Video game retailer GameStop has suffered another setback, it seems, as the company has reportedly announced a "GameStop Reboot initiative" that is resulting in dozens of layoffs.A memo announcing the move leaked on Twitter. It states that more than 50 "field leaders" are losing their jobs. Those affected include regional managers, district managers, loss prevention managers, and HR staff, according to the letter (via Gamasutra).The memo states that GameStop is looking to "reduce our cost structure and build efficiencies into our field leadership organization so that we can reinvest in the business."It goes on to state: "These decisions are not easy, but necessary to help us reduce costs to enable revenue-driving initiatives that will help grow the business once again."GameStop did not respond to GameSpot's request for comment, which was made outside of business hours.Earlier this year, GameStop closed the ThinkGeek website, and folded that business into the wider GameStop umbrella. The company's share price of $3.84 today is close to the lowest its been in the company's history.Recently, GameSpot spoke with GameStop's chief customer officer, Frank Hamlin, who spoke about why the rise in popularity of digital games won't kill the retailer. Info from Gamespot.com

More than six years after it launched in October 2013, Grand Theft Auto V's online mode continues to set records. The new Diamond Casino update was immensely popular, giving GTA Online the most number of players in a single day (July 23) and for the entire week after launch (July 23-29).Developer Rockstar Games shared these numbers with The Hollywood Reporter. However, the always-secretive company did not share specific player numbers. In November 2015, GTA Online was averaging 8 million players per week, so the new figure related to the Diamond Casino update is at least known to be higher than that.GTA V, meanwhile, has shipped a jaw-dropping 110 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most successful entertainment products in history.The Diamond Casino update for GTA Online is massive and rich in content. In addition to finally letting players into a casino where they can gamble, the update contains six new story missions and numerous other new competitive modes. You can read GameSpot's previous coverage to find out more on the Diamond Casino update.GTA Online is the free multiplayer mode for GTA V that makes money from the various microtransactions it offers. The game is incredibly lucrative for Rockstar and parent publisher Take-Two.Fans have for a long time wondered if GTA V would get single-player DLC, but Rockstar confirmed in 2017 that the game will never add new story content. "We did not feel single-player expansions were either possible or necessary, but we may well do them for future projects," Rockstar design director Imran Sarwar said.Info from Gamespot.com

Mutant Year Zero took me by surprise. When you tap the space bar to switch from the real-time exploration mode to the turn-based tactical mode, it's not considered activating combat. You're not entering into battle. The word “Fight!” doesn't leap out of the centre of the screen. Instead, the space bar is labeled “Ambush” and, while pressing it does indeed initiate a turn-based XCOM-style encounter, the semantics make all the difference.Road to Eden is all about using stealth to thoroughly scout dangers ahead, then applying that knowledge to maneuver your squad into position for the perfect ambush. Do your research and plan well, and you can take out your target without them (or their cohorts) even realizing what has happened. Proceed without caution and you'll soon be bleeding out, your impatience severely punished. Approached properly, Mutant Year Zero isn't a difficult game; it’s a tight, cohesive tactical masterclass that rewards the diligent player.Road to Eden depicts a post-apocalyptic Scandinavia where resources are scarce and knowledge of what the world used to be is even harder to come by. Stalkers are sent from the Ark, one of the few remaining hubs of human civilization, into the Zone to scavenge for scrap and fend off the bandits, ghouls, feral dogs and worse that now occupy the ruined towns and suburbs. Everyone, even those safe in the Ark, has been touched by mutation. But Dux and Bormin, the two starting playable stalkers, are different; they're mutated animals, a duck and a boar, respectively.At first glance, there's a lot you can do to customize each stalker and gear them up to specialize in certain fields, letting you mix and match your active squad based on the task at hand. The limited number of weapons and sheer expense of upgrades means you're forced to make tough choices. Should you spend literally all your weapon parts on the close-quarters effectiveness of Bormin's scattergun, or are you better served improving the ranged potency of Dux's crossbow? You can only afford one right now and, since there's no capacity for grinding, it may be some time before you can afford the other.Sometimes the decisions are easier. Up against robots? You'll want at least one stalker, probably two, with an effective EMP attack. Up against dogs? You'll want at least one stalker, probably two, with crowd control abilities to prevent their melee rush. If you've done your scouting properly, you'll know what's coming and know which stalkers to swap in and out before you tap that spacebar. But don't tap that spacebar just yet. You're not quite ready.The