Disney's new live-action Pinocchio movie has suffered what sounds like a major setback. Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey said in a new interview that director Paul King (Paddington 1 and 2), pulled out of the project over the holidays for family reasons.McGarvey told Discussing Film that King personally chose him to be the cinematographer for the Pinocchio movie, so now that he's out, it means McGarvey is as well. He initially said the Pinocchio movie "has been canceled," but he went on to say that Disney is looking for a new director, and then production may start again. Or it might not, McGarvey said."I don't think it's a secret anymore, but the film has been canceled. Over the holidays, over Christmas, the director pulled out of the film for family reasons," he explained. "Disney are trying to find a new director. They're trying to get it going but I'm unlikely to be involved now because Paul King, who directed Paddington 1 and 2, wanted me to be his [director of photography] on the film."Who knows, the director they eventually bring on, it will probably be delayed by some time now; it probably won't shoot until July or August, if it does at all."When Disney finds a new director, this person will likely choose their own director of photography, and from the way McGarvey was speaking, it sounds like it wouldn't be him.McGarvey earned two Best Cinematography Oscar nominations, for the movies Atonement and Anna Karenina, both of which were directed by Joe Wright.King is not the first director to drop out of Pinocchio, as Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro was originally eyed to direct. He's not doing the Disney movie, but he is set to write and direct an animated musical adaptation of Pinocchio for Netflix. Sam Mendes (Skyfall, American Beauty) was also attached to direct the new Pinocchio before dropping out.Tom Hanks is reportedly being considered to play Pinocchio's father, Geppetto, in the new film, though whether or not the recent director change affects this remains to be seen.While the new Pinocchio might not be happening soon, Disney has a few live-action remakes coming up in 2019 including The Lion King and Aladdin. Info from Gamespot.com

Treyarch has rolled out a new update for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. As the developer previously detailed, all three of the game's modes have gotten some attention with this week's patch, but the most was saved for Zombies, which has received a new in-game event and other content.Beginning January 15, Treyarch is holding a 115 Day Celebration in Zombies--a reference to the element used to create the undead monsters in Black Ops lore. During the event, players will receive twice the normal amount of XP, weapon XP, and Nebulium Plasma. The 115 Day Celebration is live on all platforms and is scheduled to end at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM GMT on January 18.Additionally, PS4 players can now take on Gauntlets in Zombies mode. Treyarch describes these as "30-round challenges with unique rules governing gameplay in each round." Players will earn medals and rewards depending on how many rounds they're able to complete, as well as a "unique reward" for their Emblem if they manage to clear round 30 without failing.Finally, Treyarch has introduced three new Elixirs that players can craft in Zombies. These are currently available on PS4; they are all Epic rarity and confer the following buffs on players according to Treyarch's blog:Perk Up: Gain 4 additional random Perks that are not in your loadout.Refresh Mint: Refreshes the cooldowns for Equipment, Perks, and Special Weapons for your entire team.Conflagration Liquidation: Spawn a Bonfire Sale power-up.Treyarch has more content on the way for Zombies mode, including a new Perk, Mastery Camos, and classic weapons. These are slated to arrive in the "coming weeks." The developer also has other new Zombies features and updates planned for this year, such as new Gauntlets and Faction Callings, which are "designed to feature a full season of 12 unique challenge events across all Zombies maps and game modes that reward players with never-before-seen character customization loot."Info from Gamespot.com

A new Ghostbusters movie is coming. Entertainment Weekly reports that Jason Reitman, the son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, will co-write and direct the new film that is not connected to the 2016 edition featuring an all-female cast of ghost hunters. Specific plot points for Jason Reitman's new movie are being kept under wraps for now, but he did confirm that it's set in the present day. It is not a reboot, but it's a continuation of the original series."This is the next chapter in the original franchise. It is not a reboot," he told EW. "What happened in the '80s happened in the '80s, and this is set in the present day."The new Ghostbusters movie will start shooting later this year, and it's expected to hit theatres in summer 2020. The other writer is Gil Kenan, who earned an Oscar nomination