Pro-Union Game Developers Fight for Change at This Year’s GDC
Thousands of game industry professionals gathered this week in San Francisco’s Moscone Center to attend the annual Game Developers Conference. Panels on game design, business, culture, and community filled the daily scheduled lineup of talks and meetups, but one roundtable in particular stood out for reigniting conversation around one of the industry’s most important questions: should game developers unionize?
The answer, according to the room, was a resounding yes.
Note: Some game developers quoted in this article have been kept anonymous for their privacy.
Jen MacLean, Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) was invited to moderate the roundtable, officially titled “Union Now? Pros, Cons, and Consequences of Unionization for Game Devs.”
15 Movie Sequels That Dumped the Original Cast
Put yourself in the position of a filmmaker whose new job is directing a sequel to a massive blockbuster hit that everybody loves. Now, imagine you find out that the cast of the original film is unavailable, or too expensive to bring back, so you're practically going to have to start from scratch.
It's a tricky scenario that has, over the years, forced filmmakers to get creative. The new release Pacific Rim Uprising is just the latest in a long line of these types of projects. The original Pacific Rim starred Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) as a giant robot pilot with a lot of baggage and a ton of unresolved issues and storylines that could have been mined for sequels. But when Hunnam was unavailable, they went in another direction, and the new film stars a whole new character, played by John Boyega (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), and a lot of new supporting cast too.
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trailer
Nickelodeon has released the first trailer for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The trailer, which you can view below, shows fans what they can expect from this new take on the Ninja Turtles, which promises to completely reimagine the beloved characters. The series follows the four brothers discovering new powers and encountering a mystical world beneath the streets of New York City.
Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo will also go up against some new villains, including John Cena's Baron Draxum. He'll make his debut in the series' premiere episode and remain a recurring character throughout the show's 26-episode first season.
Green Lantern Concept Art of Yalan Gur Reportedly Revealed From Justice League
Alleged Green Lantern concept art from Justice League has surfaced online.
The concept art, via Reddit, features an alien-like creature donning a Green Lantern costume. According to a few Reddit users, Warner Bros.' All Access App identities this mysterious character as Yalan Gur, who made his debut in 1991's Green Lantern #19.
Yalan Gur, image via Reddit user Mephistopheles4Mirth.
Frank Millers’ 5-Project Deal With DC Includes Batman Spinoff for Young Readers
Frank Miller has signed a 5-project deal with DC, with the newest of the titles revealed to be a graphic novel for young readers starring the spunky Carrie Kelly who Miller introduced in The Dark Knight Returns.
Carrie Kelly joined the main DC Universe in 2013's Batman and Red Robin #19, taking up the mantle of the little rouge one.
“Frank is a creative force in this industry, not just with a transformative take on iconic characters like Superman and Batman, but also by tackling the young reader genre,” said DC Publisher Dan DiDio in a statement on DC Comics blog. “He is an icon. As a publisher, I’m thrilled—as a fan, I’m even more excited.”
DC’s Old Lady Harley Riffs on Classic Wolverine Story
Just like Old Man Logan and Old Man Hawkeye before her, DC's Old Lay Harley is coming to cause come chaos.
Comics Beat reports the older and crankier take on the beloved DC character and her partner in crime, Red Tool, are set to appear in Harley Quinn #42, which comes out on April 18. The issue is written by Frank Tieri with art by Mauricet. Amanda Conner did the main cover. Check out some of the art, via Comics Beat, in the image gallery below.
Editor Chris Conroy tweeted there could be more of Old Lady Harley beyond Harley Quinn #42 if the character and comic are well received. "Old Lady Harley is gonna be ridiculous, and we hope you like it," Conroy tweeted. "(Cuz we wanna do more.)"
Rian Johnson Won’t Let Last Jedi Criticism Influence His Star Wars Trilogy
Star Wars: The Last Jedi has received its fair share of criticism over the last few months, but director Rian Johnson won't let that influence his new Star Wars trilogy.
In an interview with Fandango, Johnson was asked if the fan outcry will impact how he approaches his new trilogy of films in any way. The filmmaker replied saying he wasn't too surprised by the response The Last Jedi received, and also believes you shouldn't care what people want when you're trying to tell a specific story.
PixelJunk Monsters 2 Coming in May
PixelJunk Monsters 2 has been announced, and you won't have to wait long to play it.
Q-Games and Spike Chunsoft are bringing digital versions of PixelJunk Monsters 2 to PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam in North America and Europe. The game will launch May 25 and cost $15. No mention of a physical version have been made.
PixelJunk Monsters 2 is coming to PS4, Switch, and Steam digitally on May 25!
Steins;Gate Elite Coming to the West in 2018
Steins;Gate Elite will be released in North America and Europe for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC later this year.
Spike Chunsoft shared the news in a post on Twitter, announcing the game is now available for preorder. While a PlayStation Vita version is coming to Japan, it doesn't look like there are plans to release that version in the west.
Steins;Gate Elite is an updated version of the visual novel Steins;Gate, which released in 2009 in Japan and made its way to the west several years later. The new-and-improved release will feature footage from the anime series, as well as new animation for story content not featured in the TV adaptation.
Get a Sneak Peek at the Constantine: City of Demons Animated Series
Hellblazer fans have plenty to look forward to in the next few weeks, since DC's beloved occult detective John Constantine is heading back to our screens in both animated and live action form.
On March 24. the first five episodes of the new animated digital series Constantine: City of Demons will debut on CW Seed -- and if you're heading to WonderCon in Anaheim on Saturday, you can get a sneak peek at the installments before they premiere online during a panel moderated by yours truly (IGN's Executive TV Editor Laura Prudom), taking place from 10 to 11 a.m. in room North 200A. Star Matt Ryan will be in attendance along with series writer J.M. DeMatteis and Blue Ribbon Content & Warner Bros. Animation’s Peter Girardi.