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Paramount+, the renamed streaming service formerly known as CBS All Access which encompasses all of ViacomCBS' networks and brands, is getting a huge assortment of new major theatrical films.

Variety and Deadline report that Mission Impossible 7, A Quiet Place 2, and the PAW Patrol movie are slated to release on Paramount+ a mere 45 days after their theatrical debut, with Variety noting, "Paramount will look to 30 days for most titles and 45 days for tentpoles."

A new Beavis and Butthead movie, a Workaholics movie with the original cast, a new Paranormal Activity movie, and a new Pet Semetary movie will forego theaters and exclusively release on Paramount+.

The Hollywood Reporter also states that James Bond: No Time to Die will also eventually land on Paramount Plus thanks to a new deal between Paramount and MGM.

The news was announced at ViacomCBS’ investors’ call on Wednesday. Paramount Plus, which launches on March 4, will serve as Viacom’s competitor to streaming juggernauts like Netflix, Amazon, and HBO Max. More than 2,500 films will be offered in its library.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, details on the new Paranormal Activity movie are scarce, but the upcoming Pet Semetary film will serve as an origin story for the Stephen King horror franchise.

Heading up Paramount Plus’ comedy offerings are a new Beavis and Butthead film from series creator Mike Judge, The Weekly Show With Trevor Noah, Inside Amy Schumer, a new Workaholics movie, and a new Reno 911 special dubbed Reno 911: The Hunt for QAnon.

Pre-COVID-19, the norm was that movies would screen in theaters for a minimum of 90 days before being available elsewhere. Paramount is following the example set by Warner Bros. and Universal in closing the theatrical window to get their tentpoles in front of audiences at home sooner. Warner Bros. will release its entire 2021 movie slate on HBO Max the same day as their theatrical release, while Universal Pictures will sell movies digitally for a premium price after 17 days in theaters.

A Quiet Place 2 is currently scheduled for theatrical release on September 17, while Mission Impossible 7 is targeting November 17, although both have been the subject of previous release delays.

• Game of the Year: Hades
• Gayming Icon Award: Robert Yang
• Gayming Magazine Readers' Award: Hades
• Best LGBTQ Indie Game Award: If Found...
• Industry Diversity Award: I Need Diverse Games
• LGBTQ Streamer of the Year: DEERE
• Best LGBTQ Character Award: Tyler Ronan - Tell Me Why
• Authentic Representation Award: Tell Me Why
• Best LGBTQ Narrative Award: If Found...

When you die in 30XX, thus bringing your run to a premature and perhaps permanent end, there's a good chance you will receive a message from the Bureau of Encouragement. In a roguelike platformer where death can feel like a crushing setback or at best wasted time, you would be forgiven for expecting to find comfort in such a message. A consoling pat on the back, some inspiring words, or at least a sliver of hope. You would be wrong. "Ooooh! So close…" says the Bureau of Encouragement. "Just kidding. That was terrible!"

I received a lot of messages from the Bureau of Encouragement because I died a lot in 30XX. But the Bureau was not the only regulatory agency to contact me in the aftermath of my demise. The Failure Board and the Department of Aggravation also got in touch to register their contempt at my performance. "Remember, you can stop whenever you have given up hope," they laughed.

Despite their derision, I pressed on. Much like the classic action platformers from which it draws heavy inspiration, 30XX is a game in which defeat is never an ending but rather an opportunity to start over and try again. A roguelike structure is a smart complement to this life-death cycle and positions 30XX--even in its Early Access state--as an accomplished title, worthy of comparison to its 8- and 16-bit forerunners.

When you die in 30XX, thus bringing your run to a premature and perhaps permanent end, there's a good chance you will receive a message from the Bureau of Encouragement. In a roguelike platformer where death can feel like a crushing setback or at best wasted time, you would be forgiven for expecting to find comfort in such a message. A consoling pat on the back, some inspiring words, or at least a sliver of hope. You would be wrong. "Ooooh! So close…" says the Bureau of Encouragement. "Just kidding. That was terrible!"

