Bethesda will not be broadcasting a digital showcase in June, despite the cancellation of E3 meaning the developer-publisher can’t hold its traditional press conference this year.
Confirmed in a tweet from head of marketing Pete Hines, the decision stems from the “many challenges” the company is facing due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Given the many challenges we’re facing due to the pandemic, we will not host a digital Showcase in June. We have lots of exciting things to share about our games and look forward to telling you more in the coming months.
It sounds as though Bethesda will instead spread its planned announcements out across the year, rather than clustering them into a single show.
Bethesda had previously said that it was planning to show off more from Arkane’s Deathloop, and Tango Gameworks’ Ghostwire: Tokyo at the show. Fans will have been hoping for more teases of The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield, as well.
With E3 2020 canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some publishers are still planning to give digital presentations around the time that E3 would have taken place in June. Those plans now include one less publisher, as Bethesda has bowed out of its annual presentation.
A statement from marketing VP Pete Hines, who often headlines Bethesda’s E3 presentations, said the company is facing “many challenges” due to the pandemic, and as a result won’t be hosting its digital showcase in June. It does note that the company will still be sharing its plans in the coming months–though it’s unclear if this means a single large digital presentation will still be happening, or if the announcements will be split into individual ones.
Bethesda’s E3 presentations usually pack at least a few surprises, along with details about ongoing content for games like Elder Scrolls Online. We’re not sure what the company planned to show at this year’s event, though it has teased long-term projects like Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6.
Given the many challenges we’re facing due to the pandemic, we will not host a digital Showcase in June. We have lots of exciting things to share about our games and look forward to telling you more in the coming months.
Call of Duty Mobile imitates the style of its PC and console counterparts, right down to issuing regular content updates as a live game. The latest season is Steel Legion, introducing new game modes, a new map, and some fan-favorite characters.
A limited-time 2v2 Showdown mode pits you and a partner against another squad of two with single elimination rules and random loadouts that change every two matches. The first pair to win six matches wins the round. If no one pulls that off, you go into an overtime capture-the-flag mode. The update reintroduces the 20v20 Battle Royale mode, but now you can play in first-person perspective. Battle Royale also adds two new weapons, the HS2126 shotgun and UL736 LMG.
You’ll also be able to unlock two characters from the Black Ops series, David “Section” Mason and the war robot Reaper. Those are each available through the Battle Pass, which also includes a new RC Shock killstreak. Finally, the update adds the Black Ops 2 map Meltdown.
This follows just after the surprise-launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered on PS4. Though various leaks gave away the secret ahead of time, its exact launch date was unannounced until it was suddenly available on the PlayStation Store. It’s the campaign only, without multiplayer, and it’s a PS4-exclusive until April 30. At that point it will also come to PC and Xbox One.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
The NBA season has been indefinitely postponed because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which was infected multiple players, but superstars are making the most of their time off with an NBA 2K20 charity tournament.
Airing on ESPN on April 3, the NBA 2K Players Tournament features 16 NBA players competing in head-to-head brackets for the chance to be crowned champion. Participants include Kevin Durant, Andre Drummond, DeMarcus Cousins, and Trae Young, and their seeds in the tournament were determined based on their player-ratings in the game itself.
Players select eight teams to play with during the tournament and are allowed to use each only once. That means mastering multiple squads and not only passing the ball to your in-game counterpart.
All eligible charities for the tournament are coronavirus-focused, but the winning player will be able to choose one to receive a $100,000 donation from 2K Games, the NBA, and the National Basketball Players Association.
Players only 😏 16 NBA players will compete head to head in the NBA 2K Players Tournament. First Round starts this Friday on ESPN Tweet #NBA2KTourney to tell us who you got as the best 2K player https://t.co/vGw6TgbqB8
The NBA was one of the first professional sports leagues to suspend its season after Utah Jazz center Ruby Gobert contracted coronavirus. Gobert had jokingly touched microphones during a press conference before learning he had the disease and it was more prominent in the United States. The country now has more confirmed cases than anywhere in the world.
