Netflix is doubling down on its anime expansion by making huge announcements regarding their content slate for 2023 and 2024. The streaming service has made strides by increasing its library with IPs from Japan and South Korea, which will include animated shows and original adaptions.
“Showcasing both current and upcoming titles, this year’s highlights include anime based on legendary IP like PLUTO and Onmyoji, as well as newly announced projects Ōoku: The Inner Chambers and Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune,” Netflix said in a statement. ” Returning to AnimeJapan 2023, Netflix showcased their diverse slate of current and upcoming anime including fan-favorites like PLUTO or newly announced series Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, delighting fans both in and outside Japan during multiple booth presentations and a star-studded stage event.”
‘Pluto’ is based on a manga written and illustrated by Japanese creator Naoki Urasawa. The Tokyo-based publisher Shogakukan released the series between 2003 and 2009 in eight volumes. Viz Media releases it in the United States. The anime was released as an original net animation from the animation production companies Genco, Tezuka, and Studio M2.
Netflix continued, “The broad lineup across genres like sci-fi, action and more includes newly announced titles Ōoku: The Inner Chambers (Coming in 2023), the first anime adaptation of the hit manga by Fumi Yoshinaga, or Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune (May 2023), an anime series adapted from a brand-new military science fiction novel by Carlo Zen, who made his debut with The Saga of Tanya the Evil. These and more titles are joining the previously announced Onmyoji (Coming in 2023), an animated series based on the world of Baku Yumemakura’s well-known tales about the ancient yin-yang diviner Abe Seimei, which is set for release later this year.”
Yoshinaga’s ‘Ōoku: The Inner Chambers’ was an alternative history romance manga serialized in Melody magazine from 2004 to 2020 in 19 volumes. Viz Media also publishes this title in the United States.
Users who were paying for OpenAI’s premium ChatGPT tier may have had their financial information leaked. SFGATE laid out the details of the potential issue. OpenAI customers using the paid ChatGPT Plus service may be experiencing a glitch in the system, revealing users’ financial data to each other. Although this isn’t as major as an all-out breach, it is concerning.
On March 20th, OpenAI published a blog post detailing the events and what specific times the glitch was active. Users who were on the site between 1 AM and 10 AM PST on March 20th may have inadvertently made their personal info public:
“Upon deeper investigation, we also discovered that the same bug may have caused the unintentional visibility of payment-related information of 1.2% of the ChatGPT Plus subscribers who were active during a specific nine-hour window. In the hours before we took ChatGPT offline on Monday, it was possible for some users to see another active user’s first and last name, email address, payment address, the last four digits (only) of a credit card number, and credit card expiration date. Full credit card numbers were not exposed at any time.”
Thankfully, the entire credit card details were not shown. However, since many credit card companies use the same first eight or so digits, it does not take much effort to sus out the whole card number. Considering how prevalent credit card cloning and scamming have been over the past two decades, I’d suggest all ChatGPT Plus users get new cards ASAP.
According to the blog post, affected users should have been contacted by OpenAI already. Even with this issue being relatively minor, I wonder if AI had something to do with it. Has it become self-aware? Is the AI making purchases on your credit card?
Special thanks to my brother Toby for posting this story on LinkedIn.
His feature film Ashens and the Quest for the Gamechild is available on Blu-ray and DVD via Amazon. The sequel Ashens and the Polybius Heist can be streamed from Amazon Video.
Want to see more of Ashens? Check out some of my favorite videos from his YouTube channel below!
Check out our previous YouTuber interview, where we talked to Az from HeelvsBabyface! If you’d like to hear more accents associated with our friends across the pond, we’ve got exclusive interviews with DJ Slope and Larry Bundy, Jr.!
I think we’re on the other side of the worst of the ‘cancel culture’ witch hunts.
And I think we need to ask ourselves just how things got as ridiculous as they did.
From around 2015 through earlier this year, random ‘Twitter outrage mobs’ could make or break a career based on whispers, accusations, and the appearance that there was a massive amount of angry customers waiting to descend upon your business if you didn’t meet their demands or throw your employees to the wolves.
They hate Twitter now. Because Musk bad.
In my opinion, when Elon Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion, two key things happened that turned the tide. First, a lot of the people who joined in on the cancel culture mobs loathe Elon Musk, and now Twitter can do no right. It’s seen as a once-sacred bastion of journalistic integrity compromised by “the alt-right.” Whatever that actually is.
And second, we learned just how many Twitter accounts were fake and how easily the algorithm could be gamed if you so desired.
So companies thinking that thousands of people were demanding the head of one of their employees were probably only dealing with maybe dozens of legit angry users and multiple sock puppet accounts.
Boomers let millennials run the show and didn’t ask enough questions.
Now, this is a theory on my part. But I think many companies had a massively distorted view of how angry “the internet” was based on information filtered through younger employees who typically manage social media.
To a young person who eats, sleeps, and breathes social media, being “disliked” is kryptonite. And if your job is to literally manage social media and a company’s online reputation, you’re going to try and identify people and things that are “problematic” to justify keeping yourself on payroll, right?
