Jim and Pam’s relationship on The Office was a sweet element that helped the show blossom. In the show’s final season, the couple faces several challenges as Jim’s new job takes him away from his family in Scranton, and Pam confides in Brian, a camera man who has been filming the in-world documentary about the office.
But while the two work through their difficulties and stick together, the original plan was going to send them down a much rockier road. Collider is reporting that, according to Andy Greene’s new book The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s, Jim and Pam were going to be split up during the season, before eventually reuniting in the finale.
The book says that Jim’s actor John Krasinski had raised the possibility of their characters going through a split to showrunner Greg Daniels before the filming of the final season, but the DNA of this idea goes back much further. One of the show’s writers, Warren Lieberstein, remembers the idea being floated during a meeting around Season 5. “I think Mindy [Kaling] was the first or one of the first champions of it,” he said. “The idea was to introduce some romantic triangle with Jim when they were such soul mates that you had to say, ‘How could she possibly be interested in somebody else?'”
This eventually turned into the Brian plot in the final season, as that plan made the most sense: “What if that character had been secretly there the entire time and predated the relationship with Jim and had been a shoulder that she cried on for years?,” as Lieberstein puts it.
Writer Brent Forrester says that this plan did not go far, though, as they realized that it would be too hard on the fans that had stuck with them for so long. He recalls that Krasinski had said as much to him: “Brent, this final season is for the ultra fans of the show. They’re the only ones really still left watching, right? This is for them. Jim and Pam splitting up is too painful for them to sustain all the way to the reunion. We have to get them back together immediately.”
Fan reactions towards Brian and the marital problems that were worked into the plot were largely negative, and so it was decided that Jim and Pam would not split up before reconciling in the finale.
Another major reveal from the book is that Steve Carell likely would have stuck around for longer if anyone on the production side had asked him to. A reboot of The Office is reportedly being planned, although nothing concrete has been announced yet–unlike the Friends reunion that is happening on HBO Max.
Full spoilers follow for Star Trek: Picard Season 1.
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Now that Star Trek: Picard’s first season has come to an end, the CBS All Access series has resolved its major plotline revolving around the ban on synthetic humanoids and the search for a new race of Data-like androids. It’s also now firmly established Jean-Luc Picard’s new crew — the Picard Squad — as they head out for new adventures in Season 2 and beyond.
I spoke with Season 1 showrunner Michael Chabon about the return of Patrick Stewart’s iconic character, the decision to kill off the beloved Data (again), balancing classic Next Generation castmembers like Riker and Troi with the new crew, and — of course — whether or not we’ll see Picard’s housekeepers/Romulan super-spies Laris and Zhaban again. Read on for all that and more…
In a surprising turn of events, the Picard season finale bring back Brent Spiner’s Data — or his consciousness, anyway, via a VR simulation — only to kill him once and for all. Many fans had been expecting this season to end with Data being restored to life in some way (after his other death in the film Star Trek: Nemesis), and perhaps even joining the regular cast for year two. But that was never in the cards according to Chabon.
“I suppose you could imagine scenarios where, I don’t know, he became sort of a holo like the Doctor on Voyager or something like that,” says Chabon. “Maybe that would have interested Brent, I don’t know. But we understood from pretty early on, in breaking the stories, that in some way it was going to culminate with an encounter between Picard and Data, but that encounter was going to be constrained by what also pretty quickly emerged as this idea that it was only going to be possible in a sort of stimulation. That Data really is dead. That Data did die.”
It turns out Spiner did not want to undo his character’s original death in Nemesis, and so the story of Picard unfolded from there.
“I guess what I’m remembering as a directive, or as a kind of guideline from Brent, was that he didn’t want us to un-kill Data,” says the showrunner. “That Data shouldn’t be undead, that he died and he really died. And he’s going to stay dead, and don’t try to undo that. So we had a pretty clear sense from the beginning it was going to be some version of what you actually see in the last episode.”
As for that other death that happens in the episode — the end of Picard himself, who is reborn shortly thereafter in a synthetic body — Chabon confirms that there was never any plan to permanently kill the admiral (retired) since a Season 2 of the show was always intended.
