Category: Games

Following the announcement in April that GameStop CEO George Sherman would be stepping down, the retailer has appointed a new head in former Amazon lead Matt Furlong.

Furlong joins GameStop after two years as a country leader for Amazon Australia, and a total of nearly eight years with Amazon in various leadership roles. Prior to that, he was an associate director with Procter and Gamble for 12 years.

GameStop has also tapped Mike Recupero as its new CFO following the resignation in February of Jim Bell. Recupero is also from Amazon, having worked there for 17 years in various positions in different regions and departments. Most recently, he was Amazon’s CFO of European consumer business.

Notably, Furlong is pointed out by GameStop’s press release to have experience in e-commerce, something it has been eagerly building up a strategy for in recent months in an effort to save its struggling brick and mortar business. The company’s shifting strategy was kickstarted in 2019 and 2020 by a group of dissatisfied activist shareholders, and has more recently been accelerated by former Chewy CEO and e-commerce enthusiast Ryan Cohen and a number of interconnected new appointments as GameStop’s leadership team undergoes a dramatic overhaul.

This news comes alongside GameStop’s reporting of its first-quarter financial results today, in which it saw net sales increase 25% to $1.3 billion, and an overall net loss of $66.8 million compared to a net loss of $165.7 million in Q1 of last year. GameStop will hold its quarterly earnings call later this afternoon, though it is unclear how much information will be provided during this given last quarter’s lack of a Q&A.

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Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Ewan McGregor considers himself “extraordinarily lucky” to have been able to act opposite the puppet version of Yoda used in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, before Yoda was replaced by CGI in the later sequels.

Yoda was famously a puppet character in the original three Star Wars movies and fans were happy to see Yoda return as a puppet in the first prequel. But Yoda in Episode 2 and 3 was a CGI character and this change made McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequels, feel lucky about his time on set of The Phantom Menace, according to IndieWire.

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“The first film I did, I was lucky to do my scenes with the Yoda puppet,” McGregor said in an interview with Pedro Pascal, who plays Din Djarin on Disney Plus’ The Mandalorian, in Variety’s Actors on Actors series. “And it was extraordinary, because I acted with him. I couldn’t believe I was acting with Yoda.”

The actor, who’s set to reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in a new Disney Plus series about the character, recalled just how many people were operating the alien jedi master puppet and how the stage was lifted up in such a way that McGregor could actually walk beside Yoda on set.

As much as he enjoyed working with a puppet version of Yoda, it led to many a “disturbing” take when filming the movie.

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“[E]very time George called cut, Yoda would die, because everyone just stops,” McGregor said. “It was sort of disturbing every time the end of the scene would come along. Then they replaced him for our second film and our third film with the digital version of him and it’s not nearly as endearing.”

McGregor remarked how he and and the world knew Yoda as a puppet because “we know him from the original movies as a puppet.” Then, when Yoda became a CGI character, it didn’t feel like Yoda anymore, McGregor said.

He told Pascal that “it was intereting that it went back to an actual puppet with your series,” which is a reference to Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, in The Mandalorian.

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On that same note, McGregor explained to Pascal that he’s having an “amazing time” filming the Obi-Wan Kenobi series due to how little they’re using green screens and blue screens, which is the opposite of the Star Wars sequel trilogy’s infamous use of such technology.

“I’m having such an amazing time down there with that incredible technology, and not being in front of too much green screen and blue screen,” McGregor said. “It’s like the beginning of Hollywood. It’s almost like when they had three-sided sets all in a row and a bunch of guys with windup cameras and you would just go from one stage to the other.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi started filming in April. An official release date for the series has not yet been announced. While waiting to learn more about the series, check out this story about how McGregor teased a new costume for Obi-Wan Kenobi and a “very special scene” and then read about how Hayden Christensen’s return could solve a major Darth Vader mystery.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Nintendo has emphasized how you can become a game developer with the help of the Game Builder Garage software on the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo shared another brief 30-second trailer ahead of launch about the easy-to-learn aesthetic of Game Builder Garage showing off some unique characters. This new game design and programming software will take you through visual, step-by-step interactive lessons while making it entertaining with the help of Nodon.

