exclusively for Stadia.
Stadia will launch later this year. It'll be available first in the US, Canada, the UK, and "most of Europe." Google hasn't shared any pricing details for the service or its controller, but it promises to reveal more information this summer, including what games will be available at launch "and beyond."
Season 1 of Apex Legends has begun. The game's Wild Frontier Battle Pass is now available to purchase on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, bringing a new assortment of skins, stat trackers, and other exclusive rewards to unlock in Respawn's popular battle royale game.
Much like Fortnite's own seasonal Battle Pass, the Wild Frontier Battle Pass costs 950 Apex Coins, which roughly equates to $10 / £8. If you're eager to get a head start, EA is also offering a Battle Pass bundle for 2,800 Apex Coins that will instantly unlock the first 25 tiers, giving you immediate access to those rewards.
As in Fortnite, you'll unlock rewards as you level up Apex Legends' Battle Pass, and you'll receive three exclusive character skins automatically just for purchasing it. Even if you don't decide to buy the pass, however, you'll still be able to earn a handful of rewards, and you'll retroactively unlock any you would have earned if you decide to purchase it partway through the season.
Unlike Fortnite, however, Apex Legends' Battle Pass doesn't offer any challenges. According to Respawn, this was a deliberate decision in order to let players focus on learning the ins and outs of the game rather than striving to check off contrived tasks.
"You'll notice the first version isn't built around a complex quest system where you need to do a 720 backflip off of Watchtower Artemis and get two Wingman headshots before hitting the ground," Respawn wrote in a blog post. "While we think there's really cool design space in quests and challenges for future Battle Passes, we wanted the initial version to allow our players to just play and learn the game."
After what felt like a very long wait, Apex Legends' first battle pass is here, along with the first new addition to its character roster: Octane. Both come in a pretty substantial update to Respawn Entertainment's battle royale shooter, but hidden behind all the flash of new stuff to earn and buy is another significant change players have been waiting for. That's an adjustment to character hit boxes that should make big characters like Gibraltar, Caustic, and Pathfinder a lot more viable on the battlefield.
Respawn released the patch notes for the Season 1: Wild Frontier update on the Apex Legends subreddit. The notes give a little more detail on a few things, like how long Octane's abilities last, and included a bunch of quality-of-live improvements that are now part of the game as well. Arguably the biggest is the hit box change, though. According to Respawn, the hit boxes for Gibraltar, Caustic, and Pathfinder have been changed "to better align with their shapes."
Hit boxes are invisible shapes assigned to characters that register when they've been hit--if you shoot a character but your bullet lands outside their hit box (hitting, say, a hand or a piece of clothing), the hit doesn't count and the character takes no damage. Caustic and Gibraltar, being the biggest characters in Apex Legends, had the biggest hit boxes, but they were also apparently not quite in line with the character players see on screen. The same is true of the robot Pathfinder, whose hit box previously extended into places that didn't look like they should count as a hit, such as the space between his metal legs. The change should make all three characters a little tougher to hit, and therefore, more players will be likely to choose them going forward.
The new update also throws in a number of bug fixes, like patching a spot in Gibraltar's shield that wasn't blocking bullets and fixing a problem in which Pathfinder's zip line wouldn't deploy if players used it while jumping. There are a bunch of other quality-of-life changes that should make playing the game a bit easier for some people, like the ability to swap the functions of the left and right bumpers on controllers.
Another notable addition in this patch is the new ability to report people you suspect might be cheating. Players using hacks have been a problem for Apex on PC, and Respawn said in its patch notes it has banned just shy of 500,000 players for cheating. That's a pretty big number, but considering Respawn says 50 million people have downloaded the game, there might still be a long way to go in cleaning up the cheater problem.
You can read the full patch notes below.
Apex Legends March 19 Update Patch Notes
Stability & Performance
We've got some fixes in this patch that will improve stability on PC but we know there are still issues out there we need to address. We also added crash reporting so we can better understand how to tackle the issues we haven't solved yet and address future ones.
Improved stability for various GPU configurations.
Capped PC FPS to 300 to balance improving stability but still letting you folks enjoy those sweet frames.
Addressed issue with PS4 crashes due to running out of memory.
Introducing better reporting when Apex crashes on PC without error message.
We really want to fix any crashes people happen to get on PC. We also respect our player's privacy. So, if the PC game crashes, it will write "apex_crash.txt" to your "Documents" folder. This tiny file is plain text, so you can easily see for yourself that it has no personal information. If you choose to share this file with us, it will tell us whether the crash was in Apex or in third party software. If the crash was in Apex, our programmers can use the information to find and fix it. If you experience a crash, please include this file when you report.
We protect your personal information.
You can easily see everything in the file yourself; we have no secrets.
You're in control of whether we ever see the file.
Added Report a Player feature for cheating and abuse on PC.
Players can now report cheaters they encounter in-game and it'll be sent directly to Easy Anti-Cheat. You can do this from either the spectate view after dying or when looking at your team's Banner Cards in the Squad tab.
We have lots of other work going on behind the scenes and this remains high priority for us. We won't be able to share many specifics of what we're doing but we'll strive to provide updates on progress for the things we can talk about.
As I'm finishing the notes this morning, 499,937 accounts and counting have been banned for cheating.
Speed hacking: We do currently have anti-speed hacking in Apex Legends, but it's not being as effective as intended due to a bug that we believe we've identified and will be addressing in our next server update. Will provide ETA for it when I have it. Working to get it out ASAP.
Added Report a Player for abuse on Consoles
You can report players from the spectate view after dying or when looking at your team's Banner Cards in the Squad tab.
Optimized skydiving to improve overall server performance.
Fixed bug where sometimes the client could crash when opening Apex Packs one right after the other.
Quality Of Life
Added "Swap LT/RT & LB/RB" / "Swap L1/R1 & L2/R2") toggle in the Controller Button Layout settings.
Lets you quickly swap what your bumpers & triggers are set to, with any controller preset.
Added "Sprint View Shake" setting under the Video tab.
Setting this to "Minimal" can be especially helpful for players susceptible to motion sickness.
Added "Trigger Deadzones" setting under the Controller tab.
Customize how far you want to pull the triggers before they register.
Added "Advanced Look Controls" settings submenu under the Controller tab.
Fine-tune specific aspects of the look controls for a custom feel; such as Deadzone, Response Curve, Target Compensation (aim assist), and more.
When you relinquish the Jumpmaster position to another player you will now hear your Legend's VO line in addition to the new Jumpmaster. The third player won't hear it though.
