It appears Respawn's current Titanfall project and plans on all future Titanfall games have been delayed. Previously scheduled for later this year, Apex Legends executive producer Drew McCoy announced plans for all future Titanfall games have been delayed so that Respawn can better focus on future seasons for Apex Legends.
"[Regarding] other games in development at Respawn, it is important to understand that there are entirely separate development teams working on Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order," McCoy wrote in a blog post. "Additionally, in order to fully support Apex Legends, we are pushing out plans for future Titanfall games. No resources from the Apex Legends team are being shifted to other titles in development here at the studio, nor are we pulling resources from the team working on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order."
Not many details about this upcoming Titanfall project have been revealed, but Respawn CEO Vince Zampella has clarified that it is not Titanfall 3. "We love being able to experiment in this crazy universe!" he said. On Twitter, Zampella also shot down the theory that the Titanfall project would be a VR game. In an earnings call, EA described the project as a "premium" title but suggested the game would not be a typical Titanfall sequel.
In this regard, the Titanfall project sounds like it could be similar to Apex Legends, Respawn's battle royale game set within the Titanfall universe years after the events of Titanfall 2. This upcoming game could just be set within the same setting as the original first person shooters, but doesn't quite follow the same mixture of fast-paced, wall-running gameplay and slower, mech-based combat.
Respawn is set to announce the details concerning Apex Legends Season 2 during EA Play in June. "For Season 2 you can expect a Battle Pass with more meaningful content, the introduction of a new Legend, the debut of a new weapon...and you didn't expect Kings Canyon to stay the same forever, did you?" McCoy wrote. Following the start of Season 2, Respawn is scheduled to release Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order on November 15 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The Star Wars game is set after the events of Revenge of the Sith and sees you play as Jedi padawan Cal Kestis.
Fortnite's 8.50 update is now live across all platforms, and it's kicked off the game's anticipated Avengers: Endgame limited-time event. That isn't the extent of the crossover, however. Epic has also added a new assortment of Avengers-inspired cosmetics to the battle royale game, including a cool skin based on Black Widow.
The Black Widow outfit, which you can see below, is available for purchase now from Fortnite's in-game store. It costs 1,500 V-Bucks and comes in two variants: one with red hair, and one with blonde. It also includes a matching Back Bling. On top of that, Epic is selling a Widow's Bite harvesting tool skin for 800 V-Bucks, as well as a Widow's Pirouette emote for 200.
If you're interested in adding the Black Widow outfit to your wardrobe, you'll need to act quickly; the skin will only be available from the Fortnite store until 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET. There's also no telling if it'll cycle back in at some point in the future, so if you'd like it, you only have a few hours to pick it up. However, Epic has teased that there will be other Avengers outfits in the game, with the second set going on sale "early next week."
Meanwhile, the Fortnite Endgame LTM will run through to the end of Season 8. This special mode has players either siding with Thanos and his Chitauri Invaders or the Heroes trying to stop them. Those on Team Thanos must find the six Infinity Stones scattered around the island in order to power up the mad titan, while players on the Heroes' side will need to find the Avengers' iconic weapons and wield them against the villains. There's also a set of Fortnite Endgame challenges to complete, which will unlock more Avengers-inspired cosmetics.
On top of all that, Week 9's challenges are also live in Fortnite, which means we're quickly nearing the end of Season 8. That also means you only have a little more time to complete any outstanding challenges from this season and unlock the remaining Battle Pass rewards. If you need any help, we've rounded up tips for the trickier tasks in our complete Season 8 challenges guide.
Die-hard PlayStation fans now have a new online destination for games-related merchandise and apparel: Sony just relaunched its online PlayStation Gear Store this week with officially licensed products inspired by PlayStation and some of its biggest games, like God of War, Bloodborne, Uncharted, and The Last of Us. As of right now, the PlayStation Gear Store is available only to those in North America and ships to the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The new store has a wide range of official products, from apparel and accessories to home decor. According to Sony's announcement, limited-edition items are coming soon and will include collectibles, seasonal products, and brand collaborations.
Head over to the PlayStation Gear Store to check out the new offerings, and see some of the new products that caught our eye below.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn't have the best track record when it comes to representing minorities. All but three of the franchise's 22 films have been focused primarily on straight, white men--and the three that aren't only came in the last two years. It's not a spectacular ratio when you really break it down. Avengers: Endgame didn't exactly tip the scales in favor of diversifying the line up in any meaningful way, but it did include the big screen MCU's first-ever openly queer character.
Sure, the character was an unnamed cameo by co-director Joe Russo, but, look, we're going to take the win we can get, even if it's a really embarrassingly thin one.
And in terms of including any level of queer representation, Russo's cameo was actually handled pretty well for as minimal as it was. Here's how it went down: Captain America is moonlighting as a grief counselor running a therapy group for snap survivors. In group, Russo's character explains that he went on a date--a big step--and that it went pretty well, except for when he started crying, and when his date, a man, started crying too. The trauma of the Snap is obviously not something people are adjusting to easily, even five years later.
Steve offers up some kind-hearted advice, and tells everyone that it's best to focus on the things that are positive about their situation and they need to work on moving on. It's all over in about five minutes, but it's an exceedingly normal five minutes devoid of any real stereotyping or poorly handled tropes.
In an interview with Deadline, Russo spoke to their motivations and intentions in including the scene. "It was important to us as we did four of these films, we wanted a gay character somewhere in them. We felt it was important that one of us play him, to ensure the integrity and show it is so important to the filmmakers that one of us is representing that. It is a perfect time, because one of the things that is compelling about the Marvel Universe moving forward is its focus on diversity."
The sentiment is nice, to be sure, and appreciated. But it's important to look at this moment in context of not only Endgame, but the entire cinematic universe. This is not a monumental victory--all things considered, it's a tiny drop in a very, very large ocean. That isn't to say it doesn't matter, but it's ultimately a tiny scrap being tossed the way of queer fans and what may or may not be an empty promise for movies to come.
For all the MCU has lacked genuine representative queer relationships in the past, there has been no shortage of subtextual coding--everything from the wildly popular assumed romance between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes to the extremely loosely implied past love life of Valkyrie during Thor: Ragnarok's flashback sequence. By the same token, there have also been characters that are explicitly queer in the source material--Valkyrie again, members of the Dora Milaje that served as Okoye's inspiration, Loki, and Korg, to name a few--who have been transported into the live-action universe, only to have their sexualities and identities written around or outright erased. All of which is to say that the MCU has had a bunch of opportunities to start including non-heterosexual characters into the mix and blatantly chosen not to do so. That's not something that can be undone or corrected by a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo.
But we've got to start somewhere right? Hopefully Marvel Studios will deliver on Russo's promise, and hopefully future representation will be more than a tiny, inconsequential Easter Egg.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has laid out an ultimatum in regards to securing further exclusive titles for the Epic Games Store. If Valve offers a revenue share for developers on Steam that matches Epic's, Sweeney tweeted out, then the Epic Games Store will stop signing exclusivity agreements that keep games off of Steam.
"If Steam committed to a permanent 88% revenue share for all developers and publishers without major strings attached, Epic would hastily organize a retreat from exclusives (while honoring our partner commitments) and consider putting our own games on Steam," Sweeney wrote. "Such a move would be a glorious moment in the history of PC gaming, and would have a sweeping impact on other platforms for generations to come."
The Epic Games Store has made a habit of securing major triple-A and high-profile indie games away from Steam. The Souls-like game Ashen was one of the first to leave Steam for an exclusive offering on Epic, but it was followed by more prominent titles like Metro Exodus and Borderlands 3. Ubisoft has entered into a partnership with the Epic Games Store and moved most of its PC releases over from Steam to Epic, starting with The Division 2 and extending to Anno 1800 as well.
There's been plenty of discontent for the Epic Games Store, especially when games that have been sold on Steam are moved to Epic during the pre-order phase. In most cases, this has caused outrage on Twitter and Reddit, as well as Steam users review bombing games that have sequels launching on Epic. Both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light were hit hard in the aftermath of Metro Exodus' move to Epic. The same happened to Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel after the reveal that Borderlands 3 would be launching on the Epic Games Store.
