Valorant Developer Comments On Player Harassment

In a new developer blog post, the team behind Valorant at Riot has touched on the subject of player harassment, an issue rife in the gaming industry. Anna Donlon, the executive producer and leader of the Valorant development team, has written about how the developer will be approaching the issue.

“I’ll be super real here: harassment and bullying in games is not a status quo I’m comfortable accepting,” Donlon said. “I replied to a colleague’s tweet last month about my fears of solo-queuing, a problem I’ve had for many years of multiplayer gaming. And I’m not alone. We’ve learned to mute others who are harassing us. We’ve learned to mute ourselves in order to keep the peace. And as a result, we have a competitive experience that can feel compromised. We often find ourselves at a disadvantage,” she continued.

Quelling the issue of player harassment is not something Riot has been able to accomplish in the past, with their main game League Of Legends being infamous for its toxic player base. In the past, Riot has even had to ban professional players over their behavior in-game. The company itself is not much better, with various lawsuits directed at the company from ex-employees over their mistreatment while working at Riot.

Nevertheless, Donlon seems to understand the gravity of the situation and is ready to take the issue head on: “This is a very hard space to take on. I can’t solve society, and some of these issues are really, really deeply entrenched. But what I can say is that Riot takes this seriously—it’s why we established a dedicated ‘Central Player Dynamics’ team to tackle the science and research of what promotes fair teamplay (it’s not always punishments!) and it’s why we formed the Fair Play Alliance with our partners in the gaming space.”

To accomplish this task, the development team is looking to publish the code of conduct as soon as possible. The code of conduct will act as a baseline of expectations for the players, with the developers using it as a code of law to establish the community on.

Once the team has more to show on the matter they will release an update, but for the time being that’s all Donlon has to say on the topic.

Valorant is currently in closed beta and is slated for release in Summer 2020. For how to get a key to the closed beta, check out our guide.

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Rick And Morty–New Episode Clip Warns Against Staring Too Long At “Wet Eggs”

A clip for the next episode of Rick & Morty, Promortyus, has debuted on Twitter. As you might have gathered from the name, there are Alien references aplenty in this short clip, with face hugging aliens and references to “wet eggs” that will conjure up an immediate, specific mental image for fans of the cinematic franchise.

The clip is below, and it shows that the episode will feature our two heroes dealing with an alien society and a lot of weird gross goop–very much the show’s bread and butter at this point.

There are four episodes left in Rick & Morty’s split fourth season, and then at least 60 additional episodes will be released. There’s no word on when season 5 will launch, though.

Rick & Morty co-creator Justin Roiland has been very busy lately outside of his duties on this show, working on both the Quibi series Gloop World and the Hulu exclusive Solar Opposites. If you’re up to date with the show, here are 34 things you might have missed in the previous episode.

Footage Of A Cancelled Prince Of Persia Game Has Been Hiding On YouTube For Eight Years

Footage of a cancelled Prince of Persia game has come to light today, but it’s actually been available for years. A thread on forum ResetEra has surfaced the footage, and all indications are that it’s real. The footage shows a new character model for the titular prince, who seems to have a new set of time-manipulation powers that allow him to mess with enemies and change direction in the middle of a jump.

You can watch the full video, running just over three minutes, below. It seems that the prince is using the Dagger of Time, so it might have been a reboot of the Sands of Time series.

It looks pretty impressive–but it’s also worth remembering that Ubisoft is notorious for releasing early footage that looks better than the eventual release (in this case, of course, there’s no way of comparing).

Considering the timeline, the game was likely in the works for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC–and it looks like it would have had some giant boss fights. Prince of Persia Redemption was never actually announced, so it’s not clear why it was cancelled–although Ubisoft Montreal has been pretty busy with Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry for the past decade.

The last official Prince of Persia game was 2010’s Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, which went back to the Sands of Time timeline following 2008’s reboot, simply titled Prince of Persia.

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Fortnite’s Party Royale Premiere Will Feature Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, And More

Epic Games, the creator of the popular battle royale game Fortnite, has announced that Party Royale Premiere will go live on Friday, May 8 at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET on mobile devices, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The non-combative experience will feature live sets by Dillon Francis, Steve Aoki, and Deadmau5, as well as in-game events and free goodies just for logging in.

There is no RSVP necessary to join in Party Royale Premiere’s festivities. You just have to log into Fortnite on Friday to catch the show before it wraps up at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET. But if you happen to miss the live show, it will be rebroadcasted on Saturday, May 9 at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET on the in-game Main Stage.

Additionally, anyone who logs into Fortnite on any device between May 8 at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET and Monday, May 11 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET will receive the “music-reactive” Neon Wings Back Bling for free.

