Author: Trafficblast

Blankos Block Party, the debut title from developer Mythical Games, is set to have an invite-only beta test sometime this August. Toy enthusiasts interested in participating in the party MMO can sign-up for a free Mythical account and join the Discord channel, where the studio will provide more information on how to join the PC beta.

In addition to announcing the upcoming beta test, Mythical shared a brand-new trailer for Blankos Block Party. The trailer, below, shows the many activities you can get into, from racing other players to dancing around the server and much more. In short, Blankos Block Party combines the free-flowing gameplay of both Fortnite and Roblox with the aesthetic charm of a Funko Pop vinyl toy come to life.

You can also construct your own environments in Blankos Block Party and share them with other players around the world. These world-building tools allow you to create games that have their own rules. And anything you earn or purchase, from the cute chibi figures that are the Blankos to player-created levels, is yours to keep.

Blankos Block Party was announced during the recent PC Gaming Show livestream. Mythical Games talked a bit about the party MMO, describing it as a game about “where toys go when a human leaves the room.”

GameSpot has officially kicked off Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.

If you drop into a normal game of Fortnite: Battle Royale right now you’ll find The Agency, the center piece for the games’ second season, in pieces. It was blown up during today’s special event, The Device, but many players didn’t get to see it happen.

Servers for The Device filled up soon after opening at 10:30 AM PT / 1:30 PM ET, meaning players who couldn’t get in had to watch on Twitch or YouTube. Epic Games had warned players to come 30 minutes early, but even those that tried weren’t guaranteed a spot.

Players who missed the event are sounding off on Twitter, upset because of the limited capacity. Previous events like the Travis Scott concert was less restrictive, mainly because it had multiple showtimes spread across a weekend. The Device event was also delayed multiple times, most recently due to the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted across the country. Many were surprised that they wouldn’t be able to attend at all after the additional delay.

“You think saying “we apologize” is enough to those who waited days on end to see this and couldn’t get in?” one player tweeted. “What a joke.”

Over 6 million players tuned in on YouTube while more than 2 million watched on Twitch, making The Device one of Epic’s most successful events to date. The Device event has ended, but there is more excitement to come as Fortnite: Season 3 starts later this week, and players have tons of theories about what’s going on.

Just like first-party games, Nintendo Switch accessories tend to stay around full price outside of major sales like Black Friday, but right now, Pokemon fans can snag one handy accessory for a fraction of the price. Nintendo’s Poke Ball Plus normally sells for $50, but this week at Best Buy, you can buy it for just $20. This is the same price the Poke Ball Plus was during Black Friday, and it didn’t stay in stock for long, so if you’ve been waiting for the price to drop, now’s the time to grab it.

The Poke Ball Plus accessory is small and fits easily into the palm of your hand, with a wrist strap to secure it. It’s compatible with Pokemon Go, allowing you to play without checking your phone. When a Pokemon is nearby, the Poke Ball Plus will light up and vibrate. You can press a button to throw a virtual Poke Ball, and different LED light patterns will let you know if you’ve caught the Pokemon. The Poke Ball Plus also counts your steps so you can hatch eggs and gather candy for your Pokemon.

It’s also compatible with Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu and Let’s Go, Eevee, the modern remakes of Pokemon Yellow that take you back to the Kanto region. Intended to be a more accessible introduction to the mainline Pokemon series, the Let’s Go games utilize the Pokemon Go mechanics of catching a wild Pokemon, where you just aim and throw Poke Balls instead of fighting it. The Poke Ball Plus can be used as a controller in the Let’s Go games due to its motion control capabilities. When you catch a Pokemon, the Poke Ball Plus will light up and vibrate in your hand, and you’ll hear the Pokemon’s unique cry.

The Poke Ball Plus also gets you a free Mew, which can be transferred to either of the Let’s Go games. Mew can’t be obtained by normal gameplay in any mainline Pokemon games.

For more Nintendo Switch deals, see the best digital games that are discounted in Nintendo’s massive Summer Sale happening right now, including first-party games like Super Mario Party and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe for $42 each.

More Nintendo Switch deals:

The developers behind Little Devil Inside, which was shown during Sony’s PS5 conference last week, have apologised and promised to change some of the game’s enemy designs which contain racist stereotypes.

Many on social media made note of this after the trailer debuted during June 11’s ‘The Future of Gaming’ PS5 conference, with Twitter user Lord Balvin pointing out how “tone deaf” the character design is due to its depiction of a tribal character with dreadlocks and large lips. Developers Neostream have responded on Facebook, noting that “Racist stereotypes of any kind were absolutely not intended.”

