One Of The Biggest Gaming Shows In The World Is Still Going Forward Despite COVID-19 Concerns

The Game Developers Conference was postponed. E3 2020 was canceled. But Gamescom 2020 is still planning to go forward on schedule in August despite ongoing concerns around COVID-19 (coronavirus), organizers have confirmed.

The annual gaming show is held in Cologne, Germany every August. Just recently, the city of Cologne announced it was banning all major events with more than 1,000 participants, which would include Gamescom. This ban is scheduled to be lifted on April 10, so Gamescom is theoretically able to go forward.

The situation surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, which is now classified as a global pandemic, changes on a daily basis, so it presents a challenge for event-planners. For now at least, the organizers of Gamescom are stressing that preparations for Gamescom 2020 are “continuing as planned.” If the event is canceled, all tickets will be refunded.

Even if Gamescom 2020 is able to go forward, whether or not publishers will want to send their teams to the show is another question.

Another issue at play here is that Gamescom is planning to expand to Singapore with a new show, Gamescom Asia, slated for October 2020. There have been no updates as of yet regarding what impact COVID-19 may have on that event.

Gamescom’s main show in Cologne is among the biggest in the world. A reported 373,000 people from more than 100 countries attended the show in 2019, making it many, many times larger than E3 in terms of attendance.

While E3 2020 may be officially canceled, a number of marquee attendees–including Microsoft and Nintendo–are still planning or considering the possibility of holding their own digital events.

Now Playing: E3 2020 Canceled – How Sony, Microsoft, & Nintendo Have Responded

Borderlands 3 Has A Limited Time Freebie If You Purchase On Steam

Borderlands 3 has made its way to Steam, six months after the game’s PC launch on the Epic Games Store. The game has arrived complete with a 50% discount, but that’s not the only incentive to pick it up right now–early adopters of the Steam version will also get some shiny free weapon skins.

The Gold Weapon Skins Pack is available now until April 1 through Steam. As long as you redeem the free DLC before then, you’ll get these skins to keep, and you’ll be able to apply a golden skin or trinket to every gun in the game.

This offer is only valid for a limited time, and you need to own the game to redeem the skins.

Borderlands 3 will receive its next major piece of paid DLC, Guns, Love, And Tentacles, on March 26. There’s a third DLC campaign expansion coming, too, and it will feature dinosaurs and outlaws.

Borderlands fans also have a movie to look forward to, which will be helmed by Hostel director Eli Roth. It does not have a release date set as of yet.

Now Playing: Borderlands 3: Guns, Love, and Tentacles 12 Minutes Of Official Gameplay

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WWE Wrestlemania 36 Moved To Performance Center, No Longer In Tampa

It’s official. For the first time since 1984, WWE’s biggest annual show will broadcast live without an audience. WWE had confirmed that Wrestlemania 36 will not take place in Tampa, Florida, as originally scheduled. Instead, WWE is moving the show to its Performance Center, as it has done with both Smackdown and Raw. This is all in response to the growing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, which has led to multiple conference, convention, and event cancellations.

In a statement to GameSpot about the situation, WWE said, “In coordination with local partners and government officials, Wrestlemania and all related events in Tampa Bay will not take place. However, Wrestlemania will still stream live on Sunday, April 5 at 7 PM ET on WWE Network and be available on pay-per-view. Only essential personnel will be on the closed set at WWE’s training facility in Orlando, Florida to produce WrestleMania.”

Even though WWE was monitoring the situation, the company was planning to run all the Mania week events as of last week, stating “We remain committed to hosting Wrestlemania at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, April 5, and like other entertainment properties in the U.S., there are currently no plans to cancel or postpone our upcoming events.”

Now, according to the statement, no events will be held in Tampa. It remains to be seen if the company will still present NXT TakeOver: Tampa or the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony at the Performance Center, rather than the arenas they were set for. Meanwhile, chances are the company will continue using the Performance Center for its weekly Raw, NXT, and Smackdown broadcasts.

Wrestlemania 36 will air Sunday, April 5 on WWE Network. You can take a look at the card to see every match currently scheduled for the show. You can also join GameSpot’s Wrestle Buddies, Chris E. Hayner and Mat Elfring, for full coverage of this unique Wrestlemania on April 5.

