Gather your horde of level one slimes to find out what's arriving to Netflix this week. A classic video game series is getting an animated movie this week, but that's not all that's coming to the streaming service. There are plenty of movies, TV shows, and original series arriving as well. Check out the full list of releases below along with some recommendations.The biggest release of the week is the Square Enix and Netflix film Dragon Quest: Your Story. Arriving on Tuesday, the CG animated movie retells the story of 1992's Dragon Quest V. And it tells the story of Ruka--formerly called Hero in the game--who escapes the life of a slave and heads to the underworld to find his deceased mother. Of course, Ruka will have a lot of help, including the classic Dragon Quest slime. Last year, there was a Japanese trailer for the film, and there are a lot of familiar faces from the Dragon Quest series, including golems.The hit Netflix original series Narcos returns with its spinoff Narcos: Mexico for a second season on Thursday. This show explores the origins and rise of the Guadalajara Cartel in Mexico during the 1980s. The series has a stellar cast including Diego Luna (Star Wars: Rogue One), Michael Peña (Ant-Man), Alyssa Diaz (Ray Donovan), and Matt Letscher (The Flash). Recently, a trailer for the new season was released, and it looks intense.If you're looking to rewatch something classic, then look no further than Starship Troopers, arriving on Saturday. The film--which is one part parody of American wartime propaganda news reels and one part big budget sci-fi--follows a young man and his friends, as they enlist in the military and go to war with giant alien bugs, halfway across the galaxy. It's a bit goofy but knows it's a silly movie, and that's half the fun of Starship Troopers. Does it hold up? Yes, but you'll have to have a strong suspension of disbelief for the CG alien bugs, as it doesn't look as cool as you remember.Below, you'll find everything coming to Netflix this week. If you're interested in more movies on Netflix, check out some of directors Bong Joon Ho's films on the streaming service. Netflix News Netflix's Locke And Key: The 19 Biggest Changes From The Comics Netflix's Locke And Key: 31 Comics And Horror Easter Eggs In Episode 1 Finally, Netflix Has A Way To Stop That Pesky Autoplay Netflix's Locke And Key Review: Unlocking A Lighter Side Of The Horror Comic What's new on Netflix this week?Sunday, February 9Better Call Saul: Season 4Captain Underpants Epic Choice-o-RamaPolaroidTuesday, February 11Good TimeCAMINO A ROMAQ BallWednesday, February 12Anna KareninaTo All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love YouThursday, February 13Dragon Quest Your StoryLove is BlindNarcos: Mexico: Season 2Friday, February 14Cable Girls: Final SeasonIsi & OssiA Shaun the Sheep Movie: FarmageddonSaturday, February 15Starship Troopers Info from Gamespot.com

With 16 seasons and just over four years of improvements under its hood, few games can match the staggering amount of dedication that’s gone into crafting one of the most popular shooters in gaming, Rainbow Six Siege. Originally released in December 2015, it recently hit a milestone, seeing its community soar to over 50 million players last fall.Part of the reason it keeps such an engaged audience is that it’s a shooter unlike any other on the market. Like most tactical FPS games, there’s a very low TTK (time-to-kill), meaning that one wrong move can leave you out of the game and waiting for the next round. While it may seem intimidating, it allows for some extremely tense, yet rewarding on the fly decision making . Let’s say you spot an enemy crossing a far-off hallway: do you take your time and line up a headshot, hoping they return, or do you send out a drone to do some recon on their whereabouts? What if there’s only 30 seconds left in the round? Think you’ve got the objective locked down from the attackers? With destructible walls and windows, good luck holding down positions from every angle. You can punch through walls, blow holes in the ceiling, even throw grenades through narrow openings. With its elimination gameplay, where every kill changes the entire dynamic of a round, Rainbow Six Siege is one of the most popular esports thanks to the skilled competitors and the potential of a clutch 1v5 comeback in almost every match. But it’s not all reaction time and ambushes. Most of the time, it comes down to which team has the better strategy, and there’s no way to better exemplify strategy in Rainbow Six Siege than rounding out your team with operators that complement one another. Originally launching with 21 operators, Siege has grown a lot in the last four years, currently boasting with a whopping 53 characters to choose from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, the operator Sledge is good at creating new entryways in unreinforced walls, but he's countered by Pulse who can detect heartbeats through walls. And over the last four years, the tactical strategies have increased with each new character. It’s this kind of checks-and-balances gameplay design that has given Rainbow Six Siege a competitive edge amongst its contemporaries in the esports scene. The Pro League is the definitive source to find the best Rainbow Six Siege players in the world, and its tournaments frequently draw in millions of viewers who tune in, not just for the insane reaction speed on display, but their decision making under pressure and round-saving gadget usage at the perfect moments. With so many different variables to consider at any given time, it’s no wonder Rainbow Six Siege is considered to have one of the highest skill ceilings in esports.With new maps, operators, weapons, and more being added every season, Rainbow Six Siege is showing no signs of slowing down. Info from Gamespot.com

