App Store Update: June 12
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.
Extra Note: The App Store Update's going to be taking a break all next week, as IGN heads to Los Angeles to cover this year's E3. We'll be back on Monday, June 22!
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Breaks Kickstarter Record
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is now officially the most successful video game Kickstarter, having amassed a whopping $4.9 million in funding with eight hours of the campaign still left to go.
There are only two other game-related projects on Kickstarter that eclipse Koji Igarashi's spiritual successor to Castlevania, GamesIndustry reports, with Ouya raising $8.59 million and Exploding Kittens raking in $8.78 million. Seeing as how the former is a piece of hardware and the latter is a card game, Bloodstained now holds the crown as the most successful campaign in terms of game software.
The Leftovers: Season 2 Teaser
HBO has released a new promo for the second season of Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta's excellent, ethereal series The Leftovers.
We learned back in December that the show was undergoing some cast changes and a location change for Season 2 and this new teaser seems to reveal the new setting. Here we see a mass exodus and sign for a small Texas town with an intriguing trait. Check it out...
The Hateful Eight Getting Two Week 70mm Run
Quentin Tarantino's highly anticipated The Hateful Eight blows into theaters Christmas Day, with a limited two week 70mm run, followed by a nationwide digital release beginning January 8th.
The nationwide release will not be limited to 70mm, so don't fret if you don't have a giant screen near you.
Deadline reports that this will be widest 70mm release in 20 years, with Tarantino's enthusiasm for the format resurrecting Kodak's 70mm film stock division.
In The Hateful Eight, Tarantino revisits the Old West (last seen in 2012's Django), following the adventures of eight gunslingers trapped in a frontier weigh station during a snowstorm. Considering this is a Quentin Tarantino film, it's a safe bet that these folks end up besieged with a most violent case of cabin fever ever.
Spidey Rumor: Asa Butterfield No Longer in the Running
It sounds like one of the frontrunners for the role of Spider-Man is no longer under consideration to star in the MCU reboot.
TheWrap's film reporter Jeff Sneider appeared on the Meet the Movie Press podcast this week during which time he claimed that Ender's Game star Asa Butterfield -- once thought to be the contender to beat -- is not one of the three finalists for the title role.
Invader Zim Is Back From the Dead
The animated series Invader ZIM first debuted on Nicekodeon back in 2001. While the show never found a Spongebob Squarepants-level audience, its unique style and sense of humor attracted a cult following that remains even ten years after the final episodes aired. Now those fans can take heart that ZIM and friends are returning. Not in another animated series, but in a new ongoing comic book from Oni Press.
Oni Press Teases Invader Zim Comic
ZIM creator Jhonen Vasquez is involved with that new comic, steering its development and even writing the first two issues. We recently had the chance to speak to Vasquez via email. He discussed the joys and challenges of returning to this oddball universe after so long, how closely he and other Invader ZIM veterans are involved and in what page of the first issue GIR will die. Wait, what?
Comic-Con: Starz Bringing Ash vs Evil Dead and Outlander
Starz has announced that its officially joining the annual San Diego Comic-Con fray with panels for their hit series Outlander and upcoming series Ash Vs. Evil Dead.
The Outlander panel will feature notable cast members and creators including Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore, author Diana Gabaldonm, and actors Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan. It all goes down Saturday, July 11th in Ballroom 20 from 4pm to 4:45pm.
Lords of the Fallen Co-Dev Begins Work on New Sci-Fi RPG
Co-development studio Deck 13 of 2014's Lords of the Fallen has partnered with Focus Home Interactive to begin work on a new sci-fi RPG.
According to the team, this new RPG features "innovative combat mechanics" and a new progression system built upon "modular upgrades gained through tight, visceral combat." The final name of the project will be revealed at a later date. See the teaser image below for a first glimpse.
This RPG is targeted for a digital and retail release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC sometime in 2017.
Star Wars Rebels Is Coming to Disney Infinity 3.0
Disney Infinity: 3.0 Edition will feature characters from the Star Wars Rebels television series.
Lucasfilm and Avalanche Software announced the news in an exclusive interview with StarWars.com. Confirmed characters that will be getting their own collectible figures include Kanan, Ezra, Zeb, and Sabine. Here's a look at Ezra:
David Fincher’s HBO Comedy Series Halts Production
HBO has reportedly halted production on David Fincher's comedy series Videosynchrazy, formerly known as Living In Video.
Deadline reports that HBO has pressed pause on the comedy series after the company saw some of the complete episodes. The cast and crew were apparently in the middle of filming episode four or five for Videosynchrazy, which is set in 1983 Los Angeles.
Fincher also reportedly wanted time to gather his thoughts on Videosynchrazy and look over cuts for the TV series. HBO had given a 10-episode order for the comedy show that focuses on the onset of the music video scene.