“Although it wasn’t announced until fairly far along in the process, for no doubt really sound reasons of marketing and publicity and everything, we’ve always known we had Patrick for at least two seasons,” says Chabon. “So there was always going to be a second season with Patrick playing Jean-Luc Picard. So no, that never… It was not like we were part way through and suddenly we were like, ‘Oh s#!t, we can’t kill him because he’s coming back.’ We knew we had him for two seasons from the start.”
Walking That Next Generation Line
One of the challenges of making this show was to focus on the title character while not simply retreading The Next Generation. That was a mandate of Stewart’s in signing on to the show, and it meant bringing in a whole new cast and setting, ditching the Starfleet uniforms and ships, and essentially charting a new course for Jean-Luc Picard. But Chabon admits that, as a self-proclaimed fan, it wasn’t always easy to leave the Enterprise behind, or to not fill in the blanks of what happened to all our favorite characters in the years since we last saw them.
“That’s a fan’s impulse, and we’re fans,” he laughs. “So we had that impulse every five minutes. Anytime we reached a question of ‘And then what happens?’ or ‘And who do they go to?’ or ‘Who helped them, or who hinders them?’ or ‘What’s the next stop?’ The answer, in any kind of group discussion that we had — especially in the earliest iteration of the group when it was at its smallest and we were all just rabid Star Trek fans — somebody was guaranteed to say, ‘It’s Geordi! It’s the Doctor from Voyager! It’s Sisko! It’s Jake Sisko!’ It’s whoever. That was constant. It’s inevitable. And it’s totally understandable.”
So the staff would ask themselves, “Is that actually the coolest answer, or the most fun answer? Or is it actually the best answer?” The goal was to always lean into the new and different rather than the familiar when possible. Of course, the practicalities of television production — casting, schedules, budget and so on — also meant that implementing fan service was rarely realistic.
“You couldn’t make the show that would sort of fulfill every fan of every series — not just the TNG fans but our Voyager fans and Deep Space Nine fans,” says Chabon. “There are so many reasons why you can’t make that show on a practical basis. And you’d always be compromising, you’d always be leaving people out, and therefore you’d end up with something that would still be disappointing to some people, who didn’t get to see the return of Odo or whatever.”
Chabon said he would sometimes be surprised by some of the fan requests for character returns that they’d hear — Captain Janeway from Voyager and Dr. Crusher from Next Generation were two frequent ones — before he realized that the impulse comes in part from the kind of crossovers fans are used to seeing in the many official Star Trek novels out there (not to mention fan fiction).
Picard, Troi and Riker in “Nepenthe”
“It doesn’t cost anything,” he laughs of the book crossovers. “There’s no scheduling issues.”
The showrunner points to the episode “Nepenthe” as an example of how difficult such things are when shooting a season of television. That’s the hour where Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis returned as Riker and Troi, but as Chabon puts it, “we killed ourselves” to get it made because Sirtis was performing in a play in London and had a very limited window to shoot in. And that was just to get two legacy characters in one episode, let alone any kind of Avengers: Endgame-scale epic.
As for that episode, which is a highlight of the season, Chabon — who penned it himself — says it came with “surprising ease” when it was time to sit down and write it.
“I think maybe just it was always meant to be a kind of a respite episode, a pause,” he says. “A chance for Picard to recharge. That notion fed into the nature of Nepenthe, the planet itself, and what it is known for. Which in turn led to the story element of the Rikers, the Riker/Troi family having lost a kid, and that’s why they’re there. And in the middle of a long production and shooting season that was in many ways as complex as the plot of the series itself, I think writing it was kind of a little bit of a respite too.”
One interesting tidbit in the season finale was a shot of Jeri Ryan’s Seven holding hands with Michelle Hurd’s Raffi. It comes as something of a surprise as the characters had not had much interaction up until that point, but Chabon says that the seeds were planted for a potential relationship between the two back in the fifth episode of the year, “Stardust City Rag.”
