HBO Max To Adapt True-Crime Docuseries The Staircase

Annapurna Television and HBO Max will co-produce a limited series adaptation of the true crime docuseries The Staircase, based on various books and reports about the originating case, according to a release. The Staircase is “an exploration of the life of Michael Peterson, his sprawling North Carolina family, and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen Peterson.”

The Staircase is co-written and co-executive produced by showrunners Antonio Campos (The Devil All the Time) and Maggie Cohn (American Crime Story), and will also star Colin Firth as novelist Michael Peterson. Said Campos, “This has been a project I have been working on in one way or another since 2008. It’s been a long and winding road, but well worth the wait to be able to find partners.”

“It is a thrill to collaborate with Antonio Campos, Maggie Cohn, and Annapurna Television for the exploration of this true-life story that’s rife with dramatic revelations,” said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content for HBO Max. “With the enormously talented Colin Firth at the center of this adaptation, the story of The Staircase will continue to captivate audiences with every bizarre twist and turn.”

No release or production start date has yet been announced for The Staircase. In the meantime, if true crime is your jam as a genre, check out our list of 18 great true crime shows and movies you can stream on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, and more.

Among Us Future Updates Include Full Art Style Revamp and Larger Lobbies

Now that Among Us‘ Airship map is live on all platforms, developer Innersloth has detailed some changes coming in future updates. This includes overhauling the art style, upping the lobby size, and opening up about development.

According to a blog post on the game’s itch.io page, Innersloth co-founder Marcus “Puffballs United” Bromander has “completely updated the art style with cleaner lines and an easier animation process.” Furthermore, the lobby size will increase to 15. (Innersloth noted that the new Airship map is the “biggest one yet.”)

As for providing more transparent communication, the studio said its priority is to “show [the community] the development process, what goes on behind the scenes, and for [the community] to grow with us.” Innersloth concluded by saying it doesn’t “want to hide anything from [the community] when it comes to this stuff.”

Lastly, Among Us fans can visit the game’s online store to try their hands at getting a crewmate plushie. They’re currently sold out, will only be purchasable through the official store, and stand at about six inches tall.

There's probably an imposter among these plushy crewmates...
There’s probably an imposter among these plushy crewmates…

In other Among Us news, Innersloth dropped an update earlier this month that added a new Quickchat feature to make party communication more efficient, especially for those who prefer to not use their voice.

Now Playing: Among Us – Official Airship Update Release Trailer

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Batman: The Long Halloween Animated Cast Announced

One of the most acclaimed Batman stories, Batman: The Long Halloween will finally be adapted into a two-part animated movie. The voice cast was revealed Wednesday on The Hollywood Reporter and has some DC alumni as well as newcomers this time around.

Leading the cast as Batman/Bruce Wayne is Jensen Ackles, who had previously voiced Jason Todd/Red Hood in 2010’s Batman: Under The Red Hood. Joining Ackles are Josh Duhamel as Harvey Dent, Billy Burke as James Gordon, Titus Welliver as Carmine Falcone, David Dastmalchian as Calendar Man, Troy Baker as Joker, Amy Landecker as Barbara Gordon, Julie Nathanson as Gilda Dent, Jack Quaid as Alberto, Fred Tatasciore as Solomon Grundy, and Alastair Duncan as Alfred.

Former Glee star Naya Rivera, who died in July last year, completed her voice work as Catwoman/Selina Kyle for The Long Halloween. It will be her last credited role.

Written by Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale, The Long Halloween ran for 13 issues from 1996-97. The story focused on a Batman early in his career and a Gotham plagued by a killer, known as Holiday, who struck once a month. It’s up to Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and newly-elected Harvey Dent to solve the crime and work together for the first time.

The influential story, particularly its use of Harvey Dent/Two-Face, was used to mold Aaron Eckart’s version from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. It’s also rumored to be an influence for Matt Reeves’ upcoming film The Batman, especially with how Carmine Falcone is modeled after Sale’s interpretation.

There is no official release day for either part one or two of Batman: The Long Halloween.

PS Plus Games For April 2021: Days Gone And Oddworld Free Next Week

April begins tomorrow, and then on April 6, Sony has a new slate of free PS Plus games to download on PS4 and PS5. This is going to be another impressive month for the service, particularly if you only have a PS4, with both Days Gone and Zombie Army 4: Dead War available to download. Additionally, the PS5 version of Oddworld: Soulstorm will be available for free the same day it launches. Though it’s not the biggest month in terms of game quantity, it’s pretty rare that Sony offers up a free game at launch that isn’t multiplayer-focused, so you won’t want to miss snagging Oddworld.

Playable on both PS4 and PS5, Days Gone is an open-world not-zombie game set in the Pacific Northwest, and its standout feature is the sheer number of enemies it throws at you. The game allows for customization in both your gear and your play-style, and you’ll have to face off against both human and formerly human opponents. Oh, and there are zombie bears, if things weren’t tough enough.

