The Last of Us 2’s Laura Bailey and Neil Druckmann Respond to Online Threats

Naughty Dog, the studio behind The Last of Us Part 2, as well as Abby’s voice actor Laura Bailey and director Neil Druckmann, have responded to the online harassment and death threats they have received following the game’s release.

Laura Bailey took to Twitter on July 3 to share some of the horrible messages she has received since The Last of Us Part 2 was released on June 19, 2020.

Alongside images of some of the responses, Bailey said “Man. I try to only post positive stuff on here… but sometimes this just gets a little overwhelming. I blacked out some of the words cuz, ya know, spoilers. Side note. Thank you to all the people sending me positive messages to balance it out. It means more than I can say.”

The response was overwhelmingly positive, and rightfully so, with many around the industry and beyond showing support for Bailey. So much so, she responded by thanking all those who did.

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“Damn,” Bailey said. “The amount of encouraging responses to this… I’ve always believed that good people far outweigh the bad. Thanks for reminding me of that today.”

Earlier today, July 5, Naughty Dog took to Twitter to condemn “any form of harassment or threats directed towards our team and cast.”

“Although we welcome critical discussion, we condemn any form of harassment or threats directed towards our team and cast. Their safety is our top priority, but we must all work together to root out this type of behavior and maintain a constructive and compassionate discourse.”

An hour later, The Last of Us Part 2’s director Neil Druckmann shared some of the hate he has been getting.

“You can love or hate the game and share your thoughts about it,” Druckmann said. “Unfortunately too many of the messages I’ve been getting are vile, hateful, & violent. Here are just a handful of them (feel it’s important to expose.) Trigger Warning: transphobic, homophobic, anti-Semitic, etc.”

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The shining light in all this darkness is the support from those around the internet that has drowned out all this hatred. There is simply no place for it.

Unfortunately for all the haters, The Last of Us Part 2, besides setting a new gold standard for accessibility in games, has become the fastest-selling PlayStation 4 exclusive ever.

In our review of The Last of Us Part 2, in which we gave it a 10/10, we said it “is a masterpiece that evolves the gameplay, cinematic storytelling, and rich world design of the original in nearly every way.”

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who wishes people would be better. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The World Ends With You Anime Will Premiere Next Year, Here’s The First Trailer

The World Ends With You, the cult-classic Nintendo DS 2008 RPG that received an updated Switch port in 2018, is getting an anime, and now the first trailer is here to show off its fantastic art style. The trailer, released as part of Anime Expo Live, reveals that this is a pretty direct adaptation of the anime.

The trailer has launched alongside an updated website, which reveals the character designs and plot details–albeit in Japanese. The series is set to debut next year.

You can watch the trailer for The World Ends With You: The Animation below. Production is being handled by Domerica and Shin-El Animation.

The art style should be familiar to fans of the game.

A story synopsis is also available on the trailer’s YouTube page, and just like the game it’s about a seven-day “Reaper’s Game” in Shibuya, Tokyo. The main character, Neku, has to team up with teenage girl Shiki to defeat monsters and uncover the truth behind the mysterious alternate dimension the characters find themselves in.

We still don’t know several details about this anime, including whether a dub is planned and how many episodes we can expect.

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Doom Eternal Devs Promise A Switch Release Date Soon And A Polished Port

Doom Eternal launched earlier this year on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia, but the promised Switch port has not yet come out. Considering the quality of the first game’s Switch port, expectations are high for the sequel, but a release date still hasn’t been announced. According to the game’s producers, that’s set to change soon.

In an interview with Gamereactor, picked up on by Nintendo Everything, Id Software’s Marty Stratton and Hugo Martin have promised that more news on the port, which is being handled by Switch port specialists Panic Button, will be revealed before too long. “We’ll be talking about the release date pretty soon,” Stratton said. “We haven’t announced that yet – I can’t do that now. It’s really made great progress.”

Stratton, who calls the other console versions of the game a “feather in the cap” of Id Software’s tech team, believes that the Switch version will be similarly impressive on Nintendo’s scaled-down hardware. “I think it’ll be every bit as good as Doom 2016 was, and I’m super excited for people to get it,” he says.

Stratton, who says that the first Doom port “felt a little bit like an experiment,” believes that the port of its sequel will hold up against other versions. “We’re really not watering it down at all,” he says. “People can expect the full experience.”

Doom remains one of the most impressive ports on Switch, and port studios are growing more confident. XCOM 2 Collection studio Virtuos recently said that just about any game from the current console generation can be made to work on the system.

Other AAA games to receive Switch ports recently include Catherine: Full Body, The Outer Worlds, Burnout Paradise Remastered, and BioShock: The Collection.

Now Playing: DOOM On Switch Video Review

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BioShock Creator’s New Game Has “Some Weird Sh**” In It

Take-Two is reviving the BioShock franchise, but series creator, designer, and writer Ken Levine is not working on it. He’s instead working on a different, more experimental project within Take-Two. The project has been in the works for years, but it remains unannounced and largely a mystery.