“That’s something that really emerged through a kind of collaboration, I would say, between the writers and the actors,” he explains. “I think Jeri and Michelle picked up on something that was present in Episode 5 when Raffi is handcuffing Seven, but like stage handcuffing her because it’s all part of this elaborate grift they’re trying to run. And there was just that suggestion of a kind of instant connection there, I think that was on the page and was intended. But the nature of that connection was maybe left a little open and they both picked up on it and it emerged. I could just feel it on the set when they were doing the scenes. It was something they clearly seized on as a key to that scene for both of them.”
At the same time, Chabon admits that there wasn’t much time to develop romantic subplots this season, and Seven and Raffi are basically separated after that episode until the end of the season anyway. But what does that final moment mean then?
“I think it’s sort of they’re just taking steps at the end, in that last episode, towards exploring something that they haven’t had the chance to explore so far, because things have been so crazy,” he hints.
In other words, check back next season! Speaking of which…
Laris and Zhaban, Where Have You Gone?!
You remember Picard’s housekeepers Laris and Zhaban? Of course you do! They were breakout characters at the start of the season, with their bickering interactions, their kick-ass secret-super-spy fight movies, and their constant doting on Jean-Luc. Unfortunately, they disappeared from the show after Picard left Earth in the third episode — somebody needed to look after the grapes! — but many fans loved them and hoped they might return in the finale. That was not to be, alas.
“I mean, we loved them,” laughs Chabon. “And it was really fun to write for them. And we expanded, particularly, Laris’ role sort of on the fly as we were writing, because she was so awesome. But the degree to which those characters just so quickly became seemingly so beloved was a surprise. Definitely.”
Laris and Zhaban
So the question remains: Will they be fecking back in Season 2?
“We have no plans to ignore that enthusiasm,” Chabon responds. “Let me say that.”
Star Trek: Picard Season 1 is available to stream now, and Season 2 is currently being written.
Then, Casey DeFreitas is joined by Brian Altano, Zach Ryan, and Nintendo of America’s Bill Trinen to talk about their early experiences with Animal Crossing: New Horizons. All this, and more, on the latest episode of NVC.
Timecodes!
00:00:00 A quick update from Tom!
00:01:17 Welcome! Breaking down the Nintendo Direct Mini
00:35:04 Talking Animal Crossing with Nintendo’s Bill Trinen
Also, the special NVC 500 shirt is still available on the IGN Store! You can get 10% off using the code nvc10.
You can listen to NVC on your preferred platform every Thursday at 3pm PT/6pm ET. Have a question for Question Block? Write to us at [email protected] and we may pick your question! Also, make sure to join the Nintendo Voice Chat Podcast Forums on Facebook. We’re all pretty active there and often pull Question Block questions and comments straight from the community.
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Logan Plant is the Production Assistant for NVC. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.
Microsoft has released a statement regarding the impact of COVID-19 on its upcoming exclusive Xbox and PC games. In short, no projects have been officially delayed, but Microsoft has acknowledged that its teams are facing “unique challenges and constraints” as they shift to a work-from-home setup.
2020 is a crucial year for Microsoft and the Xbox brand, as the Xbox Series X is lined up to release this holiday with Halo Infinite as a launch title. Microsoft remains committed to launching the Xbox Series X this year–the company doubled down on that earlier in March. But what impact COVID-19 has on in-development games–such as Halo Infinite, Grounded, and Everwild, among others–remains to be seen.
Regarding specific titles, Booty said his team is support studio leaders to “make the right decisions” for their games and teams during this tumultuous time. You can read Booty’s full statement below.
Matt Booty Statement On COVID-19 Impact On Xbox Games:
“We know that gaming connects people during times of social distancing, and we are committed to delivering the highest quality Xbox Game Studios games for our global community of players. At the same time, the health and safety of our XGS development teams is our top priority. Each studio is facing unique challenges and constraints depending on its particular location, and many of our external development partners around the world are similarly affected. We are supporting our studio leaders to make the right decisions for their teams and their individual games during this challenging time.”