“We were not aware of the stereotypical connotations and wish to apologise to anyone who may have been offended by the character design,” the statement reads. According to the developers, their design intention was “to create characters who are protectors/guardians of a particular mystic region in the world of Little Devil Inside.” Neostream added that they did not reference any “African and/or Afro-American human tribes” while creating it.

Neostream explained how they plan to modify the design in four steps listed below, and added that they may change it entirely if it ends up being unsuitable for the game.

1. Remove the Dreadlocks.
2. Change the bold lips.
3. Change skin tone.
4. Tweak the dart blower so it looks less like a joint.

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You can check out some screenshots from Little Devil Inside over on our announcement piece. For more on games from the PS5 conference last week, check out our article covering every game that was revealed during the show.

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

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is reportedly poised to postpone the 2021 Oscars ceremony and review its eligibility window, in recognition of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy’s board of governors are due to convene over Zoom on June 15 to discuss a new agenda for the 93rd Oscars ceremony, which is currently set to take place on February 28, 2021.

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The report suggests that the ceremony’s date is likely to be delayed by as many as eight weeks, as the Academy has apparently secured a new “hold date” in ABC’s broadcasting calendar. It is also expected that the eligibility window will be extended beyond the traditional closing period of December 31, 2020, in light of this prospective pushback.

Although it is an uncommon occurrence, this wouldn’t be the first time the Academy has postponed the annual event. The Oscars were previously delayed in 1938 due to the floods in Los Angeles, then again in 1968; following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and 1981 after the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.

It is not believed that the format of the Oscars ceremony will be up for discussion yet, even though a great number of events have turned to virtual experiences and online offerings amid the lockdown, as organizers have been forced to find new ways for fans to immerse themselves in the industry from the safety of their own homes.

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This comes shortly after the Academy announced a new rule, for the 93rd Oscars only, that will allow movies that debuted on digital or streaming platforms to qualify for Best Picture in this year’s race (with some provisions).

The majority of the Academy’s recent shifts and changes have materialized as a direct result of the global closure of cinemas due to the COVID-19 crisis and the subsequent studio delays in theatrical release calendars.

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

Details pertaining to an unreleased Kingdom Hearts game have been discovered in the hidden files of a recently launched website for mobile game Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road.

While datamining the Dark Road website, Reddit user Skullboj found a logo (below) for a project called Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, which appears to be unrelated to the forthcoming mobile title.

There are many theories swirling online for what this could be – the focus on music might suggest it’s a rhythm game, but the yellow colour scheme and allusion to memory visually ties it to Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, a card-based spin-off that originally launched on the Game Boy Advance back in 2004.

Twitter user Vampirically pointed out that the K and the S in the leaked logo are extended, which within the history of Kingdom Hearts title art suggests that this alleged game will not use Sora as the protagonist.

There’s also a distinct chance that this isn’t a game at all – that musical theme could point to this being a new project for the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra. We have contacted Square Enix for comment.

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If there’s one thing that’s for certain though, it’s that the naming scheme for Kingdom Hearts games has always been an unknown quantity, so the game’s content is really anyone’s guess.

In other Kingdom Hearts news, a TV series based on the games is reportedly in development for Disney Plus. You can also check out our review of Kingdom Hearts 3, which we called “a fulfilling evolution” of the franchise.

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN surprised at the tame name for this Kingdom Hearts game. Follow him on Twitter.

EA has formally announced Star Wars: Squadrons, a first-person space dogfighting game set after the events of Return of the Jedi, and coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC (via Origin, Steam and Epic Games Store). It will be released for $39.99 USD on October 2.

Developed by Motive Studios, the game will include both a single-player story and multiplayer modes (with cross-play support across all platforms), and can be played in VR on PS4 and PC. EA will premiere gameplay at EA Play Live on June 18 (which you can watch as part of IGN’s Summer of Gaming).

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Star Wars: Squadrons Story Mode Details

Squadrons will feature a single player story mode set after the Battle of Endor and the destruction of the Death Star II. Alternating between two customisable pilots, the story will feature brand new characters, and cameos from familiar faces.

The two pilots you play as will show you both sides of the game’s conflict – one flies for the New Republic’s Vanguard Squadron, and the other for the shattered Galactic Empire’s Titan Squadron.