But the truth is that the vast majority of consumers aren’t as addicted to social media as a company’s social media manager, and in most cases, these tempests in a teapot would simply blow over.
But I do believe that social media managers and other PR people would vastly overinflate online Twitter drama and then run it up the chain of command. The boomer execs would listen, because hey, all these people are gonna boycott our products if we don’t toss Sally the TERF out on the streets, right? Our young social media manager knows what’s what because they just graduated with a degree in this stuff last Spring, so we’d better listen.
Except their actual consumers have no idea there’s any drama going on as they’re not perpetually on Twitter.
Cancel Culture hurt itself in its confusion.
Of course, the biggest blow to cancel culture has been in the many recent instances of it backfiring… massively. Because at the end of the day, money still talks.
J.K. Rowling was just supposed to whither up and disappear because Twitter was mad at her. The online outrage arguably lead to even bigger sales for Hogwarts Legacy, which itself is leading to a renewed interest in Harry Potter all across the board.
Johnny Depp proved in court that he wasn’t the wifebeater that Amber Heard claimed he was.
Dave Chappelle confronted his detractors head-on, and his comedy specials went on to be some of Netflix’s highest-viewed comedy specials ever.
Rick & Morty co-creator Justin Roiland was fired from every one of his gigs based on charges of domestic abuse… which were ultimately dropped. I’m waiting for the lawsuits.
Gina Carano was dumped from The Mandalorian over some tweets, but the support from many of her fans and co-stars lead to her bouncing back fairly quickly.
And that’s not even mentioning multiple instances of “canceled” comic book creators, journalists, and video game developers rebounding in a similar fashion. For many, cancel culture had the opposite effect. It actually gave their careers a boost as it rallied people behind them.
Some left-wing celebrities like Sarah Silverman have come out against the left’s use of cancel culture, and more and more people from both sides of the political spectrum are fed up with it. There’s even a high-profile podcast series showing the parallels between modern-day cancel culture and literal witch hunts.
The adults weren’t paying attention. Or they just wanted to save their own necks.
Which takes me back to my original thought. Just how was this allowed to happen in the first place?
“Twitter is not a real place,” Dave Chappelle famously once said. And he’s right. It never was. But it was allowed to destroy lives and careers nonetheless.
Simply put, the “adults” weren’t paying attention. They weren’t paying attention because the people being canceled maybe weren’t big enough to come across their radar. Maybe they were aware of it but stayed out of it as it didn’t directly affect them.
The worst of it is that some “adults” were well aware of what was going on, but said nothing as they didn’t want to be the next target.
Whatever the case may be, this could’ve been stopped years ago. It should’ve been stopped years ago. And in the years to come, people will certainly “misremember” how it all went down.
It’s kind of funny how some people who were effectively blacklisted are suddenly “cleared” now that the tide is turning. While that’s fine and dandy going forward, I don’t think anyone who was on the receiving end of a “cancelation” attempt will forgive and forget anytime soon.
Comic books can often be a team effort, and teams sometimes break apart. While it’s challenging to build a readership and make money in the medium, one of the biggest stumbling blocks has always been the creative team getting along long enough for it to happen. While there are many pitfalls to collaborations, here are Comic-Com 101’s Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid in Creator Collaborations.
Defining the term
When you enter into a collaboration with someone creatively, you’re also entering into something financial. Collaboration is not a situation where one person pays the other. That is a work-for-hire situation. If you are paid, you are the employee and should follow the lead of the boss who is paying you. Collaborators are sharing the work and sharing the glory. Avoiding these pitfalls is crucial to the continued success of your project.
Photo Credit: DALLE2
10. Doing Things in Secret: When collaborating on the project, you are essentially parents. The kid is your comic. One parent does not make a significant decision with the other parent without alerting them, so doing things secretly on that project is a no-no.
You may get along well and trust each other, which is fine. But it’s crucial to alert each other whenever you’re doing something to or for the project if it’s a true collaboration. Even if your partner is going to dismiss it and say, “No big deal. I don’t know why you tell me these things.” It’s important because, at some point, these tiny changes might become critical should the stakes get higher in your collaboration. (i.e., Should your comic start making actual money.)
In any working relationship, expectations are created. If your artist works hard on a cover and the publisher suddenly replaces it with a variant cover without alerting the artist— This could cause an unexpected reaction from the artist who expected his great cover to be the focus of promotion. Don’t let that kind of surprise damage your working relationship; lay the groundwork. “Hey, I’m talking to this artist about doing a variant cover for us. I think it could help our sales.” Odds are, if you tell the artist ahead of time, it’ll be no big deal. It’s the surprise that often sets people off, especially if they are nervous or insecure about their position. Don’t be secretive, and you won’t have a problem.
9. Not Having a Procedure: Collaborators need a procedure for producing the comic. This creates stability in your working relationship and expectations on both sides. For instance, one may be the writer and the other the artist. The writer in the first two issues writes scripts; the artist draws it in, say, two months. This becomes your procedure.