The Academy Awards--the biggest night for movies--ended with the smallest telecast viewership ever in the history of the ceremony. The numbers are in, and the live TV ratings on ABC show that 23.6 million people tuned for the ceremony, which ran for 3 hours and 35 minutes.This is down 20 percent compared to the 29.6 million people who tuned in for 2019's show, according to numbers crunched by Deadline.While the 2020 Oscars viewership numbers have fallen, the show remained the most-watched non-sport entertainment special on TV since last year's Oscars. The 23.6 million people who watched this year is above the ratings for this year's Grammy Awards (18.7 million) and the Golden Globes (18.3 million). By comparison, this year's Super Bowl drew 99.9 million viewers on live TV.The ratings for the Oscars have fallen every year since 2014, when 43.7 million people tuned in to see 12 Years A Slave win Best Picture. Also of note is that these numbers are for the traditional linear TV broadcast stream only. The Oscars also are broadcast online, so these viewership numbers likely only reflect a percentage of the total viewership. In an attempt to improve ratings, the Oscars considered a big change in 2019 with a new "Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film" category that would have given an award to the kind of big-budget, blockbuster movies that the Academy does not often recognize. However, this category was axed before the 2019 Oscars, and there are no plans to implement it in the future.2020's Best Picture winner was Parasite, which made history at the event as the first non-English language movie to win the top honor. Parasite won a total of four Academy Awards, while Joker was also a big winner, with Joaquin Phoenix taking home Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as the title character. The Martin Scorsese Netflix movie, The Irishman, was the biggest loser of the night, as it won no awards despite receiving 10 nominations.For more on the 92nd Academy Awards, check out GameSpot's full rundown of all the winners.Info from Gamespot.com

The PS5 may be out at the end of this year, but there are a lot of great PS4 games that you can play right now, not to mention highly anticipated exclusives like Final Fantasy VII Remake, The Last of Us Part II, and Ghost of Tsushima that are set for release before the next-gen console. Thankfully, you can snag a PS4 at a pretty great price these days. The three best deals we've seen in a while come from reputable electronics Ebay sellers Antonline and RushHourWholesaler. These deals are for brand-new products and include free shipping, as do all of Ebay's official deals.The PS4 Slim bundle costs $235, down from $331, and comes with The Last of Us Remastered, God of War, and Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition as well as three months of PlayStation Plus. PS Plus comes with free games every month and also gives you access to online multiplayer.The PS4 Pro bundle costs $300 and comes with Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition and Nioh. Nioh 2 releases this March, so it's the perfect time to catch up with the original game. The PS4 Pro also gives you the best experience, offering multiple modes that prioritize performance and resolution respectively. You can also get a PS4 Pro by itself for $285 from the same seller.There are limited quantities available, so don't wait if you've been on the hunt for a cheap PS4.PS4 Slim 1TB Only on PlayStation bundle$235 ($300)The Only on PlayStation bundle comes with the PS4 Slim console and three games: The Last of Us Remastered, God of War, and Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition. This particular package also comes with three months of PlayStation Plus. See at Ebay PS4 Pro 1TB with Horizon Zero Dawn and Nioh$300 ($400)This special bundle comes with two of the console's best games: Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition and Nioh. The PS4 Pro offers superior performance over the PS4 Slim, so you'll be able to take advantage of special enhancements that improve the frame rate, graphics, and/or resolution depending on the game. See at Ebay PS4 Pro 1TB $285 ($400)If you already own Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition and Nioh, RushHourWholesaler is selling the PS4 Pro on its own for $285. See at Ebay PlayStation Plus 12-month membership$41.75 ($60)PlayStation Plus gives you access to free monthly games and online multiplayer. Neogames is selling a 12-month membership to PS Plus for $41.75. This is a digital code you'll receive via email within 24 hours. See at Ebay Best Deals This Week PSA: Resident Evil 3 Pre-Orders Are Discounted At Amazon (PS4, Xbox One) February 2020 PS Plus Games Revealed For PS4 February 2020 Xbox Games With Gold Revealed Two Excellent Strategy Games Are Free On PC Best Nintendo Switch Deals In The Eshop This Week Info from Gamespot.com

Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski nearly made a new Aliens first-person shooter featuring a new version Ripley and set in a Black Mesa-style facility. You would play as a grown-up version of Rebecca "Newt" Jorden, who was among the only survivors of a Xenomorph infestation during the Aliens timeline.The developer revealed this on Twitter, saying his studio, Boss Key, was in talks with Aliens rights-owners Fox to make a new Aliens game, but it fell apart after Disney acquired Fox."Ripley would be alive and be your 'Cortana/Anya,'" Bleszinski said, referencing the two support characters from Halo and Gears of War, respectively. "You'd play as grown Newt. On Earth. Weyland-Yutani are weaponizing the aliens in a Black Mesa-style facility, and, of course, all hell breaks loose," Bleszinski added.The game was also going to feature a new robot-friend named Casey after Newt's doll in Aliens. Bleszinski added that he was never personally interested on working on someone else's IP ... unless that IP was Aliens or Transformers. (The code-name for LawBreakers was Bluestreak, which is a reference to the Transformers franchise)In response to Bleszinski's tweet about making a new Aliens FPS, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford replied, "Careful" with a winky-face emoji. This could be in reference to any number of things. Gearbox developed the maligned Alien game Aliens: Colonial Marines, but whether or not the studio makes any more Aliens game is unknown.What is known is that Cold Iron Studios is currently working on a new Aliens FPS, made by some of the people who also developed BioShock, Borderlands, and Star Trek Online.After Disney bought Fox, it acquired the company's games label, FoxNext, which was going to publish this new Aliens game. However, Disney sold FoxNext to Scopely. The saga doesn't end there, however, as Scopely said it plans to sell Cold Iron to another company in the future.Going back to Bleszinski, he left Epic Games in 2012 (before Fortnite) and later started his own studio, Boss Key. The company would release two titles--LawBreakers and Radical Heights--but they both failed to find and audience and the studio closed down. Bleszinski recently said that part of the reason why LawBreakers failed was because he pushed his own "woke" politics.Cliff Bleszinski Comments On Aliens GameFunfact: Before BKP shut down we were in talks to do a new game in the Aliens franchise with Fox.Then Disney bought them and that got lost in the shuffle, darnit. — Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) February 10, 2020Ripley would be alive and be your "Cortana/Anya." You'd play as grown Newt. On Earth. Weyland-Yutani are weaponizing the aliens in a Black Mesa style facility and, of course, all hell breaks loose.Your robotic pal i.e. Bishop? A new one named "Casey" after her doll in Aliens. — Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) February 10, 2020(FPS, obviously.) — Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) February 10, 2020I always said I'd never want to work on someone else's IP. Only exceptions for me personally? Aliens and Transformers. — Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) February 10, 2020 Info from Gamespot.com

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Battle Pass Edition will remain available for the launch of Season 2 this week. The Battle Pass Edition, which is aimed at people who haven't bought the game yet, includes the full game and a series of extras, including Call of Duty Points and weapons. The Battle Pass Edition was also available for the Season 1 launch in 2019.The Battle Pass Edition includes 3000 Call of Duty Points, which is enough to buy the Season 2 Battle Pass and still have an allotment of points leftover. Also included in the bundle is a combat knife featuring a custom skin, as well as the XRK weapons pack. Additionally, the pack includes the "All Ghillied Up," "Crew Expendable," and "War Pig" operator packs. The Modern Warfare Battle Pass Edition costs $100 USD, and it's available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Modern Warfare is already a sales juggernaut, beating out Black Ops 4, and this new version will likely help sales grow even further. Microtransaction sales in Modern Warfare have also been performing well, Activision Blizzard recently announced.Modern Warfare's Season 2 includes a lot of free content, perhaps the most notable of which is a new version of the Rust multiplayer map from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Check out GameSpot's breakdown of everything new in Season 2. In GameSpot's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare review, Kallie Plagge wrote, "The pitfalls of Spec Ops don't detract from what Modern Warfare does well, though. Realism mode is an excellent addition to the slate, and although not all the new multiplayer modes are great, Gunfight and the Night Vision playlist are refreshing standouts. And while the campaign ends up playing it safe in the end, it's still a memorable one, and it lays a strong foundation for where the Modern Warfare series could go from here."Activision Blizzard has also confirmed that a new Call of Duty game is in development and scheduled to release later this year. Interestingly, Activision Blizzard did not announce which studio is working on the game. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Classic Call Of Duty Map Rust Returns In Modern Warfare Season 2 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 2 Launches Tomorrow, Adds New Operator, Maps, And Much More CoD: Modern Warfare Season 2 - Here's What Launches On Tuesday Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 2 Battle Pass Detailed Here's How Much Microtransactions Make For Activision And Take-Two Yup, Another Call Of Duty Is Coming Later This Year Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Sells Better Than Black Ops 4, And Microtransactions Sales Are Up PS4's Best Games Are Cheaper Than Ever In Fantastic New PSN Sale Xbox One's Best Weekly Deals: Modern Warfare, FIFA 20, And More Flash Sale Includes Pre-Order Discounts On RE3, Doom Eternal, And More (PC) Info from Gamespot.com

In an attempt to draw in new viewers, the new DC Comics movie Birds of Prey has changed its name following its slow start at the box office. The movie is changing its theatrical name from Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) to Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, according to GameSpot sister site ComicBook.com.The name change is already visible through major American ticket-sellers like Regal Cinemas and AMC Theatres, though Warner Bros. has yet to officially comment on the change.Birds of Prey star Margot Robbie, who plays Harley Quinn and is also a producer on the movie, recently foreshadowed this change in an appearance on the Hot Ones podcast.Asked what the most nerve-wracking part of being a producer is, Robbie said it's watching the first-week box office numbers come in, because at that point, there is almost nothing you can do to improve the fortunes of a film. A marketing change might help things, but it might not be enough, she said. This very marketing change is now happening."The most nerve-wracking ... probably the box office," she said. "At that point, you can't do anything anymore. You can pivot your marketing strategy a little bit but really there's not a lot you can do. You just hope people like it. You and so many people have spent so much time on something that you just want people to like it, or even see it."Birds of Prey, which is an R-rated movie, opened to $33.2 million in the US, which is many millions below projections. It's the worst start in the history of the DCEU movie franchise, but that's not a great comparison as Birds of Prey is also the first R-rated movie in the DCEU.Birds of Prey's slow start came as a surprise, as the movie fared well with critics and carries a strong B+ CinemaScore rating.In GameSpot's review of Birds of Prey, Meg Downey said, "It's the sort of kinetic, high energy romp that comes with built-in replay value, and proves exactly why Harley Quinn has become such an endearing, beloved character in the pop-culture pantheon. If this is the direction the DCEU is headed, the future's looking bright."For more on Birds of Prey, find out more about the ending of the movie, whether or not Joker is in the movie, and the connection to Harley's first appearance in Suicide Squad. Birds of Prey & DC News Birds Of Prey: All The Comic Book References You Missed Does Birds Of Prey Have A Post Credits Scene? Is The Joker In Birds Of Prey? Info from Gamespot.com

Part of the reason why Microsoft revealed the Xbox Series X in December during The Game Awards was because Xbox lost considerable ground to Sony in the current console generation, and the company wanted to start doing things differently to win back its market position for next-gen. Xbox boss Phil Spencer spoke about Microsoft's plans recently, saying he was originally hesitant about revealing the Xbox Series X so early. However, thanks to a persistent marketing boss, he came around to the idea.Looking ahead, Spencer said on the Gamertag Radio podcast that you can expect Microsoft to launch "bold" strategies to promote the Xbox Series X as it attempts to win back marketshare from PlayStation."We made the decision ... the decision was actually really pushed forward by one of our marketing leads, and she's awesome, and she just stood up in a room and she said, 'We should go do something bold. Something we've never done before,'" Spencer said about the Xbox Series X reveal."Let's face it, we're not in the market position we wanted to be in this last generation. I don't think we're going to get to disrupt and grow our business just doing what we've always done. Let's go try to do new things," he added. "And when she first brought the idea to me ... honestly, I wasn't the biggest fan. I was like, 'Well, there's going to be a lot of other games there...'"Spencer said he has been impressed by The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley's strategy and vision that has spawned a can't-miss event that draws millions of viewers each year. As such, Spencer came around to the idea of announcing the Xbox Series X during someone else's event. Historically, Microsoft has announced new consoles during its own news briefings so it can control the messaging more directly.In addition to the Xbox Series X, Microsoft announced Hellblade 