Month: April 2021

Borderlands Movie: Randy Pitchford Responds To Questions And Concerns

Randy Pitchford, the head of Borderlands studio Gearbox and a producer on the upcoming movie adaptation, has responded to questions and concerns about the film. The plot for the movie was recently outlined, and some portion of the audience took issue with the direction the film is headed and some of the casting decisions.

Writing on Twitter, Pitchford clarified that there is a distinction between what he called the Borderlands Cinematic Universe and the Borderlands Video Game Universe.

“We are authentic to characters, tone and style, but allow for independent storylines. The mediums are not the same, so the content should not be bound to the same rules,” he said.

He went on to say that you can think of this like the relationship between the Marvel comic books and the Marvel cinematic universe. The movies contain numerous changes and tweaks from the comics, and it’s expected the same will be true for the Borderlands film.

Pitchford also touched on the subject of whether or not the Borderlands movie is canon. It is canon, but only to the cinematic universe of Borderlands, he clarified.

“The movie is canon to the cinematic universe. The games are canon to the video game universe. There are parallels between them, but also differences. It’s okay. Consider how Marvel has handled movies versus comic books for reference if this is hard for you to understand,” he said on Twitter.

For what it’s worth, HBO’s Last of Us TV show will “deviate greatly” from the video game, according to writer Neil Druckmann.

Someone on Twitter also pointed out that actor Kevin Hart is signed on to play Roland, who is a very tall person in the games. Hart, meanwhile, is 5′ 2″.

Pitchford said this is a non-issue because things can be changed with “movie magic.” And beyond that, Pitchford said Hart is a talented actor and should impress you with his performance, even if he is not technically as tall as Roland.

“Height doesn’t matter with movie magic. Hard work and acting skill–being believable and sincere–is where the value of a performer lies,” Pitchford said. “Kevin is a hardworking pro and will show you what he can do as an action hero. Let him play.”

Finally, Pitchford shared an image of his chair from the Borderlands movie set. He said the action in the film is so compelling that it’s hard to stay seated.

The Borderlands movie recently added a new cast member, with Edgar Ramirez (Zero Dark Thirty) joining the cast to play the villain, Atlas. Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jack Black also star in the movie. The film is directed by Hostel’s Eli Roth.

As for the Borderlands game series, the Borderlands 3 Director’s Cut releases on April 8 following a delay related to the terrible storms in the studio’s home state of Texas.

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E3 2021 Will Be All Virtual, Coming In June

Following its tease last week, the Entertainment Software Association has now officially announced plans for what it’s calling a “reimagined” and “all-virtual” E3 2021.

A number of the biggest names in gaming have already signed up to support the show in some capacity, including Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two, Warner Bros., and Koch Media. The ESA said more companies will join later. It remains to be seen, however, if PlayStation and EA will join the ranks; they haven’t attended E3 in an official capacity in years.

When Is E3 2021:

E3 2021 will take place June 12-15, and it will be completely digital. The ESA’s earlier statement left some wiggle room for there to be a physical component, but the organization is now saying it will be a completely digital show.

What’s Different For E3 2021:

First and foremost, E3 2021 is a completely digital show, so there is no physical aspect to it that fans can attend in person. The event was, for a long time, only open to developers, press, and other credentialed members of the industry. In recent, pre-pandemic years, the event opened to the public, marking a big change for the annual event. In 2021, E3 is trying to reach even more people than ever with its digital format.

The ESA said developers will showcase the “latest news and games directly to fans around the world” in the new digital format. The ESA added that it will work with media partners to broadcast the show, which will be available to everyone for free. That is an important line in part because one report claimed the ESA was considering charging for some elements of the show. Still, it remains to be seen what level of advertising and promotional partnerships might exist for E3 2021.

Evolving

ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis said E3 2021 will continue to be a significant, newsworthy event, even despite the new all-digital format.

