Michael Bay’s Pandemic Thriller Faces A Snag, As Union Blocks It From Shooting

Michael Bay is making a pandemic movie–because of course he is. But the film is now facing new controversy, as one of the biggest trade unions has told its members to not work on the film.

Deadline reports that SAG-AFTRA has informed members to avoid the movie, Songbird, because it “failed to complete the signatory process and is therefore not signed to any applicable SAG-AFTRA agreement.” The production company apparently did not file the necessary paperwork regarding health and safety measures related to COVID-19.

The producers, Invisible Narratives, told Deadline that they expect this “Do Not Work” order to be resolved in due to course after it completes some paperwork.

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Recompile, A 3D Metroidvania With Hacking Mechanics, Is Coming To PS5 And Xbox Series X

Recompile, a 3D Metroidvania game with a unique sense of style, is the latest title to be confirmed for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The game is not coming to PS4 or Xbox One, which makes it a rare next-gen exclusive indie title.

The game, which mixes combat and 3D platforming with physics-based hacking (and you can apparently hack and change just about anything you encounter), will feature multiple endings depending on how you place. Players will control, according to the press release, “a rogue piece of semi-sentient code, trapped in The Mainframe–a sprawling digital wasteland dead-set on deleting trespassers.”

Publisher Dear Villagers also released a new trailer to celebrate the announcement and show off how the game will look on next-gen systems, below. It features the Aoife O’Donovan song Jupiter.

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Beyond A Steel Sky Releasing On PC This Month After A 26-Year Wait

Beyond A Steel Sky, which recently released on Apple Arcade, is finally nearly here for PC fans. The sequel to Revolution’s incredible 1994 point-and-click adventure game Beneath A Steel Sky releases for Steam on July 16.

The game returns players to the world of the original game, and once again has you playing as Robert Foster. Like the original, it features art from Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons, and it’s set in a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk Australian city. The game is a direct sequel, with many Easter eggs for returning fans.

The Apple Arcade version features gorgeous visuals and relatively intuitive controls, but many longtime series fans are no doubt excited to play the game on PC.

The game is yet again developed by Revolution Software, best known for the Broken Sword series. A sequel to Beneath A Steel Sky was initially promised as a stretch goal in the Kickstarter for Broken Sword 5, and although the game’s pledges did not reach the goal, Revolution decided to make the game anyway.

GameSpot will have a review of Beyond A Steel Sky live closer to the game’s PC release.

Deals: RTX 2070 Gaming Laptop $1399, 30% Off 25″ 1ms 240Hz GSYNC Monitor

There are some excellent deals today for PC gamers. Today’s best gaming laptop deal is an MSI GL65 RTX 2070 for only $1399. It was available briefly last week but went out of stock quickly. The GTRacing Gaming Chair, which we rated the best budget gaming chair of 2020, has been marked down to the lowest price we’ve ever seen. Finally, there’s a killer Dell 25″ monitor, arguably the best 25″ gaming monitor on the market, at a supremely low price. Check them out here.

App users: Don’t see the deals below? Click here.

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Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends 25% of his pay on stuff he posts.

Halo Developer 343 Industries Shares Images Of Their Pets, And They Are So Cute

A lot of people are now working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Being at home means more time to spend with your pets, and the same is true for the developers of Halo.

A new blog post from 343 Industries showcases many fine furry friends that belong to the developers of Halo Infinite and The Master Chief Collection. There are many adorable cats and dogs, along with a couple of horses, birds, and lizards. Some of the developers also own chickens and a pig.

You can see all of the adorable creatures here on 343’s website. Two pugs, Buddy and Gyoza, are actually contributing to Halo Infinite, as 343’s audio team recorded their sounds for use in the game.

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Andy Serkis Records New Audiobook For The Hobbit, And It Sounds Fantastic

Book company Harper Collins is making a new audiobook for The Hobbit that is read by none other than Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the movies.

The announcement of this new version comes after Serkis did a marathon reading of The Hobbit for charity back in May. For this new audiobook, Serkis is donating his payment to the Disasters Emergency Committee, and Harper Collins UK is matching it.

You can listen to a snippet from the recording below. It’s a delight, which really should be no surprise given that Serkis has such a phenomenal voice.

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EVO 2020 Has Been Cancelled

This article references accusations of sexual assault.

EVO 2020, which was to be an online tournament in 2020, has been cancelled. Earlier, it was reported that EVO CEO Joey Cuellar was being placed on administrative leave following several accusations of sexual misconduct. Now, the event will no longer go ahead, and Cuellar will no longer be involved with EVO.

In a statement released to Twitter, it has been announced that Tony Cannon is taking over as CEO, and that he is “prioritizing greater accountability across Evo, both internally and at our events.”

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