PUBG Corp Is Suing ‘Clone’ Game Developers
PUBG Corp, the owner and developer of the massively popular online shooter PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, has launched a lawsuit against Chinese publisher NetEase, which it claims has infringed copyright by producing two games for mobile devices that bear a striking similarity to PUBG.
As reported over on Ars Technica, the suit was filed in Northern California's US District Court and particularly refers to mobile-only games Rules of Survival and Knives Out (both of which arrived on iOS before PUBG had been ported). Both feature 100-person online battles on an island with a shrinking "safe zone", a variety of island-crossing vehicles, and military-grade weapons and armour. PUBG Corp is seeking damages from NetEase, as well as the removal of both games from online stores.
DayZ Is Relaunching on PC With a New Engine This Month
DayZ is getting a reboot of sorts on PC with the relaunch of the title using a new engine before the end of the month.
"We're releasing DayZ on a new engine in a couple of weeks on PC, and it's gonna be coming to Game Preview on Xbox this year," lead producer Eugen Harton told PCGamesN at Microsoft's ID@Xbox event. "That's basically our aim. I would almost say it's a reboot of DayZ on PC."
When pressed on whether the news meant the title would finally be leaving Early Access, Harton didn't comment either way.
Talking about the relaunch in light of the titles DayZ is competing with, Harton said: "It might not become a mainstream thing, but that's not our customer. I'm okay with that. I know what game I'm making - I don't want to appeal to everybody." He added: "I still feel like we have not hit our peak. This is the year of DayZ."
NBC Would Consider Reviving The Office, West Wing
NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt has spoken about the public's appetite for what he calls the "reboot genre", discussing his openness to the possibility of reviving much-loved shows such as The Office or West Wing.
Speaking at the Hollywood Reporter's 12th annual Power Lawyers breakfast, Greenblatt specifically listed The Office as a possible reboot - although with the caveat that this would most likely not include the full cast - with The West Wing another distinct possibility; Greenblatt stated that West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin would be behind a revival, "if he weren't busy doing 10 other extraordinary things".
Snyder Suggests the Dead Robin in BvS Was Dick Grayson
Batman v Superman director Zack Snyder has been fairly active on social media site Vero over the past few days, with his most recent posts suggesting that Bruce Wayne uses sex as a drug in the movie to forget about the significant baggage he carries on his shoulders. One scene in the movie represents this baggage pretty succinctly, with a brief shot of a defaced Robin uniform belonging to Batman's former - deceased - sidekick.
It's long been assumed that the the outfit was meant to represent Jason Todd, the second Robin, in a reflection of the comic book storyline which saw his death - but if Snyder is to be believed, it may actually have been referring to Dick Grayson, the original sidekick to call himself Robin.
My Hero Academia: English Dub of S3 Premiere Delayed
The English dub of My Hero Academia Season 3's first episode has been delayed.
In a post on Twitter, Funimation explained: "Our partners in Japan are working very hard to make broadcast deadlines, but due to production delays, they weren't able to send the episode early for dubbing." In the meantime, Funimation will premiere the subtitled version when Season 3 debuts on April 7.
In March, Funimation announced plans to air the first six episodes of the English dub alongside the subtitled simulcast on FunimationNow. While the third season's first episode won't be ready in time, Funimation said it's still on schedule for dubbing Season 3's second episode.
Studio Ghibli Co-Founder Isao Takahata Dies at 82
Isao Takahata, the legendary anime director and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, has died. He was 82.
As reported by Sanspo and NTV News 24 (via Anime News Network), Takahata passed away on April 5 in a hospital in Tokyo, Japan. The director's health had reportedly been on the decline since summer of last year.
Before co-founding Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki, Takahata worked at Toei Douga—which is now Toei Animation—after graduating from college, and directed several classic films, including Anne of Green Gables and Little Norse Prince Valiant.
Dredd’s Karl Urban to Star in Amazon Comic Book Series The Boys
Karl Urban has been enlisted to star in Amazon’s upcoming series based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic book The Boys, reports Deadline.
The Boys are a CIA-backed group of hardcases charged with monitoring the world’s largely hedonistic and corrupt community of superheroes, and eliminating them whenever necessary.
The Boys comic.
Stan Lee’s Stolen Blood Allegedly Used to Sign Comics
A new and horrifying report claims that Stan Lee's former business associate is using vials of the comic book legend's stolen blood to sign comics.
TMZ's report comes off the back of The Daily's Beast's recent story that the same business associate Lee and his daughter JC once worked with at his former for-profit charity Hands of Respect is draining much of his finances in dodgy 'loans' and purchases.
TMZ claims this individual forged fake medical documents, authorising the blood to be drawn, before stamping it on several copies of The Mighty Thor #700, and a variant cover of Rise of the Black Panther #1.
New Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley Movie to Get Major Reshoots
Chaos Walking, the Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley-led film adaptation of the YA novel of the same name, will reportedly undergo major reshoots.
This news comes by way of The Hollywood Reporter, who notes the reshoots for director Doug Liman's upcoming movie could result in Lionsgate having to delay the film, thanks to the busy schedules of both Holland and Ridley.
Additionally, Patrick Ness—the author of the Chaos Walking novel—is reportedly in talks to write new script pages for the reshoot.
Rogue One’s Writer Opens Up About the Production’s ‘Terrible Trouble’
Tony Gilroy, the writer brought on to rework the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story script, has opened up about "the terrible trouble" the production was in before its reshoots.
Speaking on on The Moment With Brian Koppelman podcast (via THR), Gilroy said the only way was up when he was brought on.
Spoilers for Rogue One ahead, obviously.
"If you look at Rogue, all the difficulty with Rogue, all the confusion of it … and all the mess, and in the end when you get in there, it's actually very, very simple to solve," Gilroy said. "Because you sort of go, 'This is a movie where, folks, just look. Everyone is going to die.' So it's a movie about sacrifice."