Month: May 2020

Hamilton Movie to Be Released on Disney+ in July

Lin-Manuel Miranda has announced that the Hamilton movie will be released on July 3, 2020.

It’s a huge shift forward in release date for the movie, which was originally scheduled for release in theaters on October 15, 2021.

The movie is not a film recreation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s famous stage musical, but a recording of the theatrical performance itself, allowing those who have been unable to attend the show in person to view it from home.

Earlier this year it was reported that Disney paid a huge sum of money for the rights for Hamilton, and that the company planned to release the film version in 2021. However, this latest announcement reveals that plans have changed and that we can expect to see the film within a matter of months.

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Quarantine restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic have meant many people have been unable to attend theatrical Hamilton performances. This led to John Krasinski bringing together the Hamilton cast for a video call to recreate a number from the show online.

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Friends Reunion Special Is Now Aiming To Film By End Of Summer

The hotly anticipated Friends reunion special was meant to launch on day one of WarnerMedia’s new streaming service HBO Max, but ended up delayed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, WarnerMedia’s Bob Greenblatt has indicated that the plan is to film the reunion by the end of summer, Variety reported.

Like many companies, TimeWarner hadn’t expected the lockdown situation to last as long as it has, but is now starting to put plans in place for production again. When the Friends reunion is filmed, however, Greenblatt has said they want to do it properly as much as possible. With over 15 years since the cast has filmed an episode together, there’s no wonder this reunion is such a big deal to both TimeWarner and fans.

“We’re holding out for being able to get this special done hopefully by the end of the summer, if the stars align and hopefully we can get back into production,” Greenblatt told Variety. “We do think there’s a value to having a big, raucous live audience to experience these six great friends coming back together and we didn’t want to just suddenly do it on a web call with, you know, six squares and people shooting from their kitchens and bedrooms.”

However, it seems like there is a point where virtual options will be explored, if the reunion is “delayed too long.” “We would have loved to have had it on [HBO Max on] day one, but at the same time, if we can get it launched in the fall, I think it’ll be something that we can have the audience really looking forward to as well,” Greenblat said.

HBO Max is set to launch on May 27, and will feature every episode of the original Friends, meaning you now have time to get caught up before the reunion.

Now Playing: Best Shows And Movies To Stream For May 2020 – Netflix, Hulu, Shudder, Amazon Prime Video

Devolver Direct 2020 Will Go Ahead Without E3, But The Publisher Can’t Say When

Devolver Digital’s E3 presentations, the Devolver Direct, have become one of the highlights of E3 each year–but of course, there is no E3 in 2020. Devolver Digital has previously said that they still planned on doing a video, and they’ve now reiterated that–although they cannot make promises for when it will happen.

In a tweet, the official Devolver Digital account said that they were not sure when the Direct would air, due to “uncertain times” (for more on these uncertain times, look out the window of the house you’re likely currently isolating within). It’s still happening, however, which gives us something to look forward to.

The next Devolver Direct will presumably continue the narrative that has been told over each year’s presser, but it should also include some further insight into the publisher’s slate of upcoming games, including Sludge Life, Carrion, and Fall Guys.

Devolver Digital isn’t the only publisher that is still hosting a showcase in the wake of E3’s cancellation–here’s a list of plans for 2020 reveals.

Now Playing: Devolver Digital – E3 2017 Press Conference

Ex-Respawn Founder On The Potential Of Next-Gen Consoles

Former founder Drew McCoy and fellow Respawn alumni programmer Jon Shiring have announced a new AAA studio called Gravity Well, which will look at using the hardware potential of next-gen consoles to innovate the AAA game space.

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, via Wccftech, McCoy has talked about the new studio’s top-level game goals, and how it aims to use the new generation of hardware. With Gravity Well’s founding, the focus is on finding new ways to do things–starting with its flexible work structure and going all the way through to how their games will be designed.

“We feel that the AAA space is losing the hunt a bit in terms of finding new things,” McCoy explained in the interview. “When you look back, big explosive growth in a genre or in the industry itself doesn’t usually come from an iteration on a thing that already existed; it comes from a new thing that hasn’t been seen before… It probably means we will fail finding big massive hits sometimes, and that’s okay because you’re not always going to land perfectly.”

When looking to innovate in the AAA space, McCoy is specifically very interested in the possibilities of the upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X. “The transition to next-gen, Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 is really exciting,” he said. “It dovetails with our desire to find new spaces that people haven’t explored. I think that things like the amount of CPU power and I/O speed actually opens up opportunities that we haven’t had before. Even when the Xbox One and PS4 were in development, what we were screaming at platforms to do was give us faster I/O, please. I am excited to see where we can get to with it.”

Microsoft has just released more information about the Xbox Series X in the first of its monthly scheduled Xbox 20/20 streams–including all new footage from a bunch of the games that will be released on the next-generation console.

Now Playing: First Look Xbox Series X – Full Presentation

Cassette Beasts Looks Like Pokemon With Fusion Forms

Cassette Beasts is an indie open-world RPG, where characters can transform into unique monsters using cassette tapes. While on paper the concept sounds a little weird, the trailer will absolutely sell it for you.

