2009’s District 9 was a well-received sci-fi movie that ended on a cliffhanger, with fans of the film hoping for a sequel but never getting one in the decade-plus that followed. Director Neill Blomkamp has now reiterated that work continues on District 10, and he provided an update on the script and its theme.
Speaking to IGN, Blomkamp said it took some time to craft a story that was more than a simple sequel. “That script continues to be written. It’s looking good. It took a decade to figure out, to come up with a reason why to make that film as opposed to just make a sequel,” he said.
Regarding the plot of District 10, Blomkamp did not share any specifics, but he teased it will dig into a certain “topic in American history.”
“There was a topic in American history that the second I realized that that fit into the world of District 9, it felt like an awesome way to do a sequel,” he said. “So yeah, it continues to be developed and it’s getting a lot closer.”
Blomkamp made District 9 with The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson as its producer after the Halo movie with Blomkamp and Jackson fell apart. Blomkamp followed up District 9 with Elysium starring Matt Damon in 2013 and the AI robot movie Chappie in 2015. His next movie, Demonic, is slated to arrive in theaters this August.
“Games will become what films were in the 20th century,” Blomkamp said. “They’ll just be the thing that is the dominant form of cultural entertainment and [I want] to be in that. Mixing my history in visual effects and interest in 3D graphics means I want to have a home base in the creation of games for a really long time. So if the game is a success and everything works out, hopefully, I’m staying at Gunzilla for a long time.”
Blizzard is once again testing same-faction Battlegrounds in World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic, and this time, Alliance players will be receiving more rewards than their Horde counterparts.
Starting July 20 and running through July 27, same-faction Battlegrounds will once again be enabled on Burning Crusade Classic, with a few tweaks from the previous same-faction Battleground test. The maximum group size able to queue for a Battleground will be reduced to five, the matchmaking system will wait a little longer to find an opposite-faction match, and Alliance players will be able to complete a repeatable quest that rewards Battleground wins with a box of loot that contains various crafting materials, consumables, and currencies.
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Now Playing: World of Warcraft Classic: Burning Crusade Reveal Trailer | BlizzCon 2021
PvP Battlegrounds are usually against the opposite faction, ie Horde vs. Alliance. But Burning Crusade Classic has a bit of a faction imbalance problem, with far more Horde players both in general and when it comes to participating in game’s match-made Battlegrounds. That was resulting in massive queue times for Horde players that made acquiring PvP items almost impossible. The fix Blizzard came up with was to run a test over one weekend and see how having Horde vs. Horde Battlegrounds (or, in rare circumstances, Alliance vs. Alliance) would change the equation.
The result was near instant match-finding times for players, but Blizzard also found some other interesting pieces of data. Many players were participating in full premade groups, which when encountered by players who solo queued and weren’t in Discord with their teammates, almost always resulted in a loss. Alliance players also weren’t particularly happy. Being able to more readily participate in PvP has long been a perk of being a member of the Alliance, a perk Blizzard now looked to be removing.
Hence the new enlistment bonus. Blizzard says the trend over the last few months has been a lower Battleground participation rate for the Alliance, and these new rewards will be looking to increase that number.
“A major point of discussion was the perception that the faction a majority of players chose for their main character would see all players switch to it, unless we change the game to either reward the minority faction, punish the majority faction, or prevent players from choosing to play on the majority faction in the first place,” Blizzard says in a forum post.
That being said, Blizzard doesn’t want to dramatically alter the game, preferring to “emulate the design pillars and intentions of original Burning Crusade’s game systems” and “address player concerns in a way that capture the spirit of the original design of the game.
“As you can see (and has been discussed at great length here and elsewhere), most such changes that might come to mind would conflict with our stated goals above,” Blizzard says. “Still, we’d like to see what happens when we place a reward for the minority faction into the game.”
2K Sports has divulged the first official details on this year’s NBA 2K22, revealing what’s new this year for MyCareer, gameplay updates, and a new social hub called the City. 2K also began to discuss new features like Seasons that the studio is hoping will keep people coming back.