The statement comes in the wake of Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries acknowledging that the coronvirus situation may get worse before it gets better.
“We’re removing all the obstacles in our path and tracking well, but need to be mindful of our current limitations and understand that the coronavirus situation may get worse before it gets better,” 343 said in a blog post. “Rest assured that every single one of us is doing everything in our power to continue developing and delivering quality Halo experiences while we adjust to this new way of life.”
A spokesperson for Microsoft tells GameSpot that Microsoft has never announced a release date for Halo Infinite, so there is no change to report on for the game’s launch timing. It remains on schedule to release in Holiday 2020, the company re-confirmed to GameSpot.
The latest update for Grand Theft Auto V Online is available now until April 1, and as usual it’s offering a range of big in-game discounts and extra XP. The headliner for this week’s update is a huge 60% discount on the Mammoth Avenger air vehicle, which is stocked at Warstock Cache & Carry. This flying fortress has vertical take-off, turrets, and is very sturdy, so you can get up to some real mischief with it.
Other discounts have been applied across the game. You can currently save 50% on Facilities for your crew to hang out in, as well as the TM-02 Khanjali tank, the Mammoth Thruster jetpack, and the Dewbauchee Vagner vehicle. There are also currently 60% discounts on Facility modifications, the Avenger Weaponized Vehicle Workshop, and the Annis Elegy Retro Custom. Hopefully you’ve been saving your $GTA.
Meanwhile, triple rewards are active on Motor Wars mode, which is like a battle royale with a car focus. If you manage to survive, you’ll get triple $GTA and triple XP this week, so expect quite a few other players to be vying for victory.
Over at the Diamond Casino and Resort, the Ubermacht Zion Classic is up for grabs on the Lucky Wheel. As always, you’ll have to be…well, lucky to nab this speedy new car. If you’re a Twitch Prime member, you can also get a huge 80% discount on the Maze Bank West Office and Mission Row Nightclub properties, as well as claiming a free Pixel Pete’s Arcade (which you can get a rebate for if you already bought it).
It’s a good time for Grand Theft Auto Online, as for once going outside in-game is less dangerous than going outside in real life.
Rockstar’s teams are currently working from home, but they have promised that this will not impact their online games.
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Animal Crossing: New Horizons is getting an April event and update with Bunny Day, which will run April 1-12. The Easter equivalent will involve searching for Zipper T. Bunny’s hidden eggs on your island.
The next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter was teased, and it’s a character from Arms. They weren’t named specifically, but they’ll be joining the roster in June. Alongside this announcement comes a free trial of Arms: Nintendo Switch Online members can play the springy fighting game from now through April 6th at no cost.
The Direct ended with more Pokemon Sword & Shield DLC details about the first expansion, Isle of Armor. You can learn about the legendary Pokemon Kubfu in the video above.
With so many people working from home and practicing social distancing in 2020, we could all use plenty of distractions. It’s hard to go wrong with a good Stephen King book. King has built a career writing spooky page-turners that frequently clock in at over 1000 pages. Just one of his books can sustain most readers for days. His entire back catalog could take months or more.
For the budding King fan, perhaps the easiest way to take in the best and most important books of his prolific career is to focus on the Dark Tower saga. In addition to the seven core novels that make up the story of wandering gunslinger Roland Deschain, many of King’s most iconic books tie into the Dark Tower in some way or another, forming an entire literary multiverse. Read on to learn which books you should read to fully appreciate the Dark Tower mythos.
Warning: Very vague spoilers follow about certain connections between books.
Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series: Book Reading Order
Much like with the Star Wars movies, Stephen King fans frequently debate the best order in which to read his Dark Tower-related books. While the core Dark Tower books are numbered sequentially, it can be much harder to know when and where to branch out to the rest of King’s work.
We’re proponents of reading these books in more or less the same order they’re published. The Dark Tower is a story that grew in the telling. King certainly didn’t have any inkling of the full scope of this story when he began it, or how much events in his own life would influence its execution, and it’s best appreciated with that perspective in mind.
