Some people on the internet are not happy about the final season of Game of Thrones. They created a petition asking for a remake of Season 8 with new writers. Of course that will never happen. But almost 1.5 million signed the petition, which means it's getting attention.Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark on the award-winning HBO show, told The New York Times that the petition is "disrespectful" to everyone who worked so hard for so long to make Game of Thrones over the past decade."All of these petitions and things like that--I think it's disrespectful to the crew, and the writers, and the filmmakers who have worked tirelessly over 10 years, and for 11 months shooting the last season," she said. "Like 50-something night shoots. So many people worked so, so hard on it, and for people to just rubbish it because it's not what they want to see is just disrespectful."Turner said she's not surprised that people got angry on the internet about Game of Thrones."People always have an idea in their heads of how they want a show to finish, and so when it doesn't go to their liking, they start to speak up about it and rebel," she said.The actress added that Game of Thrones has always been a show with "crazy twists and turns," starting with Season 1, so she doesn't understand why people got so upset with how the story went in Season 8. "It shouldn't be such a negative thing for fans. It's a shock for sure, but I think it's just because it hasn't gone their way," she said.Whatever people thought about Game of Thrones Season 8 and the finale specifically, the show was a massive success for HBO. The finale, "The Iron Throne," tallied more than 19 million viewers to set a new record for the show and HBO overall.For more on Episode 6, check out the show's latest coffee cup-style gaffe (this time featuring a pair of water bottles) and a reminder of who was at the council meeting (there were some faces present who we hadn't seen in years). For our thoughts on the final episode, check out our "The Iron Throne" review.Info from Gamespot.com

HBO's Game of Thrones recently ended its eighth and final season. We know who lived and died. We know who won The Iron Throne. The ending was divisive. It tied up loose ends but also posed more questions about the future of Westeros. Could any of that be explored in a Game of Thrones sequel show? No. There will be no sequels, HBO programming boss Casey Bloys says."Nope, nope, nope. No," Bloys told The Hollywood Reporter.HBO is working on multiple prequel TV series with new characters and actors in a story set in a different time period. Bloys says there won't be sequels, however, because he wants the Game of Thrones created by D.B. Weiss and David Benioff to stand on its own."Part of it is, I do want this show--this Game of Thrones, Dan and David's show--to be its own thing. I don't want to take characters from this world that they did beautifully and put them off into another world with someone else creating it," he said. "I want to let it be the artistic piece they've got. That's one of reasons why I'm not trying to do the same show over."The world that George R.R. Martin created is "massive," Bloys said, so HBO wants to keep trying new things instead of bringing back familiar characters and settings."We're trying to do things that feel distinct--and to not try and re-do the same show," he said. "That's probably one of the reasons why, right now, a sequel or picking up any of the other characters doesn't make sense for us."The entirety of Season 8 was controversial, and specifically the finale. Fans created an online petition asking for a remake, and Sansa actress Sophie Turner slammed it as "disrespectful."Info from Gamespot.com

Sony has provided a new sales update for God of War PS4--and it's huge. The title has now sold more than 10 million copies, according to a slide from Sony's recent investor day briefing.The 10 million sales was shown to demonstrate the strength of Sony's owned franchises across platforms. As you can see, God of War franchise sales have grown across their entries on PS2, PS3, and PS4. The same is true for the Uncharted and Last of Us franchises.It's not clear if the God of War (or other games mentioned in the graphic) count copies sold in console bundles, but that seems likely. God of War launched in April 2018 and became the PS4's fastest-selling exclusive game ever.For more on God of War, you can check out the GameSpot Audio Logs episode where game director Cory Barlog breaks down one of the most impactful scenes that almost didn't happen. Check it out in the video embed above.Info from Gamespot.com

Amazon has made a huge hire for its upcoming Lord of the Rings TV show. Bryan Cogman, who worked on HBO's Game of Thrones since the beginning and wrote 11 episodes of the fantasy drama, is joining Amazon to contribute to its ambitious Lord of the Rings TV series.George R.R. Martin confirmed this on his blog, writing that Cogman will contribute to the Lord of the Rings show at Amazon in addition to developing his own series. Variety reports that Cogman will do some consulting work for the Lord of the Rings show, though his exact title is unclear.Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff hired Cogman as their assistant at the start of the show's production a decade ago. Weiss and Benioff had no experience writing for TV before Game of Thrones, so they turned to Cogman. Benioff knew him as his nanny's husband.Cogman eventually became the co-executive producer for the entire Game of Thrones series. The 11 episodes he wrote for Game of Thrones is only eclipsed by Weiss and Benioff. He was instrumental to Game of Thrones, according to cast members and Martin himself.Sophie Turner, who played Sansa Stark, told Vanity Fair that Cogman was the backbone of Game of Thrones, while Jaime Lannister actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau said Cogman is a "walking encyclopedia" of knowledge about Game of Thrones. Martin himself said Cogman was "the third head of the dragon" as it relates to his relationship with Weiss and Benioff.You should really read this Vanity Fair story to find out just how important Cogman was to the creation, development, and success of Game of Thrones.Cogman had a pitch for a new Game of Thrones prequel show for HBO, but the network reportedly decided to pass on it, which might have contributed to his decision to leave to join Amazon.At Amazon, Cogman will work alongside the Lord of the Rings TV show's creators, JD Payne and Patrick McKay, who--like Weiss and Benioff before them--have no experience writing a TV show.The Lord of the Rings show doesn't currently have a title or release date, and no casting has been announced as yet. We do know that it's set in the Second Age, long before the events of The Lord of the Rings. Info from Gamespot.com