“For more than two decades, E3 has been the premier venue to showcase the best that the video game industry has to offer, while uniting the world through games,” he said. “We are evolving this year’s E3 into a more inclusive event, but will still look to excite the fans with major reveals and insider opportunities that make this event the indispensable center stage for video games.”

The ESA said E3 2021’s new digital structure will allow “more people than ever” to participate. The group acknowledged that E3 is more than a place for big announcements; it’s historically been a forum through which people in the industry form connections and partnerships. This will be maintained in some capacity, the ESA said, though no further details are available.

Unanswered Questions

Despite E3 2021 only being about three months off, the ESA’s announcement was light on details regarding the specific format and structure of the show. We don’t know anything yet about how the event will actually play out, or what the daily programming will look like.

E3 2021 also won’t be the only show in town this summer, as games media veteran Geoff Keighley is hosting his own Summer Game Fest, also in June, while other publishers may hold their own individual briefings over the coming months in the lead up to the holidays. Here at GameSpot, we’re bringing back our Play For All event. This will cover the big gaming events this summer along with our own live show–more details to come soon!

E3 2022 Will Be A Physical Show Again

It is still early days, but the ESA said it plans to hold E3 2022 as an in-person event next year. The group said nothing more about next year’s event, so we’ll have to wait to learn more.

DayZ Creator’s New Survival Game Releases Faux-Documentary Trailer

Icarus is an upcoming survival game from DayZ creator Dean Hall’s Rocketwerkz studio. The sci-fi game is set on the titular planet Icarus, where a plan to terraform a “second Earth” went horribly wrong. Now, an extensive trailer from Rocketwerks takes the form of an in-universe documentary, explaining more about the Icarus project, and what went wrong in the early days of the project.

The trailer mixes live action with game footage–and due to Rocketwerks being headquartered in New Zealand, you’ll hear a few Kiwi accents in its seven-minute runtime. The documentary is titled Icarus: No Rescue, and while the live action segments may not filter through to the actual gameplay, it’s a novel way to introduce the game’s concept.

When players get stuck into Icarus, it’ll play like any other survival game, but with one big difference. Icarus is a session-based survival game, meaning players will be dropped onto the planet for specific missions with variable lengths, sent to gather resources and to stay alive until extraction occurs.

Rocketwerkz describes the game as “Player vs Environment,” with up to eight players able to work co-operatively against the hostile planet. The game will be constantly added to, with new chapters planned post-release that will add new content and lore.

Check out GameSpot’s Icarus hands-on for more about how the game plays, as well as an interview with creator Dean Hall on what went into developing the concept. Rocketwerkz hasn’t announced a release window for the game yet, but the studio will be showing off Icarus’s gameplay for the first time at 8 PM EDT on April 8 on their Twitch channel.

Now Playing: Icarus: No Rescue – Documentary Reveal Trailer

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Pokemon Go Rivals’ Week Event Begins April 13, Adds Therian Forme Landorus And More

Pokemon Go‘s Rivals’ Week event begins on April 13, developer Niantic has announced. In addition to spotlighting Pokemon that have rivalries with each other, the event will introduce a couple of new monsters to the game, including the Gen 6 Pokemon Skrelp and Clauncher, as well as Therian Forme Landorus.

Throughout the Rivals’ Week event, you’ll encounter various Pokemon known for their rivalries more frequently in the wild, including Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Seviper, Zangoose, and more. On top of that, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, and other monsters will appear as Raid bosses throughout the event, while the following Pokemon will hatch from 5 km eggs:

  • Machop
  • Tyrogue
  • Elekid
  • Magby
  • Makuhita
  • Meditite
  • Zangoose
  • Seviper

Several Pokemon are also making their Pokemon Go debut during the Rivals’ Week event. Skrelp and Clauncher will be available for the first time in the game as Raid bosses and wild spawns, and you’ll be able to evolve them into Dragalge and Clawitzer, respectively, when you’ve amassed enough candy. Therian Forme Landorus will also make its debut. The Legendary will appear in five-star Raids from April 13-27.

