January 2020 – Page 81

Halo 5: Guardians is bringing back a fan-favorite mode this month, with Head to Head returning as a ranked playlist. The mode, which pits players against a single other Spartan in a one-on-one battle, went live for the first time on January 31, 2019, and has now returned.

Head to head is a round-based take on Slayer, made up of three rounds that are each first to five kills. As it’s just you and one other player, it can be quite tense.

Also available now is the new Super Fiesta Party social playlist, which combines Super Fiesta and Husky Raid. The game is moving from two rotational social slot to one as well, which will rotate on a weekly basis.

Here are the current playlists for Halo 5: Guardians:

Ranked

Slayer
Team Arena
Doubles
SWAT
Elimination
Free-For-All
Head to Head

Social

Quick Play
Super Fiesta Party
Big Team Battle
Big Team Super Fiesta
Rotational Slot: Shotty Snipers
Infection

Warzone

Heroic Warzone Firefight
Legendary Warzone Firefight
Warzone
Warzone Warlords

The long-awaited next game in the Halo series, Halo Infinite, is due to release for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC by the end of 2020. The creative director of Halo 5, Tim Longo, left 343 Industries in August 2019.

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Doctor Strange 2 Director Drops Out

Director Scott Derrickson announced he and Marvel Studios are splitting up over “creative differences” and that he is stepping down from directing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Derrickson, who directed the first Doctor Strange movie in 2016, and Marvel Studios issued a joint confirmation that he will no longer be directing the planned Doctor Strange sequel. Derrickson tweeted that he will remain as an executive producer on the project. The film is scheduled to be released on May 7, 2021.

Marvel and I have mutually agreed to part ways on Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness due to creative differences. I am thankful for our collaboration and will remain on as EP.

— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) January 10, 2020

“Marvel Studios and Scott Derrickson have amicably parted ways on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness due to creative differences,” Marvel said in a statement to Variety. “We remain grateful to Scott for his contributions to the MCU.”

Before directing Doctor Strange, Derrickson was best known for directing horror movies including Sinister and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Derrickson’s Doctor Strange movie introduced the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was praised for its distinct and trippy visuals.

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When Marvel and Derrickson announced the Doctor Strange sequel the director was quick to emphasize how it would be the MCU’s first “horror” movie. Star Benedict Cumberbatch also talked up how the project was looking to introduce some scares into the MCU.

Other parts of the project include how the upcoming Disney+ series Loki and WandaVision would both tie into the Doctor Strange sequel in some way. Marvel also said new characters would make their debuts in the movie as well.

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It’s unclear where exactly Marvel and Derrickson failed to see eye-to-eye on the Doctor Strange sequel, but it’s not the first time a director parted ways with Marvel over creative differences. Edgar Wright left Ant-Man in 2014 over creative differences and was replaced by Peyton Reed.

A search for Derrickson’s replacement has already begun. Read more about Marvel’s Phase 4 here.

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Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.

Doctor Strange 2 Loses Director Due To “Creative Differences”

One of the most-anticipated MCU Phase 4 movies, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has lost its director. Scott Derrickson, who also directed the original Doctor Strange, is stepping down.

Derrickson is leaving the project due to “creative differences.” He will stay attached to the sequel as an executive producer. The nature or extent of the creative differences is unknown.

“Marvel Studios and Scott Derrickson have amicably parted ways on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness due to creative differences,” Marvel said in a statement (via Variety). “We remain grateful to Scott for his contributions to the MCU.”

Marvel is currently looking for a new director. Additionally, it was reported that production remains on schedule to begin in May. Derrickson commented on the news in a statement on Twitter that reiterates the one that Marvel released.

“Marvel and I have mutually agreed to part ways on Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness due to creative differences. I am thankful for our collaboration and will remain on as [executive producer],” he said.

Marvel and I have mutually agreed to part ways on Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness due to creative differences. I am thankful for our collaboration and will remain on as EP.

— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) January 10, 2020

The 2016 Doctor Strange made $677 million worldwide, and critics enjoyed it. The sequel will bring back Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange, following his appearances in the latest Avengers movies.

Derrickson is not the first MCU director to leave or be fired from a project. Edgar Wright was originally set to direct Ant-Man while Patty Jenkins was lined up to direct Thor: The Dark World being exiting. James Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy 3, but he was later re-hired.

New Mission Impossible Movie Casts Actor To Play The Villain

Two new Mission: Impossible movies from director Christopher McQuarrie are on the way, and now the director has cast one of the lead roles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Nicholas Hoult has signed on for the two films, and he’s rumoured to be playing the villain.

McQuarrie confirmed the casting in a post on Instagram, where he said, “Say, Nicholas Hoult, care to raise a little hell?” Hoult responded in his own post, “Love to. Though why stop at a little?”

