Author: Trafficblast

Netflix’s The Witcher Announced Mysterious Six Days Of Witchmas

Something new and weird is happening over on The Witcher Netflix series’ Twitter, which has recently sounded a clarion call for “the six days of Witchmas.” The thread–which you can see the beginning of below–indicates that starting December 15 and for the following six consecutive days, gifts (which are only referred to as “content”) will be given out a day after fans are given the opportunity to vote.

It seems the account is putting a flare out to announce it will be holding a series of Twitter polls, which will allow fans to decide what new screenshots or other assets (video or sound clips, maybe?) will be “gifted” to fans through the same account. The event will end on December 21, so hopefully there will be some more clarity at the latest by then, if not sooner once it gets underway. In hindsight, this Twitter event was teased in a YouTube clip last month, but it all still raises more questions than answers at this early date.

Meanwhile, the series restarted production on The Witcher Season 2 back in August. Like many other series, it had to retool to accommodate COVID safety protocols. However, with all precautions honored, the series has had two pauses due to positive COVID-19 tests. What’s worse, star Henry Cavill has reportedly sustained a minor leg injury–and the production is continuing without him for the moment. Hopefully, in the end, the show will not have suffered for all these complications–and for all involved to still be safe.

Netflix has made it clear it wants to make The Witcher its next big franchise. There is already a live-action prequel series in the works taking place 1,200 years in the past called The Witcher: Blood Origin. Additionally, there is a The Witcher anime coming in the near future as well.

Here Are the Best PlayStation Gifts to Give this Year

Thanks to the launch of the PlayStation 5, Sony’s having a big holiday season. With a new console comes new games like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon’s Souls, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Godfall, and many more, as well as a ton of new accessories, including a PS5 Media Remote and the PS5 HD camera.

However, not everyone wants to or is able to purchase a PS5. Luckily, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other awesome PlayStation gifts you can find for your loved ones. From the cheaper-priced PlayStation 4 to merchandise from some of the biggest games to fun little stocking stuffers, there are some great gift options for the video game lovers in your family.

We’ve gathered together some of the best PlayStation and PS5 gifts that you can purchase right now. From a PlayStation branded t-shirt or sweatshirt to a special edition The Last of Us Part II PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset to a God of War statue of Kratos to the PS5 itself, we’ve tried to include a bit of everything to make your holiday shopping just that much easier.

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Best PlayStation Console Gifts

If you are able (and you’re lucky enough to find it in stock), there is no better gift to open up than a brand new console!

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Best PlayStation Accessory Gifts

Help make a PS5 or PS4 owner happy with accessories to make their experiences better.

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Best PlayStation Game Gifts

Games are a great gift and will go well with a brand new PS5.

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Best PlayStation Merchandise Gifts

Sometimes people love showing their love for games outside of playing them, help them with these gifts.

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Best PlayStation Stocking Stuffer Gifts

These PlayStation-themed gifts are all priced below $25, well except for one that is $30 because it’s awesome.

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The Best Gift Ideas for 2020

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

World Of Warcraft Pacifist Player Reached The New Level Cap By Picking Millions Of Flowers

As a role-playing game, World of Warcraft features numerous methods for increasing your power within its MMO realms if you’re prepared to engage in some violence to do so. One player has instead adopted a more pacifistic approach to reaching the level cap in the new Shadowlands expansion.

Doubleagent, who plays as a Pandaren monk, managed to reach level 60 without leaving the starting zone of the Wandering Isle that is meant for players who are below level 10.

Leaving that zone would have forced Doubleagent to pick a side, either The Alliance or the Horde, and thus become an accomplice in a faction that was responsible for the deaths of millions. Sticking to his pacifism, Doubleagent instead earned experience points by picking flowers for hours on end.

Doubleagent didn’t reveal how long it took to gather that many flowers since the launch of Shadowlands on November 23, but the process was made quicker at least by the expansion’s more generous approach to leveling up. This isn’t the first time that Doubleagent has used a gentler approach to reach the level cap either, as previous efforts saw 8000 hours spent on reaching level 110 in the Legion expansion and an estimated 240 hours to reach level 120 in Battle for Azeroth according to PC Gamer.