Salem’s Lot (1975)
Salem’s Lot is King’s second published novel, and after all these years it remains one of his best and most terrifying works. It certainly set the tone for much of King’s work to come, focusing equally on supernatural horror and the ordinary, mundane evil that lurks behind closed doors. It’s a story that steadily builds a sense of dread as an intrepid few try to save their idyllic small town from being overrun by vampires.
Salem’s Lot eventually pays off in a significant way where the Dark Tower books are concerned. One character in particular, Father Callahan, has a big part to play later in the series.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (1982)
The Gunslinger is where the Dark Tower saga truly begins. This is the book that introduces Roland Deschain, last of the fabled line of gunslingers and a man obsessed with finding the fabled Dark Tower and saving his dying world. As Roland pursues the mysterious Man in Black across an endless desert, he encounters strange creatures, unholy demons and a boy inexplicably ripped from 20th century America. King released a revised version of the novel in 2003, one rewritten to more closely align the story with later sequels.
Pet Sematary (1983)
Pet Sematary’s connection to the Dark Tower mythos is pretty tenuous – sort of a “Six Degrees of Roland Deschain” situation. Assuming you do read Pet Sematary, there’s a fascinating cameo to be found in 1994’s Insomnia, a book with a much clearer link to the Dark Tower series.
Still, we feel this book belongs on any good Stephen King reading list solely because of its quality. It’s among King’s best and most emotionally harrowing novels. It’s also quite possibly the scariest book he’s ever written. Suffice it to say, you don’t want to read those Wendigo scenes while locked away in a remote cabin in the woods.
The Talisman (1984)
The Talisman is notable for two reasons. It’s a collaboration between King and fellow horror luminary Peter Straub. It’s also the rare King book that veers more into fantasy than horror. The Talisman follows a boy named Jack Sawyer who sets out on a quest to find an artifact capable of curing his mother’s cancer. That journey weaves in and out of a parallel reality called “The Territories.”
While this story’s direct ties to the Dark Tower books are only really made apparent in the 2001 sequel The Black House, even in 1984 The Talisman was notable for delving deeper into the King multiverse and the concept of parallel worlds that exist as distorted mirrors of our own.
It (1986)
It is easily one of King’s most well-known works. It’s also among his longest, chronicling a battle between a group of social outcasts and a demonic entity haunting the town of Derry, Maine across multiple time periods. It never really forges a firm connection to the Dark Tower books, but it’s still worth reading for two reasons. One, it’s an essential King novel that many regard as one of his best. Two, it does offer a fuller sense of the true scope of King’s multiverse and the forces that keep it in balance.
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987)
The Drawing of the Three is the second installment of the Dark Tower books. Here, a wounded Roland encounters a series of doorways leading to New York City, offering the chance of new allies in his quest and a shot at redemption.
The Stand (1990)
If you only read one other King novel as a companion to the Dark Tower series, it should probably be The Stand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest works of post-apocalyptic fiction, The Stand is set in a world ravaged by a superflu known as Captain Trips. The few survivors rally around one of two ringleaders, the benevolent Mother Abigail and the demented Randall Flagg.
Both Flagg and the world of The Stand become integral to the latter half of the Dark Tower saga. Just be sure to read the “Complete and Uncut” version of the novel first published in 1990, as opposed to the relatively shorter original version from 1978.
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (1991)
The Waste Lands is the third chapter in the Dark Tower saga, one far larger in terms of both page count and scope than its predecessors. This volume offers a much fuller sense of the ruined world Roland inhabits and the forces holding it together. It’s also the one book in the series to end on a major cliffhanger, which made the six-year gap between Books 3 and 4 all the harder to bear.
Insomnia (1994)
Insomnia is a bit of an odd duck in the King lineup. It’s among his longest books, but it’s also slow-paced and fairly uneventful in its first half. Rather than featuring King’s typical tortured writer protagonist, it revolves around a retired widower named Ralph Roberts. However, the novel rewards the patient reader with a much more exciting climax and a very meaningful Dark Tower connection that really pays off in the final leg of the saga.
