EA Defends Loot Boxes, Calls Them ‘Surprise Mechanics’
EA has defended the company's use of randomised purchases, saying that they aren't actually loot boxes, but simply "surprise mechanics".
PCGamesN reports that during an oral evidence session with the UK Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, EA's VP of legal and government affairs, Kerry Hopkins, made the statement.
Hopkins not only termed purchases with a random result as "surprise mechanics", but also likened them to children toys like Kinder Surprise Eggs or Hatchimals.
Hopkins then went on to speak as to the ethics of such purchases when questioned by Scottish National Party MP, Brendan O'Hara.
GOT: The Long Night Director Reveals Why the Battle of Winterfell Was So Dark
The director of Game of Thrones’ The Long Night Episode, in which the city of Winterfell is defended from an attack by the Night King, has defended the lighting of the episode, explaining that it is entirely intentional.
You may remember how many viewers took to social media to discuss how difficult it was to see anything in the episode. At the time there was talk about how HBO’s compression had negatively affected the episode, as well as the issues with incorrectly calibrated TVs. But while those issues certainly can cause problems, the episode was intentionally made dark and the action difficult to see.
New Details of Avengers: Endgame Re-Release Revealed
Details of the new footage in the Avengers: Endgame re-release have been revealed, courtesy of a Cinemark listing spotted on reddit. News of the Avengers: Endgame re-release came from Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige himself, who said it would not be an extended cut but would have some post-credits extras that include a deleted scene, a tribute, and a few surprises.
Here's everything revealed in the listing:
The Battle of Winterfell Was Supposed to Have a Higher Body Count
One of the main complaints about Game of Thrones Season 8, episode 3, "The Long Night" (aside from how dark it was) was that the Battle of Winterfell didn't feature enough major character deaths, especially given the sheer number of wights and White Walkers laying siege to our heroes.
Apparently, we weren't the only ones who thought that "The Long Night" needed more death and destruction. In a new podcast interview with IndieWire, director Miguel Sapochnik (who also directed the show's penultimate episode, "The Bells") revealed that he tried to convince showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss to kill off more characters to raise the stakes - partially because he was concerned that pulling off another episode-long battle with no breaks would end up boring the audience.
Marvel’s Kevin Feige Is Having ‘Fun’ Making Plans for X-Men and F4
It sounds like Marvel Studios mastermind Kevin Feige is having a good time working the X-Men and Fantastic Four into the MCU now that the Disney acquisition of Fox has brought those characters back home.
"It's still early days, but it's been a fun exercise, and it's one, by the way, that we've been doing for years,” Feige told Fandango when questioned about the progress of bringing Marvel characters whose film rights were previously controlled by Fox into the MCU. “Every development meeting starts with cool ideas and fun ideas, and our wheels are always turning in terms of what if... to use a Marvel publishing term,” -- referring to how Marvel Comics explores ‘What If’ ideas that would never happen in normal continuity -- “What if we did this? What if we did that? What if we had access to such and such characters? That's how Spider-Man: Homecoming came together in the first place, and it's fun to now be in this position with the Fox characters, too, because if we come up with a great ‘What If’ we can actually do it."
Marvel’s Feige Debunks Deadpool Spider-Man Movie Rumor
Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige has shot down a rumor circling online that there are three ideas being kicked around internally for how to introduce Deadpool in the MCU now that Disney's acquisition of Fox is complete.
A recent report by MCU Cosmic claimed the following three options were being explored by Marvel for how to bring the merc with a mouth into the fold:
"A new solo film, such as Deadpool 3. A Disney+ limited series. Guest-starring in Spider-Man 3."
Spider-Man: Far From Home – First Reactions Twitter Roundup
Members of the press had the opportunity to attend early screenings of Spider-Man: Far From Home. With the embargo now lifted, those who saw the film can freely give their opinions on social media - and reactions are very positive.
Praise has been heaped on Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance as Mysterio and how the film manages to follow up the heaviness of Avengers: Endgame with smart, lighthearted storytelling.
Twitter Reacts to Spider-Man: Far From Home
IGN’s Jim Vejvoda was highly positive on Far From Home, calling it “an extremely fun, cleverly executed, and frequently hilarious culmination of the MCU’s wall-crawler’s journey so far."
Xbox Head Explains the Sony-Microsoft Partnership
We now have a better understanding of the surprising partnership between Sony and Microsoft.
The upcoming collaboration between the tech giants that was announced this past May, but it wasn't a confirmation of any concrete details. Rather, it was an announcement that the two developers had signed what's known as a memorandum of understanding - essentially a letter saying both parties are interested in working together. "It’s the beginning of the kind of conversation. Sony and Azure looking at the future of cloud gaming," said Phil Spencer, Microsoft's Head of Xbox, in a recent interview with Kotaku.
‘Traumatic’ Cersei Deleted Scene Revealed
Warning: Full spoilers follow for Game of Thrones
Lena Headey has been talking about the end of Game of Thrones lately. First she admitted earlier this week that she "wanted a better death" for her character Cersei, and now we've learned from her of a deleted scene from the TV series' seventh season that would've been a sad footnote for the dark character.
While appearing at Munich Comic-Con in Germany, as reported by Time (and tweeted by user bb_cersei), Headey recalled the original outcome of her pregnancy by her brother/soulmate Jaime.
Kevin Feige Confirms Talks With Keanu Reeves About MCU Role
The MCU may have a lot going for it, but there's a distinct lack of Keanu Reeves in this superhero universe. Thankfully, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has given new hope to the prospect of an MCU role for Reeves.
In an interview with ComicBook.com, Feige indicated that there have been regular talks about Reeves joining the MCU. Based on Feige's comments, it appears to be a question of finding the right time and the right role for Reeves.
Keanu in the MCU
“We talk to him for almost every film we make,” Feige said. “I don’t know when, if, or ever he’ll join the MCU, but we very much want to figure out the right way to do it.”