Month: August 2021

PS Now Gets More Popular As PlayStation Plus Numbers Slip

Sony has shared its latest financial results, which included good news for PS5 production and some of its biggest game franchises. One unexpected bright spot appears to be PlayStation Now, Sony’s subscription service, which seems to have grown enough to help offset some other market forces.

As noted by analyst Daniel Ahmad on Twitter, Sony’s subscription sales under its Game & Network services division are at their highest point ever. The majority of that is still PlayStation Plus, the company’s other subscription service, which is up slightly year-over-year but down from the prior quarter. Ahmad says this dip would have been expected in Q1, especially since it got a boost last year due to the pandemic. But the drop was offset by PS Now, which drove the company’s subscription sales overall.

There isn’t a specific reason given for PlayStation Now’s growth, but Sony has given the service more attention lately, offering a rotation of more recent first-party games and recently upgrading to 1080p streaming. It could also be seeing an uptick in adoption as more players get accustomed to game streaming services like Xbox’s cloud gaming, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna.

PlayStation Now began as a streaming-only service, but now offers the option of streaming or downloading select games. PlayStation Plus is a separate service, offering online play and a handful of included games per month. Sony has been hesitant to make PlayStation Now a direct competitor to Xbox’s Game Pass, but recently the company has been teasing that it will have its own answer to Game Pass.

Also from the financial results, Sony says it has secured enough components to reach its PS5 sales target, which it almost certainly will considering PS5s are still selling out as soon as they’re stocked. Whether the company could produce enough to hit its target was an open question considering ongoing semiconductor shortages. It also said that sales for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and MLB: The Show 21 exceeded sales expectations.

Marvel’s What If…? Clip Shows Steve Rogers As The Proto-Iron Man

In Marvel’s upcoming What If…? series takes familiar characters and gives them completely new scenarios, much like the comic that has been published on and off since 1977. With the new show, it takes that concept and applies it to the MCU specifically so we get episodes about Captain Carter, T’Challa being Star-Lord, and Doctor Strange being the Sorcerer Supreme that features stars reprising their live-action roles.

The Marvel Entertainment Twitter released a new video for the upcoming show, which arrives next week. The clip shows Peggy Carter, now donning the stars, stripes, and shield of Captain America taking on Hydra forces when suddenly Steve Rogers shows up in what’s being called a Hydra Stomper and easily dismantling a tank.

Officially announced back in April 2019. Marvel Studios’ head of visual development Ryan Meinerding helped define the series’ cel-shaded animation style, which was designed to reflect the films and take inspiration from classic American illustrators like Max Fleisher.

The new series will feature nine episodes exploring fantastically new situations for familiar characters to be found in, with Jeffrey Wright voicing Uatu The Watcher, narrating each episode. A second season is already in development.

Marvel’s What If…? premieres on Disney Plus August 11.

Renfield: Universal’s Latest Monster Movie Casts Nicholas Hoult as Dracula’s Henchman

Nicholas Hoult is set to star in Universal’s Renfield, a monster movie centered around Dracula’s sidekick.

According to Deadline, Hoult has signed on to play the title character in Chris McKay’s upcoming monster movie for Universal, which is based on an original story from The Walking Dead’s Robert Kirkman. Ryan Ridley has inked the screenplay and while very few plot details have been released from the crypt, the vampire-adjacent tale is said to be set in present day.

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The story of Renfield, a character originating in Bram Stoker’s 1897 Dracula, will be brought to the screen by several producers from Skybound Entertainment’s film team, including Kirkman, David Alpert, Bryan Furst, and Sean Furst. McKay’s producing partner Samantha Nisenboim will also be joining the project, though she will be serving as an executive producer.

Universal’s first attempt at launching its very own Monsterverse (dubbed “The Dark Universe”) did not go according to plan after 2017’s The Mummy starring Tom Cruise failed to make a lasting impact at the box office. However, the studio later found success with The Invisible Man starring Elizabeth Moss, which earned $98.3 million on a budget of only $7 million.

Universal is now focused on building out its monster portfolio with even more high-profile titles, many of which are already in development. Amongst those projects, there is a Ryan Gosling-led Wolfman movie helmed by Leigh Whannell, a James Wan-produced Van Helsing movie, and an adaptation of The Thing in collaboration Blumhouse Productions.

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Hoult was most recently seen in Those Who Wish Me Dead alongside Angelina Jolie. Before that, he portrayed Beast in the X-Men franchise. He also notably starred in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road and 2019’s Tolkien biopic. He was set to star in the upcoming M:I sequels but has since dropped out due to scheduling conflicts following COVID-19 related production delays.