Zombie Army 4: Dead War is also playable on both consoles and is the latest spin-off game from the makers of Sniper Elite. Playable between one and four players, it’s a unique spin on the “Nazi Zombies” style that we’ve seen from some other franchises, keeping the signature Sniper Elite long-range gunplay intact. It also has more occult elements than some other zombie games, adding to its spookiness.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is available for free on PS5, though the game is also coming to other platforms like PS4 where it won’t be free. The long-awaited action-platformer is the latest from a series known for its quirkiness and unique personality. It’s a follow-up to New ‘N’ Tasty, which released about seven years ago, so the series’ biggest fans have been waiting a very long time for this one. Soulstorm will not be available in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and South Korea.

Best PS Plus deal

You can snag a 12-month PS Plus code for $31 via eBay.

See at eBay

April 2021 PS Plus Free Games

Available April 6 to May 3

  • Oddworld: Soulstorm (PS5 only)
  • Days Gone
  • Zombie Army 4: Dead War

You can check out more PlayStation games to check out with our guides to the best PS4 games as well as the best games on PS5 right now.

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New Amnesia: Rebirth Mode Removes Horror Elements and Turns It Into an ‘Indiana Jones-Style’ Adventure

Amnesia: Rebirth, the terrifying horror game from Frictional Game, has received a new, free Adventure Mode that removes the horror elements from the game. Yup, the update transforms the game into an “Indiana Jones type” of adventure, rather than a horrifying trip to the abyss.

As detailed in a new developer diary, Frictional Games has removed all monster encounters and jump scares in the game for this mode, and has more brightly lit previously-dark areas of environments. The Adventure Mode is similar to the Safe Mode added to Frictional Games’ last game, SOMA, except it goes even further to make the game less scary by removing any and all sights and sounds that impact player character Tasi’s fear, which is one of the game’s main mechanics.

“We believe that anyone who loves a good story-driven adventure game will be stoked about this new mode,” said Rebirth creative lead, Fredrik Olsson. “Not everyone is into horror and we don’t want that to block people from experiencing Tasi’s story.”

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“The new mode feels a lot more like an Indiana Jones type of adventure in places where it would otherwise be more of a horror experience,” said Olsson. This is achieved through the use of new, additional puzzles. According to Frictional Games, while the change does feel different, it causes the game to feel more like a “true Lovecraftian mystery adventure novel.” That’s only fitting, since the game is already quite Lovecraftian thanks to its 1930s Algerian desert setting.

Amnesia: Rebirth still tackles its serious themes and contains its mysterious ambiance, though, according to the studio. With previously dark areas now lit in the game, Frictional Games says players “won’t have the same feeling of claustrophobia and trepidation” meaning they can “explore freely without worrying about monsters or Tasi’s mental state.”

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This new Adventure Mode is already available for free on PC and will hit the PlayStation 4 version of Amnesia: Rebirth in “the next few weeks.”

Check out our thoughts on the game in IGN’s Amnesia: Rebirth review. If you’re looking to jump into the game soon, be sure to check out IGN’s Amnesia: Rebirth wiki guide and walkthrough.

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

Xbox Backwards Compatibility Games Come To Your Phone Via Game Pass Ultimate Streaming

Xbox’s backwards compatibility program is growing again, as Microsoft has announced that select titles from the library will be playable on Xbox Cloud Gaming–the service formerly known as xCloud–starting today, March 31. Subscribers to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate program can now play 16 titles from across the original Xbox and Xbox 360 on an Android device.

In a blog post, Microsoft said adding games from previous generations to Xbox Cloud Gaming was one of the most requested features for the program to date. Games like Banjo-Kazooie, Fable II, Fallout: New Vegas, Perfect Dark, Oblivion, and Kameo are now playable via xCloud with a controller. Games like Viva Pinata and Jetpac Refuelled, meanwhile, have touch controls baked in so you don’t need a controller at all.

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What’s more, all of the games will include any past saves you might have from over the years, while there is also multiplayer support through Xbox Live Xbox Network.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members have xCloud included in their subscriptions. Members also get all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, which includes free games every month in addition to the catalog of hundreds of Game Pass titles playable on console and PC.

Xbox Game Pass Backwards Compatibility xCloud Games

  • Banjo-Kazooie
  • Banjo-Tooie
  • Double Dragon Neon
  • Fable II
  • Fallout: New Vegas
  • Gears of War 2
  • Gears of War 3
  • Gears of War: Judgment
  • Jetpac Refuelled (touch controls enabled)
  • Kameo
  • Perfect Dark
  • Perfect Dark Zero
  • The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
  • Viva Piñata (touch controls enabled)
  • Viva Piñata: TIP (touch controls enabled)

For more games to play on Xbox One or Xbox Series X this month, check out our guides to the best Xbox One games of all time and the best Xbox Series X games available so far. Plus, Game Pass subscribers should check out the best games available with Xbox Game Pass right now. To play those games and take advantage of this month’s Games with Gold freebies, new subscribers can get their first month for $1.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

Stranger Things Season 4 Still Has No Netflix Release Date, But Will

While we do know that Stranger Things Season 4 is likely to be the darkest and scariest yet from the Netflix series, a new interview with actor Gaten Matarazzo by Collider is indicating that it may still be a while before anyone has any clue about its long-anticipated release date. Things had understandably gotten pretty quiet last year on the production front due to COVID-19, but co-creators the Duffer Brothers had explained how working remotely enabled the writing to get done first.

