GameStop’s Store Redesign Leaked
IGN can confirm the accuracy of a recent Facebook video, which appears to show what one of the redesigned GameStop stores could look like under the company's GameStop Reboot plan.
A GameStop store in Pryor, Oklahoma posted a video tour of what looks like a new layout for the store. A source familiar with GameStop’s operation, who’s requested anonymity, has confirmed that the store matches the blueprint layout of the redesigns shown at GameStop’s annual conference.
IGN’s sources say there’s a test store in Oklahoma, the same state from which this video is from. A second source familiar with GameStop's future reboot plans said that not all stores will look like the one in the video, with some stores redesigned to focus more on esports, retro games (as shown here), or a more traditional design similar to existing stores. Other features, like the wall-mounted tablet, are more universal features that corporate will implement across all stores.
Gears 5 Has Biggest First-Party Launch for Xbox Since Halo 4
With over 3 million players since it was released, Gears 5 had the biggest first-party launch for Xbox since Halo 4, in terms of player count.
Gears 5 "easily doubled the first week’s debut of Gears of War 4," according to Xbox Wire, making it the "biggest launch week of any Xbox Game Studios title this generation." The 3 million-player count was tracked from the early access launch on September 6 through this past weekend.
The shooter also set first-party records on PC, becoming the biggest Xbox Game Pass launch on the platform and Microsoft’s "best-ever" first-party launch on Steam. It also tripled the "performance" of Gears of War 4 on PC, though specific numbers weren't revealed.
Seinfeld Coming to Netflix After Losing Friends and the Office
Seinfeld, the massively influential sitcom that ran from 1989 to 1998, is coming to Netflix, the streaming giant announced Monday.
Seinfeld will be coming to the service starting in 2021 and will run for five years. All 180 episodes of the show will be made available globally. Hulu currently holds the exclusive streaming rights to Seinfeld, and the comedy will move to Netflix when that deal expires in 2021.
“‘Seinfeld’ is a one-of-a-kind, iconic, culture-defining show,” Sony Pictures Television Chairman Mike Hopkins said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “Now, 30 years after its premiere, ‘Seinfeld’ remains center stage. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Netflix to bring this beloved series to current fans and new audiences around the globe.”
Kojima: Death Stranding Sequels May Be Needed to Start New Genre
Kojima has made no secret of the fact he wants to invent a new "strand" genre with Death Stranding, and as a result he believes one game might not be enough for his ideas to catch on.
Speaking to Gamespot, Kojima explained that he believes without sequels, Death Stranding will not establish Strand as a continuing genre. "When you create something new, you have to create a sequel and then a third version or it
not remain as a genre," he said. "When this game comes out there will be a lot of pros and cons, and
, but I think it's better that I keep it going in a sequel.
Netflix’s Daybreak is Completely Insane
If you combine the post-apocalyptic landscape of Mad Max, the fourth-wall-breaking wit of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the mindless, flesh-eating hordes of The Walking Dead, and the satirical high school cliques of Mean Girls (or, more recently, Netflix's Sex Education), and toss them into a blender with a dash of Hunger Games, you might get something approaching the utterly bats**t, disarmingly hilarious Daybreak, which will be released on Netflix on October 24.
Check out the first official teaser trailer for Netflix's Daybreak below:
Self-referential meta-humor isn't the only thing Daybreak has in common with Ferris Bueller; the series also features Matthew Broderick as Glendale High School’s endlessly amiable principal - a stroke of genius casting should hint at the level this delightfully weird series is operating at.
Apple’s For All Mankind Explores a Very Different Space Race
All September long, IGN is highlighting the best TV coming your way in the 2019-2020 season. Today we're spotlighting For All Mankind, one of several high-profile Apple TV+ shows that will be available when the new streaming platform launches on November 1. Executive produced by Battlestar Galactica's Ronald D. Moore, For All Mankind "imagines what would have happened if the global space race never ended and the space program remained the cultural centerpiece of America’s hopes and dreams." Featuring an ensemble cast - led by Joel Kinnaman as astronaut Ed Baldwin, Shantel VanSanten as his wife, Karen, Michael Dorman as Ed's copilot, Gordo Stevens, and Sarah Jones as Gordo's wife, Tracy - the series presents an alternate history in which Russia beats the US to the moon, exploring the historical, technological, and political implications that follow.
Joaquin Phoenix on Finding Joker’s ‘Painful’ Laugh
One of the Joker’s most iconic traits is his maniacal laugh, and it proved to be one of the most challenging aspects of the character for actor Joaquin Phoenix to master in the forthcoming standalone DC movie.
At a recent post-screening Q&A for press in L.A., Phoenix and Joker director Todd Phillips recounted how the actor invited Phillips over to his house so he could try out the laugh for him. “Because I didn't think I could do it,” Phoenix revealed.
Phillips detailed how there are actually three different, distinct Joker laughs in the film, but the one he said was the most difficult for Phoenix to find was the one Phillips came to call “the affliction laugh.” Phillips showed Phoenix videos of people who suffered from pathological laughter as a result of medical conditions like head trauma.
The Best Apple iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max Deals to Preorder Right Now
iPhone 11 preorders are now live, with the phone due to be released on September 20. The device features a brand new camera, increased battery capacity, and a new range of colourful designs. If you are interested in the new handset, there are plenty of preorder deals now available to purchase in anticipation of release day.
For example, all iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max pay monthly purchases from Carphone Warehouse will come with a £50 eGift card. There's also a £10 voucher available for anyone preordering the iPhone 11 SIM-free.
Spider-Man MCU Split Is a ‘Tragic Mistake’ Says Joe Russo
Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War co-director Joe Russo has said that he believes Sony is making a “tragic mistake” by ending its collaboration with Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios.
Talking to the Toronto Sun as part of a larger conversation about their upcoming new film Mosul, directors Anthony and Joe Russo answered questions regarding their work at Marvel. Joe Russo pointed out that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has been important to bringing Spider-Man’s new incarnation to the big screen, and that Sony is making a mistake ceasing its contract.
Classic Dragon Quest Games Are Coming to Nintendo Switch
Square Enix has announced that it will be bringing Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line, and Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation to the Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo Switch on September 27, 2019.
Fans will be able to experience the entire Erdrick trilogy on the same day as Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch, allowing them to see both the beginning and current state of this beloved series that began in 1986 on the Famicom/NES.
The original Dragon Quest sees players assuming the role of the "Hero", a descendant of the valiant hero Erdrick who is on "an epic journey through the historic realm of Alefgard."