As part of Pokemon Go’s Luminous Legends Y event (which begins tomorrow, May 18), developer Niantic has kicked off a Team Go Rocket challenge in the game. If players around the world can collectively defeat 25 million Team Go Rocket grunts by May 23, Niantic will unlock a handful of bonuses for the second part of the event, including a new Shiny Pokemon.
The bonuses will go live beginning May 25. First, all players will receive triple the normal amount of XP for catching Pokemon for the remainder of the event. On top of that, Galarian Zigzagoon will begin appearing in one-star Raid Battles. This opens up more opportunities to catch the regional variant in Pokemon Go.
Perhaps most enticing of all, Niantic will also introduce Shiny Galarian Zigzagoon to the game if players can complete the challenge. This Shiny variant will be available even after the Luminous Legends Y event ends.
As a part of the Luminous Legends Y event, the Team GO Rocket Grunt challenge has officially blasted off! Work with Trainers worldwide to defeat Team GO Rocket Grunts and unlock rewards during the second half of the event! We’ll be tracking your progress on our social media! pic.twitter.com/iQscVf3xB6
As Niantic previously detailed, the Luminous Legends Y event is divided up into two parts. The first part runs from May 18-24 and features many Dark-type Pokemon, as well as the debuting Pancham. The panda Pokemon will be hatching from Strange Eggs along with a few other monsters. There will also be Team Go Rocket-themed Timed Research tasks to complete.
The second part of the event runs from May 25-31. This portion is themed around Eevee. The Evolution Pokemon will appear in the wild more frequently than usual during this leg of the event, while its evolved forms will be featured in three-star Raids. On top of that, Niantic is introducing Eevee’s Fairy-type evolution, Sylveon, giving you your first opportunity to get one in the game.
The Legendary Pokemon Yveltal is also making its debut in Pokemon Go. The Pokemon Y cover monster will appear in five-star Raids throughout the entire event, from May 18 to June 1. You can read more details on the official Pokemon Go blog.
In June 2021, Hulu will be delivering plenty of new movies, TV shows, and original programming. This can range from movies you may feel nostalgic for to films that have come out in the past year, and the same goes for TV shows as well. Here’s what’s coming to Hulu this month.
Arriving on June 1 is one of the best action movies of the ’90s, Face/Off. Nicolas Cage and John Travolta star in a film about an FBI agent (Travolta) who has plastic surgery to look like a domestic terrorist (Cage) to find out where a bomb has been planted. However, the terrorist–who is faceless at this time–wakes up and has surgery to become the FBI agent. The movie was directed by John Woo. Does it hold up? Yes, like a peach… one you could eat for hours.
If you’re looking for something a bit lighter that doesn’t have epic action sequences or Cage singing in a priest’s outfit, there are plenty of game shows arriving in June as well. On June 4 the next season of Beat Shazam arrives on Hulu. That’s a show where people have to guess the titles of songs faster than a computer. Who is better at recognizing songs, man or machine? On June 18, the new season of Holy Moly arrives, which is extreme mini-golf. Does that sound silly? Yes, it does. However, Holy Moly is pretty fantastic and well worth your time.
There are also plenty of things leaving Hulu in June. The best Christmas movie of all time, Die Hard, and Die Hard With A Vengeance–the second best film in the franchise–both leave the service on June 30. Simon says you need to watch them both right away. Arguably the worst and weirdest disaster movie of all time also leaves that day, The Core. It’s about a group of people who have to journey to the center of the Earth to restart the planet’s core. Also, there’s a bizarre scene in it with giant diamonds. Why did I point that out? Well, I saw this is in the theater, and that’s all I remember from it.
If you want to subscribe to Hulu, it’ll cost you $6 a month or $12 a month without ads, and you can check out our guide to Hulu for more information. Hulu is one of the more impressive streaming services, with network programming arriving the day after it airs, along with plenty of original content.
