In light of the recent White House news conference recommending Americans to avoid gatherings of over 10 people, Regal Cinemas has made the decision to close all 543 of its US theaters until further notice, Variety has reported.This follows the news that all cinemas and entertainment venues in Los Angeles and New York would have to close on the order of Mayor Eric Garcetti and Mayor Bill de Blasio respectively. Both the mayoral closures and Regal's shutdown have no end date specified, and will likely be evaluated as the situation progresses.Regal announces closure of all theatre locations starting Tuesday, March 17, 2020, as a precaution amid the current circumstances. All theatres will remain closed until further notice. Please check back soon. We look forward to serving you again as soon as possible. — Regal (@RegalMovies) March 16, 2020"It's our goal to provide a safe and healthy environment for our employees and guests," Regal said on its Twitter account. "We value your patronage and have no doubt we will be serving you again as soon as possible with a full slate of Hollywood blockbusters." Members of Regal's Unlimited subscription pass will have their regular payments suspended until the theatre chain re-opens.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Final Fantasy VII Remake is right around the corner, but there's still plenty we haven't seen from the new game, with most footage released so far focusing on the earliest parts of the game. Now, in the first episode of this new documentary series about the making of the game, we've seen new areas and scenes--and it looks glorious.The video, Inside Final Fantasy VII Remake - Episode 1: Introduction, is embedded below. In contains insights from many of the designers who worked on the game, but make sure that you turn on closed captions if you don't speak Japanese.This video comes alongside several new screenshots, which are also worth looking at--but seeing the game in action is even more impressive.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

There's only so much you can do every day in Animal Crossing. Part of the fun of its real-time clock is going to bed wondering what you might wake up to in the morning--how your town might change, who might move in, what special visitor might be there tomorrow. So far, I've played Animal Crossing: New Horizons for 80 hours over 17 days, and that anticipation hasn't yet gone away. While I've spent a lot of time developing my island so far, I still feel as if there's plenty left for me to do and see--there's a lot in New Horizons to occupy your time with.Unlike in previous games, you're not moving to a lived-in town in New Horizons; the island is completely empty when you and two animals arrive as part of Tom Nook's "getaway package," save for the tiny airport. There's no store or museum, all three of you live in tents, and Tom Nook himself operates out of a tent that he shares with his adorable nephews, Timmy and Tommy. Tom Nook clearly expected this whole thing to be a bit more glamorous (or at least popular), and in typical Tom Nook fashion, one of his first actions is to put you to work collecting tree branches and fruit to make a fire pit and drinks for a welcome party.The party serves as an introduction to the resource-gathering aspect of New Horizons' new crafting system, but it's also the first of many endearing moments with the animals. In their high-pitched, sped-up way of talking, their chit-chat centers around friendship and helping one another on the island. One of my villagers played a tambourine, shifting back and forth to his own beat while smiling, while the other sipped juice by the fire. Tommy, the more precious of the Nookling duo, stood by the tent, holding a small flag that seemed to be part of his welcome getup. It feels like a proper community from the start, despite the small population size and total lack of amenities on the island.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

[Update: Xbox Live has now returned to normal operation, according to the Xbox Live Status website]Xbox Live is down again. Microsoft confirmed that the online network is experiencing issues for the second time in less than a week. The issues are pretty serious, as some people are unable to log into Xbox Live or, if they can connect, they're struggling to find matches.As always, your mileage may vary. For some, Xbox Live remains online and available with no interruptions. Xbox Live is a global network that relies on server infrastructure that exists around the world and depends on a number of different factors for smooth operation.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The US box office just had its worst weekend in more than two decades. The latest domestic box office numbers show that all movies made just $55.3 million this weekend, marking the lowest box office results for the US in 22 years.Deadline reports that the previous low for a US weekend was the October 30-November 1 weekend in 1998 when Vampires was No. 1, pushing the weekend to $55.2 million.The very low number was expected, as the US has declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19 (coronavirus). People have been encouraged to practice "social distancing," and going to a crowded community center like a movie theatre is probably not something people are excited about doing.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