In addition to the increased Pokemon spawns, Team Go Rocket grunts will be appearing more frequently throughout the Rivals’ Week event. Niantic will also offer event-exclusive Field Research tasks to complete as well as a new challenge in the Global Challenge Arena. If players can band together to complete this, Niantic will offer a double Stardust bonus for catching Pokemon for the duration of the event.

Rivals’ Week runs until 8 PM local time on April 18. You can read more details about the event on the official Pokemon Go blog.

In the meantime, April’s Community Day is set for this Sunday, April 11. The featured Pokemon this month is the Grass-type starter Snivy. A Spring Collection Challenge is also underway in the game for a few more days.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Star Trek: Discovery And Lower Decks Get New Trailers For First Contact Day

If Star Trek is predicting the future, we’re only 42 years away from making first contact with the Vulcan people, which takes place on April 5, 2063 in Star Trek canon. The wait for the next seasons of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Lower Decks will be much shorter, though, and we have brand-new trailers for both today, along with that Picard trailer, as part of First Contact Day.

Paramount+ revealed the first trailer for Star Trek: Discovery’s upcoming Season 4, which debuts sometime in the back half of this year. Season 3 premiered in October 2020, so that gives us a rough idea of when to expect it.

Newly-minted Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her crew, now 900 years in the future, must now figure out how to handle a “gravitational anomaly” five light years across (that’s about 18 trillion miles) that could go anywhere, without any warning, and wreak havoc wherever it appears.

While Star Trek: Discovery is keeping it extra serious and dire, we also have a new teaser for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2, Paramount+’s Star Trek-themed answer to Rick and Morty.

Star Trek: Lower Decks, created by Rick and Morty writer and Solar Opposites co-creator Mike McMahan, is set in the year 2380–after Star Trek: Nemesis, but before Star Trek: Picard–and focuses on the support staff of the U.S.S. Cerritos, rather than the captain and bridge crew that most Star Trek series tend to center on. While Discovery Season 4’s release date is pretty vague, Paramount+ says Star Trek: Lower Decks hits streaming on August 12.

Among Us Airship Clips Of The Week

In this video, Persia is back with another round-up of the best community clips of the week! A brand new map has been added to everyone’s favorite deception game – Among Us! The Airship has everyone back on Among Us and ready to go through more chaos.

From some of your favorite Twitch streamers like Fuslie meeting an extremely unfortunate fate of dying twice within a few seconds, to an acapella group called MayTree performing magic by recreating the iconic sound effects from the game with just their voices. Tons of funny moments, would-be epic plays, and even smash bros inspired kill animations are all packed and ready to start your week a little less sus.

Submit your own funny gaming moments to us on Twitter! Tag @persia_xo and @GameSpot in your clip for a chance to be featured!

Check out the links below to see all of our featured clips:

https://www.twitch.tv/tinakitten/clip/NaiveEphemeralAardvarkOMGScoots-zhu0XWzfluz4hg9c

https://www.twitch.tv/dakotaz/clip/ScaryGlamorousCardDoritosChip–3GRopdjKncCobdf

https://www.twitch.tv/ludwig/clip/WrongCoweringPoxGivePLZ-lKKufKy8WexRWndW

https://www.twitch.tv/sleepy/clip/ElatedYummyReindeerSSSsss-HWAnOpas0CaZTi5Y

https://www.twitch.tv/fuslie/clip/NeighborlyLaconicClamNotLikeThis-ChXj5wmcyvWF4BYl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeZOof2FxTg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6aeXTf5nOo

https://youtu.be/012NtpkZETg?t=790

https://www.twitch.tv/stevesuptic/clip/ResoluteVictoriousLampSquadGoals-YAYH0ZM9cdJSHpPA

https://www.twitch.tv/fuslie/clip/StrangeUninterestedChoughDBstyle-N4lQx8PImlOVAYhp

https://www.twitch.tv/loserfruit/clip/GeniusScaryVultureSmoocherZ-2x87zhjMTtRkMEIC

https://www.twitch.tv/dakotaz/clip/BlatantApatheticSnakeCharlietheUnicorn-MNbMyksMyvTv_bWI

https://www.twitch.tv/junkyard129/clip/SavoryManlyFerretTheRinger-emsY-kIhaGbmQx4T?filter=clips&range=7d&sort=time

