HBO GO Is Getting Axed to Simplify HBO Max Transition

When WarnerMedia's new streaming service launched in the US back in May, our HBO Max review praised the "impressive library of beloved shows and movies." But there were also some glaring missteps in HBO Max's launch, including a lack of 4K HDR support, confusion over how to sign up for HBO Max and the difference between HBO Max, HBO Go, and HBO Now. If you're still confused about the last point, the streamer is attempting to make life a bit easier in the coming months. According to a WarnerMedia spokesperson, the HBO Go app will be removed on July 31, 2020, while the HBO Now app will be simply renamed "HBO." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/30/hbo-max-streaming-service-review"] In an official statement from WarnerMedia, the company outlines why it's decided to make these changes:

"Now that HBO Max has launched and is widely distributed, we can implement some significant changes to our app offering in the U.S. As part of that plan, we will be sunsetting our HBO Go service in the U.S. We intend to remove the HBO Go app from primary platforms as of July 31, 2020. Most customers who have traditionally used HBO Go to stream HBO programming are now able to do so via HBO Max, which offers access to all of HBO together with so much more. Additionally, the HBO Now app and desktop experience will be rebranded to HBO. Existing HBO Now subscribers will have access to HBO through the rebranded HBO app on platforms where it remains available and through play.hbo.com. HBO Max provides not only the robust offering of HBO but also a vast WarnerMedia library and acquired content and originals through a modern product."

WarnerMedia did not give any update on the future availability of HBO Max on Roku or Amazon's Fire devices, since the company has still not made deals with those companies to allow them to integrate HBO Max into their existing offerings. For more on the streamer, here's why you can't watch HBO Max on a Roku or Amazon Fire Stick streaming device, our reviews of the best and worst HBO Max original shows, and a list of the major DC movies and TV shows missing from the HBO Max library. Watch the trailer for HBO Max's upcoming Doom Patrol Season 2 debut below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/11/doom-patrol-season-2-trailer"] [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-dark-knight-trilogy-and-more-dc-movies-and-series-missing-on-hbo-max&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

CastleStorm 2 Gets July Release Date, Demo Out Today

CastleStorm 2 will be released on July 31 for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC via Epic Games Store. A free Epic Games Store demo is available today, until June 30. Announced exclusively at today's IGN Expo, the game follow the original's mixture of tower defense, castle destruction and hack 'n' slash elements, but adds a new real-time and turn-based strategy element, built around conquering a kingdom. Check out a Monty Python-flavoured trailer below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/12/castlestorm-2-exclusive-launch-announcement-trailer"] Choosing from good and evil factions and taking over a procedurally generated map piece by piece, the game also features two story-driven campaigns set within its skewed, cartoony take on a medieval world at war. There's much, much more to see from today's IGN Expo, and we're running the Summer of Gaming throughout June – here's the Summer of Gaming full schedule. All month, we're supporting some incredibly important causes – the World Health Organisation and The Bail Project – if you are able, help us support them too at donate.ign.com. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=castlestorm-2-11-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

CastleStorm 2 Gets July Release Date, Demo Out Today

CastleStorm 2 will be released on July 31 for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC via Epic Games Store. A free Epic Games Store demo is available today, until June 30. Announced exclusively at today's IGN Expo, the game follow the original's mixture of tower defense, castle destruction and hack 'n' slash elements, but adds a new real-time and turn-based strategy element, built around conquering a kingdom. Check out a Monty Python-flavoured trailer below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/12/castlestorm-2-exclusive-launch-announcement-trailer"] Choosing from good and evil factions and taking over a procedurally generated map piece by piece, the game also features two story-driven campaigns set within its skewed, cartoony take on a medieval world at war. There's much, much more to see from today's IGN Expo, and we're running the Summer of Gaming throughout June – here's the Summer of Gaming full schedule. All month, we're supporting some incredibly important causes – the World Health Organisation and The Bail Project – if you are able, help us support them too at donate.ign.com. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=castlestorm-2-11-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