Steam users' harsh reactions to games leaving Steam for Epic and Valve's slow response on some of the review bombings have rubbed some developers the wrong way. "Ironically, that this misuse is possible and that Steam has no interest in correcting this misuse makes me kind of happy about 2K's decision and makes me want to reconsider Gearbox Publishing's current posture on the platform," Gearbox studio head Randy Pitchford wrote.
Respawn will share the first details of Apex Legends Season 2 at the EA Play event taking place just before E3 in June. A statement from the company acknowledges some of the shortcomings of this first season battle pass, and goes on to tease some of the new content that will be coming, including changes to the map.
"We've seen all the feedback on Season 1 and look forward to showing you the improvements we're making," the studio said in a note on the EA blog. "For Season 2 you can expect a Battle Pass with more meaningful content, the introduction of a new Legend, the debut of a new weapon... and you didn't expect Kings Canyon to stay the same forever, did you?"
The seasonal roadmap also said that Season 2 would begin in June, so there likely won't be much time between the announcement and the update.
This is part of the studio's new commitment, as stated in the blog, to "provide more visibility into the future." That doesn't mean we'll hear about everything, they warn, but it's attempting to be more transparent and put out "fewer surprise drops."
Also along those lines, it explained the current studio slate and how it's prioritizing its projects. Respawn is currently split into two teams working on Apex Legends and Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. But to keep from stretching itself too thin, the studio is pushing back its plans for future Titanfall games. This would seem to suggest that it's no longer planning to put out multiple games this year.
A recent report claimed that Fortnite, Apex's chief competitor which offers weekly content drops along with larger seasonal changes, has developed a culture of crunch because of the sheer workload of such frequent updates. Without mentioning Fortnite by name, Respawn CEO Vince Zampella said that Apex will stick with seasonal drops, referencing "quality of life for the team."
The world of Fortnite is in turmoil. Through a little bit of cross-promotional magic between Fortnite and Avengers: Endgame, the mad titan Thanos has appeared once again on the island, and this time he's brought an army of Chitauri with him. All is not lost, however, as the iconic weapons wielded by the Avengers have also appeared and players can use them against the power-crazy villain. But before you do any of that, there's the weekly challenges to complete, and one of them involves dancing at various locations on the island.
As always, the exact locations aren't spelled out; instead you've got little clues that point you in the general direction. These include "between three Ice Sculptures", "between three dinosaurs", and "between four hot springs." Some of you may know exactly where to go, but for those that don't have an intimate layout of the island in their head, we've put together a quick guide that'll get you where you need to be pronto.
For the first one, "between three Ice Sculptures," your destination is the snow biome--naturally. Specifically, it's just to the east of Frosty Flights, where you'll easily spot the three sculptures. For "between the dinosaurs," you'll need to head south of Paradise Palms and, on the bend towards the lower part of the area, you'll spy the red, purple, and green dinos hanging out--bust a move there. Finally, the four Hot Springs are just east of Risky Reels. There are two larger springs and two small ones, and you'll need to get right in the middle of them all before gettin' down.
Fortnite Ice Sculpture, Dinosaurs, Hot Springs Locations
Ice Sculptures: East of Frosty Flights at grid reference C8
Dinosaurs: South of Paradise Palms at grid reference I9
Hot Springs: East of Risky Reels at grid reference G2
If you've completed the weekly challenges and are thirsting for more, there's a special set of Avengers: Endgame challenges that will task you with completing specific objectives in the LTM. These include hunting down the Infinity Stones and even using Iron Man's iconic repulsors. In return, you'll get cosmetic unlocks. New challenges are going to be added regularly, and you'll want to complete those too as the Quinjet is awarded to those that finish 10 of them.
If you're on the lookout for new horror movies to watch this May, you may want to check out what the AMC stream service Shudder has to offer. Next month, there are some new original series you should check out, along with a growing selection of horror flicks watch.
There are a few movies you may have missed coming next month, including the second and third movies in the V/H/S series. Much like Creepshow in the '80s, V/H/S is a horror anthology featuring different stories and directors. The third film in the franchise, Viral, is the weakest of the lot, but still very much worth your time. Also headed to Shudder in May are 2008's Doomsday, 1996's Fear, and 2015's Predestination, all on the first of the month.
As for other programming, Shudder is continuing to put out more original and exclusive content on its service. The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs will air live on Fridays, continuing the Thanksgiving specials he did on the service. Briggs introduces the movies and occasionally pops up to talk to the viewers at home. He's been doing this gig since 1986 with Drive-In Theater on TMC.
On May 8, the Shudder original movie The Ranger arrives. The film follows a group of teens on run from the police. They end up in the woods and find themselves terrorized by a crazy park ranger. On May 23, The Night Shifter hits the service, following a man who works at a morgue during the graveyard shift. The man can talk to the dead, which somehow releases a curse.
Shudder is available on iOS, Android, FireTV, Roku, and Xbox One. An annual membership costs $4 a month--billed yearly for $47.88--or monthly for $5. Below, you'll find a full list of everything arriving to Shudder this May. For more streaming service selections for May, check out what Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video has in store.
Shudder Original Movies
The Ranger (2018, Jenn Wexler)--available Thursday, May 9 (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK)
Shudder Original & Exclusive Series
The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs--Fridays at 9 PM ET/ 6 PM PT (Most titles available live on Shudder Canada; select titles also available on demand on Shudder UK)
May 2019 Highlights
Stan Lee's Lucky Man, Season 3--available Thursday, May 16 (Also available on Shudder Canada)
Eli Roth's History Of Horror: Uncut Podcast--premieres Friday, May 3
Additional May Releases
May 1
Bad Dreams (1984, Andrew Fleming, also available on Shudder Canada)
Doomsday (2008, Neil Marshall)
Fear (1996, James Foley)
The Other (1972, Robert Mulligan, also available on Shudder Canada)
Predestination (2015, Peter Spierig)
May 6
Bloody Birthday (1981, Ed Hunt, also available on Shudder Canada)
May 13
V/H/S/2 (2013, Simon Barrett, Jason Eisener, Gareth Evans, Gregg Hale, Eduardo Sanchez, Timo Tjahjanto, Adam Wingward)
Nintendo's lastest financial earnings results are now out, giving us a look at the company's hardware and software sales for the past fiscal year. Not only did Nintendo's recent spate of Switch exclusives sell an impressive number of copies, the Switch console itself has also hit a new sales milestone.
During the fiscal year ended March 31, Nintendo moved 16.95 million Switch consoles. While that missed the company's ambitious plan to sell 20 million units during the fiscal year, it did represent a 12.7% year-on-year increase. Moreover, it brought the system's global sales thus far up to 34.74 million, surpassing the lifetime sales of the Nintendo 64, which stands at 32.93 million.
The Switch has been an impressive rebound for Nintendo after the poor performance of the company's previous home console, the Wii U, which moved 13.56 million units over its lifetime. The hybrid system, on the other hand, has been selling remarkably well since launching back in March 2017, managing to outsell its predecessor in just 10 months. However, it remains to be seen whether or not it'll match the company's best-selling home console, the Wii, which stands at 101.63 million.
This past fiscal year was also a big one for Nintendo in terms of software sales. The company released a handful of notable exclusives for Switch, which have all moved some impressive numbers. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sold more sold more than 13.81 million units, making it the series' best-selling installment and Nintendo's third best-selling game for Switch, while Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee sold a combined 10.63 million copies. Those numbers have quickly rocketed both titles up Nintendo's list of the 10 best-selling Switch games.
This fiscal year has the potential to be even bigger for Nintendo. The company has a number of major exclusives lined up for Switch in 2019, including a new pair of Pokemon games, Sword and Shield. There have also been numerous reports that Nintendo will release a cheaper Switch model this summer. While not necessarily denying that a new version of the system is coming, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa responded to those rumors, saying the company has "no plans to announce" any new hardware at this year's E3.
