Video Game Voice Actors Could Be Going on Strike
Members of the SAG-AFTRA acting union are debating a strike to bring about a resolution to some negotiations made between themselves and several large video game publishers.
Among the biggest demands of the union is a change for how voice actors are paid, which introduces the concept of a "backend bonus." This bonus, which is becoming more popular in the realm of film acting, initially charges less for voice acting fees up front, but would eventually pay out a performance bonus to the actors after meeting certain milestones post-release.
I love voice acting in video games, but our employers don't seem to think #PerformanceMatters, so I voted YES to strike. #iamonboard2015
September’s Best PSN Deals
Every week dozens of PS4, PS3 and Vita games go on sale in the PlayStation Store, and it's hard to keep up with all the best deals before they disappear. We've sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
This time around it surprisingly became all about Assassin's Creed, as the entire franchise is on sale!
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Luke Cage Comic Could Still Happen
Director-animator Genndy Tartakovsky is a man of many talents. In addition to creating beloved animated series like Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars, he also helmed two Hotel Transylvania movies, with another original animated project on the way. But what some fans may not realize is Tartakovsky once had a Luke Cage comic book in development at Marvel, way back in 2007. Alas, for a number of reasons, the four-part mini-series never saw the light of day.
Angry Birds: Watch the First Trailer for the Movie
Sony has released the first trailer for The Angry Birds Movie, its forthcoming 3D animated comedy based on Rovio's bestselling app.
The voice cast includes Jason Sudeikis as Red, Josh Gad as Chuck, Danny McBride as the volatile Bomb, Bill Hader as a pig, Maya Rudolph as Matilda, and Peter Dinklage as the Mighty Eagle. Other voice cast members include Kate McKinnon, Keegan-Michael Key, Tony Hale, Ike Barinholtz, and Hannibal Buress.
Sony will release the movie -- Rovio's first foray into feature filmmaking -- next summer.
Our colleagues in the UK recently saw some footage from the film, which they quite liked:
Pokemon TCG Introduces New Sideways Cards
A new set of cards for the English Pokemon Trading Card Game has been revealed called XY—BREAKthrough.
The set introduces new “BREAK” cards that are landscape design and have a unique foil pattern. They are placed sideways over the top of an existing Pokemon to give them an HP boost and new attacks while still keeping their existing ones. The announcement on Pokemon’s website showed off BREAK cards for both Raichu and Chesnaught and a press release also mentions Zoroark will be one, too.
App Store Update: September 23
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Yo-kai Land – (Free)
The Yo-kai Watch franchise invasion has begun! This mobile app is but the first of many, many different products rolling out across all forms of media in the months ahead. The cartoon launches on Disney XD on October 5, the first 3DS game drops on November 6, the toys will probably be showing up before Christmas . . . get ready! The Yo-kai are coming!
Court of Owls Will Appear on Gotham… Eventually
Update: Co-creator of the Court of Owls Scott Snyder expressed his enthusiasm for the Court coming to Gotham to IGN.
"All of us on Team Batman are genuinely thrilled and honored that the Court of Owls is part of the storytelling plan for Gotham. The show is constantly looking at the mythology from new angles and we can't wait to see what it does with the Court! Huge thanks to Bruno Heller and all involved!" Snyder said.
When asked if there was anything in particular he wanted to see when the Court is adapted to the show, he jokingly replied, "Yeah, us! We want to be Court members in the back. I'll be the one giving the thumbs up."
The original story is below.
Upcoming TV Series Stars Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
Tom Clancy's action hero Jack Ryan is heading to the small screen with a TV series.
According to Deadline, the Jack Ryan's TV show will be from Carlton Cuse, writer Graham Roland, Michael Bay's production company Platinum Dunes, Skydance Media and Paramount TV. Roland, Cuse, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form will produce. Cuse and Roland have worked together before on Lost and The Returned.
Harrison Ford in A Clear and Present Danger
We Listened to a Marvel Comic Book on Tape
Even before the release of her comic series in 2014, Kamala Khan made headlines for being a Pakistani-American teenage Muslim girl taking over the mantle of Ms. Marvel, the first-ever such character to headline a Marvel comic. Her comic by writer G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona has remained consistently strong to this day, telling the story of a high schooler coming to grips with her new shape- and size-changing powers while also trying to juggle school, parents, and her Avengers fan-fic writing.
Now, Kamala has forged new ground yet again, getting the “book on tape” treatment from GraphicAudio -- with the twist being that this is the first time the company has adapted the audio-play right from the comic instead of a prose novel version. I gave it a listen once by myself, then again with a group of friends on a long car ride, and while there were a couple quibbles with the story due to a few constraints unique to comic books, it was a faithful and entertaining production.
We Listened to a Marvel Comic Book on Tape
Even before the release of her comic series in 2014, Kamala Khan made headlines for being a Pakistani-American teenage Muslim girl taking over the mantle of Ms. Marvel, the first-ever such character to headline a Marvel comic. Her comic by writer G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona has remained consistently strong to this day, telling the story of a high schooler coming to grips with her new shape- and size-changing powers while also trying to juggle school, parents, and her Avengers fan-fic writing.
Now, Kamala has forged new ground yet again, getting the “book on tape” treatment from GraphicAudio -- with the twist being that this is the first time the company has adapted the audio-play right from the comic instead of a prose novel version. I gave it a listen once by myself, then again with a group of friends on a long car ride, and while there were a couple quibbles with the story due to a few constraints unique to comic books, it was a faithful and entertaining production.