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (1997)
The fourth Dark Tower book shakes up the formula in a big way. The first and third acts continue the journey of Roland and his allies, resolving the cliffhanger from The Waste Lands and tying into The Stand in a very direct way. But the middle act unfolds as a lengthy flashback to Roland’s formative years. Wizard and Glass greatly fleshes out his past and the history of the fallen kingdom of Gilead, while also shedding more light on what Roland lost in his drive to find the Dark Tower.
Hearts in Atlantis (1999)
Hearts in Atlantis is a collection of several novellas. While the entire book is worth reading, in terms of Dark Tower relevance you need only concern yourself with the opening tale, “Low Men in Yellow Coats.” This story introduces kindly Ted Brautigan, an elderly man with psychic powers being pursued by sinister forces. Yes, both Ted and said forces have a direct link to the Dark Tower books.
Black House (2001)
Black House is the second collaboration between King and Straub, a sequel to 1984’s The Talisman starring a now-adult Jack Sawyer. As mentioned before, this sequel is far more overtly tied to the Dark Tower books. In fact, it does more than any of the core Dark Tower stories to flesh out the Crimson King, the central villain of the saga.
Everything’s Eventual (2002)
Everything’s Eventual is another short story collection that falls under the Dark Tower umbrella. In this case, there are two tales essential to fully appreciating the saga. The title story, “Everything’s Eventual,” introduces Dinky Earnshaw, another psychically gifted character with a key role to play in the tail end of the Dark Tower story. “The Little Sisters of Eluria” focuses on Roland himself, showcasing one of his adventures early on in his quest to find the Dark Tower. This story is also reprinted in some versions of The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger.
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (2003)
It would be another six years before King followed up on Wizard and Glass, in part because of a serious car accident that put his writing career on hiatus. But the work did finally resume. Wolves of the Calla is a clear homage to classic Akira Kurosawa and Sergio Leone movies, with Roland and his band recruited to protect a village from marauding “wolves” who regularly appear to steal away innocent children.
The Dark Tower: Song of Susannah (2004)
King didn’t keep fans waiting long after the release of Wolves of the Calla, with the penultimate book in the series following a mere six months later. This is where the saga begins to culminate, as connections to many of King’s previous stories become clear and Roland and friends begin preparing for their final push to the Dark Tower. This is also where the series starts becoming much more self-aware and meta, to the chagrin of some readers.
The Dark Tower: The Dark Tower (2004)
Following another short gap, King finally wrapped up a two-decade-long saga in the seventh and final Dark Tower book. Here is where Roland’s quest comes to an end, but not before the book introduces another key character that will make Insomnia readers glad they put in the time on that book. The ending to the series is nothing if not controversial, though King deliberately structures the book in such a way that readers can stop early if they prefer a cleaner, happier conclusion.
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012)
Though the main saga ended in 2004, King revisited Roland’s world with this spinoff book. While set before Wolves of the Calla, we think The Wind Through the Keyhole is better appreciated as an epilogue to the series. Its unique “story within a story within a story” structure gives the book a whimsical feel that helps offset the grim tone of the main books.
The Dark Tower in Other Media
The Dark Tower saga may be rooted in the prose world, but it’s also expanded into other media in recent years. Both the Dark Tower comics and the live-action movie are worth consuming as companions to the novels.
Marvel Comics first journeyed into this universe with 2007’s The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born. Basically an adaptation of the flashback portion of Wizard and Glass, The Gunslinger Born helps visualize a world that previously only existed in prose form and in a handful of painted illustrations. That initial series was followed up by four more comic book miniseries that continue where the flashback leaves off and explore more of Roland’s formative years. That story culminates in The Dark Tower: The Battle of Jericho Hill, which chronicles the titular battle that destroys the kingdom of Gilead and sparks Roland’s quest for the Dark Tower.