Zone is divided into a couple dozen maps networked across southwest Sweden. They're not especially large--bigger than an XCOM map, but hardly sprawling--and typically centered on an identifiable feature: a scrapyard, a school, a subway station, a fast food restaurant, and so on. When you first enter an area you're in exploration mode and free to walk around in real time. When you spot an enemy you can enter stealth mode by switching off your flashlight, thus slightly reducing your visibility but also greatly reducing the distance at which the enemy will spot you. You're still moving around in real time, just slower and more discreetly.The tension is ratcheted up during this pre-combat exploration phase, as you're tip-toeing into hostile territory, identifying how many enemies await you, what types they are, what levels they are, whether they're patrolling, where those patrol routes take them, where their vision cones intersect, and so on. You've noticed one enemy's patrol route takes him away from the others. You hit F to split up your party and guide them individually into position. Bormin has his back to a tree, Dux is on the roof of a nearby building, and Selma is crouched behind a rock at the end of the unsuspecting enemy's patrol route. He's there now. Time to hit the spacebar.It's all about the ambush. It's about analyzing each scenario in the exploration phase and identifying which enemies you can eliminate, one by one, without alerting others. But pulling off a series of clean hits isn't always possible. Inevitably something will go wrong--you'll miss that 75% chance shot you were counting on or fail to do quite enough damage before the enemy gets its turn and calls out for reinforcements--and suddenly the whole area is on alert and you're scrambling to improvise a new plan. In these moments of high chaos, when the rug is pulled out from under you, this is where the game really shines.The tactical combat engine borrows a lot from Firaxis' revival of XCOM and offers as much depth alongside a presentation that ensures all critical information is clearly communicated at all times. And you need to be well-informed, because most of the time--outside of the odd simple skirmish that introduces a new element--there's an awful lot to think about. Enemy variety is key; there are basic brutes who charge you in melee, snipers who hunker down on overwatch, shamen who can call in reinforcements, and medbots who can revive enemies, pyros who flush you out with molotovs, and that's just the early stages. Later, there are high-HP tanks who can ram your cover, priests who can buff fellow enemies or deliver chain lightning attacks, giant dogs who can knock you over and maul you for multiple turns, while others possess mind control powers and more. Tackling groups of enemies drawn from several of these types can be hugely challenging, even when you've culled their numbers with some decisive early stealth takedowns.The stakes are high, especially on the harder difficulty settings. Your stalkers' health will be measured in single and low-double digits for much of the game, meaning it only takes a couple of direct hits to put them down. Similarly, your weapons can only fire once, twice, or if you're lucky, three times before you need to use up valuable action points to reload. These limited resources echo the post-apocalyptic themes of scarcity and survival while also raising moment-to-moment tactical considerations in combat.Juggling all the demands of combat, from patiently surveying the field beforehand through to learning how to best counter each enemy type and improvising a new strategy when it all goes horribly wrong, make for an immensely satisfying tactical experience. But as enjoyable as the predefined encounters on offer over the course of Road to Eden's mostly linear story are, it's still a linear story. On a new playthrough, that same map will still feature the same enemies standing in the same spots or running the same patrol routes. Outside of testing yourself against the hardest difficulty and a permadeath mode (assuming you don't opt for these first time through), there's not a lot of replay value to be found.It's a shame, because the combat engine is so robust I would love to continue pitting myself against some sort of randomly generated map long after completing the main story. Mutant Year Zero's clever focus on stealth and pre-combat preparation reward your diligence, its turn-based combat encounters are complex, and they help bolster its all-encompassing post-apocalyptic atmosphere. It is a superb tactical combat campaign that you shouldn't let sneak past.[Update, 08/01/2019: Mutant Year Zero: Deluxe Edition is now out on Nintendo Switch, and it includes new expansion, Seeds Of Evil. While this version runs smoothly, it exhibits poor visual fidelity compared to its console and PC counterparts. Whether in handheld or docked mode, a low resolution and blurry overall look reduce the luster of post-apocalyptic Sweden. It also makes scavenging areas for scrap and weapon parts--essential to keeping your Stalkers well-equipped, and already difficult items to spot--a lot harder.The Seeds Of Evil expansion, also available on other platforms, expands the game's story past the somewhat abrupt ending of Road To Eden. Additional map areas and new enemy archetypes introduce challenging new scenarios; a new character, additional weapons, and upgraded perks give you more options to consider as you plan your ambushes. Seeds of Evil also adds a system that will occasionally repopulate existing map areas with enemies and items, which effectively adds a continual stream of optional encounters and mitigates the base game's issues with replayability. These new additions feel like a natural continuation the game's already robust tactical offering, both in terms of its plot and difficulty scaling, and comes recommended.]Info from Gamespot.com