Pathfinder grapple: updated icon
Pathfinder grapple: added indicator near crosshair to show when player is in range of grapple-able geo
Improved mantling from a grapple point.
Pathfinder can now grapple ziplines.
We've added D-pad navigation as a convenience in most of the menus. Our hope is this will speed up browsing and improve accessibility.
UI improvements to the KO Shield
Shield bar drains to indicate the remaining health of the shield.
When you have a Gold KO Shield and are down, we've added an effect to the label that reminds you that you can self revive.
We saw that the Ring indicator that appears when players are viewing the whole map wasn't accurately showing the player's position so we fixed that.
Character animations while taking damage now accurately reflect the direction the damage is coming from.
Fixed a bug where occluded sounds would sometimes sound unoccluded.
Patched up some issues with missing geo on Kings Canyon and fixed a few spots where players were getting stuck.
Fixed a script error that could happen when removing attachments on holstered weapons.
General polish to game UI fixing some grammar issues, improved navigation, and composition of elements.
Fixed PC users constantly switching weapons while scrolling through items in a Death Box.
Fixed issue where we were seeing server stability issues sometimes caused by purchasing items while matchmaking.
Fixed script errors that could occur during the skydive.
Reduced skybox fog.
Adjusted the code for Supply Bins so they are less likely to kill players. If you do still get killed by one please let us know!
Made it so push-to-talk is no longer on when a chat box is active.
LT/RT no longer switches between players in spectator mode while the map is open.
Updated the minimap to more accurately reflect the geo and points of interest on the main map.
Adding sound FX to the UI for the key binding menu.
Fixed issue where a player's name would not show up when they send a message that reached the character limit.
Fixed bug where sometimes the Champion screen resolution would be stretched in widescreen resolutions.
Fixed audio bug where sometimes the zipline sounds FX would keep playing after disembarking.
Added accessibility option to modify the subtitle size.
Improvements / fixes for color blind players:
Added better color blind support for Blood Hound's Threat Vision.
Colorblind colors per setting are now displayed in the settings menu.
Colorblind settings moved from Video Settings to Gameplay->Accessibility. They are now applied on the fly.
Enemy pings now use proper enemy color instead of only using red.
Audio:
Turned down volume when Wraith activates a portal.
Turned down the end sounds on the Peacekeeper charged shot.
Turned down the draw/holster sound slightly for thermite grenades.
Legend Hit Box Adjustments
Adjusted hit boxes for Gibraltar, Caustic, and Pathfinder to better align with their shapes.
Weapons
Fixed players being able to shortcut weapon swap by changing stance
Fixed players being able to shortcut Peacekeeper rechamber sequence
Fixed inaccurate auto ranging fullscreen (sniper) optics when base FOV is not set to default
Spitfire: fixed ADS view on Legendaries partially obscured by custom geo. (The Continuum, The Heavy Construct)
Fixed ADS view being blocked when using Caustic legendary skins with certain weapon/ optic combos
Digital threat optics: threat highlights are now more visible (slightly brighter; no longer affected by TSAA)
Fixed bug where Devotion audio sometimes wouldn't accurately reflect rate of fire.
Additional Bug Fixes
Fixed rare issue where a player could get stuck on the drop ship and be invulnerable.
Patched up the hole we found in Gibraltar's shield.
Fixed issue where Lifeline's revive shield wouldn't stay put while on a moving platform.
Fixed issue where sometimes players would get stuck in map geometry while skydiving from the dropship or Jump Towers.
Fixed bug where players could still shoot even after being downed.
Fixed bug where occasionally Lifeline's D.O.C. drone would stay connected to a player but not heal them.
Limited the amount of Lifeline's D.O.C. drones that can connect to a player to 2.
Fixed Pathfinder's zipline not deploying when jumping.
Fixed a bug with the HUD where sometimes the Heal Bar would stay up if the heal was cancelled right after it was started.
Fixed a bug where sometimes the audio would continue to play sound FX for the Knockdown Shield even after it's been destroyed.
Fixed issue where sometimes players could get disconnected when unplugging their controller during a game.
Fixed the exploit where you could do infinite wallclimb using Pathfinder's Grapple.
Fixed bug where sometimes you couldn't fire the Peacekeeper after riding a zip line.
Fixed issue where sometimes the skybox fog would not appear while spectating after you died.
Fixed bug where Banner Cards would show through walls occasionally when viewed through a very high FOV.
Fixed some odd light flickering that was happening on the ballon flags attached to Jump Towers.
Fixed bug where sometimes a player's Banner Card would not show up after character select.
Razer Chroma Support
Apex Legends will now detect Razer Chroma peripherals and supported devices will now play animated colors that react to things you do in the game! Some examples:
Red lights during banner transitions.
While skydiving colors will tune to the color of your smoke trail.
The first new addition to Apex Legends' character roster is here along with its first season and its first battle pass. There are a lot of cool things coming with the battle pass, but the biggest change to the game is Octane, its newest character. Octane changes up the game with a focus on adrenaline--he's a character who benefits from moving fast, sacrificing health for speed. He can also change up the battlefield by getting characters into places they couldn't previously reach, and when facing him, expect to be looking up, since he can help enemy players descend on you from above.
Octane is an aggressive character, so if you're going to use him, expect to be in the fight a lot. He should operate similarly to Wraith, Bangalore, and Mirage, allowing you to close distance quickly with his speed abilities. It sounds like while Wraith and Mirage are positioned more as flanking characters who distract enemies, Octane operates more like Bangalore as a front-line fighter. His abilities should make him tougher to hit, and when you do take damage, you'll likely be able to deal with it more easily.
Like other characters, Octane packs three abilities: one passive, one activated by a button push, and one ultimate that takes a long time to charge up. Octane's active ability lets him boost his speed at the cost of his health, increasing his movement speed by 30% for six seconds. That allows you to jet around the battlefield, drawing fire or flanking enemies while being much tougher to hit. To counteract the fact that Octane is the only character who sacrifices his own health for his abilities, his passive ability slowly regenerates at a rate of one health point every two seconds. That should also help in tough battle situations if you're able to hide or get to safety, but you're short on healing items.
For an ultimate, Octane's ability should change a lot of battles. He can drop a launch pad on the ground that springs players through the air, allowing you to send your teammates flying in on enemy positions, or giving you a chance to bounce out of the battle and back to safety. The verticality is going to mean players will need to get used to looking up more when Octane is on the battlefield, since you never know when death might be descending from above.