for Monster House."This is very early, and I want the film to unwrap like a present," Jason Reitman told EW. "We have a lot of wonderful surprises and new characters for the audience to meet."Regarding the new characters, Justin Kroll of the website Variety said Jason Reitman may be looking to cast four teenagers in the lead roles. In the original films, the main characters were played by Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and Rick Moranis. Ramis passed away in 2014.Hearing he is currently looking to cast four teenagers for the lead roles — Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) January 16, 2019Reitman has four Oscar nominations, and some of his best-known films include Juno, Up in the Air, and Thank You For Smoking.Ivan Reitman will produce the new Ghostbusters movie, and he told EW, "It will be a passing of the torch both inside and out." He said his son Jason came to him with the idea for the new film, and it left him in awe. ""I was quite surprised when he came to me with Gil and said, 'I know I've been saying for 10 years I'm the last person who should make a Ghostbusters movie, but…I have this idea.' Literally, I was crying by the end of it, it was so emotional and funny," he said.Go to Entertainment Weekly to read the full story on the new Ghostbusters movie.Info from Gamespot.com

The open-world Star Wars game in development at EA Vancouver has been canceled. That's according to a new report from Kotaku that credits the information to three sources who reportedly have inside knowledge of the matter.According to the report, EA Vancouver's Star Wars title was a "reboot" of the Star Wars project that Visceral Games was working on until EA closed that studio in 2017. EA Vancouver continued to use some of the assets from Visceral's game, but transitioned the title to become an open-world experience, Kotaku reported.Executive Patrick Soderlund, who has since left EA, previously confirmed that Visceral's Star Wars game was a "story-based, linear adventure game." However, responding to market trends and player feedback, EA decided to "pivot" the design to make it a title that players could "come back to and enjoy for a long time to come," which suggested it was becoming more multiplayer-focused. At the same time, Soderlund announced that EA Vancouver would lead development on this title and that it was also delayed. Now, it is canceled outright, apparently.The Star Wars game Visceral had in development was being headed up by Uncharted veteran Amy Hennig. She said it may be "spiritually similar" to Uncharted but that it will also be its own thing. Hennig has since left EA altogether.EA did not respond to GameSpot's request for comment at press time, but keep checking back with us for the latest.While EA Vancouver's Star Wars game may be canceled, the publisher continues its work on a third-person Star Wars action game, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, from Titanfall studio Respawn Entertainment. And according to Kotaku, EA Vancouver may be working on a new Star Wars game, but there is no word on what it might be.In 2013, EA signed a multi-year, multi-title deal with Disney for Star Wars video games. That licensing contract was said to run for 10 years, so it may expire in 2023 unless the terms were adjusted without being discussed publicly.EA previously found itself embroiled in Star Wars controversy when Star Wars: Battlefront II's microtransactions made headlines and led to wider discussions from governments around the world about loot boxes in video games. Info from Gamespot.com

Celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, The Elder Scrolls Online has steadily grown into an experience that many fans of Bethesda's RPG franchise wanted back when it debuted back in 2014. As an open world MMO, players can freely explore the many regions of Tamriel embarking quests, exploring dungeons, and acquiring rare loot. With the releases of previous expansions set in familiar areas, including Morrowind and Summerset, the scale and content of the online world has steadily seen improvement. During a livestream hosted by Twitch, the developers of ESO revealed the next major expansion set in the land of Elsweyr, along with an ambitious set of DLCs and updates releasing this year.Set for launch on June 4, the Elsweyr expansion takes place in the homeland of the Khajit. Not only will new quests and events open up for veteran players in the region, but it will also be a new starting point for newcomers. As a part of their annual event for the Season of the Dragon, the developers plan to launch four unique DLCs throughout 2019. In the reveal trailer for Elsweyr, dragons have once again found their way to Tamriel, prompting the many adventurers in the land to face off against the new threat. In addition to being tied into the all new story quests, these dragons will also be a part of major world events.Prior to the reveal, GameSpot spoke with ESO creative director Rich Lambert about their plans for the game in 2019, and how the community