Mad Catz Layoffs Announced During Financial Results
Hardware and peripheral maker Mad Catz announced it approved a restructuring plan February 5, one that will result in job layoffs company-wide.
In its quarterly earnings call with investors today, CEO Karen McGinnis said Mad Catz is undertaking a "reduction in 37%" of the company's total work force.
The press release accompanying the investor call cited Rock Band sell-through "lower than originally forecast," something that led to high inventory costs and "lower margins due to increased promotional activity with retailers."
On February 8, several high-level Mad Catz executives resigned from their positions at the company. McGinnis was appointed president and CEO in place of departing CEO Darren Richardson.
Betty and Jughead Cast for Riverdale TV Series
Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones have been cast in the upcoming Riverdale show.
Deadline reports Lili Reinhart (Surviving Jack) will star as Betty and Cole Sprouse (The Suite Life of Zack & Cody) will play Jughead in the live-action, modern-day take on the long-running Archie comic series.
Lili Reinhart as seen in Surviving Jack
DC Reveals Batman v Superman Variant Covers
In celebration of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's release next month, variants for ten of the most popular Batman and Superman comics will be released with custom artwork, and DC Comics has unveiled the first variant cover.
See Rafael Grampa's variant cover for Detective Comics #50, courtesy of DC Comics News.
Detective Comics #50 variant cover by Rafael Grampa.
The Flash Arriving in Theaters Early
Appropriately enough, The Flash is arriving a little earlier than expected.
Variety reports that an untitled DC Comics film, which is said to be a big-screen adaptation of The Flash, has been moved up a week. Warner Bros. recently changed its slated release from March 23, 2018 to March 16, 2018. That moves it out of direct competition with a Fox animated film and a Sony adaptation of Peter Rabbit.
All of this reshuffling is occurring around a recent move for Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, to take it out of competition with Star Wars: Episode VIII. Studios have been more apt to announce tentpole release dates years in advance, to stake their claim on a particular weekend or season.
Gigantic Developer Performs ‘Significant, Temporary’ Layoffs
Gigantic developer Motiga announced "significant, temporary studio layoffs" today, just months after another spate late last year.
The MOBA developer did not reveal the number of employees affected. However, in his announcement company CEO Chris Chung was frank about the impact that this will have on the development of their upcoming Xbox One and PC game.
Chung stated "that a decision of this magnitude will impact all departments across the studio," as well as those beta testers who will be left without support staff to address their concerns.
There does seem to be a ray of hope in the news, however. The CEO added that Motiga is "in active and promising discussions with a number of potential investors," though said negotiations would last "beyond the resources we have to maintain the staffing required to continue development on Gigantic."
Destiny’s Crimson Days Update Available, Adds Broken Heart Buff
Destiny's Crimson Days event is here, and with it comes new bounties and rewards. The update also introduces Crimson Doubles—the limited time game mode—and a new quest from Lord Shaxx.
Image via Bungie
Crimson Doubles is a Fireteam 2v2 elimination mode, where Fireteams will have to win five rounds to earn victory. The mode will run from February 9 and end on February 16, when the Crimson Days event ends. Destiny's new game mode brings the "Broken Heart" buff, activated when a partner falls in battle. While the buff is activated, players "will be faster on the draw and much quicker to recover from any damage" taken. The Broken Heart buff will "last until you revive your fallen comrade, until the round ends, or until you fall in combat yourself." Players can find Crimson Doubles in the featured activities section in the Director.
Bonus XP Weekend Planned for Star Wars Battlefront
Star Wars Battlefront will be running a double XP event over Valentine's Day weekend, starting February 12 and continuing through February 14.
Last week, the Star Wars Battlefront community was challenged to the game's second Community Mission, where players were asked to complete three million daily challenges. EA announced today that the community surpassed that goal, completing over four million challenges.
The double XP weekend is the reward, and it comes at the perfect time to "get your special someone a copy of Star Wars Battlefront, and lovingly help them reach level 50."
X-Force Movie Is Ryan Reynolds’ Next Priority
Now that Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds has realized his dream of becoming the smart-mouthed anti-hero for 20th Century Fox, his next priority is getting an X-Force film off the ground.
In an interview with FILMSTARTS about his new comic book film, Reynolds discussed the cinematic future for Deadpool and his hopes for an X-Force movie. "In the future, I think, if we're doing a bunch more Deadpool movies, we're gonna really explore the X-Men a lot," he said, adding, "And maybe X-Force. X-Force my priority. I really want to get that in."
We've been hearing rumblings about an X-Force film for a few years now, with series creator Rob Liefeld praising a screenplay penned by Kick-Ass 2 helmer Jeff Wadlow back in 2013. The following year, Liefeld said the film may have been shelved following 20th Century Fox's announcement of X-Men: Apocalypse.
Ready Player One Won’t Open Against Episode 8
It looks like someone has finally blinked, as Warner Bros. has moved the opening date of Ready Player One to March 30, 2018.
Originally set for release on December 15, 2017, the film was in a locked game of chicken with Star Wars: Episode VIII after Disney moved that sequel's opening date from May to December 15.
According to Variety, the Steven Spielberg-directed Ready Player One will now open in March, a prime spot for an opening weekend. The film will now open between the conclusion of the Winter Olympics and the kickoff of the World Cup, narrowly avoiding either event. There's also currently no other major film set to premiere March 30, so the film will face substantially less competition at the box office.
Deadpool Rides Red Rocket in Factory Entertainment’s New Statue
Factory Entertainment has announced its Deadpool Rocket Ride Premium Motion Statue, featuring the Merc with a Mouth riding atop his trusty red rocket.
Deadpool Rocket via Factory Entertainment
The figure stands 10 inches tall, and is equipped with an "integrated dynamic element" that lets it "gracefully
back and forth simulating a sky rocket in flight." Deadpool's Red Rocket is available for pre-order now, with a limited pre-order price of $180 USD. Promotional pricing ends March 9, when the figure's price will jump to $200 USD.