Using this schedule allows you both to create deadlines, schedule the printer, and schedule comic-cons and other promotional events. It also allows you to know when something is going wrong. For example, if a writer has yet to send you a script in four months or an artist is a month over the deadline, it’s time to meet to evaluate what is going wrong.
Initially, I wanted to do four books a year with The Pineys, and I’ve settled into three because it works better for my cover artist and me. Doing four would’ve been pushing it and allowing little time for marketing and promotion, which is crucial to my business model. With the twelfth book on the horizon, we both know when things are due. Until something changes, this is our procedure: I release a book in March, July, and October. Better a reliable schedule than something up in the air.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
8. Not Vetting Your Collaborators: Artists are volatile. Sometimes it’s a phase that fades, but some people are just a-holes forever. You also may find great talent and do a great project but not get along personally. You need to understand with whom you’re getting involved.
Being collaborators is like being married. You’re going to have to talk, and you’re going to be around each other. If you can’t find a way to get along, it’s best not to start before investing time and money in a project. But how do you vet another collaborator?
Talk in Person
Physically meeting is ideal, but sometimes you meet collaborators online, and the distance is too great. One of my clients always insists upon us having sessions over Facetime. I didn’t understand it initially, but now I see the advantage. Seeing a person’s face when they talk gives you cues you wouldn’t otherwise get.
Do a Smaller Project First
My work on The Webcomic Factory allows me to vet artists in short runs on webcomics first. When I’m looking for an artist for a more significant project, I already have a stable of reliable artists to contact.
Always Act Professional
I’ve been guilty of playing fast and loose with my professional contacts because, like many creatives, I have a desire for all that crazy creative energy to come together and make everyone rich. That’s not realistic. Worse, if you somehow hit the lottery and stumble upon a hit that way, when it’s time to get serious and make some real money, your creative team will still think screwing around is the way to do it.
Creative teams that make big projects and real money act professionally or, at least, get more professional as the project makes more money. Some rock bands go on to make great albums after their first hit, while others let the fame and money tear them apart. By acting professionally from the beginning, you avoid this pitfall.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
7. Reacting Emotionally to Problems: This is the single worst thing you can do in a working relationship. Flying off the handle, yelling, throwing stuff across the room in a rage— None of it helps. No matter how bad the situation gets, maintain a professional level of dialogue.
Even if your collaborator completely goes off the rails and destroys the project, you have to think of your future and reputation outside of that project. Losing control will likely fuel what’s happening, especially if your collaborator has gotten emotional.
By maintaining a level head, you can salvage the situation. For example, some people fly into a rage and then regret it afterward. You can use that regret to put in place the procedure to avoid that emotional rollercoaster. Then if it happens again, you can point to the first agreement (calmly) and say, “I’m sorry. We already discussed this, and you agreed to X, Y, and Z.”
If the worst does happen and you end up in court, keep your professional demeanor. Your former collaborator won’t look good admitting they chucked a lightbox across the room in a fit of rage while you calmly explained the deadline was two weeks past.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
6. Entangling Relationships: In the world of comics or music or film, or any creative endeavor, you often want to work with your friends. Sometimes those friends become more than just friends, and you end up working with significant others and spouses. It can work, but it often puts a strain on both the working and friendship/romantic relationship.
My best advice is, don’t do it. Ever.
Doing creative stuff with your friends or S.O. is a lot of fun, but doing it for money— Especially when that money starts supporting the lifestyle, is a significant change in the paradigm and one that most relationships don’t survive. You might be the exception. You might be both very professional (or took my various articles to heart) and are so on the same page that it works. The chances are, however, very slim.
If, however, you fall into it— Maybe you start doing something for fun, and it just explodes into a business that supports everyone involved— You need to begin to have serious talks about everything in this article. Resentment is likely to build, especially if someone is doing the grunt work while someone else is basking in the glory.
In comics, doing the art tends to be the grunt work, while the writer has more time to promote and do interviews and podcasts— It’s much easier to be Stan Lee as a writer than an artist. Art is more time intensive and will likely stay the same in the next 20 years.
Acknowledge the Change
Gather your team, have a meeting, and acknowledge the change in the relationship. Hopefully, everyone can come to a consensus. Some participants only want to do these sorts of projects for fun, and once money comes into the picture, it becomes too much work for them. The novelty wears off, and complaints start piling up.
Doing creative stuff is fun, and doing creative things for a living is fun but also a lot of work. You can’t live in an artistic dream world while the bills go unpaid and angry fans demand your next issue. Hopefully, if you do part ways as co-workers, you can still maintain your friendship and relationship.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
5. Breaking the Rules: Once you set up a procedure and a professional way of doing things, don’t flaunt your own rules. It might be fun and funny, but it can alienate your collaborator badly and damage your working relationship.
If it happens accidentally, apologize, even if no offense was taken. Sometimes, things happen, deadlines get missed, and people have life events that conflict with work and even real-life emergencies. Most people can forgive you when you break the rules under those extreme and rare circumstances. They are less likely to forgive if, for instance, you agree not to argue with fans online and then get caught doing just that.