has expanded in big way in recent years."Elsweyr been one of the most requested places from our fans; it’s the homeland of the Khajit," said the creative director. "There's bits and pieces of the land in other DLCs, such as Reaper's March and Khenarthi's Roost, but those are really on the outer edges of the province. So we're really going into the heartland, showing what Khajit culture is, and how they've evolved over the ages."With the Season of the Dragon annual event, the developers plan to update many of the core pillars of the MMO with four key updates. Beginning in Q1 with Wrathstone, the first DLC will add in new dungeon content for experienced players. In the second DLC--releasing on June 4--the region of Elsweyr will open up for all players, focusing on new quests and storylines within the desert land of the Khajit. The final two DLCs releasing in the back half of 2019 will also place a heavy emphasis on on additional story and dungeon content as well.The highlight of Season of the Dragon will no doubt be Elsweyr, which adds in a massive new zone to explore. However, there will also be numerous other updates and quality-of-life additions that will switch things up. The year-long event will also see a new class thrown into the mix, which is the Necromancer. Using their dark magic, they'll be able to summon spirits and manipulate the dead to fight in battle. However, their dark arts will arouse all kinds of attention from NPCs throughout the land. Using the Necromancer's abilities in towns will prompt citizens and guards to confront the player--similarly to when players used shouts in the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. These interactions also tied into the game's Justice system, which judges your character based on in-game choices.Furthermore, there will also be new world events. In addition to in-world battles against the massive dragons, some regions will also catch the attention of Daedric deities, who've become bored of the state of the world. In order to spice things up, they'll introduce a little chaos by spawning powerful artifacts in the world. Those who can find them can wield the ancient weapons, transforming them into a demi-god. With drastically amplified stats and unique spells and skills, you'll need to unleash carnage on other players, or else succumb to the artifact's insatiable hunger for chaos.The Elder Scrolls Online is in for a big year, and the new forms of content look to bring some interesting opportunities for players to explore more of the world. In the years since ESO's debut, the developers spent a lot of time listening to what the fans wanted, which they they credit the game's current success."We spent a lot of time reflecting on what the fans wanted, in trying to bring that Elder Scrolls feel into the game," said Lambert. "That's where One Tamriel came from, Thieves Guild, the Dark Brotherhood, and that's where the Justice System came out as well. It really changed the feel of ESO, and players have enjoyed it since. The game has never been stronger, which is awesome."For more info on Elder Scrolls Online, including what's to come with Elsweyr and the Season of the Dragon, be sure to check back with GameSpot.Info from Gamespot.com

Vane opens in a storm, as the small child you're controlling is buffeted by strong winds and must figure out the path forward. Invisible walls stop you from going the wrong way, a lot of the debris flying around is clearly floating up through the floor, and the ambiguities of the scene--you’re not told anything about your character or their situation--make it hard to get invested. Vane doesn’t make a strong first impression.After this brief opening, you're thrown into a new sequence where you're playing as a bird. You take flight and soar through a huge environment, looking for the distant sparkles of windsocks that you need to find and land on so as to meet and unite other birds. This is all communicated wordlessly, and despite the enormity of the environment those sparkles signpost where you need to go and what you need to do. The controls take some getting used to, but it feels great to be let loose on a huge expanse after that earlier, restrained experience. This opening represents the duality of Vane, a game that occasionally feels epic and exciting but which is also burdened by moments of sluggishness, all manner of glitches, and a camera that refuses to behave.The child you control can, for reasons unexplained, turn into a bird, morphing if you jump off a high ledge. If the bird comes close to the gold dust that appears in several places throughout the game world, it turns back into the kid. This mechanic is used to good effect early on as you fly around various environments switching between the two forms to progress. This is Vane at its best, as you come to grips with the strengths and weaknesses of both forms and figure out the way forward.But in the game's back half, the bird form is largely put aside. You spend most of your time in human form, moving slower and exploring your environments