Below, you’ll find everything coming to and leaving Hulu for the month of June.
New on Hulu in June 2021:
Available June 1:
Changing The Game: Documentary Premiere (Hulu Original)
American Ninja Warrior: Season 13 Premiere (NBC)
Housebroken: Series Premiere (FOX)
Small Fortune: Complete Season 1 (NBC)
50/50 (2011)
A Most Wanted Man (2014)
A Perfect Day (2006)
A Prayer For The Dying (1987)
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
Across The Universe (2007)
Alive (1993)
Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid (2004)
Anaconda 3: Offspring (2008)
Anacondas: Trail Of Blood (2009)
Arachnophobia (1990)
Batman Begins (2005)
The Big Chill (1983)
The Birdcage (1997)
Black And White (2000)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Blair Witch Project: Book of Shadows (2000)
Bloody Sunday (2002)
Blue Streak (1999)
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009)
Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star (2011)
Charlotte’s Web (1973)
The Company You Keep (2013)
Conviction (2010)
Convicts (1991)
Convoy (1978)
The Cookout (2004)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Desperate Measures (1998)
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005)
Dragonfly (2002)
Driven (2001)
El Dorado (1967)
Face/Off (1997)
The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
The Full Monty (1997)
Fun in Acapulco (1963)
Gamer (2009)
Get Smart (2008)
Hanging Up (2000)
Hud (1963)
The Hustler (1961)
Jennifer 8 (1992)
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Just Wright (2009)
Kick-Ass (2010)
Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2000)
Last Chance Harvey (2008)
The Last House on the Left (2009)
Little Women (1994)
The Long Goodbye (1973)
The Love Letter (1999)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Once Upon A Crime… (1992)
Ordinary People (1980)
Places In The Heart (1984)
Primary Colors (1998)
Revolutionary Road (2008)
Richie Rich (1994)
Rules of Engagement (2000)
Sabrina (1995)
Savage State (2021)
Saving Silverman (2001)
Scorpio (1973)
Silence (2016)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
The Soloist (2009)
Some Girls (1988)
Something’s Gotta Give (2003)
Soul Survivors (2001)
Still Waiting (2009)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Switchback (1997)
The Time Machine (2002)
To Die For (1995)
The Upside (2017)
Vanity Fair (2004)
Waiting… (2005)
Walking Tall (1973)
Wayne’s World 2 (1993)
Weekend at Bernie’s (1989)
Wilde (1998)
Wings Of Courage (1995)
Witless Protection (2008)
Young Adult (2011)
Available June 2
America’s Got Talent: Season 16 Premiere (NBC)
Available June 3
MasterChef: Season 11 Premiere (FOX)
A Glitch in the Matrix (2020)
Night of the Kings (2021)
Available June 4
The New York Times Presents: New Episode (FX on Hulu)
Beat Shazam: Season 4 Premiere (FOX)
Available June 5
Emergency Call: Season 2 Premiere (ABC)
Rams (2021)
Available June 7
Celebrity Family Feud: Season 7 Premiere (ABC)
The Chase: Season 2 Premiere (ABC)
To Tell the Truth: Season 7 Premiere (ABC)
Available June 8
The Bachelorette: Season 17 Premiere (ABC)
Legion Of Brothers (2017)
Available June 9
The Croods: A New Age (2020)
Available June 10
Trolls: TrollsTopia: Complete Season 3 (Hulu Original)
Card Sharks: Season 3 Premiere (ABC)
Trust (2021)
Two of Us (2019)
Available June 11
Love, Victor: Season 2 Premiere (Hulu Original)
Real Housewives of Potomac: Complete Season 5 (Bravo)
Come True (2021)
Available June 13
Dragonheart (1996)
Dragonheart: A New Beginning (2000)
Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer’S Curse (2014)
Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire (2017)
Not Fade Away (2012)
Willy’s Wonderland (2021)
Available June 14
Rūrangi: Complete Season 1 (The Yellow Affair)
Available June 15
Accused: Guilty or Innocent?: Complete Season 1 (A&E)
Alone: Complete Season 7 (A&E)
Alone: The Beast: Complete Season 1
America Our Defining Hours: Complete Season 1 (A&E)
The Celebrity Dating Game: Complete Season 1 (ABC)
Dance Moms: Complete Season 8 (A&E)
