As reported by Variety, Sony Pictures TV confirmed that Richards, who also serves as an executive producer on Jeopardy, would be stepping down from his role as co-host. The news of Richards’ departure came just one day after an investigation was called for by the Anti-Defamation League, following a report by The Ringer of offensive and sexist comments that Richards had made during his time on the Randumb Show podcast.
Speaking to Variety, Sony spoke about Richards’ decision to step down as a host on the show. The company said, “We were surprised this week to learn of Mike’s 2013/2014 podcast and the offensive language he used in the past. We have spoken with him about our concerns and our expectations moving forward.” The studio confirmed that they supported the former host’s decision to step down from the role before talking about their decision to keep him on as an executive producer on the show.
“Mike has been with us for the last two years and has led the ‘Jeopardy!’ team through the most challenging time the show has ever experienced. It is our hope that as EP he will continue to do so with professionalism and respect,” Sony said.
Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex. pic.twitter.com/Yk2a90CHIM
After the death of show host Alex Trebek in November 2020, Sony’s search for a long-term host on the show has been turbulent. The series has run with a number of guest stars over the past year the likes of which include Aaron Rodgers, Joe Buck, Mayim Bilak, and LeVar Burton.
Sony had finally announced last week that its solution in search of a new host would be to see Richards take up the mantle alongside co-host Mayim Bialik. The latter, known for her portrayal of Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, became the first woman to serve as a permanent host for the show after her appointment.
It is now likely that Sony will set out in search again to find a replacement for Richards and a new co-host for Bialik. Perhaps an obvious choice for the candidacy could be in Star Trek’s LeVar Burton, who guest-hosted the show after weeks of fan campaigning.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
If you want to start an exciting new career this year, consider AutoCAD programming. The coding behind the popular design software used by architects and engineers is essential to these industries, as well as many others the world over – and that means that the programming behind to build on and improve its plugins and applications is just as in-demand. In fact, CAD Programmers in the US can make a healthy $80k a year from the skill set.
It’s also a skill you don’t need to go to college to learn. Actually, with the advent of elearning, all you need is a high-quality course, and you can learn at your own pace from anywhere. One of the very best? The Learn AutoCAD Programming Certification Bundle, a complete bootcamp which we’ve found on sale today for just $29.99 – that’s a massive 98% off the regular price of $1600, for a very limited time only. Plus, with eight different courses included in this huge bundle, that works out to less than $4 a course. It doesn’t take much programming training to know that that is a winning calculation.
Over the course of 67 hours of practical training and intensive courses, you’ll learn everything you need to know about VBA, VB.NET, C#, AutoLISP, C#.NET programming, and more. By the end of it, you’ll be a certified AutoCAD programming wizard (that may not a technical job title, but it is true nonetheless).
Even if you’re a newcomer to these particular programming specialisms, courses like the 4.5/5 star AutoCAD VBA Programming – Beginner Course will set you up with a solid understanding of AutoCAD VBA concepts, so that by the end of the course, you’ll be able to develop you’re own small to medium complexity applications.
Your instructor for this bootcamp is Arnold Higuit, an accomplished Senior Software Developer, Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD), and a Microsoft Certified Applications Developer (MCAD) with extensive knowledge of different technology in a variety of industries – and who has an extremely high 4.4/5 instructor rating from his previous students.
Some apps make every day easier, some take your online experience to a new level – and some even change your life for good. If you’re ready to take your browsing experience – and career – up a gear, you need to see this bundle.
That’s because today, we’ve found The StackSkills, KeepSolid VPN Unlimited, & Sticky Password Lifetime Subscription Bundle of some of the very best services on the planet on sale for just $49.99. Not only is that a massive 97% discount off the regular price of $1893, but with three top-rated lifetime subscriptions included in this bundle, that works out to less than $17 per service. Now, just wait until you see what they do.
First, you’ll get a lifetime subscription to StackSkills Unlimited – one of the world’s leading online learning platforms, with thousands of beginner through to advanced courses available to learn at your own pace, from anywhere, on everything from blockchain to graphic design to iOS development and much more. Plus, at least 50 new courses are added every month, so whether you want to boost your resume, get an exciting new career, or start a lucrative side hustle, you’ll never have to pay for an online course again.
It’s no wonder the online learning hub has won an impressive 4.5/5 stars from users on Trustpilot and has been raved about in PC Mag, NBC News, and Engadget, to name a few.
Then, you’ll get a lifetime subscription to VPN Unlimited, allowing you to protect your private data from prying eyes, while enjoying totally unrestricted internet freedom, forever. That means bypassing region-blocked sites (ideal for streaming international TV and movies), as well as enjoying anonymous, safe browsing – even on public WiFi hotspots. Every internet user needs a solid VPN today and VPN Unlimited is one of the best in the business: that’s why it was named PC Mag’s Top VPN, Laptop Review Pro’s Best VPN for Laptop, and won the Editor’s Pick Award from Software Informer.