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Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Sony Says It Can Now Reach Goal of 22 Million PS5 Sales Without Shortages

Sony says it has secured enough components to hit its goal of selling over 22 million PS5s by the end of its current fiscal year, despite an ongoing global semiconductor shortage.

Speaking during an earnings webcast, Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki explained that the company had taken “various measures” in order to secure semiconductors, and has seemingly been successful. “For PS5 [and] the number of units to be sold this year,” he explained, ” the target has been set, and we have secured the number of chips that is necessary to achieve that – and regarding the supply of semiconductors, we are not concerned.”

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Sony has previously said that its target was to sell 14.8 million PS5s during Financial Year 2021, April 2021 to March 2022. After selling 2.3 million units in Q1, that leaves it with 12.5 million more units to make and sell this year – reaching that target would leave the company having sold 22.6 million units since launch. Coincidentally, Sony wants to exceed the PS1’s sales record of 22.6 million units in a single year during Financial Year 2022, although we haven’t heard about the company’s supply plans for that huge target.

If this year’s sales go ahead as planned, it would be a major coup for Sony, as both competitors and other tech companies continue to make clear that semiconductor shortages are constraining supply. It was only three months ago that Sony was saying it expected PS5 shortages to continue into next year, but it seems Jim Ryan’s promise that the company was trying to increase production has borne fruit. Of course, it may be that demand continues to outstrip supply, but that issue should at least ease in the coming months.

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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Free Guy: New Poster For Ryan Reynolds Video Game Movie Possibly Shows Halo’s Mantis Vehicle

20th Century has released new Dolby and IMAX posters for its video game movie Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds, and one of them contains what looks like a special nod to Halo.

In the background of the Dolby poster, what appears to be a Mantis from Halo is clearly visible. Xbox and 20th Century are already working together on Free Guy promos, so it’s not a surprise to see a Halo vehicle show up in the poster (and potentially the movie, too).

Additionally, the Free Guy Los Angeles premiere on Tuesday night featured Halo’s iconic Warthog vehicle, with Reynolds posing next to it in one of the shots.

This is not the first time Microsoft has worked with a movie studio to promote Xbox. Fans may recall how the 2011 Hugh Jackman movie Real Steel featured an “Xbox 720” logo and Bing branding.

Free Guy is a video game movie in which Reynolds plays a bank teller named Guy who one day discovers he is actually an NPC in a video game. Upon learning this, and with the help of Jodie Comer’s character, he decides to break free and save the world.

The movie also stars Stranger Things’ Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), and Utkarsh Ambudkar (Brittany Runs a Marathon).

Free Guy was expected to debut much sooner, but Disney/20th Century delayed the movie to August 13 due in part to the pandemic. The film is directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Stranger Things) from a script by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn.

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A Major Assassin’s Creed Character Is Reportedly Coming to Valhalla in Future Expansion

A major Assassin’s Creed character is reportedly coming to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla in one of Ubisoft’s future DLC expansions for the game.

As reported by Eurogamer, news of the major character’s supposed return was included in leaked quest data and dialogue lines unearthed by Assassin’s Creed leaker J0nathan. In the past, J0nathan has reliably leaked details about the series. The identity of this character will be revealed in the next paragraph, so if you’d rather not learn potential spoilers then this is your chance to duck out.

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According to the data leak, a number of dialogue lines have been discovered which seem to suggest that Kassandra, the beloved protagonist from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, will meet Eivor during an upcoming quest on the scenic Scottish Isle of Skye.

The leaked dialogue lines suggest that Eivor will be told that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla love interest Randvi has been spotted causing trouble on the Isle of Skye, which has been plagued by nightmares beginning to affect Ravensthorpe.

As it is suggested that Randvi would be unlikely to betray Eivor in such a way, it seems that Ubisoft could be playing on the fan-held notion that Randvi and Kassandra have a similar appearance (or at least hairstyle). If this were to play true, then Eivor would met not by Randvi but instead Kassandra.

Whilst at this point just a rumour, the notion that Eivor and Kassandra could meet on the Isle of Skye would be possible within the parameters of established Assassin’s Creed lore. Fans of the series will remember that in Oddysey, Kassandra obtained the magical Staff of Hermes which kept her young for over 2000 years. Whilst it is unclear what Kassandra has been up to for two millennia, perhaps a brief encounter with Eivor in the early Middle Ages could account for a minor portion of that time.

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Currently, Ubisoft is on track to release the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Seige of Paris DLC on August 12. However, fans will now likely be on the lookout for some mention of the Isle of Skye in future planned expansions, which Ubisoft has confirmed will be coming in 2022. In other Assassin’s Creed related news, Ubisoft recently confirmed that it working on a “live service” Assassin’s Creed game.

