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Joe Biden, the former vice president of the United States of America, is currently campaigning to be the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election. In an interview with the New York Times, when asked about the expanding power of Silicon Valley during Obama’s time in office, Biden found himself discussing a meeting with “the leaders of Silicon Valley,” and one unnamed game creator evidently left a sour taste in his mouth.

“And you may recall, the criticism I got for meeting with the leaders in Silicon Valley, when I was trying to work out an agreement dealing with them protecting intellectual property for artists in the United States of America,” Biden says. “And at one point, one of the little creeps sitting around that table, was a multi- —close to a billionaire—who told me he was an artist because he was able to come up with games to teach you how to kill people…”

This off-hand comment is not the first time Biden has expressed a distaste for violent games. In 2013, as vice president, he spoke about the possibility of applying additional taxes to violent media. He was also seeking to meet with members of the games industry to discuss the links between games and gun violence, and an open letter published at the time implored him not to blame games for real-world violence.

An interviewer asks if he’s referring to video games, and Biden continues, “Yeah, video games. And I was lectured by one of the senior leaders there that by saying if I insisted on what Leahy’d put together and we were, I thought we were going to fully support, that they would blow up the network, figuratively speaking. Have everybody contact. They get out and go out and contact the switchboard, just blow it up.”

The “Leahy” line is likely a reference to Vermont senator Patrick Leahy, although the context is not entirely clear from Biden’s response.

Biden recalls that one of the Silicon Valley people he was meeting with described them as “the economic engine of America,” which he took issue with. “As I added up the seven outfits, everyone’s there but Microsoft. I said, you have fewer people on your payroll than all the losses that General Motors just faced in the last quarter, of employees. So don’t lecture me about how you’ve created all this employment.”

“The point is, there’s an arrogance about it, an overwhelming arrogance,” Biden said, referencing the idea that Silicon Valley was bolstering the economy.

It’s not clear which meeting, or developer, Biden is talking about. Kotaku has theorized several identities for the “creep,” but there’s no definitive answer.

Robert Downey Jr.’s first post-Avengers movie, a re-imagining of the Dr. Dolittle series–has come up short at the box office. The movie is projected to make $50 million worldwide this weekend, including $30 million in America and $20 million from international markets.

The movie had a reported budget of $175 million, and now a report claims the film could end up losing $100 million for Universal. Multiple film finance experts told The Wrap that they are modeling a $100 million loss for the movie.

This is bad news for Universal, which also produced the box office loser Cats. That film, which reportedly had a lower budget of between $90 million and $95 million, will lose around $70 million when all is said and done, according to the report.

As The Wrap reminds us, Dolittle has yet to open in 20 markets worldwide, including China, so the box office results are expected to get better over time. The movie could break even if those new markets overperform against expectations. The film also faces an uphill battle as it relates to reception, as the movie has a very low 27 rating on GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

Reports indicated that the budget ballooned for Dolittle due to reshoots, among other things. The film makes use of a lot of CGI as well, which surely came at no small expense.

The movie also features performances by Antonio Banderas, Emma Thompson, Michael Sheen, Rami Malek, John Cena, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Kumail Nanjiani, and Marion Cotillard.

Dolittle is directed by Oscar-winning directed Stephan Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana).

As for Downey Jr., he is rumoured to appear as Tony Stark/Iron Man in Black Widow this year, but after that, he is reportedly finished playing the character.

The Gears of War franchise’s most lauded feature is undoubtedly its cover-based combat. From the weighty movement and the satisfying slam into waist-high walls, to firing bullets into meaty humanoid monsters, the feeling of playing a Gears game is unique and distinct. But since the first game’s debut in 2006 the series has also built a strong narrative.

From the outside looking in, it may not be immediately evident what makes the Gears franchise so compelling from a story perspective, but the key to it is in the colorful cast of characters, each which drive the story forward and allow it to play with tone. In Season 2, Episode 4 of Audio Logs, Rod Fergusson–head of developer The Coalition–highlighted this as one of the defining features of the franchise.

