Author: Trafficblast

Disney has announced plans to reboot the Home Alone and Night at the Museum movie franchises–but a lot of the specifics are unknown at this stage. During an earnings call today, CEO Bob Iger confirmed that Disney will reboot Home Alone, Night at the Museum, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid for the new streaming service Disney+.

These are all 20th Century Fox franchises that became Disney franchises when Disney bought the majority of Fox’s entertainment assets for a staggering $71.3 billion.

“We’re also focused on leveraging Fox’s vast library of great titles to further enrich the content mix on our [direct to consumer] platforms,” Iger said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Iger did not say if these will be movies or TV shows. The Night at the Museum series is the biggest of the bunch, bringing in $540 million in the US alone across multiple entries. The Home Alone series follows with $490 million in domestic box office receipts.

Before Disney bought Fox, it was reported that Ryan Reynolds was making an R-rated version of Home Alone called Stoned Alone for Fox. In this movie, Reynolds misses his flight and then goes home and gets baked.

He becomes paranoid when he hears someone breaking into his house. Someone actually is, and then Reynolds must defend his home while stoned. It sounds wonderful, but it’s unknown if the project is still in motion now that Disney–a family friendly company–owns Fox.

Disney+ launches in November, priced at $7 USD per month. Disney also today announced a value option that bundles Disney+ with ESPN+ and Hulu for $13/month USD.

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During a call with media and Disney investors to report on third-quarter earnings, CEO Bob Iger dropped some new information regarding the bundling and pricing of the upcoming Disney+ streaming platform. The service, set to go live on November 12, will be made available as a package deal for those who choose to go that route, for $12.99 a month. The bundle will include Disney+, ESPN+, and the ad-supported version of Hulu.

Those who would rather keep their stream service subscriptions un-bundled will pay $6.99 a month for Disney+ alone.

Iger also mentioned that members of the Disney fan club, D23, will be offered the opportunity to subscribe to the Disney+ services first–a promotion that will likely be elaborated on at this month’s upcoming D23 Expo in Anaheim, California.

In addition to the bundle pricing, Iger spoke to the potential of new Disney+ projects, citing “reimaginings” of films like Home Alone, Night At The Museum, Diary Of A Whimpy Kid, and Cheaper By The Dozen as potentially on the docket for Disney+ down the line–though it is currently unclear just what was meant by “reimaginings.”

Are we on the precipice of a Disney+ specific Home Alone cinematic universe? Only time will tell.

Following its acquisition by Epic Games in May 2019, Rocket League developer Psyonix has starry plans for its vehicular soccer game. One of these plans includes the complete removal of “all paid, randomized crates” from the game later this year.

Pysonix confirmed in a brief blog post that the current paid, randomized loot boxes will be replaced by a new system that “shows the exact items you’re buying in advance.” The developer cited Fortnite‘s changes to V-Buck Llamas, which now display the contents before you buy them, as a point of reference. Pysonix said this decision reflects its “dedicat[ion] to creating the best possible experience for our players all over the world.”

There’s no confirmation as to when this new system will be implemented. Pysonix said that the new system will come “later this year” and that information about it will be shared “in the coming months.” Though paid, randomized crates will no longer be offered in Rocket League, Psyonix made it clear that Rocket Pass Premium, DLC Cars, and Esports Shop items will still be offered for direct purchase alongside the new system.

Loot boxes, much like crunch, are a hot-button topic in the games industry–particularly among elected officials. In April 2019, Pysonix axed loot boxes in two European countries because of “government regulations.” This follows a string of other games scrapping loot boxes, including Overwatch and Star Wars Battlefront II. Earlier this year, EA removed FIFA Points from FIFA in accordance with new laws in certain countries where the game thrives.

If you have a Nintendo Switch, chances are you have the standard, grey dock that came with the console (unless you sprung for special editions like the Pikachu and Eevee console or the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate one). I had accepted my plain, boring dock as a fact of life–until I spotted these PDP Switch dock shields that light up with Pikachu, Mario, or Legend of Zelda-inspired designs. They’re currently on sale for $15 and normally sell for $20, which is a great price considering these things are stunning.

Legend of Zelda / Super Mario Odyssey Light-Up Dock Shield

$15 ($20)

See it at Amazon

There are two different dock shields available. One dock shield is Pokemon-themed, with a lightning-charged Pikachu on one side and a Poke Ball design on the other. The other dock shield is a Legend of Zelda / Super Mario Odyssey combo design–one side has a Sheikah crest pattern, and on the other side, you’ll find a Mario Odyssey theme. Both dock shields have 17 different colors and light effects, such as Flash Mode, Strobe Mode, and Smooth Mode. The product itself comes with an electronic base (that holds and connects to the dock via USB) and two acrylic panels that display the artwork.

Pokemon Light-Up Dock Shield

$15 ($20)

See it at Amazon

Amazon’s product pictures (shown above) don’t really do it justice, so when you look at the listing, I recommend scrolling down to check out the photos customers have posted of the dock in action. The LED lights are vibrant and glow beautifully in a darkened room. There’s also a color cycle mode where you can customize the light effects to your preference, as well as a plain “on” mode. You can also just leave the lights off and enjoy the design itself (but at that point, you might as well just get a simple dock cover that doesn’t light up).

With 4.7 out of 5 stars and over 300 reviews, it’s clear this is one accessory Switch owners have put their stamp of approval on, and you’re getting a great deal at $15. Check out the dock shields at Amazon if you’re interested, and see some fan photos we spotted on Twitter below.