The information revealed today is very high level in nature, and 2K said it will have “deep dives” coming in August and September to discuss new features in more detail.
Candace Parker in NBA 2K22
Starting with gameplay, 2K Sports says it has revamped the block, steal, and shot contest systems to make them more skill-based and thus rewarding in an ideal scenario. The new gameplay setup will reward player IQ and stick skills. In short, making the right plays, at the right time, is a focus for 2K Sports this year as it attempts to more authentically represent the sport.
The gameplay should feel like less of a dice roll, and that players have more control of any given outcome, according to developers on a call GameSpot attended. If something goes wrong, or you fail to execute a play, that’s on you and not a result of something with the game or its controls.
“It really has changed the way the game plays. For me, it’s a lot more fun, it’s a lot more engaging. It really rewards the veterans who put in the time and the work to get good at the game, and at the same time we’re still accessible [to newcomers],” gameplay director Mike Wang said.
Another big area of focus for NBA 2K22 are in-game Seasons. Like many other games, it appears NBA 2K is leaning even further into ongoing, seasonable content to keep players coming back. For NBA 2K22, seasons aren’t entirely new, as they were in MyTeam in last year’s game. But for NBA 2K22, Seasons are game-wide, spanning multiple modes. The game you play on day one won’t be the same as the one you play in Season 2, 3, and so on, the developers said, adding that the content in Seasons is free for everyone. There will not be any battle passes, either.
“Across fan-favorite experiences, Seasons will allow players to extend and enhance their hoop ambitions long after the game’s launch with more content, more rewards, and more ways to play,” the developers said.
Dirk Nowitzki in NBA 2K22
For MyTeam, 2K is promising an “evolved” experience that gives players more control over how you want to build their team. There is a new Draft mode where players can select their entire lineup and choose from a pool of players that is constantly being updated. Additionally, MyTeam supports cross-gen progress, so everything you do on one platform moves with you, whether that’s progression or any store items you might purchase. A future Season for NBA 2K22 will introduce a brand-new mode for MyTeam outside of the Draft, but 2K is holding back revealing it for now.
In terms of NBA 2K22’s social spaces, there is a new City for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S editions of the game. This social space now has NPCs to help it feel more alive. It should feel like it’s “teeming with life,” according to the developers. The City also has matchmaking options now, and you can select from 1v1 and 3v3 against other humans, or against computer players. The overall aim for the matchmaking system is to help players get into matches faster, the developers said.
On PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC, there is a new version of The Neighborhood that’s set on the decks of a cruise ship. You can even get off the boat and visit different locations. Additionally, if there is an in-game event happening on a Friday, for example, on the Tuesday before you might see an island off in the distance that gets closer each day until you arrive. Some of the locations you’ll visit include Egypt and Iceland, the developers said.
Eric Boenisch, a VP at developer Visual Concepts, stressed that no matter what platform you’re playing on, you’ll get the full NBA 2K22 experience.
“We didn’t want to focus all of our energy on one generation of consoles and make that section of our fans feel like they got the lesser,” he said. “We put all of our efforts into both. Both games. And made them both incredible, standalone pieces on their own.”
Here’s Luka Doncic in NBA 2K22
The PC edition is considered to be in line with the PS4/Xbox One/Switch versions of NBA 2K22, according to Boenisch.
The MyCareer mode is getting attention in NBA 2K22 as well with a narrative experience that unfolds in the City. It’s no longer a separate experience, but instead it’s baked directly into the social space, the City, though this is only for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Very few details are known at this stage, but the developers said players will be able to extend their careers beyond the court through things like getting involved in the fashion and music business. The overall aim is to give players the freedom to live out a pro basketball player’s fantasy even more than last year’s game.
COVID had an impact on NBA 2K21, and specifically how the studio was unable to record all of the motion-capture it might have wanted due to the pandemic. But NBA 2K22 is shaping up to be a return to form when it comes to motion-capture, and overall this should benefit the experience across the board, according to Wang.