Now I can be the fairy I've always dreamt of.
Now I can be the fairy I’ve always dreamt of.

There are also some in-game activities to participate in. This includes aerial obstacle courses at Skydive Rift, boat races at Fishsticks’ Boat Race, and more. You can also grab the new Paint Launcher at The Plaza, as well as other items from various other locations in-game.

Party Royale was uncovered by prolific Fortnite dataminer Lucas7yoshi before Epic officially unveiled and launched the mode in a late April update. The mode removes all weapons from the game, providing a chill experience for players to get together with friends, check out in-game activities, “perfect their skydive,” and more.

Fortnite recently partnered with American psychedelic rapper Travis Scott for the Astronomical concert, a two-day event that saw more than 27.7 million unique players who participated 45.8 million times across the five showings. This was a record high for the battle royale title. Earlier this month, Epic held a Party Royale concert that featured music by Diplo and a purchasable Major Lazer skin pack. Overall, Fortnite has more than 350 million registered players to date.

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UK Theaters In Discussions For “End-June Reopening”

With theaters closed across the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, movie fans are having to enjoy their favorite past-time at home, using the wide variety of streaming services available. But for many audiences, the question remains about when they will be able to return to cinemas. It has now been reported that theater owners in UK are hoping that they might able to reopen by late June.

According to Screen Daily, conversations are underway between exhibitors and the UK government about how and when to safely reopen to the public. The site states that industry bodies the UK Cinema Association (UKCA) and Film Distributors’ Association (FDA) are developing proposals which will be presented to the authorities about the safest way to do this.

UKCA CEO Phil Clapp stated that while discussions were underway, it was ultimately a decision for the government. “We have been in discussion with government on the safeguards needed to protect audiences and staff,” he said. “We believe these could be in place in time for an end-June reopening. We are, though, aware that government will have a host of considerations when deciding on when to allow UK sites to reopen. We have no timeline on when that decision will be made.”

With all the of major movies due for a spring or early summer release postponed, the first major release will be Christopher Nolan’s thriller Tenet, which is currently schedule to arrive on July 17. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Tim Richards, CEO of European cinema chain Vue, stated that he was hoping that theaters could reopen in time for this movie.

“I can see us hitting the ground running sometime in July,” he said. “And with Christopher Nolan’s Tenet on July 17, we’re potentially looking at a major, major blockbuster film really kickstarting the business again.”

In related news, Disney CEO Bob Chapek admitted this week that the studio had no idea when it would be able to start production on the many Marvel movies that are set for release over the next couple of years. Only two upcoming MCU movies have wrapped production–Black Widow and The Eternals, which are set to be released in November 2020 and February 2021 respectively.

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Pokemon Go: Shiny Snubbull And Carvanha Events Announced

May is shaping up to be another busy month for Pokemon Go. In addition to the game’s limited-time Throwback Challenges, developer Niantic has announced two more events that will take place this month, both of which will give you a chance to catch more Shiny Pokemon.

First, Niantic will hold a Snubbull Limited Research event this Saturday, May 9, from 8 AM – 10 PM local time. Throughout the event, you’ll be able to complete special Timed Research tasks that lead to encounters with the Fairy Pokemon Snubbull, and you’ll also have a chance to catch its Shiny variant.

The following week, Niantic will host Pokemon Go’s second Incense Day. The event will take place on Sunday, May 17, from 11 AM – 5 PM local time. During that window, you’ll have a better chance of attracting Water- and Dark-type Pokemon with Incense. Carvanha in particular will appear more often throughout the event, and you’ll have a chance to encounter its Shiny version. You can read more about the events on the official Pokemon Go website.

As previously mentioned, Niantic is also offering special Throwback Challenges this month. There will be a new Throwback Challenge line every week, each revolving around a specific region from the Pokemon world.

Niantic is also bringing back a handful of Legendary Pokemon this month to celebrate the release of Remote Raid Passes. Altered Forme Giratina is currently available in Raids until May 12, at which point it will be replaced by Virizion. May’s Field Research tasks are also live. Each time you achieve a Research Breakthrough this month, you’ll earn an encounter with the Electric Pokemon Shinx.

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Watchmen Star Malin Akerman ‘Really Struggled’ as Silk Spectre

While landing a lead role in a blockbuster superhero movie can be a major boost to an up-and-coming actor’s career, it can also come with some serious downsides. Case in point – Watchmen star Malin Ackerman reveals she “felt way out of my league” with the ambitious superhero comic adaptation and struggled to take ownership of the Silk Spectre role.

Ackerman spoke candidly about her Watchmen performance during an appearance on Collider Ladies Night. At the time, Ackerman had just begin to break into mainstream Hollywood thanks to films like 27 Dresses and The Heartbreak Kid, and she admitted to feeling out of her depth and unprepared to take part in director Zack Snyder’s superhero epic.