The Pokemon-esque RPG also has a fusion feature, where you can fuse any two monsters to come up with unique, more powerful forms. While never in the actual Pokemon canon (aside from one instance in Sun & Moon), this concept went viral thanks to the Pokemon Fusion website, which automatically creates a new Pokemon from a combination of two existing ones.

With monsters appearing as transformations rather than individual creatures, the player’s relationships with different characters will also play a role in their combat success.

With cute retro graphics (which honestly were a given in any game using cassette tapes as a main feature) and what promises to be a banging soundtrack, Cassette Beasts is one to keep on your watchlist. You can wishlist on its Steam page here. A Nintendo Switch version of the game is also pending.

The game is developed by two-person UK indie Bytten Studio. Its last release was a procedurally generated Zelda-style RPG called Lenna’s Inception, while the devs have previously worked on games like Stardew Valley, Starbound and Wargroove.

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Hacker Bribed Roblox Worker For Access To Users’ Personal Data

A hacker has been able to gain access to personal information in Roblox users’ accounts, as well as disable two-factor authentication and change passwords, after bribing a Roblox worker for access to the customer support center.

Apparently only intending to point out the flaw in Roblox’s security, the hacker shared screenshots and details of the attack with Vice’s Motherboard. With Roblox enjoying huge popularity among children, any exploit with the potential to expose personal data is taken incredibly seriously.

Initially, the hacker paid an insider at the company to access the data for them, they claimed, but then targeted a customer support representative in order to gain access themselves. With that access gained, the hacker could view and change a user’s data, including passwords and two-factor authentication.

While the hacker attempted to claim a bug bounty for this exploit, Roblox denied the request due to suspected malicious activity, including selling users’ items.

In a statement sent to Motherboard, Roblox confirmed that the attack was an example of social engineering, and that it had reported the hacker to bug bounty platform HackerOne for investigation.

Roblox is a huge online gaming platform, and has become a social space for younger people during the COVID-19 crisis. The company was recently valued at $4 billion.

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Capcom Wants To Follow A Strong Year With Multiple Major Titles And New Sales Records

Capcom has released their report for the latest financial year, ending March 2020, and it paints a strong picture of how well the company is doing. There are a few major takeaways from this report, which shows Capcom’s plans for continued growth (particularly in the mobile market) and the methods they’re using to expand their brands. Most interestingly, this report shows that Capcom is expecting financial year 2021 to hit new heights, thanks to some new games.

Page five of the report suggests that Capcom is aiming for a new record of 28 million units sold in this financial year, which they’re looking to achieve through the following three steps:

  • Promote digital strategy via expansion of sales regions and flexible pricing
  • Aim to release multiple major titles
  • Pursue ongoing sales for major titles from past years

Point two suggests that Capcom will release some as-yet unannounced games before March 2021, and that they’re expecting high sales from those titles. Capcom is looking for 10% year-on-year growth across all its operations, so they’re clearly gearing up for a successful year. The upcoming Monster Hunter movie is cited throughout the report, and it seems Capcom is betting on the film’s success.

Some new sales figures are also given for recent Capcom releases. The Resident Evil 3 remake has done well, securing 2.5 million sales. It’s still someway off Resident Evil 2, which sold 5 million units as of December 2019, but it’s a good figure.

Monster Hunter: World, meanwhile, is a genuine phenomenon, with 15.5 million sales between the base game and its expansion Iceborne. That’s up another half million from the 15 million reported in early February, and it’s worth reiterating that this figure is accurate as of the end of March 2020, meaning that those 500,000 extra units sold across roughly two months.

It’s unclear what titles Capcom will release across the next financial year, but rumors persist of a Resident Evil 4 remake. We’ll have to wait and see what the company announces, though.

Now Playing: What We Want From A Resident Evil 4 Remake

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Elder Scrolls 6 Is Still Years Away & Mafia 2 Remaster Rumours

We’re all chomping at the bit for Elder Scrolls 6 news, but Bethesda’s Pete Hines has tempered expectations by saying the game will be coming out after Starfield, and we still don’t really know that much about that either. Needless to say, it’ll be a long while before Elder Scrolls fans get anything substantial.

The Mafia Twitter account has sprung back to life after almost two years of being dormant. Its latest tweet has given weight to rumours that a Mafia 2 remaster is in development and is set to launch in 2020 to mark the game’s 10th anniversary.

Ubisoft has announced its summer digital showcase, promising exciting game news, reveals, and more. And a new partnership between numerous game publishers and developers will also result in another big summer event. The big gaming celebration will include involvement from studios like Larian, ZA/UM, and Paradox Interactive.

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Westworld Season 4: 7 Major Questions We Need Answered & Top Theories

Westworld has wrapped up its third season with a major cliffhanger–much like it did all the way back in Season 2. But this time around, we have a somewhat clearer idea of where things could be headed, and a relatively concise list of what big questions will need to be answered in Season 4. We’ve got big questions about the post-credits time skips, Charlotte, Bernard, Stubbs, Caleb, Dolores, and Serac.