“With COVID last year, we had a lot of challenges. With this year we were able to get into more of a normal groove where we had all of our normal motion-capture was back in place and so we have a ton of content this year that was a struggle to get in last year,” he said. “I think you’re going to see just a much more full experience and the movement, everything, just feels a lot more tight and it looks a lot better, too.”
NBA 2K22 launches in September for PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dirk Nowitzski, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, and Candace Parker are featured on the various different covers for the pro basketball game.
It doesn’t hit theaters until August 13 but IGN has partnered with 20th Century Studios to offer stateside fans a chance to see the new Ryan Reynolds action-comedy Free Guy for free this Thursday, July 22.
IGN is presenting free fan screenings in five cities — Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Austin, and Chicago — this week. Screenings will be held on the evening of Thursday, July 22. The screenings will be held at 7 pm except for the Chicago screening, which will happen at 8 pm.
Screening details and RSVP links for the respective regions are below. If you click on the wrong link by mistake and need to fill out an RSVP request for a different city, please refer back to this main article.
If you’d like to bring a guest then please have them fill out their own submission via the appropriate RSVP form below.
Please arrive 30 minutes prior to screening start time to check-in. A guest list will be utilized at the screening. If your name is not on the list, you will not be admitted.
You are seeing this film before it is available to the public. Anti-piracy security will be on-site at the theater.
In order to give audiences around the world the opportunity to enjoy movies to the fullest and allow them to discover any surprises and plot twists, we respectfully ask that you refrain from revealing spoilers and detailed story points on social media.
Free Guy is rated PG-13.
COVID COMPLIANCE POLICY:
Please be advised we are planning on filling the theater to approximately 80% capacity, which allows us to maintain a select number of seats set aside for those who are unvaccinated and need to physically distance themselves from others and those who feel more comfortable having some physical distance.
For L.A. county screenings, attendees will be expected to wear a face covering per the new mandate.
After a shaky entrance to the new generation of consoles, the NBA 2K franchise is looking to build upon its ambitious foundation for NBA 2K22 (release date: September 10). In a short preview event with Visual Concepts, I came away happy to hear that many of my complaints about NBA 2K21 were being addressed in NBA 2K22. For instance, The City, which previously felt empty, is being populated with NPCs and interactable buildings. Still, the shadow of microtransactions and their impact on any new features looms large. It’s hard to say if any changes have been made in that regard, and if history has taught us anything, it’s probably best to assume the worst.
Optimistically, however, the most exciting changes all involve The City and MyCareer. In NBA 2K22, MyCareer will be ditching the more cinematic experience that we have gotten so used to in favor of a more open-world questing system within The City. I was skeptical at first, but this doesn’t feel like a feature cut. Instead, the focus seems directed at making The City feel more alive and populus. One of my central complaints in NBA 2K21 was how empty The City always felt, and the changes to NBA 2K22 promise to change that. Buildings will be more interactable and NPCs will be available to take on various quests.
Similarly, the far-too-grindy Rookieville has been cut from NBA 2K22. This is a significant change, as it will allow for me to hop right into the best parts of MyCareer in The City: playing with my friends and getting to explore the newly populated areas. There will also be the freedom to explore business outside of the NBA, with new opportunities to develop clothing lines or even become a hip-hop star. Just how fleshed out these quest lines will be remains to be seen, but it does seem like an interesting step toward a better role-playing experience.
In terms of gameplay, very little was talked about. Almost everything mentioned revolved around a focus for more “control” – something NBA 2K21 already did a much better job at. There does seem to be an increased effort to make defense entertaining, with revamped block and steal systems. Similarly, the focus on offense looks to reward high levels of skill instead of the dice-roll elements the franchise has become known for. Some of this seems promising, but without many details it’s hard to know what these concepts will look like in action.
One aspect of gameplay that did get a little attention was fatigue and how this would blend with a focus on load management in MyNBA. With the rampant set of injuries in this year’s NBA playoffs, there is an emphasis in NBA 2K22 on how focusing too much on one star player can put injuries or major fatigue at risk. The new fatigue system accounts for things like high-effort crossovers and the kind of energy that zaps from players in the middle of a game. Giving players rest days and plenty of time to rest is now pivotal to making a deep playoff run without injuries.
Another interesting development is the addition of “seasons” to all facets of NBA 2K22. Seasons were first used in MyTeam in NBA 2K21 as a way to re-engage players every six weeks or so. Now, this concept will apply to the entirety of the game. Visual Concepts is promising significant updates on a similar six-week time frame – including a holiday update that will add an undisclosed mode to MyTeam. While they didn’t offer details on what exactly this might look like, there was a promise that the game in season one would look totally different than by the time season two or three came around.
The last thing that popped out to me in the press event is Visual Concepts’ dedication to both the previous and current generation of consoles. When talking about MyCareer, they excitedly talked about the differences between each. For instance, The Neighborhood (a previous-generation exclusive) involves playing aboard a cruise ship with excursions in places like Egypt. Similarly, there seemed to be a real focus on gameplay parody between the two generations with a focus on not leaving the previous generation behind. While this is admirable in some respects, I came away feeling a little bit confused that the focus hadn’t shifted primarily toward what should be the best version of the game on Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.
Similarly, it does seem as if there will still be a narrative experience available on the previous-generation version of NBA 2K22. While 2K22’s additions to The City seem more exciting to me, the door seems open for the new generation of NBA 2K22 to feel less feature-complete. More details are being promised for August, so it may be safe to not make any assumptions until then. While cross-generation progress is still available, it really seemed like both versions of NBA 2K22 are getting dedicated development time. I just hope that doesn’t leave the next-generation versions feeling less impressive than they should be.
Ultimately, NBA 2K22 seems to be playing it safe in a lot of respects. After the monumental shift from The Neighborhood to The City, it seems appropriate that Visual Concepts would take the opportunity to build on what is already there. As it stands, I’m anxiously awaiting to hear more details about NBA 2K22 and how it will build on its ambitious entry from a year ago.
After launching last week, Codemasters has released a new patch for its latest racing game, F1 2021, which removes ray tracing on PlayStation 5 in order to improve performance.
Codemasters has identified an issue with its ray tracing implementation specifically on Sony’s hardware, which has hindered the game’s ability to run smoothly. As a result, the developer is removing the option as it investigates the issue, with the hope that a new patch soon will be able to sort those issues out for players.
This doesn’t affect ray tracing if you’re playing on PC or Xbox Series X, but Codemasters stopped short of explaining why it might be affecting one current-gen console and not the other. The patch also addresses a more pressing issue for both versions by sorting out a bug that would corrupt you save file at random when designing a custom livery for your car from within MyTeam.
F1 2021 is the first title released by Codemasters after the studio’s purchase by publisher EA. It has led to some strange pricing differences across several regions. This latest entry also features a new narrative career mode inspired by the Netflix series Drive to Survive called Braking Point, which allows you to experience the stresses of being an F1 driver both on and off the track.
F1 2021 – Patch 1.04
Addressed an issue where users would experience a corrupt save if they edited their vehicle’s livery from within the MyTeam HQ. Saves that were previously corrupted as a result of this bug will be able to be resumed after applying the patch.
PlayStation®5 only: We are aware of some instability within the game for a limited number of users on PS5 relating to Ray Tracing. As such, we have taken the difficult decision to temporarily disable it to aid stability. We aim to re-enable this as quickly as possible, and we will provide an update in due course.
Valorant update 3.02 is out, and it makes some tiny but significant additions to the game, per its patch notes. For one thing, Riot has rebalanced the way that clipping is calculated, meaning that player models and the like should no longer phase through thin walls quite as frequently.
