Cards Against Humanity Workers Are Unionizing Amidst Allegations Of A Toxic Workplace

As a number of former Cards Against Humanity employees have come out with stories of a toxic work culture at the company, current workers have decided to unionize. The union, called the Cards Against Humanity Workers United Union, announced their intentions over Twitter this week, as reported by Polygon.

In the past few weeks, multiple former employees have aired stories characterizing a toxic company culture that enabled racism and sexism, with some allegations singling out co-founder Max Temkin. Temkin has since stepped down from the company, though he remains a one-eighth shareholder.

In one particularly harrowing story, comedian and former CAH writer and comedian Nicolas Carter ended up being held in a mental ward against his will due to the actions of his bosses. An earlier Polygon report into the workplace talked to 21 former employees of the company for a broader view of the toxic culture at Cards Against Humanity.

Now, the newly formed CAH union is working with the Chicago and Midwest Regional Joint Board of Workers United to make sure their voices are heard.

“We work for CAH because we believe in the company’s ability to do good in the world. We believe in the power of transgressive comedy,” the Twitter statement reads, before continuing to the issues the union wants addressed. “For too long, our employees have been kept in precarious, powerless and outright toxic conditions.”

The union’s most concrete demand at present is the equalization of a workplace that employs many people as contractors, requesting that all contractors be given the opportunity to move to full-time or part-time employment.

In an update sent to Polygon, two employees involved in the unionization effort said they were optimistic that the company’s owners would do the right thing in recognizing the union.

Google Stadia Now Finally Lets You Use The Wireless Controller With Android Devices

Stadia continues to roll out new features, and an important one has just been added that will benefit players who are using an Android mobile for their gaming. In the latest update on the Google Stadia community blog, it’s been announced that the wireless Stadia controller now works with Android devices.

The latest Stadia update, which is availabble now, allows you to connect the controller as long as your device and controller are connected on the game Wi-Fi network. Follow the pairing instructions on your screen and you’ll be good to go.

You’ll also be able to experience audio through your headset once it’s connected. This will be a feature that many players have been waiting on for a long time, so it’s good that it has finally arrived.

Four new games have been added to Stadia Pro as well, as of July 1. Those games are Crayta (which is premiering on Stadia), Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, SteamWorld Dig, and West of Loathing. You’ll be able to play them on your Android phone with a controller, too.

Stadia recently dropped the price of the Premiere Edition, which is designed for people who want to play their games on a television.

Now Playing: Google Stadia Final Review Chat

Hamilton On Disney Plus Review Roundup — Here’s What The Critics Think

A movie version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s acclaimed Broadway musical Hamilton is coming to Disney Plus on July 3, and it’s expected to be one of the network’s biggest exclusives to date. Disney paid a reported $75 million to acquire the movie, which is a taping of multiple performances in 2016, and the company originally planned to release it in theatres in October 2021. Disney then moved forward the release date by 15 months due to the COVID-19 crisis, and announce a Disney Plus release.

Reviews for the movie have started to show up online ahead of its debut–and they are very strong. You can check out a sampling of opinions from reviewers below, while you can also see GameSpot’s list of 8 things to look out for when the movie arrives.

Hamilton on Disney Plus is directed by Thomas Kail, who directed Hamilton on Broadway, in addition to Miranda’s In the Heights. The Disney Plus version of Hamilton won’t be the exact way it was on Broadway, as a few F-bombs were edited out to make it more family friendly.

Hamilton

  • Directed By: Thomas Kail
  • Written By: Lin-Manuel Miranda
  • Starring: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, Jonathan Groff, Chris Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Leslie Odom Jr., Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos.
  • Release Date: July 3

The New York Times

“It’s also heartbreaking. One lesson that the past few years should have taught–or reconfirmed–is that there aren’t any good old days. We can’t go back to 1789 or 2016 or any other year to escape from the failures that plague us now. This four-year-old performance of Hamilton, viewed without nostalgia, feels more vital, more challenging then ever.” — A.O. Scott [Full review]

Variety

“A modern take on our collective, complicated history, Hamilton finds fresh relevance in the Black Lives Matter protests and this divided political moment. It’s that rare work of art that celebrates diversity while urging us to put aside superficial differences, using Hamilton’s tragic outcome as a kind of warning, and his accomplishments as inspiration. Best of all, it leaves room for some future adaptation of Miranda’s brilliant musical to break free of the stage and find new, big-screen expression down the road–at which point it may resonate in entirely different ways.” — Peter Debruge [Full review]

IGN

“A lot of fantastic stage productions can fall flat or feel staid when taped, a pitfall that Hamilton avoids. However, the cinematography, editing, and the direction that urged the performers to ignore the at-home audience keeps it from feeling cinematic. In short, Hamilton the stage musical may be a 10/10. But this filmed version falls short by repeatedly reminding the audience of what we missed by not being there.” — Kristy Puchko [Full review]

The Guardian

“It has political intrigue, personal tragedy, a sex scandal, and lightning changes of mood that sweep us along at speed. Best of all is the wit that sits neatly alongside its politics: ‘Immigrants, we get the job done,’ says one character archly, and the audience laughs knowingly. ‘What is a legacy?’ says Hamilton, in the heart-stopping last moments, and the film leaves us reflecting on America’s.” — Arifa Akbar [Full review]