Netflix Releases Trailer For The Circle Season 2

Netflix has released a new trailer for Season 2 of its popular unscripted competition series, The Circle. The new season promises “a completely new cast of contestants who aren’t afraid to chat, flirt, befriend, and betray each other,” which just in that description alone, should tell you more than enough about whether this show might be for you. Check out the trailer below to get a further sense of the show.

Season 2 will launch on April 14 and, like many competition series on Netflix, won’t release all new episodes simultaneously. Instead, The Circle’s first four episodes will premiere on that date, followed by Episodes 5-8 on April 21, Episodes 9-12 on April 28, and then the series finale will be available to watch on May 5. Netflix has previously said the intention with staggering episode premiere dates will allow viewers to pore over details and dissect the episodes, and it also has the benefit of preventing spoilers from being as much of a thing.

The Circle Season 2 Schedule:

  • April 14: Episodes 1-4
  • April 21: Episodes 5-8
  • April 28: Episodes 9-12
  • May 5: Finale

The Circle is a competition show where contestants live in an apartment completely alone, and can only communicate with the other contestants via social media. Contestants compete to become the “top influencer” and win $100,000, and the game is “to earn clout and figure out who is real and who is a catfish.”

In a previous announcement on the series, Netflix said that although this show “may have felt a little too real at times, fans all over the world rallied around them with an energy and excitement we could not have imagined.”

Wrestlemania 37 Schedule For This Week: Hall Of Fame, NXT TakeOver, And Jericho On Austin’s Podcast

This weekend, WWE will host Wrestlemania 37 on April 10 and April 11. Leading up to the two-night event, there will be plenty of programming coming to Peacock that you’ll want to check out, including the Hall of Fame ceremony and NXT TakeOver.

Everything begins with the April 5 episode of Raw, which will be the final episode for the red brand until Mania. But aside from the traditional Monday and Friday night programming for WWE, there are a few must-watch things for WWE fans.

On Tuesday, the Hall of Fame ceremony returns. The 2020 event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, so this year’s event will combine the 2020 and 2021 classes. Check out who will be inducted below.

No Caption Provided

2020 Hall of Fame class:

  • The nWo
  • The Bella Twins
  • JBL
  • British Bulldog
  • Jushin “Thunder” Liger

2021 Hall of Face class:

  • Rob Van Dam
  • Kane
  • The Great Khali
  • Molly Holly
  • Eric Bischoff

Of course, Wrestlemania will be a two-night event again, which you can watch on Peacock this Saturday and Sunday. There will be 12 matches on the card for the show, and there may be a couple more added leading up to the event. Additionally, there will be a pre-show each night, which will only be an hour long. The Kickoff Show tends to air on YouTube and Twitter for free.

One of the most-talked about events leading up to Wrestlemania isn’t the PPV though. It’s the upcoming April 11 episode of Stone Cold Steve Austin’s show Broken Skull Sessions. Debuting after Mania, Austin will speak with none other than Chris Jericho. What makes this monumental is that Jericho hasn’t been with WWE since All Elite Wrestling debuted a couple years back. Jericho has been instrumental at building the AEW brand, so people will be tuning in to see what he has to say.

Below, you will find what’s coming this week for WWE programming, most of which is on the streaming service Peacock. If you don’t have Peacock because you’re not living in the US, don’t worry. All of the Peacock WWE programming will also air on the WWE Network, which was sunset in the US last week.