Matarazzo says the Duffer Brothers always intend to have a season completely written before it goes into production, and “This year, because of COVID, there’s no excuse for them not to have the [season] written completely.” Matarazzo added that the cast was able to go in for a table read in February 2020, and the expectation then was to go right into filming with only six episodes completed. As of this writing, that means they’ve gotten more than a year to polish, tighten, strengthen, and write their best version of Season 4.

As far as the release date everyone has impatiently been waiting for since Season 3 finished up in July of 2019, Matarazzo says, “There’s very few dates that are reliable… [due to the pandemic] we still don’t know day-to-day if we’re gonna be filming next week.” Matarazzo further explained that because of how staggered and unpredictable shoots have become, “there’s really no way to figure out when we’re gonna be wrapping.”

On the plus side, director Shawn Levy recently confirmed that “the quality of these screenplays are exceptional, maybe better than ever.” Matarazzo notes that the Duffer Brothers’s directing has also been thrilling: “They’ve been able to relish in directing in their day-to-day… it takes up their entire minds when they’re making this.” With the writing apparently now out of the way, when the cameras are rolling, Matarazzo says the Duffer Brothers “can focus on how they’re going to deliver. And I think it shows.”

In the meantime, you can check out some leaked photos from the set of Season 4.

Now Playing: The Stranger Things Cast Play “What’s A Stranger Thing?”

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Updated With Classic Killhouse Map

New maps have been added to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, including the classic Killhouse, despite Activision having seemingly ended support for the game after the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.

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The new maps in Modern Warfare’s rotation are Killhouse, Al-Raab Airbase (a 6v6 map), and Drainage (a new map for the Gunfight mode). There is also a new Killhouse 24/7 playlist for anyone looking to play on Killhouse constantly.

Killhouse is a classic COD map, and was originally featured in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and seen again in Modern Warfare Remastered as part of the Variety Map Pack. It’s based on the SAS killhouse, a mock battlefield used to train soldiers that is the setting for COD 4’s tutorial level.

Oddly, these new maps have been added without any fanfare from Activision. Take a look at the Call of Duty Twitter account, and there’s tweets referencing the latest Black Ops Cold War and Warzone updates, but nothing about Modern Warfare. It’s been down to fans and accounts like Call of Duty Tracker to let people know about the update.

For more from Call of Duty, check out the massive new Black Ops Cold War patch that reduces the game’s huge file size, or our round up of the top roofs in Verdansk (they all make great Warzone sniper spots).

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Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Tencent And Chinese Police Bust $76 Million Cheating Operation

One of the most lucrative video game cheating enterprises in history has been shut down, with the operation reportedly generating over $76 million in revenue prior to the bust.

As reported by the BBC, the cheating group, which called itself “Chicken Drumstick,” was raided in a collaborative operation between Chinese authorities and Tencent, the enormous conglomerate that also runs some of China’s biggest video game businesses. As part of the raid, more than $46 million in assets were seized, including several sports cars. It was headquartered in eastern China in the Jiangsu province, which is near Shanghai.

10 people were arrested as part of the operation, with police destroying “17 cheats,” though it’s unclear exactly what that means. They said users could pay $200 a month to access cheats, which were available for some of the most-popular games like Call of Duty: Mobile and Overwatch. Users were also able to pay a daily $10 rate to access the cheats, so at least those who had to play against cheaters can sleep knowing they were shelling out a ridiculous amount of money to win a Gun Game match.

Tencent’s involvement in this was likely because it owns Call of Duty: Mobile studio TiMi, despite the game itself still being published by Activision. Hundreds of countries were involved, according to local media reports. In addition to Call of Duty: Mobile, Tencent owns Riot Games, which created both League of Legends and Valorant. Given the very intense competitive nature of both games, keeping the playing field even is of the upmost importance.

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Netflix’s Animated Comedy The Mitchells Vs. The Machines Gets Hilarious New Trailer

Another trailer for The Mitchells vs. the Machines has been released. The animated Netflix movie is produced by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller and it releases on April 30.

The movie focuses on Katie, a teenage girl growing up in a somewhat eccentric family. But although the Mitchells might seem like dysfunctional outsiders most of the time, they are the only family brave enough to take on the technological uprising, as machines start to take over the world. Lord and Miller have already proved themselves masters of hilarious and surreal animated comedy with films like The Lego Movie and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and this is another must-watch. Check the trailer out below:

The Mitchells vs. the Machines is directed by Mike Rianda (Gravity Falls). The voice cast includes Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Charlyne Yi, Conan O’Brien, Sasheer Zamata, Elle Mills, Jay Pharoah, Alex Hirsch, and Griffin McElroy.

The movie was originally set for a theatrical release in October last year, but was delayed due to the pandemic. In January, it was announced that Netflix had picked up the rights.

Lord and Miller are also set to produce the sequel to Into the Spider-verse, which is currently scheduled for release in October 2022. It will be directed by Joaquim Dos Santos.