Empire

“Entertaining, energetic and unfailingly smart, this is theatre at the highest level, performed by a cast without a weak link. You can’t say no to this.” — Helen O’Hara [Full review]

IndieWire

“This is Hamilton as you always wanted to see it, and it always will be. And with Disney+ releasing it just in time for the Fourth of July, it doubles as a perfect reminder that America is only worth celebrating because of what it aspires to be–the version of it we see in our minds’ eye, and not the one that’s petrified on the pages of our history books..” — David Ehrlich [Full review]

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Just Keeps Getting Bigger, And Fans Aren’t Happy About It

Even before Warzone added a whole second game to Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare‘s files, the size of the game’s patch downloads and disk footprint were a problem the developers had to address. The file size ballooned after Warzone’s release, and now some players’ game sizes have broken 200 GB according to a Reddit thread picked up by US Gamer.

Reddit user kiwi_lad_1982 posted a screenshot of the combined Modern Warfare and Warzone package taking up 209 GB after the game’s most recent patch, though another user in the replies said theirs was 222 GB. GameSpot’s Mat Paget verified that his PC copy of the game was only at 196 GB, however.

Console players have the option to reduce their Modern Warfare file size by deleting files for parts of the game they don’t use–a necessity as the file size approaches half the size of an average console hard drive. PC players don’t have access to this feature, however, though many have complained that they’ve played their fill of the campaign and would rather delete it to free up space.

The latest Season 4 Reloaded patch added huge 200-player matches for Warzone’s Battle Royale, yet most of the Twitter conversation around the new update was more concerned with the massive download size. For what it’s worth, the latest update actually decreases the file size slightly for players who only have Warzone installed, while players with the combined games will see a slight increase in size.

Now Playing: Call Of Duty: Warzone Video Review

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Skater XL Will Launch With Three Community-Created Maps Included

When Skater XL launches on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on July 28, it will contain three maps created by the game’s modding community during the game’s Early Access period on Steam. The maps will be a part of the game for all players.

The three maps are Streets (by Jean-Olive), Hűdland Training Facility (by Pactole), and Grant Skate Park (by Theo). A trailer and screenshots for these maps have been released, showcasing the work of the game’s community. Theo joined the development team after creating Grant Skate Park, which will debut in the game’s 1.0 release.

In a statement released to press, developer Easy Days Studio co-founder Dain Hedgpeth praised the game’s modding community, which consists of 84,000 people who “have created thousands of amazing maps, fake skate brands and gear” in the game. states Dain Hedgpeth, Co-founder of Easy Day Studios. “Their creativity and passion have not only inspired us, but has become an integral part of the Skater XL experience,” he says, “and we want to pay homage to this by including some of their work at launch.”

Hedgpeth notes that this is “just the beginning” of the studio’s plans to highlight community-created content.

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Grant Skate Park is a recreation of the iconic Chicago public skatepark, with a few small changes to make it easier to skate in a game. Streets brings together numerous street spots from different parks, and Hűdland Training Facility is an entirely original creation.

Skater XL faces some tough competition for skateboarding fans, as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is also releasing later this year on September 4. XL has drawn comparisons to the Skate franchise, but the next Skate game was only just announced, and is likely to be a long time away from release.

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Lord Of The Rings Online Celebrates Aragorn And Arwen’s Wedding With Special Quests And Gifts

Originally released in 2007, The Lord of the Rings Online continues to receive new update some 13 years later. The latest one invites players to attend the wedding of Middle-earth heroes Aragorn and Arwen. Just like in the book, Aragorn and Arwen will celebrate their marriage in Minas Tirith, and you can attend this joyous event and earn special bonuses for doing so.

The new event is called Epic Volume V, Book 1: A Time of Celebration, and it runs through July 20. Players will automatically receive a quest that provides a map to Minas Tirith. Once you get there, you’ll receive another quest that kicks off the Midsummer Festival. This is mean to celebrate Midsummer’s Day, which is when Aragon and Arwen got married in the year TA 3019.

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There are a variety of Midsummer-themed quests, and you can visit Thorin’s Hall, Duillond, Bree-town, and the Party Tree to find them. Going forward, the Midsummer Event will be an annual event.

Additionally, wedding-themed gifts are now available as daily and weekly Hobbit gifts that you can claim, while players will get extra allotments of silver and other bonuses like cosmetic items. You can read the full patch notes for The Lord of the Rings Online’s wedding update here.

The Lord of the Rings Online won’t be the only Lord of the Rings MMO on the market in the future, as Amazon is developing a Lord of the Rings MMO of its own with a unique art style.

Now Playing: How A World War Inspired The Lord Of The Rings – True Fiction

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Amazon’s Crucible Is Headed Back To Closed Beta a Month After Release

Amazon’s free to play team shooter Crucible has been pulled back into closed beta just a month after its official release.