Shadowlands is World of Warcraft’s eighth expansion pack, and now also holds the record for being the the fastest-selling PC game ever according to Activision Blizzard. With more than 3.7 million copies sold on its day of release and total player time in-game having doubled when compared to 2019 numbers, Blizzard’s MMO continues to remain incredibly popular after 16 years.

Now Playing: World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Story Trailer

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Microsoft, Nintendo, And Sony Release Joint “Shared Principles” Statement

The three major console manufacturers–Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony–have released a statement committing to a set of shared principles. The statement covers parental safety tools, cooperation with regulations and law enforcement, and personal accountability for keeping users safe.

The statement was posted on the Xbox blog, but Microsoft notes it’s done in coordination with Nintendo and PlayStation as well. It says all three companies agree in a multidisciplinary approach that combines “advanced technology, a supportive community, and skilled human oversight.”

The goal, according to the companies, is to make gaming accessible to all players, including young players and vulnerable groups. It says it hopes to ensure that all players have access to social gaming experiences with respect and safety. The statement focuses on three key areas.

To support players and parents, the companies commit to providing tools and information, making safety features easy to use, informing players of changes to terms like codes of conduct, and using technology to stop improper conduct from reaching users in the first place. To collaborate with regulators, it promises to work with trade organizations, share research, and partner with the community and encourage the use of reporting tools. Finally, the companies promise to hold themselves accountable by making it easy to report violations, complying with lawful requests from regulators and law enforcement, and publishing rules for public understanding.

“Protecting players can be challenging in a digitally and often instantaneously connected world,” the statement concludes. “This partnership signifies our commitment to work together to improve player safety and ensure gaming remains truly for everyone. While the video game industry has a long history of taking steps to protect gamers, especially children, we recognize that no one company or industry will solve these challenges alone.”

The three companies have been working together more recently, with more cross-play between consoles and a public joint appearance at The Game Awards. This is a far cry from the adversarial “console war” rivalries, and this joint principle statement is one more way they appear to be cooperating.

The Dark Knight, Blues Brothers, and More Added to National Film Registry

The Dark Knight, Blues Brothers, and Shrek are among this year’s selections to be inducted into the National Film Registry.

On Monday, the Library of Congress unveiled its annual list of 25 movies that will be added to the National Film Registry in an effort to showcase the range and diversity of American film heritage and increase awareness for its preservation. The selected titles include everything from silent shorts to toe-tapping musicals and even a critically-acclaimed Batman movie.

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Here’s the full list of this year’s additions:

  • The Battle Of The Century (1927)
  • The Blues Brothers (1980)
  • Bread (1918)
  • Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
  • Cabin In The Sky (1943)
  • A Clockwork Orange (1971)
  • The Dark Knight (2008)
  • The Devil Never Sleeps (1994)
  • Freedom Riders (2010)
  • Grease (1978)
  • The Ground (1993-2001)
  • The Hurt Locker (2008)
  • Illusions (1982)
  • The Joy Luck Club (1993)
  • Kid Auto Races At Venice (1914)
  • Lilies Of The Field (1963)
  • Losing Ground (1982)
  • The Man With the Golden Arm (1955)
  • Mauna Kea: Temple Under Siege (2006)
  • Outrage (1950)
  • Shrek (2001)
  • Suspense (1913)
  • Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971)
  • Wattstax (1973)
  • With Car And Camera Around The World (1929)

The Library of Congress outlined the criteria for selection as being movies that are viewed as “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant, with the latest 25 movies bringing the total number of titles selected for preservation up to 800. This year’s selections also include a record number of films directed by women and filmmakers of colour, including nine directed by women and seven by people of colour.

“With the inclusion of diverse filmmakers, we are not trying to set records but rather to set the record straight by spotlighting the astonishing contributions women and people of colour have made to American cinema, despite facing often-overwhelming hurdles,” Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, said in a statement alongside the announcement.

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“This is not only a great honour for all of us who worked on The Dark Knight, this is also a tribute to all of the amazing artists and writers who have worked on the great mythology of Batman over the decades,” added Christopher Nolan, the director of The Dark Knight, in respect of his entry into the National Film Registry this year.

Following on the heels of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight quickly became one of the most hyped movies of the past decade. Helped by its amazing viral marketing campaign, the sequel quickly took on legendary status as the summer’s most anticipated movie. For more about its release, find out how the fans ultimately helped to spread the word about the beloved blockbuster.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Partner on Commitment to Safer Gaming

Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo have partnered together in an effort to protect the safety of their players in our connected and socially-focused world.

