games

Facebook found itself in the spotlight of gun-violence controversy after showing off a first-person virtual-reality shooting game at the Conservative Political Action Conference this week. Facebook was demo’ing futuristic combat-simulation game “Bullet Train” in its booth at CPAC in Maryland just outside of Washington, D.C. The company and the game’s developer, Epic Games, have showed off the VR experience at trade …

Are your Spidey senses tingling? Peter Parker and Miles Morales are back for a new web-slinging adventure in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 from Insomniac Games, out exclusively on PlayStation 5 on Oct. 20. Ahead of the release, Variety played roughly three hours of content during a special preview event in L.A., taking on several story missions and exploring the vast recreation …

Rovio Entertainment, the games and entertainment company built around the “Angry Birds” global franchise, announced plans Tuesday for an initial public offering to raise capital and improve its “strategic flexibility.” The Espoo, Finland-based company zoomed to worldwide fame with the phenomenal popularity of “Angry Birds,” but in recent years has suffered declining revenue and profits — leading to several rounds of …

Although Mortal Kombat 1 isn’t officially available until September 19, fans of the video game can get their hands on the premium edition of the fighting game early. Developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games, Mortal Kombat 1 : Premium Edition — which features fan-favorite fighters like Liu Kang, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden and Kitana, as well as …

Accomplished Japanese director, Yukihiko Tsutsumi is in the final stages of editing “12 Suicidal Teens,” a work that explores the topic with a focus on young people. It’s scheduled for a January 2019 release in Japan. Rights were pitched this week at the TIFFCOM market by Nippon TV. It is something of a swerve, for Tsutsumi who has directed big …

While King Kong and Lara Croft may be big-screen staples, the trailblazing Monsterverse titan and the cult-favorite, bow-and-arrow toting heroine of Legendary Entertainment and Square Enix’s respective franchises have never been adapted for a modern anime series — until now. Netflix and Legendary Television are expanding the globally famed universes of Legendary’s “Skull Island” and Square Enix’s “Tomb Raider” for …

Chinese games, video and social media giant Tencent was Wednesday rebuked by China’s Ministry of Information Technology for illegal use of consumer data at its ubiquitous Weixin / WeChat super-app. The move came just a day after another regulator, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued draft rules on competition and data privacy that may be among the toughest in …

UPDATED “Outer Wilds,” the action-adventure mystery about a solar system trapped in an endless time loop, won best game, game design and original property at Thursday’s British Academy Games Awards, which took place virtually due to the coronavirus crisis. Also winning three BAFTAs was the open-world, role playing detective game “Disco Elysium,” for debut game, narrative and music. The ceremony, …

Riot Games, the global game developer and publisher behind online multiplayer phenom “League of Legends,” has named Gaude Lydia Paez as senior VP, global communications and corporate affairs. With nearly two decades of leadership experience in the global media and entertainment, technology and advertising industries, Paez will bring her knowledge to oversee Riot’s communication, social-responsibility, and global government-affairs efforts. “Throughout …

Riot Games announced the 10 teams selected for the permanent partnership structure of the “League of Legends” North American League Championship Series — including four backed by NBA teams — starting with 2018 play. The pro eSports league, which the video-game publisher first launched in 2013, has previously operated under a promotion/relegation model (similar to soccer’s English Premier League). The …