The NPD has released its report for April 2019, revealing the best-selling consoles and games of the month in the US , and providing an overall snapshot of the industry's health during the month.Starting with game sales, Mortal Kombat 11 was April's best-selling game of the month, and immediately became the No. 2 best-selling game of 2019 so far, only behind Kingdom Hearts III. Also of note is that Mortal Kombat 11 is the first time a third-party game was the Switch's top-seller for a month since Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was No. 1 back in September 2017.Days Gone was No. 2 in April, and it achieved sales that amounted to the seventh biggest ever for a Sony-published game during its launch month. It is also developer Sony Bend Studio's best-selling game ever after just one month on sale in the US. MLB The Show 19 finished No. 3 in April, and it continues to be the best-selling sports game of 2019 so far (a lot of the big ones are still to come such as FIFA 20, Madden 20, NBA 2K20, and more).Overall, video game sales across console, PC, and portable reached $427 million in April 2019, which is up 15 percent year-over-year. On a year-to-date basis, game sales have now reached $1.9 billion, which is up 4 percent.Moving to hardware, the Nintendo Switch was April 2019's best-selling console in terms of units sold and dollars driven, outperforming the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The 32GB neon red/blue system is 2019's best-selling individual piece of hardware.The strong performance of the Nintendo Switch was not matched by all platforms, as total hardware spending dropped 29 percent to $160 million in April 2019. All other platforms posted declines during the month. For 2019 year-to-date, hardware spending is down 16 percent to $918 million.The Accessories category, which includes game cards, jumped 5 percent to $256 million. The Amiibo Super Smash Bros Series 1 packs sold the best in April, while the black DualShock 4 controller is 2019's best-selling accessory so far. Game card and controller spending led the way. Year-to-date, Accessories spending is up 3 percent to $1.2 billion.With hardware, software, and accessories combined, total video game spending in the US in April reached $842 million, which is up 1 percent. For 2019 so far, total spending dropped 2 percent to $4 billion.April 2019 Best-Selling Games In The US All PlatformsMortal Kombat 11Days GoneMLB 19 The ShowThe Division 2^Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*Grand Theft Auto VSekiro: Shadows Die Twice^Call of Duty: Black Ops 4^NBA 2K19Yoshi's Crafted World*Red Dead Redemption IIMario Kart 8*Assassin's Creed OdysseyMinecraft#New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD RemasterThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*Jump ForceBattlefield V*Borderlands* Digital sales not included^ PC digital sales not included# Minecraft digital sales on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One includedInfo from Gamespot.com

Somehow, Memorial Day (May 27) is nearly here, marking a day of remembrance for those who died serving in the US military, as well as the unofficial beginning of summer. Hopefully, you have a three-day weekend ahead of you and some extra time to relax, but even if this weekend is the same as any other, you can still get in on all the Memorial Day deals retailers are offering this week. We're rounding up the best Memorial Day gaming deals, including PS4, Switch, and Xbox One games, so you can save yourself some cash and secure some great games for your collection this holiday weekend.We'll continue to update this story as we find more notable deals, but you can check out the best games, consoles, and accessories currently on sale below.Nier: Automata - Game of the Yorha Edition - available for $28AmazonWhile Amazon hasn't posted a Memorial Day-specific sale, the digital store is currently offering some of the best game discounts available online. You'll be able to find many recent titles, first-party Nintendo games, and more marked down right now. Both Pokemon: Let's Go games are discounted at $45; Monster Hunter World is only $18; Devil May Cry 5 is selling for $40; and Kingdom Hearts 3 is on sale for $30, to name just a few available deals.See more of the best game deals at Amazon below.Nintendo SwitchDead Cells -- $26.97Disgaea 1 Complete -- $38.73The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim -- $49.94FIFA 19 -- $38.95Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition -- $49.75Just Dance 2019 -- $20The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild -- $49.94The Lego Movie 2 Videogame -- $20Mortal Kombat 11 -- $49.79NBA 2K19 -- $20New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe -- $45Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee -- $45Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu -- $45Super Smash Bros. Ultimate -- $49.94Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus -- $44.65Xenoblade Chronicles 2 -- $49.65Yoshi's Crafted World -- $49.94PS4Anthem: Legion of Dawn Edition -- $30Assassin's Creed Odyssey -- $25Borderlands: The Handsome Collection -- $15Devil May Cry 5 -- $40Fallout 76 -- $25Far Cry New Dawn -- $20God of War -- $29.58Grand Theft Auto V -- $15Just Cause 4: Day One Edition -- $29.90Kingdom Hearts 3 -- $30The Lego Movie 2 Videogame -- $20Metro Exodus: Day One Edition -- $39Monster Hunter World -- $18.15NBA 2K19 -- $20Nier: Automata - Game of the Yorha Edition -- $28Quantic Dream Collection -- $30Resident Evil 2 -- $38.49Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice -- $49.88Spyro Reignited Trilogy -- $27.95Tom Clancy's The Division 2 -- $45Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands -- $27.48Xbox OneAnthem: Legion of Dawn Edition -- $30Borderlands: The Handsome Collection -- $15Devil May Cry 5 -- $40Fallout 76 -- $25Forza Horizon 4 -- $45Grand Theft Auto V -- $15Halo: The Master Chief Collection -- $26.20Just Cause 4: Day One Edition -- $30Kingdom Hearts III -- $30The Lego Movie 2 Videogame -- $20Metro Exodus: Day One Edition -- $38.73Monster Hunter World -- $18Mortal Kombat 11 -- $49.79Red Dead Redemption 2 -- $35Resident Evil 2 -- $38.95Sea of Thieves -- $37Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice -- $45Spyro Reignited Trilogy -- $27.60Tom Clancy's The Division 2 -- $45Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands -- $24.45Nintendo Switch - available for $243.95Google ExpressGoogle Express is a delivery service