Announced on Xbox Wire, Corporate Vice President of Xbox Operations Dave McCarthy discussed how he and the team believe that “gaming is for all people of all ages, including our youngest and most vulnerable players.” However, protecting players online is not an easy task and “requires a multidisciplinary approach” that is only enhanced when working together with the likes of Nintendo and PlayStation.

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“At Xbox, we are aligned with both Nintendo, on behalf of the community of Nintendo Switch players, and PlayStation in our belief that protecting players online requires a multidisciplinary approach – one that combines the benefits of advanced technology, a supportive community, and skilled human oversight,” McCarthy wrote. “We can accomplish more when we work toward the same goal, and so we will each continue investing in, evolving, and amplifying our approaches to user safety. As we continue this work, we will prioritize protecting the safety of our players, especially those most vulnerable.”

McCarthy also discussed the principles that guide their work towards this safer future for gamers around the world, and they are as follows;

Prevention: Empower players and parents to understand and control gaming experiences.

  • We provide controls that let players customize their gaming experience.  We support parents with the tools and information necessary to create appropriate gaming experiences for their children.
  • We recognize that for safety features to be useful, they must be easy to use. We will promote the availability of our safety tools through our platforms, support channels, services, on our websites and in retail stores to reach more players and parents.
  • We continually inform our parents and players through our codes of conduct, terms of use, and our enforcement practices.
  • We invest in technology to help thwart improper conduct and content before a player is subject to harm.

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Partnership: We commit to partnering with the industry, regulators, law enforcement, and our communities to advance user safety.

  • The industry’s commitment to safety is central. We believe that we have an opportunity to collaborate for the benefit of the video game industry and all players to offer a safer gaming experience.
  • We work with industry trade organizations, industry members, regulators, law enforcement, and experts to develop and advance online safety initiatives.
  • We commit to conducting shared research for the benefit of the industry.
  • We believe that hate and harassment or exploitation of younger players in any way have no place in gaming. We partner with our community to promote safe gaming behavior and encourage the use of reporting tools to call out bad actors.
  • We partner with ratings agencies such as the ESRB and PEGI to ensure that our games are rated for the appropriate audience.

Responsibility: We hold ourselves accountable for making our platforms as safe as possible for all players.

  • We make it easy for players to report violations of our code of conduct and, in addition to removing content, we take appropriate enforcement actions for violations, including restricting players from using our services for misconduct.
  • We comply with all local laws and will respond to all lawful requests from law enforcement. We promptly notify law enforcement if we observe unlawful conduct or where we believe a player is at risk of imminent harm.
  • We publish our rules and requirements and we ensure that players who have been reported understand the requirements for continued engagement with our platforms.

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In closing, McCarthy writes that protecting players is a challenge, especially in a “digitally and often instantaneously connected world.” This partnership was forged in hopes to make that battle easier won, as “no one company or industry will solve these challenges alone.”

This isn’t the first time these companies have worked together to help create a brighter future for video games, as just last year Sony and Microsoft teamed up to improve cloud gaming and streaming platforms.

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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.

PS5 And Xbox Series X/S Will Be In Stock At Best Buy On Tuesday

Both Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S will be available for sale tomorrow, December 15, Best Buy has announced. All three consoles will be restocked “sometime after 8 AM CT” (6 AM PT/9 AM ET) at Best Buy, and you’ll have the option to pick up your console in stores with curbside pickup.

This will be an online-only restock, so you shouldn’t bother heading to your local store in the hopes of snagging one. We don’t know exactly how many units will be available or if there are any new steps being taken to help mitigate the frustrating buying experience that prospective customers have been dealing with at various retailers for months. Best Buy did not specify if it would have both the PS5 and PS5 Digital editions available, but at least one version of Sony’s next-gen platform will be restocked.

All four next-gen consoles have been very difficult to come by ever since preorders first began, and the holiday shopping season has not helped. Restocks have happened periodically at different stores, but reliable PS5 or Xbox Series X|S stock does not appear to be something we can expect to see in the near future. Microsoft has previously stated that it expects Xbox shortages to last for months into 2021, and there’s no reason to think that won’t also be true of PS5. For the time being, demand is outpacing supply by what appears to be a significant margin.