It's a big week in Fortnite, which is now in Season 8, Week 9. The crossover event with Avengers: Endgame has begun and gives players the opportunity to wield iconic weapons against Thanos and his Chitauri army. On top of that, there are the regular weekly challenges, which you'll want to complete if you want to unlock all the cosmetics for this season.
As always, there are two sets of challenges. The free selection is available to all players, while the Battle Pass challenges are exclusively for those that have spent V-Bucks on a premium Battle Pass. You should know the drill by now: Complete challenges to unlock Battle Stars, which will in turn level up your pass and give you cosmetics to customize your character with.
This week, in the free section, players will need to complete a multi-stage challenge that involves landing in multiple locations, starting with Loot Lake. On top of that, they'll need to search seven chests at either Polar Peak or Lonely Lodge, and ride three Volcano Vents without ever landing.
For those with a paid Battle Pass, challenges involve dancing between specific landmarks, doing damage to enemies from below them, reviving a teammate using a Reboot Van, and taking out five enemies in different matches. You can see the complete list of challenges below.
Fortnite Season 8, Week 9 Challenges
Free
Stage 1 of 5: Land at Loot Lake -- 1 Battle Star
Land at Lucky Landing
Land at Salty Springs
Land at Lonely Lodge
Land at Haunted Hills
Search chests at Polar Peak or Lonely Lodge (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Ride three different Volcano Vents without landing (1) -- 10 Battle Stars
Battle Pass
Stage 1 of 3: Dance between three Ice Sculptures (1) -- 1 Battle Star
Dance between three dinosaurs
Dance between four hot springs
Deal damage to opponents from below -- 5 Battle Star
Revive a teammate at a Reboot Van (1) -- 10 Battle Stars
Eliminate an opponent in different matches (5) -- 10 Battle Stars
Season 8 is starting to wind down now, which means there's not a lot of time left to complete challenges from previous weeks and get all the cosmetics in the Battle Pass. We've been keeping track of all the most difficult challenges and put together a comprehensive Fortnite Season 8 challenge guide. If you need to get Battle Stars fast, you can use that guide roundup to get the challenges done quickly.
The update that introduces the Avengers: Endgame crossover also makes some other tweaks and changes to the game, including how weapon swapping works. You can see everything that Epic Games has changed in its popular battle royale title in the full Fortnite update 8.50 patch notes.
Nintendo has shared its latest financial earnings results, giving us a much better look at Switch hardware and software sales during the fiscal year ended March 31. Despite being a comparatively slow year in terms of marquee game releases, causing Nintendo to fall short of its hardware sales estimates, the company's most recent spate of exclusives have moved some impressive numbers.
As of March 31, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has sold more than 13.81 million units worldwide since launching back in December 2018, surpassing the lifetime sales of the series' best-selling entry, Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Wii, in a little under four months. Switch's first proper Pokemon games, Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, have likewise been a huge sales success; since November, the pair have sold a combined 10.63 million copies, overtaking the series' final 3DS installments, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, which stand at 8.37 million copies.
This past fiscal year also saw a handful of new Mario games hit Switch, and these too are already off to a strong start for Nintendo. Super Mario Party has surpassed six million copies, while New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, which launched this past January, has sold 3.31 million. That puts it above the standalone Wii U version New Super Luigi U and roughly two million units shy of the original New Super Mario Bros. U's lifetime sales. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe also continues to sell remarkably well; it moved an additional 7.47 million units in the previous fiscal year, bringing its lifetime Switch sales up to 16.69 million and moving it to the top of the company's 10 best-selling Switch games.
Thanks to these strong software sales, Nintendo sold 16.95 million Switch consoles in the fiscal year, a 12.7% year-on-year increase, bringing the console up to 34.74 million units worldwide. Nintendo also says that 118.55 million software units were sold during the fiscal year (up 86.7% YoY). According to the company, "Combined with steadily-growing sales of titles released during previous fiscal years and titles released by other software publishers, the total number of million-seller titles during this fiscal year recorded 23."
Nintendo has a number of big exclusives lined up for Switch this year, including Pokemon Sword and Shield and Super Mario Maker 2, which recently received a release date, so it's likely the console will only continue its upward trajectory. Nintendo also reportedly has a cheaper Switch model on the way "by the end of June," according to Bloomberg, although Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said the company has "no plans to announce" any new hardware at this year's E3.
Nintendo has been rumored to be working on two separate hardware revisions for its Switch console--one cheaper model to release in June, and a second modest upgrade to come sometime later. Whatever the company has up its sleeve, it has put to rest any speculation that it will make these announcements at E3.
"As a general rule, we're always working on new hardware and we will announce it when we are able to sell it," Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said in an earnings call, per Bloomberg. "But we have no plans to announce that at this year's E3 in June."
The statement doesn't necessarily rule out the cheaper Switch coming this summer, as Nintendo could still announce it at any point before or after E3. The company has made a habit of organizing its Nintendo Direct presentations, sometimes on short notice, to make new announcements--including occasional hardware announcements.
The pared down model is said to be a cheaper alternative that lacks some features, such as rumble, and it may also be more hearty than the launch model. Nintendo has often made its hardware revisions more kid-friendly and safe from drop damage, especially in its handheld models. The "enhanced" model is rumored to be an upgrade, but not on the level of the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X. Bloomberg recently threw some cold water on that particular part of the rumor, though, reporting that the enhanced model is "not in the works."
While many speculated that "P5S" would be a Nintendo Switch port of Persona 5 (even Best Buy seemingly leaked a Switch version), it's in fact a Musou-style action game in the vein of the Dynasty Warriors franchise. The game is called Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers, and Atlus is partnering with Koei Tecmo and Omega Force (the Dynasty Warriors team) for development. It is coming to Switch and PlayStation 4 though there is no current release window.
In the trailer above, you see Joker posted up on a streetlight overlooking Shibuya Crossing as a wave of shadow-like enemies rush towards him before he slashes through them. You can see familiar Shin Megami Tensei demons/personas like Pixie and Pyro Jack in the mix. If you look carefully, it seems like similar elemental strengths and weaknesses will be a part of the combat as well. Joker summons his base persona Arsene to cast a huge explosion and take down even more enemies at once. A new metal-style remix of the boss theme "Blooming Villain" also plays throughout the scene.
At the end of the trailer, there's a quick glimpse of what appears to be a new character who's likely to be central to the plot of Persona 5 Scramble. You can see them staring at Joker by the reflection in their eyes.
There's been plenty of Persona-related news. If you're not caught up on everything going on with the updated version of the RPG for PS4, check out our story on all that's new in Persona 5 Royale--it features new characters (one of which is a new party member), additional areas to explore, new story events, and much more. Joker also made his way to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster earlier this month, and you can get all the details here if you missed it.
Nintendo has issued an updated list of its global sales data, and two new games on the Nintendo Switch sales list have rocketed ahead of the pack. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has already claimed the third place spot despite only having released in December. Similarly, Pokemon Let's Go, with its Pikachu and Eevee versions counted together, has already sold more than 10 million units, putting it ahead of other hits like Splatoon 2 and Super Mario Party.
The current leader is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, at more than 16 million units, pulling ahead of Super Mario Odyssey at 14.44 million. Then comes the new challenger Smash Bros. at 13.81 million units. That's followed by the launch game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which currently stands at almost 13 million units. Pokemon Let's Go has already almost caught up with it.
But there's reason to believe Pokemon will pull ahead even more. It's only been out for less than six months, as compared with years for most of its competition. Pokemon games also just tend to be the leaders on Nintendo platforms--they make up three of the top five spots on the 3DS best-sellers list, for example.
Alongside the game sales data, Nintendo updated its platform sales. Nintendo Switch has hit 34.74 million hardware units and 187.52 million total software units. 3DS is winding down, but still standing as a massive success at 75.08 million hardware units and 378.12 million software units.
The next Mario Kart game, Grand Tour for mobile devices, is set to receive a beta in May. You can sign up now.