on foot. Your ability to interact with the world is limited--you can jump, there's a seldom-used interact button, and you can use a "call" button to call to other birds or children as you encounter them.There aren't really puzzles in Vane, per se--being observant and exploring the environment thoroughly is more important than critical thinking. You're not given much guidance on where to go next, or what your exact objective is, in most parts of the game--it's almost entirely devoid of instruction, beyond the very occasional button prompt. This means that figuring out the way forward usually means just reading your environment, but that's not always easy. The camera in Vane is uncooperative, frequently getting stuck in parts of the environment or not turning as you'd like it to. In bird form, flying close to the ground can make the camera clip through it, which can be very frustrating.The kid you're playing as is rendered with little detail, as is much of the world. This is clearly an intentional style choice, and for the most part it works well, with the angular visuals and moody synth soundtrack doing a good job of conveying the inherent weirdness of the world. The simple style works in service of a later game mechanic that allows you to morph the world around you--in one section, for instance, you're pushing a giant orb through an environment, and the orb will change parts of the environment it gets close to. If there's a gap between two platforms, the orb might generate a bridge between them.Unfortunately, this is also the section of the game where I was hit by the most frequent game-breaking glitches--I got stuck in the environment more than once, and at one point the orb disappeared, forcing me to restart at a checkpoint very far back. I was hit by another issue right near the game's end, encountering a glitch during the game's trippy finale that sent me on a maddening goose chase; without getting into specifics of how the game ends, a structure that was meant to grow in front of me simply did not, causing me to go in the wrong direction for several minutes until the game unceremoniously reset me to the beginning of the sequence.These are issues that could be fixed with patches, of course (the first pre-launch patch made substantial improvements to the camera), but there are also fundamental design issues here. Vane is more committed to mood than storytelling, and by the end of the experience it's difficult to say what, exactly, just happened. There's room for analysis, of course, and the game conjures up what it's like to be a scared and lonely child in a few scenes, but it's all too vague to really feel meaningful. There's value in being mysterious, but Vane could use more payoff.It's all over very soon, too. This is a short game that constantly feels like it's still gearing up towards something better, a way to tie together all its mechanics. The last sections of the game are quite lackadaisical, simplifying the game's systems right down while relying on an investment in the game's thin lore. It's not just that the game doesn't give you easy answers--it also gives you little incentive to come up with your own. There are moments where you can see what the game could have been--like when you soar through a valley in bird form, or morph the world around you--but Vane lacks a voice and a strong sense of purpose.Info from Gamespot.com

There is no shortage of indie 2D platform games out there vying for your attention and money. In order to stand out from the crowd, these games have to try to make themselves unique through visuals, sound, and perhaps most importantly, gameplay. 13 A.M.'s Double Cross does this by mixing a physics platformer with a mild dash of beat-'em-up combat and even a mystery-sleuthing story element. It's an interesting concoction, but sadly, this mix doesn't go down quite as smoothly as you'd hope.Double Cross has players assuming the role of Zahra, a spunky young lass who works for RIFT, an interdimensional police force. RIFT is in charge of keeping all the various alternate universes out there in check, and Zahra's one of their best up-and-coming agents. When RIFT HQ falls victim to a mysterious attacker, however, Zahra is tasked with combing through multiple dimensions and finding clues to the strange being's identity. This involves some hand-to-hand combat, a bit of evidence collection and investigation, and a lot of swinging about with Zahra's special Proton Slinger.While the game's tutorial and Zahra's status as interdimensional law enforcement might have you thinking that Double Cross's priority is combat with monsters from different universes, it's actually slanted very heavily towards pure platforming. Zahra makes ample use of her grappling-hook-like Proton Slinger to latch onto objects and propel herself along the game's various environments, using the swings in tandem with a dodging skill to avoid hazards like spikes, fire pits, and security lasers. You'll often be tasked with doing multiple, very precise swings in a row, which can be quite