Wrestlemania week schedule

Monday, April 5

  • Monday Night Raw – USA Network

Tuesday, April 6

  • 2021 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony – Peacock (US) 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT

Wednesday, April 7

  • WWE The Bump – Peacock (US) 10 AM ET / 7 AM PT
  • NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night 1 – Peacock (US) Pre-show starts at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT

Thursday, April 8

  • NXT UK Prelude – Peacock (US) 3 PM ET / 8 PM BST
  • NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night 2 – Peacock (US) Pre-show starts at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT

Friday, April 9

  • Smackdown – FOX 8/7 CT

Saturday, April 10

  • WWE The Bump – Peacock (US) 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT
  • Wrestlemania 37 Preshow – Peacock (US) 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT
  • Wrestlemania 37 Night 1 – Peacock (US) 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT
  • WWE Chronicle: Edge – Peacock (US) Immediately after Wrestlemania

Sunday, April 11

  • WWE Chronicle: Edge (On-demand) – Peacock (US) 10 AM ET / 7 AM PT
  • WWE The Bump – Peacock (US) 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT
  • Wrestlemania 37 Preshow – Peacock (US) 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT
  • Wrestlemania 37 Night 2 – Peacock (US) 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT
  • Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions: Chris Jericho – Peacock (US) Immediately after Wrestlemania

Monday, April 12

  • Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions: Chris Jericho (On-demand) – Peacock (US) 10 AM ET / 7 AM PT
  • Monday Night Raw – USA Network 8/7 CT

Tuesday, April 13

  • NXT – USA Network 8/7 CT

Borderlands Movie Plot Details Revealed

The Borderlands movie has added Edgar Ramirez to its growing cast who will play a character named Atlas. In the video game series, Atlas is the name of one of the major corporations and gun manufacturers. Furthermore, Lionsgate revealed the official plot for the upcoming movie.

According to the official press release, Ramirez will play “business titan and arms manufacturer” Atlas, so presumably the company’s founder. The release says at the time of the movie Atlas is “the most powerful person in the universe.”

According to Lionsgate here’s the official synopsis for the movie:

Two-time Academy Award® winner Cate Blanchett teams up with Kevin Hart in director Eli Roth’s Borderlands. Lilith (Blanchett), an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of the universe’s most powerful S.O.B., Atlas (Ramirez). Lilith forms an alliance with an unexpected team – Roland (Hart), a former elite mercenary, now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina (Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Munteanu), Tina’s musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis (Curtis), the scientist with a tenuous grip on sanity; and Claptrap (Black), a persistently wiseass robot.

These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other. Based on the game from Gearbox and 2K, one of the bestselling videogame franchises of all time, welcome to Borderlands.

The plot seems to be diverging from the games in places as Atlas was never seen in the games properly. During the events of Borderlands 2 Atlas is in the control of Hyperion and its CEO Handsome Jack, and in Borderlands 3 Atlas changes hands over to Rhys, one of the protagonists from Tales From the Borderlands.

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The Atlas Corporation featured prominently in Borderlands 3, and its headquarters on the planet Promethea was a key location in the game. So there could be some overlap between the movie and the most recent Borderlands game there.

The cast for the Borderlands movie, directed by Eli Roth, includes Blanchett as Lilith, Hart as Roland, Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Jamie Lee Curtis as Dr. Tannis, Jack Black as the voice of Claptrap, and more.

The screenplay is being written by Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin, who is also working on HBO’s live-action adaptation of The Last of Us starring Pedro Pascal as Joel.

Edgar Ramirez will play Atlas. Credit: Lionsgate
Edgar Ramirez will play Atlas. Credit: Lionsgate

Borderlands is one of several video game adaptations in the works, either for film or television. A Mortal Kombat live-action film is set to premiere on HBO Max later this month, while an Uncharted live-action movie starring Tom Holland as a young Nathan Drake has wrapped filming. Time will tell which of these video game adaptations will finally make the successful leap to the silver screen.

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Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s News Editor.