Nintendo Switch Software Sales
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe -- 16.69 million
Super Mario Odyssey -- 14.44 million
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate -- 13.81 million
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild -- 12.77 million
We're not sure if you've noticed but Avengers: Endgame is out this week. To coincide with the launch of Marvel's arthouse indie flick about a group of best buds taking on a radical activist, Epic Games has introduced a crossover event into its little multiplayer game Fortnite.
Over the next few days, those playing the Endgame LTM will be split into two teams. One team will be aligned with Thanos and the Chitauri, while the others will be taking on the role of the heroes. Team Thanos must find all the Infinity Stones and power up the mad titan so he can decimate the enemy forces, while the heroes can locate and equip weapons used by the Avengers to bring Thanos and his army down.
Tying into the LTM is a set of challenges which, when completed, will unlock some really cool cosmetic rewards. Arguably the most exciting is a new Glider that is modeled after the Quinjet. There are also sprays, emoticons, and banners themed after the franchise. The initial three challenges are available now, and involve using Iron Man's repulsors to do damage, collecting three Infinity Stones, and playing seven Endgame LTM matches. More challenges will become available every two days, and you can take a look at the rewards on offer below.
Fortnite's Avengers: Endgame Challenges
Complete any 10 challenges to earn the reward item -- Avenger's Quinjet Glider
Deal damage while hovering with Iron Man's repulsors (100) -- 500 XP
Play matches of Endgame (7) -- Captain America's shield Banner
In our Avengers: Endgame review, Michael Rougeau described the movie as "a love letter to the entire MCU--the whole thing." He continued: "It's messy and confusing, and there's going to be a lot of discussion about whether the ending even makes sense ... but holy hell is it an emotional, fulfilling ride. I have no doubt we're going to spend the coming weeks picking and pulling it apart until we've over-analyzed every single aspect imaginable. But right now, in the aftermath, Avengers Endgame feels like a win."
If you still have some time before you're able to see the movie, we recommend checking out our guide for how to avoid Avengers: Endgame spoilers online. Staying unspoiled is trickier than you might think, but we've got some very handy tricks that will help.
Despite a tease and a livestream, James Bond's 25th film adventure has not been revealed. Fans expected the title to be unveiled, possibly along with a trailer, but neither snippet was forthcoming at the reveal event.
Instead, we got some details regarding cast and crew. As expected, Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, and Lea Seydoux will all reprise their roles in what is still only known as Bond 25. Jeffrey Wright and Ben Whishaw also return.
Actors new to the series include Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Billy Magnussen (Game Night), Ana De Armas (Blade Runner 2049), David Dencik (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy), Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel), and Dali Benssalah. Malek will seemingly play the film's villain, as he stated his excitement to be a part of the film before promising to make sure "Bond does not have an easy ride."
The only plot hints given away were that Bond is "not on active service" at the start of the film; he is instead "enjoying himself" in Jamaica. A plot synopsis continues: "His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology."
Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson confirmed the film's script has been written by longtime Bond duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, along with newcomers Scott Z Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve).
Lastly, director Cary Fukunaga revealed a segment of filming has already been completed in Norway, and the crew is about to begin shooting in Jamaica. Production will then move to London and, finally, Italy.
The Bond actor himself, Daniel Craig, appeared reluctant to return for Bond 25. After wrapping Spectre, the previous film in the series, he claimed he'd rather slash his wrists than play the character again. He also said if he were to play Bond again, it would "only be for the money." A year later, a report claimed that Craig was offered $150 million to star in the next two 007 movies, before the actor confirmed his return in August 2017.
Nintendo's next mobile game, Mario Kart Tour, is getting a closed beta next month. The trial will be available in the US and Japan on Android devices only.
The beta, which is designed to help Nintendo fine-tune the game before its full release in summer 2019, will run from May 22 through June 4. You can apply until May 7 on the Mario Kart Tour website, though you must be using an Android phone to even see the option to apply. Also note that applying doesn't guarantee you access: Nintendo says it will pick participants at random if there are more applicants than spaces.
In order to run the beta, your device must be running Android 4.4 or later and possess at least 1.5 GB of RAM. Android tablets are not supported in the beta, Nintendo says. One final stipulation is that your Nintendo account must be registered to a Gmail address, and not any other email provider. This is so your Nintendo account matches the Google account you'll use to download the beta from the Google Play store.
Otherwise, Nintendo has not revealed much information about the beta, or indeed about the game itself. We don't know what courses or characters will be playable, for example. The game was scheduled to be released before the end of March, but was then delayed until this summer.
The latest game in the racing series is Nintendo Switch's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which has now sold nearly 17 million copies worldwide. For more on that title, read our Mario Kart 8 Deluxe review.
Epic Games has been teasing a Fortnite x Avengers: Endgame crossover event in the lead up to the movie's release, and with the debut of update 8.50, we finally know the nature of that crossover. The patch notes, which you can read in full below, detail the Fortnite Endgame LTM and all the changes in the latest update.
The Fortnite Endgame LTM sees players split into two teams. Team Thanos, which is made up of Thanos himself and his Chitauri Invaders, must recover the six Infinity Stones hidden around the map. The Heroes, meanwhile, must defeat their opponents to win.
Heroes respawn until either they win or Team Thanos recover all six Infinity Stones, at which point respawns are turned off and Team Thanos must simply hunt down the remaining Heroes to win. Whoever finds the first Infinity Stone will transform into Thanos, who becomes more powerful with each retrieved Stone--depending on the Stone, he'll gain more health and shields, be able to jump higher, and deal more damage, for example. If Thanos dies, another random Chitauri player will become the mad titan after a short wait.
To help in their fight, the Heroes start the match with a treasure map that leads to a Mythic Avengers item, while more Avengers items can be found in chests. These including Captain America's shield, Iron Man's gloves, Hawkeye's bow, and Thor's Stormbreaker axe.
You can read plenty more about the new mode, as well as the changes to Save the World and Creative modes, in the patch notes below, via Epic Games. Separately from all of this, a Black Widow skin, emote, and harvesting tool are all up for sale on the in-game store. The shop resets later today, April 25, with those items going away then. However, Epic has teased that other Avenger-themed items are on the way "early next week."
Going hand-in-hand with the LTM is a set of Avengers: Endgame challenges. These mini-quests task players with using the special new weapons, such as Iron Man's repulsors, finding Infinity Stones, and playing LTM matches. In return, they'll be able to get different cosmetic rewards to customize their character. The challenges are being rolled out every two days and those that complete 10 will get a special Quinjet Glider.
"Endgame is a love letter to the entire MCU--the whole thing," said Michael Rougeau in GameSpot's Avengers: Endgame review. "It's messy and confusing, and there's going to be a lot of discussion about whether the ending even makes sense--it basically breaks the rules set up throughout the entire movie leading up to it. But holy hell is it an emotional, fulfilling ride. I have no doubt we're going to spend the coming weeks picking and pulling it apart until we've over-analyzed every single aspect imaginable. But right now, in the aftermath, Avengers Endgame feels like a win."
Thanos and his Chitauri invade the Battle Royale island, in search of the six Infinity Stones.
Mode Details
Endgame features a team of heroes fighting to stop Thanos and his Chitauri from claiming all six Infinity Stones.
Both teams respawn when eliminated until the other side completes their objective.
On one side is the Hero team. Heroes respawn when eliminated until the enemy team has found all six Infinity Stones.
Heroes start with a treasure map that leads directly to a Mythic Avengers item.
Other Avengers items can be found in Chests throughout the map.
The goal for the Hero team is to destroy the Chitauri army and defeat Thanos.
Team Thanos is comprised of Chitauri Invaders and Thanos himself.
Chitauri Invaders start with a powerful laser rifle, an anti-structure grenade attack, and a jetpack that lets them briefly leap high into the air.
The first Chitauri to recover an Infinity stone will be transformed into Thanos.
Thanos has a powerful punch, a destructive beam attack, and the ability to jump high into the air and then smash anything in his way when he comes back down.
