AMC Networks staff face huge layoffs as American viewers head to online streaming.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the network, which brought The Walking Dead to TV, has sent a memo to staff warning them of impending layoffs.

“We of course realize that this will cause significant concern and anxiety for our employees and those who rely on AMC Networks for their livelihood,” said AMC Chairman James Dolan. “We do not take this lightly. We will take every step possible to minimize the impact of these actions on our community.”

It’s thought that recent losses come from the cord-cutting movement as American abandon traditional paid TV services in favor of online streaming.

AMC Networks owns and operates a number of platforms including the AMC cable TV channel, IFC, WE tv, and Sundance TV as well as running the popular horror streaming platform Shudder alongside AMC+.

However, the company’s adoption of online streaming wasn’t enough.

“It was our belief that cord-cutting losses would be offset by gains in streaming,” said Dolan in the staff memo. “This has not been the case.”

AMC’s layoffs come hot on the heels of CEO Christina Spade stepping down earlier today. Spade was in the role for less than three months when she parted ways with AMC. Spade previously held senior roles at ViacomCBS, CBS, and Showtime, but joined AMC back in 2021 as chief financial officer, taking on the role of CEO last year.

“We thank Christina for her contributions to the company in her CEO role and her earlier CFO role, and we wish her well in her future endeavors,” said Dolan.

AMC is well known for shows such as The Walking Dead, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad, but despite bringing numerous hits to TV screens across America, the network has suffered a 40% dip in stock prices this year, with a 4.6% drop reported earlier today.

Want to read more about AMC shows? Check out Norman Reedus’ grim idea for the end of The Walking Dead as well as Vince Gilligan’s thoughts on Walter White.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

A new Marvel Snap update has added a bunch of new cards plus a new way to earn them.

The update, called The Power Cosmic, will add a number of new cards including Thanos, She-Hulk, and Galactus… and perhaps most importantly, introduces Collector’s Tokens.

“We're planning to patch at 3 PM Pacific today!” said Marvel Snap creator Ben Brode. “Once you log into the new patch the game will look at your Collection Level and grant your Collector's Tokens. Have fun! Can't wait to see what new decks everyone will build!”

Collector’s Tokens are a brand-new mechanic which should make acquiring those last finishing touches to your latest deck a little bit easier.

The idea is simple – players are awarded Collector’s Tokens by increasing their Collector’s Level, and these can be spent in the Store to purchase new cards. Essentially, it’s a new kind of currency that’s a neat way of picking up one or two cards to finish off your latest deck.

The number of Collector’s Tokens you get is based on your Collector Level:

• 500-999: 3000 Tokens
• 1000-2999: 6000 Tokens
• Over 3000: 12,000 Tokens

You can then spend those tokens on any cards that appear in the new Token shop. Pool 3 cards will cost 1000 tokens, Pool 4 cards cost 3000 tokens, and Pool 5 cards cost 6000 tokens.

The best part? It should make the Pool 3 climb that little bit easier.

Marvel Snap sees players rise through several pools of available cards with Pool 3 being by far the most varied, consisting of 74 cards in total. The combinations are almost endless… but it can be an altogether daunting prospect for those players, like myself, who have just clawed their way out of Pool 2.

And with the addition of a huge number of cards in Pool 4, that’s only going to get worse.

New additions include Luke Cage, Absorbing Man, She-Hulk, Titania, Maria Hill, Agent Coulson, HeliCarrier, M’Baku, Attuma, Orka, Bast, Shuri, Thanos, Galactus, Valkyrie, Super Skrull, and Silver Surfer.

Unfortunately, the patch brings some nerfs, too. Angela is now a 2/0 instead of a 2/1 while Mysterio is now a 2/4 instead of 2/5. Sera is now a 5/4 instead of a 5/5 and Onslaught’s impressive ability is now stacking additively instead of exponentially.

A bad day for Kazoo decks, maybe. But Collector’s Tokens sure take the bad luck out of leveling.

