Here’s HBO’s Plan to Prevent More Game of Thrones Leaks
HBO is making a change to its review distribution aimed at curbing episode leaks.
Variety reports that HBO has been providing DVD copies to critics for years, but will now shift to a streaming-only policy. The new policy applies to all of its programming, but seems especially geared toward avoiding problems like last month's Game of Thrones leak, which spoiled almost half the season before it even premiered.
The first round of streaming review copies will start with the next batch of Veep episodes, which will be made available to critics through a secure streaming site. Switching to streaming for press access has become more common as the HD quality of streams has grown more reliable. Currently, ABC and FOX both exclusively use streaming.
Activision Blizzard Reports $1.28 Billion in Revenue for Q1
Activision-Blizzard released its first quarter earnings report for 2015 and it showed the company earned $1.28 billion USD in revenue for the quarterly period ending March 31, 2015.
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick praised his company's teams, crediting their work for "over 150 million active users around the world," in the last 12 months, totalling more than a billion hours per month spent playing the company's games.
Kotick also said spectators have watched "over a billion hours of linear programming" based on Activision-Blizzard games.
Activision said that combined, Destiny and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft have over 50 million registered players and a life-time revenue of over $1 billion. Interestingly, Destiny numbers were combined with Hearthstone's, rather than broken down by game.
Agents of SHIELD: Clark Gregg On the Evolution of Skye
IGN has the debut of the first installment of Marvel's "It's All Connected" video series - featuring Marvel TV boss Jeph Loeb explaining how Director Coulson's adventures on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. relate to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the recently released Avengers: Age of Ultron and beyond.
In this first installment, you'll see star Clark Gregg discussing the evolution of Chloe Bennet's Skye over the first two seasons of S.H.I.E.L.D. and how events on the show line up with the movies. Check it out below!
IGN will be releasing a new "It's All Connected" video for the next few days, showcasing Loeb and S.H.I.E.L.D. stars chatting about how the ABC series plays into the larger Marvel picture.
Cap 3: Rumors About Martin Freeman’s Character
Speculation about his role has run rampant since Marvel Studios announced yesterday that Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Sherlock) had been cast in Captain America: Civil War.
Birth Death Movies and Latino-Review both claim Freeman will appear in the Black Panther movie as well. Furthermore, Latino-Review claims Freeman might play an interrogator of sorts.
7 Things From Destiny’s Prison of Elders Reveal
The level 28 version of Prison of Elders will include matchmaking, as revealed during today's Bungie live stream. Levels higher than 28 will not have matchmaking.
11 Times Batman Has Died
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Batman #40!
The Batman: Endgame storyline reached a dramatic conclusion last week, as Batman and Joker both apparently perished deep beneath the surface of Gotham City. It's a twist that will feed into the next phase of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman saga, as the Batman family mourns the loss of Bruce Wayne and a new armored Batman rises up to defend Gotham.
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PlayStation’s Powers Renewed for Season 2
The PlayStation Network original series Powers has been renewed for a second season, Sony announced today. Season 2 is expected to kick off in the US sometime in 2016.
"The reception to Powers has been incredible and we are thrilled to have successfully launched a platform for original content with the PlayStation gamer in mind," said Vice President of Platforms Marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America John Koller. "We believe original content will continue to be a key pillar as we broaden the value proposition for PlayStation Plus, and we’re excited for what’s to come with season two of Powers."
Season 2 will "broaden the Powers universe" and introduce more "fan-favorite characters and storylines," according to President of Programming and Development at Sony Pictures Television Jamie Erlicht.
App Store Update: May 6
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.
Grim Fandango Remastered – ($9.99)
From our Review: The passage of time has done little to diminish Grim Fandango’s reputation as one of the finest adventure games ever made, and the fact that so little needed to be done to modernize it only reinforces its place as a classic of the genre. While it may seem punishing at times to modern gamers, remember that failure is impossible. I wish this new version had incorporated a hint system to make it more accessible to the new generation, but whether you’ve never played Grim Fandango before or you replay it every year and just want to dive into Remastered for the insightful developer commentary track, this is a reverent re-release whose few bygone era warts are minimized by its timeless story.
Batman: Earth One, Vol. 2 Shows the Detective’s Journey
The long-awaited second volume of Batman: Earth One by writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank was released today. The story follows Bruce Wayne in the realistic, grounded world of Earth One as he slowly becomes the intelligent, fearsome Dark Knight we all know and love.
We talked to the creative team about how they approach this new volume, from the villain the Riddler to the cinematic art style. Hear what they had to say, then let us know your thoughts in the comments.