Finally, you’ll also get Sticky Password Premium for life – an award-winning password manager that will keep your accounts safe, while also meaning you don’t have to remember complicated passwords ever again. This smart tool creates strong, unique passwords, whenever you need them, on all of your devices – so all you ever need to remember is one master password for the manager. Its super strong features caused the tool to be named PCMag Editors’ Choice, with its critics writing, “Sticky Password Premium does everything you’d expect from a password manager and more. New biometric authentication and no‑cloud Wi‑Fi sync make it an even better choice.”
Cardy and Matt are joined by friend of the podcast, Gamespot’s Lucy James, to discuss how they’re all faring breaking out of the puzzling time loop that is 12 Minutes. But don’t worry, this episode is far longer than just shy of a quarter of an hour. There’s also chat about the newly-revealed Call of Duty: Vanguard, and Cardy’s been playing Ghost of Tsushima again to explore the new island added as part of the Director’s Cut. Plus we have a quick look at what’s going on in Marvel’s new animated series, What If…?
As ever, there’s also a fun little break for a round of the Endless Search, as well as your feedback (which, predictably, is entirely British Sitcom Smash themed.)
Want to submit your own Endless Search, BSS character idea, or a bit of other nonsense? Feel free to get in touch with the podcast at: [email protected].
Video production is one of the best skills you can have today. Brands across the world in every industry need more video than ever before, while producing video also gives you access to awesome job opportunities and extremely lucrative freelance work. It’s not going anywhere, either: according to recent research, 99% of people who use video for marketing say they’ll continue using video in 2021. Hey, even IGN is hiring video producers right now, if that sounds like fun to you.
The other cool thing about video, whether you want to start an exciting new career in media production, or edit for your own Youtube channel, is that you don’t need an expensive college degree to do it. What matters is that you have the practical skills – and you can learn all the techniques, tips, and tricks you need to become a professional producer with an at-home bootcamp, like The 2021 Complete Video Production Super Bundle. Even better, today we’ve found this top-rated training on sale for just $34.99 (regular price $2000). With ten different courses included in this mega training bundle, that works out to less than $3.50 a course.
Over more than 44 hours of training, the courses in this bundle will set you up with the working skills you need in videography, cinematography, screenwriting, and more.
Even if you’re new to video, courses like the 4.5/5 rated The Complete Video Production Bootcamp are the perfect way to start, showing you how to make professional videos on any budget – whether you’re an aspiring Youtuber, filmmaker, or business owner.
What makes the courses in this bundle really special is that they are all taught by industry experts, like top-rated instructor and accomplished filmmaker, Phil Ebiner, who has shot and edited thousands of videos for TV, film festivals, and Youtube, and has earned an extremely high 4.6/5 instructor rating from his previous students, and the 4.1/5 rated Jonathan Levi, a full-time videographer and master of stunning aerial shots, who will teach you his specialist techniques for filming with drones in this bootcamp.
One of the many awesome things about working in tech is that there are tons of interesting (and high-paying) jobs you can do in the industry which don’t require an expensive college diploma. Instead, what really matters is that you have the skills to do the work. And, if you’re looking for an area of those in-demand skillsets to learn, product design might just be the perfect one for you: Especially since the average annual salary for a Product Designer in the US is over $110k.
So, where do you start learning those tech skills, without college? The answer is with a top-rated course of eBooks, which you can learn from at your own pace, and from anywhere. Even better, right now this Fundamentals of Product Design eBook Bundle by O’Reilly is on sale for just $19.99 – that’s an 88% discount off the regular price of $178. With five different eBooks included in this mega bundle, that works out to less than $4 a book.
This bundle of highly-rated ebooks will teach you all the basics you need to know to design and create successful products, including lessons on improving user experience, UX research, design fundamentals, and more.
For example, you’ll become a design decision-making pro with the 4.2/5 Amazon-rated book Designing with Data: Improving the User Experience with A/B Testing, which will show you how to create data-driven testing that will help you make successful decisions on everything from small site edits to large-scale UX concepts.
Then, in UX Research: Practical Techniques for Designing Better Products, which has an impressive 4.7/5 stars on Amazon from previous readers, you’ll learn all you need to know when it comes to common languages and tools which will help you carry out UX research in the most productive way possible.
A double XP and double weapon XP weekend is now live in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone in celebration of the launch of Season 5 in both games, which went live last week.
The double XP weekend is live now and runs until Monday, August 23 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Season 5 of Black Ops Cold War included a brand-new mode, Double Agent. This mode is an Among Us-style mode, where Double Agents are tasked with sabotaging a match, by either eliminating all other players or setting off dirty bombs located around the map.
