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Sony confirmed that the biggest PlayStation 4 exclusives will still be coming to the current-generation console, but didn’t specifically rule out them appearing on PlayStation 5.
During a Sony Investor Relations Day 2019 presentation, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment Jim Ryan spoke over a slide including key art for The Last of Us Part II, Death Stranding and Ghost of Tsushima that focused on the critical role of PS4 over the next few years.
It’s almost June, and that means a wave of new content is coming to Netflix in the upcoming month. From movies that hit theaters earlier in the year to brand-new Netflix originals, there is plenty of content coming to the service next month.
The final season of any Netflix/Marvel joint venture hits the streaming service in the upcoming month. Season 3 of Jessica Jones is set to debut on Netflix sometime in June. However, no specific release date has been announced. There will be no more Marvel TV series on Netflix, as Marvel is moving its properties to the new streaming service, Disney+ later this year.
The most-anticipated release this month is Season 5 of Black Mirror on June 5. The last release of the series, a choose your own adventure-style episode called Bandersnatch, actually delayed Season 5 of the hit show. This season will only contain three episodes,–Striking Vipers, Smithereens, and Rachel, Jack And Ashley, Too–but it’s looking like it will be an exciting one–also, super-depressing.
As usual, there are plenty of movies coming to the service in June, including Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, which arrive on June 1. And while Disney is pulling its content this fall, there are still a few things coming, like on June 15 when Ralph Breaks the Internet arrives.
But Netflix is also giving content the boot in June, so you have a limited amount of time to watch some movies. On June 1, Stargate, Doom, and the Kill Bill movies exit Netflix, so watch them before they leave. On June 5, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 leaves, so it’ll be your last chance to check that one out as well.
Below, you’ll find the full list of everything coming and going from Netflix in June. For more on streaming services, check out the June releases list for Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.
It’s more than two years since Netflix first announced development of a new show based on the classic ’80s fantasy movie The Dark Crystal, and we finally know when it will be with us. The streaming giant has confirmed that Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will hit the service on August 30, and a new batch of images has been released.
The images will be instantly recognisable to anyone who has seen the 1982 film, which was written and co-directed by Muppets creator Jim Henson. Director Louis Leterrier told Entertainment Weekly that he was determined to use puppetry to create and animate the characters, rather than the CG you might expect in 2019. The results look very impressive–check them out below.
Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will run for 10 episodes. It has a hugely impressive voicecast, which includes Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Jo, Nathalie Emmanuel, Mark Hamill, Jason Isaacs, Keegan-Michael Key, Simon Pegg, Andy Samberg, Helena Bonham Carter, Natalie Dormer, Eddie Izzard, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mark Strong, and Alicia Vikander.
The official synopsis for the show reads: “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance returns to the world of Thra with an all new adventure: When three Gelfling discover the secret behind the Skeksis’ power, they embark on a journey to ignite the fires of rebellion and save the entire world.”
The original movie was released in December 1982. It was only moderately successful at the time, but was praised by critics and has gone on to gain a cult following. For more on 2019’s big upcoming TV shows, check out GameSpot’s guide to the biggest TV shows to watch in 2019.
Death metal anime Aggretsuko has had a full year to rest its vocal cords and seems to be ready to make a return. According to Netflix, the series’ second season launches on the streaming platform on June 14, which is the day after E3 2019–the perfect way to unwind from all the excitement of the show.
The news comes via a Twitter exchange between Japanese design company Sanrio (most known for Hello Kitty) and Aggretsuko. The back-and-forth banter concludes with Netflix’s NX Twitter account providing the release date announcement and a couple of screens from the new season.
You can check out a teaser, which was released in June 2018, below.
Aggretsuko follows Retsuko, a 25-year-old anthropomorphic red panda who’s stuck working at an accounting firm. The company is her dream, but the work and coworkers are her nightmares. In order to maintain some semblance of sanity, Retsuko goes to a karaoke bar in which all she sings–ahem, screams–is death metal.
In a feature article, our reviews editor Kallie Plagge called Aggretsuko one of the best anime’s of last year, saying, “It offers lessons in coping for when you feel powerless against everything wrong in your life.”
Fallout 76‘s latest patch, Wild Appalachia, is finally out for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The patch, approximately 5.5GB on console and a little under 9GB on PC, adds a new Project Paradise event, addresses various bugs regarding C.A.M.P. and challenges, and improves game performance.
The headlining feature of the patch is the introduction of the Project Paradise event. Players will team up with Arktos Pharma to explore labs underneath the building. Traveling to the labs and participating in experiments will result in new loot and experience. But be warned: enemies encountered will be level 50+, so players are encouraged to explore above ground before going below.
Elsewhere, the Wild Appalachia patch addresses a number of bug fixes and performance issues with regards to C.A.M.P., challenges, items, and quests. Two big fixes center around infinite loading after accessing Player Vending Machines and frequent PC crashes. This patch should eliminate both occurrences, effectively stabilizing gameplay.
Fallout 76’s last patch, Ever Upwards, landed earlier this month. The patch let players carry more out into the world with the introduction of backpacks and allowed those brave enough to join the Pioneer Scouts. You can check out the full patch notes for Wild Appalachia below.