And if you don’t hold yourself to your own standard, how do you expect anyone else to do the same? Even if your partner breaks the rules and you’re tempted to even the score, don’t do it. Maintaining the moral high ground can give you the leverage to steer your collaborator away from causing more problems.
4. Not Communicating: One of the biggest problems collaborators have is that they do not communicate. If you don’t regularly talk to your collaborator, the vacuum is going to be filled with something— Usually new expectations. Artists especially need this contact.
Artists work on a drawing board for hours a day, creating images. They tune out the world while drawing, and this isolation keeps them from human contact sometimes. Regularly contact your collaborators and keep it friendly, light, and professional.
Too much contact can be a bad thing too. I’ve had artists who considered me a close friend in a short time. They would ask personal questions and put personal things into the comics without consulting me first. That’s too much, and I was forced to keep an artist at arm’s length to keep him from prying into my life too deeply. Unfortunately, he had difficulty separating friendship and working relationship, and eventually, we parted company.
Have meetings and/or regular contact. It’s just a good idea if your collaborator starts having problems outside the project. Whether it’s divorce, getting fired from a day gig, or their kid is sick— You’re not interested in prying; your job is to manage the project when your collaborator has a crisis. Unfortunately, some people just aren’t happy unless they’re in a perpetual crisis. (This is why you must vet collaborators.)
Photo Credit: Mezco
3. Allowing Problems to Fester: This won’t be an issue if you communicate. You should be trying to resolve your problems as they arise.
Unfortunately, creative types love to live in their own worlds, and the temptation is to ignore problems and hope they disappear. That often works for a short time, but you may not see your collaborator’s resentment growing. If you don’t address a problem when it’s fresh, it can fester and destroy your project and the relationship with your collaborator. (Remember when I talked about entangling relationships?)
Regular meetings and talks can alleviate much of this unless your collaborator thrives under constant drama. Sometimes your collaborator will need to be forward more, and they’ll stay quiet rather than rock the boat. If you sense a problem, encourage them to come forward and talk about it sooner rather than later. Have an open-door policy of talking to your team when they need you.
Recently, I had an artist worried about backlash on a particular comic he had drawn. It was related to a hot-button issue in the news, and he worried that he would offend people. He lives in another country, so I gave him more context about that issue. This quelled his worry, and it was all good. Had I ignored him, he might have felt slighted.
New problems are typically minor problems. Long-standing problems, however, become a part of the atmosphere in which you work. Don’t allow that to happen if you can help it. That atmosphere can be poisonous and detrimental to the project.
2. Not Having a Contract: I am not a lawyer. However, I have signed contracts and written a few for myself and my artists. Almost any agreement, no matter how well written, can be litigated. You want to avoid court at all costs with your collaborators. It’s expensive and will drive a wedge in your previous relationship.
The purpose of the contract (at least for collaborators who aren’t lawyers) is to get down on paper the same rules, procedures, money, etc. I’ve been talking about. Any concern, no matter how small, should be addressed and put in writing. There are vital things you need to make clear:
Money
True collaboration means equal risk and equal reward. As I see it, the Artist/Writer dynamic breaks down like this: The artist is doing the drawing, which will probably take a good month for an issue. Since most pro-level writers can crank out a script in three days or less, that gives writers more time to pick up the slack on the other end, they will probably be the ones doing promotion, marketing, and talking to the printer or publisher. Artists can be involved too if they want, but they often don’t have the time. It’s on the writer to keep them in the loop enough so they feel like the whole project is staying on track. That’s why you have meetings, regular contact, and these contracts.
The reward is simple, depending. In my case, I’m the writer and the publisher of many of my projects. That’s more work, plus I’m putting out the money for the printing, website, etc. Artists must put up half that capital if they want half the reward. That’s how business works. Otherwise, you can’t complain when your collaborator has to take a more significant cut to reimburse himself. He took a bigger risk.
Collaborators work for a percentage. Get that down on paper what that means. It should mean a portion of the net profit— i.e., profit after the costs are covered. This also means costs have to be approved. You can’t charge a sushi lunch daily to the project, or it’ll never make any money. (Typical costs include printing, advertising, and some art supplies.)
Image from Pixabay
1. Not Planning for the end:
Working relationships end. Whether that’s because the project is over or you’ve had it with your collaborator doesn’t matter— Work that into the contract. Believe me; it’s a helluva lot easier working out how you’ll part company when the project is just starting rather than when you’re angry at each other.
Again, details are essential. Who owns the rights? Can both of you do a comic with the same name and concept, or can neither of you without the other? What happens to the leftover stock?
Are there royalties, and for how long will they be paid?
Having the plan to do an amicable split means that when the time comes, you go your separate ways without involving lawyers. If you’ve communicated, kept in regular contact, had a procedure, and kept things professional— Hopefully, this all goes according to plan, and everyone walks away feeling good about the situation.