With the end of Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the horizon, Marvel Studios come up with a very fitting name for the group of films that stretch from Iron Man to Avengers: Endgame. The new moniker is also another sign that there are some big changes coming to the film series shortly.
As revealed in Empire Magazine (via IGN), the first 22 films in the MCU will become known as The Infinity Saga. Explaining the decision, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said, "We wanted to bring to a conclusion a series of movies in a way that had never been done before. Harry Potter had an ending because there were only so many books. Lord of the Rings too. But we thought, 22 movies in, wouldn't it be fun to bring some finality to the storyline."
The word finality is a scary one where this particular saga is concerned. After Thanos (Josh Brolin) snapped half of the universe out of existence in Avengers: Infinity War, it seemed only logical that by the time Endgame's credits rolled, some members of the MCU would be dead for good. At this point no, there's no telling who it is--though one major theory posits that it's Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) that will bite the dust once and for all.
Whatever happens in Endgame, though, it will be the end of the Infinity Saga. Whether that means it's the end of Infinity Stones in the MCU is a question that will be answered in time. Though we have some thoughts on what the future of the MCU will look like. Until then, get ready for Avengers: Endgame's April 26 release by checking out our latest trailer breakdown and deep dive into the character Kate Bishop and whether she'll appear in the movie.
Angry Birds developer Rovio has announced a new game in its popular bird-flinging franchise. Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs, the series' first-ever step into augmented reality, is coming exclusively to iOS devices in late spring, with pre-orders opening in the App Store today, March 19.
Like other Angry Birds games, the object of Isle of Pigs is to slingshot your small flock of birds at increasingly complex block towers, toppling them over and crushing the pigs lurking within. The game is divided up into four themed worlds and is "initially launching with at least 40 levels," according to Rovio, suggesting more may be on the way.
Where Isle of Pigs differs from most other Angry Birds games is that it reinterprets the series' gameplay in a 3D space. Using Apple's ARKit technology, the game overlays the levels onto your surroundings, making them appear as though they were in the real-world. You still drag your finger on the screen to draw the slingshot back and fire your birds, but like the series' VR spin-off, you'll be doing so from a first-person perspective rather than a side-on view.
The AR tech also allows you to get a 360-degree view of each level. You can maneuver your iPhone or iPad around to better angle your shots, and many levels feature explosive blocks and other items hidden around the back, encouraging you to play around with the angle in order to clear the stages in as few shots as possible.
Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs will be free to download when it launches, with optional in-app purchases. The game will be compatible with any iOS device that supports ARKit, meaning it can run on iPhone 6 and newer models, as well as fifth- and sixth-generation iPads and all iPad Pro devices.
Anthem's launch had its share of issues, from crash bugs to weapon balance bugs and more. Now BioWare general manager Casey Hudson has conceded to the launch issues while also recommitting to long-term support.
In a post-launch update on the BioWare Blog, Hudson says it was a "rougher launch than expected," and says that the studio was "ready for the possibility that unexpected issues might arise." In a broader sense, he said that the degree of the problems didn't become apparent until the scale of players had increased, and that the studio shares in the community's disappointment at these issues.
"It makes me sad to hear about any issues that would hold someone back from fully enjoying the game," Hudson said. "I take that very personally, and it's been our top priority to get improvements out to you in the fastest, safest way."
He then transitioned to plans for the future, explaining that improvements are coming to endgame loot, game flow, and stability. This is in addition to adding more world events and story content, as outlined in its roadmap.
"But we understand there is skepticism out there," he continued. "We hear the criticisms and doubts. But we'll keep going anyway, working hard every day on Anthem – an ever-changing world, constantly improving and growing, and supported well into the future by our team of passionate developers."
Every month, Netflix reveals what is new to its service for the upcoming month, and there are plenty of new offerings to get excited about. However, plenty of movies and TV series leave the service each month as well. And in April, Netflix loses its best animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
On April 7, the Star Wars: The Clones Wars movie, all five seasons of the animated series, and the home release of The Lost Missions all leave Netflix. While many folks look down on the Star Wars prequels, everyone can agree that the Clone Wars animated movie and series are the best things to come out of that era in Star Wars lore. For those who are unfamiliar, the series follows Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi during the aforementioned Clone Wars, taking place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. While the show is leaving Netflix, it is headed to Disney's streaming service, alongside new episodes, by the end of this year.
And there are plenty of new options for you to check out in April--after you've watch Clone Wars one more time. On April 1, Netflix is dropping plenty of movies, including Freddy vs. Jason, Pineapple Express, and the classic sci-fi movie The Fifth Element. Additionally, the classic Japanese character Ultraman gets a Netflix original animated series.
There are two big original series to keep your eye on for the rest of the month. On April 5, Sabrina the teenage witch returns for Part 2 of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. This time around, she'll be exploring her darker side, all while trying to keep her non-witch friends in her life.
Additionally, much like Black Mirror's Bandersnatch, Netflix has a new "choose your own adventure" show coming on April 10. The show is called You vs. Wild, and it is hosted by TV personality Bear Grylls. The viewer watches Grylls try to survive in some of the world's harshest environments, and their decisions could help him. If there isn't an option at some point for Grylls to ingest his own urine, then this show missed the boat.
Below you'll find the complete list of everything coming and going for Netflix in April, and make sure to check out the lists for Amazon Prime Video and Hulu as well.
