Greg and Ryan are here to breakdown everything they found in Castle Rock Season 2 Episode 3: “Ties That Bind”
Despite Loot Box Controversy, EA’s Star Wars: Battlefront Games Are Hugely Successful
The Star Wars: Battlefront series from Electronic Arts is a tremendous commercial success, despite all the hullabaloo about loot boxes and microtransactions. The publisher confirmed in its latest earnings report that the 2015 Star Wars: Battlefront and its 2017 sequel Battlefront II have combined to sell 33 million copies.
No details were provided about how the sales numbers break down by title. However, EA did disclose earlier that Battlefront II sold 9 million copies over its first three months in 2017, which compares to 13 million copies sold for the first Battlefront over its first quarter in 2015.
With both Battlefront games now combining for 33 million sales, it seems the titles performed very well after their initial releases.
EA caught a lot of flak over how Battlefront II allowed players to buy loot boxes–which contained items that affected gameplay–for real money. This controversy led to a global discussion about loot boxes, and various lawmakers around the world began looking into best practices. In the United States, the ESRB has begun to place stickers on game boxes to inform purchasers about whether or not a game has loot boxes. Additionally, Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have announced plans for further disclosures about loot boxes.
33 million in sales for both Battlefront games is a huge number, but it only begins to describe how much money the games are bringing in. Battlefront II got rid of loot boxes, but the game does have numerous microtransactions available for players, and EA’s live services–which cover these microtransactions–are booming at the publisher right now.
Impacting the profitability of the Battlefront games is the fact that EA must pay Disney/Lucasfilm a licensing fee. Terms of EA’s deal with Disney are unknown, however.
There is no word yet on if EA will make Star Wars: Battlefront 3, though given the success of the first two games that seems likely. The franchise is developed by DICE, which is making a next-generation Battlefield title and another mysterious title.
EA’s next Star Wars games is Jedi Fallen Order, which launches on November 15 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. This game is not expected to be as popular as either Battlefront title, as EA is modeling sales of 6-8 million copies during its launch quarter.
We’ve Rounded Up The Best Pocket Cameras to Take on Your Travels
The rumors of the demise of the point and shoot cameras have been greatly exaggerated. Rather, there compact cameras have evolved with better sensors, lenses, and video shooting capabilities than ever before.
How to Play Co-Op in Luigi’s Mansion 3
You can play (almost) the entire game co-op.
The Batman: Jeffrey Wright Confirmed to Play Gordon
UPDATED: The Batman director Matt Reeves has now confirmed that Jeffrey Wright will play James Gordon in his DC film.
Reports of Wright being up for the role first surfaced in late September. Reeves tweeted Wednesday confirmation that Wright’s been cast as Batman’s GCPD ally:
Tweet! #Gordon pic.twitter.com/O4PBX7MmuH
— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) October 30, 2019
House of the Dragon: Rewatch GRRM and Ryan Condal’s Deep-Dive on Fantasy
Back in February 2016, I had the opportunity of a lifetime where I got to travel to George R.R. Martin’s theater in Santa Fe, N.M. and host a conversation between him and his friend, Colony co-creator Ryan Condal, as part of a special screening and Q&A for Condal’s then-new USA series.
Who would have known then that, three-and-a-half years later, Condal and Martin would officially team up for a new Game of Thrones series, House of the Dragon, which Condal will co-showrun with GoT director Miguel Sapochnik?
Nioh 2 Release Date, Beta Details Revealed
Nioh 2 is set for release on March 13, 2020 for PlayStation 4 and details on the sequel’s upcoming beta have been revealed.
The news was announced in a PlayStation Blog post on Wednesday. The game’s producer shared information about the beta’s stage and the in-game reward players will achieve for completing it. A trailer for the game has also been released showcasing new gameplay.
Completing the beta will earn players “The Mark of the Demon Slayer” which will unlock the Kamaitachi Helmet in the full game when it’s released. The post also says preorders are live on PlayStation Store and preordering will come with additional rewards. Those rewards weren’t revealed in the blog.
Star Wars: Why Did Benioff and Weiss Really Exit?
In a week of major entertainment news, few stories have stood out more than the announcement that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have stepped away from their planned series of Star Wars films. In a statement released to Deadline, the duo chalked up their departure to a very busy schedule and their overall deal with Netflix. “There are only so many hours in the day, and we felt we could not do justice to both Star Wars and our Netflix projects,” they said. “So we are regretfully stepping away.”
Hollywood Executives Share Disagreements on Value of Marvel Films
While the streaming and box office wars continue, some of Hollywood’s biggest executives came together for a rare roundtable interview with The Hollywood Reporter, and with Disney’s Marvel movies’ continued domination, feelings run a little hot.
When THR reporter Matthew Belloni asked if, like American Idol, there would come a point where it wasn’t “cool” to watch Marvel movies, Disney Studios CCO Alan Horn pushed back.
“The answer is no,” Horn told THR. “If the film has a compelling storyline, if it has heart and humor, two things that I insist on, and it’s terrifically well executed, I think there is an audience. But who knows?
Nationals Pull Off Comeback Win For First World Series Title
The Washington Nationals are World Series champions for the first time in franchise history.