Month: June 2020

Netflix’s The Witcher season 2 could resume filming soon, as production studios in the UK are starting to open their doors again.

Deadline reports that Arborfield Studios, which was one of the first production studios to shut down in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, is preparing to reopen for business in the coming weeks.

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Arborfield Studios’ managing director Bob Terry confirmed that work is “underway to reopen the site,” as the UK government recently approved a new mandate of safety protocols in relation to film and television productions, outlining rules around physical distancing, safety training, and temperature tests.

The Guardian notes that these new guidelines, compiled by the British Film Commission and the British Film Institute, will enable some film and television shoots to take their first steps back into production. However, it will be up to each individual production to decide how, and when, to restart filming; Netflix has not given any official word on its position as of yet.

“This is a green light that signals that the UK is open for business again for film and high-end TV production,” an industry source told the outlet. “Many productions have to get up and running again in the next two months or they won’t get made this year as they rely on summer weather and conditions.”

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The Witcher season 2 suspended its production in London back in March, as Netflix paused filming on all of its films and TV shows in the US and Canada, including Stranger Things, which was shooting its fourth season before the unscheduled interruption.

The Witcher season 2 is currently expected to premiere in 2021. For more on the fantasy series, check out our cast rundown of all the new characters appearing in season 2, discover all about the new fantasy elements being introduced in future episodes, and find out why Netflix ultimately decided to adapt the books and not the games.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

If the year 2020 had been a usual year, we’d all be gearing up for E3 right now. Since things are decidedly different, there is no E3 (check out our Summer of Gaming event instead), but Microsoft is keeping up its tradition of an E3-adjacent sale event. One of the most popular deals going on is the $299.99 special edition 1TB Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox One X, but it’s already gone from Walmart and GameStop.

It’s similar to Sony’s Days of Play sale in a lot of ways, but I personally feel the Xbox sale is the better of the two just because Game Pass Ultimate is such a great value. But I’m not going to get into any arguments over PlayStation vs. Xbox because I think they both rule and if you prefer one over the other that’s your deal and who am I to question what you’ve decided you like?

Don’t see the deals below? Click here.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Deal

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Xbox One X Console Deals

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Xbox Deals Unlocked Game Deals

Best Buy Deals

As far as total volume of deals, Best Buy currently leads the pack, but there are still deals to be had elsewhere if you’d rather buy from another retailer.

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In response to the global protests following the death of George Floyd, many games, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and NBA 2K20, have added in-game Black Lives Matter tributes.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, after delaying Modern Warfare, Warzone, and Call of Duty: Mobile’s upcoming seasons and committing to ban racist names from its online modes, has added an update that prompts a Black Lives Matter message to each and every Modern Warfare player as they log on.

The message reads “Black Lives Matter. Our community is hurting. The systemic inequalities our community experiences are once again center stage. Call of Duty and Infinity Ward stand for equality and inclusion. We stand against the racism and injustice our Black community enures. Until change happens and Black Lives Matter, we will never truly be the community we strive to be.”

As reported by Kotaku, NBA 2K20 has also chosen to use its platform for Black Lives Matter and is giving away three free shirts for players to wear on their in-game avatars. These shirts say “Black Lives Matter,” “I Can’t Breathe,” and “Say Their Names.”

In addition, a message pops up in-game saying “In Memoriam – George Floyd, Black Lives Matter #BLM.”

In the neighborhood hub world section of NBA 2K20, many players wore the free shirts and protested in-game, all while large “Black Lives Matter” posters adorned the surrounding buildings.

The in-game tributes accompany the many companies around the world spreading the Black Lives Matter message and stepping back to allow for important voices to be heard.

In a mission to not take over this important conversation, Sony delayed its PlayStation 5 reveal event, Fortnite delayed Chapter 2 Season 3, Rockstar shut down GTA Online and Red Dead Online for 2 hours, and the Cyberpunk 2077 news broadcast, Night City Wire, was delayed from June 11 to June 25.

IGN stands in solidarity with the black community, and condemns racism. We encourage those reading to donate to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and support the fight for racial justice.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who can’t say this loudly enough – Black Lives Matter.. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Sony Europe–of which Sony Australia is a branch–has today faced charges from the Australian Competition And Consumer Commission (ACCC) for misleading customers about their consumer rights. The Federal Court of Australia has hit Sony with $3.5 million in penalty charges “making false and misleading representations on its website and in dealings with Australian consumers about their Australian Consumer Law (ACL) rights.”

The court found that Sony Europe had misled four customers after they purchased games described as “faulty” through the PlayStation Network. Sony informed customers that they were not entitled to a refund if the game had been downloaded, or if 14 days has passed since purchase, which is not in line with Australian consumer laws.

Proceedings for this case began one year ago, and there’s precedent for similar cases in Australia, such as the 2014 case against Valve.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Big summer deals for gaming are just kicking off, and you can now order the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 Limited Edition Xbox One X console. Not only that but the console will only cost $299 for a limited time only.

This is likely to be a hot item, especially with that $100 discount, so don’t miss out if you’ve been eagerly waiting for the last ever special edition Xbox One X to be released. Right now only Walmart has the console up and ready to order, but this is likely to change as the day goes on, and we’ll be updating this page with all the current listings.

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• Xbox One X 1TB Cyberpunk 2077 Console Bundle – was $399, now $299

We can now also be certain what the console will come with, as listed on its retailer description, we can expect the console, controller, a full copy of Cyberpunk 2077 on September 17, and “the first expansion will be delivered directly to the console upon release.” This is worth taking note of. If you want to see even more of the console and controller, check out the gallery we’ve included below.

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The console features custom panels that look straight out of the game’s futuristic setting, alongside an ominous glow in the dark message on the console that reads “No Future,” which matches up quite nicely with the previously see Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox controller. The controller features Johnny Silverhand’s black and silver color scheme, along with touches of red.

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Robert Anderson is a Commerce Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @robertliam21

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