2 during The Game Awards. The trailers for the game and the console "played well," Spencer said. Now that he's had some time to look back and reflect, Spencer said he's happy with how things played out, but it wasn't always a sure thing."It was cool to do it," he said. "And the response has been great. But to be completely honest with you, I could be sitting here today and it could have been a disaster."Looking ahead to the Xbox Series X, Microsoft is no doubt planning numerous campaigns to promote the console ahead of its release this holiday. Spencer didn't share any specifics, but he teased that Microsoft is aiming to "think about things in a different way" with regards to its marketing and promotion of the console."I like trying something bold. I'm really happy with the way it played out and the response from the fans," he said of the Xbox Series X reveal during The Game Awards. "But every decision we make between now and launch, we're trying to think about things in a different way. Some of them we'll get right. Some of them we won't. But we're definitely not going to be meek. We're going to bold in what we're trying to go do."Microsoft has yet to share many of the key specifics around the Xbox Series X like its release date, price, and launch title lineup. Halo Infinite is a launch title, but it remains to be seen what other new games may be available on day one. As announced previously, the Xbox Series X will play Xbox One games, as well as Xbox 360 and Original Xbox games. Spencer recently spoke about how "tons" of backwards compatibility games are always playable on Xbox Series X.The Xbox Series X may be just one of Microsoft's next-generation consoles. "Series X" is the model name of the next-generation console platform, which is known simply called "Xbox."Microsoft will return to E3 2020 in June, and both the Xbox Series X and Halo Infinite are projected to feature in the event in a big way. Sony, which has its own next-generation console coming this year with the PS5, won't attend E3 2020. Info from Gamespot.com

Like Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlestick, Ryan Reynolds is looking to make a killing with a reboot of Clue--the movie based on the murder mystery board game. Now, after losing Jason Bateman as a potential director, the film is reportedly in talks with someone new to helm the project.According to The Hollywood Reporter, James Bobin, best known as the director of The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted films, is in talks to join the movie. Bobin is also the co-creator of Flight of the Conchords, alongside Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, as well as the director of 2019's criminally underrated Dora and the Lost City of Gold.Per THR, Bateman was originally signed on to direct and star in the movie, alongside Reynolds. Now he'll do neither. According to Variety, that's due to scheduling conflicts with Ozark, the Netflix series on which Bateman stars and executive produces. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the writers behind the Deadpool and Zombieland franchises, are still working on the Clue script.Little else is known about Clue at this point. Neither a cast nor a release date have been announced. The original film, released in 1985, was a satirical take on the board game starring, among others, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, Tim Curry, and Eileen Brenneman. Much like the game itself, the film has more than one potential outcome. There were three different endings that varied, depending on which theater you saw the movie in. While it flopped at the box office, the original Clue has gone on to become a cult classic.Reynolds will next be seen in Free Guy, a movie set in an open-world video game, where the actor plays a non-player character that suddenly becomes self-aware thanks to a new piece of code. That films hits theaters on July 3.Info from Gamespot.com

The studio behind Broken Roads, an upcoming isometric role-playing game set in a ravaged future Australia, today announced that longtime tabletop and computer RPG designer Colin McComb will be joining the project as its creative lead. McComb was formerly a part of Black Isle Studios, working on Fallout 2 and Planescape: Torment, and more recently a writer on Wasteland 2, Wasteland 3, and the creative lead for Torment: Tides of Numenera.Broken Roads models itself on classic RPGs like the ones McComb is known for, and leans heavily on using Australian settings, iconography, and language. It has an emphasis on exploration, dialogue trees, and turn-based party combat, but its most distinguishing feature its morality system, which distinguishes actions based on four unique philosophical categories: utilitarian, existentialist, nihilist, and Machiavellian. An early demo of the game was one of the best games we played at PAX Aus 2019. In speaking to GameSpot about the appointment, game director Craig Ritchie said that the studio, Drop Bear Bytes, had been looking for an experienced designer to help bolster their newly-formed team. "The high concept work in Tides of Numenera and the depths to which certain themes were explored really stood out to me, and (Colin) felt like a great talent to try to get on the team.""I contacted Colin and we got talking, simply by reaching out