Sony announced this week that PlayStation 4 shipments have climbed to a staggering 100 million units life-to-date worldwide, but it wasn't all good news. The 3.2 million PS4 systems that Sony shipped in the April-June quarter was "slightly below" the company's internal expectations. The reason for the downturn? The PlayStation 5.Sony said the lower-than-expected sales were "primarily" due to the company's announcement of its next-generation console, tentatively known as the PS5. Sony has yet to officially announce its next-generation console, but PlayStation architect Mark Cerny started talking about the console and some of its specs earlier this year. After that, Sony demonstrated the console's much-faster loading times during a business meeting. It's yet to provide an official name or exact release date for the system.It's a historical trend in the games business that console sales of an older system drop off to a degree when a new console is revealed. The thinking is that people hold off on buying a console when they know a newer one is coming. That seems to be what's happening with here with PS4 sales. It's unclear if there are plans for a price cut or anything of the sort to help drive additional sales.As a result of the lower-than-expected PS4 sales, Sony said it has "revised downward" its forecast of PS4 sales during the current fiscal year ending March 2020. The company is cutting its projections by 1 million units, from 16 million to 15 million.15 million is still a massive shipment number for a console so late into its lifecycle. Sony said this ongoing success "demonstrates that the PS4 platform is still garnering support from many users."Sony is also projecting a downturn for game sales during the current fiscal year. The company is lowering its expectations to be flat year-over-year instead of increasing due to lower third-party game sales. Lower-than-expected revenue from free-to-play games was also called out. This may be in reference to Fortnite and other battle royale games that are slowing down when it comes to revenue.On the plus side, Sony said it expects its "network services" to generate more revenue in the current fiscal year. Overall, Sony said one of its major areas of focus during the fiscal year is on "preparing for the launch of the next-generation platform," in addition to growing the userbase the company already has.The PlayStation 5 is rumored to launch in holiday 2020, which is also when Microsoft's Project Scarlett next-generation system is confirmed to release. Info from Gamespot.com

Movies about cats are very popular these days--yes they are--and now another cat-themed movie has added more actors to its cast.The Tom and Jerry movie, which is based on the classic animated show that in its new form will seemingly blend live-action and CG, has welcomed Ken Jeong, Rob Delaney, Jordan Bolger, and Pallavi Sharda to its cast, according to Entertainment Weekly.The Tom and Jerry movie will also star Colin Jost, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Michael Pena. Fantastic Four and Ride Along director Tim Story is directly the Tom and Jerry movie.According to Entertainment Weekly, the Tom and Jerry movie follows the cat and mouse after they get booted from their home and must live in a New York hotel. Chloe Grace Moretz plays the character Kayla, who works at the hotel and is tasked with hosting a fancy wedding there. No one wants to come to a wedding with a mouse problem, so Kayla brings in Tom the cat to get rid of Jerry.It probably won't go to plan.There have been Tom and Jerry movies over the years, but this new one seems to be the first of its kind with its hybrid nature, the full details of which are unclear at this stage.In other news about cat movies, the first trailer for the movie version of Cats recently came online--and it's terrifying meme-generator. The movie stars Idris Elba, Judi Dench, Rebel Wilson, Ian McKellan, James Corden, and Jennifer Hudson. Info from Gamespot.com

Electronic Arts today reported earnings for its FY20 Q1, and in addition to confirming a delay for NBA Live 20, the report provides an overall look at how the company is performing financially.For the April-June quarter ended June 30, EA made $1.2 billion USD in revenue, which is up from $1.1 billion during the same quarter last year. Digital revenue accounted for $1.049 billion of the $1.2 billion total, with revenue from physical game sales and other sources coming in at $160 million.EA posted $1.42 billion in profit for the three-month period, compared to a profit of $293 million during the same period last year. The huge increase was due to a number of factors, including EA's decision to move some of its IP rights to its international HQ in Switzerland, as well as changes to the Swiss income tax rates that seem to have benefited EA in a major way.A slide released as part of the EA earnings report also shines a light on just how substantial "live service" elements of the publisher's games are to the company's bottom line. For the