Month: December 2018

You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

Long before Fortnite, developer Epic Games launched a successful mobile game series called Infinity Blade. The franchise’s three games are no longer available, however, as Epic removed them from the iOS App store on December 10 in a surprising and unexpected move.

Everyone who already has Infinity Blade 1-3 installed on their iOS device can continue to play and re-download them (for the “foreseeable future), but all in-app purchases are turned off.

But why is the Infinity Blade franchise getting the boot? In a statement, Epic said it has become “increasingly difficult” to support the franchise “at a level that meets our standards” at the same time as other ongoing projects such as Spyjinx and “other projects.” The statement never mentions Fortnite by name, but surely the battle royale game is one of Epic’s biggest focuses right now.

“The Infinity Blade series will always hold a special place for me personally and for Epic as a whole,” Epic’s Donald Mustard said. “It’s always bittersweet to say goodbye, but we are excited for Spyjinx and what the future holds!”

Epic will continue to support Infinity Blade III with more Clash Mobs and other “surprises” over the next month. What’s more, Epic is giving away the Infinity Blade Stickers app for free.

What’s more, Epic teased that you can expect to see the Infinity Blade franchise appear in “places you wouldn’t expect.” Just today, Epic announced that a sword weapon is coming to Fortnite–and based on the teaser, it sure looks like the sword from Infinity Blade.

The first Infinity Blade launched in 2010, with sequels arriving in 2011 and 2013.

Infinity Blade is not the first Epic title to get scaled back or canceled following Fortnite’s massive success. At the start of 2018, Epic confirmed it was shutting down its free-to-play MOBA Paragon, while just recently, the developer confirmed that it was no longer working on its new Unreal Tournament game. The studio is continuing to work on Spyjinx, an action-strategy game that Epic is working on with Star Wars and Star Trek director JJ Abrams. It was originally scheduled to launch in 2016, but that never happened. The statement today confirms Epic is still working on it, but no new release date has been announced.

Another new Epic project is the Epic Games Store, which recently launched and offers a compelling revenue share split with developers.

You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

With comedian/actor Kevin Hart dropping out of hosting duties for the 91st Academy Awards, many are wondering who will replace him. According to a new report, one of the options that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is considering is having no host at all.

Variety reports that in this scenario, the Academy might recruit a number of celebrities and other “buzzy people” to present and send the broadcast to its numerous commercial breaks.

One source told Variety that neither the Academy nor ABC had a contingency plan. The next meeting of the Academy’s Board of Governors, which was scheduled before Hart dropped out, will take place this Tuesday. The matter of what to do after Hart’s exit will surely be discussed. Having no host sounds like it is just one possibility that the Academy may be considering.

The 91st Academy Awards take place on February 24. For comparison, the Academy announced Jimmy Kimmel as the host of the 2017 show in May 2017, while Hart was only confirmed as the host for this year’s show last week before he dropped out days later.

Hart backed out of the hosting gig after people discovered years-old tweets where the comedian and actor made homophobic comments. According to Hart, the Academy gave him an ultimatum: apologize or step down as host. Hart initially said he wouldn’t apologize, but he later did, saying he was sorry to the LGBTQ community for “my insensitive words from my past.” He said he chose to step down so as not to become a distraction.

The most recent Academy Awards ceremony saw the viewership lowest in history, with only 26.5 million people tuning in. Presumably in an effort to get more people to watch, the Academy announced a “Popular Film” category, but it was scrapped in the wake of some amount of public backlash.