Ark: Survival Evolved Lawsuit Means the Game Could Be Pulled From Sale
Ark: Survival Evolved developer, Studio Wildcard, has been hit by a lawsuit from Trendy Entertainment, the studio behind Dungeon Defenders, which could result in Ark being pulled from sale.
In a recently unearthed court document, obtained by Kotaku, Trendy claims its ex-creative director, Jeremy Stieglitz, is in breach of a previously signed contract.
Trendy’s lawyers allege Stieglitz had agreed to several conditions to secure his exit from Trendy in 2014. Those conditions, according to Trendy, included not attempting to poach staff from the company, and not creating direct competition.
Comic Book Reviews for March 23, 2015
This was an especially great week for comic fans. Batman #50 welcomed Bruce Wayne back into the cowl and wrapped up the "Superheavy" story arc in grand fashion. Marvel delivered several winners in the form of X-Men: Worst X-Man Ever #2, Star Wars #17, The Ultimates #5 and Totally Awesome Hulk #4. And Titan Comics debuted two major new franchise spinoffs with Independence Day #1 and Assassin's Creed: Templars #1.
Scroll down to check out our reviews for these and many other new releases. And be sure to let us know your favorite comics of the week in the comments below.
DC COMICS
Sony Sets Up New Company to Make Smartphone Games
Sony has set up ForwardWorks, a new company whose focus will be to make "full-fledged game titles" for smart devices that "will leverage the intellectual property of the numerous PlayStation dedicated software titles".
No word has been given on when the first of these projects could appear - the company has yet to even be incorporated. Sony's announcement indicates that ForwardWorks is currently solely focused on making games for the Japanese and Asian markets, with no mention of expanding into western territories.
It follows Nintendo's recent move into the smartphone market, with Miitomo - the first of five specially-designed free apps co-developed with DeNA - hitting a million Japanese users this week.
Mario Still Wanted For Wreck-It Ralph 2
Rich Moore – director of Wreck-It Ralph – has whispered that a sequel is most definitely happening, and revealed that he’s working on getting Mario in the movie.
While speaking with the writer-director at the Zootropolis junket, IGN asked if a sequel is on the cards, to which Moore laughed and responded with the words “maybe, maybe” and then nodded and mouthed the word “yes.”
“I think the world of that first film is so big and the characters are very rich and I just think that they have more stories in them” he elaborated. “The end of the movie felt like a launching point. It felt like it wouldn’t be straining to tell another story in that world as some films are. To me, I feel like I can definitely see where it would go, and I think the audience kind of felt that way too.”
The Banner Saga 2 to Arrive Next Month
Stoic Studio has announced a sequel to its Norse tactical RPG, The Banner Saga. The Banner Saga 2 will release on PC and Mac on April 19, with PS4 and Xbox One versions to follow on an as-yet unannounced date.
Announced via a Steam Community page, the game will retail at $19.99 / £14.99, but pre-orders will net you a 10% discount.
The Banner Saga 2 was announced back in 2014, and picks up the story mere weeks after the end of the first game's dark tale. It takes up the same RPG-adventure-management template, as well as the beautiful hand-drawn art style, but aims to drop in more combat variety alongside new races and characters.
The Predator: Director Was ‘Reluctant’ to Take Over
The Predator co-writer and director Shane Black recently opened up about taking over the long-running franchise, saying he was "reluctant" when Fox approached him with the idea.
"They called me and I was reluctant," Black told Thrillest. "I said, 'Look. You guys at Fox, I mean, I enjoy these movies, but we've been churning out these AVP whatever, they each cost a certain amount of money, they're okay, but there's no effort to elevate them or make them any kind of an event.'"
Fox responded, saying it didn't want just another Predator movie, but for Black to "reinvent" the franchise. The company said it'd be willing to spend "a bunch of money" and treat the film with "as much of an event status, or as much hoopla," as Alien: Covenant.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Is Doc Savage
Doc Savage writer/director Shane Black has named Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as The Man of Bronze, adding he hopes to begin shooting the long-gestating film sometime next year.
"Doc Savage is sort of in the ether now," Black told Thrillist. "We're hoping to make it sometime next year. I would very much like to do Doc with a fellow named Dwayne Johnson if we can make that work. I made a decision that Dwayne is the guy. It's on the back burner while he's busy."
Johnson in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.
New Overwatch Patch Adds Weekly Brawls
Overwatch recently received a massive content patch, adding a new map and new play mode to the game.
Blizzard's new escort map is called Route 66, and is inspired by the Main Street of America. The country's "travelers and road trippers" are gone, but the historic route remains "a testament to a simpler time." Among the abandoned gas stations, roadside shops, and cafes, the outlaws of the Deadlock Gang are "planning their biggest heist yet."
Weekly Brawls—inspired by the namesake Hearthstone feature—offer a "fun, alternative" way to play Overwatch. With it, Blizzard will rotate different custom games with unique and "sometimes crazy" rules.
For instance, one Weekly Brawl may select a random hero for players to use with each respawn, while another could restrict players to just support heroes. For Overwatch's beta period, Weekly Brawls will rotate once per day, though it will return to its weekly schedule "in the near future."
Guardians of the Galaxy 2: See Chris Pratt’s Set Tour
Ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's debut next year, Chris Pratt has provided a sneak peek at James Gunn's highly anticipated sequel in the form of a behind-the-scenes set tour for charity.
The backstage video tour comes courtesy of Omaze, who's teaming up with the Star-Lord actor to bring one lucky fan onto the set of Guardians 2 for an entire day. See it below.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opens May 5, 2017 and will feature several newcomers, including Kurt Russell, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki Chris Sullivan and Tommy Flanagan. Additionally, reports suggest the film may also include appearances by Sylvester Stallone and a returning Marvel character.
Disney, AMC May Boycott Georgia Over Anti-Gay Bill
Disney and Marvel aren't happy with the state of Georgia over the possible passage of a religious-liberty bill.
According to Vanity Fair, the companies see the bill — known as HB 757 — as anti-gay, since it allows faith-based organizations to avoid accepting consumers or employing people who violate their beliefs. In addition, religious officials could deny overseeing same-sex marriages.
As such, Disney and Marvel are threatening to not shoot any more films in Georgia, after filming Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War and their current production, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, in the state. Ant-Man alone reportedly spent over $100 million in the southern state.