While you have a time (or at least a window) for when you should begin refreshing Best Buy’s website, there’s a decent chance you won’t be fortunate enough to get one. If that’s the case, make sure to follow along with our PS5 restock guide and Xbox Series X|S restock guide, both of which track availability and upcoming restocks so you can know how and when you might be able to buy the new consoles.

Nintendo Indie World Presentation Coming This Week

Nintendo has announced a new Indie World presentation, marking what may be the last Nintendo Direct stream of 2020. Nintendo promises it will include roughly 15 minutes of updates and announcements about indie games. The brief preview of indies to come will begin at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET on Tuesday, December 15.

Given the timing, we can probably expect most of the announcements to be for upcoming 2021 games. But Nintendo usually ties a few surprise-releases of games, demos, or DLC to its showcases, giving them the spotlight just as they release, so we may also see something new to play alongside the presentation.

Nintendo similarly capped off the year with an Indie World presentation in December 2019, where it showcased Axiom Verge 2, Sports Story, Streets of Rage 4, and one of our favorite Switch games of 2020, Murder by Numbers.

For more of the year’s best games, check out our Best Games of 2020 nominees. Each of the 10 finalists is getting its own dedicated nominee feature on what makes it so special, leading up to Thursday, December 17, when we’ll reveal our Best Game of 2020.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Discounted To Its Lowest Price Yet On PS5 And Xbox Series X

If you haven’t picked up Assassin’s Creed Valhalla just yet, GameStop has a great deal on the open-world action game that you can take advantage of right now. As part of GameStop’s Green Monday sale, you can pick up Assassin’s Creed Valhalla for $45 on PS5/PS4 and Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for Valhalla since it launched last month, but the deal is only available today, December 14.

The Xbox version of Valhalla works on both Series X|S and Xbox One, and it comes with a free upgrade. For PlayStation owners, you can pick between the PS4 and PS5 version. The PS4 edition also works on PS5 and has a free upgrade, while the PS5 version is only compatible with PS5.

The latest entry in the long-running series earned an 8/10 in GameSpot’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla review. “Despite its strong connection to past games, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is more than capable of standing on its own,” editor Jordan Ramée wrote. It takes a little while to build momentum, but when it hits its stride, Valhalla is a confident Assassin’s Creed title that takes a few narrative risks which, as a whole, pay off. Eivor is a good hero with an identity that drives the mystery behind the main narrative, and she shines in the self-contained arc structure of Valhalla’s story. The supporting cast may not shine as brightly, but it’s easy to forgive that when exploring England and discovering new nuggets of worldbuilding is so rewarding.”

Valhalla is the standout deal in GameStop’s Green Monday sale, but there are more solid discounts worth considering as well. Persona 5 Royal’s steelbook edition is down to $25, Marvel’s Avengers is $25, and pre-owned Xbox One and PS4 controllers are $30 each. You can check out the full Green Monday sale at GameStop and see our picks below.

Best GameStop Green Monday deals

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EA To Buy Codemasters For $1.2 Billion

Electronic Arts has announced that it has made an offer to acquire racing game developer Codemasters for $1.2 billion. Back in November Take-Two Interactive made an offer of $994 million, which would have added racing franchises such as Dirt, Dirt Rally, and F1 to its library of games. EA’s announcement was initially revealed by Sky News and officially confirmed this week.

The Codemasters board of directors has approved the bid, saying that EA’s experience in creating live service games and its wealth of resources will allow EA to dominate the racing game genre once the company adds the various Codemasters studios to its collection.

“With the full leverage of EA’s technology, platform expertise, and global reach, this combination will allow us to grow our existing franchises and deliver more industry-defining racing experiences to a global fan base,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson said.

Take-Two had originally offered Codemasters $994 million in November before EA made its counter-offer. EA’s deal is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2021. In a statement on its investor website, Take-Two said, “Take-Two is considering its position in relation to Codemasters and a further announcement will be made when appropriate.”

Burnout developer Criterion Games was acquired by EA back in 2004 and tasked with producing three Need for Speed games from 2010-2013. Recent games in the series have been handled by EA Gothenberg, formerly known as Ghost Games.

Now Playing: DIRT 5 – Xbox Series X Trailer

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