I received a lot of messages from the Bureau of Encouragement because I died a lot in 30XX. But the Bureau was not the only regulatory agency to contact me in the aftermath of my demise. The Failure Board and the Department of Aggravation also got in touch to register their contempt at my performance. "Remember, you can stop whenever you have given up hope," they laughed.

Despite their derision, I pressed on. Much like the classic action platformers from which it draws heavy inspiration, 30XX is a game in which defeat is never an ending but rather an opportunity to start over and try again. A roguelike structure is a smart complement to this life-death cycle and positions 30XX--even in its Early Access state--as an accomplished title, worthy of comparison to its 8- and 16-bit forerunners.

After over a year of internal overhaul on Anthem, EA and BioWare have decided to stop development on the 2019 action-RPG, and move on to other projects.

In an announcement today penned by executive producer Christian Dailey, he explains that the decision to quit work on Anthem was motivated by a mixture of the impacts of COVID-19, and a desire to focus on other BioWare projects, like Dragon Age and Mass Effect.

"2020 was a year unlike any other however and while we continue to make progress against all our game projects at BioWare, working from home during the pandemic has had an impact on our productivity and not everything we had planned as a studio before COVID-19 can be accomplished without putting undue stress on our teams," he wrote.

"I know this will be disappointing to the community of Anthem players who have been excited to see the improvements we’ve been working on. It's also disappointing for the team who were doing brilliant work. And for me personally, Anthem is what brought me to BioWare, and the last two years have been some of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my career.

"Game development is hard. Decisions like these are not easy. Moving forward, we need to laser focus our efforts as a studio and strengthen the next Dragon Age, and Mass Effect titles while continuing to provide quality updates to Star Wars: The Old Republic."

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/10/anthem-getting-major-overhaul"]

Dailey also notes that Anthem's existing live service will continue running as it is now for the foreseeable future.

Anthem had a rocky launch, plagued with bugs and criticism that while its combat was interesting, its story was a grind and its endgame didn't have the chops to sustain the game long-term. As the game stumbled through 2019, EA ultimately opted to overhaul Anthem in late 2019, taking over a year to completely change the game's core loop and systems like loot, quests, and social elements. Earlier this month, EA reportedly reviewed the state of the game and subsequently made the call to cease development at that time.

In an exclusive interview with IGN, EA chief studios officer Laura Miele offered her thoughts on the shuttering of Anthem development, contrasting the decisions EA had made in regards to the game's overhaul with those it made on Star Wars: Battlefront 2. Battlefront 2 was successfully overhauled post-launch based on community feedback, if not perhaps as dramatically as Anthem was planned to be.

"What’s really important about Battlefront 2 is we said we were going to do something," Miele explained. "We made a commitment to players and we needed to act on what we said we would do, so our teams are clear, if we publicly say we’re going to do something we must deliver. Creating new content for games can also come to a natural conclusion for various reasons and when that happens we try to be as transparent as we can with the community and explain why."

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/02/21/anthem-review"]

Miele then pointed to Battlefront 2's community post-launch as an example, saying that even though the game's community had asked for more post-launch content beyond what DICE was going to deliver, the studios were keeping that feedback in mind for future Star Wars games.

In contrast, while Anthem also had a community interested in its overhaul, Miele says that ultimately the best decision based on the resources BioWare has at their disposal was to focus development on its other games instead.

"We’ve believed in Anthem every step of the way, we’ve invested in this game for close to a decade and we’re proud of the work the team has done," Miele said. "Starting with the game’s launch two years ago, the team at BioWare has listened to player feedback and brought updates and improvements to the game.

"However, 2020 and 2021 are unprecedented years when it comes to game development, so we must prioritize both the player experience and what’s best for the people working on these games. We want to make sure BioWare is able to focus on making the next Dragon Age and Mass Effect games the best they can be, while also continuing to provide quality updates to [Star Wars: The Old Republic]. That’s ultimately the best way we can be in service to our players, focusing on these fan favorites and delivering on the communities’ expectations.

"Anthem was a creative risk and its challenges have taught us a lot about game design and even how we can improve our development process. This not only benefits developers, but players as well."

Miele talked at length about EA's relationship with its game communities and goals to adapt based on fan feedback in the rest of our interview as well, which you can read here.

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