iPhone 11 preorders are now live, with the phone due to be released on September 20. The device features a brand new camera, increased battery capacity, and a new range of colourful designs. If you are interested in the new handset, there are plenty of preorder deals now available to purchase in anticipation of release day.
For example, all iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max pay monthly purchases from Carphone Warehouse will come with a £50 eGift card. There’s also a £10 voucher available for anyone preordering the iPhone 11 SIM-free.
Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War co-director Joe Russo has said that he believes Sony is making a “tragic mistake” by ending its collaboration with Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios.
Talking to the Toronto Sun as part of a larger conversation about their upcoming new film Mosul, directors Anthony and Joe Russo answered questions regarding their work at Marvel. Joe Russo pointed out that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has been important to bringing Spider-Man’s new incarnation to the big screen, and that Sony is making a mistake ceasing its contract.
Around a decade after its original release, Minecraft continues to grow and reach astonishing new player records. According to Business Insider, the game reached a new monthly player milestone.
As of this week, the open-ended sandbox game has more than 112 million monthly players. This is up substantially from the 91 million monthly players that Microsoft announced in October 2018. The numbers count players on all platforms: console, PC, mobile, and others.
Minecraft still receives regular updates, while the game was added to Xbox Game Pass in April 2019; this no doubt helped expand the footprint of the popular game even further.
Minecraft boss Helen Chiang told Business Insider that Minecraft is a game that people enjoy coming back to again and again. “It may not always be the one that’s in the forefront, because there are a lot of great games that continue to come out, but it’s one that they love to return to,” Chiang said.
Microsoft acquired the Minecraft franchise and developer Mojang in 2014 for $2.5 billion. Series creator Markus “Notch” Persson is no longer involved with the franchise. He spent $70 million on a Beverly Hills mansion, outbidding Beyonce and Jay-Z for the home.
Looking ahead, a Minecraft movie is on the way. Writer Allison Schroeder (Hidden Figures, Frozen 2) was hired to pen the latest draft of the screenplay The Minecraft movie is scheduled for release in theatres on March 4, 2022. There is no word yet on if it will be animation or live action, or a hybrid, nor do we know who may star in it. At one point, Steve Carell was apparently connected to the project, though it’s unclear if that’s still the case.
The next new Minecraft game is the AR title Minecraft Earth, which is scheduled to release later this year.
Actor Orlando Bloom’s very first major movie role was none other than Legolas in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. He’s now revealed how much he was paid for the 2001 fantasy film, and it might be lower than you would think. He appeared on The Howard Stern Show recently where he said he was paid $175,000 for the first movie.
“Nothing, I got nothing. 175 grand . . . Listen, greatest gift of my life. Are you kidding me? I’d do it again for half the money,” he said, as reported by Metro UK.
Bloom, who originally auditioned for a smaller role, Faramir, added that he re-negotiated for more money for The Two Towers and The Return of the King. “I was in a good spot. They negotiated pretty well for me to buy a couple of houses; it was that kind of money,” he said, according to The Playlist.
Bloom went on to play Legolas again in The Hobbit trilogy, and presumably he was able to negotiate for a good sum. Bloom currently stars in the Amazon show Carnival Row alongside Cara Delevingne.
Borderlands 3 launched on PC as an Epic Games Store exclusive, a decision that generated some amount of controversy. Now, Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford has revealed that the PC version of Borderlands 3 is off to a tremendous start.
The executive said the number of peak concurrent players–that is, the highest number of people playing at the same time–is around double the all-time peak concurrent player record set by Borderlands 2. “WoW! You guys are great!” Pitchford exclaimed.
The launch-day peak concurrent user milestone didn’t stand for long, as Borderlands 3 grew even larger in the days after release, Pitchford said.
“This greatly exceeds expectations, and our systems seem to be holding strong!” Pitchford said about the record-breaking numbers.
Fun Fact: On PC, the data is that the launch day peak concurrent players of Borderlands 3 is about *twice-as-high* as the all time peak concurrent players of Borderlands 2. WOW! You guys are great!
Somehow, today’s concurrent player numbers are *higher* than yesterday’s record breaking numbers. This greatly exceeds expectations, and our systems seem to be holding strong!
Borderlands 3 is exclusive on PC to the Epic Games Store until April 2020, at which time it may launch on Steam and other digital storefronts.
There is no word on how the PS4 and Xbox One versions of Borderlands 3 are performing from a user perspective, but more information should become available in due course.