latest quarter, live services, which include microtransactions and subscriptions among other elements, brought in $504 million in digital net For the trailing twelve months, live services racked up $2.461 billion for EA. Looking at these numbers, it's not hard to see why EA--and numerous other publishers in gaming--are pushing so hard for online games that use the games-as-a-service model to keep people playing--and paying. You can read EA's full earnings report here.EA has numerous live service games and subscription programs. Some of the contributors to EA's bottom line during Q1 FY20 included Battlefield V, Apex Legends, The Sims 4, and Anthem, as well as the Ultimate Team modes for FIFA 19, NBA Live 19, NHL 19, Madden NFL 19, and more. As for subscription services, these include EA Access and Origin Access, while the MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic offers optional subscriptions. Madden NFL 20's release this week kicks off the company's barrage of sports games. The Ultimate Team modes are incredibly lucrative. EA disclosed in 2017 that all of the Ultimate Team modes combined brought in $800 million annually, according to GI.biz. Info from Gamespot.com

EA has confirmed it will release a new Need for Speed title soon. The publisher said in an investor call that it plans to launch the new game before the end of March 2020."We'll be delivering many other new experiences to players throughout the remainder of this fiscal year," said EA CEO Andrew Wilson. "We'll take the wraps off our new Need for Speed game heading into Gamescom in a few weeks."We [also] have plans for a Plants Vs. Zombies shooter title, coming to console and PC later this year."The most recent Need for Speed game, Payback, launched in 2017 to a mixed reception, including a 5/10 in GameSpot's review. The upcoming Plants Vs. Zombies shooter, expected to be Garden Warfare 3, was stealth announced just recently with the codename "Picnic." Not long before that, EA announced another mainline PvZ title. Plants Vs. Zombies 3 is currently in the pre-alpha testing phase, but a final release date has not been confirmed.Elsewhere in the investor call, EA revealed how much money it makes from its live services such as Apex Legends and FIFA 19, as well as EA Access, which recently launched on PS4. The company also confirmed NBA Live 20 has been delayed.Info from Gamespot.com

The first trailer for The Irishman is here. The highly-anticipated crime thriller is the latest movie from legendary director Martin Scorsese, and stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. It's been produced by Netflix and is set to hit the service in the fall.The Irishman tells the real-life story of Frank Sheeran, a union man who also allegedly worked as a contract killer. De Niro plays Sheeran, with Pacino as notorious union boss Jimmy Hoffa and Pesci as mobster Russell Bufalino. It looks like another epic, decade-spanning crime saga from Scorsese--and let's face it, no one does it better the director of Goodfellas and Casino. Check the trailer out below.The Irishman also stars Ray Romano, Anna Paquin, Bobby Cannavale, Harvey Keitel, and Stephen Graham. It's penned by by Steven Zaillian, who also wrote Schindler's List, American Gangster, and David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.One of the most notable aspects of The Irishman is that it will make extensive use of CG to "de-age" De Niro, Pacino, and Pesci for scenes in which their characters are much younger. The trailer shows relatively little of this, but the amount of VFX work meant that the movie has involved nearly two years of post-production. According to Deadline, the final budget is around $200 million, making it the most expensive movie of Scorsese's career.Although The Irishman does not yet have a confirmed release date, it will hit Netflix in the fall. It is also set to have a limited theatrical run and will premiere at the New York Film Festival on September 27.Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft has announced the Xbox Game Pass lineup for the first few weeks of August, so you can play game gratis during the dog days of summer. As usual the service is offering a collection of games that will join the service on Xbox One consoles, PC, and one that will be on both.On August 1, the service will add the sports game Ashes Cricket and the strategy game Pandemic for Xbox One, along with the vertical action game Downwell for PC. Then on August 8, those will be joined by the Jackbox Party Pack 2 on Xbox and Space Hulk Tactics on PC. Finally, on August 14, both Xbox One and PC players will get the roguelike Slay the Spire.The Gears 5 PvP tech tests included with Game Pass have concluded, but a separate Horde Mode tech test is coming sometime in August. Microsoft hasn't detailed when that will come, but like the PvP test, it should be included in Game Pass. That's because the game itself will be included with Game Pass, and the tech tests are open to pre-orders, so if you're a subscriber you kind of pre-ordered it too.The announcement also detailed a new set of quests for Game Pass, which grant rewards points for playing Game Pass games that can be traded for gift cards or extending your Game Pass time. This time those include rewards for earning achievements in Batman: Arkham Knight, the Metro series, Borderlands, and Ashes Cricket, among others.Game Pass is an all-you-can-eat subscription service that rotates a library of games for a monthly rate. You can pay $10 per month for the service on Xbox One or PC, or $15 for the combined "Game Pass Ultimate" subscription that also includes Xbox Live Gold. Check out the full list of Xbox Game Pass games for early August below.Xbox Game Pass Library - Early AugustAugust 1Ashes Cricket (Xbox One)Pandemic (Xbox One)Downwell (PC)August 8Jackbox Party Pack 2 (Xbox One)Space Hulk Tactics (PC)August 14Slay the Spire (PC, Xbox One)Info from Gamespot.com