The biggest gameplay change comes in the form of yet another small Sage shift. Players can no longer create a barrier between the pyramids on the Breeze map to create a small sliver of space that players can use to create an unintended line of sight. Additionally, Raze’s Boombot can no longer be placed through some walls.
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Now Playing: Valorant – Official “DUALITY” Cinematic Lore Trailer
The patch also includes several important bug fixes, particularly one that causes the team voice volume slider to reset to 50 again and again. This one was noted by fans, so it’s nice to have it fixed. In the text of the update, Riot notes that it is still monitoring the effect that new agent KAY/O has had on the game’s competitive meta since he was added in early June.
Valorant 3.02 Patch Notes
GAME SYSTEM UPDATES
Changes made to how clipping is calculated, which should result in less clipping overall in your gameplay
Yes, things are still going to clip, but you will see a noticeable lack of hands, melees, abilities, and general effects poking through thin walls.
SOCIAL UPDATES
Added a space between the Match Rank and Leaderboard Ranking for Immortal+ rankings in the Hover Card UI
BUG FIXES
Agents
Sage can no longer place her Barrier Orb between the pyramids on Breeze to create a sliver peek
“Sliver peek” refers to a very small gap created by sandwiching two things and creating an advantageous line of sight.
Fixed KAY/O’s textures applying themselves to weapons when he is re-stabilized during NULL/cmd(X)
Removed the ability to place Raze’s Boombot through some walls
Social
Fixed a bug where the Team-voice volume sliders would always reset to 50
Hooray! That’s the sound of us thanking you for your patience.
Fixed a bug where the scrollbar in the Social Panel would sometimes display incorrectly
Fixed the pixelated border surrounding the Unranked icon in the Hover Card UI
Fixed an issue where the blurred background would sometimes make friend notes illegible in the Hover Card UI
Fixed a bug where the VCT Masters Reykjavik Winner Title would get overlapped by the Player Card in the Hover Card UI
Epic has revealed Fortnite Rainbow Royale, a celebration of the game’s LGBTQIA+players. Starting today, July 20, and running for one week, players can jump into Fortnite and find a range of Pride-related in-game items, in addition to a new Creative mode asset and new music from LGBTQIA+ artists such as Lil Nas X and Kim Petras. Here’s all you need to know about this limited-time celebration.
Fortnite Rainbow Royale
All players who log into Fortnite between today and July 27 at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET will find a bundle of new Pride items in the Item Shop. Included in the bundle are four sprays, each depicting rainbow-decorated Fortnite icons such as a Loot Llama and a Boogie Bomb, a rainbow gun wrap, and a rainbow emote. The complete set is entirely free with no exceptions.
For players who venture into Creative Mode, they’ll find a brand-new asset in the form of a rainbow flag, which can be used however they see fit in the user-generated sandbox. Meanwhile, in Battle Royale, players will find several new songs on the radio when driving in vehicles. A total of eight new songs, each of them from LGBTQIA+ artists, will now be played on the airwaves across Apollo, with several of them coming over from Rocket League‘s LOVE IZLV playlist. Here’s what’s new and on which stations you can hear it:
Beatbox
Big Freedia – Platinum
Lil Nas X – Montero
Radio Underground
King Princess – Pain
Troye Sivan – STUD
Ben Platt – Imagine
Power Play
Daya – Bad Girl
Hayley Kiyoko – Found My Friends
Kim Petras – Malibu
The update is now live for all players, so get in there this week and grab your free items before they disappear.
Hints of this were spotted in yesterday’s Bugha skin reveal when eagle-eyed players spotted a rainbow in the background of some screenshots. At the time, players speculated the rainbow may have some story implications because there hasn’t been a rainbow on the island since Season 1 (discounting St. Patrick’s Day decor).