Each time an Infinity Stone is claimed, Thanos' abilities grow more powerful and the Chitauri gain health.
Reality Stone (Red) = Heath & Shields doubled (1000->2000)
Soul Stone (Orange) = Siphon activated (grants Thanos shields only)
Mind Stone (Yellow) = Jump height doubled
Space Stone (Blue) = Ground Pound AOE size tripled, damage x6
Time Stone (Green) = Big knockback added to each hit, damage x3
Power Stone (Purple) = Laser damage x6
If Thanos is eliminated from the match, another Chitauri will become him after a short wait (unless Thanos is the last one standing).
If Thanos & the Chitauri find all six Infinity Stones, Heroes will no longer be able to respawn.
The goal for Thanos and his army is to find the stones and then eliminate the remaining heroes.
Weapons And Items
Bug Fixes & Improvements
The Hold to Swap functionality is now confirmed upon releasing the Use button rather than when initially pressing it.
This should help with the issue of accidentally swapping.
If a player is eliminated by fall damage while inside a vehicle, the player that last damaged that vehicle will receive the credit for that elimination.
Re-enabled hit markers to be server-side authoritative instead of client-side.
This will help prevent instances where players see hit markers but no damage.
Players that were Rebooted into Rifts were teleporting into the sky but would not enter skydiving mode.
Vehicles weren't getting impulsed away from the Reboot Van.
Collision for the Reboot Van was not affecting some vehicles, allowing them to hide inside of the Reboot Van.
The yellow "invulnerability" effect wasn't appearing on players who were revived by the Reboot Van.
The Reboot Card was still playing its spawn sound even if the player disconnected.
Dropping inventory items while in vehicles with weapons is now blocked to prevent various camera issues.
Traps were occasionally being placed in the middle of a tile rather than against a wall when using Builder Pro.
When exiting vehicles, the equip animation will now always play before weapons can be fired.
This will prevent the issue where players would occasionally see themselves fire right after exiting a vehicle before the server had time to register the shot.
The elimination feed text will no longer display the "eliminated by ally" message if an ally interrupts a player reboot animation.
Fall damage was being taken when using a Jetpack (in supported Limited Time Modes) after being launched from the Pirate Cannon.
Players were not able to negate fall damage using a Flintlock Pistol while crouching.
Players couldn't see the nameplates of party member's Reboot Cards in the UI.
Players would not drop a Reboot Card if they were eliminated after confirming a Reboot but before their teammate actually spawned.
Gameplay
Bug Fixes & Improvements
We've resolved an issue that was preventing the correct amount of Survival XP from being granted after games and have gifted XP to players as compensation.
You'll receive this compensation via the Gifting system.
Competitive
New Tournament - April 27 & 28: Fortnite World Cup Online Open Week 3 ($1,000,000 total prize pool!)
Participation in this event requires both players to have reached Champion League in Arena.
Region Lock is in effect - players may only participate in the qualifier for a single server region each week of the Online Opens. The server region of the first match entered for that weekend's tournament will be the one the player will be locked into for that entire weekend.
Format:
April 27 - Round One: All Eligible Players.
April 28 - Round Two: Top 3000 Players from Round One.
Streaming Replays - Currently only available on PC & Mac
Added tournament Match History, which can be viewed by selecting a player on the leaderboards.
Replays can be viewed from each match that player has played.
Added the ability to spectate live matches during tournaments by selecting a player on the leaderboards.
Note: Match must have been running for 10 minutes for live replay to be available.
Added the ability to view a specific match by game session ID using the "View Streaming Replay" button in the Replay Browser.
Arena & Tournaments will now record profile stats to Solo/Duo/Squad categories rather than as an LTM.
Bug Fixes & Improvements
Players in Arena were incorrectly seeing themselves demoted to a lower division after losing Hype.
This was strictly a visual issue and all Hype values and division unlocks are once again being displayed correctly.
Tournament posters in-game were incorrectly showing certain events as starting in '2 Days'.
Tournament posters and the Arena Panel were not loading properly on mobile devices.
Performance
Bug Fixes & Improvements
Resolved a cause of significant hitching during skydiving. and during late game combat.
Art And Animation
We've added a unique animation for petting the dog and other Pets.
Audio
Added Sound Visualizer without Spatialization (panning) of sounds in-game.
By introducing this mode, if you are a hearing-impaired player, then you will now be able to play the game with audio and the visualizer turned on simultaneously!
Drop in and give us your feedback about these changes either in-game or on our social channels to help us continue to make improvements for the future!
Bug Fixes & Improvements
Various gameplay sounds (gunshots, walking, reloading) will no longer retrigger at incorrect/random times.
This was causing "ghost" sounds to be heard when nothing was causing the actual sound effect.
Fixed an issue that would cause certain things to not have looping audio when they should.
Replay
Bug Fixes & Improvements
When healing with foraged Banana or Apples, the full visual effects weren't playing when viewed in replays.
Mobile
The reactive effects were not working properly for the Marshmello Outfit.
MSAA anti-aliasing enabled on P30 Pro, Mate 20, Mate 20X.
The interact button now has context-sensitive icons.
You can now move while the map is open by providing input on the left side of the screen.
Bug Fixes & Improvements
Made improvements to stability and to resolve some crashes.
Made performance improvements on the iPad Mini 4 and Air 2.
The movement joystick wasn't appearing on the HUD for certain devices.
Push notifications were not being sent after updates finished downloading.
Blocked players on player's friend lists were not appearing as 'Blocked'.
The fire button and right fire-stick would not function after anchoring the Baller grapple with tap to fire.
The right fire-stick was not allowing camera movement while in the Baller.
The Baller grapple was not releasing on the first tap.
Players could get stuck in an infinite fire loop after exiting the Baller while it was anchored with the grapple.
Double tapping was required to detach the Baller's grapple when using tap to fire.
There were visual issues on the Back Button in the menus.
Voice Chat icons from players set to "sit out" were not appearing.
Ammo boxes weren't opening.
The Confirm and Cancel buttons in Squad Management were difficult to touch/interact with.
The Option menus were closing the unapplied changes was closing the entire menu instead of just the popup prompt.
Menu icons could be removed from the HUD Layout Tool.
Vehicle boost icons were appearing different between viewing them in a match vs in the HUD Layout Tool screen.
The Score Tracking widget can now be removed from the Mobile HUD
Score Tracking widget can now be removed from Mobile HUD
It was difficult to see character and weapon animations while using the Boom Bow.
The Map widget was setting its anchors inappropriately when moved in the HUD layout tool, making some attached game mode UI push the Map widget off the screen.
You may need to reset the Map widget in the HUD Layout Tool to resolve this issue.
There is another Men In Black movie trailer, and as you probably know, this time, the film is international. Titled Men In Black: International, Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson star as alien-hunting buddy cop agents. This go around, the threat is large enough to risk taking down the MiB from the inside out.
The new trailer gives us our first look major look into the story, including the origins of Thompson's Agent M. Her family apparently had an alien encounter that was cleaned up by the MiB when she was a child. Her parents' memories were erased but M's weren't, and she's spent her life tracking the MiB down to join their ranks. She's put on a mission to London with Hemsworth's Agent H to root out a malicious alien force called The Hive--intergalactic shape shifters who can turn into anything or anyone, including the MiB agents. The agency has been compromised and now H and M have to deal with it.
That's right--the MiB is facing off against...well, Skrulls, basically. It looks like this Marvel Cinematic Universe reunion is going a little deeper than we thought.
MiB: International is directed by F. Gary Gray (The Fate of the Furious, Straight Outta Compton) and also stars Silicon Valley alum Kumail Nanjiani and Mission Impossible: Fallout's Rebecca Ferguson. It will hit theaters later this summer on June 14.
One of the major surprises to come out of February's big Nintendo Direct presentation was Super Mario Maker 2, a Switch follow-up to the acclaimed Wii U/3DS creation game. Nintendo had previously announced the title would arrive sometime this June, but now the company has pinned down an exact release date: June 28.
