Over the past several weeks I have sent a lot of interesting people who work in the games industry an email containing the following scenario: “You enter a room. The door locks behind you. From a door opposite another you enters. This other you is a perfectly identical clone, created in the exact instant you entered the room, but as every second ticks by they are creating their own distinct personhood. The doors will unlock in 90 minutes. Nobody will ever know what happens in the room. What do you do? (assume the materials you need for whatever you want to do are in the room). Please show your working, if able.” Many people have not responded, no doubt because they are still grappling with the question, and not because this is a bizarre thing to get from a journalist – especially if you don’t have an established relationship with them. But a lot of your favourite developers and voice actors and generally lovely people did respond, with very thoughtful answers. I … [Read more...] about We asked a lot of people: what would you do to a clone of yourself?
Getting power connected to a property
A major DC Entertainment shake-up signals change for movies, TV, and comics
The DC comic universe is undergoing a seismic shift — but not in the pages of its books. On Monday, DC Entertainment announced that comic-writer-turned-executive Geoff Johns would step down from his role as chief creative officer to “create content across multiple divisions of the Studio, including films, television and comic books, based on current DC properties as well as new and reimagined IP,” according to a press release. Jim Lee, the artist and writer who became DC’s co-publisher in 2010, will take over the job while continuing his current duties. After 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice polarized fans and fizzled out at the box office, Warner Bros. Entertainment put Johns and WB executive Jon Berg in charge of DC Films, in hopes of recharging the mega-franchise with the kind of thinking that made Marvel Studios’ universe so cohesive. While Wonder Woman was a smash hit, Justice League brought on another wave of poor reviews and meager (a … [Read more...] about A major DC Entertainment shake-up signals change for movies, TV, and comics
Why did a $200 toy crash the Museum of Modern Art’s website?
On May 17, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City sent out an e-mail blast announcing that it had limited supplies of the $200 KAWS Companion action figure available for sale in its stores and online. The resulting rush of traffic promptly crashed the MoMA Design Store website, which stayed down for most of the day It isn’t usually the MoMA’s style to circulate breathless messages about the limited availability of hot toys, so I was immediately curious. I decided to go to the museum and see what was going on. What was going on, as it turned out, was that KAWS had basically taken over the entire block of 53rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenue. The Uniqlo store was wrapped in huge decals of a 30-foot tall Snoopy, wearing a t-shirt celebrating the fact that he is now “Joe KAWS.” The MoMA store, which is on the same block, had set up a display case with a set of the KAWS Companion toys, but they hadn’t bothered to shelve their stock of the toys; there was … [Read more...] about Why did a $200 toy crash the Museum of Modern Art’s website?
God of War director talks FIFA-inspired combat, learning from Mad Max, and getting your gear from the dwarves who made Thor’s Hammer
Few people have stayed with God Of War for as long as Cory Barlog, writer and director of Kratos’ return on PS4. After taking up the mantle of lead animator on the first game, he returned as director on its sequel before leaving early into the threequel’s development to work with Mad Max’s George Miller, and juggle God Of War on Sony’s PSP handheld. So why come back for PS4’s soft reboot? “I think it’s rewarding, that’s the whole point of it,” he says as we sit down to chat. “These things take so long and so much of our lives that I felt like it had to mean something to me. I had to feel like I was digging a little deeper into this character and this world. Want more Kratos? Everything you need to know about God of War “For this one, it’s more like instead of babysitting it’s my own kid – meaning when I go home from work my worry never stops... at all. I am constantly thinking about this, because … [Read more...] about God of War director talks FIFA-inspired combat, learning from Mad Max, and getting your gear from the dwarves who made Thor’s Hammer
The lessons Of Fable and what we want from a sequel
According to the rumour-mills, we may be due another Fable in the world of Albion. A Fable 4, if you will. It’s easy to shrug that off as no big deal. Fable is arguably the series most talked about for what it doesn’t do rather than what it pulls off, not helped by the PT Barnum level overpromises of a certain Mr P. Molyneux. Plant an acorn and watch it grow into a tree, anyone? Not in this game… When you ignore all of that though, and look at Fable as the hack-and-slash RPG that it is rather than the fantasy life simulator it was pitched as, it’s always been a somewhat underrated series with great ideas practically oozing from its pores. Successful? Often not, but if a sequel promises anything, it’s another crack at what could have been great. What does Fable 4 have to draw on? Plenty… For starters, Fable isn’t a series that just rests on its laurels. Each follows the same basic concept, with a largely linear path through the adventure, but … [Read more...] about The lessons Of Fable and what we want from a sequel