over Twitter. It felt like a long shot, but I sent him the link to our reveal trailer, we started discussing the game in general and the possibility of him being involved," Ritchie said. McComb said that he and Richie "fell almost instantly into discussing our philosophical influences and it spiralled from there. Next thing you know, I'm signing an NDA and helping him amend his company's drug and alcohol policy."When asked about his thoughts about Broken Road's unique take on RPG morality systems, McComb said: "It's always going to be difficult to capture the depth and breadth of human thought, but what I've seen of the early design, Broken Roads is going to have a thoughtful and reactive system that will allow players to chart a mental journey that gives them the freedom to explore new avenues of thought without constraining them to a specific path or punishing them for their choices. I look forward to long arguments about the nature of reality, perception, and the common good, and then tying all those things to fast-paced yet thoughtful gameplay." McComb and Ritchie also spoke about the recent resurgence of isometric CRPGs, which are paving the way for projects like Broken Roads to exist. "Between 2019's successes and the games coming out in the next few years, it feels like it's a golden age (for CRPGs)--I don't know if I can remember a time when we've had such an embarrassment of riches all at once. It's exciting and gratifying to see," said McComb. "Pillars of Eternity and Shadowrun Returns really opened things up again both for CRPG developers and for the fans", Ritchie added. "Just look at what InXile, Larian and Owlcat Games are up to at the moment. CRPGs may be niche, but they're strong… It's an interesting full circle, having titles like Fallout 2 and of course Planescape: Torment being such big influences on Broken Roads, and now having Colin on the team."Broken Roads is currently slated for a 2021 release. The team at Drop Bear Bytes also recently hired narrative designer Alexander Swords as their lead writer. Swords' recent projects include work on Ubisoft's game based on James Cameron's Avatar.Info from Gamespot.com

Birds of Prey opened to a smaller-than-expected box office number that makes it the worst opening ever for a DC Extended Universe film. The movie pulled in $33.2 million in the US for its opening weekend, and that's the lowest-ever for DC's recent film universe.It's not the absolute worst of all-time for a DC comic book movie, however as the Josh Brolin 2010 movie Jonah Hex only made $5.3 million for its US opening. But it's the lowest for the DCEU that began in 2013 with Man of Steel. (The Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie, which made more than $1 billion at the box office, is separate from the DCEU).The Birds of Prey box office opening is well below the $50 million-$55 million it was projected to make, and also below Warner Bros.' own more conservative $45 million figure. Worldwide, Birds of Prey has now made $81.2 million worldwide, which is significantly below the $110 million that Warner Bros. was expecting.Deadline, which supplied all the box office numbers, reports that Birds of Prey will likely struggle to reach $100 million at the US box office. One finance source told the site, "Overall, it's bad."Birds of Prey had a $97 million budget, which comes down to $84 million with California's tax credits applied. This does not include marketing expenses, however.Deadline also reports that the first cut of Birds of Prey "tested really poorly." As such, DC movie executive Walter Hamada ordered reshoots that got the movie in a better place.Birds of Prey carries an R-rating and it released in February, and both factors could have limited the film's box office results. By comparison, the PG-13 rated Suicide Squad, the film that Birds of Prey is spun off from, made $133 million in the US for its opening weekend during summer 2016.Birds of Prey's slow start came as a surprise, as the movie fared well with critics and carries a strong B+ CinemaScore rating.In GameSpot's review of Birds of Prey, Meg Downey said, "It's the sort of kinetic, high energy romp that comes with built-in replay value, and proves exactly why Harley Quinn has become such an endearing, beloved character in the pop-culture pantheon. If this is the direction the DCEU is headed, the future's looking bright."For more on Birds of Prey, find out more about the ending of the movie, whether or not Joker is in the movie, and the connection to Harley's first appearance in Suicide Squad. Birds of Prey & DC News Birds Of Prey: All The Comic Book References You Missed Does Birds Of Prey Have A Post Credits Scene? Is The Joker In Birds Of Prey? Info from Gamespot.com