Other actors already cast in the new Mission: Impossible films include Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Shea Whigham, Hayley Atwell, and Pom Klementieff.

Before this, Hoult was among the contenders to play Batman in the new film, The Batman. The role ultimately went to Robert Pattinson, who is very excited about it.

Hoult is perhaps best known for his roles as Beast in the X-Men movies and Nux in Mad Max: Fury Road. He also played a zombie in the delightful romcom Warm Bodies, and more recently he portrayed J.R.R. Tolkien in the biopic about the Lord of the Rings author’s life. Hoult has been acting for a long time, as one of his first major roles was opposite Hugh Grant and Toni Collette in About A Boy when he was only 12 years old.

McQuarrie directed 2015’s Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation and 2018’s Mission: Impossible: Fallout, both of which were big box office successes. He is the only director to handle more than one film in the franchise. He’s writing and directing the next two, the first of which is scheduled to arrive in theatres in July 2021.

Pokemon Go Had Its Best Year Ever In 2019, Made Almost $900 Million From Microtransactions

Niantic’s location-based AR game Pokemon Go is still lighting up the charts, years after release. Estimates from SensorTower show that the free-to-play mobile game brought in $894 million in microtransaction spending in 2019, which marks its best year ever since it released in 2016. The game grossed $832 million during launch year, followed by $589 million in 2017 and $816 million in 2018.

In total, Pokemon Go has raked in $3.1 billion since 2016, which is a tremendous result. The game makes money through its in-game store, where players can buy PokeCoins to spend on eggs, lure modules, and upgraded bags, among other things.

SensorTower said Pokemon Go’s growth over the years is thanks, in part, to Niantic’s commitment to growing and evolving the game with new events both in the game and in the real world. The launch of Team Rocket in July 2019 led to huge increases in spending, SensorTower reported.

Pokemon Go’s biggest market in 2019 was the US, which accounted for $335 million or 38 percent of total spending. Japan ($286 million; 32 percent) and Germany ($54 million; 6 percent) followed as the second- and third-largest contributors to revenue.

Android was bigger than iOS, with Google Play store spending hitting $482 million in 2019 compared to $412 million for the App Store. Across iOS and Android, the average player spending per download for Pokemon Go is $5.70.

Looking at the wider mobile game market, Pokemon Go finished 2019 as the No. 5 top-grossing game. The top performer of 2019 was Tencent’s Honor of Kings ($1.5 billion).

Pokemon Go‘s first Community Day of 2020 is set for Sunday, January 19, and now we know what Pokemon you’ll be able to catch during the event. Niantic has announced that Piplup, the Water-type penguin from Diamond and Pearl, will be the featured Pokemon for January’s Community Day.

In other Pokemon news, the newest Pokemon Nintendo Direct took place this week. In it, the developers announced new DLC for Pokemon Sword and Shield.

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Horror Anthology Stories Untold Is Coming To Nintendo Switch Very Soon

Stories Untold is coming to Switch next week, bringing No Code’s horror anthology to a console for the first time. The game’s release is right around the corner–it’ll be available on the eShop on January 16.

The game collects four short horror experiences in one package, each of which involves interacting with strange in-game objects and narratives that make inventive use of the game’s mechanics.

The original release was designed specifically with a keyboard in mind, and required a lot of typing. The controls have been reworked for Switch, so you can play the game using Joy-Con without issue. The trailer below shows a simplified control system for The House Abandon, the game’s excellent opening text adventure.

GameSpot gave the game a 7/10 in its original review, published in 2017. In my review, I praised the first three of four parts of the anthology, calling the game a “unique package with a strong sense of identity, one that finds a new, exciting way to weaponize nostalgia.”

No Code followed up Stories Untold with Observation, an excellent horror adventure set on an abandoned space station.

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Mark Hamill Has a Secret Role in What We Do in the Shadows Season 2

Star Wars legend Mark Hamill will join the cast of What We Do in the Shadows for its second season, which is set to premiere on FX on April 15, 2020.

At the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, series creator and executive producer, Jemaine Clement, let the news slip, but would not reveal any further details about which character Hamill will be playing. Based on the 2014 film of the same name, What We Do in the Shadows follows three vampires living in Staten Island who have been roommates for hundreds and hundreds of years.

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Back in Season 1, the series famously featured an insane list of guest stars, each of whom have played vampires at one point in their careers: Wesley Snipes, Tilda Swinton, Danny Trejo, and more all made cameo appearances in one star-packed episode.

In other TCA news, FX greenlit American Horror Story for three more seasons, as well as revealing the premiere date for Fargo Season 4 starring Chris Rock. For more on What We Do in the Shadows, find out why the concept is perfect for TV and how the show crammed in so many vampire cameos into one episode.

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David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He’s also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.