Guilty Gear Strive Reveals Returning Character, Ramlethal

The latest character in the Guilty Gear Strive line-up has been revealed, and it's the returning Ramlethal Valentine. Announced exclusively as part of today's IGN Expo, Ramlethal specializes in controlling the mid-range, and uses two large swords as her primary weapons (carried by her flying Luciferos partners). Strive marks Ramlethal's second appearance as a playable character in the series. Check out a reveal trailer below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/12/guilty-gear-strive-ramlethal-reveal-trailer"] The trailer also announces that we'll see the next playable character reveal for the game in August 2020. Billed as a reboot for the fighting game series, Guilty Gear Strive currently includes a roster of Sol Badguy, Ky Kiske, May, Faust, Potemkin, Chipp Zanuff, Zato-1, Millia Rage, Axl Low alongside Ramlethal. It's due out in 2021, following a delay due to production issues stemming from the current pandemc outbreak and subsequent lockdowns. There's much, much more to see from today's IGN Expo, and we're running the Summer of Gaming throughout June – here's the Summer of Gaming full schedule. All month, we're supporting some incredibly important causes – the World Health Organisation and The Bail Project – if you are able, help us support them too at donate.ign.com. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ramlethal-valentine-guilty-gear-strive-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

Guilty Gear Strive Reveals Returning Character, Ramlethal

The latest character in the Guilty Gear Strive line-up has been revealed, and it's the returning Ramlethal Valentine. Announced exclusively as part of today's IGN Expo, Ramlethal specializes in controlling the mid-range, and uses two large swords as her primary weapons (carried by her flying Luciferos partners). Strive marks Ramlethal's second appearance as a playable character in the series. Check out a reveal trailer below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/12/guilty-gear-strive-ramlethal-reveal-trailer"] The trailer also announces that we'll see the next playable character reveal for the game in August 2020. Billed as a reboot for the fighting game series, Guilty Gear Strive currently includes a roster of Sol Badguy, Ky Kiske, May, Faust, Potemkin, Chipp Zanuff, Zato-1, Millia Rage, Axl Low alongside Ramlethal. It's due out in 2021, following a delay due to production issues stemming from the current pandemc outbreak and subsequent lockdowns. There's much, much more to see from today's IGN Expo, and we're running the Summer of Gaming throughout June – here's the Summer of Gaming full schedule. All month, we're supporting some incredibly important causes – the World Health Organisation and The Bail Project – if you are able, help us support them too at donate.ign.com. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ramlethal-valentine-guilty-gear-strive-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

Rocksteady, NeatherRealm, Other WB Studios Reportedly Up for Sale

AT&T is reportedly looking to sell the Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment gaming division, which includes studios like NetherRealm, Avalanche, and Rocksteady. The deal could be valued at $4 billion and there’s reported interest from companies like Take-Two, EA, and Activision Blizzard. In a report from CNBC, telecom company AT&T, which purchased Warner Media in 2018, is looking to divest some assets to help pay off $200 billion in debt. This includes WB Interactive, which has already picked up interest from some of the game industry’s largest companies. Though sources say a deal is neither in place nor imminent. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-batman-video-game-review&captions=true"] Any company that does purchase WB Interactive will not gain the rights to IP like Batman or Harry Potter, which is owned by Warner Bros. Instead, any deal will likely include a “commercial licensing agreement where AT&T can continue to get revenue from its IP.” A potential purchase will, however, include studios that belong to WB Interactive like NetherRealm and Rocksteady, the developers behind Mortal Kombat, and the Batman Arkham series respectively. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/06/10/batman-arkham-knight-gameplay-trailer-e3-2014"] AT&T purchased Time Warner for $109 billion in 2018 and amassed $200 billion in debt. Investors have called on AT&T to sell “non-core assets” such as DirecTV and, now, WB Interactive. There are multiple projects rumored to be in development under Warner Bros. Interactive including a new game from Rocksteady, and a new Harry Potter RPG. There’s also a new Batman game in the works at WB Montreal. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Rocksteady, NeatherRealm, Other WB Studios Reportedly Up for Sale