What's Coming To Netflix In April
Avail. in April
Chambers -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 4/1/19
ULTRAMAN -- NETFLIX ANIME
Across The Line
All the President's Men
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Deliverance
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Evolution
Freddy vs. Jason
Friday the 13th (2009)
I Am Legend
Lakeview Terrace
Monster House
Obsessed
Penelope
Pineapple Express
Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon: S2
P.S. I Love You
Snatch
Spy Kids
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D
The Bone Collector
The Fifth Element
The Golden Compass
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Valkyrie
Avail. 4/2/19
Kevin Hart: Irresponsible -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 4/3/19
Suzzanna: Buried Alive -- NETFLIX FILM
Avail. 4/5/19
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Part 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
In The Shadows
Legacies: Season 1
Our Planet -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Persona: Collection -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Roman Empire: Caligula: The Mad Emperor -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Spirit Riding Free: Season 8-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Tijuana -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Unicorn Store -- NETFLIX FILM
Avail. 4/9/19
Trolls: The Beat Goes On!: Season 6 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 4/10/19
New Girl: Season 7
You vs. Wild -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 4/11/19
Black Summer -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 4/12/19
A Land Imagined -- NETFLIX FILM
Band Aid
Huge in France -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Mighty Little Bheem -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The Perfect Date -- NETFLIX FILM
The Silence -- NETFLIX FILM
Special -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Who Would You Take to a Deserted Island? -- NETFLIX FILM
Avail. 4/15/19
Luis Miguel - The Series: Season 1
No Good Nick -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The New Romantic
Avail. 4/16/19
Super Monsters Furever Friends -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 4/18/19
My First First Love -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 4/19/19
A Fortunate Man -- NETFLIX FILM
Brené Brown: The Call to Courage -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Cuckoo: Season 5 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
I, Daniel Blake
Music Teacher -- NETFLIX FILM
Rilakkuma and Kaoru -- NETFLIX ANIME
Samantha!: Season 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Someone Great -- NETFLIX FILM
Avail. 4/20/19
Grass is Greener -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 4/22/19
Pinky Malinky: Part 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Selection Day - New Episodes-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 4/23/19
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 4/24/19
Bonding -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 4/25/19
The Hateful Eight: Extended Version
The Ugly Truth
Avail. 4/26/19
The Protector: Season 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
ReMastered: Devil at the Crossroads -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Season 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Street Food -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The Sapphires
Yankee -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 4/27/19
American Honey
Avail. 4/28/19
Señora Acero: Season 5
Avail. 4/29/19
Burning
The Imitation Game
Avail. 4/30/19
Anthony Jeselnik: Fire in the Maternity Ward -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Baki: Part 2 -- NETFLIX ANIME
Ingress: The Animation -- NETFLIX ANIME
What's Leaving Netflix In April
Leaving 4/1/19
American Pie
Billy Madison
Blue Mountain State: Seasons 1-3
Casino Royale
Diamonds Are Forever
Die Another Day
Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
The first trailer for Toy Story 4 is here. The latest movie in the long-running animated Pixar series hits theaters in June and sees Woody, Buzz, and the gang in another highly anticipated adventure. A few amusing early teasers were released in December, but this new trailer finally gives us an idea of what to expect from the new movie.
It reveals that the new character of Forky that was teased last year--literally a fork with pipe-cleaner arms--will be one of the main characters. He's the favorite toy of Woody and co's new owner Bonnie, but he's less than pleased about being turned into a plaything. Forky goes on the run with Woody in tow, and the pair end up encountering another old friend--Bo Beep. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang set off to get their pals back. It looks every bit as funny, exciting, moving, and spectacularly animated as the previous movies in this classic series. Check it out above.
Toy Story 4 sees all the main cast return, including Tom Hanks (as Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz), Annie Potts (Bo Peep), Joan Cusack (Jessie), Blake Clark (Slinky Dog), Wallace Shawn (Rex), and John Ratzenberger (Hamm), plus Arrested Development's Tony Hale as Forky. It hits theaters on June 21, 2019.
The movie is directed by Josh Cooley, who previously co-wrote Inside Out for Pixar, and Jonas Rivera. It was originally announced back in 2014 with a 2017 release date, but delays caused the film to switch release slots with The Incredibles 2. In addition, former Disney Animation head John Lasseter was set to direct, but sexual harassment allegations against him resulted in him stepping away and ultimately leaving the company.
In a recent interview, Hanks spoke about what fans can expect from the movie. "Toy Story 4 is going to have an impactful ending," he revealed. "The way you record Toy Story; you're in a room with the team that has created it. When I went in for my last day of recording, I wanted to have my back to them, because usually you're facing them so you can look right up and you can talk about it. But I didn't want to see them and I wanted to pretend they couldn't see me. When I realized what they were going for, I realized, 'Oh, this is a moment in history.'"
Google has formally announced its plans for a video game streaming platform called Stadia, offering games on demand streamed through the cloud. Stadia is planned for launch this year.
The platform aims to bring together playing, spectating, and developing games onto a single platform. As an example, you could view Assassin's Creed Odyssey on YouTube and then begin playing it through streaming in "as little as five seconds."
Google VP Phil Harrison promised the technology will work across desktops, laptops, TV, tablets, and phones. In a demonstration, the same demo was seen working across a Chromebook, smartphone, tablet, and TV, the latter through a Chromecast Ultra HDMI streamer. At launch it will stream in 4K at 60 FPS with surround sound and HDR support, and in the future Google is planning to support 8K resolution and frame-rates upwards of 120 FPS. Harrison also promised that the platform will embrace cross-platform play.
You'll be able to use existing controllers on laptops and PCs, and Google will offer its own Stadia controller. The Google Stadia controller links to whichever device you're playing on, and it sports a dedicated Google Assistant button for referencing walkthrough videos if you get stuck.
Google also announced it has partnered with Unreal and Unity for development, along with middleware developers like Havok. Id Software's Marty Stratton took the stage to announce that Doom Eternal will be coming to Stadia. Google also announced it is starting its own studio called Stadia Games and Entertainment, to be headed up by former Ubisoft and EA studio head Jade Raymond, which will create exclusives for the platform.
The presentation outlined a few key features. "State Share" will let you create moments for friends or viewers to pick up from your own state in a game. "Crowd Play" will let viewers of a stream join a queue to join in the multiplayer game themselves. Both will need to be enabled by developers.
Google first hinted at an interest in game streaming last year, when it partnered with Ubisoft for Project Stream. The service allowed testers to play Assassin's Creed Odyssey to completion through its Chrome browser. Since then the rumors of "Project Yeti" only intensified.
You know what's good? A nice freebie. Luckily, you can get a pretty cool freebie today if you're a Spotify Premium for Family subscriber in the UK.
If you are, you can claim a free Google Home Mini. The offer works for both new subscribers and existing ones, but only until stocks last, so be quick. Also note that standard Spotify Premium members do not qualify for the deal--you must be a Premium for Family subscriber, which is an extra £5 per month and allows you to add up to five family members onto your plan. Claim your device here.
Spotify ran this promotion in the US last year, but has now decided to bring it to the UK. Google Home Mini launched in 2018 as Google's answer to Amazon's Echo Dot. They typically sell for £49 at retail, so getting one at no extra cost with a monthly £15 Spotify Premium for Family subscription is not too shabby.
GameSpot sister site Cnet said Google's miniature device "stands tall as one of the best affordable smart speakers out there, along with the Amazon Echo Dot, but it doesn't do enough to supplant the Dot at the top of the list." Read more in Cnet's 8.4/10 Google Home Mini review.