from Google that lets you order from a variety of online stores--no premium membership required. All you have to do is add items to your Google Express cart and choose your delivery day. Your order will arrive within a few days, and shipping is free if you hit the purchase minimum (usually between $25 and $35).One of the best deals is the Nintendo Switch, which you can get on sale for just $243.95. The console rarely strays from its $300 price point, but it's already discounted to $287, and by using promo code MEMORIAL15, you'll drop the price by an additional 15%, a full $55 savings. All you have to do is add it to your cart and enter the code during checkout to see the full discount.Another can't-miss deal is this Xbox One S bundle with Minecraft (plus the Starter and Creator packs and 1,000 Minecoins) for only $180. Add it to your cart and choose the Memorial Day promo code; you'll see $120 slashed off the price. And if you're into drones (or have always wanted to try one out), we have to point out this pocket-sized rechargeable drone, which normally sells for $150 but is on sale for $99 with the same Memorial Day promo code applied at checkout. Please note estimated taxes based on your location may affect the total price.There are plenty of other non-gaming-related Memorial Day deals--you can check them out at Google Express. The below three deals expire Sunday, May 23, but we wouldn't advise waiting, as some offers are already beginning to sell out.Nintendo Switch -- $243.95Xbox One Minecraft Creators Bundle -- $180ZeroTech Dobby Mini Pocket Drone -- $99Tom Clancy's The Division 2 - available for $37EbayEbay is going hard for Memorial Day this year, with discounts across not only gaming but smart home devices, outdoor essentials, kitchen accessories, and more. There are some great game and console deals here, and everything we've linked below is brand new--or in the case of the New Nintendo 2DS XL, refurbished by Nintendo. Plus, check out the full offering of gaming deals at Ebay.GamesDays Gone -- $46 (PS4)Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + Switch Pro Controller -- $100Marvel's Spider-Man -- $28 (PS4)Mortal Kombat 11 -- $44Overcooked 2 -- $28 (Switch)Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee -- $38 (Switch)Super Mario Party + Mario Tennis Aces -- $90 (Switch)Super Mario Party + Super Mario Odyssey -- $90 (Switch)Super Smash Bros. Ultimate + Smash Bros. Pro Controller -- $121 (Switch)Titanfall 2 + Sunset Overdrive -- $8 (Xbox One)Tom Clancy's The Division 2 -- $37 (PS4)Consoles & accessoriesNew Nintendo 2DS XL (refurbished by Nintendo) -- $100Nintendo Switch + Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu -- $315PlayStation 4 Pro console (new) -- $376.96PlayStation VR bundle with Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Moss -- $205Turtle Beach Stealth 700P Gaming Headset for PS4 -- $119.95Xbox Live Gold 12-Month Membership -- $45Nintendo 64 console bundle with Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 64 - available for $150GameStopGameStop's big Memorial Day sale just kicked off on May 19 and runs through Monday, May 27. There's a small selection of Switch deals available, including Disgaea 1 Complete for $38.97 and Mega Man 11 for $25. Select pre-owned games are up to 50% off, and you can also get refurbished console bundles on sale, including this Xbox One bundle with Wolfenstein: The New Order, Fallout 4, Just Cause 4, and Forza Horizon 3 for $180. Select toys are 20% off, specifically Bendy and the Ink Machine, Five Nights at Freddy's, and Roblox toys. You can also save on some Nintendo Switch accessories.See more of the best Memorial Day deals at GameStop below.GamesAnthem: Legion of Dawn Edition -- $30 (PS4, Xbox One)Ark Survival Evolved -- $30 (Switch)Bioshock: The Collection -- $20 (PS4, Xbox One)Borderlands: The Handsome Collection -- $15 (PS4, Xbox One)Disgaea 1 Complete -- $38.97 (Switch)Kingdom Hearts 3 -- $30 (PS4, Xbox One)Mega Man 11 -- $25 (Switch)NBA 2K19 20th Anniversary Edition -- $30 (Switch)Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition -- $40 (Switch)ConsolesXbox One Essentials Blast From the Past bundle -- $180 comes with Xbox One 500GB console, controller, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Fallout 4, Just Cause 4, and Forza Horizon 3PlayStation 4 Essential Blast From the Past bundle -- $300 comes with PS4 500GB console, controller, God of War, The Last of Us Remastered, Uncharted 4, and Ratchet and ClankPlayStation 2 Mature Hits Blast From the Past bundle -- $100 comes with PS2 Slim console, controller, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, God of War, Resident Evil 4, and Devil May Cry 3: Dante's AwakeningNintendo 64 Multiplayer Blast From the Past bundle -- $150 comes with N64 console, controller, Super Smash Bros., and Mario Kart 64Nintendo GameCube Blash From the Past bundle -- $145 comes with silver GameCube console, two controllers, and Super Smash Bros. MeleeCall of Duty: Black Ops 4 - available for $25 (Walmart exclusive: includes 2 hours of 2XP)WalmartAs part of Walmart's Memorial Day sale, the store is offering Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 at one of the lowest prices we've seen it: $25. That includes a Walmart-exclusive offer of two hours of double XP gameplay. The standard edition for Rage 2, which just released May 14, is selling for $10 off on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. And if there's any random gaming accessory you've been needing, Walmart's a good place to look, as the store has an assortment of useful accessories, like this portable charger for the Nintendo Switch (on sale for $25).See more of the best Memorial Day gaming deals at Walmart below.GamesCall of Duty: Black Ops 4 -- $25 (PS4, Switch)Crackdown 3 -- $34.58 (Xbox One)Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age -- $30 (PS4)Far Cry New Dawn -- $19.88 (PS4, Xbox One)Final Fantasy XV - Royal Edition -- $19.93 (PS4, Xbox One)Rage 2 -- $49.94 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)Shadow of the Tomb Raider -- $25 (PS4, Xbox One)World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth -- $30 (PC)Gaming accessoriesCyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra Gaming Computer -- $490NES Classic Controller with Long Extension Cord -- $10.76Nintendo Switch Joy-Con High-Speed Charging Dock -- $13Nintendo Switch Portable Power Bank Battery Charger -- $25TSV Vertical Stand with Controller Charging Station, Cooling Fan for PS4 Pro -- $20.97Wired Gaming Headset for PS4, Xbox One, and PC -- $28Wireless Pro Gaming Controllers for Nintendo Switch (2-Pack) -- $40.97Xbox One Wireless Controller, Phantom Black Special Edition -- $58.89X Rocker Wireless Gaming Chair Rocker -- $89Info from Gamespot.com