C.A.M.P., Crafting, and Workshops
Challenges
Items
Performance and Stability
Quests and Events
We aren’t getting another Until Dawn, but developer Supermassive Games’ next horror title, The Dark Pictures – Man of Medan, has received an official release date. The supernatural horror story will land on August 30 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
The Dark Pictures is an anthology series first unveiled at Gamescom 2018. Man of Medan stands as the anthology’s first entry. Pre-orders are now available and doing so secures the Curator’s Cut, which opens up new options including alternative paths, a new perspective from unlocked characters, new choices within each scene, and new scenes and secrets. Accessing the additional content requires a full, completed playthrough.
Those who would rather wait won’t miss out on the content featured in the Curator’s Cut, as publisher Bandai Namco has confirmed that it will all be made available to everyone who owns the game at a later, unspecified date. Check out 10 minutes of gameplay below.
Though Until Dawn was well-received by critics, the Supermassive decided to forgo a sequel to pursue new stories. According to Supermassive CEO and executive producer Pete Samuels, “A lot of [creating the anthology] is about our desire to serve that [Until Dawn] fanbase from our perspective and to serve us ourselves in what we love to do, which is do more stories and characters, and do it more frequently than one or two every few years.”
Game director Tom Heaton echoed the sentiment, saying that creating a sequel puts too many restrictions on storytelling and character interactions. “You’re not tied to historical characters that you have to use,” Heaton said. Producer Dan McDonald followed Heaton’s words, saying, “If we were making sequels, we don’t know who survived. I mean we could probably work it out from your game save, but we don’t want to make a sequel to that. We want to make a different story with different people.”
Critically-acclaimed indie platformer, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, is making its way to the Nintendo Switch–and it’s coming a lot sooner than you would think. Publisher 505 Games, in partnership with independent production hub Turn Me Up Games, announced that the game will be available on Nintendo’s platform from May 28.
It wouldn’t be a Switch release without some exclusive features, and in bringing the game to Nintendo’s console-handheld hybrid, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons will include local co-op, a first for the game. Additionally, the Switch version will ship with bonus content including commentary by director Josef Fares and a gallery of concept art. The game will cost $14.99 / £9.99 / €11.38.
During 2014’s British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Games Awards show, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons took home the Best Game Innovation Award trophy.
In our Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons review, we said that while the game’s length left a lot to be desired, “It’s not enough to detract from what is a great achievement: an ambitious, emotionally affecting adventure that’s short, but oh so sweet.”
Stephen King’s classic horror novel, Pet Sematary, had another big-screen adaptation earlier this year, and in June, it will be available to own. Details for the home release were recently revealed, and there are a few special features on both the digital and physical copies of the movie.
On June 25, Pet Sematary will get a digital release on storefronts like iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, and more. The film will see its 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD release a couple weeks later on July 9. The home releases will contain over 90 minutes of special features.
There are deleted and extended scenes as well as an alternate ending to the film. The home release also contains numerous featurettes about putting the film together and talking about the themes of Pet Sematary and bringing the novel back to the big screen. There are also three videos with the “Night Terrors” label, but there are no indicators as to what those special features are about.
If you’re looking to pre-order the movie, digitally or physically, here are some places to pick it up.
Below, you’ll find all the special features solicited for the upcoming June and July home release for Pet Sematary. All these special features are available in all formats for the movie: Digital, 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD.
Some links to supporting retailers are automatically made into affiliate links, and GameSpot may receive a small share of those sales.
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Join GameSpot as we celebrate gaming history and give recognition to the most influential games of the 21st century. These aren’t the best games, and they aren’t necessarily games that you need to rush out and play today, but there’s no question that they left an indelible impact on game developers, players, and in some cases, society at large.
League of Legends exploded onto the scene in 2009 as the start-up brainchild of Marc Merrill and Brandon Beck, poised to disrupt an esports market that would end up being helmed by two heavyweights–Dota 2 and StarCraft. The idea that a bunch of enthusiastic DOTA fans were responsible for what is now the game’s biggest competition may come as a surprise to the uninitiated, but the humble beginnings of League of Legends can be traced all the way through to two college roommates essentially wanting to turn a Warcraft III mod into a standalone title.
Now, League of Legends is synonymous with esports and the MOBA genre. While companies like Valve and Blizzard were forces to be reckoned with in the pre-2010 era, there’s now no question that Riot Games and its lone video game are essentially household names. Whether it’s a new champion, a new in-game event, or Mid-Season Invitational which drew 19.8 million concurrent viewers last year, everyone who has even a passing interest in the game stops and stares.
The 2019 Mid-Season Invitational
Starcraft is often credited with the birth of esports but Riot Games were instrumental in ensuring that there was an appeal to translate to a mainstream audience. We’re talking merchandising, booking out stadium shows, international gauntlets and tournaments pitting fan-favorite players against each other. We’re talking sponsorships outside of the tech sphere, ranging from underwear to energy drinks. By drawing on the cult of personality that the League of Legends esports scene has built around some of its top players, Riot Games and the teams fielding these players have brought a whole new audience to the MOBA genre that other competitors have been unable to capitalize on.
