Rage 2 Won’t Include Loot Boxes
Bethesda has confirmed that the newly-announced Rage 2 will not include loot boxes, but will have post-launch content to keep players engaged.
Rage 2 was leaked by Walmart last week, ahead of the official reveal on Monday. In an interview with German website Gamestar (translated and confirmed by US Gamer), Id boss Tim Willits has confirmed that the studio is following a games-as-service approach to keep people playing Rage 2 for longer.
Xbox Adaptive Controller for Players With Disabilities Officially Revealed
Xbox has unveiled a new controller, specifically designed for gamers with limited mobility or conditions that make gaming with traditional controllers difficult.
Dubbed the Xbox Adaptive Controller, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has explained the device has been years in the making.
“For gamers with limited mobility, finding controller solutions to fit their individual needs has been challenging,” said Spencer on Xbox Wire. “The solutions that exist today are often expensive, hard to find, or require significant technical skill to create. A number of individuals and organizations are creating custom solutions, but it has been often difficult for them to scale when most rigs need to be so personalized.”
Closed Beta for The Crew 2 Starts Later This Month
Ubisoft has confirmed a closed beta for The Crew 2 will be conducted from May 31 to June 4 across PS4, Xbox One, and PC. If you want a chance at an invite, Ubisoft is taking sign-ups now at thecrewgame.com/beta.
The publisher notes players who are selected for the beta are encouraged to make use of the ability to pre-load the build, which will be available from May 29.
The closed beta will cover The Crew 2’s first level of its progression system and feature races across the four initial disciplines: street racing, rally raid, powerboat, and aerobatics. Ubisoft also notes that players will be able to make full use of the vehicle transformation feature during the beta, dubbed Fast-Fav, and instantly switch between car, plane, and boat at the push of a button.
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings Series Will Reportedly Focus on a Young Aragorn
Rumours are pointing to Amazon's The Lord of the Ring series focusing on the adventures of young Aragorn.
A tweet from generally reliable Tolkien rumour source The One Ring says multiple sources have confirmed the new series will at least start centred around the young life of Strider.
This move makes sense as Aragorn's history is rich for storytelling. Aragorn's life covers a large breadth of stories in the Tolkien universe, from his humble beginnings, when his legacy had been hidden from him while his mother fought to protect her son, right up to the events in The Lord of the Rings movies.
IT: Chapter 2 Casts Adult Losers’ Club Members Eddie and Stanley
Actor James Ransone will feature as the adult Eddie in the upcoming IT: Chapter Two, and Andy Bean will play Stanley. News of each casting comes via Deadline and Variety respectively.
Ransone recently completed work on Hulu’s upcoming series, The First, which is about humanity’s first mission to Mars. Ransone stars in the series alongside Sean Penn and Natascha McElhone. He’s previously starred in Amazon’s Bosch as well as HBO’s Treme, The Wire, and Generation Kill. Andy Bean previously featured in HBO’s Here and Now, as well as Power on Starz.
Borderlands Publisher Delays Next Entry in a Major 2K Franchise
One of the biggest franchises from publisher 2K has been delayed until 2020.
Parent company Take-Two Interactive Software released the information its latest earnings report, revealing that a game that was set to be released this fiscal year has been pushed back.
"The highly-anticipated title from one of 2K’s biggest franchises, which had been planned for release during the current fiscal year, is now planned for launch during fiscal 2020 to allow for additional development time," the report states.
Previously, we speculated the upcoming title – which was announced during an earnings report from last year – could be a new BioShock game, after reports suggested 2K's work on the currently codenamed Parkside could be the next in the BioShock series.
How Old (or Young) Network TV’s Audiences Are
This season's top 10 most popular shows on network TV in the US have a predominantly older audience.
According to a report from the The New York Times, major networks like CBS, ABC, and NBC are struggling to attract younger audiences, who are instead choosing to consume their entertainment media on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.
The outlet made a list of the "top 10 entertainment shows during the 2017-2018 television season," which shows the median age of the viewer. Check out the list in order from oldest to youngest below:
Power Rangers Mobile Game Gets Street Fighter Characters
Today, iPhone and Android mobile fighting game Power Rangers: Legacy Wars gets iconic characters from Capcom's Street Fighter.
The May update adds Ryu, Chun-Li, Guile, and Akuma to the game's roster. Each character can be used for free while playing limited-time challenges.
Characters can be permanently unlocked by opening in-game Morph boxes and collecting character shards, or through a $5 in-app purchase per character.
Ryu will be able to use his iconic Shoryuken, Hadoken, and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku attacks in the game, while Chun-Li quickly takes down enemies with her Spinning Bird Kick, Kikoken, and Hyakuretsukyaku attacks.
Guile's Sonic Boom, Flash Kick, and Sonic Cross will make an appearance, as will Akuma's Gohadoken, Goshoryuken, and Zanku Hadoken attacks.
Star Wars Celebration 2019 Dates, Location Announced
The dates and location for Star Wars Celebration 2019 have been revealed.
As detailed on the official Star Wars Celebration website, next year's event will take place in Chicago at McCormick Place and will run for five days from April 11-15.
Star Wars Celebrations 2019, image via Twitter.
Tickets will go on sale on June 5 at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm UK/3 am AEST (June 6) on StarWarsCelebration.com. More details about the event will be revealed at a later date.
Westworld: New Shogun World Photos Released
HBO has released several new Westworld photos previewing the upcoming Season 2 episode, “Akane No Mai."
The photos feature Maeve (Thandie Newton), Rodrigo Santoro (Hector Escaton) and what seem to be hosts from Shogun World. Newcomer Hiroyuki Sanada (The Wolverine, 47 Ronin) is also featured, alongside Evan Rachel Wood (Dolores Abernathy). Check out the photos in the image gallery below.
For more on Westworld, read our review of the latest episode "The Riddle of the Sphinx," which seems to be hinting at a major character's return. Also find out what Westworld Park 6 is officially called.