The latest title in Sony's long-running golf series, Everybody's Golf VR is the first to bring the series to virtual reality. The transition isn't without its bumps, with the biggest being a lack of Everybody's Golf's traditional competitive modes. But the PSVR golf game does deliver a fairly realistic golfing experience that's both accessible to play and fairly challenging to master.Everybody's Golf VR abandons the franchise's usual third-person view for a first-person perspective. The three-click swing mechanic (commonly seen in most of today's golf games) is also gone. Instead, you swing your clubs with a PlayStation Move or DualShock 4 controller, hopefully in one smooth motion. The direction of the ball is determined by the angle you hit it, and distance is calculated by how hard you swing. There are other factors to consider when you're on the course as well, such as wind direction and your elevation in relation to the hole.Actually swinging your arms to hit the ball takes a bit to get used to, but the motion controls are remarkably responsive with a DualShock 4 controller. Once you've got the form down on your swing, you'll be able to reliably hit the ball the way you want to. The same can't be said for the PlayStation Move controller. Occasionally, the Move controller works fine, but I found myself more often than not being unable to even reach the ball with my club while swinging the Move. I ultimately just had to stop using it, as it became too frustrating to play a near-perfect hole only to be stopped short just because my club would not reach down far enough to hit the ball no matter how much I crouched.In Everybody's Golf VR, the golf balls behave as they're expected to, obeying the laws of gravity when it comes to the arc of your shot or elevation of a slope, and their roll realistically heeds to changes in friction when terrain is affected by different weather patterns, like rain. As previously mentioned, the motion controls are pretty precise. The camera measures whether your swing misses the ball, glances off of it, or makes full contact, and then takes the angle and power of your swing into account. Shifting too much of your body weight to one side or curving your swing typically results in a lousy shot, while maintaining good form sends your ball flying straight as an arrow (provided there are no environmental factors to take into account as well). The game isn't an exact representation of reality--you don't have to swing nearly as aggressively as a professional golfer to achieve distances like one--but Everybody's Golf VR sells you on the experience that you're actually playing golf in your living room.There's a welcome variety of customization options in Everybody's Golf VR, allowing players of all skill levels to enjoy time on the course. If you're having trouble putting, for example, you can turn on vacuum holes--which suck the ball in provided you get your shot close enough. For a more challenging experience, you can tee up on longer versions of the courses where it's harder to hit par. There are some nice accessibility options as well, such as the choice to play while standing up or sitting down, the option to change your dominant hand from right to left, and the freedom to choose between several sets of clubs--including one that makes it easier to hit the ball straight if you have limited mobility in your arms. There's plenty in Everybody's Golf VR to make the experience appealing to all types of players, and helpful tutorials give newcomers a chance to grasp the basics of the sport until they can get the swing of things.Everybody's Golf VR's courses are populated with everything you'd expect to see in a golf game, like sand traps and trees, as well as a few things you might not, like dinosaurs. Occasionally, a bee flies in your face or the sound of a wave crashes onto a nearby beach. These sights and sounds are never distracting, but via a PSVR headset and headphones, they do make it feel like each golf course is full of life. Decide to look closely enough, however, and you'll notice the golf resort's reception area and each course is always eerily empty save for your character and either the receptionist or your caddie. It's a tad unsettling.Though it runs out of steam quickly, Everybody's Golf VR is fun while it lasts, and there are satisfying goals to chase for a time.Each distinct environment provides more than just a cosmetic change, as a course's aesthetic translates into different environmental hazards to deal with; the Seaside Course is very windy, for example, and its holes have a lot more sand and water traps for your ball to be blown into. A course's hazards aren't enough to force you to drastically change how you play, but they do provide just enough of a welcome challenge to encourage out-of-the-box thinking. It's fun learning about how a new course works, and satisfying to successfully deduce how to adapt to it. In the Seaside Course, for instance, you can risk timing your shot to a powerful gust of wind in hopes it will send your ball flying over an out-of-bounds area--which could save you an entire swing in the long run.Unfortunately, there aren't many courses for you to play on. And other than Practice Range, the only game mode in Everybody's Golf VR is Course. In Course, you do have the choice of whether you play a random three holes from a course, the first nine, the last nine, or all 18. But with only three courses total, you'll end up replaying the same holes repeatedly in order to unlock all the in-game rewards. It gets tedious after a few hours.The lack of additional modes in Everybody's Golf VR is a step back in comparison to previous titles in the series, many of which have one or two modes where you can face off against NPCs. As is, the only thing you can do in Everybody's Golf VR is play a course by yourself while your nearby caddie yells words of encouragement. Everybody's Golf VR does lessen some of its tedium with those caddies, though, as the eagerly helpful Riko and teasingly friendly Lucy help make your repeated trips out to the same collection of courses far less lonely.Replaying courses allows you to unlock additional outfits for your caddie to wear, which is a fun cosmetic reward to chase after. You can also unlock a handful of Events by partnering with a caddie long enough. Some play out like romantically-charged mini dates, but most are just goofy distractions good for a laugh or two. Each caddie has her own unique set of four Events, and though their unlock rates are spread out enough that it will take you a few hours to see them all, once you do there's nothing compelling to work towards in the game.Despite the lack of different activities in Everybody's Golf VR, the one thing it does do--provide a means of playing golf without actually having to go outside--is relatively enjoyable. Though it runs out of steam quickly, Everybody's Golf VR is fun while it lasts, and there are satisfying goals to chase for a time. Everybody's Golf VR's best feature is its assortment of customization and accessibility options, though, as they allow both golf newbies and veterans to curate their desired experience and just enjoy playing a round.Info from Gamespot.com