That isn't the only major difference in the upcoming game; unlike the original, Super Mario Maker 2 also gives players the ability to create slopes and angled surfaces, something that wasn't previously possible. Other improvements include the ability to customize how autoscrolling levels scroll, and an assortment of new tools such as on/off switches and more. You can watch the Super Mario Maker 2 announcement trailer above.
The first Super Mario Maker launched for Wii U back in 2015 and was subsequently ported to 3DS the following year. GameSpot awarded it a 9/10 in our original Super Mario Maker review and called it "a game of joyous creation and fun surprises." Critic Justin Haywald wrote, "The game won't necessarily turn you into the next Shigeru Miyamoto, but you can almost feel a little bit of that magic rubbing off every time you upload a new creation."
The other big surprise announcement from February's Nintendo Direct was the Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake for Switch. That game is likewise slated to launch this year, although Nintendo still hasn't announced a firm release date. You can read more about it and all the big Nintendo exclusives of 2019 in our roundup.
Respawn CEO Vince Zampella has revealed there are no plans to do weekly updates for Apex Legends. The battle royale game will continue to have seasonal updates instead, in an effort to prevent development crunch at Respawn.
Although Zampella didn't reference Epic Games or Fortnite in Respawn's reasoning, his announcement does come in on the heels of a Polygon report that revealed Epic Games maintains its ability to do weekly content updates for Fortnite with severe work crunch. Employees have reported working anywhere between 70-100 hours a week. Some employees have even been fired for missing deadlines after choosing to not work weekends, which further cultivates a culture where working long hours is expected of all employees.
"Our intention was to always be seasonal, so we're kind of staying with that," Zampella saidin an interview with Gamasutra. "The thought was 'Hey, we kind of have something that's blowing up here, do we want to start trying to drop more content?' But I think you look at quality of life for the team. We don't want to overwork the team, and drop the quality of the assets we're putting out. We want to try and raise that."
Zampella explained that the plan for Apex Legends was always going to be from season to season, despite the popularity of Fortnite thanks in large part to its weekly updates. However, Zampella did admit that Respawn is still figuring out the pacing for new content in Apex Legends. For now, the length of Apex Legends' seasons is a "total guess," and there's a chance they could either be made shorter or longer in the future.
Respawn knows Season 1 was too light on new content, Zampella continued, and the developer already has plans to provide a much larger offering in Season 2. "All the resources on the team are focused on getting this game in a better position so it plays well, so we have enough content, so the seasons are better," Zampella said.
Apex Legends is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. In our Apex Legends review, Phil Hornshaw wrote, "Apex Legends is a mix of smart shooter ideas that makes for a competitive, team-based game that gets at all the best parts of battle royale while addressing a lot of the weaknesses. Respawn's intense focus on team play makes Apex more than just a worthy addition to the genre; it's an indicator of where battle royale should go in the future."
With Cobra Kai Season 2 now released on YouTube Prime, fans of the Karate Kid series are getting a proper reintroduction to John Kreese (Martin Kove), Johnny's (William Zabka) former sensei and the founder of the Cobra Kai dojo. Now the big question is what his presence means for the future of the series. Warning: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 of Cobra Kai.
In the final scene of the Season 2 finale, it's revealed Kreese has taken control of the dojo, essentially stealing it away from Johnny--he even managed to get the property it's run on signed over in his own name. With his star pupil, Miguel, clinging to life in a hospital and Cobra Kai's remaining students now being mentored by Kreese, it sets the stage for what could be a very emotional showdown in Season 3.
For Kove, though, it's easy to justify why Kreese made the move against his former student. "It happens because he sacrifices what the essence is of Cobra Kai [is], what it really means. And it means no mercy," the actor told GameSpot. "I see that he's violating the very concept of Cobra Kai. And so, I sort of sway the students."
For Zabka, this rift between them has similarities to a father-and-son dynamic. "A father has a different point of view than the kid, and maybe Kreese doesn't agree with what Johnny's doing," he said. "But Johnny loves these kids and he loves his dojo, and he's not just going to go down without a fight."
And his refusing to give up is what should make for a very interesting Season 3. With Johnny booted from Cobra Kai, perhaps this will finally be the moment he and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) bury the hatchet and work together to overcome the greater evil. After seeing how out of hand things got with them on opposing sides in Season 2, it's clearly time for this war to come to an end.
Cobra Kai Season 2 is streaming on YouTube Premium now.
If you're a little fuzzy on who the Mad King is, and why he matters so much, you're not alone.
One of the quirks of Game of Thrones: Season 1 (rewatch it, if you haven't) is that the show never stoops to obvious, expository dialogue, where the characters explain the context of their actions for the audience's benefit. This is immersive, but it can also be confusing.
The show forces its viewers to be attentive and infer necessary information from the conversations we do hear. And it trusts the actors to fill in the rest through non-verbal language and facial expressions.
It's from various sources like this that over the years, we've learned about the Mad King, who once sat on the Iron Throne and ruled over the Seven Kingdoms. He is one of the most significant characters on the show, despite being dead before the series premiere; it was his disastrous reign that precipitated the current chaos in Westeros.
Now we're in Season 8, and with the Mad King's daughter, Daenerys, poised to take the Iron Throne, you'll be hearing a lot more about him. Here's an explainer on Aerys II Targaryen, Mad King of the Seven Kingdoms and an objectively horrible individual. We've supplemented information in the show with information from the books to provide some additional, interesting context.
Targaryen Madness
Prior to Robert Baratheon, the Mad King reigned supreme. His derisive nickname was well-earned, especially because Aerys was not always mad. Targaryens, on the whole, had a very good track record as monarchs; Aerys was the sixteenth member of his family to sit the throne. And Aerys's first decade of rule was marked by prosperity.
The young king (20 years old when he ascended) was aided greatly by his Hand, Tywin Lannister. Tywin was coldly objective and efficient--everything that Aerys was not. Aerys talked big and charmed people, while Tywin went about the sordid, detail-heavy business of actually running the realm. It was an arrangement that worked out for everyone at first.
But Aerys was insecure, and over time, he went mad. Perhaps his mental instability was the product of incest; generations of Targaryens intermarried to keep the lineage pure and consolidated.
Aerys alienated Tywin over a period of years; while drunk, he made a crude sexual remark to Tywin's wife and cousin, Joanna. He also made Tywin's eldest son, Jaime, a member of the Kingsguard. Since Kingsguards are not allowed to marry, have children, or hold property, this was an insult disguised as an honor; he deprived Tywin of an heir to Casterly Rock.
Tywin resigned as Hand. And without a mediating influence in King's Landing, things quickly went off the rails. Administrative positions were increasingly occupied by a rotating cadre of yes-men and charlatans. And the king himself grew paranoid, fearing that his subjects were out to kill or usurp him. He tortured and killed entire families of those he suspected, and laughed while doing it.
He allowed his physical appearance to degrade; he no longer cut his hair or bathed, and his nails grew long and yellow. He developed an unhealthy fascination with wildfire and with burning people alive. The Targaryen family had always been closely associated with dragons and fire, but this was a step too far.
The Tipping Point
The situation became untenable when Aerys's son, Rhaegar, "kidnapped" Lyanna Stark. Lyanna's father Rickard and brother Brandon protested, as did Robert Baratheon, to whom Lyanna was betrothed. In response to their righteous anger, Aerys burned Rickard and Brandon alive in the throne room for their "treason."
This triggered an uprising known as Robert's Rebellion, during which the Starks, Baratheons, and eventually the Lannisters all united to overthrow the king. And in the midst of this coup, Jaime Lannister slit Aerys's throat. For this, and for doing so as a member of the Kingsguard, his enemies tagged him with the derisive nickname "Kingslayer."
What most people didn't know was that Jaime had saved King's Landing with his actions. Aerys had wildfire planted all over the city in its underground tunnels, so that in the event of a rebellion, he would reduce the city (and its inhabitants) to ash. This plan never came to pass, thanks to Jaime betraying his vow.
