Yearly Archives: 2018
Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen Dies at 65
Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, has died.
The 65-year-old Seattle-born philanthropist and tech innovator died due to complications from lymphoma.
The Allen family released the following statement:
“My brother was a remarkable individual on every level. While most knew Paul Allen as a technologist and philanthropist, for us he was a much loved brother and uncle, and an exceptional friend.Paul’s family and friends were blessed to experience his wit, warmth, his generosity and deep concern. For all the demands on his schedule, there was always time for family and friends. At this time of loss and grief for us – and so many others – we are profoundly grateful for the care and concern he demonstrated every day.”
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Players Are Using Emotes to Look Around Corners in Blackout
Blackout, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s battle royale mode, has been impacted by players taking advantage of its emote system to look around corners and gain an advantage.
As reported by Kotaku (via VG247) players are breaking this mode by using emotes (officially called gestures) to pull the camera out into the third person in order to get a tactical view of their surroundings.
Black Ops 4, like all mainline Call of Duty games, is a first-person shooter, meaning any advantage gained by looking around corners can be hugely helpful to some players, but particularly annoying and harmful to those on the receiving end.
Update: Sony Says It’s Fixed Malicious PS4 Message Exploit
Update 10/16/18: Sony says that it's now rolled out a fix for the malicious message exploit.
Over the weekend, PlayStation 4 users began reporting their consoles were being rendered inoperable upon opening certain PSN messages. Sony has since acknowledged the exploit and told IGN it’s "planning a system software update to resolve this problem."
No One Can Agree On Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s Microtransactions
In the days and weeks following the release of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, an uproar over the game’s inclusion of time-saving microtransactions touched a nerve with the community. Do they cross the line from harmless enhancers to practically necessary against Odyssey’s difficulty spikes? The overall conclusion has people torn.
You don't have to look further than the Assassin's Creed subreddit to find divisiveness over the game's real-money timer savers that generally boils down to one of two opinions. Essentially, some people feel Ubisoft has intentionally designed a pacing system that demands those purchases, while others consider the open-world, exploratory nature of an RPG one that necessitates spending time in that world for progression regardless.
Tom and Jerry: Live-Action Animation Hybrid Movie in the Works From Fantastic Four Director
The Hanna-Barbera classic cartoon duo Tom and Jerry will be receiving a live-action/animated hybrid feature film, and Warner Bros. is in negotiations with Tim Story to Direct.
As reported by Variety, the film is expected to begin shooting in 2019. Story is known for directing 2005’s Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, as well as Ride Along and the upcoming Shaft film.
Out This Week: Soulcalibur VI, Starlink: Battle for Atlas, Dark Souls: Remastered on Switch
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.
Chris Evans Says His Avengers 4 Wrap Tweet Wasn’t a Spoiler
A tweet from Chris Evans last week made fans think they've figured out how The Avengers 4 ends, but the Captain America actor wants fans to know that his tweet was not intended to reveal anything at all.
“I should clarify that, I know I did tweet something that made a lot of people think that it was in some way a spoiler, and I should clarify that, regardless of how Avengers 4 ends, I would’ve tweeted the exact same thing,” Evans said this past weekend at Chicago’s ACE Comic Con, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Evans let the tweet in question fly on October 4. In it, he talked about his feelings toward suiting up as Captain America after nearly a decade portraying the character.
Edvard Munch ‘The Scream’ Themed Pokemon Cards Coming to Japan
Norwegian painter Edvard Munch is best known for a series of paintings known as “The Scream” and, for whatever reason, there are now five official Pokemon trading cards that play on its distinct style.
As revealed on the official Japanese Pokemon Trading Card Game website, the cards each feature a different Pokemon: Pikachu, Eevee, Rowlet, Psyduck and Mimikyu. It appears that each one uses a scream-based attack to cause confusion.
Though the pairing may seem exceptionally random, the cards have been made in conjunction with an Edvard Munch retrospective exhibit coming to the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum starting October 27. This same day, the cards will become available and will retail for 450 yen. It appears they can be purchased at the exhibit, and some will be given as promotional items for buying booster packs at Japanese Pokemon Centers.
Breaking Down Venom’s Second Weekend at the Box Office
After a huge opening weekend of $80.2 million, many box office prognosticators felt the surprising success of Venom wouldn’t last, predicting a big second weekend drop in the 60% range.
While most expected the Spider-Man spin-off to easily win its second weekend, which it did with an estimated $35.7 million, most weren’t expecting that minimal a drop, with this weekend just 55.5% off its debut.
Second weekend success is crucial to a movie’s overall success at the box office, so we’re breaking down Venom’s performance compared to other superhero movies, and Venom’s second frame is actually a lot better than many superhero movies.
Fortnite to Receive In-Game Tournaments Open to Everyone
Fortnite, with the release of v6.10, will be introducing In-Game Tournaments that are open to everyone and will be located in a new 'Events' section of Fortnite Battle Royale.
Announced by the Fortnite Esports Team, these tournaments will each have scheduled dates and times during which all players will begin with a "clean slate" and the same score every time and fight for glory.
Fortnite players will compete over "several hours of intense competition to earn as many points as possible," and will earn these points by placing high in each match and/or eliminating as many opponents as possible.