The Nodon are adorable characters introduced in Game Builder Garage that act as programming nodes. You can assign different attributes to various Nodon such as adding textures, buttons functions, effects, timers, and more. For example, there is an adjustable Object Nodon that wears a yellow construction hard hat which creates objects in the game you’re designing.

Eventually, players can make their own games using Free Programming. This allows players to customize their game with backgrounds, music, and even draw their own characters. It’s a playful yet educating concept similar to Nintendo Labo, Super Mario Maker, and even Lego Super Mario.

You won’t have to keep your creations to yourself; you can play or work on games with others, too.

Game Builder Garage launches on June 11 on the Nintendo Switch.

The arrival of the X-Men to the MCU has been a hot topic for many fans since Disney bought Fox Studios, acquiring the rights to the mutant characters after years of division between the two superhero franchises. And, while Marvel has confirmed that the X-Men are indeed on the live-action docket, plans and details have been kept strictly under wraps.

The currently running Marvel Comics event, the Hellfire Gala, which is running as a back-up story in 12 issues of various X-Men comics for the months of June and July, alludes to a MCU and mutant eventual crossover. One of the notable features of the Hellfire Gala story, outside of the fact that it is set to relaunch the X-Men comics and introduce a new X-Men team to publication, is the fact that it features real life celebrities drawn into the crowd scenes. Mostly, these celebrities don’t have any featured dialogue or scenes–people like George R.R. Martin, Conan O’Brien, and rapper Method Man can be seen dancing or chatting it up in the background, just as fun Easter Eggs for readers. Among these cameos, however, came a more notable one–MCU boss Kevin Feige was drawn into the Hellfire Gala portion of X-Men #21, released this week, and he actually gets some dialogue balloons of his own.

In a trip to the Gala’s ritzy bar, Feige happens to stop X-Men leader Cyclops for this exchange.

“It’s complicated,” is certainly putting it delicately.

While it’s unlikely that this is actually referencing or setting up anything legitimate for the MCU’s future with the X-Men, it does serve as a nice reminder that no, Marvel hasn’t forgotten which franchises they own now, and yes, plans are still in the works. Unfortunately, those plans probably don’t involve swanky, high fashion parties and literally having conversations with fictional characters, but it’s definitely fun to pretend.

Most recently, fans were worked into a frenzy at the cameo appearance of Evan Peters, reprising his role as Pietro (the Fox version) in MCU TV show WandaVision. However, by the season finale, it was revealed that Peters was not, in fact, bridging the gap between the MCU and Fox X-Men movies, but was instead a very drawn out dick joke–he was just a character named Ralph Bohner (yes, really) who had been magically brainwashed into believing he was Pietro.

X-Men #21 is on sale now.

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis, the expansion/overhaul for the MMO, is now available for free on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The new version will coexist with the base version, and while characters can be shared across both versions, each game will have its own individual progress.

New Genesis gives Phantasy Star Online 2 a graphical overhaul, in addition to introducing new environments and story content. Because New Genesis exists side-by-side with the base game, it exists as an update to the original game and not a standalone title. The Xbox version of the game now sits at about 80 GB, containing both versions of the MMO.

Phantasy Star Online 2 originally released in Japan in 2012, only making its way to the West in 2020 with an Xbox One and PC release. While the MMO is very popular, its age was visible, so the graphical overhaul came as welcome news. However, Sega didn’t didn’t want to undo everything players had done in the original version, which is why the two versions coexist.

The two versions are accessible from a single launcher, which means that anyone who wants to boot up the original version of PSO2 will need to progress through the first portion of the New Genesis story. It was said on the PSO2 forums that players will need to do the opening of the game and make it to the hub world before being able to access the original game.

If you played one of the older Battlefield games, chances are that you came across one of the handful of videos of a player jumping out of a fighter jet, blowing up an enemy plane with a rocket launcher, and then getting back into his original jet. This act, that’s been dubbed a RendeZook (for “rendezvous” and “bazooka”) has become one of the most well-known in Battlefield. In the announcement trailer for Battlefield 2042, developer DICE paid homage to it–and the creator of one of the original videos was extremely excited.

