Fortnite Is Hosting Another We The People Panel About Voter Suppression

Since its introduction in May, Fortnite’s Party Royale mode has hosted concerts, movie nights, and even a panel on racial injustice. Now, more of the latter is coming, with an announcement that the second installation of We The People x More Than A Vote will be coming to Fortnite on July 28.

The first We The People event took place on Saturday July 4, and the new event looks to continue that conversation. Hosted by Cari Champion, the second event will feature athlete Jason Heyward, rapper and activist Bun B, athlete and sports host Jalen Rose, actress and comedian Yvonne Orji, and rapper Russ as they discuss the voter suppression crisis that disproportionately affects Black communities.

Attendees at the We The People event will receive the Verve emote for free for their participation–though all emotes will be disabled for the duration of the event to help foster an atmosphere of respect for all players.

We The People will be available in Party Royale mode from 7 PM EDT on Tuesday July 28, though players should load into the game ahead of the start time. The first We The People event also screened repeats for the 24 hours following the premiere, though Epic hasn’t said whether the new panel will follow the same schedule.

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Halo Infinite Does Not Support 4-Player Split-Screen

Initial reports suggested that Halo Infinite will offer four-player local split-screen support for its campaign mode, but this is not the case. 343 Industries head of design, Jerry Hook, said on Twitter that Infinite will support two-player split-screen locally. Up to four players can play the campaign together online, however.

“Sorry about the confusion,” Hook wrote. No details about split-screen support for Halo Infinite’s multiplayer mode have been announced yet.

Halo Infinite simply having split-screen is a big deal because 343 controversially left it out of Halo 5: Guardians. Xbox boss Phil Spencer says only a small percentage of people play local split-screen in Halo games, so that’s why the feature was cut for Halo 5.

Still, this messaging upset some portion of the Halo fanbase, and Microsoft responded. In 2017, 343 studio head Bonnie Ross confirmed that all future Halo FPS games will have split-screen.

Halo Infinite is a launch title for the Xbox Series X, and it will also come to the standard Xbox One as well as PC. The first gameplay trailer wowed some Halo fans and left others wanting more, especially in terms of its graphics. In response, Microsoft has said the graphics will get “better and better” in the lead up to launch.

Microsoft has also clarified that Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is not delayed.

Now Playing: The Evolution Of Halo’s Gameplay

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Halo Infinite Boss On Releasing The Game Across Console Generations And Why It Won’t Be Held Back

Halo Infinite is a launch title for Microsoft’s next-generation console, the Xbox Series X, but it’s also coming to the relatively less powerful Xbox One. Not only that, but the game will also be released on PC. This multiplatform release strategy is far different than 2015’s Halo 5: Guardians, which was only released on Xbox One (before a scaled-back edition came to PC for free).

343 studio head Chris Lee recently spoke about this multiplatform development, saying it was made possible thanks to Microsoft’s investment in its new SlipSpace Engine.

“When we started building Halo Infinite we knew we had to really invest in our technology to achieve the ambition that the vision of this game had. So we invested a lot in our SlipSpace Engine,” Lee said during a recent interview. “We’ve been developing it over time with the idea and the concept of being cross-platform so we could support the Xbox One family of devices, the Xbox Series X, and of course, PC when we release on Steam as well.”

Lee went on to say that Microsoft was developing Halo Infinite as a cross-gen title “from the very beginning.” While Halo Infinite will be available across a variety of platforms, that doesn’t mean it will be held back on any system.

“From the very beginning we wanted to make sure we were developing all of these experiences in parallel and had the right technology to power those experiences and optimize them for each device,” Lee said.

The floodgates for Halo Infinite have finally begun to open. During an Xbox event recently, Microsoft showcased a first look at campaign gameplay, including Craig the Brute.

For more, check out the stories linked below.

Now Playing: Halo Infinite Gameplay Demo | Xbox Games Showcase 2020

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Top New Games Out On Switch, PS4, Xbox One, And PC This Week — July 26 – August 1, 2020

New Releases highlights some of the top games releasing each week. This episode has a lot of variety: Skater XL for the skateboard kids, Ageless for the puzzle solvers, and Fairy Tail for the Shonen Jump fans. Did you miss out on the original Destroy All Humans? Good news, the remake is on its way. Lastly, Xbox One gamers get their own Yakuza Kiwami 2 port this week.