Last week, Microsoft and Sony made the unexpected announcement that they were laying the groundwork for a future partnership that could unite PlayStation and Xbox in some way. A new report from Bloomberg states that the news caught the PlayStation team by surprise.The story cites people with knowledge of the situation who say Sony negotiated with Microsoft on the deal "largely without the involvement" of the PlayStation team."Negotiations with Microsoft began last year and were handled directly by Sony’s senior management in Tokyo, largely without the involvement of the PlayStation unit, according to people familiar with the matter," Bloomberg reported."Staff at the gaming division were caught off-guard by the news. Managers had to calm workers and assure them that plans for the company's next-generation console weren't affected, said the people, asking not to be identified discussing private matters."Negotiations between Microsoft and Sony began in 2018, a spokesperson for Sony said. However, the company has not publicly commented on the claim that the PlayStation team was largely left out of the negotiations.Bloomberg's story also claims that Sony and Amazon held discussions in 2018 to talk about the potential for a "deeper collaboration on cloud gaming." However, the two sides could not come to terms over the business side, according to a source. After this, Sony apparently started talking to Microsoft. Amazon's Amazon Web Services cloud computing platform powers the PlayStation Network, so Sony and Amazon were already working together. (For what it's worth, Amazon is also reportedly planning its own future game-streaming platform)The announcement of the Microsoft-Sony deal states that the companies will "explore joint development of future cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure to support their respective game and content-streaming services." Additionally, Microsoft and Sony will work together to explore the possibility of Sony leveraging Microsoft's Azure datacenters for Sony's game and content streaming platforms.According to the Bloomberg story, Sony realized that its own network services would not be enough to thrive in the future where cloud gaming is expected to take off, with new entrants like Google Stadia coming into the mix to compete."Sony feels threatened by this trend and the mighty Google, and has decided to leave its network infrastructure build-up to Microsoft," Asymmetric Advisors strategist Amir Anvarzadeh told Bloomberg. "Why would they sleep with the enemy unless they feel threatened?"For what it's worth, the press release announcing the deal between Microsoft and Sony only mentions PlayStation by name once. Microsoft's new game-streaming service is in the works under the working title xCloud. Sony has its own PlayStation Now streaming service that's been running for years already.Despite no official announcement being made, PlayStation architect Mark Cerny has begun to talk about the PlayStation 5. Microsoft is also working on a next-generation Xbox, and it's expected to be announced at E3 in June.Info from Gamespot.com

So that's it. Game of Thrones has come to its end. There's a new ruler for Westeros, and while a whole bunch of people died along the way, a lot of fan-favorite characters managed to make it through the game of thrones and win, or at least didn't die. We finally have the ending we've been waiting for a decade (or two, if you've been reading the books).In the series finale--Episode 6, "The Iron Throne"--we saw what finally became of the Stark kids after years of them dodging death at the hands of their enemies. Here's what happened to the Starks in the final moments of the show--as always, there are tons of spoilers for the finale episode from here on out.Jon SnowLet's start with Jon Snow. In the aftermath of the destruction of King's Landing, Jon had to choose whether to serve Daenerys Targaryen as a tyrant queen. Instead of ruling at her side (or taking the risk of letting her kill him and the rest of his family at some later point), Jon assassinated Daenerys, stabbing her in the heart with his dagger.Grey Worm imprisoned Jon, but he somehow avoided being executed for his crime. Jon didn't win the throne, however--as a compromise between Sansa Stark and Grey Worm, Tyrion exiled Jon back to the Wall. Right after rejoining the Night's Watch, Jon teamed up with Tormund, the wildlings, and Ghost (hooray!), and headed North, presumably to live in freedom now that there are no White Walkers to kill everyone.Bran StarkWith no new monarch left for Westeros, the surviving lords and ladies of the kingdom gathered at the King's Landing dragon pit to choose a new leader. At Tyrion Lannister's suggestion, they landed on Bran Stark as the new king. Bran can't father children, though, so the next king of Westeros won't be his son; instead, the lords and ladies of the country will choose a new monarch when Bran's rule ends.Sansa StarkSansa might not have won the throne, but she won a throne. When everyone in the council was voting on a new king, Sansa abstained, instead refusing for the North to rejoin the Seven Kingdoms. That makes Bran the ruler of the Six Kingdoms, with the North remaining independent. Meanwhile, Sansa was named Queen in the North by her bannermen, leaving her with a kingdom of her own.Arya StarkArya often said she was no lady, so she didn't hang around in Winterfell with her sister or marry a lord (like Gendry Baratheon). She made good on her idea to find out what's west of Westeros, which she mentioned back in Season 6. We see her taking a ship to go exploring in her final moments.Everyone Else (RIP)While a lot of great houses went extinct through the course of the show (RIP House Tyrell), the Starks only lost a majority of their members. The head of the house, Ned Stark, was beheaded by Joffrey Baratheon back in Season 1. His wife, Catelyn Stark, died at the Red Wedding, along with her eldest son, Robb Stark. And Rickon Stark was killed by Ramsay Bolton during the Battle of the Bastards. But against all odds, the rest of the kids survived.Of all the great houses of Westeros, the Starks wound up making out better than most of the others. Three of the five kids survived (or four of six if you count Jon, who's technically a Targaryen), and most of them got what they wanted. Sansa gets to be queen, her desire from Season 1; Arya got the freedom to do what she wants; Bran can use his Three-Eyed Raven powers to make the world a better place; and Jon gets to live among the Freefolk. All in all, not a bad result, especially compared to their enemies.Info from Gamespot.com