The Phoenix Suns made the most of its time off by transitioning to NBA 2K20 Twitch streams for its remaining schedule. NBA 2K20 also encountered issues with simulating results because the season had been postponed, causing crashes in MyLeague mode when trying to find data.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
While the coronavirus (COVID19) outbreak has led to the delay of many movies, it has meant that some films have been released to digital platforms earlier than expected. The successful action sequel Bad Boys for Life wasn’t expected to arrive on video-on-demand for at least another month, but it can now be watched at home. In addition, the first nine minutes of the movie have now been released for free.
This “extended preview” does a good job of reestablishing Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s characters Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, as well giving us the expected action and wisecracking, and setting up the basic plot. Or to put it another way–you’ll know if you’ll want to check out the rest of the movie after you watch it. Check it out below:
Bad Boys For Life is the most successful movie released in the US so far this year, with a $204 million domestic gross. Admittedly, there hasn’t been much competition, given the only other big franchise movie, DC’s Birds of Prey, underperformed at the box office. But with virtually every other big movie that was due a spring and summer release now delayed or postponed, Bad Boys For Life is likely to hold this position for a long time.
Universal was the first major studio to give some of its current theatrical titles early digital releases. The Invisible Man, The Hunt, and Emma all hit video-on-demand on March 20, while Trolls: World Tour is skipping theaters entirely and arrives on April 10. Birds of Prey was also been given an early digital release and has been available since March 24.
To celebrate the arrival of spring, the PlayStation Store is hosting a massive new sale, offering discounts on more than 600 PS4 games. The Spring Sale is live now and runs through April 28, with a refreshed lineup of games coming at the midway point on April 15. With everyone spending more time at home right now, the wide-ranging sale couldn’t have come at a better time. So now’s your chance to stock up on games you may have missed out on and reload your backlog. Since the sale just started, you may need to add games to your cart to see the discounts.
You can also grab Control’s Digital Deluxe Edition for its best price yet at $48. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes the superb main campaign along with the season pass and other goods. Control’s first expansion, The Foundation, released just last week, so it’s an ideal time to grab this edition at a stellar price.
A few games that released earlier this year are also discounted right now. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, an open-world action-RPG that retells Goku’s origin story, is on sale for $40.19. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a zany first-person adventure, Journey to the Savage Planet is slashed to a best-yet-price of $18.
If you’re seeking the best value, look no further than the Kingdom Hearts All-In-One Package, a collection that features 10 Kingdom Hearts experiences–including Kingdom Hearts 3–for just $30. For something the whole family can enjoy, check out the Hasbro Family Fun Pack, a digital board game compilation featuring Monopoly, Boggle, Trivial Pursuit, and Risk for $12.
You can head over to the PlayStation Store to browse the full Spring Sale and check out our picks below. Make sure to check back April 15 when the second wave of deals begins.
The Spring Sale is just one of several great sales currently running. Both Target and Amazon are running buy two, get one free sales on select PS4, Xbox One, and Switch games right now. You don’t even have to spend money to partake in some new gaming experiences, as tons of free games are available right now.
Rick & Morty has a return date, courtesy of a new trailer below. The second half of Season 4, comprised of five new episodes, will begin airing weekly from May 3, Adult Swim has confirmed. The season’s sixth episode will air on this date at 11:30PM ET.
The back half will, based on the trailer, feature all of the wacky action, family drama, child negligence, and general weirdness that fans of the series are accustomed to.
Watch the trailer below and mark your calendar.
This announcement follows a brand-new Rick & Morty anime short released on Adult Swim’s YouTube channel. Rick and Morty was confirmed for at least 70 more episodes ahead of Season 4 debuting, but it could be a while before we see Season 5, as the gap between seasons keeps getting longer.
After moving up its home video release date, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie is out now to help you stay occupied during the COVID-19 crisis.