Activision also said that all purchases made in Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War, and Vanguard will work in Warzone, even after the new map launches. All of these announcements came amidst Activision Blizzard being sued by the state of California for discrimination.
Marvel’s upcoming Armor Wars series has landed comedian Yassir Lester as head writer, which was reported by Deadline. Lester has writing credits for Adult Swim’s animated Black Dynamite series, Duncanville as well as acting credits on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Black-Ish.
Armor Wars was initially announced during an investor’s presentation in December 2020. The limited series will star Don Cheadle, who will reprise his role as James Rhodes, also known as Warmachine, in a plot where Tony Stark’s technology falls into the wrong hands. Despite Armor Wars having yet to find its director, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige will continue to be the producer of the series which is reportedly still in early stages of development.
Lester and Cheadle are not strangers. Armor Wars will be the second time the pair have worked together following their previous work on the Showtime series Black Monday.
Although Lester’s background is primarily in comedy writing, his pitch for Armor Wars excited both Cheadle and Marvel execs about the direction Lester would take the show, according to Deadline.
Armor Wars is yet another Marvel Disney+ live-action show, alongside current hits like Wandavision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki, and upcoming projects like Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel.
Ghost of Tsushima‘s Iki Island expansion introduces a new side-activity called Deer Sanctuaries, which are centered around playing a flute mini-game to charm local deer and create an animal safe haven. Below, we’ve compiled a guide detailing where to find them all.
Completing one Deer Sanctuary earns you the Charm of Sugaru’s Sight. This ranged charm allows you to shoot up to three arrows at once with your bows–so long as you’ve got enough ammo, of course. It also gives you the ability to lock onto multiple foes. The more Deer Sanctuaries you unlock, the faster the charm’s lock-on capability gets.
For more about Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island expansion, be sure to read our full review. Otherwise, be sure to check out our other Iki Island guides and our guides for the base game.
South Of Sly Hunter’s Forest
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This one is likely to be the first Deer Sanctuary you’ll find on Iki Island. It’s not far off from where you start the expansion, with it being located directly south of Sly Hunter’s Forest in a beautiful little grove filled with blue flowers.
South Of Zasho River
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This Deer Sanctuary is directly south of Zasho River, smack dab in the middle of a Mongol camp. It only opens up after you liberate the camp of its Mongol presence. Once that’s done, you’ll be able to make the Zasho River Crossing a true sanctuary for its local deer population.
Old Gambler’s Wood Cliffside
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You’ll find this Deer Sanctuary at the Old Gambler’s Wood on the western side of Iki Island. It’s on a cliffside overlooking the Shattered Cliffs.
Pokemon Unite is a new, fast-paced MOBA that’s just landed on Nintendo Switch, giving Pokemon fans another strong game to check out on the popular platform. For those new to the Pokemon franchise, or anyone looking for more monster-battling and monster-catching action, there are plenty of great Pokemon games on Nintendo Switch spanning multiple genres. From free-to-play spin-offs through to full RPG adventures, Switch owners are spoilt for choice when it comes to the widely-adored franchise.
To help you find your next adventure with Pikachu and the gang, we’ve listed every Pokemon game on Nintendo Switch available right now. This list will only grow in the coming months, with Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl coming later this year and open-world adventure Pokemon Legends: Arceus launching in January, both of which will release on Nintendo Switch.
If you’ve ever wanted to try a MOBA but found the likes of League of Legends or Dota 2 too tricky to get into, Pokemon Unite on Nintendo Switch is a great starting point. Unite is set on Aeos Island, where Pokemon participate in competitive matches where two teams of five face off to score the most points by slam-dunking accumulated Aeos energy into the opposing team’s zones. In swift 10-minute matches, you select from a roster of Pokemon–including fan-favorites like Pikachu and Charmander–battling wild Pokemon and opposition players in an arm-wrestle for territory dominance. Although Pokemon Unite includes series staples such as leveling up and evolving, matchups between Pokemon types go out the window; the focus is instead placed on real-time skill attack execution. With new content already on the way, plus a mobile version including cross-platform play, we’re expecting Pokemon Unite to grow even bigger.
Another free-to-play spin-off for the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, Pokemon Quest transforms the original 151 Pokemon from the Kanto region into adorable cube-shaped versions of the characters, befitting the setting of Tumblecube Island. An action-adventure game that plays out in real-time, Pokemon Quest tasks you with going on expeditions to find loot, upgrade your camp, and befriend other blocky Pokemon. It’s up to you to choose a party of Pokemon to venture forth, after which they move automatically, leaving you to time attacks strategically to defeat opponents encountered along the way. There’s also a bit of strategy involved, too; Pokemon learn new moves through gaining experience and equipping Power Stones, augmenting their stats to suit different playstyles. Also, Pokemon Quest has a wonderful method of recruiting new Pokemon friends: you cook dishes for them on the campfire using ingredients found on expeditions. It’s an extremely cute game to play alongside the main Pokemon RPGs.