New Releases has a double dose of demons this week thanks to Doom Eternal and the re-release of Doom 64. There's also a double dose of America's favorite pastime thanks to MLB: The Show 20 and RBI Baseball. So that's...a double dose of double doses? A quadruple dose? You can also just relax and explore Tom Nook's island with Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch.MLB: The Show 20 -- March 17Available on: PS4MLB The Show 19 may have included the Minor League, but it didn't have player likenesses. This year's game, however, actually features the Minor League players with their likenesses. And since you're probably wondering which pro got the spotlight, MLB The Show 20's cover athlete is the Chicago Cubs' Javier "El Mago" Bâez.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Sonic the Hedgehog has surpassed Detective Pikachu to become the highest-grossing video game movie of all time in the United States. After this latest weekend (which was the worst since 1998), Sonic has now made $145.8 million in the US, edging out Detective Pikachu's $144.1 million.On a global scale, it's a very different story. Sonic has made $306.5 million worldwide, which is more than $100 million less than the $433 million that Detective Pikachu made during its run. A big piece of this story is that Sonic was delayed in China due to COVID-19, so it's missing out a lot of money that Detective Pikachu had from the market. Detective Pikachu made $93.7 million from China alone.Neither of those movies are the biggest video game movies, either, as Warcraft holds the record with $439 million worldwide. Warcraft had a very bad run in US theatres, making only $47.4 million, but it pulled in $391.7 million from international markets.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Celeste is one of the most critically beloved indie games of this console generation, thanks to its smart mechanics, beautiful soundtrack, and challenging-but-fair gameplay and level design. It's the sort of small, polished experience that a lot of obvious thought and care went into--and now, thanks to a Twitter thread from one of the game's designers, we have some more insight into how it all works.Matt/Maddy Thorson, one of the game's designers, has posted a thread of "game-feel things" that they built into Celeste, explaining the allowances the game makes for players and how they made the game more enjoyable to play. As Thorson admits in the first tweet, these aren't necessarily new concepts or ideas they invented--just mechanics that fit into Celeste well.A short thread on a few Celeste game-feel things :) I don't think we invented any of these.1- Coyote time. You can still jump for a short time after leaving a ledge. pic.twitter.com/nMK9ZLYbhM — Matt / Maddy Thorson 🍂 (@MattThorson) March 13, 2020In their thread, Thorson shared a total of 10 examples of "game-feel" from Celeste. In the first example below, "coyote time," players can still make their jump for a moment after leaving the ledge--just like Wile E. Coyote.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Call of Duty: Warzone, the free battle royale game, has reached a new player milestone. Activision has confirmed that the game passed 15 million players on March 14, so it's surely climbed higher since.The battle royale game reached 6 million players in its first 24 hours following release on March 11, so it's clearly growing at a solid clip.For comparison, EA's Apex Legends, had 2.5 million players in its first 24 hours and 25 million players during its first week, so it'll be interesting to see how Warzone compares after its first week.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

A common and controversial topic in gaming is crunch, which is a period of game development where developers spend extra hours in the office beyond what is normal. id Software's creative director, Hugo Martin, spoke about crunch for Doom Eternal during a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.He said his experience working in games is that it is a never-ending job. To stay in the pop culture zeitgeist, Martin said he never stops playing games and consuming pop culture to inform future id Software games.Martin said he's not forced to work long hours, but he finds himself doing so anyway.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Originally scheduled for a Tuesday, March 17 release on digital home video, Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker instead dropped on Friday March 13, Deadline reported.While a growing handful of movies and TV shows are having their production delayed by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, it's also led to a few early home releases, to keep responsible social distancers occupied while they sit at home.Rise of Skywalker isn't the only release Disney is pushing forward--Frozen 2 is coming to Disney+ a full three months ahead of its original release schedule. It's already available in the US, while all other markets will see it available on Tuesday March 17.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Rockstar Games, the publisher and developer of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2, is sending its employees home. In an announcement on Twitter, Rockstar Games has said that, as with many businesses around the world, they are taking steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) among employees and the people around them.The statement says that the company "has implemented work from home policies across (their) international offices and studios," and that Rockstar Games started "rolling out remote work solutions worldwide across the past week."A message from Rockstar Games pic.twitter.com/uB4syLHROo — Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) March 15, 2020The tweet also promises that this will not interrupt the service of the online modes offering in their games, including Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online, so you can still go and earn that Tron bike in GTA.Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has previously stated that the company is prepared to work from home, should the need arise--which it now has.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Since you're on this website, you probably like video games. And there is a strong likelihood that you enjoy pizza as well. Pizza company Domino's has announced a unique partnership that combines pizza and gaming.Now until March 31, Domino's is offering a "Gaming Bundle." The bundle includes two traditional Dominos pizzas, garlic bread, and a 1.25L drink, plus a 14-day Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. The bundle costs $28 AUD for pickup or $35 AUD for delivery.The Xbox Game Pass Ultimate code will be emailed to you within 24 hours of placing your order. The offer is available in Australia and New Zealand only.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Tony Bancroft, one of the two credited directors behind Disney's Mulan (1998), has announced that he is working on the much-anticipated Space Jam 2. Bancroft announced on Twitter that he started working on the film in January, and has just been sent to work from home in the wake of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak."Just one more Looney chapter in the making of Space Jam 2," Bancroft said on Twitter. "Have Cintiq will travel."I just started working on the lot at Warner Bros studio in January. Now working from home. Just one more Looney chapter in the making of Space Jam 2. Have Cintiq will travel. #animationyeah #wag #spacejam #looneytunes #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/hxj48FMAn9 — Tony Bancroft (@pumbaaguy1) March 14, 2020Bancroft is a high-profile animator, and he's far from the only big name attached. The film is being directed by Malcolm D. Lee (Girls Trip), produced by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther), and stars LeBron James in the Michael Jordan equivalent role (alongside several Loony Toons). It will also feature numerous other basketball players. As with the original film, it will mix live-action and animated characters together on screen.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

With The Division 2 coming to Stadia on March 17, Ubisoft's senior vice president of partnerships Chris Early has cleared up some questions about game streaming, Nvidia's embattled GeForce Now platform, and what it all means for Ubisoft's library.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com