Minecraft is one of the most popular and commercially successful games in history. Microsoft has now shared a new sales update for the entire franchise--and it's huge.Minecraft creative director Saxs Persson said in a blog post that the franchise--which debuted on PC 10 years ago in 2009--has now crossed 176 million copies sold. This counts copies sold across all platforms. The game has sold a copy in nearly every country in the world, Persson added. This includes at least four copies sold in Antarctica.The game launched on PC, but now it's available pretty much everywhere you can play games, including console, mobile, and more.Less than three years ago, in June 2016, developer Mojang announced that Minecraft lifetime sales stood at 106.85 million copies, so sales have continued steadily since then.Not only have many, many people bought Minecraft, they're also playing a lot. By Microsoft's latest count, the game has 91 million monthly players, which is many millions ahead of Fortnite.Given the huge success of Minecraft, you might think Microsoft would want to release Minecraft 2, but that's not going to happen soon--or ever. If Microsoft were to make Minecraft 2, the player base might get fractured as some move to the sequel and others stay with the original. While Microsoft could theoretically do that and still make a lot of money, it makes more sense to keep the community together, according to Minecraft boss Helen Chiang."We're trying to keep our community together," she explained. "That's why our updates our free. We don't want to ask [players] to move from Minecraft 1 to Minecraft 2. We want them to just enjoy Minecraft. And there's other ways that we can expand that are more meaningful and authentic to what we want to be, rather than just releasing another iteration in the way that most other franchises do."In other news about games that have sold an unthinkable number of copies, Take-Two just announced that Grand Theft Auto V has sold almost 110 million copies.Multiple new Minecraft games are in development, including an AR game called Minecraft Earth and a dungeon-crawler style project called Minecraft Dungeons.Microsoft acquired Minecraft and developer Mojang in 2015 for $2.5 billion. The game's creator, Markus "Notch" Persson, is no longer involved with the franchise and Microsoft is distancing itself from him in the wake of his controversial opinions. Info from Gamespot.com

The series finale of Game of Thrones has aired, bringing a conclusion to both Season 8 and the entire show. Next Sunday will feature the premiere of HBO's Game of Thrones documentary, The Last Watch, which has just gotten a new trailer. That will take a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show's final season. For more on Episode 6, check out the show's latest--and final--coffee cup-style gaffe (this time featuring a pair of water bottles) and a reminder of who was at the council meeting (there were some faces present who we hadn't seen in years). The finale set a new ratings record for the show, attracting 19.3 million viewers. It also broke the record for most-watched single HBO telecast, beating out the Season 4 premiere of The Sopranos. For our thoughts on the final episode, check out our review below.Given the smelly trash fire that the episodes leading up to it were, there was never any real chance of Game of Thrones' finale, Season 8 Episode 6, "The Iron Throne," being anything other than a disappointment. But at least they tried.There's a parallel universe somewhere where this exact episode was preceded by two full seasons of the phenomenal storytelling that Game of Thrones was once capable of, and in that brighter timeline, the show went out on the right note. It still would have been bittersweet, but it would have also felt earned, which this definitely did not. Too many plot points were swept under the rug and too many endings came from seemingly out of nowhere for this to feel satisfying.Unlike the nonsensical Dothraki charge in Episode 3 or Euron's magic scorpion bolts in Episode 4, there was nothing particularly terrible in the Season 8 finale; we got some surprises (Bran the Broken), while other plotlines concluded exactly as they needed to (Arya sailing West, and Brienne finishing Jaime's page in the Kingsguard book). It just all felt a little tawdry thanks to the path we took to get here.Look at where the show's biggest characters ended, in broad strokes: Jon never fully embraced his secret identity, which was disappointing, but fitting; he'll die a Stark, in the North, as he lived. (I kept waiting all season for something to make me start thinking of him as Aegon Targaryen instead of Jon Snow, but it never happened, seemingly by design.) Dany wound up being her father's daughter after all, which is depressing, but not unrealistic. Some combination of Bran, Sam, and Tyrion--the characters who are supposed to be smart--rewrote the rules of Westerosi politics, transforming the realm from the hereditary monarchy it's been for centuries into, essentially, something resembling a representative democracy. Sansa is Queen in the North, Arya leaves for her own adventure, and the Six-Plus-One Kingdoms are left in somewhat capable hands.Let's talk about King Bran the Broken, First of His Name (and here's a good joke about that very weird title). On paper, yes, he makes a good king. And it's not completely incomprehensible that he winds up on the throne, since the show established that everyone just sort of accepts his Magic Powers of Knowing Everything as fact for some reason. As with the rest of this, I think there's a version of this ending that lands better--one that follows a story in which Bran wasn't written out of an entire season and didn't return to the show as a soulless, dead-eyed husk of a character who did nothing for several years.There's an alternate theory for why Bran winds up on the throne that involves things like the Three-Eyed Raven's true identity, both characters' skin-changing/warging abilities, and cryptic Bran statements about how he's not really Bran anymore. But since the