Riot Games stepped onto the competitive esports scene around the time that Starcraft II was gaining momentum. However, where Starcraft II had to deal with a tiered release date in terms of the content like its various campaigns and the gradual integration of multiplayer accessibility, League of Legends exited a relatively short beta period with all guns blazing. And, unlike the model that was being relied on by Valve and Blizzard at the time, where second-party tournaments were the name of the game, League of Legends had its competitive esports nature in-built when it came to everything from matchmaking to the evolving meta that was governing the title.
League of Legends had its competitive esports nature in-built when it came to everything from matchmaking to the evolving meta that was governing the title.
Upon release, the title was praised by critics for its game design ethos and characters, which are now features of League that have taken on a life of their own in the form of ore codexes of a density that rivals established MMOs, cosmetic lines with accompanying music videos and original songs, and engaging in-game events created both for home enjoyment and for the spectator stage.
Outside of gaming, the fact that a MOBA has garnered Emmy nominations is impressive in itself. League of Legends has been nominated for mainstream accolades not necessarily for triumphs of design that are part of the gameplay mechanics, but for the wealth of creative material built by Riot Games around its existing product. From anime-inspired trailers to K-pop crossovers, League of Legends has consistently had its finger on the pulse of what’s hot (and selling like hotcakes), and it’s managed to execute on concepts like through said Emmy-nominated multimedia projects which have served to expand the title’s reach beyond the gaming sphere.
The League of Legends K-pop group, K/DA
In general, League of Legends has spawned a wave of competitors since it cemented itself on the MOBA scene. Arena of Valor is one such title that comes to mind, which ironically was fronted at the time by Tencent, who is now the majority shareholder in Riot Games. Mobile MOBAs featuring bad rip-offs of League characters were a dime a dozen on any online store, some more shameless than others. However, all these imitations really served to do was cement League’s status as the superior product. There was absolutely no way for these other titles to execute on player-centric initiatives the way that Riot’s product had: technical limitations aside, League of Legends was already more than just a video game at that point. It was an entire brand, from international tournaments to in-jokes to larger-than-life media personalities whose own identities were intrinsically associated with the game as a product.
Arguably, a lot of League of Legends’ success came from them having the distance to observe their competitors before essentially pivoting away from what they were doing. Riot Games’ original ethos with its title, which has persevered to this day, is a focus on player and community feedback. League was both competitive and casual play rolled into one, with Riot heading up every aspect of the commercial and competitive sides of the game as a unified product. Instead of waiting weeks for a patch in Dota 2 or Starcraft at the time, League players could expect patches as soon as the community saw a problem. The game quickly evolved and iterated, and even though it’s gone through some huge design changes since release, these have always been done in consultation with the community, with the team at Riot happy to roll back anything that might not be working.
This rapport with the community would serve Riot Games well over the years to come, and the community itself would reap those rewards; many community initiatives born from the passion of fans turned into features that Riot would then implement into the League of Legends product. Things like detailed match statistics were first provided by OP.GG, which has now become LCS Stats. The original League of Legends wikia provided the framework by which Riot now deals with its interlocking lore and displays it. The League community was, and still is, full of people who managed and ran third-party infrastructure that eventually became critical to the influence of the game. The title inspired fans to not only consume it but also to contribute to it, including the now-famous example of Chinese region superfans doing their own illegal broadcasts before Riot officially taking them on board.
That being said, while Riot Games has grown in profile alongside its sizeable community, the company itself has also grown in notoriety. Current and ex-Rioters have spoken out against the company’s toxic corporate culture in the past year or so, which has led to victims coming forward about sexism, harassment, and toxic workplace attitudes. While the company has tried to make strides towards addressing concerns after immense public pressure. It’s not as simple as wanting to implement a diversity initiative at the company; just a few weeks after employees filed lawsuits stating that Riot is in violation of the California Equal Pay Act, there has now also been walkout in protest of the forced arbitration clauses in Riot employment agreements. Riot’s internal issues have started to bleed over into a lot of how League of Legends is covered in mainstream media and how it’s talked about, and this has definitely affected the perception of the esport in a way that it’s still currently recovering from.
While it’s near impossible to set aside the recent reports when discussing Riot, League of Legends’ legacy is a different story. It’s obvious that the game helped put esports on the map for a lot of mainstream audiences before the explosion of titles like Fortnite and PUBG. From record viewership numbers on Twitch to hosting one of the biggest esports events ever at Madison Square Garden in 2016, Riot Games’ prodigal son has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2009. In doing so, it’s changed the way that people experience and access esports, taking fans from the days of bootleg broadcasts of regional streams to an international gauntlet of iconic stadiums at every year’s World Championships. Blizzard and Valve, the top dogs when Riot Games entered the scene, are now playing catch-up to the well-oiled Ferrari that is the League of Legends production model, and it shows.
For a look at the rest of our features in this series, head over to our Most Influential Games Of The 21st Century hub.