FIFA is one of the biggest games of the year, and FIFA 20 will likely be no different. Between Kick Off, Career Mode, and Pro Clubs, the series is rarely lacking in content, but the most played mode every year is FIFA Ultimate Team, or FUT for short. EA has finally lifted the lid on all the new FUT features, so read on below for a look at FUT Friendlies, FUT Seasons, new customization options, and the new FUT Icons we know about.Table of Contents [hide]FUT SeasonsClub Customization Options And MilestonesFUT FriendliesFUT IconsFUT SeasonsContrary to what you might expect, this has nothing to do with the existing Seasons mode; instead, Seasons in FUT will work similarly to the periods of real-world time that Fortnite, PUBG, and more have popularized in recent years. In FIFA, these time periods are between six and eight weeks long and will include rewards you can earn over the course of a Season. There will also be Season objectives: these are similar to the current daily and weekly objectives but longer-term and with bigger rewards--one example given to us was a loan Ones To Watch Eden Hazard. Completing matches and objectives will net you XP, which will count toward Season rewards.Club Customization Options And MilestonesFUT 20 will feature a bigger suite of club customization options, with EA making a big change by allowing clubs to display fictional badges, balls, and tifos, among other cosmetic items. For example, you'll no longer be forced to display a tifo of Neymar or Thomas Mueller--instead, you can erect one of a dabbing unicorn… because of course. You could also use a 16-bit styled ball in your home stadium, rather than just real-world Adidas and Nike ones.The new customization options are not currently planned to be available in regular packs. Rather, they'll be rewards for a new type of challenge called Milestones. These are not tied to XP or Seasons but will be attainable by achieving long-term objectives such as scoring 100 headers. More customization options will be added throughout the year, EA says, but they will be untradeable.FUT FriendliesFUT Friendlies are a new way of playing casually within FUT--a place to go, EA says, when you don't fancy the pressure of the Weekend League or Squad Battles. There are no great rewards for playing FUT friendlies, but you do still earn coins, and, crucially, player injuries, contracts, fitness, and your playing record remain unaffected. That means you can use that loan OTW Hazard to your heart's content.A big part of the new FUT Friendlies mode is House Rules, which have been lifted wholesale from FIFA 19's Kick Off update into FIFA 20's Ultimate Team portion. As well as those modes added last year--Headers and Volleys, Survival, and so on--new options are being introduced in FUT 20. Those are:Max Chem: Team chemistry doesn't matter here--regardless of your squad selection, every player will be granted maximum chemistry.Swaps: A standard match of FIFA except a random trio of your first XI players get swapped for three of your opponent's.King of the Hill: If you can keep the ball under control inside the virtual box painted somewhere on the pitch, you'll build up a goal meter. Go on to score in the same attack and you'll have that number added to the scoreline. For example, hold the ball in the box for long enough to build it up to 3 and you'll add three goals to your score if you get the ball in the back of the net soon after.Mystery Ball: Every time the ball comes back into play, a new match condition will be set. These could range from 3x goals for the next successful strike to maximum speed boost or maximum dribbling boost for the ball holder.The latter two House Rules options are also coming to Kick Off outside of FUT, while the former two will be available within Ultimate Team only. FUT Friendlies as a whole can be played against AI, a local opponent, or online against friends.FUT IconsFinally, EA revealed a selection of its new Icon cards that will come to Ultimate Team this year. The players revealed so far are English striker Ian Wright, Italian midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo, Brazilian forward Carlos Alberto, Ivorian frontman Didier Drogba, and Dutch star Ronald Koeman.FIFA 20 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC--with legacy editions coming to Switch and older platforms--on September 27.Info from Gamespot.com