Duck Dynasty: Complete Season 3 (A&E)
Forged in Fire: Complete Season 7 (A&E)
Hoarders: Complete Season 11 (A&E)
Married at First Sight: Complete Season 11 (A&E)
Mountain Men: Complete Season 6 (A&E)
Swamp People: Complete Season 11 (A&E)
The UnXplained with William Shatner: Complete Season 1B (A&E)
Born to Play (2020)
Gone Girl (2014)
Her Deadly Sugar Daddy
Her Name Is Chef (2020)
Michael Smerconish: Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Talking (2020)
Nasrin (2020)
The Obituary of Tunde Johnson (2020)
The Outside Story (2021)
Secret Life of a Celebrity Surrogate (2020) (Lifetime)
John Boyega and director Joe Cornish are set to reunite for Attack the Block 2, a sequel to the British sci-fi action film which premiered in 2011. The news was reported by Deadline.
Attack the Block helped put John Boyega on the map when he starred as Moses, the leader of a group of teens that band against aliens that invade their London apartment complex. Cornish, who wrote and directed the first film, will return to write and direct the sequel.
No details yet for the plot, but Boyega will produce alongside Cornish, Nira Park, and James Wilson. All four worked on the original film together.
“It’s been a decade since Attack The Block was released and so much has changed since then,” Boyega said in a statement to Deadline. “I’m excited to see this heightened story return to the streets of London. Moses has remained one of my favorite characters to play and bringing him back is a huge honor.”
Actor John Boyega (The Rise of Skywalker, Small Axe) is set to reunite with writer-director Joe Cornish on Attack the Block 2, a sequel to the film that arguably launched both their careers back in 2011. According to Deadline, Boyega will be reprising his role as low-level crook Moses in a film that, like its predecessor, is expected to straddle several genres including sci-fi, horror, and comedy.
In the original movie, Moses and his teenage street gang defend themselves from vicious alien invaders who touch down on Guy Fawkes Night. The film, whose cast included Jodie Whittaker (Broadchurch), Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz), and rapper Paigey Cakey, was a cult hit that landed better with critics than audiences–that the film is getting a sequel is a testament to the growing stature and celebrity of all those involved.
Deadline is also reporting that Boyega will co-produce Attack the Block 2, with Cornish writing, directing, and also producing. Nira Park and James Wilson, who produced the original, are re-teaming to once again produce. Meanwhile, all plot details and the rest of the cast, for now, are still a mystery.
“It’s been a decade since Attack The Block was released and so much has changed since then,” Boyega said. “I’m excited to see this heightened story return to the streets of London. Moses has remained one of my favorite characters to play and bringing him back is a huge honor.”
Starfield will not be coming to PlayStation 5, GamesBeat is reporting. Instead, Bethesda’s first-person science fiction role-playing adventure appears set to be a major console exclusive for Xbox Series X|S.
GamesBeat cites sources familiar with the decision in its report. Reporter Jeff Grubb earlier tweeted that “Starfield is exclusive to Xbox and PC. Period.”
We reached out to Microsoft and Bethesda representatives for comment regarding these reports.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda in September 2020 raised questions about whether Starfield would remain multi-platform or would become an exclusive. Deathloop, which was announced before the acquisition, remains a timed exclusive for PS5. Xbox has a history of being more open to releasing its first-party titles on other platforms, with Ori and Minecraft Dungeons both releasing on Nintendo Switch.
Questions remain, but if these reports are accurate, we have a much better sense of Xbox’s intentions for Bethesda and its other major acquisitions going forward. Starfield does not have a release date yet.