challenging--but thankfully, time slows down when Zahra is aiming her Proton Slinger, making it much less of a pain to do the demanding multi-sling sequences. It feels really satisfying to hit a bunch of tricky sling targets all in a row, especially if you've managed to suss out a hidden path to collect Upgradium, the game's token ability-boosting collectible.Elements like weird, clingy-bouncy goo walls and switch-activated platforms keep stage design interesting and engaging while providing simple puzzles to solve. It's a good thing most of the stages are fun to bounce around in, because there's not much to them visually--while Double Cross does offer a pleasant color palette and uses camera zoom wisely in areas where it's beneficial, the lack of detail and samey-ness in many of the game's backdrops don't inspire much excitement to explore. You're really playing to see what kind of fun platforming challenge will get thrown at you next. There are a few levels that are just plain bad--the arcade stage with numerous timer-based challenges is a real hair-puller--but they're rare.However, sometimes those fun platforming challenges are interrupted by combat. While Double Cross tries to make its combat seem meaningful--even offering a nifty custom combat-enhancement loadout system with new skills players can earn and equip--in practice, combat is a boring, mash-heavy slog with little player skill involved. The impact from connecting hits feels weak, enemy variety is nonexistent, and what few enemies there are in each stage are pretty easy to beat: whack the small fries with quick attack chains, stunlock the bigger dudes with heavy attacks, and occasionally use the Proton Slinger to grab and toss a projectile back at a foe.You can gather energy from felled foes to charge up special attacks like a burst and a projectile, but their use tends to be limited. I got through the game almost never using the burst, instead hoarding my fireballs for when I knew a big annoying enemy wave was coming. Combat-heavy boss encounters, such as the fight at the end of the Reptarria level set, highlight the most glaring flaws of Double Cross' combat: you're up against a huge damage sponge that often doesn't react to your arsenal of primarily short-range strikes in a way that indicates whether what you're doing is right or wrong. Other bosses, like the battle at the end of the Gootopia stages, focus more on clever gimmicks than combat and are far more fun for it.Another element of Double Cross that disappoints is the game's mystery theming. Zahra's cross-dimensional adventure has her finding evidence related to the attack on RIFT headquarters, presenting it to her coworkers, and using their observations to build a case and go after various bad guys. This sounds like a pretty exciting gameplay element--I mean, who doesn't like the sound of Where In the Physics Platformer Multiverse is Carmen Sandiego?--but in practice, it's simply trial-and-error. You talk and show various items to the characters inhabiting RIFT HQ until one of them reacts. There's no setback for showing the wrong thing to the wrong person--the only thing an incorrect guess does is prevent you from reaching a boss stage until you do get it right. Much like the combat, the detective aspect feels unnecessary and unsatisfying.Had Double Cross opted to focus more on its strength--fun physics platforming--and de-emphasized things like combat and the tedious mystery-solving element, the game would have been an easy recommendation. But the weak parts of the package drag down the whole, and Double Cross winds up feeling like it's a somewhat undercooked mash of ideas. Info from Gamespot.com

Treyarch has a number of updates lined up for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 this month. The developer rolled out the first of these--which added new Featured playlists, among other things--on January 8, and now it's given fans a preview of what's coming in the game's next update.Over on Reddit, the studio outlined what's in store for Black Ops 4 this week. All three of the game's modes will be receiving some attention. Zombies is set to get Gauntlets, which Treyarch describes as "curated 30-round challenges with unique rules for each round." The developer is also holding a 115 Day Celebration Event in the mode from January 15-18. The event will be available on all platforms and offers double XP, weapon XP, and Nebulium Plasma.For the Blackout battle royale mode, Treyarch will be implementing a new looting interface on consoles, making it easier to loot specific items. The developer says it will also hold two limited-time modes in Blackout next week. No further details have been provided yet, but Treyarch teases that it will reveal more info about the modes--as well as "more Blackout news"--soon.Finally, in multiplayer mode, next week's update will add both Elevation and Madagascar to the map rotation for those who have the Black Ops Pass. Treyarch says that future maps will be added to the full rotation "as they’re released." The update will also bring new Featured playlists, as well as stability improvements and other fixes.Later in the month, Treyarch will introduce League Play to Black Ops 4. This will make competitive multiplayer more akin to what's seen in professional matches, with skill-based matchmaking putting participants into 50-player groupings.Info from Gamespot.com