Update: Toy Story 4's new trailer has arrived, giving us a first proper look at the fourth film in the franchise. Check it out above. Original story follows.
A new trailer for Pixar's Toy Story 4 is almost here. The latest trailer will arrive tomorrow, March 19, during the morning show Good Morning America. The program airs on ABC, which is owned by Disney, which owns Pixar, so that explains that.
GMA will have a "first-look" at the new full-length trailer, so it might be that only a teaser for the trailer is shown on GMA with the full thing coming later. This sounds like a similar setup with the new Dark Phoenix trailer, with a teaser popping up and the full thing coming online just minutes later. Hopefully the same is true for Toy Story 4's new video.
The latest trailer for Toy Story 4 aired after the Super Bowl in February, and it showed Buzz Lightyear in a tough spot--you can watch it again in the embed above.
Toy Story 4 hits theaters on June 21 and sees the return of Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz), Annie Potts (Bo Peep), Joan Cusack (Jessie), Blake Clark (Slinky Dog), Wallace Shawn (Rex), and John Ratzenberger (Hamm). Among the new toys in the film are Forky (Tony Hale), Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key), and Bunny (Jordan Peele).
The movie will be directed by Josh Cooley, who wrote 2015's Inside Out.
It's just one of the many mammoth Disney movies releasing in 2019. Disney already scored a massive hit with Captain Marvel from its Marvel unit, while Avengers: Endgame is coming in April. Disney also has Dumbo, The Lion King, Aladdin, Frozen 2, and Star Wars: Episode IX hitting theatres before the year is out.
The first teaser for System Shock 3 has arrived. Developer Warren Spector revealed the trailer during Unity's Game Developers Conference keynote today in San Francisco.
You can check out the eerie teaser in the video below from Boston-based developer OtherSide.
Spector produced the original System Shock game back in the '90s when he was working for Looking Glass Technologies. He joined OtherSide back in 2016.
"Working on System Shock was one of the most fulfilling things I've done in my career and it's hard to describe how much I'm looking forward to sharing with players what SHODAN has been up to since the last game was released," Spector said.
OtherSide is headed up by Paul Neurath, who worked on the original System Shock with Spector at Looking Glass. The first System Shock was released in 1994, with sequel System Shock 2 arriving in 1999, so it's been quite a while since the latest mainline entry.
An enhanced edition of System Shock from Nightdive Studios was released in 2015. No release date has been announced for System Shock 3, nor do we know what platforms it's headed to.
What do you make of the first teaser for System Shock 3? Let us know in the comments below!
Following the announcement of Halo: The Master Chief Collection for PC, many wondered if the title would be included in the Xbox Play Anywhere program. As it turns out, it won't.
Halo studio head Bonnie Ross recently confirmed during a livestream that it won't be an Xbox Play Anywhere title, so those who bought it on Xbox One will have to buy it again if they want to play on PC. That being said, Ross teased that those who buy it twice may get some bonuses.
"While MCC shipped before the XPA Play Anywhere, we are exploring ways to make sure that we show our appreciation and recognition for the support we've had from the amazing fans on MCC and we'll have more to announce as we get closer to launch," she said during an HCS stream recently (via Kotaku).
Xbox Play Anywhere is a program that Microsoft announced in 2016 that lets you buy select digital games on Xbox One or PC and get a copy on the other system at no extra cost. All progress and saves carry between platforms, so it's a nice way to ... play anywhere. There are dozens of games in the Xbox Play Anywhere catalog now, including Cuphead, Crackdown 3, Forza Horizon 4, Gears of War 4, and many others.
Also during the broadcast, community director Brian Jarrard confirmed Halo: MCC won't support cross-play between PC and Xbox One at launch, though this feature could come later if the community wants it and if it makes sense for the studio. While there is no cross-play between Xbox One and PC, people who buy MCC on Steam and the Microsoft Store can play together.
Activision is bringing a new Call of Duty game to mobile devices, and now what appears to be the first trailer for the title has come online. The game, which appears to be simply titled Call of Duty: Mobile, is a free-to-play game that promises "heart-pounding, adrenaline-fueled action of Call of Duty with you wherever you go."
The game features "multiple game modes" across a number of different maps, including popular ones like Nuketown and Crash. According to Activision, the game is "optimised for mobile," but it's not exactly clear what that means in practice. At the end of the video, it appears Activision is teasing a battle royale mode, but it's not confirmed at this stage.
Call of Duty: Mobile also includes weapons and characters from previous Call of Duty games, including Black Ops and Modern Warfare. However, it's described as a standalone game that is not directly connected to any previous entry.
Activision is making Call of Duty: Mobile with "high-end" phones in mind, but the studio is also working to allow it to be "broadly accessible for as many other devices as well."
Call of Duty: Mobile is coming to Android and iOS, and you can pre-register now. Signing up gets you access to the opportunity to earn in-game rewards and learn about upcoming beta tests, which are set to begin later this year.
Last year, Activision announced a new Call of Duty mobile game for China that it was developing alongside Tencent. This is that same game, developed by Tencent's studio Timi, but now it's being expanded to other regions like North America, South America, Europe, and other places.
Call of Duty: Mobile isn't the only new Call of Duty title coming this year. This year's mainline instalment is on the way, and it's expected to feature a campaign mode which is notable since 2018's Black Ops 4 left it out. The game is rumoured to be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 from developer Infinity Ward, but this is not confirmed.
As part of Netflix's push to make more choose-your-own adventure style TV shows, the company has partnered with outdoorsman Bear Grylls for a new program.
The show is called "You vs. Wild," and it premieres on April 10. "Viewers join survival expert Bear Grylls on exciting adventures all over the world. Dense jungles, towering mountains, brutal deserts, and mysterious forests await, with tough decisions around every corner," reads a line from the press release announcing the show.
Viewers make "all the decisions," but we hope that whatever you choose, Grylls survives. There are eight episodes in You vs. Wild, all of which premiere on April 10.
Check out the interactive teaser video above to learn more about You vs. Wild.
Grylls served three years in the British Special Forces before going on to find mainstream success with his Discovery Channel show "Man vs. Wild," which inspired the 2011 video game of the same name.
The new Bear Grylls show appears to be part of Netflix's wider ambition to make more interactive shows after the success of the Black Mirror Bandersnatch episode.
Netflix VP Todd Yellin recently discussed Netflix's ambitions to make more choose-your-own adventure shows.
