Category: Games

Disney announced it will push back its upcoming Star Wars and Avatar films by a year after rescheduling its film release calendar.

According to Variety, a new Star Wars movie will now debut around the holidays every other year starting in 2023. The new trio will begin with the first new Star Wars movie on December 22, 2023, while the second and third will follow on December 19, 2025, and December 17, 2027, respectively.

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Meanwhile, a new Avatar movie will be released every other year. So Avatar 2 will now be released on December 16, 2022, Avatar 3 will be released on December 20, 2024, Avatar 4 on December 18, 2026, and Avatar 5 on December 22, 2028.

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Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Don’t expect cars to be added to Fortnite Battle Royale just yet. On Twitter, Epic announced that it would take a few more weeks to get cars added into the game, in a very tongue-in-cheek manner, saying the vehicles needed an inspection.

The new vehicles were featured in the trailer for Chapter 2 Season 3 at the start of the season, but they have yet to be added. According to a tease on Epic’s official website that roadways would become available as the water level receded throughout the season, making drivable vehicles available later.

There are other drivable vehicles in the game already, like helicopters and boats, but the trailer specifically teased drivable trucks and cars, which have not been in the game previously. Other vehicles, like hamster balls and golf carts, have been in the game previously, but have since been removed.

Players have found files in the game for four types of cars, small cars, medium cars, large cars, and trucks.

One of the leaked Week 6 challenges for Fortnite Season 3 was to gas up a vehicle at Catty Corner, which implied that vehicles would be available in the game this week. Fortnite’s Update 13.30 went live recently, which updated gas stations in Salty Springs and Pleasant Park.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to shake up theater releases, AT&T CEO John Stankey said he’d be very surprised if Tenet or Wonder Woman 1984 premiered on streaming services or as video on demand.

Stankey spoke to these two Warner Bros. movies — AT&T is the parent company of Warner Bros. — in a recent earnings call and reiterated the importance of theatrical releases for tentpole movies like Tenet and Wonder Woman 1984. He didn’t rule out subscription and VOD integration into the company’s future schedule though.

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“Do I think that there could be some things that we had originally chartered and built for theatrical release that maybe migrate into a (subscription and video on demand) construct?” Stankey asked during the earnings call, according to The Wrap. “Sure I think that could occur. Is it going to happen on a movie like Tenet or something like Wonder Woman 1984? I’d be very surprised if that would be the case.”

Stankey took it a step further and said he can “assure you on Tenet that’s not going to be the case.” He said that the theatrical release will always have an important role moving forward for Warner Bros. There is content that is more enjoyable and better to see in theaters than in a living room, Stankey added.

Stankey continued and said that content on the margins might be looked at as better to distribute in “another construct,” likely alluding to VOD. Universal Pictures’ Trolls World Tour took a theatrical detour down that route and it was a huge success.

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Tenet was delayed to August last month before it was announced this week that it has been indefinitely delayed. This news comes after reports that Tenet director Christopher Nolan pushed for a July release date, despite Warner Bros. market judgement.

On the DC side of Warner Bros. movies, Wonder Woman 1984 is currently looking at an October 2, 2020, release date, although considering the movie has been delayed four times already, who really knows when this movie will hit theaters.

In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins to put her future plans for additional movies on pause. As we patiently await the movie’s theatrical release, read about Kristen Wiig’s Cheetah character from the movie and then check out how Hero Within is making some Wonder Woman 1984-inspired clothing pieces available for everyone at home. Here are some ways to help, and stay safe, during the Coronavirus pandemic.

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

In the wake of a mass outing of predatory behavior in the Smash Bros. community, former Smash Bros. pro and streamer Gonzalo “ZeRo” Barrios has been banned from Twitch for a currently unknown period. This ban follows his dismissal from both Facebook Gaming and Tempo Storm after he admitted to sending sexually explicit messages to minors, despite having discovered the age of one of the women he was speaking to. Further allegations of him behaving inappropriately with the women around him in the Smash Community have also come to light since.

Despite having not streamed on Twitch since 2019, ZeRo was kicked in the most recent round of suspensions. It also appears that he is no longer a partner, according to CommanderRoot, another Twitch partner.

Twitch bans are often somewhat volatile, with offenders like Guy Beahm (aka Dr Disrespect) being allowed to return despite breaking the community guidelines by streaming from a bathroom at E3, an act that was also potentially unlawful. Even US President Donald Trump has faced a temporary ban from streaming on Twitch. It seems that these days may be coming to an end though, as we’ve seen Twitch begin to ban some of the more infamous channels on its platform, including Dr Disrespect once again, this time with no explicit timeframe.

So far, it appears that ZeRo is receiving the same treatment, with his ban duration still currently sitting as a question mark. After additional allegations came to light, the streamer deleted his tweets and has left social media, which means we may not be getting insights from him any time soon.

The next game from Dontnod, Tell Me Why, features a transgender protagonist in an indigenous community. That has raised questions about how they will be depicted, both in terms of representation and sensitivity. So the developer took an unconventional approach, releasing a FAQ addressing possible concerns complete with detailed spoilers where applicable.

Most of the questions relate to Tyler, who is transgender. The questions address topics like whether anyone calls him by his deadname, to whether his mother was transphobic, to if he faces any direct transphobia. One question even addresses whether he can have a “bad” ending due to the branching paths. Another answers whether his transition is a result of the childhood trauma depicted in the trailers.

“No,” the FAQ states. “The idea that being transgender is caused by trauma is a stereotype that has no basis in fact, and it plays no role in Tyler’s story.”

A few questions similarly touch on Michael, a queer character. On the whole the answers are very direct and portray the game as largely optimistic, with spoilers explained for any possible triggers.

The FAQ also addresses the way that indigenous cultures will be depicted. It says that Tlingit culture is a key aspect of the game’s story, so it partnered with the Huna Heritage Foundation on aspects like the story, scenery, language and pronunciation, funerary rites, and Tlingit objects like murals.

Tell Me Why was just given a new look during the Xbox Series X event. All three episodes are coming on August 27.

If you’re looking for something to play on Nintendo Switch this weekend, there are plenty of deals on the Eshop right now. You can save up to 50% off on a host of Square Enix RPGs, including Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster, Collection of Mana, and Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition HD. Several Spike Chunsoft games are also on sale, including the excellent AI: The Somnium Files.

More Switch deals at Amazon

Square Enix’s deals run until August 2, so you have about a week to scoop up any of the nostalgia-fueled RPGs in the sale. All of the Final Fantasy games featured in the sale are 50% off, including Final Fantasy VII, VIII Remastered, IX, and Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. You can also nab Collection of Mana for $20 and Trials of Mana, which released earlier this year, for $40. That’s a modest discount, but it’s hovered around full price since launching in April.

The Spike Chunsoft sale runs through July 30, with AI: The Somnium Files being the standout game, and it’s discounted to just $30. You play as a detective in Tokyo who has the power to infiltrate the minds of killers to gather information. The story has branching paths and multiple endings, making it great to play more than once. For something entirely different from the same publisher, you can grab the cute tower defense game PixelJunk: Monsters 2 for only $3.

These new deals join a wealth of ongoing publisher sales on the Eshop. You can still save on Capcom games like Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate and Resident Evil 4 until July 30. Activision Blizzard games, including Diablo 3: Eternal Collection and Overwatch: Legendary edition, are on sale through July 31. For those looking for some family-friendly fun, Team17’s sale includes Overcooked 2, while WB Games has a bunch of Lego games discounted for the next few days.

Best deals at Nintendo Switch Eshop