Another installment of 2K's WWE series has been announced, and with it, two images have been revealed. Little is known about the latest version of the game, aptly named WWE 2K20, but more information will be revealed on August 5.2K Games has revealed two images from its long-running WWE series: one of Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and one of Smackdown Women's Champion Bayley. Both images feature the WWE superstar's entrances and can be seen below. While this isn't a huge reveal for WWE 2K20, more information will be shared on Monday, August 5.Teased by 2K, Monday's reveal will include the cover art for the game, along with gameplay footage and more information. This is the first announcement for the game and no further details have been given.Last year's installment--WWE 2K19--made huge changes to the overall game, completely reimagining the MyCareer Mode to be more story driven, adding fun arcade elements, a roster of over 200 superstars, and reintroducing Showcase Mode--which took inspiration from WWE's documentary series on the WWE Network. The overall changes vastly improved the game and added a bit of fun to the series.As for what could be coming down the like for WWE 2K20, no one knows at this point. Many fans of the series are hoping for the reintroduction of GM Mode, where players take on the role of Raw or Smackdown GM and try to get better ratings for their weekly programming than the other show. GM Mode has been one of the most talked about features that's gone missing since UpUpDownDown started its weekly Battle of the Brands video series. In it, WWE superstars Xavier Woods and Tyler Breeze play GM Mode on WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2006.Additionally, many are wondering not only who the cover star of this year's game will be--hopefully Becky Lynch--but also which superstar Showcase Mode will focus on. There are plenty of working superstars in the company whose stories would work exceptionally well for that mode.We'll learn more on August 5.Info from Gamespot.com

Although the massive success of Deadpool might suggest that Fox was completely behind the movie from the start, this wasn't the case. The studio only greenlit the movie after test footage leaked online and was met by an incredibly positive reaction from fans. This week was the fifth anniversary of the footage leak. To mark the occasion, star Ryan Reynolds made a hilarious new Instagram post that also hinted at Deadpool's potential entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following Disney's purchase of Fox's entertainment assets earlier in the year.The post shows a crime board, which attempts to trace the source of the leak. Was it Deadpool director Tim Miller or writer Rhett Reese? Perhaps it was Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman, who only got Logan made after Deadpool proved an R-rated superhero could be a hit. Or maybe Reynold's wife Blake Lively was the culprit. The most intriguing name on the board is Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, while Reynold's reference to "Phase 5" in the caption hints at Deadpool finally entering the MCU. Check it out below. View this post on InstagramInvestigation heading into year 5. Or as I call it, ‘Phase 5.’ The point is, I love conspiracy-yarn. #LeakAversaryA post shared by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds) on Jul 28, 2019 at 9:26am PDT The Fox deal means that all the X-Men characters are now owned by Disney, with Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige in charge of these properties. But while the main X-Men characters will almost certainly be rebooted at some point, it is likely Reynolds will continue to play the Merc with the Mouth.The R-rated Deadpool might seem an unlikely fit with the more family-friendly tone of the rest of the MCU, but both Deadpool and Deadpool 2 were huge box office hits. In February, Disney boss Bob Iger confirmed that the studio will "continue in that business," after the deal."We do believe there is room for the Fox properties to exist without significant Disney influence over the nature of the content, meaning that we see that there is certainly popularity amongst Marvel fans for the R-rated Deadpool films, as a for instance," he said. "We're going to continue in that business, and there might be room for more of that."There's one final X-Men movie still to be released--the long delayed New Mutants, which was shot back in 2017, long before the Disney deal. It currently has a release date of April 2020, two years after it was first scheduled to hit theaters. For more, check out GameSpot's guide to all the upcoming Marvel Phase 4 movies and TV shows. Info from Gamespot.com

First revealed at Paris Games Week 2017, Concrete Genie is all about letting your artistic creations flourish amid a space that seems intent on extinguishing them. Developed by PixelOpus, your fictional hometown serves as the canvas to restoring the once lively streets that have been corrupted by a strange force. Helping you are your new friends in the form of the energetic Genies, who will bring color back and a newfound sense of identity back to your home. Nearing its October 8, 2019 release, we had the chance to both play the game and speak with director Dominic Robilliard about the creation of this colorful adventure.The story focuses on an introverted and lonely teenager named Ash, who spends his days drawing in his journal while hanging out in the seaside town of Denska. Though it was once a thriving place, it's now a depressing locale plagued by a large number of young delinquents. Ash finds himself at odds with a group of bullies who tear apart his journal, scattering the pages across town. He eventually discovers a new outlet to explore his artistic talents after finding a magical brush, allowing him to conjure up enchanted graffiti and beings known as Genies. With his brush and Genies in tow, he'll take to the streets and rooftops to restore Denska, pushing back the darkness that has crept into town.Throughout its opening acts, Concrete Genie wears its