A reunion special of the TV show Friends has been in the works for a long time, and now it seems to be one step closer to becoming a reality. Deadline reports that the six stars of the original show have reached a preliminary deal to make the one-off special for streaming network HBO Max. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry have come to an agreement with Warner Bros. for what is rumored to be an hour-long special. Negotiations were described by Deadline as "tough." Negotiations between the actors and the network reportedly stalled at the end of 2019, due in part to issues related to money.Big news coming... — matthew perry (@MatthewPerry) February 5, 2020 The six stars are said to be paid between $3 million-$4 million each for the show. The total cost of the show is $20 million, according to Deadline. The site points out that, while this is a jaw-dropping sum, it's actually in line with what Netflix pays for its top-billed hour-long comedy specials from the likes of Dave Chappelle, Ellen Degeneres, and others. Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane are also said to be involved in the reunion special. The report also says the special will be a launchpad of sorts for the return of Friends for streaming. The show was removed from Netflix at the end of 2019, and it will come to HBO Max at some point in the future, likely in time for the HBO Max launch in May 2020. WarnerMedia reportedly paid $85 million per year to get Friends for a period of five years.Some people have balked at the hefty price tag for one hour of TV, but digital media strategist Matthew Ball points out that Friends remains an incredibly in-demand, attention-grabbing franchise that can demand such a high price tag.I don't get the recoil to the Friends reunion talkshow being $20MM. It doesn't matter that the cast just needs to show up; who cares where the money goes and why?Does anyone really believe the cost per hour watched + marketing impact won't dramatically exceed comps? — Matthew Ball (@ballmatthew) February 9, 2020It also doesn't matter that it's 5x the price of a new episode, or an expensive indie movie, or half a season of TV. People want it. People will watch it. It will be popular and notable.That's what programming spend is for? — Matthew Ball (@ballmatthew) February 9, 2020 As of 2015, the show was bringing in $1 billion every year from syndication, with all the main stars making $20 million a year from that based on their 2 percent share of syndication revenue, according to USA Today. Info from Gamespot.com

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was released back in 2012. Whereas some games slow down over time as players move on to new games, CSGO has continued to grow.The public Steam stats page shows that CSGO has reached a new all-time peak concurrent player figure. On Sunday, February 9, CSGO had more than 901,000 peak concurrent players, which surpasses the previous record of 850,485 in April 2016 following the MLG Columbus tournament, according to Eurogamer.For comparison, CSGO had more than 250,000 more peak concurrent players on February 9 than the No. 2 game, DOTA 2, which is also free-to-play and developed by Valve.CSGO's peak concurrent player numbers are massive, and a new record for the game itself, but PUBG still holds the record for highest overall peak concurrent player numbers. The battle royale game reached an astonishing 3 million peak concurrent players during the height of its popularity in 2018.It's not immediately clear why CSGO's player figures have jumped in recent times.In other news, Valve recently updated CSGO again with a new feature takes aim at people who abuse others via in-game chat. Players who received "significantly more abuse reports" than other players will receive a warning. If they ignore the warning, they'll get automatically muted. They will stay muted until they earn enough XP to lift the speaking ban, but during this time, other players can choose to manually unmute them.Go to CSGO's website to learn more about this new feature. Info from Gamespot.com

It's the week of love, so this episode of New Releases is spending some extra time to talk about one more game than usual--or at least some bonus DLC, since Dead Cells expansion The Last Seed arrives this week. It's also time for the Western releases of the Yakuza 5 remaster and Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl - Gold. If you missed out on the original release of Darksiders Genesis, you can grab the console versions this week. Street Fighter 5 is also jumping back into the spotlight with Champion Edition, and PS4 creative types can dig into the long-awaited exclusive Dreams.Yakuza 5 -- February 11Available on: PS4The Yakuza Remastered Collection is an all-in-one package that gets you remasters of Yakuza 3, 4, and 5.. Those three games got staggered release dates, but the final entry arrives this month. Taking after the "5" in its name, this particular entry is set across five different parts of Japan and features five playable characters, including everyone's favorite ruffian Kazuma Kiryu.More Coverage:Yakuza 5 ReviewNew Yakuza 5 Screenshots Highlight the Five Main CharactersDead Cells - The Bad Seed -- February 11Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, SwitchThe Bad Seed is Dead Cells' first piece of paid DLC, and the $5 buy-in gets you a good amount new content. The Arboretum and The Swamp are two new biomes branching out from the early parts of the roguelike game, and they cap off with a boss fight against a giant mushroom monster. You'll also battle new enemies with new abilities and weapons, including a giant scythe that takes up both of your weapon slots.More Coverage:Dead Cells The Bad Seed DLC Gets Release Date And New TrailerDead Cells' Legacy Update Brings Back Previous Game BuildsDreams -- February 14Available on: PS4Media Molecule, creators of