It's also important to note that Rhaegar never actually "kidnapped" Lyanna. In reality, the two had eloped and were in love. But no major player on either side knew this.
The Fallout
Aerys's pregnant sister-wife, Rhaella, fled to Dragonstone with Aerys' second son, Viserys. She gave birth to Daenerys and died shortly afterward.
Robert Baratheon ascended to the Iron Throne. He pardoned Jaime and married Jaime's twin sister, Cersei. He allowed Eddard (Ned) Stark, Lyanna and Brandon's younger brother, to remain as Warden of the North.
Rhaegar Targaryen, Aerys's first son, died during Robert's Rebellion. And Lyanna Stark died after giving birth to his son, Aegon Targaryen. Lyanna made Ned promise to keep the boy safe; had Robert known that Aegon existed, he would have killed him. So, Ned renamed him Jon Snow and presented him to the world as his bastard.
And the wildfire that the Mad King had planted all over the city was used by Cersei in Season 6 to destroy the Great Sept of Baelor and kill the High Sparrow and the Tyrells. This ultimately resulted in Tommen Baratheon's suicide, and Cersei ascended to the Iron Throne in her son's place.
The Mad King's other caches of wildfire are presumably still scattered throughout the city. Should Cersei choose to light them, she may fulfill Aerys's plan after all.
The Future
The reason why Aerys is still important, all these years later, is multifaceted. As the saying goes, "The North Remembers." Aerys burned Rickon and Brandon Stark to death. And remember: As far as the North knows, the Targaryens raped and killed Lyanna Stark as well. Some of this distrust and anger naturally manifests itself toward Daenerys.
Daenerys, to her credit, consistently disavows her father, conceding that he was a bad man. She promises to her doubters that she will be better, fairer, and more just. But there is darkness in Daenerys. Like her father, she's demonstrated, on occasion, an uncompromising desire for power. And when Randyll and Dickon Tarly initially refused to bend the knee, Daenerys had them burned to death by her dragon Drogon, much to Tyrion's alarm and dismay.
There's an interesting parallel here; just as Aerys was advised by Tywin, Aerys's daughter is advised by Tywin's son. This might foreshadow that she is following in her father's "mad" footsteps. After all, Aerys didn't get that way overnight.
As of Season 8, Episode 2 of the show, Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are together, and in love. Jon has just told Daenerys his true lineage; his claim to the Iron Throne is stronger than hers. And Dany didn't have time to react; the horn sounded three times, which meant that the White Walkers were imminent.
Assuming Dany (Aerys's daughter) and Jon (Aerys's grandson) survive the battle against the Night King, they'll have a lot to talk about and negotiate. How do they take down Cersei? Who rules the Seven Kingdoms? And will there be a power struggle between them before the show airs its final episode? The Mad King may be dead, but his influence, and the fear and resentment he sowed, live on.
Pokemon Go's Meltan event has returned for a limited time, giving you another chance to catch a rare Shiny Meltan if you missed it the first time around. Not only will the special Pokemon appear from now until May 5, Niantic has also made it easier to find more Meltan than usual, allowing you to stock up on the Candy you need to evolve it.
Unlike other Mythical Pokemon, which can typically be found through either EX Raids or Special Research questlines, Meltan will only appear in Pokemon Go if you've used an item called the Mystery Box, which can be obtained exclusively by linking the game with either Let's Go Pikachu or Eevee on Nintendo Switch. If you're unsure of how to get your hands on one, here's how to catch and evolve the Hex Nut Pokemon.
How To Catch Meltan
As mentioned above, the key to finding Meltan is obtaining the Mystery Box, which you'll automatically receive after you've transferred a Gen 1 Pokemon to either of the Let's Go titles. You can read more information about how Pokemon Go transfers work here.
After you've received a Mystery Box, open it and Meltan will begin to spawn in the wild for the next 30 minutes. Once you spot one, you can catch it just as you would any other wild Pokemon in Go. During this event, you'll also have a chance of encountering a Shiny Meltan when you open the Mystery Box; however, whether one appears will be down entirely to luck, so you'll need to be persistent if you're hoping to catch one.
After the 30 minutes have elapsed, the Mystery Box will close, and you'll typically need to wait seven days before you can open it again and capture more Meltan. However, from now until May 5, Niantic has greatly reduced this cooldown timer to three days, so you can re-open the Mystery Box and catch Meltan again much more quickly than before.
How To Evolve Meltan
Even if you've already caught the Hex Nut Pokemon, the Meltan event is a good opportunity to stock up on more, as you can transfer any excess ones to Professor Willow in exchange for Meltan Candy. You'll need a whopping 400 of those Candies to evolve Meltan into Melmetal, but you can expedite the process in a few ways. Rare Candies will work toward powering up any Pokemon, even Meltan, and feeding Pinap Berries to one during the capture phase will increase the amount of Candy you receive if you successfully catch it.
If you evolve a Shiny Meltan, it'll retain its Shiny coloration as Melmetal. This version of the Pokemon sports a slightly darker head and a blue tail rather than a red one. You'll also be able to transfer any Meltan or Melmetal you've obtained in Pokemon Go over to Let's Go, where you can add them to your party or show them off in online battles. You can read more about how to get Meltan and Melmetal here.
The Meltan event is scheduled to run until 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on Sunday, May 5. More details about the event can be found on the Pokemon Go website.
One of the most popular slice of life anime from 2018, Laid-Back Camp, is getting a short follow-up story early next year. Called Heya Kyan (which translates to Room Camp and has thus been nicknamed Heya Camp), the short anime will premiere January 2020.
According to Comic Natalie, and translated by Anime News Network, Laid-Back Camp opening animation sequence director Masato Jinbo will be heading Heya Camp. Laid-Back Camp writer Mutsumi Ito and character designer and chief animation director Mutsumi Sasaki are returning to reprise their roles in Heya Camp as well. The director of Laid-Back Camp Season 1, Yoshiaki Kyougoku, will supervise.
After Heya Camp, Laid-Back Camp will be getting a full second season, as well as a movie. A key visual for Laid-Back Camp's future direction and stories was released alongside the announcement of Heya Camp's premiere date. The artwork sees main characters Nadeshiko and Rin take center stage at the base of Mount Fuji, while Nadeshiko's fellow Outdoor Activities Circle members Chiaki and Aoi and Rin's friend Saitō stand to their left. On their right stands the Outdoor Activities Circle advisor Minami and Nadeshiko's older sister Sakura. The key visual can be viewed below.
Laid-Back Camp follows Nadeshiko and Rin, two high school girls who love camping. Rin is a quiet girl who prefers to camp alone, while Nadeshiko is quite boisterous and would rather spend time with others. Despite their different personalities, the two high schoolers forge a very close relationship and continue to camp together--with Rin beginning to open to the idea of occaissionaly spending time with others and Nadeshiko learning to appreciate more solitude excursions.
James Gunn will return to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, completing the trilogy he's overseen from the beginning. Chris Pratt, the actor behind the lead character Star-Lord, recently said he's "thrilled" to have the director back.
"I was so thrilled, so excited," Pratt told People. "I think it's the right move, I really stand behind it. I'm really proud of Disney for hiring James back and ultimately thrilled for not only us, but also for the fans. I think it's going to wrap up the trilogy in the best way."
Shortly after Gunn was fired from the project in 2018 for controversial tweets made years prior, several celebrities came out to voice their support. Dave Bautista and Michael Rooker, who play Drax and Yondu, respectively, were especially vocal very quickly. Shortly after, though, the entire key cast of the Guardians series signed a collective letter of support to rehire Gunn. That included Pratt, Bautista, and Rooker, along with Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, and Sean Gunn.
The tone of the support was often that Gunn's old social media posts were inappropriate, but that he had learned and grown as a person since then. Pratt's latest comments reflect that attitude as well.
"Guardians of the Galaxy are really all about second chances and giving people an opportunity to be their best," he said. "We're a ragtag squad of people coming together and having each other's back. I think it really worked out the way it was supposed to, and I feel good about it."
Though Gunn had been fired from the project, Disney maintained that it was still going to use his script--perhaps in part because Bautista openly threatened to quit if it didn't. Before Gunn was brought back on, DC took the opportunity to make Marvel's loss their gain, tapping him to write and direct a Suicide Squad film. Though it was first understood to be a sequel, it's now said to be a total reboot.
Before Star-Lord and his squad of spacers can get back to guarding the galaxy, though, there's some unfinished business with Thanos to attend to. Almost the entire Guardians roster--Peter Quill, Groot, Drax, and Mantis--were dusted when Thanos enacted his plan to wipe out half the population in Infinity War. Since Gamora was killed in a much more personal fashion as well, that only leaves Rocket to help the Avengers in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame. Check out our review for more (spoiler-free) thoughts on the blockbuster that will settle up Thanos' body count.
Mortal Kombat 11 recently revealed the roster's final playable character, Frost. The stylish Sub-Zero apprentice is unlockable by playing the campaign, but for those who want a shortcut or just aren't interested in the story mode, you can purchase her separately.
Frost is available on Steam and consoles for $6. On PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, she appears to only be listed through the in-game marketplace, rather than as a separate game item on the storefronts themselves. The price is consistent throughout the different platforms.
Frost is a unique inclusion on the character roster, as all of the other playable characters are available right from the start. Frost is a locked character, only obtainable after completing chapter four in the story campaign--or by purchasing her.
While selling a shortcut to an item that can be unlocked through normal play isn't uncommon, the store listings do not appear to give an indication that she can be obtained without a purchase. In fact, her store listing is very similar to the one for Shao Kahn, who can only be obtained through purchase if you missed him as a pre-order bonus. The Steam reviews on the DLC are mostly negative, with many players citing the fact that you can unlock her through play.
GameSpot has contacted NetherRealm for comment, but has not received a response as of the time of publishing.
"There's a diverse roster of interesting characters and playstyles, and the story mode is an entertaining romp," Edmond Tran wrote in GameSpot's Mortal Kombat 11 review-in-progress. "The unfulfilling approaches to the game's dynamic single-player content and progression may feel like they've totally whiffed (at least at this early stage), but Mortal Kombat 11 hits where it matters."
During the latest Kombat Kast, additional details about the server-side update that went live in Mortal Kombat 11 right after release--which reduced the maximum health of AI opponents in the Tower--as well as a coming hotfix update were announced. The live stream also addressed in-game microtransactions in Mortal Kombat 11 as well.
After player outcry in concern for the Towers of Time in Mortal Kombat 11, NeatherRealm agrees that the mode is too difficult in its current state--adding that it made earning rewards to go through the Krypt "punishingly slow" as a result. The developer is working on a patch "as quickly as they can" to balance the issue, with the update scheduled for the end of this week. However, NeatherRealm added that the update could be pushed back to as late as early next week. The update will specifically address AI difficulty and modifiers in the Towers, and also adjust the frequency of modifiers so that they show up less and make certain unblockable modifiers into blockable ones.
Despite these changes to make the Towers of Time less difficult, certain aspects of the mode will remain challenging. Group Battles, for example, will remain a difficult challenge for players because "they are meant" to be.
During the Kombat Kast, NeatherRealm also addressed in-game purchases. The developer said they don't want to artificially drive people toward microtransactions. As a result, cosmetics, Time Crystals, and easy fatalities will remain the only things you can buy in Mortal Kombat 11's in-game store outside of DLC. The store will not be changed to allow you to buy in-game currencies.
NeatherRealm also has a bundle of free in-game currency coming to all Mortal Kombat 11 players. The developer doesn't have a timetable for when the bundle will release quite yet, but it will include 500k Coins, 500 Hearts, 1000 Souls, and 1000 Time Crystals--the latter of which is enough for two premium skins.
Mortal Kombat 11 is available for Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and PC. In our Mortal Kombat 11 review in progress, Edmond Tran wrote, "MK11 isn't just a sequel for series fans and Netherrealm devotees, it's a gateway into the realm of fighting games for anyone who has a passing interest in watching ruthless warriors beat each other silly. Streamlined mechanics keep the act of fighting furiously exciting no matter what your skill level, and comprehensive tutorials encourage you to dig into the nitty-gritty. There's a diverse roster of interesting characters and playstyles, and the story mode is an entertaining romp. The unfulfilling approaches to the game's dynamic single-player content and progression may feel like they've totally whiffed (at least at this early stage), but Mortal Kombat 11 hits where it matters."
Phoenix Labs has launched the new Path of the Slayer content update for its Monster Hunter World-like hunting co-op action RPG, Dauntless. Path of the Slayer releases alongside the latest expansion to Dauntless's Hunt Pass: Season 4: Burndown.
Path of the Slayer introduces the new Mastery system to Dauntless, which allows you to earn rewards for finishing challenges related to hunting certain Behemoths or wearing specific gear. "Each Behemoth and crafted weapon--not just weapon class--has its own unique Mastery card for players to delve into," Phoenix Labs PR manager Andy Burt wrote in a press release. "Players will also find new alternate special attack options for the Hammer, War Pike, Sword and Chain Blades, allowing Slayers to further customize their experience."
The expansion also introduces a new progression system into Dauntless. "The progression rework introduces a brand new End of Hunt screen that provides Slayers with a wealth of information, including progress made in various Mastery cards, quest rewards, Behemoth break parts earned, and more," Burt wrote. "Quests and the Dauntless map have also been revamped to clearly define the challenge Slayers can expect on any given hunt, and Behemoth hunts are now organized by their elemental attribute." This system plays into Dauntless' new crafting features and mechanics which has replaced the multitude of crafting parts for a simpler system of elemental Orbs and Arcstones.
Ahead of Dauntless' console release, the game begins its fourth Hunt Pass season. "[Burndown] transforms Ramsgate into an arid landscape marked with ceremonial braziers spread throughout the city, and offers Slayers a number of limited-time barbaric rewards," Burt wrote.
Currently available in open beta on PC, Dauntless will officially launch on the Epic Games Store this summer. PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game are planned as well. Every version of Dauntless will support cross-platform play and progression, allowing you to move your account between multiple systems and party up with your friends regardless of system.
With Avengers: Endgame arriving in theaters around the world, fans are starting to see first-hand what is likely the biggest piece of the Marvel Cinematic Universe puzzle thus far. As the Infinity Saga, as the last ten years' of movies have been dubbed, comes to a close, there are many questions that need to be answered. Warning: The following contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame.
One of the biggest questions was whether Stan Lee would have his customary cameo in the film. As you'll remember, Lee died in late 2018 at 95 years old. While it was previously confirmed that the Marvel Comics icon had filmed a cameo for Avengers: Endgame, there was no telling what it was or if it would actually end up in the movie or how the cameo itself fit into the story. Consider this your last warning: If you haven't seen Endgame yet, stop now. We're going into spoiler territory, so continue forward at your own peril.
As it turns out, Lee does, in fact, have a cameo appearance in the movie. It's a simple but funny moment somewhere near the middle of the film. The scene opens on a car license plate, pulling back to reveal the driver of the vehicle is Lee's character, with a woman in the passenger seat. As they drive by a military base, Lee's character shouts "Make love, not war" out the window. Fittingly, the car has a bumper sticker that reads, "Nuff said." The phrase is one Lee used often in his Stan Lee's Soapbox editorials in Marvel comic books. He also said the phrase as part of his cameo in Spider-Man 3.
It's worth noting this will be the final cameo for Lee in the MCU, which is very fitting given this film is wrapping up the first decade of storytelling in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Speaking to RadioTimes, co-director Joe Russo said of Lee's role in Endgame, "Obviously it was exceedingly sad that this cameo was his final appearance, but I do think what was shot was very fitting."
For more on Avengers: Endgame, make sure to check out our review of the movie, as well as whether or not the film has a post-credits scene. And, for your own safety, here's when it's safe to run to the bathroom during the three-hour film.
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