Call of Duty’s ‘Reloaded’ update for Season 3 of Black Ops Cold War and Warzone is scheduled to arrive on May 20, but PlayStation users are now receiving the option to pre-download the Black Ops Cold War mid-season portion. The update is 11GB for PS5 and PS4, and will be installable at 9 PM PT/12 AM ET on May 18.
Activision has been heavily teasing some ’80s action hero DLC and possibly an event for this update, which is set to include a Sylvester Stallone John Rambo operator skin, and John McClane from Die Hard as well.
Players can also expect some weapon tuning for Black Ops Cold War’s sniper rifles, assault rifles, LMGs, and pistols. Treyarch didn’t provide details on which guns are getting nerfed or buffed, but the official patch notes should arrive alongside the update.
The update also brings some nice treats for Zombies players. Treyarch’s blog post from last week detailed that Black Ops Cold War’s DLC weapons will finally be available to obtain from the mystery box, several guns will be getting much-needed tuning to give players more viable options, and the long-awaited Easter egg main quest for Outbreak mode is unlocking for players at 10 AM PT/ 1 PM ET on May 20. There’s also a new fishing feature coming to Outbreak, but no details were given on how fishing might work or be relevant in Call of Duty’s Zombies.
It’s unclear what the file size is for Xbox and PC users, but the update will be available across all platforms on May 20.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon has been renewed by NBC for five more years, according to Deadline. As also reported by that publication, this news comes after it was announced that host Fallon extended his contract in November, after his previous contract ran through the end of 2021.
There was little, to the point of almost zero, doubt that Fallon would be staying on with both The Tonight Show and the network. The late-night host, the sixth for the long-running Tonight Show franchise, has steered this incarnation of the show since 2014 and is currently involved in six projects for the network–an explosive and impressive run that started with the performer joining the cast of Saturday Night Live back in 1998.
Fallon’s renewal and extension comes as, meanwhile, NBC has canceled Lilly Singh’s NBC late-night talk show, A Little Late, after two years on the air. Variety is reporting that the network is exploring filling the time slot with something that isn’t a talk show, but no announcements with concrete plans have been made. Singh’s show, unfortunately, joins our ever-growing list of programs that have been canceled this year.
Fallon took The Tonight Show hosting duties over from Conan O’Brien, who is slated to host his final episode of late-night television via TBS’s Conan on June 24. The 58-year-old host is headed to streaming service HBO Max, where he will host a new weekly variety series. Conan originally moved over to TBS from NBC after he left The Tonight Show.
A Valorant Esports committee has issued a six-month suspension to Jay “Sinatraa” Won following an investigation into sexual assault allegations levied at the former Overwatch MVP last March.
The Competitive Operations team, a committee within Valorant Esports responsible for enforcing policy regulations, said the suspension was a result of Won “failing to fully cooperate with the Tournament Operator’s investigation.” This transgression is in direct violation of Rule 8.1 of the Valorant Global Competition Policy, the committee said in the announcement.
The committee detailed how it came to suspend Won. During the course of the investigation, the Competitive Operations team deferred the process of fact-gathering to the authorities after it learned that the matter was brought to law enforcement. As the investigation was underway, the committee said it had “serious concerns with [Won’s] conduct.” There were at least two instances of Won misrepresenting certain facts, making false statements, and failing to cooperate with the investigation “in a way expected of a professional Valorant esports player,” the committee said.
Though it couldn’t “come to a definitive conclusion on the underlying allegations,” the committee found Won’s general lack of cooperation and failure to provide the full audio and video clips as previously promised reason enough to issue the former Overwatch player a six-month suspension.
Won’s suspension, which is said to have begun after his administrative leave on March 10, will continue through September 10. He can return to the esports scene for Last Chance Qualifiers and Champions. But before returning to play, Won is required to complete professional conduct training.