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Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

7 Indie Game Publishers Team Up for New Games Showcase

Seven indie game publishers – responsible for the likes of Call of the Sea, Paradise Killer, and Lake – have teamed up as a collective called The Indie Houses, and will broadcast a game showcase on August 31.

The Indie Houses is made up of Akupara Games (Grime, Mutazione), Fellow Traveller (Paradise Killer, Neo Cab), Neon Doctrine (Vigil: The Longest Night, Lamentum), Raw Fury (Call of the Sea, Sable), Those Awesome Guys (Monster Prom, Deepest Chamber), Toge Productions (Coffee Talk, Necronator: Dead Wrong), and Whitethorn Games (Lake, Evan’s Remains).

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The collective “aims to promote an environment that is centered around the sharing of knowledge between publishers rather than cutthroat competition,” and sees the group sharing information and expertise to help elevate the group as a whole. Its first public event will be The Indie Houses Direct, a game showcase being broadcast on Steam, Twitch, and YouTube on August 31.

The Indie Houses Direct will include game reveals, announcements for the collective’s upcoming titles, Q&A sessions, an African Developer Prototype fund, and more. It will be followed by a Steam Festival featuring Indie Houses games from August 31-September 7, featuring demos, sales, and bundles.

Beyond that, The Indie Houses hopes to invite more publishers into its fold, with the aim of making “games a friendlier, more inclusive place for everyone.”

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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

2K Raising Money For St. Jude Children’s Hospital Via PGA Tour 2K21

2K Sports is holding a charity drive to benefit the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through PGA Tour 2K21. The Golf Fore Good event, as it’s called, takes place today, August 4.

The event kicks off at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET and runs for four hours, wrapping up at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET. 2K’s own Good Game Bro will appear on the stream alongside USO gaming ambassador and Purple Heart recipient The Pool Shark and other guests.

The event is looking to raise $5,000 for St. Jude, which is a charity that helps support children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. “We won’t stop until no child dies from cancer,” the group says. You can read more about St. Jude on its website.

The Golf Fore Good page accepts donations from PayPal and credit card.

In other news, 2K Sports has yet to say if its PGA Tour 2K series will return this year. “The next release of the PGA Tour 2K franchise is going to be bigger and better in every way. We’re super excited to tell you more but until then, we’re continuing to add new multiplayer content in PGA Tour 2K21 so our fans can get in and play together today,” the developer said.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Cammy and Guile From Street Fighter Join Fortnite

Street Fighter’s Cammy and Guile are officially joining Fortnite in the Item Shop on August 7, 2021.

As revealed by the Fortnite Team, these two characters are the next Street Fighter characters to join Fortnite following Ryu and Chun-Li’s arrival in February 2021.

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The Guile Outfit is an homage to the classic green fatigues that he first wore in the original Street Fighter II, and it also comes with a “beach-ready Glistening Guile Variant and K.O. Backbling.”

Cammy – a member of the Delta Red – also comes with a classic Outfit and the Tactical Cammy Variant and the Borealis Backer Back Bling.

If you wish to purchase both of these fighters together, The Cammy and Guile Bundle will include both Outfits, Back Blings, and a Round 2 Loading Screen as an added bonus. The Cammy & Guile Gear Bundle will also get you Guile’s Knuckle Buster Pickaxe, Cammy’s Delta Red Bowie Blade Pickaxe, and the V-Trigger Vector Glider that is inspired by the original Guile stage.

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If you want a chance to earn the Cammy Outfit and Borealis Backer Back Bling before they are officially out, you will be able to compete in the Cammy Cup on August 5 to try to win yourself and a friend these items early. The top performing teams in each region in this Duos tournament will earn these two items, and any team that earns at least eight points will receive the Round Two Loading Screen.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Daily Deals: Final Chance to Get £5 Free Amazon Credit

This is your absolute last chance to use the free £5 promo at Amazon. This offer is expiring at the end of the day, August 4, 2021, and will not be returning.

All you need to do is sign up for a free Amazon Music trial, and you’ll get £5 credited to your Amazon account. Just cancel the auto-renewal afterwards, and you won’t pay anything after the 30-day trial has expired. Again, this is your very last opportunity to get £5 for free, so don’t miss out on what is essentially free money.

TL;DR – Best Deals of the Day

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Last Chance: Claim £5 for Free at Amazon Right Now (Ends August 4)

You can currently get £5 in Amazon credit just for signing up for a free Amazon Music trial. It’s for select users only, so click here to see you can get a free £5 Amazon top-up.

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Xbox Series X|S Seagate SSD Now £179.99 (was £219.99)

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Best PS5 Compatible M.2 SSDs in the UK

For more information check out the Best PS5 M.2 SSD Options Currently Available.

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Even More Amazing Tech Discounts at Amazon

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Preorder The Lord of the Rings Illustrated Edition

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Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.