Destroy All Humans! — July 28

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

This is a remake of the original Destroy All Humans from 2005. Once again, you’ll be stepping into the space boots of alien invader Crypto as he extracts DNA from the residents of a Midwestern town, using all types of alien weapons and gadgets. This remake includes content cut from the original game, too.

More Coverage:

Skater XL — July 28

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

Skater XL
Skater XL

Skater XL is all about control, letting you choose how you move your feet and kick the board for each trick–just note that you do need a controller to play it on PC. It’s full of real-world skate parks and skaters, but you can also pull off sick tricks with your own custom character.

More Coverage:

Ageless — July 28

Available on: PC, Switch

Ageless
Ageless

Ageless puts you in the shoes of Kiara, whose magical bow fires arrows that send their targets forward and backward in time. You’ll have to age and de-age plants and animals to solve each of the game’s puzzles. There are secret challenges to overcome along your journey, too.

More Coverage:

Yakuza Kiwami 2 — July 30

Available on: Xbox One

Yakuza Kiwami 2

Kiwami 2 is a remake of the original Yakuza 2 with improved combat mechanics and all-new content focused on secondary protagonist Goro Majima. Of course, you’ll spend plenty of time with series staple Kazuma Kiryu, too. Game Pass subscribers can jump right in on day one.

More Coverage:

Fairy Tail — July 30 (PC), July 31 (PS4, Switch)

Available on: PS4, PC, Switch

Fairy Tale

The Shonen Jump anime/manga series is getting a turn-based RPG. Your goal is to build up the top magic guild, and you’ve got 16 fan-favorite characters to help you pull it off. Expect to battle plenty of powerful rival magicians along the way.

More Coverage:

That wraps up the month of July, but next week New Releases will take a wide look at August. The new month is home to some big comebacks like Microsoft Flight Simulator and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition.

Now Playing: Top New Games Releasing On Switch, PS4, Xbox One, And PC This Week — July 26 – August 1, 2020

Madden NFL 21’s Next X-Factor Superstar Abilities Will Be Revealed Soon

After announcing all the player ratings for Madden NFL 21, EA Sports will reveal the first of the new X-Factor super-abilities for the professional football game on Monday, July 27.

The Madden NFL 21 Twitter account revealed the news with a nice-looking poster made by illustrator/concept artist Conrad Javier. The poster teases, “New abilities unleashed,” while a graphic in the top-left corner seems to suggest that the X-Factor reveals will happen over the course of the week, wrapping up on July 31.

Introduced in Madden NFL 20, X-Factor abilities are special abilities that some of the highest-rated players in the game that players unlock during gameplay by completing certain objectives.

For example, Madden NFL 20 cover star Patrick Mahomes had an X-Factor called “Bazooka” that increases his maximum throwing distance, while Stephen Gilmore’s X-Factor was called “Shutdown” and it increases his defensive skills and the likelihood he’ll make an interception.

A post on EA’s website states that Madden NFL 21 will have more than 50 new X-Factor abilities that are “fresh out of the lab designed to elevate the stars of a new generation in Madden NFL 21.”

For more Madden NFL 21 ratings, here’s the list of the top ten quarterbacks in the game. You can also read more about how Madden NFL 21 improves AI and expands the playbooks.

In other news, EA Sports has confirmed that it’s making a last-minute change to Madden NFL 21 to remove the Washington Redskins after the real-world sports team dropped the name that was widely criticized for being racist. The game will be updated with a generic Washington team and logo until the actual sports group decides on and announces a new name.

Madden NFL 21 is coming on August 28 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It will also be coming to the next-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X, with free upgrades for current-gen owners through EA’s Dual Entitlement program. For more details, check out our Madden NFL 21 pre-order guide.

Now Playing: EA Sports Montage | EA Play 2020

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Netflix Spends Big On The Rights To Reddit Horror Story

If you’re an aspiring horror writer with an established Reddit account, the tale of “My Wife And I Bought A Ranch” is a dream-come-true. Deadline is reporting that Netflix has won the rights to a short story posted to the No Sleep subreddit. You can see the post here, although the full story is divided across six parts.

The story, about an ex-marine and his wife who purchase a ranch and soon find out that there’s a malevolent force at work there, was written by Matt Query. It’s well-regarded among the No Sleep community, and has received 3000 upvotes since the first part was posted five months ago.

