This Year’s Biggest Oscar Snubs

Another year's Academy Awards nominations announcement, another round of films and artists who didn't make the cut.

While this year's crop of nominees managed to avoid another embarrassing #OscarsSoWhite scenario of oversights and omissions, there were nevertheless some very notable snubs and exclusions. Here are some of the biggest ones:.

Guillermo del Toro's romantic fantasy film The Shape of Water led the Oscar race with 13 nominations, including Best Picture, but Academy members apparently only allowed themselves to take that one genre movie seriously this year. Blade Runner 2049 received critical raves, but outside of some regional critics groups the film itself has failed to win any major awards. It received five below-the-line nominations (we'll see if cinematographer Roger Deakins finally wins an Oscar thanks to his work on Blade Runner 2049).

Continue reading…

RollerCoaster Tycoon Seeks Crowdfunding for Switch Version

Atari has launched a crowdfunding campaign to bring a new RollerCoaster Tycoon game to Nintendo Switch.

The campaign is on the StartEngine platform, where Atari is seeking between $10,000 and $1.07 million. Nvizzio Creations, the studio behind the free-to-play RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch, will be developing this new entry in the long-running series.

Investors will participate in a revenue share, be kept informed about the game's development, and potentially become involved in future Atari projects. For a full detailed breakdown of all the investor perks, visit the campaign page here and check out the video pitch below.

Continue reading…

RollerCoaster Tycoon Seeks Crowdfunding for Switch Version

Atari has launched a crowdfunding campaign to bring a new RollerCoaster Tycoon game to Nintendo Switch.

The campaign is on the StartEngine platform, where Atari is seeking between $10,000 and $1.07 million. Nvizzio Creations, the studio behind the free-to-play RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch, will be developing this new entry in the long-running series.

Investors will participate in a revenue share, be kept informed about the game's development, and potentially become involved in future Atari projects. For a full detailed breakdown of all the investor perks, visit the campaign page here and check out the video pitch below.

Continue reading…

Twisted Metal Creator’s Latest Project Canceled, Major Layoffs Affect Studio

David Jaffe's Bartlet Jones Supernatural Detective Agency game studio suffered a huge blow today following the cancellation of one of its major projects.

The news was broken by studio head David Jaffe on his personal Twitter. Jaffe said "the vast majority" of the studio's game division are being let go following the cancellation. Jaffe promised more news is forthcoming.

Bartlet Jones was responsible for Drawn to Death, the free-to-play arena shooter that took its visual inspiration from the frenzied doodles of a high school student's notebook. While the game was visually and conceptually interesting, and Jaffe is no stranger to competitive games, it failed to excite critics or gamers.

Continue reading…

Twisted Metal Creator’s Latest Project Canceled, Major Layoffs Affect Studio

David Jaffe's Bartlet Jones Supernatural Detective Agency game studio suffered a huge blow today following the cancellation of one of its major projects.

The news was broken by studio head David Jaffe on his personal Twitter. Jaffe said "the vast majority" of the studio's game division are being let go following the cancellation. Jaffe promised more news is forthcoming.

Bartlet Jones was responsible for Drawn to Death, the free-to-play arena shooter that took its visual inspiration from the frenzied doodles of a high school student's notebook. While the game was visually and conceptually interesting, and Jaffe is no stranger to competitive games, it failed to excite critics or gamers.

Continue reading…

WWE: Enzo Amore Has Been Fired

WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore, who was suspended yesterday following rape allegations from a woman in Phoenix who says Amore sexually assaulted her at a hotel party in October, has now been released from the company.

In a short statement, WWE said “WWE has come to terms on the release of Eric Arndt (Enzo Amore).”

006_205_09262017rf_0272__6d1dc37750b87a9c85df9701a20df064.0

Continue reading…

WWE: Enzo Amore Has Been Fired

WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore, who was suspended yesterday following rape allegations from a woman in Phoenix who says Amore sexually assaulted her at a hotel party in October, has now been released from the company.

In a short statement, WWE said “WWE has come to terms on the release of Eric Arndt (Enzo Amore).”

006_205_09262017rf_0272__6d1dc37750b87a9c85df9701a20df064.0

Continue reading…

Former Xbox, Sony Exec Phil Harrison Joins Google

Former Xbox and PlayStation executive Phil Harrison has joined Google.

Harrison announced on Twitter he's joined the tech giant as vice president and general manager. "Excited to be able to share that today I've started a new role as Vice President and GM of Google - and relocating (back) to California," Harrison tweeted.

Harrison worked at Sony for over a decade, where he served as the company's head of global network of game studios before joining Microsoft's Xbox team in 2012 as interactive entertainment business VP. Since departing Microsoft in 2015, Harrison has been investing in several startups, and served as a board member and adviser for companies like Atari and Gaikai.

Continue reading…

Former Xbox, Sony Exec Phil Harrison Joins Google

Former Xbox and PlayStation executive Phil Harrison has joined Google.

Harrison announced on Twitter he's joined the tech giant as vice president and general manager. "Excited to be able to share that today I've started a new role as Vice President and GM of Google - and relocating (back) to California," Harrison tweeted.

Harrison worked at Sony for over a decade, where he served as the company's head of global network of game studios before joining Microsoft's Xbox team in 2012 as interactive entertainment business VP. Since departing Microsoft in 2015, Harrison has been investing in several startups, and served as a board member and adviser for companies like Atari and Gaikai.

Continue reading…

Deadly Premonition Board Game Now Available for Preorder

The Kickstarter-funded Deadly Premonition board game is now available for preorder ahead of its January 31 release date.

Available for $60 USD on Amazon, Deadly Premonition: The Board Game Deluxe Edition comes bundled with the original soundtrack, a collector's cloth mat, a custom die, and a Steam key for Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut.

Deadly Premonition: The Board Game is based on the world and characters of the cult 2010 murder mystery video game. Here's a synopsis of the board game, courtesy of Rising Star Games:

Continue reading…