I’ve seen creative teams tear themselves apart at this stage, and I have to shake my head. All relationships are temporary, especially working ones. What were these guys thinking?
Nothing lasts forever.
Unfortunately, when the money dries up, things can fall apart quickly. If your collaborator is spending money frivolously because he thinks the next four issues are going to cover his lifestyle— You’ll thank your lucky stars you had this clause in a contract if things fall apart.
The comic may simply end, and your artist or writer may be off doing something else. I’ve had artists poached by other comic book companies, and it’s okay. It was more money, a bigger project— We’re all freelancers, and I would do (and have done) the same thing. In this business, you have to move to where the money is.
For writers/publishers like myself, it’s best you retain the rights and plan for artists to leave you. It’s just the nature of the business. If you keep good ties, your former artist becomes successful and gives you a hand when you need work or exposure. If not, at least you’ve maintained a level of professionalism that builds your rep as someone great to work with.
Conclusion: Collaboration can be a rollercoaster. I’ve seen them become an absolute Hellscape for those involved, while others are simple, easy-breezy. Follow my advice; hopefully, you will be in the latter camp.
That’s all for now, fanboys. See you at the next comic-con!
It has been nearly a year since Super7 announced the next wave of Star Trek: The Next Generation ReAction figures. Then, out of nowhere, the company announces Wave 3, consisting of nothing but characters from a single episode: Elementary, Dear Data.
This third episode from the second season took place mainly on the holodeck. It saw Captain Picard, Worf, La Forge, and Data solving a Sherlock Holmes-styled mystery. Unfortunately, a simple misworded command to the holodeck’s computer adds an advisory to the simulation that can easily outwit Data instead of Sherlock Holmes.
OK, the episode was more about Data, Picard, and Dr. Pulaski. However, you can’t pad out a wave with only two known characters and someone who disappeared after a few episodes. It is odd that we don’t get a Moriarty figure with this wave, considering he is a major player in not only this episode but an overlying dilemma when it comes to the show’s questions about artificial intelligence.
The Star Trek: The Next Generation holodeck figures are light on accessories. Picard comes with a cane. Data has his pipe. Geordi’s sole accessory is a journal.
Each figure in this wave is priced at $20. They’re available right now to ship.
Image Credit: Super7
Image Credit: Super7
“In this episode, an attempt to provide Data with a challenging role playing game scenario on the holodeck backfires when another character in the game accidentally becomes self-aware. Suit up for a Victorian-era mystery and transport your collection to a fantastical new dimension.”
Which special one-off episodes from Star Trek: TNG would you like to see get the ReAction figure treatment? Come to think of it, which special guest appearances would you like to see turned into figures? Should we get multiple waves of Jeffrey Combs cameo ReAction figures? I’d buy them!
Fans of Star Wars have a lot of new content to check out in 2023. With the release of new seasons for shows like The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch, and even more incoming, has some good things going on. But in addition to that, fans of a galaxy far, far away have the release of EA’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivor in April to look forward to when the game is out on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. And yet, that’s not the only Star Wars game that has been in development for some time with little to no information for a while. If we’re getting more Star Wars games in the nearby future, what are they and where have they been?
For a long time, Electronic Arts had the license to make new Star Wars games exclusively, shutting out other studios from making their own games. With that coming to an end, developers at various companies now have the ability to tackle Star Wars in new and interesting ways, if they are able to release them. Some games fans were eagerly anticipating have either gone completely silent or were canceled before progression on them could be made. Luckily, not every Star Wars game that has gone missing in recent years is down and out. So here are a few of the new Star Wars games that were announced or shown in some capacity a while back, but have not shown up since. We sense a disturbance in the force…
Star Wars Eclipse – Quantic Dream
From the makers of Heavy Rain and Detroit Become Human comes a Star Wars game set in the era of the High Republic. Quantic Dream has been working on Star Wars Eclipse for a long time, with many twists and turns that have been reported on in many outlets since its first official reveal during the Game Awards with a trailer. The game was said to have many gameplay aspects that harkened back to some of the studio’s previous hits, such as branching narratives and a heavy emphasis on character interactions. At the same time, a lot of chatter about combat and a multiplayer component was rumored or mentioned in various capacities, without much confirmation or clarification from Quantic Dream themselves.
Ever since fans were given a glimpse of the game in that trailer, a lot of chatter about troubles at the studio and a deafening silence has put doubt into everyone’s minds. The trailer shown did have many familiar sights that Star Wars fans were excited about, including shots of Yoda at the Jedi Temple and starships that echoed some of the technology seen during the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
In addition, the showcase of different alien races and species gave the impression that we would see a bustling world where the story took place, with the hopes of Quantic Dream’s signature attention to detail being at the forefront. While leaks and reports of the game had details about what the story might be, not much has been said officially since then. How this game will take form, and when it will finally release, is anyone’s guess at this point.