Crucible’s developer Relentless Studios revealed the news on the Crucible blog yesterday, announcing that as of today, the game will shift back into a closed beta state once more, in order to “focus on providing the best possible experience for our players.”

Despite the drastic change, Relentless is still following the roadmap it announced in early June when it decided to pull two of Crucible’s three game modes from circulation after its player base dwindled just weeks after launch. The team are focusing on “map, combat, and system changes,” and made it clear that the Crucible experience will remain much the same for those who have been playing since launch.

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“You’ll keep all the progress and customization items you’ve already earned, and the battle pass, reward tracks, and in-game store will continue to be supported,” the statement reads. Relentless is also setting up a “community council” of players who they’ll be consulting for feedback, and the team will be scheduling dedicated time each week to play the game with the current community.

Crucible’s most popular game mode, Heart of the Hives, has remained and Relentless is working on a number of new features, trying to improve the game using feedback from fans. You can check out the public Trello board here, which shows what the developers are working on at the moment, and which issues have priority.

We reviewed Crucible upon its official release in late May, giving it a 4/10 and calling the team-based shooter “a slog.”

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Halo: CE Is Getting Weapon And Vehicle Skins For The First Time In 19 Years

While one team inside 343 Industries plugs away on Halo Infinite, another continues to work on Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The studio has continually introduced impressive updates for the game over the years, and this continues with a major update coming to Halo: CE in particular.

The game is getting a brand-new customization system for multiplayer. These include visors, weapon skins, and vehicle skins. You can see some work-in-progress images of the new system below.

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In a blog post, design director Max Szlagor explained why 343 is adding these new visor, weapon, and vehicle skins to Halo: CE and not the other titles in the collection.

“We wanted to bring a greater level of customization to the games that didn’t have as many customization options for armor sets so players can have their uniqueness in each game,” he said. “With that in mind, we thought, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be cool to have some new options for Halo: CE and what’s possible there?’ Turns out there were a number of things that we could do! We sat down and started to come up with some concepts, going through trial and error in trying stuff out, and I think we’re quite happy with what was possible and how to spice things up in multiplayer with these options.”

Szlagor went on to say that the size and scale of MCC–which comprises five different games–meant that 343 needed to make a call about what game to prioritize. “There’s just so much stuff in MCC that it takes time to build out these features to the level of quality and the level of depth that we want,” he said. “This was an opportunity where we saw Halo: CE didn’t have any of these types of features previously and now, we are bringing these to life.”

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These new customization items will be available for MCC Season 2, which is set to kick off with the launch of Halo 3 on PC sometime soon. In the future, Szlagor said 343 might look to develop new customization items for the other games in MCC. “I think people are going to be stoked to see what crazy stuff comes up for all the different titles in MCC,” he said.

Not everyone will want to have skins, or want to see them. With that in mind, 343 created a new option from the Gameplay tab that allows you to opt out of seeing the new skins. The “New Skins” setting is toggled on by default, but you can disable it so you can only see the original art for Halo: CE.

In other news, 343 has announced that more microtransaction options are coming to MCC with the launch of Season 2.

Now Playing: Destiny, Halo, And the Brilliance of Bungie – Reboot Episode 13

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Halo: MCC Is Changing Its Progression System For Season 2 [Update]

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is changing its progression system for the upcoming Season 2 update. Developer 343 Industries announced that it will soon begin to allow people to purchase “seasonal items.” [Update: following the publication of this story, Microsoft removed the word “purchase” from its blog post, so it seems microtransactions may not be coming to MCC]

MCC currently has a battle pass-style progression system that players grind through gameplay to unlock new stuff.

Vehicle skins are coming to Halo: CE
Vehicle skins are coming to Halo: CE

“We also heard feedback that players want more choice in the order they unlock items, so we are adding the ability to purchase seasonal items in a given tier in any order that players want,” design director Max Szlagor said on the Halo website.

[UPDATE: the wording here has since been changed to say, “We are adding the ability to unlock seasonal items in a given tier in any order that players want.” Based on this, it seems microtransactions are not, in fact, coming to MCC, but rather that you can spend Season Points to unlock the new content]

In MCC, a tier consists of 10 unlock slots. The Season 1 progression system had 10 unlock slots in each tier, of which there were 10. With the new microtransaction system, players can’t buy anything they want. “Players will still need to unlock all items in tier 1 in order to access tier 2 items, but in any given tier players can choose their favorite items first,” the developer said.

MCC Season 2 will include more than 100 new items to unlock, including vehicle skins of Halo: CE for the first time in the game’s history. 343 is making another change to how you unlock stuff, too. In Season 1, the “season points” required to unlock new content could only be earned through multiplayer gameplay. However, Season 2’s progression system will let you earn these points in campaign, Firefight, and PvP.

MCC Season 2 will begin when Halo 3 is released on PC, which should be soon given that the closed beta has just ended.

343’s MCC development team is one of at least two teams inside the company. The other is working on Halo Infinite for release as a launch title on Xbox Series X this year. Microsoft plans to showcase the game during an Xbox 20/20 event in July. The event won’t happen for a while, apparently, as WindowsCentral reports it will take place the week of July 20.

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