Month: July 2020

Netflix has made a “low seven-figure” deal to acquire the screen rights to Matt Query’s short horror story ‘My Wife and I Bought a Ranch,’ which was posted across six installments on Reddit.

Deadline reports that Query’s brother, Harrison, has been tapped to write the screenplay, while Scott Glassgold of Ground Control Entertainment will take on the role of producer. 21 Laps’ Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen are said to be in talks to produce also, together with Atomic Monster’s James Wan and Michael Clear.

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Query posted his tale of terror on the r/Nosleep subreddit, a popular space for users to share their original horror stories. It tells the story of a couple, named Harry and Sasha, who buy their dream ranch in rural Idaho but soon discover that they’re not alone in the mountains.

According to the outlet, the couple “meet their neighbors, who inform them that there is a malevolent spirit in the valley, one that manifests itself by coming to the house in the same manner at the start of each season. There are certain steps that must be followed to keep the spirit out of their house, and the tension and violence grows with each gory ritual as the duel between the spirits and [Harry] the ex-Marine soldier becomes personal.”

The first part of the story has received more than 3000 upvotes over the past five months, with Part II: The Lights, Part III: The Bear Chase, Part IV: The Scarecrows, and Part V: The Ghosts Arrive also proving popular amongst readers.

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Over the years, Netflix has garnered a reputation for spending enormous amounts of money to secure original streaming content for its platform in a bid to stay ahead of its competitors in the increasingly crowded streaming landscape. In fact, it was projected earlier this year that Netflix would be spending $17.3 billion on new content for 2020, up from $15.3 billion last year.

To get a better sense of what Netflix is getting in exchange for its expenditure, check out everything that is new to Netflix this month, learn about the best horror TV shows that are on the service right now, and read about Netflix’s extensive partnership with the Roald Dahl Story Company, which now includes two animated adaptations from Taika Waititi.

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

An image of what appears to be a white Xbox Series X controller has appeared online, suggesting another variant or version of the console exists.

As first spotted by The Verge, a user known as “Wolfy_Wizzardo” posted a picture of the white controller to Reddit. The post and user account is now deleted, but apparently the image was taken by the user at a party hosted by the child of a Microsoft employee. You can spot the middle share button and the new indented Xbox Series X controller D-Pad, which makes this leaked controller variant appear somewhat credible by association.

The Verge’s Tom Warren spoke to the user before the post was taken down, and they told him that they had played games on the console, that the UI was similar to the Xbox One (a point we’ve heard before), the controller “looked more squarish” and had a more pronounced Xbox button.

a white Xbox Series X? someone on Reddit claims they saw one at a party last night. If it’s legit then it might be a special edition color for Microsoft employees https://t.co/yGgJirZ1bK pic.twitter.com/pDt4Wtqq1M

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) July 26, 2020

Setting aside the possibility that this could be fake (we’ve seen 3D printed controllers pop up ahead of console launches before), there are several theories around what this controller could be attached to. The simplest is that we’re seeing a different colour variant for Series X, whether that’s an unannounced public option, or a special edition made for Microsoft employees. This could also be a devkit or debug console controller – development models of consoles often look different to release models (for instance, the Xbox One X devkit was white as opposed to the production version’s black).

Another possibility is that this is the controller for the much-rumoured ‘Xbox Lockhart’, a lower-powered, lower priced model of Series X we’re heard rumours about for some time. Back in early June, references to an ‘Xbox Lockhart’ were found in Windows Operating System code libraries, suggesting that there was a rumoured second console on the way, as part of the Xbox Series X family. In late June, a report surfaced suggesting that the Xbox Lockhart is set to be revealed in August, and will be known as the Xbox Series S.

In other Xbox Series X news, check out every game confirmed and rumoured for Microsoft’s next-gen console.

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

There’s lots going in the world of Star Trek right now, including the upcoming animated comedy Lower Depths and the announcements of new shows Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The premiere date for the much-anticipated third season of Star Trek: Discovery has also been announced.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 will premiere on CBS All-Access on Thursday, October 15. The new season will run for 13 episodes, and will be released weekly on CBS’s on-demand service. A short teaser for the show has also been released, which you can watch below:

CBS has also released a synopsis for the new season, which reads: “After following Commander Burnham into the wormhole in the second season finale, season three of Star Trek: Discovery finds the U.S.S. Discovery crew landing into an unknown future far from the home they once knew. Now living in a time filled with uncertainty, the U.S.S. Discovery crew, along with the help of some new friends, must work together to restore hope to the Federation.”

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Ghost of Tsushima, the latest PS4 exclusive from Infamous creators Sucker Punch, has received a new patch that aims to make combat both more punishing and accessible, for those who want and need it respectively.

The headline of the patch is the new “Lethal” difficulty, which will push you beyond the game’s current hard mode. Here enemies will deal more damage with each blow, while Jin’s own swings of his katana will take down enemies quicker too. You’ll have to adjust to tighter timing windows for parries and dodges too, while contending with foes that will be far more aggressive in fights.

On the other end of the spectrum, the patch will also introduce a low combat intensity option into the accessibility menu. This aims to give players more breathing room in combat, preventing enemies from attacking Jin while healing and breaking off their combos once you’re hit. You can also block previously unblockable attacks, while also staggering Brutes with your heavy attack to give you an advantage.

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PlayStation has revealed the next pair of freebies for PlayStation Plus subscribers. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered is free starting tomorrow, July 28. On August 4, you can pick up Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, a new online multiplayer game. Both games will be free until August 31.

Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered, as the name suggests, is a re-release of the single-player campaign of the 2009 Infinity Ward hit. It just launches in March and marks the second time in the past few months that a Call of Duty game is being added to the PlayStation Plus program; Call of Duty: WWII was free in June. Though it’s disappointing the remaster didn’t include the game’s excellent multiplayer suite, Modern Warfare 2 has one of the best campaigns in the series, and it looks great on PS4.

Meanwhile, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is a brand-new multiplayer game published by Devolver Digital that launches August 4. Though it’s priced at $20, PlayStation Plus subscribers can grab it for free on launch day. The game pits you and up to 59 other players against each other in one of the sillier and lighthearted battle royales thus far. You play as funny little creatures who have terrible balance.

Continue Reading at GameSpot