Fortnite Rainbow Royale Is A Celebration Of The Game’s LGBTQIA+ Community

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

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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).

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 Teams Up With Snapchat To Let You Watch Its Shows With Dozens Of People For Free

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 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:

  1. Craftopia
  2. Euphoria
  3. The Flight Attendant
  4. Game of Thrones
  5. Genera+ion
  6. Gossip Girl (2021)
  7. Looney Tunes
  8. Love Life
  9. Lovecraft Country
  10. Selena + Chef
  11. Titans
  12. Warrior
  13. World of Calm
  14. 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.

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Could Come to Other Platforms With Enough Demand

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.

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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.

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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.

Today’s Best Gaming Deal: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD for Nintendo Switch Is on Sale

The Legend of Zelda: Skyword Sword HD is the latest entry in this legendary Nintendo series to get the HD treatment. While it’s not the WInd Waker revival many of us hoped we’d see come to Switch, it’s arguably an overdue remastering of one of the more divisive Zelda games out there. Make sure to check out our Skyward Sword HD review to see what reviewer Travis Northup thinks of it.

With Breath of the Wild 2 not coming out until next year, this is the best chance to scratch that Legend of Zelda itch until 2022. The good news is this new-release game is on sale, which is perfect since I paid full price on the Nintendo eShop like a sucker. Don’t be like me. Seize this opportunity.

Zelda: Skyward Sword HD Deal

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More Opportunities to Save on Zelda Games

Of course, there are lots of opportunities to play Zelda on your Nintendo Switch, this is just the latest. You can still pick up The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening on sale, although the price drop is not quite as dramatic as it was during Prime Day. There’s also Breath of the Wild, my pick for best Switch game of all time and maybe my pick for the best game of all time. And hey, guess what? Breath of the Wild is marked down 25% right now.

If you’d rather go a little more old-school with your Zelda games, you can play The Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda II and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past through the Nintendo Online service. There’s actually a deal going on right now, where you can get a 128GB microSD card and a 12-month subscription to Nintendo Online for $46.98, or you can just sign up for 12-months of Nintendo Online for $19.99.

Looking a little further down the pike, you can still preorder the Legend of Zelda Game & Watch at some retailers, and you can preorder Breath of the Wild 2 right now, in spite of the fact we know that’s not the official name. What an age we live in.

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Seth Macy is IGN’s Executive Editor, Commerce.

PS5 Gets A Very Small Console Redesign, But Don’t Get Too Excited

After several months on the market, the PlayStation 5 is finally about to get a little bit slimmer. A new model revision of the PS5 Digital Edition has been confirmed in a new safety guide user manual on the official Japanese PlayStation website–as reported by PlayStation Universe–which sees the console shave 300 grams / 10 ounces off of its total weight for a more next-gen mass of 3.6 kg / 8 lbs.

To put that into perspective, that’s the equivalent of 120 pennies, a very overweight adult hamster, or an average human heart. Does that include the blood? We don’t know, we’re not doctors.

Now Playing: 9 Hidden PS5 Features

The revised model of the PS5 will also feature a new screw that can be inserted by hand and is presumably backwards compatible with other threaded holes that utilize bleeding-edge lefty-loosey righty-tighty mechanics.

It’s not clear yet which parts have been changed internally for the PS5 Digital Edition ahead of another reported revision in 2022 to address the current global semiconductor shortage, as all the other specification numbers are still the same as the original console. These models have a release date of July 20, 2021, although PSU noted that retailers in Japan have not take stock of them just yet.

The PS5's new user-friendly screw.
The PS5’s new user-friendly screw.

Console revisions like this aren’t uncommon either, with Sony going through multiple versions of its PlayStations over the years before slimmer models were introduced. For a more recent example, you can look at Nintendo’s hardware revision for the Switch which added a significant boost to that console’s battery life.

Even with the back-breaking weight of six cinnamon Pop-Tarts on the original PS5 console, Sony’s latest gaming hardware has been a best-seller since it was launched. Sony confirmed that as of March 31, 2021, 7.8 million PS5s had been sold, making it the fastest-selling gaming console in the US. Stock has been in consistently short supply, and if you’re looking to still get your hands on one then keep an eye on our PS5 restock hub to see which stores have units available.

Final Fantasy X Fan Recreates Iconic Locales In HD For 20th Anniversary Video, And It’s Pretty Impressive

It’s now been 20 years since Final Fantasy X released in Japan, and if you were born before the year 2000, that probably makes you feel pretty old. Well, one fan decided to honor the anniversary by recreating many of the game’s most famous locales and scenes in Unreal Engine, and then he made a video showing it off.

In the video description, fan Toby Saunders says they first played FFX on his older brother’s PlayStation when they were six years old, and they decided to teach themselves Unreal Engine in summer 2020 as a side project. They ripped some official Final Fantasy models from Final Fantasy Skyrim mods, processing them through Blender. In retrospect, Saunders feels they could have done the entire project in Blender, but they chalk it up as a learning experience.

Final Fantasy X fans will recognize many of the locations that Saunders recreated in the video, such as the Calm Lands, the spring in the Macalania Woods, the beach on Besaid Island where Tidus washes up, and the opening shot of the game. It also features some updated models of several of the game’s bosses, as well as the summon Yojimbo, and many others.

Several key members of Final Fantasy X’s development team said in a recent interview that a hypothetical Final Fantasy X-3 is not outside of the realm of possibility, and that scenario writer Kazushige Nojima has actually written a plot outline for it. However, they also said that that project couldn’t proceed until Final Fantasy VII Remake is done, and that’s probably going to be quite a while from now.