Won responded to the investigation and suspension in a Twitlonger post, further apologizing to his ex and reiterating that he will “keep on trying to improve” himself. He also referenced the audio and video clips the committee asked for, saying his ex “asked me to delete [them] and I honored that.” He recognized that deleting the evidence disrupted the investigation because “[the audio and video were] a key part” of it. Won ended the post saying he will spend the time away from competitive “trying to develop a better set of interpersonal skills and earn back the trust of this community.”
Back in March, Won was accused of sexual assault by an ex. The former partner detailed their nine-month relationship with Won, describing instances of gaslighting and other forms of physical and emotional abuse. Won denied the allegations and apologized for how things ended between them.
While denying the allegations and maintaining the innocence that he “never assaulted” his ex in any way, Won said in a statement that he was “fully cooperating” with the investigation. Rule 8.1 of the Valorant Global Competition Policy states that “team members have a duty to tell the truth in connection with any investigation conducted by or for the Tournament Operator and have a further duty not to obstruct any such investigation, mislead investigators or withhold evidence.”
In the Nier future, Nier Reincarnation will be in the hands of anyone who wants to download and play it on Android and iOS devices. Pre-registration for the closed beta test for this free-to-play gacha-style RPG opened up last week, and I think it’s fair to expect more than a game that tries to bend your will to become as RNG gods. With series director Yoko Taro at the helm and a lot of goodwill attached to the Nier name, Nier Reincarnation should live up to that reputation in some capacity and deliver some narrative satisfaction, right?
I recently spoke with Yoko-san, mostly about the newly minted Nier Replicant reissue and his insight in developing the series. But we also had a brief discussion about what the future holds with Nier Reincarnation (developed by Applibot) coming soon and how he wants it to carry the franchise’s name as the creative director for this mobile game.
To put it simply, Yoko-san isn’t exactly a fan of how gacha-style games have positioned themselves, especially as it relates to his perspective on game development. At first, you might find it ironic given the success of SinoAlice, a mobile RPG he also directed. And with gacha elements as a core mechanic of Nier Reincarnation, where does that leave him? Yoko-san understands why these kinds of elements exist, but still sees the opportunity to do something meaningful.
With the limited time I had to talk about Nier Reincarnation specifically, I asked: How are you managing the perception of being a mobile game in the Nier series? And how has your experience with SinoAlice factored into Reincarnation?
“With mobile titles–and this goes for both SinoAlice and Nier Reincarnation–I come from a perspective where I don’t have very much insight into the business structure,” Yoko-san prefaced. He continued with an admission, “I’ve never pulled a gacha, so I don’t understand how the business works on that end.”
Unexpectedly, for the next five-or-so minutes, he let out a stream of consciousness without hesitation, reconciling the realities of making a successful mobile game while staying true to the ethos of game development.
“But when I do communicate with the staff members who create these games with me, and those who are very well versed in creating mobile games, I think I want to make sure that I am impressing upon them about giving very thorough consideration of why you’re doing this. How do we want to make this game, this Nier title, on a mobile platform? And I’m sure they have an idea of what needs to get done as a mobile game. We want to have to pull the gacha, and we try to make it flashy so that it’s easier for them to spend money and whatnot. But I want to impress upon them what our position is and what it means to have originality. And I would try to tell that to the younger members of staff.
“For example, we’d have designers who would make these very fancy-looking gacha buttons so that it would look appealing for players who want to pull that gacha. But I don’t like that. I don’t like to push that concept. And It’s understandable with a mobile title. The banners are also quite flashy so that it draws attention, but these designers go through special schooling to learn about design. And do you really want to just create buttons? There’s got to be something that we want to convey, or that we want to infuse into the game.
“So with Reincarnation or SinoAlice, I would tell them…imagine taking a screenshot out of a game–of course you don’t want to slap it onto a T-shirt and walk around town, but just be proud of what you’re doing. Maybe proud enough to have it decorate the wall of your bathroom or something. And if you aren’t proud enough to have it in your bathroom, then don’t do it. And with Square Enix being more open to my feedback nowadays, it’s great. So, I think what I’m trying to do right now is change the mindset. Try to bring that sort of shift in the mindset of these newer staff members.”