Star Wars Hunters – Zynga
A while back we got a look at the upcoming multiplayer combat game Star Wars Hunters, set for release on iOS/Android and Nintendo Switch. Unfortunately, while the game has been shown in multiple places with gameplay on display it hasn’t been released for any platform just yet. The official website has a timeframe of 2023 for the game to come out, but no definitive date has been revealed.
Star Wars Hunters borrows gameplay elements from titles like Overwatch and Apex Legends, where you play as a chosen hero and battle in team-based matches. Players can expect the usual Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag game modes, with a few other arena modes that aim to be competitive. The cast of heroes has been revealed for a while and has a wide range of characters to choose from including a dark side assassin, Jedi droid, jawa scavengers, bounty hunters, and more. The game takes place on the planet Vespaara located in the Outer Rim and has a bunch of environments where battles happen. Star Wars Hunters has pre-registration open now and a soft launch going on now, but still listed for official launch in 2023.
Ubisoft’s Open-World Untitled Star Wars Game
Announced over social media back in 2022, Ubisoft has been hard at work on a new Star Wars game that is said to be open-world. The game is being headed by Massive Entertainment, the same team who made Tom Clancey’s The Division 2 and the upcoming Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora for 2023. In collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm Games, Massive is looking to create a story-drive open-world game set in the Star Wars galaxy. The project itself has been given the code name Snowdrop since it was first revealed that it had been in development.
No concrete details about the gameplay or story have been revealed by Ubisoft or Massive Entertainment. Many have speculated that the game would share similar characteristics to the studio’s previous titles, most notably The Division 2. Could this be a game where you play as a team of characters? It’s anybody’s guess as of now. However, Ubisoft Creative Director Julian Gerighty posted about the game on Twitter saying “2023 is going to be a huge year for them” with #MassiveStarWars included. The tweet also had an image of the Star Wars logo from the announcement of the game’s development prior.
Julian then followed up the tweet afterward with a small statement after the tweet was shared around everything saying, “This seems to have sparked quite some interest! To be clear, I meant that 2023 will be huge for our teams building our game (which you could be a part of!).” When and where we’ll hear about this game next is unknown.
Respawn’s Two Untitled Star Wars Games
While Respawn Entertainment is releasing Star Wars Jedi: Survivor on April 28th, it’s not the only game that has been in development for them. The studio actually has two other games that fans should get excited about, a new first-person shooter and a strategy game. The first game is being led by Respawn game director Peter Hirschmann and was first revealed in January 2023. What is interesting is that postings about the project on LinkedIn have possibly revealed that the game is heavily inspired by classic Star Wars FPS titles like the Jedi Knight trilogy (Dark Forces and Dark Forces 2). Could this be the game that finally brings fan-favorite character Kyle Katarn into the new Star Wars canon? Or are going to get something entirely new inspired by the classics? No release date from either Respawn or Electronic Arts was given, nor has one been rumored since the announcement.
The second Star Wars game from the studio is a strategy game being made in collaboration with Bit Reactor, a studio known for making strategy games. In the past, they were best known for working on titles like XCOM, Civilization, Elder Scrolls Online, and the Gears of War franchise. Their forte is strategy games so it would make sense for Respawn to team up with them in making this new Star Wars game, but other details about the game have since been unknown. The project is being led by Greg Foertsch, a games industry veteran who has done work on series such as Sid Meir’s Civilizations and Alpha Centauri. We still don’t have a release date or window, but the project could be very early in development, so don’t expect to see it for a while.
Amy Hennig and Skydance New Media Star Wars Game
One of the best writers in the games industry is industry veteran Amy Hennig, who has done work on popular games like Uncharted, The Legacy of Kain, and many others. Amy is currently working on writing the story for an action-adventure Star Wars game with Skydance Media. The project is still very early on and hasn’t had a full reveal since its original announcement.
For those who don’t know, Amy Hennig prior to this was working with Visceral Games on another untitled Star Wars game back in 2017 that was canceled by Electronic Arts. The project was codenamed Project Ragtag and part of a demo build for E3 2016 was shared online. While the demo had a good reception, various problems behind the scenes at the studio led to the cancelation of the game and eventually the disbanding of Visceral Games.
Skydance New Media is known for previous titles like The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, as well as Archangel and PWND. They worked on those games before they underwent changes in management and became Skydance New Media. No details about release date, platforms, or game specifics have been revealed or reported on since Amy Hennig’s involvement with the project. While there could be a possibility of more information about the game to come out in the months or years ahead, possibly at events like E3 or Star Wars Celebration, we might not be hearing or seeing the game in any significant way for a very long time.
Knights of the Old Republic Remake – Aspyr and Saber Interactive
The announcement of a full remake of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic got many Star Wars fans excited. One of the best role-playing games and Star Wars stories is being remade for modern consoles? Sounds like a completely epic win. However, it quickly became apparent that things weren’t progressing as smoothly as many hoped, with Aspyr seemingly being shaken up after a progress check on the game’s development. Since then, various outlets have reported that the remake for Knights of the Old Republic was shelved and possibly given over to Saber Interactive to restart development.