"We're doubling down on that," Yellin said during an event in Mumbai recently as reported by Variety. "So expect over the next year or two to see more interactive storytelling. And it won't necessarily be science fiction, or it won't necessarily be dark. It could be a wacky comedy. It could be a romance, where the audience gets to choose--should she go out with him or him."
The upcoming Black Widow movie starring Scarlett Johansson continues to add to its cast. Sources told Variety that Florence Pugh, who will be seen next in the eerie Pagan horror movie Midsommar, is joining Scarlett Johansson in the Black Widow film.
Pugh will play the second lead in Black Widow alongside Johansson, though it's unknown who she's playing. According to Variety's sources, Marvel considered "several candidates" for the role before deciding on Pugh after her won praise for her part in "Fighting With My Family."
It's still early days for the Black Widow film. It's unknown currently if it's an origin story for the character or how it'll factor into whatever happens in Avengers: Endgame. That film is believed to be the final entry in MCU Phase 3, so Black Widow would take place in Phase 4 at the earliest.
Avengers: Infinity War ended in dramatic fashion. The evil Thanos snapped his fingers and half the entire galaxy's population--including many beloved superheroes--perished. Writer Stephen McFeely said in a new interview that "the snap" wasn't always part of the movie.
Instead, McFeely told Empire that the writers considered waiting until the second act of Avengers: Endgame for Thanos to cut the world's population in half.
"We had so much story in those early drafts of Infinity War that, if anything, we thought we maybe shouldn't do 'the snap' until the end of act one of Endgame," he said.
Marvel boss Kevin Feige is also quoted in the story, saying that the writing and creative teams spent "years" considering the best way to tell the story of Infinity War and the overarching narrative. It was ultimately decided that Infinity War would end with "the snap," and this was truly a dramatic way to end the film.
"We talked about that ending for years and years and years," he explained. "It was the reason to adapt Infinity Gauntlet. What was the most shocking thing we could do? End the movie with 'the snap.'"
While the ending to Infinity War was unquestionably dramatic, many fans believe "the snap" may be undone in Endgame, given that many of the characters who perished have future movies in the pipeline. According to writer Christopher Markus, the deaths from Infinity War are "real," at least in some fashion.
"It is a different movie than you think it is," Markus said about Endgame. "We broke your heart. Now we're going to blow your mind."
Endgame is Marvel's next movie, and it's set to release in late-April around the world. It follows Captain Marvel, the Brie Larson-starring film that broke box office records. Endgame wraps up 10-plus years worth of storytelling, and it's expected to be the final film in Marvel's Phase 3 of its cinematic universe. You can see the latest Endgame trailer embedded above.
A bug in The Division 2 has been discovered that prevents proper use of skills, and Ubisoft has assured that a fix is on the way very soon. The bug apparently impacts both the length that skills are deployed and their cooldowns.
Players on the Division subreddit say the bug causes skills to deactivate only a few moments after triggering them. Then, in an odd fluke, the cooldown timer resets to 15 seconds, significantly shorter than usual. The community has tried testing the bug and so far hasn't been able to identify a specific cause.
The good news is that it won't be a problem for much longer. In a maintenance note, Ubisoft says it will be fixing the bug with a brief maintenance period today, March 18, but it warns there may be "remaining issues" related to the bug. The team is aiming to resolve those with another patch later in the week. In the meantime, Ubisoft suggests avoiding the "Extra" and "Overlap" talents, which it says appear to be the main culprits.
"After spending 30 hours completing the campaign and beginning to dabble in the endgame, I'm still enamored with The Division 2," Edmond Tran said in our review-in-progress. "The range of enemy types continues to keep combat encounters challenging, the equipment I earn and pick up continues to feel different and valuable. The ravaged environments continue to intrigue, and sometimes they're so stunning I find myself needing to take a screenshot before I move on. There is still so much to see in The Division 2, but I want to take the time to see it. I have absolutely no clue why I'm here or what anyone's motivations are, and I wish I had a narrative purpose to my endless hunger for progression. But I'm glad to be here right now."
Destiny 2's Jokers Wild expansion is slowly adding to the story of the Drifter, the character who runs the competitive Gambit mode and whose agenda and morality aren't quite clear. The Drifter acts nice, but he advocates for using less-than-noble methods to fight the enemies of humanity, and there are elements in the Vanguard--the military body governing the immortal Guardians players embody--who don't trust him.
After spending a bunch of time with the Drifter and participating in his Gambit events, Jokers Wild presents you with a choice: either help the Vanguard spy on him, or side with him and his unorthodox methods. Your choice kicks off a quest line specific to each side, and it has long-term repercussions, including special rewards depending on where your allegiance lies.
Bungie explained exactly what rewards you can expect on its This Week At Bungie blog. Once you choose a side, you're with them for the long haul, and you'll get a reward from that side every Tuesday at Destiny 2's weekly reset through the rest of Season 6.
If you choose the Drifter, you get one of each kind of Gambit Prime Synth each week, plus 100 Infamy points in Gambit. On the Vanguard side, you get 10 Vanguard Tactician tokens, a Boon of the Vanguard item that gives you extra tokens during Strikes, and an Enhancement Core each week. Both sides give a piece of Powerful gear each week--if you pick Drifter, you'll get a piece of Gambit gear; if you pick Vanguard, you'll get Powerful Vanguard gear.
Both sides also offer special lore options. Working with the Drifter teaches you more about him, while siding with the Vanguard lets you fill out the lore book called "The Warlock Aunor."
You're stuck with your choice when you choose either Drifter or Vanguard, but luckily, it's possible to make both choices to check out everything. Your allegiance choice only applies to one character, so you can make a separate choice with another one to get both sets of rewards and lore.
Apex Legends' new character, Octane, launches on March 19--as well as the first Apex Legends battle pass--but developer Respawn has also shed new light on why it doesn't plan on adding Fortnite-style challenges. In a blog post, Respawn said it might consider adding challenges or quests in future battle passes, but not in the first one because the studio wanted to instead give players more time to learn and experiment with the initial roster of characters.
"You'll notice the first version isn't built around a complex quest system where you need to do a 720 backflip off of Watchtower Artemis and get two Wingman headshots before hitting the ground," Respawn said in a sentence that appears to be referencing Fortnite. "While we think there's really cool design space in quests and challenges for future Battle Passes, we wanted the initial version to allow our players to just play and learn the game."
