Summer is that special time of the year where you can finally put away that coat and start wearing t-shirts. It's also that time of year when we get treated to an absolute truckload of PC game discounts on Steam during the platform's annual summer sale. People are always clamouring to find out when that fated sale starts, and thanks to a new rumour posted by SteamDB developer Pavel Djundik, we may now know when that is.Djundik recently tweeted that "Chinese sources are saying the Steam summer sale starts on 25th of June." Djundik noted that his sources are "Generally trustworthy, but not fully confirmed" before tweeting "Confirmed now, [June] 25 to [July] 9" a few hours later. We've reached out to Valve for comment.Chinese sources are saying the Steam summer sale starts on 25th of June. Generally trustworthy, but not fully confirmed. — Pavel Djundik (@thexpaw) May 8, 2020SteamDB is a database that deals in Steam information that isn't always provided by Valve. This includes a game's current players, the value of a specific Steam account, and more. It's also well-known for leaking new features and sales coming to Steam and has been reliable in the past with previous years' summer sale dates.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

As the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic continues, it remains unclear when TV shows will be able to resume production and begin filming new seasons to debut in the fall. As such, some networks are looking to airing shows that have previously been shown elsewhere. Earlier, it was announced that Fox would broadcast the first season of Bad Boys spin-off LA's Finest, which currently airs on Spectrum. Now, The CW has added two streaming shows to its fall roster--including a DC Universe fan favorite.The network will air the one and only season of Swamp Thing this fall. The series premiered on the DC Universe streaming service in 2019, but was canceled following the release of the first episode. The show stars Crystal Reed as Dr. Abby Arcane and Derek Mears as the titular Swamp Thing. This is the second DC Universe series to wind up on The CW, with episodes of the new series Stargirl also set to air on the network.Additionally, The CW will air the CBS All Access original show Tell Me a Story. The anthology series was canceled on the streaming service after two seasons, but The CW plans to air all episodes. The network will also air the Canadian series Coroner, along with British comedy Dead Pixels. This will be the US debut for both shows.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