Akerman as Silk Spectre in 2009's Watchmen.
Akerman as Silk Spectre in 2009’s Watchmen.

Ackerman told Collider, “I will say that Watchmen was a big shift because I felt way out of my league on that one. I really struggled because it was such a big film and I really felt like I had no idea what I was doing. I had no training and I was working with these fabulous theater actors who had all the training in the world. I definitely didn’t feel worthy of being there.”

Fortunately, Ackerman seems to have made peace with her experience on Watchmen, describing it as “a turning point” for her career and a valuable learning experience. “I look back on it now, I loved the experience as far as the people I got to work with and to have been a part of that beautiful production and I’m thankful that it woke me up a little bit to the importance of preparation, and just so that I can grow from that experience. I think any growth, then it’s been worth it.”

When asked whether she’d like a second chance at playing Silk Spectre, Ackerman said, “I would love to do it actually! It would feel like I’d get a second chance at it.”

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Unfortunately, a direct sequel to Snyder’s Watchmen seems unlikely at this point. HBO’s Watchmen series acted as its own continuation of the original Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons comic, with Jean Smart taking over the role of an older Laurie Blake. Watchmen wound up being IGN’s pick for the best TV series of 2019.

Unfortunately, Watchmen Season 2 is looking about as likely as Snyder’s Watchmen 2 at this point. Creator Damon Lindelof has said he doesn’t have any ideas in mind for a second season, and HBO recently rebranded Watchmen as a limited series.

However, the silver lining here is that the experience of making Watchmen has made Lindelof more amenable to the idea of working in the MCU.

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Do you want to see the cast of Snyder’s Watchmen movie reunite for a sequel? let us know in the comments below.

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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Heads Up: Oculus Quest Is In Stock Right Now

If you’re sick of normal reality, you can easily escape into virtual reality with the Oculus Quest, which is in stock right now (but only the 128GB version).

Oculus Quest In Stock

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The Oculus Quest 128GB is $499 and includes the headset, Touch controllers, power adapter, and a glasses spacer. If you’re unfamiliar with the Quest, it’s fully self-contained: it doesn’t require a PC or console to work. It’s all right there inside the headset.

It also has no wires and uses no sensors, so if you were so inclined, you could take it to the park and play Beat Saber in the great outdoors.

There’s also a (currently unavailable) link cable, so you can use it as a headset for your favorite VR games on PC, like Half-Life: Alyx for example. Once you’ve played through it, check out 6 other VR games you absolutely must-play.

Both the $399 64GB and $499 128GB Oculus Quest headsets were available yesterday, but the 64GB was snatched up quickly. If you want a Quest with larger storage capacity, I wouldn’t wait too long. They disappear for weeks at a time.

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Seth Macy is IGN’s tech and commerce editor and just wants to be your friend. Find him on Twitter @sethmacy.

Ricky Gervais’ Netflix Series Is Renewed, As He Signs Deal With The Streaming Service

Actor and comedian Ricky Gervais has signed a multi-year overall deal with Netflix, following in the footsteps of Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhimes, and others, who have also signed long-term deals.

In addition to this new deal, Gervais’ series After Life has been renewed for Season 3, according to Variety. This new deal will see the actor produce both stand-up comedy specials along with scripted series.

The series follows Tony, whose life drastically changes after his wife dies. He decides to “punish the world” for her death by doing whatever he wants. However, the people around him try time and time again to make him a better person.

While the series does deal with death and grieving, it connects with people as many people have had to deal with the passing of a loved one. “With other shows of mine, people come up to me on the street, and they usually say, ‘I love the show,'” Gervais told the New York Times. “But with this one–and this was before coronavirus–they come up to me and say, ‘I just want to say, I lost my sister three weeks ago.’ Or, ‘I lost my husband.’ No one said, ‘Oh, I had to turn it off because it was too upsetting,’ or, ‘It reminded me of something bad.’ You suddenly realize, of course–everyone’s grieving. And the older you get, the more you’ve got to grieve.”

Season 2 of After Life arrived on Netflix on April 24, and both seasons are available to watch now. As for Season 3, this is new territory for Gervais as his previous series (The Office UK, Derek, and Life’s Too Short) had never gone beyond the second season.

And speaking of things you should be watching, consider listening to GameSpot’s weekly TV series and movies-focused podcast, You Should Be Watching. With new episodes premiering every Wednesday, you can watch a video version of the podcast over on GameSpot Universe or listen to audio versions on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, and Apple Podcasts.

Now Playing: Best Shows And Movies To Stream For May 2020 – Netflix, Hulu, Shudder, Amazon Prime Video