The rights to the story were bought for a figure in the low seven-figure range, likely meaning between $1-5 million.

The script will be handled by his brother, Harrison Query, who is already working on a Three Musketeers project for the streaming service. Scott Glassgold and Ground Control Entertainment are producing, but talks are underway with potential co-producers, including Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen at 21 Laps (Stranger Things) and Aquaman-director James Wan’s Atomic Monster.

No director has been attached to the project as of yet.

Back in 2018, Ryan Reynolds signed on to adapt The Patient Who Nearly Drove Me Out Of Medicine, another story posted to No Sleep. There have been few updates on the project since then.

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Verdun Devs Release Follow-Up Tannenberg On PS4 And Xbox One

Tannenberg, from M2H Game Studio, is available now on PS4 and Xbox One. The game is the second installment in the WWI Game Series, following 2015’s Verdun, and features 40-player matches across maps based on real battlefields. Unlike Verdun, this port was handled entirely in-house by the original developer.

The game, which released on Steam Early Access in February 2019, comes to consoles with all the updates the game has received since its initial launch, including a new map (Przemyśl) that has also been added to the PC release. Players can fight over control points using time-authentic weapons, including gas barrages and mounted machine guns.

While there’s no single-player campaign, you can play with up to 20 bots, or add them to a multiplayer match. You can play as troops from Russia, Romania, Latvia, Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Bulgaria.

You can watch the game’s launch trailer below.

There’s a focus on squad combat, and the large maps have different weather variants to mix things up. The controls have also been optimized for console.

The game costs $20, and PS4 Pro and Xbox Series X owners will see more detailed graphics in the game.

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Thor: Love And Thunder Director Teases The “Insane” And “Romantic” Story

Writer-director Taika Waititi has shared some new insight on the next Thor movie, Love and Thunder, calling it “insane” and “romantic.”

Speaking to the BBC, Waititi said he and his team has been working sporadically on the script for more than a year already. It might not be a surprise given the title Love and Thunder, but Waititi said he is incorporating some romantic elements, and he’s excited about that because it’s out of his wheelhouse.

“We’ve been writing the script off and on for over a year, and this week I’m doing another pass on it. It is so insane. It’s also very romantic. I’m into romances now,” he said. “I just want to make a romance. I want to make something I’ve never done or never cared for. I would like to attack something like that.”

Love and Thunder is scheduled to come to theatres in February 2022, so it’s still a long way off. Chris Hemsworth returns to play Thor, while Batman actor Christian Bale is reportedly making his Marvel debut as the villain. Natalie Portman will also come back to play Jane Foster once more. This time around, she will be wielding Thor’s hammer Mjolnir.

Love and Thunder will be the first new Thor movie since 2017’s Ragnarok, which Waititi also directed.

Also in the BBC interview, Waititi offered only the tiniest teases for his new Star Wars movie, confirming, “We’re writing” and sharing no more insight.

Outside of those projects, Waititi is also writing a script for a new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory TV show for Netflix.

Waititi’s latest movie, JoJo Rabbit, was a critical darling, and the director won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for it.

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Kiefer Sutherland Is On The Hunt In First Trailer For New The Fugitive TV Series

The Fugitive, the hit 1993 film starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, is being reborn as a Quibi series, and the first trailer is now available. As with all Quibi shows, the episodes will be short, and some big stars are attached to the series.

Kiefer Sutherland plays Detective Clay Bryce, while the titular fugitive is Mike Ferro, played by Boyd Holbrook (Narcos). Ferro is a recently released former inmate, falsely accused of orchestrating an explosion in an LA subway station, and must go on the run when Bryce declares him the only suspect, with a “shoot on sight” directive.

You can watch the trailer below. Like all Quibi shows, the episodes will be short (10 minutes or under). It looks like this one will have a sub-plot about irresponsible journalists, too.

According to a synopsis provided to Deadline, Mike Ferro is worried about the well-being of his wife and daughter, who were on a train at the time of the explosion. Whether or not this means we’ll get a version of the iconic “I didn’t kill my wife” scene from the film remains to be seen, as they both appear to be alive in the trailer.

The Fugitive actually started life as a TV series in the 1960s, starring David Janseen and Barry Morse. It ran for four seasons. This new series drops on August 3.