Originally when the game was being made by Aspyr Media, the game was going to be a full remake of the original KOTOR. Many of the characters and story beats were said to be in place, with minor changes made here and there. The gameplay on the other hand was unclear if major changes were going to be made to make the combat and exploration more in line with modern releases. Many players have said that the combat in Knights of the Old Republic was the weaker part of the experience, and wasn’t opposed to seeing it be improved in some way. Outside of an announcement trailer shown during a 2021 PlayStation Showcase, which featured Revan igniting his lightsaber, little to no other details were given about the game. This was right up until news broke out about Aspyr being removed from the project by parent company Embracer Group and things changing at the studio.
At this point, it’s said that Saber Interactive has been assigned to make the game, with a number of outlets reporting that they had been helping out Aspyr for weeks prior to the big changes. One quote passed around stated the changes were done to “ensure the quality bar is where we need it to be for the title”. Will we see Knights of the Old Republic Remake again any time soon? Nobody knows for sure. Though speculation about it is grim, it doesn’t seem like the project has been canceled just yet. We may get to see Revan, Bastila Shan, and the rest of the Knights of the Old Republic cast remade in modern-day graphics someday.
What Star Wars games are you looking forward to seeing? Are you hoping to get some major Star Wars game announcements in the nearby future? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Another hero from the Spider-Verse has made their way to Mezco’s One:12 Collective. The next 6″ tall premium action figure is Earth-65’s Gwen Stacy, also known as Ghost-Spider.
Much like the One:12 Collective’s Spider-Man, Ghost-Spider comes with many accessories and interchangeable parts. She will have four different portraits, including an unmasked head. Ghost-Spider has only a few web effects pieces, unfortunately. Instead, she has two alternate hands with shooting webs and a single web line.
Gwen Stacy also comes with a pink multiverse portal effect. However, it does not look like the portal connects to the Ghost-Spider-themed base. Hopefully, that thing will be able to stand on its own.
Mezco chose to go with a comic-book-accurate appearance for Gwen Stacy’s face. Thankfully, too. I may be in the minority here, but I found her Into The Spider-Verse face to look like Alfred E. Neuman. It’s the gap between the teeth and the way her nose is shaped. Trust me, once you notice it, it’s hard not to think of MAD Magazine’s icon.
“In an alternate universe dubbed Earth-65, Gwen Stacy is the famous wall-crawler who was bitten by the infamous radioactive spider instead of Peter Parker. Influenced by her father’s moral code, Gwen uses her great powers responsibly to protect New York and the Web of Life!”
There are standard action movies that try to wow us with their spectacle and cool moves, and then there’s the John Wick series. Those who love seeing crazy action scenes, gun fights that feel like watching violent ballet, and a cool sense of sophisticated style hold the John Wick movies in high regard. And things don’t slow down for anything in the fourth and final film of the series, both figuratively and literally. John Wick: Chapter 4 is an awesome movie that takes everything we love about the previous three films and gives it an extra shot of espresso while arming it up with every kind of awesome weapon you can think of. This is undeniably a must-see action movie that will catch you by surprise.
The plot of John Wick: Chapter 4 picks up right after the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, with Keanu Reeves as John Wick preparing for war with the assassin world’s rulers, The Table. Given a brand new black suit, pistol, and a direction for who to kill next; John Wick travels to new locations evading a countless number of bad guys. Searching for a way to end his involvement with the assassin world, John come across old allies and new foes that push his body to the absolute limit, then goes even further. In the process, we get to meet new assassins that work for and stand beside The Table, including Donnie Yen’s Caine, Shamier Anderson as Tracker, and Hiroyuki Sanada as the Osaka Continental’s manager Shimazu. It’s a long road of bodies left on the ground wherever John Wick goes, with an incredible amount of high-stakes action and a climax that is both shocking and fitting for the series.
Everyone is bringing their a-game skills with every action sequence that plays out on screen. Keanu Reeves looks awesome as the Baba Yaga on the run and battling waves of bad guys. If you thought John Wick was brutal in the last film, Chapter 4 will shatter your perception of what you think brutal is. The fights are fantastic in every way, from the cinematography to the hard-hitting sounds and burst of gunfire. In addition, many of these fights go for a longer time than you might expect, with a few instances that feel like things are coming to a close only to surprise you with even more. One action sequence is an overhead shot of a building we see John Wick taking down a group of bad guys with a shotgun that uses dragon breath ammo, and it is awesome. The best part is that the momentum and high quality of each engagement John Wick gets into never lets up. It’s a constant stream of epic sequences.
But even in the quieter moments of the film, John Wick: Chapter 4 does a lot of good world-building and presents other parts of the assassin world we haven’t seen before. A standout scene in Germany with Scott Adkins as the assassin boss Killa gives us a great, seedy underground club with a Mexican standoff between multiple characters, followed by an amazing gunfight that acts as the appetizer for the rest of the film. There are multiple scenes that feel very similar with varying characters either interacting with John Wick or giving more setup for the climax. While it’s debatable that some of the scenes bring down the momentum of the film overall, they don’t take away from the bigger sequences that make the film exciting to watch. They are completely overshadowed by more fights, shocking surprises, and cool-looking shots that do not disappoint whatsoever.