Want to read more about Marvel Snap? Check out our 5 best Marvel Snap Pool 1 decks for beginners as well as the possibility of a single-player mode.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Easy Rider is about to get its own reboot thanks to the success of Creed.

According to Variety, the success of the Rocky spin-off has inspired filmmakers to reimagine Easy Rider for a modern audience, with filmmakers drawing on Creed and its relationship to the original film as a comparison.

“Our goal is to build upon the counterculture and freedom narrative the original left us with, and give the youth of today a film that pays serious attention to their own countercultures and challenges,” said producer Maurice Fadida.

“What the young viewers of today are experiencing in their everyday lives may seem crazy to older generations,” he added. “But it can very well become the societal norm, as was the case with the cultural shift of the late 1960s. We are hoping to play a part in that shift.”

Easy Rider was originally released in 1969 and famously starred Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper as two bikers traveling through the American southwest carrying the ill-gotten proceeds of their drug smuggling deal.

It also paved the way for a young Jack Nicholson.

It’s said the producers are currently looking for bold writers and directors in order to revamp the story, which was originally lauded as a landmark counterculture movie.

The upcoming reimagining is being pursued by a consortium of stakeholders and producers, including Fadida’s Kodiak Pictures, Defiant Studios’ Eric B. Fleischman, and the Jean Boulle Group.

It’s currently unknown how the Easy Rider reboot will work – whether or not the new movie will tie into the original in the way Creed does with Rocky, or whether it will take the premise of the original film as a jumping-off point.

Either way, it looks as though Easy Rider will be making a comeback. And if it’s anywhere near as successful as Creed, we can probably expect even more drug-fuelled road movies in the future.

Want to read more about Creed? Check out our first look at Johnathan Majors in Creed 3 as well as Sylvester Stallone’s quest to regain the rights to Rocky.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Original Donkey Kong creator Shigeru Miyamoto reveals why the character looks a bit different in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

During the most recent Nintendo Direct, the legendary game designer confirmed that Donkey Kong’s new look is supposed to be reminiscent of an old one.

“For this movie, we seized the opportunity to give him a comical personality and design reminiscent of the original character,” he explained.

Donkey Kong first appeared in the 1981 arcade classic as the game’s titular villain. In the game, Jumpman (later renamed Mario) must climb through a construction site while avoiding obstacles such as barrels and fireballs to rescue his girlfriend Pauline from the clutches of Donkey Kong.

The arcade game was a huge hit, spawning the long-running Donkey Kong franchise.

But while the character has been through various iterations, including the popular Donkey Kong Country version, it looks as though the iconic ape in the upcoming movie will be based on the one from the original game.

At least, when it comes to the character’s design.

Donkey Kong render for the Super Mario Bros. Movie, comical personality and design reminiscent of the original character pic.twitter.com/RhMYNxIx6Q

— Wario64 (@Wario64) November 29, 2022

Donkey Kong’s appearance in the film’s latest trailer clearly takes inspiration from the original, too, as he’s seen beating up Jumpman… ahem… Mario, atop one of those iconic red girders. Throw in a more fiery temper and well, it looks as though Mario is facing an old enemy once again.

Quite what’s going on in this scene remains to be seen, but Donkey Kong is clearly introduced fighting Mario in some kind of Super Smash Bros.-like stage, while Luigi has been captured by Bowser.

The movie’s first trailer debuted in October – finally lifting the lid on Chris Pratt’s Mario voice. The trailer also gave us our first glimpse of Jack Black as Bowser.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie will premiere in theaters on April 2023.

Want to read more about The Super Mario Bros. Movie? Check out The Super Mario bros. Movie’s official poster as well as which Nintendo franchises deserve to be adapted for the big screen next.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

The second trailer for The Super Mario Bros. movie has premiered offering a better look at the wider cast including Princess Peach and a surprise appearance by Mayor Pauline.