AT&T is reportedly looking to sell the Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment gaming division, which includes studios like NetherRealm, Avalanche, and Rocksteady. The deal could be valued at $4 billion and there’s reported interest from companies like Take-Two, EA, and Activision Blizzard. In a report from CNBC, telecom company AT&T, which purchased Warner Media in 2018, is looking to divest some assets to help pay off $200 billion in debt. This includes WB Interactive, which has already picked up interest from some of the game industry’s largest companies. Though sources say a deal is neither in place nor imminent. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-batman-video-game-review&captions=true"] Any company that does purchase WB Interactive will not gain the rights to IP like Batman or Harry Potter, which is owned by Warner Bros. Instead, any deal will likely include a “commercial licensing agreement where AT&T can continue to get revenue from its IP.” A potential purchase will, however, include studios that belong to WB Interactive like NetherRealm and Rocksteady, the developers behind Mortal Kombat, and the Batman Arkham series respectively. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/06/10/batman-arkham-knight-gameplay-trailer-e3-2014"] AT&T purchased Time Warner for $109 billion in 2018 and amassed $200 billion in debt. Investors have called on AT&T to sell “non-core assets” such as DirecTV and, now, WB Interactive. There are multiple projects rumored to be in development under Warner Bros. Interactive including a new game from Rocksteady, and a new Harry Potter RPG. There’s also a new Batman game in the works at WB Montreal. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Spider-Verse’s Phil Lord Has Seen Spider-Man: Miles Morales for PS5

While the news that Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales coming to PS5 for the 2020 holiday season was one of the highlights of Sony’s reveal event, precious little information about the game was actually revealed. That’s why it’s notable for Phil Lord -- best known to Spidey fans as the man behind the story of 2018’s Oscar-winning animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse featuring Miles Morales -- to reveal that he’s one of few people who have actually seen the game. Lord retweeted the reveal trailer for the upcoming game, writing, “We got a chance last year to check out what the insomniacs are up to and... it’s special. They’re special.” phil-lord-miles-morales-ps5 It certainly sounds as though Lord liked what he saw, and he was impressed with the people making it. By “insomniacs” Lord is of course referring to the developers at Insomniac Games who gave us 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4 and are now working on the followup. Lord knows what it takes to capture the essence of Miles and faithfully adapt him from the comics to another medium, so if he approves of the game, then Insomniac must be doing a good job. It sounds like Lord wasn’t alone when he saw the game, so we’d hazard a guess that he saw it with some of his fellow Spider-Verse filmmakers, including his longtime collaborator Chris Miller. Lord is currently working on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2, which was announced last year with a release date of April 8, 2022 but was later delayed until October 7, 2022. Some confusion arose as to whether Spider-Man: Miles Morales was an expansion of the first game or not, but Sony has since clarified that it is a smaller standalone game. You can re-watch the amazing, spectacular reveal trailer below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/11/spider-man-miles-morales-announcement-trailer-ps5-event"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joshua is Senior Editor and Producer at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.