Nier Reincarnation is a semi-automated turn-based RPG at its gameplay core.
Whether or not you think Yoko-san is the old man yelling at the clouds about taking pride in one’s work in game development, he at least understands why certain things are the way they are. However, he shifted the conversation to the second part of the question–his experience with SinoAlice and how that might be reflected in Nier Reincarnation.
“There is one thing that differs between SinoAlice and Nier Reincarnation–and this is something that I had to learn and reflect upon. Whenever I write a story, I start from the end, actually. I come up with the ending first,” he explained. As you can imagine, this would be especially difficult to do with an ongoing service-based game, but Yoko-san is finding better ways this time around, saying, “With SinoAlice, I already had the ending in mind, but it unexpectedly became very popular. And so I’m writing these stories that lead up to the ending and I have to continue parts [and make them fit], so it’s kind of hellish here. But I took that [lesson] and I applied it to Reincarnation so that there’s sort of a break, or an ending or conclusion of smaller story arcs.”
This approach to storytelling seems appropriate based on what we know about Nier Reincarnation as well–unlocking memories of the past is the main narrative crux, and can be used as a platform to build out or recontextualize Nier’s extensive lore through a collection of smaller stories. If you’re familiar with weapon stories from previous Nier and Drakengard games, that’s the foundation for the kinds of stories being told here. It’s a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between the series’ story-heavy chops and the needs for an ongoing mobile game. But its lifespan, of course, depends on its success.
Yoko-san concluded in our discussion, saying, “It all depends on if the game continues its service. If it ends prematurely of course, you’ll never be able to get to that ending, so I think it would be nice if we have the support of players, at least until that first ending.”
Gallery
As The Girl of Light exploring the Cage, Mama guides you through.
If you’re not caught up on Nier Reincarnation, a new trailer was revealed alongside the recent announcement for the beta’s pre-registration. You play as a young girl called The Girl of Light who’s accompanied by a little ghost named Mama (kind of like Grimoire Weiss or a Pod). As you avoid The Dark Monster in an overworld called The Cage, you’ll reveal more about Nier’s world through semi-automated turn-based RPG battles and side-scrolling exploration within other characters’ memories.
In my previous interview feature with Yoko Taro, I asked about how Reincarnation fits into the Nier universe and what we can expect. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much to share but did let us know, “If anything, I think it would be best to expect that I will provide the unexpected. I will do something that’s unexpected, yeah, I will work hard towards that.”
Microsoft has updated its sustainable packaging goals, setting a list of ambitious targets to achieve in two phases. The company outlined its goals with partial progress to be made by 2025, ultimately leading to 100% recyclable packaging by 2030.
According to a social media post and packaging compliance page, Microsoft’s goals include the elimination of single-use plastic packaging, and 100% certified sustainability forested fiber by 2025, by 2025. Then by 2030 the company is aiming to achieve 100% recyclable packaging and 100% recycled, renewable, or responsibly sourced content. That last term means that the company commits to knowing the full extent of its material supply chain and assuring that none of it is harmful to the planet or people.
While the site does not explicitly mention the Xbox by name, a header image on the compliance page shows an Xbox Series X and various Xbox accessories, along with other Microsoft products like the Surface tablets. Any company-wide sustainability goal would include changes to Xbox packaging.
Microsoft sustainable packaging goals: ➡️ Single-use plastic packaging elimination by 2025 ➡️ 100% certified sustainability forested fiber by 2025 ➡️ 100% recyclable packaging by 2030 ➡️ 100% recycled, renewable or responsibly sourced content by 2030
The same page notes that it has been carbon neutral since 2012 and aims to be carbon negative by 2030. It also has notes on its handling of waste and water consumption.