The new trailer premiered in a Nintendo Direct today after Nintendo announced the release date via social media. The promotional image included a shot of Princess Peache's iconic castle and stained-glass window.

Check out the new trailer above.

The trailer revealed Princess Peach voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy, Donkey Kong voiced by Seth Rogen, and Charlie Day's take on Luigi.

Donkey Kong is introduced fighting Mario in some kind of Super Smash Bros.-like stage, while Luigi is seen captured by Bowser. While Princess Peach rallies the toad to fight against Bowser, there appear to be all kinds of Mario throwbacks including a scene where the gang is racing, Mario Kart-style, on Rainbow Road.

The first trailer premiered in October when the world heard Chris Pratt's Mario voice, which sounds suspiciously like Chris Pratt. In addition, the trailer included a look at Jack Black's villainous Bowser and a brief glimpse of Keegan Michael-Key's Toad.

As it turns out, Toad will also have an original, improvised song debuting in the film as well.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie will premiere in theaters on April 2023.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Top Gun: Maverick is heading back to the big screen, again, for a limited time.

After an impressive box office run, the recent Top Gun sequel is heading back into the danger zone one more time from December 2 until December 15.

“#TopGun: Maverick restores your faith in the magic of movies.” Experience it again - In theatres December 2. Get tickets now: https://t.co/67py5MSXtr pic.twitter.com/K0F90SVtyd

— Top Gun (@TopGunMovie) November 29, 2022

“Top Gun: Maverick truly epitomizes the magic of the moviegoing experience, and we wanted to provide fans the opportunity to once again enjoy this cinematic spectacle as it was meant to be seen,” said Paramount Pictures President of Domestic Distribution Chris Aronson. “This feels like the perfect time to bring Top Gun: Maverick back to theaters so audiences everywhere can once again experience how special this film is.”

This isn't the first time the Top Gun sequel has headed back to cinemas, with an additional IMAX run earlier this year helping to secure its box office lead over, well, pretty much every other movie this year.

Top Gun: Maverick stars Tom Cruise as the iconic pilot, Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Returning to the Top Gun academy for one last mission, Mav is forced to put his skills to the test as he trains a new class of pilots for their deadliest mission yet.

Top Gun: Maverick has already done incredibly well at the box office, becoming Tom Cruise’s most successful blockbuster to date. It also earned over $700 million at the domestic box office to become one of the top five highest-grossing movies in North America of all time.

If you’re not that fussed about seeing it on the big screen, Top Gun: Maverick is getting its streaming debut just a few days later on December 22.

IGN’s Top Gun: Maverick review gave it 7/10 and said: “Top Gun: Maverick is an out-of-bounds blast of afterburner fumes and thrillseeker highs that's sure to please audiences looking for a classic summer blockbuster. Director Joseph Kosinski doesn't lose the ‘80s nostalgia of movies that were light on reason and huge on chest-beating heroism. The fresh graduate faces are all aces, fighter jet choreography exceptional, and pursuit of excitement at Mach levels.”

Want to read more about Top Gun: Maverick? Check out our explainer of Top Gun: Maverick's ending, a US Navy fighter pilot reacting to Top Gun, and the top 10 aerial dogfights of all time.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

If you are looking for a new and quirky keyboard for your desk setup and want to get more mileage out of those Legos you own, MelGeek has created a Kickstarter campaign for a keyboard that lets you redesign the entire case using those popular plastic bricks.

The MelGeek Pixel is a mechanical keyboard with a tenkeyless (TKL) design and Lego studs across the board. More interestingly, the Pixel includes lego studs underneath each keycap, allowing you to use your own Lego keycaps if you choose. MelGeek also notes that the Pixel includes RGB lighting and wired and wireless connectivity and is compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android devices.

The Pixel uses custom Kailh box switches: Pixel L and Pixel T. The comparison between these switches and a few other switches can be seen in the image below. However, MelGeek confirmed that the Pixel keyboard is hot-swappable, so if you want to rip out the switches, install some that you prefer, such as Gateron Blue or Cherry MX Green switches.

