ESL Announces $1 Million Dota 2 Tournament Prize Pool
ESL, one of the largest eSports tournament organizers in the world, has announced that it's putting up a combined $1 million in prize money for all ESL One Dota 2 tournaments.
Each event will have minimum prize pools of $250,000. The "investment" begins in June and takes place over the following 12 months in locations like New York and Frankfurt.
“ESL One is here to set a new standard for professional Dota 2 events at this level," said Ulrich Schulze, managing director of pro gaming at ESL. "We’re dedicated to pushing the boundaries, and giving players from around the world more chances to make their careers as professional gamers is a key aspect of that."
For more on Dota 2, check out the video above to see the IGN Arena crew's thoughts on the ongoing Year Beast Brawl mode.
Robbie Would Love to Do Suicide Squad Sequels
Margot Robbie says that she would be "over the moon" to reprise her role as Harley Quinn in any potential Suicide Squad sequels.
In an interview with AZ Central, the Australian actress said, "You don't need to have commitment issues to be frightened by the fact that you might have just signed 10 years of your life away… But with
, it's a character I don't think would ever get boring. Ever. So if they did 'Suicide Squad One,' 'Two' and 'Three,' I would be over the moon about it."
Robbie also details her disappointment with a lot of roles that she's been offered and admits that she's started working on the production side of things.
Pure Hold’em coming to PS4, Xbox One, PC
Developer VooFoo Studios has announced it's new poker game, Pure Hold'em.
In a post on the PlayStation blog, VooFoo said Pure Hold'em will feature "full online multiplayer," two different environments, a casino and a "VIP penthouse," and customization for items like table felt and your cards and chips.
Pure Hold'em will be playable at the South by Southwest (SxSW) conference in Austin, Texas next month.
VooFoo's Pure Pool is one of many games currently on sale on the PlayStation store to celebrate Vita's third birthday. Check out IGN's complete list of the sale games.
New Guitar Hero Reportedly Coming to PS4 and Xbox One
It's been over four years since the last Guitar Hero game was released, but it appears Activision might be ready to bring back the beloved music-game series.
According to Kotaku, two sources close to the franchise have confirmed Activision is currently developing a new Guitar Hero game and peripherals for Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The new, unnamed entry is expected to be announced at E3, and to hit shelves sometime this year.
The new title will reportedly take on a "more realistic" style than its cartoonish predecessors. Though no developer has been revealed, Kotaku's sources indicate it is one of Activision's studios on the West Coast.
Ghostbusters Reboot Influenced by Walking Dead
If there's something strange in your neighborhood, who ya gonna call? Rick Grimes, apparently.
During an appearance on the most recent episode of AMC's Talking Dead, Ghostbusters reboot co-screenwriter/director Paul Feig revealed The Walking Dead as an unlikely influence on his forthcoming revamp of the comedy franchise.
“I will say, I was very inspired by this show,” said Feig, according to Blastr. “What I love is how they play with the danger, they play with the scariness, but also the idea that it's always about gauntlet run. And that's something, an element I want to bring to this Ghostbusters reboot is having to get through these various obstacles that are supernatural and all that. I really feed off of The Walking Dead.”
Here’s What’s Leaving Netflix in March 2015
Heads up. You've only got a few days left now to catch all the things leaving Netflix in March. That includes a couple of Brad Pitt flicks (Seven, Legends of the Fall), a few goofy creature features (Anaconda, Arachnophobia), and some crazy comedies (Dumb and Dumber, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, etc).
It also looks like Cartoon Network is running a bit of a fire sale at the end of March, with shows like Adventure Time, Regular Show, Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, and many more getting their seasons purged from the system.
Wrestling Wrap Up: Reigns vs. Lesnar Now Officially Official
Not that there was ample doubt, but Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania is now officially the official thing that's happening. Reigns beat Bryan clean at Fastlane, Bryan did the ol' post-bout handshake, and that's all she wrote.
Here's my two bits. I really enjoyed their match. Yes, Bryan carried it. Yes, we knew he would. Yes, he did the job. Yes, we knew he would. It's virtually impossible to have a sub-par match with Bryan (the big reason why so many want to see him face Brock over Reigns, in fact). The ending was fine. They went with Option C - the clean win. They could have had one of them turn heel. They could have had outside interference. But they went for the pin and win.
Sleeping Dogs, Assassin’s Creed Featured in This Week’s Deals with Gold
This week's Deals with Gold have been revealed, which include Sleeping Dogs, Thief, and various Assassin's Creed games on both Xbox One and Xbox 360.
As outlined on Major Nelson's blog, Xbox One owners can pick up Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag for 50% off, Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition for 60% off, last year's Thief reboot for 67% off, and the Silver Credit Pack add-on for The Crew for 25% off.
On Xbox 360, you'll be able to download three Assassin's Creed games -- Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag -- all at a 50% discount. 360 owners can also grab Sleeping Dogs, Thief, and Hitman: Absolution for 75% off.
Neverwinter Coming to Xbox One on March 31
Neverwinter, the free-to-play MMO from Cryptic Studios, is coming to Xbox One on March 31.
When it's launched, the game will include all base-game content, all playable classes (including the Scourge Warlock), and the Tyranny of Dragons expansion. The game will be free to play for Xbox owners with a Gold subscription.
Neverwinter's closed beta ended earlier this month, and after some quality hands-on time, we're convinced that the game feels great on Xbox One. Check out our full Neverwinter preview for more info.
Diverse Emoji Introduced in Today’s OSX Beta Update
Today's OSX 10.10.3 beta and iOS 8.3 beta updates introduce new emoji and emoji skin tone modifiers, aiming to make Apple's emoji selection more diverse.
As detailed on MacRumors, when selecting an emoji with a skin tone, it's now possible to choose a specific skin tone from one of six options.
Family emoji now also include multiple same-sex couples, both with children and without (and, of course, users can select their skin tones too).