Some of the characters we know from the previous John Wick films are handled with reverence and taste, with a few surprising moments that many fans won’t see coming. Ian McShane as Winston gives us a lot of great dialogue and remains our guide into this assassin world, explaining the rules and important details that become very relevant in many parts of the movie. His relationship with John Wick is strong and very much in line with previous films but with higher stakes this time around. Lance Reddick has a smaller part in this final installment, with only a few big scenes he was part of.
While the actor’s passing was a shock to everyone, his character of Charon is given solid material to work with that ends in a shocking twist that sparks later parts of the story. His character was a well-liked one in previous films, and it’s great to see it handled with reverence and make sense within the world of these films. This is accented by the movie itself being dedicated to the late actor.
The rest of the cast all get their good moments where it counts, even those who aren’t fighting with someone. The Bowery King, played by Lawrence Fishburne, has plenty of smart lines and jokes with greater meaning. Natalia Tena as Katia has a small part of the story that gives John Wick something he needs to set up the final confrontation that is complimented by a side quest we get to see play out in full, leading to one of the best action sequences in the movie. And the daughter of Shimazu named Akira, played by Rin Sawayama, gets a cool fight at the earlier parts of the movie and stinger towards the very end.
And if you wanted to see a master action movie star at work, Donnie Yen is in incredible form in this movie. His fights are spectacular, his dialogue with everyone is interesting, and his big moments in multiple places are some of his best work. Fans of action movies will have so much fun spotting a few nods to the actor’s previous films that are littered throughout but will love how they’re implemented in cool and exciting ways that don’t feel cheesy or lame.
The good surprise of the cast comes from Shamier Anderson as Tracker, whose scenes are a joy to watch and will hit you harder than some of the punches being thrown. His interaction with his dog companion and how he fights to look great, with a few really good moments with John Wick that will catch everyone off guard. But even more so is how he gets to interact or come across nearly everyone in the story, but not in a cheap or shallow way that doesn’t feel important. How his involvement with this world is shown is very unique and different from the rest of the cast, leading to some great payoffs by the time the final battle comes to a close. All we’ll say is that someone definitely gets their well-deserved biting.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is a movie you need to see right now. The action is exciting and over-the-top with how crazy things can get, with a story that feels like a solid conclusion to the series. There are a lot of incredible setups and payoffs that continuously deliver an amazing movie-watching experience that few other films hope to achieve. One can argue about certain parts that make the movie imperfect, but none of that is enough to wipe away how much of a fun ride it is to watch John Wick: Chapter 4 from start to finish. It may not be over for this world of assassins full of rules and consequences, but nobody would be disappointed if it went out on a high note like this. This movie is awesome.
Are you going to see John Wick: Chapter 4? Have you gotten to watch all of the movies in the John Wick series? Post your thoughts below in the comment section and tell us what you think!
Activision Blizzard’s push to increase the number of women and non-binary employees isn’t going so well. The gaming company, which may soon be part of Microsoft, has the lofty goal of diversifying 35% of its workforce by 2025.
As of December 2022, women made up 25%, and non-binary individuals were 1%, according to CNBC. In an official Activision Blizzard blog post, Chief DE&I Officer Kristen Hines showed off data indicating the recruitment numbers weren’t great. The company appeared only to be able to retain mostly white employees in 2022:
Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard’s CEO, should spend more time fixing the existing culture in the company that has led to unrest and several lawsuits. This could be why women either don’t want to work there or quit within 12 months.
The Warcraft and Call of Duty icons should work with local technical schools to create onboarding programs similar to the one I was in in the late 1990s. Then, thanks to what was called the DICE program, I had a job doing what I was majoring in before I graduated.
From my experience hiring for large corporations, trying to reach a specific goal regarding immutable qualities is counter-productive. People will naturally flock to the jobs they want. Considering the labor shortage lately, Activision Blizzard should focus on hiring the best people and not worry about a quota.
However, Hines’s position depends on the company’s need for a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer. Even if Activision Blizzard were to reach some fantasy nirvana where the company was made up equally of every type of person imaginable, she would still need to justify her position or be out of a job. Hence, the goalpost will always be moved.
The downside to this quota is the eventual concessions Activision Blizzard will make to meet an arbitrary number. This could mean putting people less qualified into positions to make it look like progress is being made. Ultimately, customers will have to suffer with the end results.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is a movie you need to see right now. The action is exciting and over-the-top with how crazy things can get, with a story that feels like a solid conclusion to the series. There are a lot of incredible setups and payoffs that continuously deliver an amazing movie-watching experience that few other films hope to achieve. One can argue about certain parts that make the movie imperfect, but none of that is enough to wipe away how much of a fun ride it is to watch John Wick: Chapter 4 from start to finish. It may not be over for this world of assassins full of rules and consequences, but nobody would be disappointed if it went out on a high note like this. This movie is awesome.