The project is being funded on Kickstarter, with it already surpassing its $50,000 crowdfunding goal. MelGeek mentions that the Pixel will retail for $269 when it officially releases, but you can secure your unit for just $199. Of course, the usual caveats for crowd

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Editor's Note: Crowdfunding or online fundraising is chaotic, with billions raised yearly for big and small projects. In 2015, a study by the University of Pennsylvania found that 9 percent of successfully funded projects failed to deliver rewards to their backers. Other caveats with crowdfunding may include missed deadlines, delays in shipping, and ambitious ideas that are not included in the final product. As always, use your best judgment before financially committing to help back a crowdfunded project.

Will Smith is on his first big press tour following the infamous Oscars Slap, and the actor is once again apologizing for hitting presenter Chris Rock in the face on stage earlier this year. The actor has already done multiple interviews, and as you'd expect, the slap has been a big topic in each conversation.

The press tour is for Smith's upcoming movie, Emancipation, in which he plays a runaway slave named Peter who joins the Union Army in the Civil War. Emancipation is directed by Antoine Fuqua, and is coming to select cinemas on December 2 and Apple TV+ on December 9.

Smith appeared on last night's edition of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah for his first late night television interview since the incident occurred. The actor was very emotional discussing his experience with Noah, giving us the most detail about that night since it all went down.

"That was a horrific night, as you can imagine," Smith said. "There's many nuances and complexities to it, but at the end of the day, I just, I lost it… You just don't know what's going on with people… And I was going through something that night… Not that that justifies my behavior at all."

The actor also told Noah that he's spent most of his life as someone who tries to avoid conflict, causing his anger to bubble up beneath the surface.

"It was a lot of things… It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother... All of that just bubbled up in that moment. You know, that's not who I want to be… I was gone... That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time."

Smith also talked to EW about the viral moment. In that interview, the actor explained his wish to move the spotlight away from his actions at the Oscars, and instead focus on what he calls the brilliant filmmaking on display from the team behind Emancipation.

"The only discomfort my heart has around that is that so many people have done spectacular work on this film," Smith tells about the lingering focus on his actions last March. "I definitely lose a couple winks of sleep every night thinking that I could have potentially penalized my team, but I'm going to do everything I can to make sure everyone gets seen in the light that they deserve."

And just yesterday, Smith spoke to journalist Kevin McCarthy about the slap, saying he understands if some fans aren't willing to support his work yet. He also said that he hoped the crew of his new movie wasn't "penalized" for his actions.

"I completely understand that if someone is not ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready," Smith told. "My deepest concern is my team... My deepest hope is that my actions don't penalize my team. At this point, that’s what I’m working for.”

Smith has previously apologized for slapping Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars, both in a written statement and a video. While fans may forgive Smith for what happened, it won't change that the actor has been banned from the Oscars and other Academy events for the next ten years.

Thumbnail image credit: Neilson Barnard / Getty Images

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Pulp Fiction star Samuel L. Jackson has snapped back against Quentin Tarantino’s comments that superheroes have killed the movie star.

During an interview with The View, as reported by Entertainment Weekly, the actor, who is also a long-time collaborator of Tarantino’s, refuted the filmmaker’s comments.

“It takes an actor to be those particular characters, and the sign of movie stardom has always been, what, asses in seats? What are we talking about?” said Jackson. “That's not a big controversy for me to know that apparently, these actors are movie stars. Chadwick Boseman is Black Panther. You can't refute that, and he's a movie star.”

Tarantino recently riled Hollywood with comments suggesting that the stars of Marvel’s movies are no longer movie stars… and it’s the MCU and its characters that are now the box office draw.

“You have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters,” he said. “But they're not movie stars. Right? Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star. I mean, I'm not the first person to say that. I think that's been said a zillion times… but it's like, you know, it's these franchise characters that become a star.”