show never really committed to any of that (seriously, when was the last time Bran actually warged into anything or anyone and did something useful?), we have to just take what we got at face value. Whatever.Jon killing Daenerys definitely falls under the umbrella of "things that were inevitable but that doesn't make them any less sad." This episode had some insanely beautiful and effective shots, from Dany walking out to address her soldiers with Drogon's wings spreading behind her to the pivotal scene in the throne room, up to and including the dragon flying away with his dead mother clutched in one claw. Where did he go? Maybe Bran will find him, maybe he won't. Like so many other things in Game of Thrones' neutered final season, that's beside the point.This is the thing: An ending can make sense without feeling satisfying. The reasons why Game of Thrones' finale felt disappointing have less to do with the ways things actually wound up, and more with how we got here. If Bran had actually been present as a character and not just a doorstop for the past couple of seasons, fans might have cheered at the idea of him ruling over Westeros. If Dany's full-on murderous insanity had been properly built up to--as opposed to simply foreshadowed and then flipped on in an instant, which unfortunately isn't the same thing--her death could have been one of the most emotional television scenes ever, rather than something that felt like it simply needed to be done for the Story to continue its breakneck freefall toward a Conclusion.The moments that worked best in "The Iron Throne" were the ones that were properly set up long ago, like Brienne finishing Jaime's page in the White Book of the Kingsguard. It's the right kind of bittersweet: The Jaime that we got to know over these eight seasons (and five books) wanted nothing more than to leave a legacy that could stand alongside those of past Kingsguard greats like Ser Arthur Dayne. And who knew that side of the Kingslayer better than Brienne?But therein lies the quintessential difference between page and screen: If you only watch the show, do you know that side of Jaime? In George R.R. Martin's books, events play out from specific characters' perspectives. When we're seeing the world through Jaime Lannister's eyes, we're also privy to his inner monologue, thoughts, feelings, dreams, hopes, and fears. When the show was still based on the books, it felt similar--in early seasons we usually understood why the characters did the things they did. The show did a great job letting us get to know them.In more recent seasons, it's felt like the show kept us at arm's length, deliberately leaving things offscreen--like Bran, Arya, and Sansa plotting against Littlefinger, or Dany learning to ride and control Drogon--in order to build up surprises and cinematic climaxes. Those moments often worked, but they also left us wondering exactly how the pieces fell into place behind the scenes. Maybe showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss orchestrated that shift deliberately, or maybe they just didn't have the answers and so chose to not even try to come up with some. R'hllor knows George R.R. Martin has a hard enough time--the story's complexity is often cited as one of the reasons the books take him so long to write.The point is: The broad strokes of this ending may be what the author has in mind, and, if he ever manages to finish his own story, this may be the ending that we ultimately get. But the way we get there will likely be characterized not by the bad taste of a botched rush job, but by the careful plotting, endless detail, and realistic, complex characters that the story actually began with.Here's a silver lining: Even if you wanted Jon on the throne in the end, you have to admit that finally seeing him pet his direwolf again is an even better conclusion to his story. At least they got there in the end.Photos: HBO/Helen Sloan Info from Gamespot.com

Game of Thrones no doubt has one of the biggest production budgets in all of TV, but production mistakes continue to happen in its final, abbreviated season, which has often been criticized by some fans for feeling rushed. While production of the show has concluded, it appears that HBO will need to allot some resources to another round of removing an object with visual effects. Just like the coffee cup that appeared earlier this season, the series finale has somehow included another, incredibly similar gaffe involving a beverage container. Episode 6 spoilers follow below.Eagle-eyed fans have noticed a plastic water bottle that can be seen behind Samwell Tarley's leg in one shot of the council scene of the finale, "The Iron Throne." This was noticed by fans on Twitter, and we've confirmed it ourselves.You can see the water bottle just behind Tarley's left leg. Take a look for yourself in the image below. Amazingly, a second water bottle was also seen next to Ser Davos, and you can check out a screencap of that further below. That one actually appears in more than one camera shot, which is just hard to believe, but we've verified it's there--at least for now.As noted above, this is just the latest mishap for Game of Thrones Season 8, as an earlier episode--The Last of the Starks--showed a Starbucks-like coffee up on a table in front of Daenerys when she and the survivors of the Battle for Winterfell celebrated their victory. (It was later revealed to be from craft services, not Starbucks.) HBO digitally removed the cup in the days after the episode aired, but the internet never forgets. It seems likely that HBO will also erase the water bottle, but we'll see if it jokes about this incident as it did last time around.The Game of Thrones series finale wrapped up the story that began back in 2011 and revealed who ultimately won the Iron Throne. For more on the episode, you can check out our list of Easter eggs in the finale and related content linked below.Game Of Thrones Finale: Daenerys Can't Break The Wheel, Turns OutGame Of Thrones Ending: Who Was That Kid At The Council Meeting?Game Of Thrones Finale: What Happened To The Starks In The End Info from Gamespot.com

