Square Enix Parts With Hitman Studio IO Interactive
Square Enix has declared its decision to withdraw from Danish developer Io Interactive. The company made the announcement alongside its financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 – released today.
“To maximize player satisfaction as well as market potential going forward, we are focusing our resources and energies on key franchises and studios,” Square Enix said in its statement. “As a result, the Company has regrettably decided to withdraw from the business of Io Interactive, a wholly‐owned subsidiary and a Danish corporation, as of March 31, 2017.”
Io Interactive – the developer of Hitman and Kane & Lynch – found itself in the Square Enix stable back in 2009 when the Japanese publisher acquired Io’s parent company, Eidos Interactive.
Hearthstone: Designing Journey to Un’Goro
Hearthstone’s latest expansion, Journey to Un’Goro, has introduced a wealth of new ideas and mechanics to the game, and now – more than a month on from launch – we have one of the healthiest metas in a long time, with plenty of diversity and choices for players. I caught up with Team 5 senior designers Peter Whalen and Mike Donais to dig into the design process for the set. (Please note, Mike joins the conversation a short way in, so it’s just Peter to begin with. Also, you can see all the cards in the set here.)
Rick and Morty VR Dev Owlchemy Labs Acquired by Google
Developer Owlchemy Labs announced today that it has been acquired by Google.
With six years in the industry the small development team found its niche with VR starting with the original Oculus Rift development kit, leading to popular titles such as Job Simulator and, more recently, the Rick and Morty VR game.
Olwchemy Labs stated that, "We both believe that VR is the most accessible computing platform and that there’s a ton of work to be done, especially with regards to natural and intuitive interactions. Together with Google, with which we share an incredible overlap in vision, we’re free to pursue raw creation and sprint toward interesting problems in these early days of VR."
The CW Orders Black Lighting to Series
Black Lightning has been ordered to series by The CW, making it producer Greg Berlanti's fifth DC drama on the network.
IGN can confirm that the network, which also airs Berlanti's Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl, has been ordered to series for the 2017-2018 TV season. The series stars Hart of Dixie's Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce, who abandoned his secret identity long ago, but takes up the mantle of wanted vigilante Black Lightning once again after finding "one daughter hell-bent on justice" and the other being recruited by a gang.
iZombie and The Originals Both Renewed
The CW has renewed iZombie and The Originals.
Deadline reports iZombie will be returning for a fourth season while The Originals is coming back for a fifth season. iZombie, based on the comic book from Chris Roberson and Michael Allred, follows Seatte medical resident Olivia "Liv" Moore (Rose McIver) who is turned into a zombie.
Along with McIver, the series also stars Rahul Kohli, Malcolm Goodwin, Aly Michalka, David Anders, Robert Buckley, and Bryce Hodgson. iZombie's third season is currently still airing. For IGN's thoughts on the latest episode, "Some Like It Hot Mess," read our review.
NBC Renews Blindspot and Cancels Timeless
NBC has renewed its drama series Blindspot for a third season.
Deadline reports the show, starring Jaime Alexander and Sullivan Stapleton, will be returning for the 2017-2018 TV season. The Season 2 finale will air next week on May 17.
NBC meanwhile has canceled its time travel drama series Timeless after just one season. Despite the strong cast and crew, including creators and executive producers Shawn Ryan (The Shield) and Eric Kripke (Supernatural), and strong Season 1 reviews, Timeless just wasn't able to garner enough views on Monday nights.
Study Shows More People Want Switch Than PS4 Pro, Scorpio
A recent survey has revealed that more people are interested in owning a Nintendo Switch console than a PS4 Pro or the upcoming Microsoft Project Scorpio in the U.S.
The Nielsen Games 360 Report reports that, from a pool of over 2,000 participants, 16 percent of gamers aged 13 and up said they would probably buy the Switch, while only 15 percent said the same for the PS4 Pro and 13 percent for the Scorpio.
9 Times Thor Lost His Hammer Mjolnir
Marvel dropped the first trailer for Thor: Ragnarok today, and boy is it a doozy. Among many other awesome sights and sounds, the trailer showed us a glimpse of one of the most pivotal moments in the film, as Thor finds his seemingly indestructible hammer shattered by Hela. How is the god of thunder supposed to stop the lord of the underworld if he doesn't have the power of Mjolnir to call upon?
We're sure Thor will find a way. After all, he has kind of a bad habit of losing and/or breaking his trusty weapon in Marvel's comic book storylines. Here are nine times Thor lost possession of Mjolnir in the comics.
For Honor: Every Shinobi and Centurion Execution and Emote
The second season of For Honor, dubbed Shadow and Might, hits PC and Consoles on May 16.
In addition to kicking off Season 2 of the persistent faction war, Shadow and Might will add a pair of new maps, "new customization items and gameplay updates," a new Epic gear rarity level, and lastly, two new heroes.
The Samurai assassin Shinobi and the Knights' Centurion will be the first downloadable characters to join the war since For Honor launched in February.
But before you can get your hands on either character on May 16 (with the season pass) or May 23 (without the season pass), you can see every execution and emote these warriors are bringing to to the battlefield.
Discovered Dinosaur Named After Ghostbusters Villain
Scientists from the Royal Ontario Museum have named a newly discovered dinosaur species after the Ghostbusters villain Zuul.
CBC News reports a crew of private excavators accidentally bumped into the well-preserved ankylosaur skeleton while unearthing a nearby tyrannosaurus in the Judith River Formation in Montana. The plant-eating species, officially named Zuul crurivastator, is said to be 75 million years old.
Render of Zuul crurivastator (Credit: Danielle Dufault/Royal Ontario Museum) and Zuul from Ghostbusters