influences to classic kids adventure films on its sleeve. With little to no adult supervision, young teens explore and cause mischief with reckless abandon--giving way to a conflict that only they can resolve. Ash can use his artistic talents to create vibrant and detailed landscapes across the walls of the city, which help him communicate with the Genies and open access to new areas. The contrast between the vivid graffiti and the depressing seaside town creates unique visuals that lead to some stunning moments where your work slowly brings the decaying Denska back to life.It's an endearing concept, driven by a spirit that many films and TV shows in a similar vein, like The Neverending Story or the more recent Stranger Things, run with. Speaking with Robilliard, the director went into Concrete Genie's origins and how the setup focuses pretty heavily on the game's anti-bullying message."When we started this second game [following 2014's Entwined], we had a decent amount of time to explore different concepts," said Robilliard. "Originally the idea of Concrete Genie came from our VFX artist Ashwin Kumar, which is why our main protagonist is called Ash. The very first image was of a bullied small boy who was drawing these large characters in the wall and imagining that they were sticking up for him. The theme of bullying and the idea that art can help cope was always there from the very beginning. Those two things just inspired everybody, and it really took off. That was the beginning for us to explore art as a gameplay mechanic, and to let people express themselves."At the heart of Concrete Genie are the constructs crafted from the enchanted brush. When facing the side of a building or a different structure, Ash can pull out his brush to paint grass, flowers, trees, and a starry sky across the surface. The more art you place on the town's key areas, the more the darkness will dissipate. There's a lot of room to experiment with these drawings, and I found it to be quite entertaining to stack on layers upon layers of art. Ash's sprawling landscapes add an impressive ambiance to the environment, turning the depressing and drab alleyways into vibrant nighttime galleries teeming with detail. These drawings are also the catalyst for your Genies to spring into action.Ash's greatest allies are the Genies. They not only help him overcome various obstacles, but they also liven up the town with their inquisitive personalities. They're also entirely of your own making. Along with creating landscapes to free up the city form the corruption, the brush can conjure genies, allowing you to select from a variety of different body types and attachments. You can get creative with your Genie--and of course, there are no mistakes, only happy accidents. While drawing the body of my Genie during the early sections, I accidentally placed the horns and tail on the opposite end. Instead of the game telling me I was doing it wrong, it rolled with it. The resulting Genie, a smiling bright red creature with a tail on its head and antennae around its rear, felt like a creation that came from the minds of Jim Henson or Tim Burton.As you explore more of Denska, tagging new walls and finding lost pages from your journal, more of the town's history will be revealed. The bullies that taunt Ash also have distinct backstories, and Ash discovers what set them on such a destructive path. Concrete Genie presents different areas to explore that progressively becomes more intricate as you head further into town. Though it's not quite a Metroidvania-style game, there is an incentive to backtrack to earlier areas once you have acquired some new Genies and abilities. While there are a lot of puzzles to overcome in Denska, most of them seemed a bit one-note--centering mostly around creating an object in a spot to get the Genie to open a door elsewhere. I did enjoy seeing everything come together after finishing a complex tag. I was always surprised by what I could create with the painting mechanics, and it's easily the game's most exciting feature."We worked really hard never to judge your painting," said the director. "One of the reasons that we have the lights as a mechanic for gauging your coverage is that it's encouraging you to paint in specific places. We never tell you what to paint or how to paint them, and we never say whether your artwork is good or not. That's completely up to you. So using paint to push back the darkness that could actually be on the walls, creating more of an environmental aspect, was a theme that we wanted to explore. It suddenly became this very natural fit that this beloved hometown idea that Ash is trying to save and rejuvenate from this environmental disaster that has befallen it. It all just fit together really well, and it gives you this nice baseline for the progression of the story, and it mirrors what's happening to Ash as well."However, it's not just drawing that you can do with your brush. Eventually, Ash will confront monsters that spawned from the darkness. You'll have to use the brush's elemental attacks and light to subdue them. As we transitioned from the game's more relaxed and free-from drawing structure, the combat felt a bit jarring to jump into, but it's certainly an interesting twist for the game. It works well given where the plot leads, but it still felt a bit lacking if somewhat unrefined compared to the flexibility of the drawing mechanic. Still, given that it's pulling heavily on tropes from '80s adventure films, I'm interested in seeing how it will develop alongside the painting gameplay.I was struck by Concrete Genie's attention to detail when it came to its location, and how in-depth the drawing mechanics were. It left me curious to see how far you can stretch Ash's artistic skills, and just where the story will go next. It's got a modest feel throughout, but I was impressed with how more grand it became after the closing of the first act, which gave me the sense that this adventure could go places that you'd least expect. Info from Gamespot.com