The final episode of Game of Thrones saw the conclusion of eight seasons of stories, some ending tragically while others came out pretty well, all things considered. The series finale, entitled "The Iron Throne," also saw the return of a few characters who've been missing from the show for a while, giving us a look at what happened to them since their last appearance. There's one person in particular, a young man, whom you may or may not remember--but he's looking a whole lot different these days. Here's what you might have forgotten.A word of warning: there are spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 6, beyond this point!After Daenerys Targaryen's sack of King's Landing, Tyrion Lannister tries to convince Jon Snow that something has to be done about the queen. Jon is finally convinced and when he finds himself alone with Dany, he pledges his loyalty to her one last time--before stabbing her with a dagger, killing her.Without a monarch to lead the Seven Kingdoms, the surviving lords and ladies of Westeros meet at the dragon pit in King's Landing to decide who should rule. There are a lot of familiar faces in attendance, including Yara Greyjoy of the Iron Islands, Edmure Tully of Riverrun, Ser Davos, Ser Brienne of Tarth, and Yohn Royce, who led the Knights of the Vale in the Battle of the Bastards. You might have caught sight of another familiar face with Lord Royce: the grown-up Robin Arryn, Lord of the Vale.We first met Robin in Season 1 when Catelyn Stark took the captured Tyrion Lannister to the Eyrie to get the help of her sister, Lysa Arryn. Robin was the son of Lysa and Jon Arryn, the former Hand of the King who died before the start of the series. With his father's death, the young boy became the new Lord of the Vale. When Robin first appeared on the show, his mother was breastfeeding him (despite the fact that he was definitely about eight or 10 years old at the time). He went on to demonstrate how spoiled and awful he was as he demanded that Tyrion be tossed out the Moon Door.Robin showed up again in Season 4, when Littlefinger brought Sansa Stark to the Eyrie after spiriting her away from King's Landing in the wake of Joffrey Baratheon's death. At that point, he was still spoiled and awful--you might remember the temper tantrum he threw while talking to Sansa, stomping on her snow castle.According to Lysa, the plan was that Robin was to marry Sansa, but that obviously never happened. Littlefinger threw Lysa out the Moon Door instead, and eventually, he married Sansa to Ramsay Bolton. We last saw Robin in Season 6, being absolutely miserable with a sword. That was when Littlefinger sent Robin to live with Lord Royce, who was charged with training the young lord and turning him into a man.Who knows if Robin ever learned anything, but he's definitely come a long way since Season 6. At the council meeting, we see an adult Robin (actor Lino Facioli, who plays Robin, is 18) who looks a lot less sickly than he did as a kid. One wonders if Sansa thinks she made a mistake bailing on Robin; then again, it's hard to separate the good-looking young man from the way-too-old-to-be-breastfeeding boy.Info from Gamespot.com

The latest entry in the Metro franchise, Metro Exodus, will receive an expansion pass that includes two new story missions featuring two new playable characters, Deep Silver and 4A Games have announced. The Expansion Pass' contents, available on PC (through the Epic Games Store), PS4, and Xbox One, will launch in Winter 2019 and early 2020.The first piece of DLC, titled The Two Colonels, follows new playable character Colonel Khlebnikov as he heads home to Kirill, and his son, for New Year's Eve. But, as expected in the unground world of Metro, nothing is as it seems. This new story-driven chapter will introduce a new weapon (the flame-thrower) and claustrophobic environments, tightly wrapped in the same tension players expect from the Metro series. The Two Colonels lands Winter 2019.The second DLC, titled Sam's Story, follows Spartan Ranger and ex-US Marine, Sam, in a brand new survival sandbox tale. Hopeful that his family is still alive, Sam makes his way back to the US, landing in the tsunami-ravaged Vladivostok. The journey tasks players with guiding Sam through Vladivostok, traveling across the wasteland of post-apocalyptic Russia. It arrives in early 2020.The Expansion Pass will retail for $24.99 USD across all three platforms.Metro Exodus recently got the Ranger Update, a new update that adds a New Game Plus, address various bugs, and makes a few tweaks to the game. The update is approximately 6GB and is available to download now.Info from Gamespot.com

Sony has opened a new studio to produce film and TV projects based on its games. The newly created PlayStation Productions will be headed by Asad Qizilbash, who previously served the company as a marketing VP for exclusive games.THR reports that the studio has already started to set up shop and begin its first projects in the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, California. Sony Pictures will also help with distribution. The initiative is being overseen by Sony Worldwide Studios head Shawn Layden. The studio will pull from its library of exclusive games, but specific projects have not been named."Instead of licensing our IP out to studios, we felt the better approach was for us to develop and produce for ourselves," Qizilbash said. "One, because we're more familiar, but also because we know what the PlayStation community loves."Qizilbash said the studio startup has looked at the Marvel model for inspiration, and even spoke with Marvel producer Kevin Feige, along with other producers like Lorenzo di Bonaventura from the Transformers franchise.Layden says that its studio will be different, since it's approaching with a fuller understanding of the games and their audiences."You can see just by watching older video game adaptations that the screenwriter or director didn't understand that world or the gaming thing," Layden says. "The real challenge is, how do you take 80 hours of gameplay and make it into a movie? The answer is, you don't. What you do is you take that ethos you write from there specifically for the film audience. You don't try to retell the game in a movie."He also said the studio hopes to create touch points for fans of their franchises that will help them enjoy the world in between sequels. Though the studio didn't detail how many of their projects are aimed for film versus television, Qizilbash said it will "bring our IP for the medium that best honors the property." The partnership with Sony Pictures will give the fledgling studio more leeway to get off the ground."This is a passion project for me," says Layden. "To be the first gaming entity to do something lasting and meaningful in a completely different medium is something I'd like to see us achieve here at PlayStation Productions."PlayStation is expanding its brand into movies just as it changes how it engages with video game audiences. It is skipping the annual video game expo E3 this year, and has started a series of direct streams called State of Play. It also has started to detail its plans for the PlayStation 5.Info from Gamespot.com