While there are no challenges in the first Apex Legends battle pass, which is called the Wild Frontier Battle Pass, there is a progression system that rewards players who try out a number of different characters. "This season is about exploring the new meta and variety of team comps driven by the launch of our first new Legend, Octane," Respawn said.
Respawn also confirmed that almost everything in Apex Legends' first battle pass will be forever exclusive to Season 1. The only exception is that Apex Packs will be available every season, and their content won't be exclusive to any one season.
Looking ahead, Respawn said you can expect future Apex Legends battle passes to include more "improvements, updates, and tweaks." The studio teased that it has a "lot of cool ideas in the works," and you can expect those to release over time.
For more on the first Apex Legends battle pass and Octane, check out the stories below.
While large batches of PlayStation and Xbox games are discounted on a weekly basis, it's not as common to see hundreds of Steam games marked down at once. Luckily, Fanatical's spring sale is here to fill that gap and save PC gamers money on some of the best games on Steam. The retailer, which sells Steam keys that are officially licensed from game publishers, has been posting new game deals throughout the month, with the latest batch of deals going live today. Please note you must have a Steam account to take advantage of them.
Even better: Fanatical is offering a coupon code that lets you take an additional 10% off the site price (with the exception of pre-orders, bundles, and Star deals). The promo code is FANATICAL10 and will help you save even more money on these discounted games.
One of the most notable deals is Devil May Cry 5, the latest game in the hack-and-slash demon hunting series. Released less than two weeks ago, the Capcom title is discounted by 20% as part of Fanatical's sale, so you can grab a Steam key for it for just $48 (it's still $60 at all major retailers). Unfortunately, this is the one game you can't use the promo code on, but $12 off is still a hefty discount for a brand new, highly rated game.
In GameSpot's Devil May Cry 5 review, the game received a 9/10. "Rarely does the game stumble, consistently leveraging its spectacle and mechanical depth to push aside any small frustrations," wrote GameSpot's Matt Espineli. "All the while, the story exudes a charismatic charm that keeps you constantly intrigued as you're refining your skills."
Tons of other great PC games are on sale over the next two weeks, including Civilization VI, which you can get for $16.20; Frostpunk, which is discounted at $15.20; the entire XCOM 2 collection, which is $31.50; and Yakuza 0, which is selling for $11.51.
See some of our picks on the best Steam deals below, and take note of the day and time each deal ends. The below prices include the coupon code discount.
Nintendo is broadcasting another Direct-style presentation this week, this one focusing on indie games. The annual spring Nindies Showcase airs on Wednesday, March 20, and it'll offer a glimpse at a number of indie titles on the way to Switch in the near future.
The presentation is scheduled to begin at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 4 PM GMT. As usual, you'll be able to stream it on Nintendo's website, Twitch, and YouTube channels. You'll also be able to tune in right here on GameSpot when the time comes and watch the broadcast below.
Nintendo hasn't shared any further details about this week's Nindies Showcase, so we don't yet know what games will be featured. However, the company has confirmed the presentation will run approximately 30 minutes--longer than most typical Nintendo Directs--which suggests it'll be packed with news and reveals.
Reception for Bandai Namco's latest crossover fighter, Jump Force, has been fairly lukewarm. Despite the middling reviews, Japanese developer Spike Chunsoft's committed to delivering content to the Shonen fighter, and publisher Bandai Namco has now shared a content roadmap.
Content is planned from April to August and will feature both free and paid DLC with new characters, avatar costumes, events, stages, and more. April will see the game's first free DLC update. With it comes a Clan feature, a Vertex event, and new avatar costumes. May will feature both free and paid DLC. On the paid side, players will get legendary duelist Seto Kaiba, two unannounced playable characters, and avatar costumes and skills. Players will also get an online link mission, a raid boss event, and the World Tournament stage for the low price of free.
June's another free DLC month--and it's relatively light on content. Players will get a new arena event and additional avatar costumes. In July, players will get a tournament event and more avatar costumes for free.
The content roadmap rounds out in August with both free and paid DLC similar to May. Players will be able to purchase three unannounced playable characters and additional avatar costumes and skills. Further, even more avatar costumes and the Valley fo the End stage will be offered to players for free.
Check out the photo below for the full content roadmap.
In our Jump Force review, we called it "a worthy celebration of the legacy of Shonen Jump manga, but it honors its source material a little too well with how filler-heavy the middle of its story arc is, saying "there's ample opportunity to develop new strategies and reach greater feats of combat prowess in online multiplayer."
Jump Force is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
The big day is here. In less than an hour, Google will reveal some kind of gaming news at the Game Developers Conference. Exactly what that will be remains to be seen, as Google has been extremely vague in its teases. However, it seems safe to assume that what we'll see is a cloud gaming service and possibly some kind of related hardware, possibly named Google Stream (more on that below). This has been the suspicion since the company first teased an announcement for GDC 2019, given its public experiments with cloud gaming.
This being Google, it could be major news--cloud gaming is a big part of gaming's future, and a massive company getting involved has the potential to shake things up for the industry. With all of that in mind, we've rounded up some of the essential information regarding both Google's keynote event and some things to know about cloud gaming. We'll update this once the news from Google, whatever it turns out to be, is announced in the next few hours. It seems to have tipped its hand just before the event, however, emailing testers from the Project Stream beta and encouraging them to watch the stream. This is accompanied by the tease, "Come see how you helped create one place for all the ways we play."
The stream is now live, and it started out with Google CEO Sundar Pichai talking about how the company has been experimenting with streaming game technology for several years. He explained how the goal is to essentially create a streamlined experience where you can play on any device at any time, without any of the hassle. He also confirmed the name for the service: Stadia. We're waiting for further details, but a sizzle trailer did offer a quick glimpse at what looks like the Stadia controller, pictured below.
Ex-Sony exec Phil Harrison, previously announced as joining the company, came on stage after Pichai to talk about the Project Stream test with Assassin's Creed Odyssey. He proposed a possible usage for Stadia, where you could be watching video of a game on YouTube and then click a link and begin playing that game in your browser within a few seconds. Doom Eternal will also be available through Stadia.
Google GDC Livestream And Time
Provided you're eager to find out what Google is up to as soon as possible, you'll be able to watch the Google livestream from the event. The Google keynote takes place on March 19 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 5 PM GMT (4 AM AET on March 20).
