Destiny: Why Bungie’s MMO Shooter Is So Successful
With interest in Bungie's online first-person shooter still on the rise, Destiny's momentum is more comparable to an MMO than your usual shooter. Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg attributes this ongoing success to the strong cadence of carefully curated add-on content -- which is consciously different than that of Call of Duty -- that actively improves Destiny.
"A game like this requires a steady stream of content to keep people engaged and that’s core to this idea," Hirshberg told IGN at E3 2015. "That's what's been successful in keeping people engaged so far. We’ve had the right cadence to keep the game fresh and provide new challenges and new rewards. So that’s definitely the strategy."
Donald Trump Fired by NBC
NBC announced today it is "ending its business relationship" with Celebrity Apprentice host Donald Trump due to derogatory statements made by the 2016 presidential candidate.
According to a statement released by the NBC, Trump will no longer be involved with The Apprentice, and the network will no longer air the Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants. Celebrity Apprentice, however, will move forward without Trump, since the reality show is licensed from producer Mark Burnett’s United Artists Media Group. You can read the statement in its entirety below:
"At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values. Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump. To that end, the annual Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants, which are part of a joint venture between NBC and Trump, will no longer air on NBC. In addition, as Mr. Trump has already indicated, he will not be participating in “The Apprentice” on NBC. “Celebrity Apprentice” is licensed from Mark Burnett’s United Artists Media Group and that relationship will continue."
Penny Dreadful’s Season 2 Finale is This Week’s TV Highlight
Despite this being one of the lighter debut weeks of the summertime TV season, it's quite horrific. Meaning, one would think we were in the middle of October the way primetime's filling up with horror monsters and madmen.
Our TV pick for this week is Penny Dreadful's Season 2 finale, "And They Were Enemies," which will pick things up right were we left off this past Sunday - with our heroes trapped within the dark confines of Evelyn's Poole's haunted mansion while Dorian Gray and Lily Frankenstein delve further into their newfound bloody, demented coupling. She gets turned on by eviscerating men and he - well- he can take an evisceration.
Steins;Gate North America Release Date Announced for PS3, Vita
The visual novel Steins;Gate will release in North America on August 25 for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
Rice Digital reports a special El Psy Kongroo Edition of the game will be available upon release, and includes a limited edition game box, art book, and other retailer-specific exclusive items.
Centered on a group of students who learn how to alter the past through unusual means, Steins;Gate tells a story of how these same students later find themselves in the midst of a large conspiracy spanning years. It was recently made available in Europe and can be found internationally on several other platforms, including the Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation Portable.
Apple Music, Beats 1, iOS 8.4 All Coming Tomorrow
Tomorrow won't only see the launch of streaming service Apple Music, but also the 24-hour Beats 1 radio station and iOS 8.4 update.
Senior Director for Apple Music, Ian Rogers, confirmed the release dates in a blog post. The latest version of iOS will go live at 8 am PT and Beats at 9 am PT on June 30th, according to 9to5Mac.
Apple Music is a subscription-based music streaming service announced at this year's WWDC. It'll cost $10 month or $15 a month with a 6-member family plan. The first three months are free.
Out This Week: June 29, 2015
With so many new games and movies coming out, it can be hard to keep up. Lucky for you, IGN is here to help with a weekly round-up of the biggest releases each and every week. Check out the latest releases for this week, and be sure to come back next Monday for a new update.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Guardians 2 Gets an Awesome Title
Director James Gunn has confirmed that the Guardians sequel is called Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
On Twitter, Gunn unveiled the superhero sequel's official title after Collider reported that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige may have accidentally let the cat out of the bag.
Previously rumored to be codenamed Guardians 3000, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is set to start shooting in February in Atlanta. Gunn has already finished the first draft for the Marvel movie, claiming the sequel will be a more "emotional" film.
Mojang Halts Development on Scrolls
Mojang announced plans to slowly halt development on strategy card game Scrolls.
The news comes from a post on Scrolls' official blog, which states that, despite the success of the Scrolls beta, "the game has reached a point where it can no longer sustain continuous development."
That means no more additional features, sets, or content patches (Echoes was the last one), but the team does plan on maintaining game balance. A new Scrolls update was actually sent live today.
You'll still be able to buy Scrolls for now as well. Servers will stay online until July 1st, 2016 at the least.
Watch: Olivia Munn’s X-Men Sword Skills
Psylocke actress Olivia Munn has been training for her role in X-Men: Apocalypse, and footage of her sword-swinging skills has surfaced online.
Munn shared a brief video on Instagram, which you can check out below:
Munn joins a large cast of mutants, of which Channing Tatum's Gambit "definitely" won't be included. Check out the gallery below, in which we run through all of the characters confirmed to appear in 20th Century Fox's upcoming superhero film.
X-Men: Apocalypse is set to hit theaters on May 27, 2016.
Daily Deals: Xbox One With Halo, AC: Unity, A Free Game and $50 Credit, Matrix Collection, Cowboy Bebop
1TB Xbox One With Halo, AC: Unity, $50 Gift Card, and A Free Game of Your Choice
The Microsoft Store just sweetened the ongoing Xbox One sale by tossing in a copy of Assassin's Creed: Unity. Even if you don't care about that game at all, you're basically getting two free games of your choice here: one right away, and one in ten days when $50 in Microsoft Store money shows up in your inbox.