When Disney announced it was buying the Deadpool series from Fox, the company said it would continue to release R-rated Deadpool films going forward. If that does come to fruition, it might not be anytime soon. Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld said in a recent interview that he's not feeling very optimistic about the future of Deadpool, and he spoke critically of Marvel boss Kevin Feige's direction of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Asked by Inverse if there was a possibility for a Deadpool/X-Force crossover movie, Liefeld said if it does happen, it won't be soon."I don't know," he said. "Here's what people don't want to hear, but thank God I'm a realist. I feel like Deadpool, the movies, they've set sail. We got two brilliant movies, and we live in a culture that always looks forward because all they're ever selling us is 'next, next, next, next. Yeah, you like that? Here's next. It's the fever."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Here's something fun and unexpected: Guy Fieri and Bill Murray are collaborating on a new project where they will compete to make the best nachos. And it's all for charity.The show is called "The Nacho Average Showdown," and it's being held to help raise money for Fieri's Restaurant Employee Relief Fund. The charity has has already raised more than $20 million for restaurant workers affected by the COVID-19 crisis.The can't-miss event will air on Food Network's Facebook page on May 15, beginning at 5 PM ET, according to Entertainment Weekly. Popular chef Carla Hall will host the event, while former NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal and Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor Terry Crews will eat the nachos as the judges.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Man is with child. Becky Lynch appeared on Monday Night Raw with some major news. After not having a match on the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, the WWE superstar and reigning Raw Women's Champion revealed that she was pregnant. As such, she also vacated her title, naming Asuka the new champion."I'm at a place in my life where things are about to change and I need to do something about it," Lynch said to open the show, adding that her leaving was a mixture of joy and sadness. She later told Asuka, "You go and be a warrior because I'm going to go be a mother."As for how Asuka got the title, Lynch noted that she spoke to WWE management about raising the stakes of the Women's Money in the Bank match. The winner didn't receive a shot at her championship. Instead, the winner--Asuka--won the championship itself.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Mandalorian is due to return for a second season on Disney + this October, but with the world currently gripped by a global pandemic, it's reasonable to question whether this date is still locked in. But confirmation has come in that plans for The Mandalorian Season 2 have not changed--it's still coming in October.Speaking to Deadline, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek explained that the series wrapped shooting before the COVID-19 outbreak, and has been in post-production ever since. He promised that there would be "no delays on Mandalorian."This is good news, especially since there's a possibility of characters from the Skywalker Saga appearing in season 2. Here's everything else we know about the season.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Overwatch's Jeff Kaplan has released a developer update from his home during quarantine, giving us some insight into what's coming for Overwatch over the next few months. Kaplan, who serves as the game's director, has delved into what's happening with Competitive Open Queue going forward, and it's good news for anyone who likes the mode.Competitive Open Queue, which lets you pick your character without being hemmed in by the 2-2-2 split of the traditional Role Queue mode, is being added as a permanent competitive fixture. Kaplan reveals that the mode, which is not so popular in the US, is the second-most played in Korea, which has influenced their decision.The mode will soon disappear from the Arcade playlists for a while, and then will receive a shortened arcade season in June (probably mid-June, Kaplan says, although he cannot commit to a date). After a very short competitive season it'll disappear again, and then when Season 23 starts up in July, it'll be an official Competitive mode alongside Role Queue.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Master Chief has become an enduring pop-culture figure and an important video game protagonist since his debut in 2001's Halo: Combat Evolved, but his design could have been very different. Marcus Lehto, the co-creator of Halo, was largely responsible for the Master Chief design that made it into the game, and in an interview with IGN he explained the process that led to the character's creation.Lehto remembers how Halo started--a two-person team, consisting of him and Jason Jones, working on a sci-fi strategy title. "Even at that time, there was a character that we called 'The Super-Soldier'," he recalls, "and that super soldier was, in all honestly, the very root of what became the Master Chief."Eventually they built a vehicle for him to drive (which would ultimately become the Warthog) and switched to a third-person camera, which meant continuing to beef up the character's design. "Through that time frame, of course, the Master Chief continued to turn from... this really, really simple block model to something that started to look more like this armored, true 'Super Soldier,'" he told IGN.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The actor who played Pennywise the clown in the Stephen King's It movies has signed on to star as another madman--but this time a real one. Netflix has announced that Bill Skarsgard will play the Swedish gangster Clark Olofsson in a six-episode Swedish language drama series called Clark.Among other things, Olofsson is known for his association with the term Stockholm syndrome. During the Norrmalmstorg bank robbery in 1973, Olofsson was allowed out of prison to help negotiate the release of hostages. The hostages bonded with Olofsson and the captors, and subsequent studies on the case led to the popularity of the term Stockholm syndrome.Oloffson has been convicted of numerous crimes, including attempted murder, drug trafficking, and assault.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Runeterra is the world of League of Legends, Riot’s MOBA that has arguably experienced a Golden Age of esports in the past few years. The MOBA has undergone various lore overhauls, but centralized all of its bits and pieces in 2016 to come up with a vision for Runeterra and its competing factions, as well as the backstories of the game’s champions. The latest step in fleshing out this world is Legends of Runeterra, Riot Games’ flagship contribution to the current online card game market--with DNA that’s a highly entertaining splice job between streamlined design sensibilities and touches that harken back to the original card game great, Magic: The Gathering.The realm of Runeterra feels fully realized here, and part of that is how the game revolves around the various in-universe factions that are currently playable: Piltover & Zaun, Bilgewater, Demacia, Freljord, Ionia, Noxus, and the Shadow Isles. You’re not playing for rounds of ale at a tavern; this feels like a conflict of a uniquely larger scale because of the game’s insistence on you not embodying a hero but instead commanding them.Each faction has these heroes, though they’re called champions. They’re souped-up cards representative of characters from League of Legends who are somewhere between Legendaries in Hearthstone and Planeswalkers in Magic: The Gathering--game-changing because they’re stronger than your average unit, but not game-breaking. The factions have their own unique playstyles that span the whole spectrum from aggro to control, spell-heavy to flood-dependent, and more. The champions themselves all buy into each faction’s playstyle fantasy, with flashy animations that depict their unique personalities and strengths.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The first major update for Doom Eternal is on the way, and it's bringing a major feature that could change the course of a battle: Empowered Demons. Your in-game struggles could make another player's life even harder in the campaign mode, but there is a reward for beating one.Empowered Demons will soon arrive to Doom Eternal in a free update. When a player is killed, the demon who killed them will be powered up and transported to a separate player's game. If this demon is killed, the player will get bonus health and ammunition, as well as experience for their overall Doom Eternal level. The campaign's later battles are already challenging, and this should take things to the next level.Battlemode has also been tweaked, offering a death report feature so players can learn more about what went wrong in a match. There are also changes to the tutorial to make it easier to learn, and new anti-cheat features. Given the delicate difficulty balance necessary between the Slayer and the two demons, keeping things fair is essential.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