In a press release, Ian Frazier, creative director at Motive says: “Through the collaboration of the teams at Motive and Lucasfilm, we’ve been able to create a high-fidelity starfighter experience with an authentic storyline that invites Star Wars fans to explore never-before-seen corners of the galaxy in their own ship. We’re excited to show all this in action this week at EA Play Live.”

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Star Wars: Squadrons Multiplayer Details

Multiplayer will take the form of 5v5 battles, with two modes announced. Fleet Battles will task each team with destroying the opposing teams flagship, while Dogfights will simply ask each team to destroy as many opponents as possible. Locations will be both known and unknown, with Yavin Prime and the shattered moon of Galitan announced so far.

The announcement press release makes clear that squadron composition will be important, implying multiple ship classes to experiment with. EA also confirmed that, while Star Wars: Squadrons will include cosmetic and gameplay-related customisation, all upgrades will be earned solely through playing the game.

Playing through the game will earn you weapons, hulls, engines and shields to allow you to tweak your starfighter into whatever you want it to be, while cosmetics will alter your cockpit, ship exterior and pilot.

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Star Wars: Squadrons Release Date and Price

Star Wars: Squadrons will be released on October 2 as both a physical and digital product, for $39.99 USD (other pricings unavailable at time of writing). EA Access and Origin Access Basic subscribers can play 10 hours of the game for free at launch, and will get 10% off if they choose to buy it. Origin Access Premier subscribers will be given the full PC game on release.

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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].

If you want to add a little touch of the arcade experience to your living space, but you don’t quite have the room, or if you just have a counter-top crying out for a video game, I have great news. Best Buy currently has some of Arcade1up’s Countercade cabinets marked down 50% from their original price. That means you can invite Dig Dug into your home for just under a hundred bucks.

App users: Don’t see the deals below? Click here.

Arcade1up Cabinet Deals

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The Golden Tee cabinet is part of Best Buy’s deal of the day, so if you want it at that price, better grab it now. The Countercade cabinets aren’t part of a deal of the day promotion, but at 50% off I don’t imagine the deal will be around too long. But who knows? Well, I guess the people in charge of pricing things at Best Buy know.

Recently Arcade1up revealed four new upcoming cabinets: Ms. Pac-Man, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Big Buck Hunter and Marvel Pinball.

Oh, and it’s not too late to preorder the special edition Arcade1up NBA Jam cabinet with riser and stool.

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Seth Macy is Executive Editor, IGN Commerce, and just wants to be your friend. Find him on Twitter @sethmacy.

Pokemon Sword and Shield’s DLC expansions, Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, will feature level scaling, meaning Pokemon trainers of any level (who have reached the first Wild Area) can enjoy the new DLC content.

During our 30-minute hands-off preview of Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Isle of Armor DLC, we noticed that the first trainer battle were around level 60 – the same as the highest level Pokémon in the trainer’s party.

We asked Nintendo product marketing specialist Demetrius Boggs if this meant level scaling was in place, and he confirmed that Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Expansion Pass area’s trainers and wild Pokemon will in fact scale with your own Pokemon levels.

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Not only that, but these areas can be accessed as soon as you reach the Wild Area of Pokémon Sword and Shield, just a few hours into the games. So whether you’ve just started or have already completed every post-game activity and have a full party of level-100 Pokémon, both parts of the expansion pass–The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra–will match your Pokémon’s level.

As of now, we’re unsure whether the DLC areas will continue to scale with your level, or if the areas become locked to the level your Pokémon were when you first visit, but we will update this as soon as we hear back from the Pokémon Company.

Regardless, this is great news – anyone will be able to enjoy the Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass at an appropriate level regardless of how high or low level their Pokémon are. (Though we can’t comment on how difficult or easy this content will be.)

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The Isle of Armor expansion, which will be released on June 17, will send players to a tropical island and will allow them to make their way through a new Pokemon Battle Dojo. By training there with Master Mustard, all players will receive the new legendary Pokemon, Kubfu.

After players obtain Kubfu, they will be given a choice of either going to the Tower of Darkness or the Tower of Waters. Upon completion, Kubfu will evolve into Urshifu. If the Tower of Darkness was chosen, Urshifu will have the Single Strike style, and if the Tower of Waters is chosen, Urshifu will have the Rapid Strike Style.

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The Crown Tundra expansion, which is set to be released in Fall 2020, will take place in a snowy, icy tundra with mountains and will feature a ton of Legendary Pokemon, including Galarian forms of Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos.

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Casey DeFreitas is an editor at IGN. Talk Pokémon with her on Twitter at @ShinyCaseyD.