Aquaman is doing big business. The superhero movie has now passed $1 billion at the global box office, making it one of the most successful movies in the history of cinema. After yet another weekend near the top of the box office charts, it's now made $1.02 billion worldwide.Only 36 other movies have made $1 billion at the box office, according to Forbes.Aquaman is now the second-biggest DC Comics movie ever, surpassing The Dark Knight ($1.004 billion). It's still behind The Dark Knight Rises ($1.08 billion), however. As Entertainment Weekly reminds us, ticket prices have been rising over the years, which may inflate figures.In the United States and Canada, Aquaman has pulled in $287 million, which is below the domestic box office hauls of Wonder Woman ($412.5 million), Suicide Squad ($325.1 million), and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($330.3 million). The film is performing far better internationally; it's made $300 million in China alone. All told, the movie has pulled in $732 million from overseas markets.Aquaman the fifth movie released in 2018 to pass $1 billion at the global office; the others were Avengers: Infinity War ($2.045 billion), Black Panther ($1.346 billion), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ($1.309 billion), and Incredibles 2 ($1.242 billion).Director James Wan responded to the news of Aquaman passing $1 billion, thanking the cast and crew of the film for the incredible achievement. He also said Jason Momoa's performance as Aquaman will help the character become the "gold standard for this character for generations to come." You can read all of his tweets below.A few things to say...Firstly, this movie wouldn’t be what it is without the astonishing achievement of everyone involved, from the head of departments to every single crew member, who demanded upmost excellence in helping design and create this cinematic experience. — James Wan (@creepypuppet) January 13, 2019Secondly, I’ll forever be indebted to Jason for turning Aquaman into one of the coolest, cinematic superheroes ever, and becoming the gold standard for this character for generations to come. — James Wan (@creepypuppet) January 13, 2019Huge THANK YOU to my amazing cast — Amber, Patrick (my rabbit foot), Nicole, Yahya, Willem, Temuera, Dolph, Ludi, Michael — for breathing life and wonder into our beloved characters. — James Wan (@creepypuppet) January 13, 2019Finally, but most importantly — massive LOVE and THANK YOU to the fans and audiences around the world. Humbled by the way you’ve embraced Aquaman, and how it has resonated on a global scale. — James Wan (@creepypuppet) January 13, 2019 Info from Gamespot.com

The Final Destination horror movie franchise is getting a reboot. According to The Hollywood Reporter, film company New Line has started working on a new Final Destination movie, with Saw writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan attached to write the story.The new movie is described by THR as a "re-imagining" of the Final Destination series, but plot details are under wraps for now.The first Final Destination premiered in 2000, starring Devon Sawa and Ali Larter. It was a huge hit, making $112 million globally against a budget of only $23 million. Unsurprisingly, New Line went on to make four sequels, which together have made nearly $700 million worldwide.In the first Final Destination, a group of teenagers are about to get on an airplane, when one of their friends has a vision that the plane goes down and they all die. They get off the plane, only to watch it go up in flames after take off. Because they were supposed to die, the force of Death goes after them, killing them off one by one in horrific, gruesome fashion.This same setup is used in the four sequels, though the circumstances are changed. It is a highly repeatable formula, which must have made studio executives happy. Presumably the new movie will be similar in structure and tone, but nothing has been announced as of yet.There is no word yet on when the new Final Destination movie might come to theatres. We also don't know who will star in it or who may direct. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.The most recent entry, Final Destination 5, was released in 2014.Melton and Dunstan were announced as the writers of a God of War movie for Sony, but that was back in 2012, and things could have changed since then. Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo has revealed the most-played Nintendo Switch games of 2018 in Europe, and the title at the top of the list probably will not surprise you.The news feed on the console in Europe reveals the most-played Switch game of the past year was Epic's free-to-play battle royale game, Fortnite. Rounding out the top five were all Nintendo-made games: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The only reason Super Smash Bros. Ultimate isn't near the top is probably because it only just launched in December. Nintendo didn't share any numbers about specific play-time hours, so we don't know the gaps between the different games.Still, it's not all that surprising that Fortnite is No. 1 given the game's immense global popularity. As mentioned, this chart is only for Europe. It doesn't appear that Nintendo published similar most-played lists in the US or other parts of the world.NintendoEverything first reported this news. The top 20 most-played games for Nintendo Switch in Europe can be seen at the bottom of this post. NPD analyst Mat Piscatella responded to the news, saying he expects Fortnite's massive success to have an impact on the wider industry in 2019. Specifically, he said the way in which the game's massive success propelled gains for hardware and microtransaction spending in 2018 may be hard to replicate, especially in the first half of 2019.Nintendo announces Fortnite as the most played game on Switch in 2018. One of 2019's biggest market challenges will be meeting the comparable $ volumes set by Fortnite and its impact across all platforms in HW, MTX and ACC last year, particularly in 1H. Won't be easy. — Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) January 13, 2019Most-Played Switch Games Of 2018 In EuropeFortniteThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildSuper Mario OdysseySplatoon 2 Mario Kart 8 DeluxeFIFA 18MinecraftPokemon: Let’s Go, PikachuPokemon: Let’s Go, EeveeXenoblade Chronicles 2 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Rocket League Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom BattlePokemon Quest Stardew ValleyDragon Ball Xenoverse 2Octopath TravelerSuper Smash Bros. UltimatePaladinsSuper Mario PartyInfo from Gamespot.com

HBO's titanic hit series Game of Thrones is coming back for its eighth and final season this spring. Before the premiere of the new season of True Detective, HBO aired a brief video showing three of the four remaining Starks, which the series has followed, then revealing the April 14 premiere date for Season 8.In the video, which you can watch above, Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) are in the crypts below their home of Winterfell, when everything freezes over. Winter is here, and it's going to be a challenge for everyone in Westeros.As you probably remember from the end of Season 7, the Night King reanimated one of Daenerys Targaryen's dragons--who died in the north--and it is now a part of the undead army, trying to head south. The only thing in the army's way was The Wall, which the reanimated dragon burned down, giving the White Walkers an opening to invade.However, we won't know what's in store for the Starks--as well as the villains we love to hate like Cersei Lannister--until this spring, when HBO releases the final episodes in this story, for now. Hopefully, Bran can make it to the Stark family reunion because as every Game of Thrones fan knows, people you love tend to die.It's been pretty quiet when it comes to the final season of Game of Thrones, but we do know a few things. The premiere of the new season will mirror Season 1 in various ways, so it may be a good time to go back and rewatch the show before the April premiere. The final battle for the new season is the largest in the series to date and most brutal as well. Additionally, there is a Game of Thrones prequel on the way, which has cast a few actors and a director.Game of Thrones returns to HBO for its final season on April 14 at 9 PM ET / PT.Info from Gamespot.com

It's going to be a big week for Mortal Kombat 11. The previously announced community reveal event is slated for January 17, and it looks like it'll be a big event you'll want to watch.In addition to premiering the first gameplay from Mortal Kombat 11, a description of the reveal event promises "exclusive reveals." It'll also contain details on the game's story and characters, as well as some of its "new features."Brutal. Bloody. Brash. The gameplay reveal for #MK11 is in just 4 days! https://t.co/ArJITxDowG pic.twitter.com/QAihcFq6cw — Mortal Kombat 11 (@MortalKombat) January 13, 2019Whether or not there are any character reveals remains to be seen. Pennywise the killer clown from the It franchise is rumoured for the game, and given that the film comes from NetherRealm's owner, Warner Bros., it seems like it could happen. An It sequel is also on the way in 2019, and putting Pennywise in Mortal Kombat 11--which is also due out in 2019--could help promote the film. This is all speculation at this point, however.The event will be broadcast live, and you'll be able to watch on Twitch and other streaming sites. Check back later for more on how, when, and where to watch the event.Mortal Kombat 11 launches on April 23 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch, and those who pre-order a copy will receive Shao Kahn as a playable character.Pre-orders on PS4 and Xbox One also come with access to the fighting game's pre-launch beta. The test will be held for those two platforms sometime in March, although further details have yet to be announced.In other news, Mortal Kombat 11's cover art has been revealed--check it out here.Info from Gamespot.com