Pokemon Cafe Mix
Pokemon Cafe Mix
Pokemon Cafe Mix is another in a long list of adorable free-to-play spin-off games on the Nintendo Switch. As the owner of a cafe, you recruit Pokemon to serve as staff while cooking all sorts of Poke-themed culinary delights, created by solving puzzles. Everything about Pokemon Cafe Mix is wonderfully endearing, especially your cute Pokemon companions who wear matching cafe outfits highlighted by a gorgeous hand-drawn art style. Lucario wearing a little cafe apron is quite the sight! Even Pokemon Cafe Mix’s puzzles mimic the act of stirring a drink, requiring you to swirl a circle of matching Pokemon icons around the ingredients to complete the order. Different Pokemon have unique abilities to help solve puzzles, making team composition just as important as your puzzle-solving skills. Pokemon Cafe Mix is a pleasant puzzler to visit when it’s time to chill out.
Pokemon Sword and Shield
Pokemon Sword and Shield
The first mainline Pokemon RPG on the Nintendo Switch, Pokemon Sword and Shield impressed us with various new features to the series, including the Wild Area, adding open-world exploration elements to the Pokemon formula. Co-op raid battles, Dynamax transformations, and the ability to make delicious curries round out the other major additions Pokemon Sword and Shield introduced. Additionally, Pokemon Sword and Shield mark the first games in the main RPG series to receive expansion passes, containing substantial DLC add-ons in the form of The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra. Make sure to download Pokemon Home as well so you can import your Pokemon Go collection, too. With so many Pokemon to catch and beautiful places to explore, Pokemon Sword and Shield are among the best in the series.
More than 20 years passed between the original Pokemon Snap on Nintendo 64 and its Nintendo Switch follow-up, New Pokemon Snap. It was absolutely worth the wait. Based on the same premise as its predecessor, New Pokemon Snap places you in the role of a photographer snapping pictures of Pokemon in their natural habitat for research purposes. It’s essentially a non-violent, wholesome first-person shooter on rails with plenty of cute critters to enjoy. In addition to many photogenic subjects, New Pokemon Snap weaves in several mystery elements that provide ways of discovering Pokemon engaging in unexpected behavior. In a world full of combat-centric games, it’s refreshing to relax and enjoy the positive vibes of New Pokemon Snap while taking copious amounts of Instagram-worthy photos.
A blend of conventional RPG and Pokemon Go gameplay, Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu and Let’s Go, Eevee on the Nintendo Switch introduced a new generation of Pokemon trainers to the Kanto region, with stylish reimagining of the original Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow Game Boy games. Instead of randomly encountering Pokemon in tall grass, you can see potential companions wandering around in the wild, making it easier to complete your Pokedex. Another significant change to the series’ norm is the focus on (sometimes unwieldy) motion controls for catching Pokemon. You can either emulate the act of throwing a Poke Ball using a Joy-Con or tilt the Nintendo Switch in handheld to aim your throw, using the same circle timing system seen in Pokemon Go. Above all else, Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu and Let’s Go, Eevee are a lovely way to experience Kanto, where it all began.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX–a Nintendo Switch remake of Blue Rescue Team on Nintendo DS and Red Rescue Team on Game Boy Advance–poses the question: What would you do if you woke up one morning as a Pokemon? This dungeon-crawling RPG assigns you a Pokemon based on the results of a cute personality test, and after waking up in the Pokemon world, you soon meet up with other Pokemon to form a rescue team, going on missions and helping those in need. As you’ve been unknowingly transformed into a Pokemon, you can now understand and converse with your kind beyond the standard repetition of Pokemon names humans hear. Rescue Team DX also has a great story at its core as you slowly unravel the mystery of why you became a Pokemon in the first place. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX gives the original games one heck of a glow-up with a vivid new painterly style that pops beautifully. A heartwarming story and new coat of paint make Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX a worthy entry for Pokemon fanatics.
Pokken Tournament was something of a revelation upon its initial Wii U and arcade release, a fighting game where you have full control of a Pokemon’s movement and attacks in real time. Pokken Tournament DX is a Nintendo Switch upgrade of the original, complete with a padded-out roster of Pokemon to duke it out with. From the fighting game experts at Bandai Namco–known for working on the Tekken series–Pokken Tournament DX is a strong fighter in its own right. Its fighting mechanics are deep, and powerful attacks pack a mighty impact with spectacular visuals reminiscent of the classic Pokemon Stadium games. Pokken Tournament is for anyone who’s ever wanted an unprecedented level of control over their characters as well as fighting game aficionados.