Marvel continued to publish more Dark Tower miniseries after that, exploring more of Roland’s hidden years leading up to the original Dark Tower novel and then adapting both The Gunslinger and The Drawing of the Three. Unfortunately, Marvel stopped at that point, never adapting the entire saga. The franchise rights have since shifted from Marvel to Simon & Schuster’s imprint Gallery 13, but so far no further adaptations have been greenlit. A shame, but the comics are still well worth reading for anyone hungry for even more of this fantasy universe.
As for the movie, it’s an extremely flawed but still interesting attempt at distilling the plot of multiple Dark Tower books into one streamlined film. Originally the plan was to release a trilogy of movies with two seasons of TV airing in-between. Those plans appear to have shifted slightly. Amazon is currently developing a Dark Tower TV series focused on a young Roland, one seemingly unconnected to the 2017 movie or Idris Elba’s version of Roland. Instead, Sam Strike (Leatherface) will star as Roland, and Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead) and Jasper Pääkkönen are reportedly playing the villains of the first season.
Bethesda has delayed the release of Fallout 76‘s Wastelanders update due to COVID-19. In a statement, Bethesda confirmed that developers are now working from home, and this has impacted the April 7 release of the Wastelanders update on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Wastelanders is a much-anticipated update, as it introduces NPCs to the game.
Working from home has affected Bethesda’s ability to perform “final testing” on Wastelanders. As such, Bethesda has moved the release date by one week, to April 14.
“We’ve done everything we can to minimize the delay and can’t wait for everyone to play, Bethesda said, adding that the developer is especially thankful for Fallout 76’s Private Test Server players for their help during this time.
“We know this is a stressful time, and we can’t thank you enough for all the support you’ve given each other and us. We’re humbled to have such an incredible community that has stuck with us through ups and downs. It means the world to us, especially in times like this,” Bethesda added.
Bethesda also has confirmed that when Wastelanders releases on April 14, it will include new special events. Bethesda previously announced that Fallout 76 would also finally come to Steam on April 7 alongside the Wastelanders update, but it’s unclear if that’s still happening given the delay.
Fallout 76 launched to a pretty rocky start, and Bethesda has been implementing several large content updates since the game’s release in order to address player concerns. Prior to the announcement of Wastelanders, Fallout 76 saw new quests added in Wild Appalachia, a battle royale mode in Nuclear Winter, and challenging team-based raids.
In GameSpot’s Fallout 76 review, Edmond Tran wrote, “Bethesda has stated it intends to continue supporting the game for a long time, but at launch, Fallout 76 is a poor experience. There are echoes of the series’ admirable qualities, but look past that facade, past the cute Vault Boy animations, past the familiar radio tracks, and you’ll find no heart–just an inconsequential wasteland doomed to be nuked over and over again.”
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A new Max Raid event has begun in Pokemon Sword and Shield. The event runs until 4:59 PM PT on April 27, and during that time, Gigantamax versions of Charizard, Duraludon, Copperajah, and Garbodor will be appearing more frequently in Max Raid dens.
All four Gigantamax Pokemon are available in both Sword and Shield, but five-star versions of the Raids are exclusive to certain games. Sword players can encounter five-star G-Max Duraludon and Copperajah, while Shield players will find five-star G-Max Charizard and Garbodor.
Gigantamax Pokemon are normally incredibly rare in Sword and Shield, making these events a good chance to add them to your collection. To refresh your Raids, you’ll first need to either connect your game online via the Y-Comm or go into Mystery Gift from the menu screen and select Get the Wild Area news. You can read more about the event on the official Pokemon website.
In addition to the new Max Raid event, there’s still a little time left to grab some free items in Sword and Shield. Until the end of the month, you can claim 20 Battle Points, a Bottle Cap, and three TR94s–which teach the Ground-type attack High Horsepower–via Mystery Gift. You can see all the free Sword and Shield gifts expiring soon in our roundup.
In other Pokemon news, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company shared some more details on Sword and Shield’s first expansion, Isle of Armor, during the surprise Nintendo Direct Mini. In particular, we learned more details on how to evolve the Legendary Pokemon Kubfu into Urshifu, as well as what G-max moves the Galar starting trio–Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Inteleon–will have when they learn how to Gigantamax.