Spider-Verse’s Phil Lord Has Seen Spider-Man: Miles Morales for PS5

While the news that Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales coming to PS5 for the 2020 holiday season was one of the highlights of Sony’s reveal event, precious little information about the game was actually revealed. That’s why it’s notable for Phil Lord -- best known to Spidey fans as the man behind the story of 2018’s Oscar-winning animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse featuring Miles Morales -- to reveal that he’s one of few people who have actually seen the game. Lord retweeted the reveal trailer for the upcoming game, writing, “We got a chance last year to check out what the insomniacs are up to and... it’s special. They’re special.” phil-lord-miles-morales-ps5 It certainly sounds as though Lord liked what he saw, and he was impressed with the people making it. By “insomniacs” Lord is of course referring to the developers at Insomniac Games who gave us 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4 and are now working on the followup. Lord knows what it takes to capture the essence of Miles and faithfully adapt him from the comics to another medium, so if he approves of the game, then Insomniac must be doing a good job. It sounds like Lord wasn’t alone when he saw the game, so we’d hazard a guess that he saw it with some of his fellow Spider-Verse filmmakers, including his longtime collaborator Chris Miller. Lord is currently working on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2, which was announced last year with a release date of April 8, 2022 but was later delayed until October 7, 2022. Some confusion arose as to whether Spider-Man: Miles Morales was an expansion of the first game or not, but Sony has since clarified that it is a smaller standalone game. You can re-watch the amazing, spectacular reveal trailer below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/11/spider-man-miles-morales-announcement-trailer-ps5-event"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joshua is Senior Editor and Producer at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.

Disney to Replace Splash Mountain With a Princess and the Frog Attraction

The fan petition worked. Disney announced Thursday that the Disneyland and Disney World theme park attraction Splash Mountain "will soon be completely reimagined" as a new attraction based on the animated film The Princess and the Frog. "We pick up this story after the final kiss, and join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure – featuring some of the powerful music from the film – as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance," Disney said. In the announcement, Disney explained:

"The approach to retheming or 'plussing' attractions (as Walt Disney referred to it) begins with Imagineers asking the question, how can we build upon or elevate the experience and tell a fresh, relevant story? It’s a continuous process that Imagineers are deeply passionate about. And with this longstanding history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today. The new concept is inclusive – one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year."

Disney added that its Imagineers are already at work on the redesign, beginning with conceptual artwork and "will soon be able to conduct preliminary reviews and develop a timeline for when the transformation can start to take shape." anika-responseOur original report from June 12 follows. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Fans are petitioning Disney to rename -- but not to close -- its popular Disneyland and Disney World theme park attraction Splash Mountain because it was inspired by and still features imagery from the studio's notorious 1946 film Song of the South, a movie featuring racially insensitive depictions that have caused it to remain locked away for decades. Some fans are petitioning to turn Splash Mountain into a Princess and the Frog attraction instead. 2009's The Princess and the Frog featured the first black Disney Princess in Tiana. As Yahoo! points out, other fans would like to see Splash Mountain turned into a Moana attraction instead, a sentiment echoed by Minions and The Secret Life of Pets screenwriter Brian Lynch. The live-action/animated musical Song of the South has long been criticized for its depiction of the Reconstruction era South and for its stereotypical portrayal of African-Americans, particularly Uncle Remus, the plantation laborer who recounts his interactions with animated animal characters such as Br'er Rabbit. The film's classic song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" won an Oscar, while Uncle Remus actor James Baskett received an honorary Oscar. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/11/disney-still-has-no-plans-to-release-song-of-the-south-not-even-with-disclaimer"] Lest you think Splash Mountain is a holdover attraction from the Disney parks' early days, the log flume opened at Disneyland in 1989, well after Song of the South had been deemed problematic and Disney had already pulled it from circulation. Indeed, in the '80s then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner announced that Song of the South would not receive a domestic home video release and the full film remains off of official Disney platforms to this day. (It was, however, released on video in some Asian and European countries decades ago.) But animated sequences and other portions of the movie have been repackaged into various home video offerings and even on Disney TV series over the decades. And while the full movie itself may not be available to consumers, Song of the South has remained part of Disney merchandising through the years, including book-and-record sets, audio usage, and, of course, Splash Mountain. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-disney-animated-movies&captions=true"] While there have been calls over time to re-release Song of the South -- including from Disney Legends inductee Whoopi Goldberg in 2017 -- Disney reaffirmed its position to keep Song of the South in the vault earlier this year, with then-Disney CEO Bob Iger calling the film "not appropriate in today’s world." Do you want to see Splash Mountain retooled to remove its Song of the South elements? And, if so, would you rather see it turned into a Moana or a Princess and the Frog-themed attraction? Let us know in the comments.