It’s not the first time Tarantino has been seemingly down on Marvel movies, also stating that he would never make a Marvel or DC film.

“You have to be a hired hand to do those things,” he explained. “I’m not a hired hand. I’m not looking for a job.”

Jackson notably plays Nick Fury in the MCU, so he’s not exactly unbiased… but pushback from such a frequent collaborator must sting, at least a little.

Unfortunately, he’s not the only Marvel star to slam Tarantino's comments.

“If the only gatekeepers to movie stardom came from Tarantino and Scorsese, I would never have had the opportunity to lead a $400 million plus movie,” said Shang-Chi star Simu Liu.

He also said he's proud to work with a studio that has made "sustained efforts to improve diversity onscreen”.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever recently continued that push for diversity, introducing the likes of new MCU characters Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) as well as Namor (Tenoch Huerta).

IGN’s review of Wakanda Forever gave it 7/10 and said: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had to be a sequel to a cultural juggernaut, a tease of upcoming MCU adventures, and of course, a loving farewell. There are stretches where the struggle to balance those mandates scatters the focus of the story, but nuanced and committed performances from the returning cast keep it grounded when it counts.”

Want to read more about Black Panther? Check out our rankings of Marvel’s Phase 4 movies and TV shows as well as the big questions we have for the future of the MCU after Black Panther 2.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Elden Ring is one of the biggest video game success stories of 2022, but now its developer, FromSoftware, is making headlines due to rumors of crunch and low pay at its development studio.

FromSoftware's latest title earned widespread critical acclaim, and its quality has been reflected in the sales charts as well. The game broke into the mainstream in a big way, having one of the biggest game launches on YouTube ever.

Unfortunately, like so many wildly successful AAA video game titles, it didn't take long for conversations of crunch, long overtime hours, and low salaries to surround developer FromSoftware.

The discourse began in March, shortly after Elden Ring's release. First spotted by The Gamer, it turns out that a handful of FromSoftware employees were turning to a Japanese job board called Career Connection to discuss poor working conditions and low pay.

For context, Career Connection is essentially a Japanese version of Glassdoor, where current or former employees can leave reviews of their employer to inform potential future applicants about working conditions at a company.

The reviews of FromSoftware left on Career Connection range from 2012 to 2019, with FromSoftware's employee satisfaction rating sitting at 2.6 out of 5 stars. Employee reviews cite low compensation for the workload, 40 months of overtime per month, no maternity leave, and more.

Now, months after folks started to notice the reviews of poor conditions at FromSoftware, GamesIndustry.biz has revealed more stories from FromSoftware employees about what it's like to work at the Elden Ring developer. According to the report, multiple sources said there is in fact "some level of crunching" at FromSoftware.

The extent of the crunch at the studio seems to vary from department to department. One of GamesIndustry.biz's sources said they have barely had to work any overtime.

Another said, "During critical periods of game releases, I often had to work early mornings and overtime for two to three months."

One source claimed that overtime wages are only half of their usual hourly rate, which differs from most Japanese companies where hourly wages usually increase in the late hours.

FromSoftware employees also spoke about low pay at the studio. One source said their "salary is not adequate," and added that their coworkers felt the same. According to the data on Career Connection, the average annual income for a FromSoftware employee is 3.41 million yen, which comes out to just under $25,000 USD.

It is worth noting that the yen is very weak to the dollar right now, so that direct conversion from Yen to USD may not be entirely representative of the employee compensation. However, FromSoftware operates in Tokyo, where the cost of living is higher than most other places in Japan.

Even with some negative accounts, other FromSoftware employees said working at the studio has been a great experience. One employee even likened it to FromSoftware's own Dark Souls, saying, "There's a lot of struggle to get things right, but if you get over the hump it is very satisfying. It's just like you defeated a boss in Dark Souls."

Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco announced a pay raise for all its employees following the success of Elden Ring, so we'll have to see if FromSoftware follows suit by raising pay for the developers behind the game.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.