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Unlock An Amazing Career As A Mobile Game Developer For $30

Are you looking to break into the exciting world of mobile gaming? While AAA titles on consoles and PC soak up most of the hype and attention, the mobile game market is booming. The average gamer is not just a 20-something with a souped-up rig and a case of Red Bull. It’s the commuter on the way to work, the teenager with some time to kill between classes, and the regular Joe just trying to turn off their brain for a few minutes after a long day.

If you’ve ever thought about starting a career or business in mobile gaming, the JavaScript DOM Game Developer Bundle is the product for you, and right now it’s on sale for only $30.

With a focus on JavaScript DOM (Document Object Model), this bundle will give you all the information you need to code your own web-based JavaScript games. Using classic examples like Frogger, Pacman, Hangman, and Brickbreaker , you can get a handle on how to develop your very own games that run on light, browser-only systems. These projects expose you to HTML coding and JavaScript, teaching you how to develop the most approachable, low-barrier games in the market. If you’ve ever wanted to code fun, online games for your friends, this is the place to start.

Lectures are taught by Laurence Svekis, a 22-year veteran of the coding and development industry. Svekis is currently a Google Developer Expert, recognized by Google itself as someone who has produced exemplary work on the Google Development products, and permitted to lecture and teach about Google products. It’s no wonder he’s rated 4.3/5; Svekis has provided students with top-tier instruction on coding for decades.

Right now, for only $30, you will get eight courses and 50 hours of content on JavaScript, HTML, and more. Kickstarting your career as a web developer will open doors that you never knew existed and give your career a boost. This sale is only going on for so long though, so get the JavaScript DOM Game Developer Bundle today! It’s valued at nearly $1,600 and on sale now for just $30.

Price subject to change

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PUBG Animated Series In Development Under Castlevania’s Adi Shankar

After helping Castlevania escape development hell and become a popular animated series on Netflix, producer Adi Shankar is turning his attention to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Based on the popular battle royale game where dozens of players compete to be the last person standing, PUBG will be adapted as an animated series under Shankar.

“To me, this animated project represents another step in the evolution of mending the torched bridge between the games industry and Hollywood,” Shankar said in a press statement. “I look forward to revealing to everybody what winning a chicken dinner looks like.”

Now Playing: The Most Influential Games Of The 21 Century Video: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

This isn’t the only PUBG-related project currently in development, as the series recently saw the release of its first live-action short film Ground Zero, an investigative documentary starring Jonathan Frakes in full Beyond Belief mode, and an upcoming horror game set in the PUBG universe called The Callisto Protocol.

As for Shankar’s other video game animated adaptation, Devil May Cry? Very little has been heard on it since it was announced in 2018, with Shankar commenting at the time that he grabbed the rights so that “the jabronis in Hollywood don’t f*** this one up too.”

In other PUBG news, the mobile version of the game recently went through a massive update that added a map overhaul, a new Royale Pass system, and a partnership with the electric car company Tesla.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Best Buy 24-Hour Flash Sale Has Steep Discounts On Apple Products, TVs, And More

Best Buy has kicked off another 24-hour flash sale featuring deals on Apple’s iMac, the AirPods Max wireless headphones, and more. The flash sale only runs until tonight at 10 PM PT / 1 AM ET, so you’ll have to hurry if you want to take advantage of any of these deals. If you’re looking for game deals, Best Buy has a nice slate of Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation deals this week as well.

The standout deal in the sale knocks $550 off the price of a 21.5-inch iMac. Equipped with a 4K Retina 4K display, Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD, this iMac is an ideal productivity machine for those looking for a desktop. Normally priced at $1,500, you can pick it up for only $950 today only.

The AirPods Max, Apple’s pricey premium headphones, are on sale for almost $100 off. The AirPods Max focus on both comfort and quality. With memory foam earcups and a knit-mesh headband, they remain comfy and cool during long listening sessions. They are also loaded with tech, including spatial audio, active noise cancellation, and transparency modes. Amazon is also matching this deal, so you can get the AirPods Max for $455 at either retailer. You can choose between five colors: Space Gray, Sky Blue, green, pink, and silver.

While the Apple deals are the best in the sale, there are several other discounts worth considering. If you prefer Windows, a 13.3-inch HP Envy 2-in-1 is on sale for $800, down from $1,000. It features an Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. You can also save on a couple of 4K TVs. Toshiba’s 55-inch 4K smart Fire TV is on sale for $450 (was $520) and Westinghouse’s 75-inch 4K smart Roku TV is $680 (was $800).

Best Buy game deals

New Back 4 Blood Trailer Reveals Supported PC Features

Publisher Warner Bros. Games and developer Turtle Rock Studios released a new trailer for Back 4 Blood. The trailer showcases more of the zombie-killing mayhem to be had in the upcoming co-op first-person shooter as well as the features you can expect to see on the PC version of the game.

The trailer lists the following features for the PC version of Back 4 Blood:

  • 4K resolution
  • Uncapped framerate
  • NVDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS)
  • Both ultrawide and multi-monitor support
  • Cross-play support

Additionally, the PC version of Back 4 Blood will include multiple graphical options. The trailer showcases that you’ll be able to enable motion blur, chromatic aberration, adaptive FX quality, and VSync.

On top of that, on PC you can adjust Back 4 Blood’s quality settings. There’s an option to enable custom quality and customize textures, shadows, foliage, and more to your ideal experience.

Back 4 Blood is scheduled to launch for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC on October 12. On PC, the game will be released via the Microsoft Store, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. Back 4 Blood will be available on both Xbox and PC day one via Xbox Game Pass.

If you want to try Back 4 Blood prior to its release, preording the game gets you access to the open beta, which begins August 5.

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