Birds of Prey Coming to VOD Early Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

Warner Bros. will release Birds of Prey to digital storefronts earlier than expected, according to Variety. It will be available from March 24 at an expected price of USD $20.

Variety reports it will also be available to rent in April.

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The news comes as cinemas begin to close around the world and the entertainment industry continues to wrestle with the ramifications of the global covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The decision from Warner Bros. to bump up Birds of Prey’s home release follows word from Universal Studios that several of its films that are currently in the middle of their theatrical runs would become available digitally as early as Friday, March 20.

Earlier today Birds of Prey director Cathy Yan claimed via Twitter she would not be opposed to the idea of making Birds of Prey available on VOD faster than intended.

cathy yanWhile the spread of covid-19 has resulted in a huge number of release delays and stalled productions, more importantly there are number of things you can do to stay safe during this pandemic.

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Luke is Games Editor at IGN’s Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter every few days @MrLukeReilly.

The Honking Great Untitled Goose Game Soundtrack Is Releasing Soon

Untitled Goose Game made a huge impact in 2019, selling over 1 million copies and turning the goose into a pop culture icon. Fans might have finished the game long ago, but those who still have the soundtrack stuck in their heads will soon be able to take it with them everywhere, as it’s set to receive a digital release.

The soundtrack, which will release through Decca Classics, will feature composer Dan Golding’s adapted tunes from Claude Debussy’s Préludes, which is made up of high and low energy versions of each track that the game dynamically switches between depending on your actions.

The album will also feature original music composed by Golding when it releases digitally on March 27, 2020. The release will be digital-only, although Universal Music Australia has told GameSpot that a vinyl release is “in discussion.”

The album’s cover art is below. Honk!

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Untitled Goose Game received an 8/10 in GameSpot’s review, which praised the game’s soundtrack: “But the reactive soundtrack is what really sells the goose’s charms. The music, based on Claude Debussy’s Préludes, springs into action dynamically based on the goose’s actions, punctuating moments when it shocks someone and adding a buoyancy to any scene involving a chase. It gives the game a feeling of farce; at its best, it’s reminiscent of a Buster Keaton film, especially since there’s no dialogue.”

Now Playing: Acting Like A Jerk In Untitled Goose Game

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The Walking Dead Spinoff World Beyond Reveals New Key Art

AMC’s new Walking Dead spinoff World Beyond follows a group of teenagers who have grown up in the show’s post-apocalyptic, zombie-ridden world. New footage from the show gives us a closer look at the young group, the world they live in–and even some moss-covered walkers.

The new show is intended to flesh out the world of The Walking Dead. Where Fear The Walking Dead has given us a look at the beginnings of the zombie apocalypse, World Beyond will show us the new normal in a world overrun by zombies.

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The first key artwork features Aliyah Royale as Iris, Alexa Mansour as Hope, Nicolas Cantu as Elton, and Hal Cumpston as Silas, while the new image adds in Nico Tortorella as Felix and Annet Mahendru as Huck.

While their characters have grown up in a world where zombies are a given, they have lived in a safe area and never had to encounter them. The new TV show will chart their journey into the unknown, and will be both a teenage coming-of-age story and one of survival.

World Beyond premieres on April 12 at 10 PM ET, after the finale of The Walking Dead’s tenth season. For those who are sick of the main show’s stubborn refusal to end, the good news is that World Beyond is a limited series that will run for only two seasons.

More The Walking Dead content is still to come, with a trilogy of movies centered around Rick Grimes also in the works.

Call Of Duty: Warzone Adds New St. Patrick’s Day Microtransactions, Including Guinness

Call of Duty: Warzone is getting a new paid microtransaction bundles themed around St. Patrick’s Day. The first of these is the “Clover and Out” bundle, which includes a variety of themed items.

Included in the bundle is a new operator skin and blueprints for unique weapons called “Wish Me Luck” and “Top O’ The Mornin’.” Additionally, there is a new weapon charm called “Stout” that is clearly a reference to Guinness, and a “Pot of Gold” charm. On top of this, there is a new sticker called “Shamrock and Roll.” The “Clover and Out” bundle is priced at 1,100 Call of Duty Points.