“When I think about when people come to Gears, they come for the story. We’re given permission, because of the world we’ve built, to have this comic book sort of sensibilities. We can laugh at ourselves, we can make really bad jokes and have dark humor, we can have blockbuster action movie sequences … and then we can have sweet moments of sadness,” he said,

“The fact that we can go from big men with thick necks and all that stuff to a place where we’re able to play with that and make our storytelling more contemporary with greys instead of black and whites, can have more complex characters, more nuanced characters, and yet still bring out the emotion, and people are responding to the story is so meaningful to all of us.”

Perhaps the best representation of this strength is Jack, a helper bot introduced in the first game. Jack began life as a tool to open doors, but over time has become not only a vector for The Coalition’s narrative ambition but proof that the series’ story and characterization has as much depth as its gameplay.

Jack’s journey from helper to hero spans multiple games across the series’ 13 year existence. In that time Jack has changed significantly, becoming more functionally relevant for gameplay but also emotionally resonant for story. Gears 5 is the culmination of Jack’s arc and leverages the little-bot-that-could’s entire history for an impactful payoff. To guide us through the whole journey, Rod Fergusson dives into the creation of Jack, charts his evolution, and breaks down his role in the latest entry in the franchise.

Make sure you subscribe to GameSpot on YouTube for new episodes of Audio Logs Season 2 every Sunday. Thus far we’ve had Hideo Kojima and Yoji Shinkawa breaking down a pivotal scene from Death Stranding; Control director Mikael Kasurinen showing how the incredible Ashtray Maze was created; and Disco Elysium writer and designer Robert Kurvitz talking through the fascinating Thought Cabinet feature.

Technology giant Microsoft has announced a bold new plan to do its part to save the planet amid growing concerns about climate change. There are two key takeaways from this announcement, the first of which is that Microsoft is planning to become “carbon negative” by 2030. By 2050, the Xbox-maker also aims to remove all the carbon it has created as a company since its foundation in 1975.

Microsoft’s “aggressive program” plans to cut carbon emissions from its direct sources and from the chain of companies it works with to create its various products. Microsoft said it will create a $1 billion “climate innovation fund” to help with these efforts, and progress on all fronts will be detailed in a yearly Environmental Sustainability Report.

“We must begin to offset the damaging effects of climate change, and that’s what we are here to talk about today,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said. “The scientific consensus is clear. The world, today, is confronted with an urgent carbon crisis. If we don’t curb emissions and the temperatures continue to climb, the science tells us the results will be devastating.

“Each of us is going to need to take action, and that includes businesses. No one company can solve this macro challenge alone, but as a global technology company, we have a particular responsibility to do our part. That’s why today we’re announcing an ambitious new plan to help address the sustainability of our planet.”

Carbon negative, by Microsoft’s definition, means that a company is removing more carbon than it creates each year. “While it is imperative that we continue to avoid emissions, and these investments remain important, we see an acute need to begin removing carbon from the atmosphere, which we believe we can help catalyze through our investments,” Microsoft said.

Microsoft said it plans to make use of the “best available science and most accurate math” to make its decisions about sustainability. The company said it also plans to enact various measures to help both its suppliers and customers become more informed about best practices as it relates to reducing their carbon footprint. Additionally, Microsoft will use its platform as one of the world’s biggest companies to work with politicians and other agencies to “accelerate carbon reduction and removal opportunities.”

Lastly, Microsoft said it will create new opportunities for its employees to help with the company’s overall ambition to reduce its carbon footprint. Microsoft is among the largest employers on planet Earth, as it has nearly 150,000 employees worldwide.

Microsoft is producing 825,000 carbon-neutral Xbox game consoles as part of a pilot program that represents the first gaming consoles in history to bear that designation. “We love Xboxes, but we all know that an Xbox works only when it’s plugged in, and it’s using electricity,” Microsoft president Brad Smith said in a statement.

As for Sony, the company has said the PlayStation 5 will be more environmentally friendly.

You can visit Microsoft’s website to see a detailed breakdown of how the company will go about reducing its carbon footprint.

In 2019, the United Nations announced an initiative called “Playing for the Planet,” which saw gaming giants like Microsoft, Sony, Ubisoft, and Niantic announce plans to work together to come up with best practices for reducing the environmental impact of the video game industry. Nintendo is missing from the alliance but the company already operate an Environment Committee at the company’s headquarters in Japan, while each of its overseas subsidiaries have their own committees that look into environmental impact in their regions.

In total, the efforts undertaken by the 21 game companies is estimated to result in a “30 million ton reduction of CO2 emissions by 2030.” Additionally, “millions” of trees will be planted, while game companies will enact practices to do better in the areas of “energy management, packaging, and device recycling.”

A researcher in Australia is trying to further analyze the impact on the environmental impact of the gaming industry and also learn what game developers think about climate change and sustainability.

Ahead of its Season 1 debut, the upcoming comedy series Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet was renewed for a second season on Apple TV+. During the TCA winter press tour, Apple revealed that the comedy series about game developers has been renewed before its February 7 debut on the streaming service.

The series comes from Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Megan Ganz, the minds behind FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. A trailer for the show was recently released, which you can check out below.

McElhenney stars in Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet as Ian Grimm, the creative director of a video game company whose prized game is an MMORPG. He is joined by the ensemble cast of F. Murray Abraham (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Danny Pudi (Community), Imani Hakim (Cam), Charlotte Nicdao (Thor: Ragnarok), David Hornsby (It’s Always Sunny), Ashly Burch (Life is Strange), and Jessie Ennis (Love).

February’s first season will consist of nine, half-hour episode, all of which will drop on the same day. To keep up with more news from the TCA winter press tour, check out some of GameSpot’s coverage below.

More from the TCA winter press tour:

Back in September, Apple announced the upcoming launch of its streaming service, which would consist of only original content. One of the highlights from the announcement was Steven Spielberg revealing Amazing Stories, his upcoming show on Apple TV+. Now, Apple has revealed when Amazing Stories will hit the service.

During the TCA winter press tour, it was revealed that Amazing Stories will debut on Friday, March 6. The anthology series will star Dylan O’Brien (Maze Runner), Victoria Pedretti (Haunting of Hill House), Josh Holloway (Lost) Sasha Alexander (Shameless), and Robert Forster in various episodes throughout the series.

Each episode will be a brand-new story featuring talent from different corners of filmmaking. Episode directors include Chris Long (The Americans), Mark Mylod (Game of Thrones), Michael Dinner (Sneaky Pete), Susanna Fogel (Utopia), and Sylvain White (Stomp the Yard). In addition to the release date, a photo from an episode was revealed as well. Check it out below.

Photo: Amazing Stories/Apple TV+

The image above is from the episode titled “The Rift,” which will be directed by Mylod and stars Kerry Lynn Bishe, Whitney Coleman, Trisha Mashburn, Austin Stowell, Edward Burns and Juliana Canfield. The series is executive produced by Spielberg, Eddy Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Long, Don Kurt and David H. Goodman. Kitsis and Horowitz will serve as showruners.

“Amazing Stories is a beloved show that has captured our imaginations, and we couldn’t be more excited to share its next thrilling iteration with a global audience of all ages on Apple TV+,” said Matt Cherniss, head of development for Apple TV+.

Amazing Stories on Apple TV+ is a revamp of Speilberg’s 1985 series of the same name, which lasted two seasons. The sci-fi stories featured big-name directors, like Martin Scorsese, but ultimately, it did not have the ratings to move forward.

This revival of the TV show will have five episodes drop on March 6. It’s unknown how long each episode will be at the time of this writing.