As for what to expect, Google recently shared a teaser video showing off various environments. It also said the event would "unveil Google's vision for the future of gaming." It didn't get any more specific than that, and we figure it could be tied to the Project Stream service we saw previously. Whatever, the case, it seems like some kind of hardware will be part of the reveal, considering Google has display cases set up at GDC. (Unless it just wants to show that you don't need hardware to play games with the cloud. Who knows at this point?)
Google Stream
Trademark filings aren't always evidence of anything, as companies oftentimes secure them and then don't make any use of them. But Google's new service, whatever it is exactly, might be called Google Stream, based on a recently filed trademark application. Based on the outline of the goods and services it will provide (which always tends to be rather vague), it certainly seems to fit the bill for a cloud gaming service.
Ubisoft Is Involved, Maybe
Ubisoft has added to the hype by retweeting Google's message about the impending announcement with the eyes emoji. That could be as simple as a community manager being excited or wanting to drum up some engagement, but it stands to reason that Ubisoft could be involved with Google Stream, or whatever this announcement is. The two companies collaborated on Project Stream last year, which saw public testing where people could play Assassin's Creed Odyssey right through their browser. Perhaps it was a one-off rather than the start of a long-term relationship, but with a rival publisher like EA experimenting with its own streaming technology, Ubisoft might see value in partnering up with Google to distribute its games.
Why Is Cloud Gaming A Big Deal?
Cloud gaming isn't new by any means; PlayStation Now, for instance, has been around for a while. But we're finally reaching the point at which it stands to become a more significant component of how games are distributed. That doesn't necessarily mean cloud gaming will replace consoles and dedicated hardware, as it could be a matter of complementing those things. To get you up to speed, we've put together an explainer on why cloud gaming is the future.
Jade Raymond Is (Probably) Involved
Just ahead of GDC, Jade Raymond announced that she has joined Google as a vice president. We don't yet know exactly what Raymond--who is best known for her work as a producer on Assassin's Creed--will be doing, but it seems fair to assume that she'll be helping to spearhead whatever this "future of gaming" is that Google has in mind.
Who's The Competition?
As noted above, PlayStation Now already exists, and Microsoft just recently showcased its xCloud streaming technology, with Forza Horizon 4 being played on a phone. Microsoft also announced plans to begin public testing this year. To help you keep track of all this, we've assembled a list of the top companies in the cloud gaming space. There are more than you likely realize.
Wrestlemania is right around the corner, and the match card is slowly coming together, and there are a few updated rumors we've already reported on below, including the controversial opponent for Kurt Angle in his final match and the Women's Tag Team Championship match.
Looking through the biggest rumors so far, there are a lot of questions about who Kurt Angle and John Cena will face at the biggest show of the year, and not so much talk about The Undertaker--probably because he's being booked at Starrcast, the companion event for AEW's Double or Nothing, in May. Here's the hottest rumors right now. And we'll make sure to keep you updated on how all of these pan out.
The Demon At Mania? (Probably not)
Could Finn Balor show up to Wrestlemania as "The Demon?" That's what everyone's talking about after a Wrestlemania, which you can see in the alleged WWE advert above. However, it's fanmade. It comes from MStudio on Instagram, a graphic designer. Trust me, I'd love to see The Demon make his return to the ring as well, but this poster is not confirmation in any way of this. Regardless, MStudio does some pretty fantastic work.
Beth And Natalya
The women's tag division is still a very new thing, and there are many people speculating that Beth Phoenix and Natalya will team up to take on champions Sasha Banks and Bayley for the titles. Phoenix has been involved in a social media battle with Nia Jax, after their recent brawl with each other at Fastlane. Does this mean Banks and Bayley will drop the titles before the event or will this be a triple threat because Nia Jax and Tamina have to be involved.
UPDATE: According to PWInsider, the Women's Tag Team Championship match will be Bayley & Sasha Banks (c) vs. Beth Phoenix & Natalya vs. Nia Jax & Tamina for the championship, which Raw has been building to.
Who Will Kurt Fight?
Kurt Angle is having his final match at Wrestlemania 35, but who will he fight? Let's get to speculating! Many people believe he'll take on John Cena one more time, as Angle was Cena's first opponent on Smackdown. There is also talk of Shelton Benjamin and Angle duking it out, as they've been talking to each other on Twitter and Instagram about it. While both matches seem to be solid, the latter is the real winner because of Angle and Shelton's working relationship in the past.
UPDATE: On the March 19 episode of Raw, it was revealed Angle will face Baron Corbin at Wrestlemania. However, this feels more like WWE trolling its fans. I doubt this match will happen.
Dean Ambrose's Final Match
Shield member Dean Ambrose has still not resigned with WWE, as far as we knew, so that means Wrestlemania 35 will likely be his final match with the company. According to Bleacher report, Ambrose may team with Roman Reigns to take on Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin at the PPV. Meanwhile, the third member of The Shield, Seth Rollins, will be taking on Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship.
We'll keep you updated on these rumors as the weeks progress, and make sure to come back to GameSpot on Sunday, April 7 for live coverage and review of Wrestlemania.
It's no secret the Game of Thrones universe will continue despite the fantasy drama's final season approaching. While the current show will end after Season 8, a prequel is in the works. There are some big names already attached to the project, and the cast has now grown one name larger.
According to Entertainment Weekly, English actress Miranda Richardson (Harry Potter's Rita Skeeter, Belle, Testament of Youth) is reported to join the cast in what's said to be a series regular role. No other information regarding her character has been revealed.
In addition to Richardson, the Game of Thrones prequel will star Denise Gough (Juliet, Naked, Robin Hood), Jamie Campbell Bower (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, The Twilight Saga), Ivanno Jeremiah (Black Mirror, Doctor Who), Naomi Ackie (Doctor Who, Lady Macbeth), Naomi Watts (The Divergent Series, Vice), Sheila Atim (Harlots, Twelfth Night), and more. Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass, Kingsman) is spearheading the project in collaboration with series author George R.R. Martin.
The prequel is rumored to be titled The Long Night, based on previous comments made by Martin, but that has not been officially announced. The synopsis for the show reads, "Taking place thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones, the series chronicles the world's descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. And only one thing is for sure: from the horrifying secrets of Westeros's history to the true origin of the white walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend... it's not the story we think we know."
Apart from this, very little's known about the prequel. Martin did say it would be different from the main series. "Westeros is a very different place. There's no King's Landing. There's no Iron Throne. There are no Targaryens," he told EW. "Valyria has hardly begun to rise yet with its dragons and the great empire that it built. We're dealing with a different and older world and hopefully that will be part of the fun of the series."
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