A second bundle is called the Tracer Pack Green Bundle, and it includes special tracer rounds that are green. The pack also comes with the Snap Dragon and Gangrene weapon blueprints, as well as a Leprechaun charm and an “Uplinked” calling card. This bundle sells for 1600 Call of Duty Points.

Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare share the same store and both games feature cross-progression, so buying any of this DLC for one game also applies to the other.

In other news, Call of Duty: Warzone recently surpassed 15 million players in under a week, making it one of fastest starts ever for a battle royale game.

“Clover And Out”

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“Tracer Pack: Green”

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Now Playing: Call of Duty: Warzone – Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer

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Regal Cinemas Will Close All Of Its US Theaters

In light of the recent White House news conference recommending Americans to avoid gatherings of over 10 people, Regal Cinemas has made the decision to close all 543 of its US theaters until further notice, Variety has reported.

This follows the news that all cinemas and entertainment venues in Los Angeles and New York would have to close on the order of Mayor Eric Garcetti and Mayor Bill de Blasio respectively. Both the mayoral closures and Regal’s shutdown have no end date specified, and will likely be evaluated as the situation progresses.

“It’s our goal to provide a safe and healthy environment for our employees and guests,” Regal said on its Twitter account. “We value your patronage and have no doubt we will be serving you again as soon as possible with a full slate of Hollywood blockbusters.” Members of Regal’s Unlimited subscription pass will have their regular payments suspended until the theatre chain re-opens.

Prior to its full closure, Regal had already put in measures to limit capacity of their theatres by at least 50%, while AMC theaters has limited their capacity to only 50 people.

Universal Pictures has announced that it will start releasing its movies that are currently in theaters to home release as soon as March 20. This currently includes titles like The Invisible Man, The Hunt, Emma, and Trolls: World Tour. Future releases are likely to drop on digital home video on the same day they come to theaters.

Now Playing: Best Things To Stream For March 2020 – Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video

Watch This: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Documentary Is Full Of New Footage

Final Fantasy VII Remake is right around the corner, but there’s still plenty we haven’t seen from the new game, with most footage released so far focusing on the earliest parts of the game. Now, in the first episode of this new documentary series about the making of the game, we’ve seen new areas and scenes–and it looks glorious.

The video, Inside Final Fantasy VII Remake – Episode 1: Introduction, is embedded below. In contains insights from many of the designers who worked on the game, but make sure that you turn on closed captions if you don’t speak Japanese.

This video comes alongside several new screenshots, which are also worth looking at–but seeing the game in action is even more impressive.

According to Yoshinori Kitase, the game’s producer, he decided to remake Final Fantasy VII after the series’ 25th anniversary exhibition, after thinking long and hard about what he could do with the series “in the time he had left”. He settled on remaking this game because it had “always been in the back of (his) mind.”

The video shows plenty of new footage from around Midgar, including Cloud dancing at the Honey Bee. We’ll see more of the upper city, too, whereas most of the original game’s opening 10 hours were set in the slums of Midgar. According to Tetsuya Nomura, the game’s director, the game has been dramatically expanded: “You can’t go everywehere in the city, but the area you can walk around in has been expanded a lot, and the citizens and characters that appear are depicted in much more detail.”

New music arrangements and completely new themes have been added to the game too, which has caused some pressure due to how iconic the original game’s music was, especially when coupled with the new game featuring voice acting. Composer Mitsuto Suzuki also says that the game incorporates dynamic music that changes depending on your actions.

This first part of Final Fantasy VII Remake will end with the group escaping the city, and the video reiterates that it’ll be as long as a traditional Final Fantasy experience. There’s plenty more in the video, including some enemy designs we haven’t seen before and plenty of battle footage.

The video even features some neat comparison shots between the Remake and Final Fantasy VII Advent Children–Remake undoubtedly looks better.

Final Fantasy VII Remake releases for PlayStation 4 on April 10, and a demo is now available. For more, check out our hands-on report with the game.

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