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's big 4.0 update has arrived, adding another DLC fighter to the roster--the Hero from Dragon Quest--and a few other new features to the game, such as an Online Tournament mode that will occasionally host special themed events and a new Spectate mode that lets you earn prizes for successfully predicting the winner. Alongside the update, Nintendo has quietly released a little Smash Ultimate freebie for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.Right now, NSO members can download the Spirit Board Challenge Pack 1. The pack contains an assortment of helpful items for the game's Spirit Board mode. You'll receive the following:1,500 Spirit Points10 Shuffle All (reshuffles every Spirit on the board)10 All Primaries (reshuffles the board with Primary Spirits)10 All Supports (reshuffles the board with Support Spirits)As previously mentioned, the Spirit Board Challenge Pack 1 is an exclusive offer for NSO subscribers. The Eshop notes the pack cannot be downloaded during a free trial for the service, so you need to have an active, paid membership in order to claim it. To download the pack, select the Eshop icon from Smash Ultimate's main menu and you'll see it listed beneath the game's other downloadable content.NSO subscriptions cost US $4 / £3.49 / AU $6 for one month, US $8 / £7 / AU $12 for three months, and US $20 / £18 / AU $30 for one year. Nintendo also offers an annual Family Membership, which runs for US $35 / £31.49 / AU $55 and covers up to eight Nintendo Accounts across multiple systems. Along with online play, subscribers get access to other special offers, such as the game voucher program (although your last day to purchase vouchers is today, July 31), and some free titles such as Tetris 99 and the Switch NES library. Those who purchase a 12-month individual or family membership will also receive an exclusive set of gear for Splatoon 2.Speaking of Splatoon 2, Nintendo is offering a free set of gear for the game via My Nintendo. The batch costs 100 Platinum Points and includes the following four items: Gray FA-11 Bomber, Brown FA-11 Bomber, Red V-Neck Limited Tee, and Green V-Neck Limited Tee. The gear set will be available on My Nintendo until February 1, 2020.Info from Gamespot.com

Fortnite: Battle Royale is about to hit Season 10, with a start date set for this Thursday, August 1. Developer Epic Games has been releasing Season 10 teasers this week, which have suggested that some sort of time-related hijinks were about to unfold as part of the big seasonal changeover event. And sure enough, a leaked trailer for Season 10 seems to hammer home what's about to happen: a big nostalgia fest for the earlier days of Fortnite.Today's teaser, which is likely to be the final one, consists of a brief video clip where the Zero Point orb hovering over Loot Lake explodes. It turns out those are the opening moments of the Season 10 trailer, the full version of which has leaked, apparently via the Fortnite Brazil Twitter account. That video has since been removed but reshared online--watch it below--and it shows the explosion send the character who was fleeing from it into a sort of wormhole. [Update: Epic itself, perhaps accepting that the leaks can't be contained, has published the trailer itself along with a message confirming there isn't any misdirection happening in the teaser; Zero Point is going to explode, and it's apparently going to take players for a trip down memory lane.]The Zero Point is exploding. Get ready for #SeasonX dropping 8.1.2019. pic.twitter.com/11t14SC1eI — Fortnite (@FortniteGame) July 31, 2019As he floats through it, he sees the major elements and additions during the past year in Fortnite--the missile explosion, vaulted weapons, the introduction of Peely and other skins, seasonal events, and more. At the end, he falls back to the island map, only for the camera to pan out and reveal this is the moment just before the meteor's impact that demolished Dusty Depot. As one of this week's teasers pointed to, the location is still intact, at least for the time being.Exactly how this pans out in-game is something we probably won't know until the Season 10 update arrives tomorrow. But it seems as if we can expect Epic to essentially hit the undo button on many of the map changes that have taken place. That said, don't expect everything to be the same--Epic's reference to a "twist" and a peek at a modified version of the Drift skin suggest that things may not be exactly how you remember them.Epic has also confirmed that Fortnite server downtime will begin at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 9 AM BST / 6 PM AET on August 1. It's unclear how long that will last, but it has warned players that the accompanying update will be larger than usual, so prepare for the patch download to take some time before you dive in.Info from Gamespot.com