There are always more games on the horizon, and now Microsoft has teased what's coming next for its portfolio. In a blog post, Microsoft offered what it called a "hot tease" of what fans can expect in the time ahead.Starting with 2019 games, Xbox fans have titles like Crackdown 3, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Gears 5, and Minecraft: Dungeons to look forward to. Of note, all of these games--and all future first-party titles from Microsoft--are included with the price of an Xbox Game Pass membership."2019 is shaping up nicely for Xbox, PC and mobile gamers alike," Microsoft said.Also in 2019 Microsoft will release a significant new update for Sea of Thieves, called The Arena, which adds a competitive mode.In addition to all of these games and the new Sea of Thieves expansion, Microsoft teased future releases from its studios around the world. Microsoft said delivering "new Microsoft technologies" is one part of the company's ambition going forward."And we can't wait to show you what all the Microsoft Studios development teams are working on. We’re focused on implementing new Microsoft technologies, delivering content for new platforms and services like Xbox Game Pass, and creating exclusive games that turn players into loyal Xbox fans," Microsoft said. "We are committed to expanding the Microsoft Studios franchises players already love and investing in new, exclusive content for every type of gamer. We're excited to see the teams maximize their potential at Microsoft and can't wait for what the future has in store."Last year, Microsoft invested in its future by acquiring six studios and creating an all-new one. At E3, Microsoft announced that it acquired Playground Games (Forza Horizon), Compulsion Games (We Happy Few), Ninja Theory (Hellblade), and Undead Labs (State of Decay). At Microsoft's X018 event in Mexico City, Microsoft announced the acquisition of Obsidian Entertainment (Fallout: New Vegas) and inXile Entertainment (Wasteland 3). As for new studio, The Initiative is based in the Los Angeles area, and it's staffed by Red Dead Redemption's writer/designer and many other big names.Outside of games, Microsoft is working on a game-streaming service that will let you play console-level Halo on your phone, while the company is also making a Halo TV show and a Gears of War movie. Additionally, Microsoft is working on multiple new Xbox consoles.What games and technologies are you hoping to see from Microsoft in 2019? Let us know in the comments below!Info from Gamespot.com

Update: UKIE, the suppliers of the UK games chart, has stated the charts it and GfK Chart-Track issued earlier today were "missing a significant number of sales, across multiple retailers." Hence, it says, the charts below should be disregarded until further notice. We'll update when receive the actual top 10 from UKIE and GfK Chart-Track. Original story follows.New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe for Nintendo Switch has debuted at the top of the UK physical sales chart, according to sales monitor GfK Chart-Track. The Switch exclusive was the best-selling boxed game for the week ending January 12, superseding FIFA 19, which drops to No.2.The remainder of the chart stays mostly unchanged, with many titles simply shifting down one place from last week's positions thanks to NSMBU Deluxe's strong start. Red Dead Redemption 2 falls to No.3, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 to No.4, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to No.5. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, meanwhile, rises one place to No.6.Aside from Mario's remastered outing, there was only one new release last week. Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition came to Switch, PS4, and Xbox One, debuting at No.11.Mario's latest adventure reviewed well and was awarded a 7/10 in GameSpot's New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe review. "Despite its aging formula, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is still a great entry in the series, with its typically tight platforming and both accessibility and depth to spare," we wrote. "While it can feel a bit stale for those who have been round the Mushroom Kingdom one too many times before, Deluxe is well worth playing, especially if you didn't get a chance to play NSMBU on Wii U."You can read the full top 10 sales chart for this week below, courtesy of UKIE and GfK Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.New Super Mario Bros. U DeluxeFIFA 19Red Dead Redemption 2Call of Duty: Black Ops 4Super Smash Bros. UltimateMario Kart 8 DeluxeBattlefield VGrand Theft Auto VCrash Bandicoot N. Sane TrilogyForza Horizon 4Info from Gamespot.com