If you've been in the market for a new gaming keyboard and mouse, Best Buy has a fantastic deal right now worth considering: The retailer is giving away a great gaming mouse with all purchases of the Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition gaming keyboard. It goes for $130 and comes with a free Razer Viper gaming mouse. The Viper's regular price is $80, but if you add it to your cart with the Hunstman keyboard, you'll get it free of charge.The Razer Hunstman Tournament Edition is a tenkeyless, compact gaming keyboard, which means it doesn't come with a number pad. Despite this exclusion, we praised it in our guide to the best gaming keyboards for its amazing key switches, strong build quality, and low actuation point, which makes for faster input--though this could lead to typos if you're not careful. It's a fantastic, lightweight gaming keyboard, and the included mouse is an incredible value add as well.Razer Hunstman Tournament Edition gaming keyboard with Viper gaming mouse$130Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

GameStop may be more known for console gaming, but it also has a selection of great PC gaming accessories, some of which are discounted right now. A number of gaming headsets, mice, keyboards, and monitors are on sale at the video game retailer right now. GameStop has the HyperX Cloud Alpha Pro gaming headset for only $80, down from $100; the Razer Viper gaming mouse for $60, down from $80; and an Asus ROG Swift 1440p 165Hz monitor for $620, down from $650. If you've been looking for some new tech to upgrade or complete your PC gaming setup, then now's an excellent opportunity to get some great new toys at good prices.If you're interested in more great PC gaming deals, Best Buy has an excellent one that gets you the Razer Viper gaming mouse for free with the purchase of a Razer Hunstman Tournament Edition gaming keyboard, which is one of the best gaming keyboards out there. They're two excellent PC gaming accessories that are absolutely worth the $130 price.HyperX Cloud Alpha Pro gaming headset$80 ($100)Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

During our recent turbulent times, playing video games is one of the best ways to regain some sense of normalcy. In mainland China, however, PlayStation players hoping to access the PSN Store are currently unable to do so because of alleged security issues. The reported catalyst for the suspension sounds like it came from a comedy movie.The PlayStation Store (PSN) has been temporarily suspended in Mainland China from 7am on May 10. No time or date given for resumption of services. The official reason given is to carry out security upgrades. But it is unclear what this means exactly. pic.twitter.com/ZoU71zR9tX — Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 10, 2020The only reason I'm posting is this, and i kid you not, is because an Xbox fanboy claimed on Weibo that they reported to authorities about certain back door elements that are easily accessible to switch to overseas services. Was taken down right after.So let's see what happens. — Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 10, 2020According to Niko Partners senior analyst Daniel Ahmad, the reason Chinese authorities knew about the security issues were because an Xbox fan posted on the social media site Weibo, which is similar to Twitter. Other users claimed he actually had fan accounts for all three console manufacturers, meaning it may not have been motivated by console "allegiance." Shortly after the message was posted, PSN was taken down in China with no timetable given for when it could return. Once the security upgrades are complete, it will presumably come back online.Game consoles had been banned altogether in China for 14 years, with the Xbox One finally arriving to the country in 2014--the ban was ironic considering that most video game systems had been manufactured in China for that entire stretch of time.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Fan-fiction and other unauthorized adaptations can sometimes draw the ire of franchises' original creators, but the Cyberpunk 2077 team has no qualms with a new and very impressive fan film's teaser. Cyberpunk 2077: Phoenix Program is an upcoming project that looks professional enough to be official, and can you can see the teaser below.How awesome is this?!Action movie director @ViDanTran teamed up with a group of amazing cosplayers (including our friend @maul_cosplay!) to create a Cyberpunk 2077 fan film!Check it out for yourself – they just released their first teaser (and we can't wait to see more): pic.twitter.com/IsOEkatypk — Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) May 9, 2020A one-minute teaser for Phoenix Program was posted on May 9, and it contains characters we've seen in Cyberpunk 2077, including Johnny Silverhand. Played in the game by Keanu Reeves, actor Ben Bergmann has the look down, with bright red sunglasses and his signature long black hair. Bergmann has extensive experience cosplaying as CD Projekt Red's Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher series, as well.The teaser shows brief snippets of several scenes, including an execution, an interrogation, and an elaborate nightclub shot. Silverhand gets to make use of his close-quarters combat and firearms skills like Reeves in John Wick, and the visual effects are very impressive.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com