You can see the reference clip from the Battlefield 2042 trailer at around the 3:00 minute mark. User Schemov, who is still heavily involved in the Battlefield community, streamed out his response to the announcement trailer, not knowing ahead of time that it would incorporate a reference to the RendeZook. His reaction when seeing the clip is priceless, and you can watch it in the embed below.

This feat of quick-thinking and dexterity in Battlefield 3 became so well-known among players that it became a meme of sorts. As enshrined in Urban Dictionary, “rendezook” has become slang for pulling off a similar accomplishment in any game.

In addition to the trailer, DICE also revealed that Battlefield 2042 is coming on October 22 to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Although the game won’t have a single-player campaign, it’ll still incorporate significant story elements: it features a world stricken from climate disaster where independent soldiers have to align with either the United States or Russia in a global war. For more, check out our full coverage of DICE’s rundown on Battlefield 2042, and our breakdown video that goes over all of the details hidden in the announcement trailer. In addition, you can learn more about the Battlefield 2042 beta that’ll arrive in the near future.

The next evolution of GameSpot sister site Giant Bomb is coming soon, and it features some returning faces. A new lineup of shows is coming with content from GameSpot’s own Tamoor Hussain and Lucy James, as well as former GameSpot video producer Danny O’Dwyer and a few other viewer favorites.

Announced contributors to the new Giant Bomb content slate include:

• Tamoor Hussain
• Lucy James
• Danny O’Dwyer
• Jeff Grubb
• Dan Ryckert

Yes, Dan Ryckert is back on Giant Bomb! The former editor and Taco Bell nuptials-haver will be contributing to the site on new content, and there be even more announcements regarding more shows and contributors in the weeks and months ahead. Alongside Jeff, other Jeff, Jan, Jason, and Rorie, Giant Bomb is also looking for more full-time employees following the departure of longtime staffers Vinny Caravella, Alex Navarro, and Brad Shoemaker.

The contributor system is intended to give personalities an opportunity to make Giant Bomb content to fit their schedule, as Jeff Gerstmann explained in a new video. Those who are able to contribute regularly will have a chance to do so, while others may shoot several episodes of a show and then return months later for more.

And if you are a fan of classic Giant Bomb content, that is staying, as well. The Giant Bombcast will still air every Tuesday, and there will still be a live show on Fridays. If we’re lucky, maybe Dan Ryckert will play a Nintendo Switch while riding a roller coaster or something.

More news will be shared after E3, but Tamoor and Lucy will be joining Jeff Bakalar for a brand-new Giant Bomb show. Our powers only grow when we combine forces, and Tam had some thoughts on the exciting news:

“Giant Bomb has always been a place that attracts incredibly talented people to work on creative projects. In a rare exception, they’ve now asked Lucy and I to join them to work on a project that we hope is able to capture the hearts, minds, and wallets (please buy a premium subscription) of Giant Bomb fans old and new,” Tam said.

“Seriously though, we’re huge fans of Giant Bomb and we could not be more excited to now be involved in making content for the site. We’ve got a whole load of ideas and the first of them is going to be a lot of fun. The future of Giant Bomb is looking really exciting and dynamic, and we’re so proud to be a part of it.”

Amazon Prime Day is one of the biggest deals events of the year for Prime subscribers, and though the annual sale always brings hefty discounts on practically anything you’d want to buy, the company is also throwing free Amazon credit at shoppers to help sweeten the deals even further. There are two main ways to claim free Amazon credit ahead of Prime Day, each of which will get you $10 to spend during the sale (so $20 total)–and neither involves signing up for Amazon’s credit card. Let’s get into it: Here’s how you can claim free Amazon credit ahead of Prime Day 2021.

Shop small businesses on Amazon

Just like last year, Amazon is highlighting small businesses ahead of Prime Day and urging users to “shop local” (despite the fact that you’re still buying on Amazon and benefiting a massive corporation, of course). Between June 7 and June 20, when you spend at least $10 on products from small businesses on Amazon, you will receive $10 back. You’ll know you’ve qualified when you receive a confirmation email notifying you that credit has been added to your account. You can then spend that $10 credit on Prime Day from June 21 to 22. This deal is exclusive to Prime members.

The qualifying small business offers span several major categories, including electronics, pet supplies, home & kitchen, and even handmade items. You can also shop by region–so if you live in the Northeast United States and want to support “local” sellers, you can browse products specifically made in that region.