In addition to the main movie itself, the home video release also includes a number of special bonuses and extras, including deleted scenes (one of which shows a PS2-quality baby sonic), a blooper reel, and director’s commentary from Jeff Fowler and Sonic voice actor Ben Schwartz.
There is also a an interview segment called “For the Love of Sonic” in which Robotnik actor Jim Carrey and other members of the cast talk about the importance of Sonic in their lives. Another segment is focused specifically on Robotnik, with Carrey speaking about how he brought his character to life in what was one of his first blockbuster studio films in years.
Sonic the Hedgehog will release on Blu-ray and DVD on May 19, which is also when the film will be available to rent. People who buy the physical edition of Sonic will also get a new comic book that tells the story of Sonic and the amazingly-named Donut Lord.
Below is a full rundown of what’s available in the Sonic the Hedgehog home video version. You can check out the trailer above to see a teaser of the bonus features, and be sure to have a look at our rundown of where you can buy Sonic on home video right now.
Sonic the Hedgehog Home Video Bonus Features
Commentary by director Jeff Fowler and the voice of Sonic, Ben Schwartz
Around the World in 80 Seconds—See Sonic’s next adventure!
Deleted Scenes—Director Jeff Fowler introduces deleted scenes
Bloopers—Laugh along with Jim Carrey and the cast
“Speed Me Up” Music Video
For the Love of Sonic—Jim Carrey and the cast discuss what Sonic the Hedgehog means to them
Building Robotnik with Jim Carrey—See Jim Carrey bring supervillain Dr. Robotnik to life
The Blue Blur: Origins of Sonic—Explore the origins of the legendary Blue Blur
Sonic On Set—Visit the set with the voice of Sonic, Ben Schwartz
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Terraria, the 2D construction game that first released in 2011, has just hit a major sales milestone. According to the game’s website, Terraria has now sold 30 million copies across PC, consoles, and mobile, with the majority of those sales being on PC.
The game has sold 14 million units on PC, 7.6 on consoles, and 8.7 on mobile. The console number is lower despite the game having been made available on eight different systems since it launched–PS3, Xbox 360, Vita, PS4, Xbox One, 3DS, Wii U, and Switch. Terraria hit 20 million sales back in February 2017, and has evidently continued to sell well since then.
The game, which will receive a substantial Journey’s End update soon, is currently discounted on Steam to celebrate its huge sales milestone. Until April 3, the game and its soundtrack are discounted by 50%, so you can see what has attracted 30 million prior customers.
The official Rockstar Games Twitter account has announced that they will be donating 5% of all revenue from purchases made in GTA Online and Red Dead Online, the online modes for Grand Theft Auto V and Read Dead Redemption 2 respectively.
The funds will be used to help local communities and businesses who have been affected by the impact of COVID-19. The donations will be contributed to these communities and businesses, as well as to organizations actively helping out those in need during this crisis. The Twitter post did not exactly who the funds will be donated to specifically, just referring to business, communities, and organizations in general.
The post mentions North America, the UK, and India specifically, so there’s a chance this will be the main focus on where the donations are sent. These are however where Rockstar’s main offices are located.
While 5% might not seem like a lot of money, Rockstar makes a large portion of their revenue through microtransactions. Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar Games and 2K, announced back in February that microtransaction spending in GTA Online grew by a whopping 54% during the quarter. This is thanks to the continued updates of GTA Online, with major content updates like Diamond Heist keeping players engaged after so many years.
GTA V has sold over 120 million copies worldwide, with 20 million of those units being sold in 2019, six years after the initial release on PS3 and Xbox 360. Read Red Redemption 2 has passed 29 million sales, with the game releasing in October 2018 on console and late last year on PC.
Online purchases will start counting towards the donations as of April 1, continuing through to the end of May. For two entire months Rockstar will continue to support and help those in need around the world with these donations. Most likely this will include sales made in-game across PC, Xbox One, and PS4 for GTA Online and Red Dead Online.