A Rainbow can be seen in the background of a few clips from the Bugha Icon Set announcement, this normally would be pointless to mention BUT we haven’t seen a rainbow really since Leaky Lake from Chapter 1 Season 6 pic.twitter.com/DuyDCuTvkU
As it turns out, the rainbow is not a narrative foreshadow, but a way for Epic to ensure all of Fortnite‘s players feel welcome. If you’re looking to celebrate Fortnite some more this week, Los Angeles locals can find a pop-up Taco Tuesday restaurant between now and Thursday. DIf you’re not in the area, you can still snack on the 17.20 patch notes.
HBO Max is teaming up with Snapchat for a partnership that allows users in the US to watch episodes of popular shows like Game of Thrones, Euphoria, and The Flight Attendant at no cost.
Snapchat users in the US can now use the Snap Minis feature to watch HBO Max content with their friends at the same time. The new HBO Max Mini from inside the Snapchat app does not require any additional install, and it’s available across iOS and Android.
HBO Max comes to Snapchat
HBO Max said in a press release that Snapchat users will find “age-appropriate” episodes based on the age they’ve entered in the app. When viewing an episode of an HBO show, users can watch together and share Bitmoji reactions.
HBO Max boss Sarah Lyons said in a statement, “We believe humans value recommendations that come from other humans, so having the opportunity for friends to suggest, and then subsequently watch content together paves the way for more meaningful discovery.”
In terms of the content that’s available, it includes pilot episodes for numerous shows, including Game of Thrones, Euphoria, Lovecraft Country, and The Flight Attendant. All of them are the pilot episodes, except in the case of Betty, which is Episode 1 of Season 2. Additionally, HBO said the offerings of HBO content on Snapchat will be refreshed “on an ongoing basis.”
Here are the shows available right now:
Craftopia
Euphoria
The Flight Attendant
Game of Thrones
Genera+ion
Gossip Girl (2021)
Looney Tunes
Love Life
Lovecraft Country
Selena + Chef
Titans
Warrior
World of Calm
Betty – (Season 2, Episode 1)
You can have up to 63 other Snapchat users watching a show at the same time, and invitations can be sent through in-app messages or through a sticker link. Playback of the episode in question is synchronized, so everyone will be at the same place.
At the end of each episode, the app will present a link that takes you to HBO Max to subscribe the service if you want.
In other news, Space Jam: A New Legacy starring LeBron James and Looney Tunes is now streaming on HBO Max (but not on Snapchat). It’s also in theaters where it is doing very well, outpacing even Marvel’s Black Widow at the box office.
While many were upset to find out that the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series would only be headed to PC and Mobile, Square Enix has confirmed that the games could come to other platforms if there is enough demand.
In a Japanese Q&A (translated via Google Translate), Square Enix revealed a bit more about these Pixel Remasters – which are essentially upgraded versions of Final Fantasy 1-6 – and it began by explaining that it chose to do this project because there are fewer opportunities to play these games easily. Furthermore, Square Enix wanted to renew these games with the same standard, which will make it better for first-timers and series vets alike.
These games will be remasters based on the original NES and SNES versions, and while some of the game balance will be updated to make it a more enjoyable experience, the stories will stay as they were. These games will not include every element that has appeared in the many re-releases of these games over the years, but there will be a gallery, music player, and bestiary included as a bonus.
It was also revealed that Kazuko Shibuya, an artist who has worked on numerous Final Fantasy games, will be recreating all the beloved character art for the remasters.
Fans of Final Fantasy will also be happy to know that Nobuo Uematsu will be supervising the music and rearrangements for the Pixel Remaster series and that the sound effects will be reproduced as close to the originals as possible. Those who purchase the remasters will be able to check out the new music right away, as the included Music Player has all songs unlocked at the start.
There will be a bestiary that will be filled out as you fight enemies in each game, and there are various ways to arrange them. In the Mobile version, you can also battle with those you have registered.
Lastly, almost all of Yoshitaka Amano’s character, monster and image illustrations are included in the gallery. All of these will also be unlocked at the start.
The Pixel Remaster version of Final Fantasy 1-3 will be released on July 28 and Final Fantasy 4-6 still have a release date of “coming soon.”
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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