Install Amazon Assistant Chrome extension

The second main way to earn free Amazon credit for Prime Day is to install the Amazon Assistant Chrome extension and simply click on it five times before Prime Day. The catch is that you can only do this once a day for it to count, so you will need to click on the extension once a day for five days between now and June 21–that means you will have to start this process no later than June 17 to get the $10 credit in time for Prime Day. Once you’ve clicked the extension once a day on five separate days, you’ll receive the free $10 credit in your account. The extension displays your progress very clearly, showing how many days are left and how many check-ins you’ve done out of five.

The Amazon Assistant Chrome extension lets you compare prices with a 30-day price tracker tool, offers personal product recommendations, gives order updates, lets you easily compare items, and more. Of course, you can always just delete the extension after getting your free credit if you don’t find it useful. If the price tracker tool interests you the most, we recommend using CamelCamelCamel as it has longer-term tracking.

Take advantage of those two pre-Prime Day offers, and you’ll get $20 credit added to your account to spend during the big sale. For even more bonuses and savings, you can check out the exclusive deals and cash-back offers available to Amazon Prime credit card owners during Prime Day, including 10% back on LG and Sony TVs, and the best Prime Day deals available right now. Plus, you can get a Prime membership without paying a dime by signing up for a free 30-day trial–you’ll be able to take advantage of all the Prime Day deals and cancel the membership afterward if you want to (though there are plenty of perks for staying subscribed year-round). Check out more of our tips on how to get Amazon Prime for free and how to snag the best Prime Day deals. Plus, we’re tracking the best Prime Day tech deals, PS5 deals, Switch deals, TV deals, and more in our Prime Day 2021 hub.

WandaVision star Elizabeth Olsen has commented on the possibility of the MCU show getting a second season, and she is not hopeful. As part of Variety’s latest Actors on Actors episode, The Flight Attendant’s Kaley Cuoco and Olsen chatted about all manner of things, and WandaVision naturally came up in the discussion.

Cuoco asked Olsen if there will be a second season of WandaVision, to which Olsen replied, “No. No. It’s definitely a limited series.”

Cuoco pointed out that The Flight Attendant was originally billed as a limited series before it was picked up for a second season. Olsen responded that the door is always open with Marvel, but it remains to be seen if WandaVision will in fact return.

“I mean, I’m saying that. I don’t know. I mean, with Marvel, you can never say no,” she said.

Variety’s own transcript ends there, but Entertainment Weekly reports that Olsen went on to say she would be “shocked” if WandaVision came back for a second season. She also commented that she enjoys making TV, so it sounds like she’d be open to the idea, at least.

Even if WandaVision does not return for a second season, MCU fans are getting lots more TV content on Disney+. Loki starring Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson just premiered on June 9, and new episodes debut each Wednesday. Other upcoming MCU shows include What If, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, Secret Invasion, and I Am Groot.

Monark, a school-based RPG from former Shin Megami Tensei developers has been officially announced and is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.

As reported by Gematsu, the game, Monark, was formally revealed in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu, and is in development at Lancarse, with character design from so-bin and scenario design from SMT veteran Ryutaro Ito. It will launch on October 14 in Japan, but there has been no word just yet about a worldwide release or localization.

News of the project started to appear earlier this week, but there’s now a full-blown teaser website and a planned YouTube premiere of the game’s first trailer on June 10.

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According to Ryokutya2098‘s writeup, the game’s protagonist is the deputy head of “the True Student Council,” an organization set up to “solve the abnormal situations in the school”. The game has multiple endings, with different routes depending on which “buddy character” the protagonist picks.

There’s also a “madness” meter in the command-based battle system that you can increase “to use more powerful skills” and an “EGO system” that is related to the seven deadly sins, and will be based on the player’s choices, and their abilities to employ demon underlings.

According to an interview from the magazine, the developers were inspired by 1994’s Shin Megami Tensei If… and the fact that “nowadays there are no games like it”. The interviews also revealed there will be over 100 student stories in the games and “about 40 songs”.

In other Shin Megami Tensei news, the release date for Shin Megami Tensei V has seemingly leaked ahead of E3.

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