Speaking at the GameLab 2020 event, Levine shared a few further teases about his new game, while he also offered a wider outlook on his thoughts on game design and production.

“I can’t really talk about the new game, but there’s some weird sh** in that game,” he said.

Also during the talk, Levine said he has come to his team with some “out-there” ideas. He’ll then workshop these ideas with the game’s producers to create something that’s more practically possible.

“If you don’t have people saying that sounds a little insane, you haven’t gone close enough to the edge,” Levine said. “The great stuff exists on the edge of over the top and just OK. So sometimes you gotta push past that point and make something outrageous and ridiculous, and then pull it back but if you don’t go to the outrageous and the ridiculous, you never know where that boundary is. You gotta sometimes go past it. You gotta go into the office and tell people things and they’re going to look at you like you’re insane. But then you sort of bring it back to something you can actually accomplish.”

Levine added: “I just want to keep the player going, going, going. I want to respect their time. I also don’t want to put things in front of them because if they find something, versus having it put in their face, they’re going to feel a lot more ownership over that moment.”

For Levine’s new game, which is in development at Ghost Story Games in the Boston area, Levine said he’s fortunate to be in a position where Take-Two isn’t forcing him to work on a strict schedule.

“Fortunately, I’m in a position now where … the kinds of deadlines I used to face when I was younger are different now. I’ve built up a little trust with Take-Two, and they sort of give me a little more leeway,” he said.

That being said, Levine stressed that he still worries about dates and timelines and budget issues. Deadlines and budgets are important because they can help a team hone in on a particular path, he said.

“I do worry about dates, and I do worry about times, because I do believe it’s important … If you get an infinite amount of time, infinite amounts of time and money, I think that can be a real problem for a creative director because that creates a kind of paralysis,” he said. “You want to have milestones you’re working towards, you want to have people around you who are reminding you of these things pointing out the tradeoffs. I never want to have a producer who says you can’t do that.”

As the president of Ghost Story Games, Levine is also responsible for the financial health of his company, and this is a further level of stress and concern, he said.

“If it’s not great it’s not worth it,” Levine explained. “You can save a lot of money by making not-great things, and then you’re not going to save a lot of money. You’re going to lose a lot of money. How you figure out that alchemy … that’s the job.”

Now Playing: Narrative Legos with Ken Levine – GDC 2014

Professor Layton 3, Which Is Maybe The Best One, Coming To Mobile Soon

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (known as Professor Layton and the Lost Future in some territories) has been announced for mobile devices, bringing the now 10-year-old puzzle game to a wider audience. The game, which originally launched on the Nintendo DS, will be updated with HD visuals for mobile devices.

The Professor Layton Twitter account announced the game’s impending release, and it’s not far off at all. It’s due to release on July 13, and the game’s name will depend on your region. It’s coming to both iOS and mobile, and a new site details the game’s improved graphics and beloved story.

The game follows Professor Layton and Luke in a time-travelling adventure, in which the two team up with an older Luke from the future to prevent something terrible from occurring. It was well-received at launch, and is regarded by many as the best game in the series.

The first two Layton games are available on mobile, as well as Layton’s Mystery Journey, starring Professor Layton’s daughter Katrielle Layton. That game debuted on mobile before making its way to the 3DS and Switch. Spin-off Layton Brothers Mystery Room, meanwhile, remains a mobile exclusive.

A price has not been announced, but previous games in the series have generally launched at $16 on the App Store.

GameSpot gave the game an 8.5/10 on DS back in 2010. “Whether you fancy obliterating the many brainteasers or just getting by with the minimum, one truth will remain clear: The gentleman’s sport of solving a puzzle will never go out of style,” wrote reviewer Bethany Massimilla–and that certainly remains the case.

Now Playing: Professor Layton and the Unwound Future Trailer

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PUBG Mobile Passes $3 Billion In Revenue From Microtransactions

The mobile version of the free-to-play battle royale game PUBG has crossed a new sales milestone. Research firm Sensor Tower reports that the Tencent-developed battle royale game has passed $3 billion in lifetime revenue.

PUBG Mobile has brought in an estimated $1.3 billion so far in 2020–March 2020 was the highest month on record with $270 million alone. This uptick in microtransaction sales is thought to be fueled in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is keeping people at home playing more games.

The $3 billion in lifetime microtransaction revenue for PUBG Mobile includes the western game, which is called PUBG Mobile, and the Chinese edition that is called Game For Peace.

Game For Peace is PUBG’s biggest edition as it relates to microtransaction sales. The game has generated $1.6 billion in lifetime microtransaction revenue, which is 52 percent of its total. The US is the second biggest single market for PUBG Mobile, followed by Japan.

The iOS edition is the biggest for microtransaction sales, making up 79 percent of total spending, compared to 21 percent on Google Play. More people have the game on Google’s store, however, as 65 percent of the 734 million global downloads are on Android compared to 35 percent on iOS.

PUBG Mobile is far and away the biggest mobile game on the planet as it relates to microtransactions. Its $1.2 billion for the first half of 2020 is more that 4X the amount of money that Garena Free Fire made this year ($300 million), and significantly ahead of the game Knives Out ($260 million so far in 2020) and Call of Duty: Mobile ($220 million so far in 2020).

Revenue numbers for Fortnite‘s mobile edition were not mentioned in Sensor Tower’s report.

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Sleeping Dogs Movie Adaptation Might Start Shooting Soon, Says Star Donnie Yen

Sleeping Dogs looks to be moving ahead with its film adaptation, which was announced back in 2017 but has not started production yet. The film, based on the 2012 game by United Front Games and Square Enix London Studios, might begin shooting soon.

The movie, which we’ve heard little about since 2018, will star Donnie Yen (Ip Man, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as Wei Shen, the game’s protagonist. Yen has posted an update to his Weibo account, which was picked up on by Niko Partners senior analyst Daniel Ahmad on Twitter. In it, he teases that he is working on a new movie, and he uses the hashtag “#sleepingdog”.

Unless this is, by some huge coincidence, a relevant term to another movie he’s attached to, he’s likely referring to this video game adaptation.

The Sleeping Dogs franchise never really took off, despite the first game being well-received. A spin-off, Triad Wars, was cancelled during its beta, and United Front Games shut down in 2016. The game received a re-release on PS4 and Xbox One, but never got a sequel.

The movie could still be a while away, with no director, or cast aside from Donnie Yen, announced yet.

While many films have delayed production or release due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s at least one more major video game adaptation due in cinemas in 2020, with Paul WS Anderson’s Monster Hunter due September 3.

Now Playing: Quick Look: Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition

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First-Party Nintendo Switch Games Get Rare Discounts In New GameStop Sale

GameStop has been hosting a bunch of sales over the past couple of months, but most of them have centered on PS4 and Xbox One games. That changes with the Game Days Sale, a week-long event running through July 11 that features rare discounts on Nintendo Switch exclusives, including Super Mario Maker 2 and Yoshi’s Crafted World. PS4 and Xbox One games are prominently featured as well, though, making Game Days one of the most comprehensive GameStop sales of the year so far.

On Nintendo Switch, five first-party exclusives that normally go for $60 are discounted to $40: Super Mario Maker 2, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Yoshi’s Crafted World, Splatoon 2, and Mario Tennis Aces.

6479314 – Nintendo Switch games – GameStop Game Days Sale

Select third-party Switch games are also on sale. Ubisoft’s Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is down to $20, Team Sonic Racing is $30, and Just Dance 2020 is $20. You can snag the Assassin’s Creed: The Rebel Collection for $20 and Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath Collection for $40 (available on PS4/Xbox One, too). The Witcher 3’s Complete edition is down to $50 on Switch. Though that’s only a $10 savings, we rarely see it for less than full price. Meanwhile, Metro Redux, which released on Switch earlier this year, is on sale for $35.

A couple of PS4 exclusives are on sale for stellar prices as well, with Persona 5 Royal and The Yakuza Remastered Collection discounted to $40. The former released earlier this year and earned a 10/10 in GameSpot’s Persona 5 Royal review, while the latter contains three great Yakuza games.

There are plenty of multi-platform PS4 and Xbox One games in the Game Days sale, too. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is down to $30, Red Dead Redemption 2 is $40, and Borderlands 3 is $20. You can also pick up Borderlands: The Handsome Collection and Borderlands: Game of the Year edition for $15 each to round out your Borderlands library. A few games released this year are going for less than usual, including Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot for $40 and the open-world shark attack game Maneater for $30.

While the sale focuses on games, you can also save on GameStop’s huge assortment of collectibles. Select Nintendo, Pokemon, Fortnite, and Minecraft collectibles are 20% off. All Funko Pops are buy three, get one free, and T-shirts are buy one, get one free.

You can check out the full Game Days sale at GameStop and see some of the best game deals below.

Best deals in GameStop’s Game Days sale

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Independence Day President Bill Pullman Urges Americans to Wear Masks

“We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight!”

Actor Bill Pullman, famous for playing the president who helped kick alien butt in 1996’s Independence Day, was part of a pro-mask public service announcement from theater chain Alamo Drafthouse that dropped over the weekend, where he urged Americans to wear “freedom masks” for the safety of others.

Why “freedom mask?” Because, as Pullman puts it, the more everyone wears masks out in public places, the closer we all get to having the freedom to go out to public places like bars, restaurants, schools, and (most importantly, he jokes) movie theaters. Take a look…

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Pullman has starred in movies like Spaceballs, Sleepless in Seattle, The Last Seduction, and Lost Highway – and can be seen these days as the star of USA’s Jessica Biel-produced mystery series, The Sinner.

In other movie news, Tessa Thompson spoke about Marvel embracing diversity in the MCU’s Phase 4, Danny Glover gave up a few clues about the plot of the Lethal Weapon revival, and Sylvester Stallone confirmed that he’s working on a Director’s Cut of Rocky IV.

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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.