LittleBigPlanet, have crafted another deep toolset with Dreams. This PS4 exclusive lets you sculpt objects, build worlds, and create pretty much any type of activity you can think of--someone even remade Final Fantasy VII within the game. What will you dream up?More Coverage:Media Molecule's PS4 Exclusive Dreams Has Gone GoldGame Making Made Easy In DreamsDarksiders Genesis -- February 14Available on: PS4, Xbox One, SwitchThe Horsemen are back: this top-down hack-and-slash game puts you in control of Strife and War. You can swap between the two on the fly, using Strife's pistols and War's sword to chop down the horde of enemies on screen. The PC release already happened last year, but console gamers can take the reigns this week.More Coverage: Darksiders: Genesis Review - Lucy And The Horsemen First 18 Minutes Of Darksiders Genesis GameplayStreet Fighter V: Champion Edition -- February 14Available on: PS4, PCStreet Fighter 5 has also been out for some time, but Champion Edition packages together all previously released content. That means you're getting 40 characters, 34 stages, and over 200 costumes. Capcom has also added second V-Skill for every fighter and made some balance changes--that balance patch will be available to anyone who owns any version of Street Fighter 5.More Coverage:Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition Brings Seth Back In New TrailerEvo 2020 Announces Game Lineup: Smash Ultimate, Street Fighter, DBZ, And MoreSnack World: The Dungeon Crawl - Gold -- February 14Available on: SwitchSnack World's setting is a mash-up of medieval fantasy and modern conveniences like cell phones and mini-marts--leave it to Professor Layton makers Level-5 to build another fascinating world. Snack World lets you customize a character, explore randomly generated dungeons, and help the townspeople. The "gold" in the title means you're getting all previously released content too.There's still plenty of February to come, and another batch of games is cooking up for next week. New Releases will return next Sunday to take a look at some beloved games finding a home on new consoles, as Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD Final Chapter Prologue comes to Xbox One and Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition comes to Switch.Info from Gamespot.com

The Harley Quinn movie Birds of Prey opened in theatres this weekend, but it did not do so well. Despite positive reviews and star power with Margot Robbie leading the ensemble cast, the comic book movie made many millions less than expected in the US and worldwide.In fact, it opened to the lowest box office figure in the entire DC Extended Universe. To put its $33.2 million US opening in context, we're rounding up the first-weekend domestic box office results for all the DCEU movies so far, along with their total global box office figures.Bear in mind that this ranking is only for DCEU movies, which began in 2013 with Man of Steel. The Joaquin Phoenix movie Joker, which made more than $1 billion at the box office, is a DC movie but is not part of the DCEU.Despite poor reviews, Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had the biggest US opening weekend ever for DCEU movie, with $166 million in box office receipts.The Jason Momoa-starring Aquaman started with only $67.8 million at the US box office, which at the time ranked the lowest-ever start for a DCEU movie. However, it improved stateside and did phenomenally internationally to finish with $1.15 billion. It's the only DCEU movie to surpass $1 billion at the global box office.Also of note, Birds of Prey is the first R-rated DCEU movie. Though there are of course exceptions like Deadpool, R-rated films typically perform worse than PG-13 films. It's also worth mentioning that when comparing Birds of Prey to other DCEU movies is that Birds of Prey was released in February, which is typically slower than summer.You can see the full rankings below; all box office numbers come from BoxOfficeMojo.Looking ahead, some of the upcoming DCEU movies include Wonder Woman 1984 and Black Adam, in addition to sequels for Shazam and Aquaman.DCEU Box Office RankingsBatman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeUS opening -- $166MGlobal total -- $873.6MSuicide SquadUS opening -- $133.7MGlobal total -- $746.8MMan of SteelUS opening -- $116.6MGlobal total -- $668MWonder WomanUS opening -- $103.3MGlobal total -- $821.8MJustice LeagueUS opening -- $93.8MGlobal total -- $657.9MAquamanUS opening -- $67.8MGlobal total -- $1.15BShazamUS opening --$53.5MGlobal total -- $365.9MBirds of PreyUS opening -- $33.2MGlobal total (so far) -- $81.2M In GameSpot's review of Birds of Prey, Meg Downey said, "It's the sort of kinetic, high energy romp that comes with built-in replay value, and proves exactly why Harley Quinn has become such an endearing, beloved character in the pop-culture pantheon. If this is the direction the DCEU is headed, the future's looking bright."For more on Birds of Prey, find out more about the ending of the movie, whether or not Joker is in the movie, and the connection to Harley's first appearance in Suicide Squad. Birds of Prey & DC News Birds Of Prey: All The Comic Book References You Missed Does Birds Of Prey Have A Post Credits Scene? Is The Joker In Birds Of Prey? Info from Gamespot.com