The 2008 Xbox Live Arcade classic is out now on Xbox One, and this week Switch owners can enjoy the beat-’em-up action in four-player co-op or take each other on in the arena. This remaster includes the original game, plus all of its DLC, all running at 60 FPS. There’s also a new mini-game called Back Off Barbarian.
More Coverage:
Puzzle Quest: The Legend Returns — September 19
Available on: Switch
For the uninitiated, Puzzle Quest is an RPG where you battle foes by playing a match-three puzzle game. Once you choose a class, you can cast spells and make attacks based on combinations of colored gems as you clear the board. The Legend Returns includes the original game and all previous expansions, plus a brand-new one titled Attack of the Golem Lord.
More Coverage:
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening — September 20
Available on: Switch
This is a full-on remake of Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy. While it offers the same story and dungeons across Koholint Island, there’s also a completely fresh art style, reimagined soundtrack, and even a special dungeon editor. Tap an Amiibo, and you can unlock extra mini-games and chambers for that dungeon-builder. Tap the Link’s Awakening Amiibo specifically, and you’ll summon Shadow Link.
More Coverage:
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered — September 20
Available on: PS4, PC
Ni no Kuni’s Studio Ghibli-inspired visuals were already impressive when the original released in 2010–the beloved studio actually animated the game’s cinematic cut scenes–but the remaster somehow looks even better, running at 60 FPS. Otherwise it’s the same RPG from nearly a decade ago. Speaking of which, the original Ni no Kuni (not the remaster) is also headed to Nintendo Switch on September 20.
More Coverage:
Untitled Goose Game — September 20
Available on: PC, Switch
As the name says, this game is about a goose, and that goose’s mission is to bother the citizens of a small village. You’ll do that by running around, flapping your wings, honking, grabbing items, and generally causing mischief. Oh, and this is a stealth game at its core. Why, what were you expecting?
More Coverage:
There’s still more games to come this month. Next week, New Releases will shine the spotlight on some soccer with FIFA 20 and turn up the action with Code Vein and The Surge 2.
The latest PPV from WWE, Clash of Champions, is over, and there were plenty of surprises during the evening. Luke Harper returned to the ring to help out Erick Rowan during his battle with Roman Reigns. However, the biggest wow moment of the night is when “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt showed up after Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman, and The Fiend beat up Rollins for a few minutes. You can find the full results for the show below.
Today is the day when the latest WWE PPV rolls into your homes. It’s Clash of Champions, airing on traditional pay-per-view and the WWE Network. This is a WWE event where every major title is on line, so we could see a few title changes during the course of the evening.
If you’re interested in checking out Clash of Champions, you can watch the event for yourself on PPV through your cable or satellite provider or watch via the WWE Network. If you’re a new subscriber, you can sign up for one month for free, and cancel at any time. The service costs $10 a month if you enjoy it and choose to continue your subscription.
Check out the full match card below and our predictions for the event here. At the time of this writing, there’s no confirmation about which match or matches will be on the Kickoff.
WWE Clash of Champions Match Card:
Drew Gulak (c) vs. Humberto Carrillo vs. Lince Dorado (Cruiserweight Championship)
AJ Styles (c) vs. Cedric Alexander (United States Championship)
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. The Miz (Intercontinental Championship)
Big E & Xavier Woods (c) vs. The Revival (Smackdown Tag Team Championship)
Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross (c) vs. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville (Women’s Tag Team Championship)
Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman vs. (c) Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode (Raw Tag Team Championship)
Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (Smackdown Women’s Championship)
Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan (No DQ Match)
Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Randy Orton (WWE Championship)
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women’s Championship)
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Braun Strowman (Universal Championship)
Check out the up-to-the-minute live coverage below.
As the weather starts to (hopefully) cool, the scent of pumpkin spice fills the air, and Halloween decorations flood grocery store shelves, it’s time for champions to clash!
Lock it in here all evening – and follow me over at @TheMattFowler for some live-tweeting – for fast and fun live match results from WWE’s Clash of Champions PPV. Becky Lynch will defend her RAW Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks, Bayley will try to save her SmackDown Women’s Championship from being nabbed by Charlotte Flair, and Kofi Kingston puts his WWE Championship up against Randy Orton.
For a sneak peek at what’s happening in the world of televised wrestling outside the WWE, check out our promo for AEW ahead of its TNT debut:
