Entertainment

A reader asked the Denver Post why it hadn’t covered a grisly and salacious 2014 murder in Littleton, CO. It hadn’t, because the crime never happened.

But there it is on YouTube and Spotify, accumulating millions of views with seemingly AI-generated voiceovers and faces. True crime fans say they reported the videos months ago after YouTube recommended them, but they aren’t being removed.

The Resident Evil games on Apple’s App Store now require that you have an internet connection when you start them up, Capcom says. That’s a shame if you’re one of the reportedly few people who have bought Resident Evil 4, 7, or Village for your Apple device.

AB 2602 has been approved — a bill that requires explicit consent from performers across TV, film, videogames, audiobooks, and commercials to create digital replicas.

SAG-AFTRA executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland commended the guardrails it provides against licensing abuse, calling it “a huge step forward.” The bill still needs to be signed by Governor Gavin Newsom before it can take effect, though.

That’s a real quote from our group publisher Chris Grant, who founded Polygon. Enjoy!

At Remap, Patrick Klepek writes about The Game of Sisyphus, which is exactly what it sounds like.

And not even from the press! Besides Westworld and Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton created ER and his widow is now claiming that everyone involved in a potential reboot or sequel to the series instead boxed Crichton’s estate out and gathered to make The Pitt instead — including lead actor Noah Wyle.

Among other things, the show featured behind-the-scenes looks at the hilarious Thank Goodness You’re Here and the beautiful Arco.

In terms of news, Time Flies and Despelote were delayed to next year, and Nour: Play With Your Food is coming to Nintendo Switch on August 29th.

Last year’s Chrono Trigger-esque RPG, Sea of Stars, is getting a free DLC, Throes of the Watchmaker, in spring 2025 on PC and consoles.

I really liked the game when I played it last year, so I’m excited to jump back into the game’s world when the DLC comes out.

That sound you heard was Goro Majima from Yakuza Kiwami, the final game on display during today’s Nintendo Partner Showcase. Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the first Yakuza game and it’s finally making its Nintendo Switch debut October 24th. Hopefully, the game does well enough that we will get the rest of the stellar series ported over to the Switch.

Civilization 7 will be everywhere, including the Nintendo Switch. During today’s Indie World / Partner Showcase, Firaxis showed off what Civ 7 will look like on the Nintendo Switch. Expect the same gameplay that will let you mix and match your civs and leaders and change civs as you go through history, but maybe temper your expectations on graphics. Civilization 7 launches on console, PC, and Mac February 11th.

Hot on the heels of Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection, Capcom’s gone back in their impressive-ass vault to pull out another collection of classic fighting games. Capcom Fighting Collection 2 bundles together eight games including Capcom vs. SNK, its sequel, both Power Stone games, and more. No release date yet, but expect the game to come out sometime 2025.

The first two games in the epic RPG series are getting a facelift on the Switch, with a bundle that launches on March 6th. Just make sure to search for the full title: Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars.

In Date Everything, a new dating simulator from Team17 and Sassy Chap Games, your potential partners include appliances like your vacuum, household items like the humble bobby pin, and even concepts like existential dread. If dating and romance isn’t your thing, you also have the capability of just remaining friends. Date Everything arrives on Nintendo Switch on October 24th.

The good folks at Digital Eclipse have turned their attention to Tetris, with a new collection that explores the history of the iconic puzzle series. It’s launching later this year. Plus! The NES version of Tetris is also on its way for Switch Online subscribers.

It wouldn’t be a Direct without some surprise launches. Later today a few new indies will be hitting the Nintendo eshop: co-operative platformer Pico Park 2, the Peggle-like Peglin, and the old-school action game Pizza Tower.

Balatro was the first game to kick off today’s Nintendo showcase double feature announcing some new content. The poker roguelike that’s got people obsessing over Jokers is getting a cosmetic makeover with the help of the Friends of Jimbo expansion that will add themed decks from The Witcher, Vampire Survivor, Among Us, and Dave the Diver. Better yet, it’ll be available today.

Morsels follows a “mouse who uses magic cards to transform into little monsters, battling against wicked felines who dominate the game’s world.” Whatever it is, it looks pretty fun in its first trailer, and it’s launching on the Switch in February.

PowerWash Simulator is getting an ogre-flavored update that’s listed as “coming soon.”

The cozy visual novel series / barista simulator is expanding with a new release called Coffee Talk Tokyo. No release date, but it’s launching next year.

The spiritual successor to the gorgeous Gris looks dark, beautiful, and dramatic in its new trailer. It is launching on October 15th on the Switch, PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.

Sony is raising PS5 prices in Japan on September 2nd. Both models are going up by 13,000 yen (nearly $90). This is the third PS5 console price hike in Japan since the console’s launch in 2020. The yen has weakened against the dollar in recent years, and Sony blames “fluctuations in the global economic situation” for this latest PS5 increase.

Edgar Bronfman Jr. did have some of the credentials to run Paramount. That’s why the heir turned film producer, music mogul, and chairman of FuboTV plus a group of investors made a last minute bid. Now that he’s withdrawn Skydance and David Ellison, son of Oracle’s Larry Ellison, are all but assured to be the new owners of CBS, MTV, and crucially to me — Star Trek.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt “...gave money back to make sure that we had a theatrical release” in thousands of theaters, but just ahead of a big Olympics marketing push, the Wolfs plan changed to a limited one-week run before its Apple TV Plus debut.

NYT:

Apple executives in Cupertino were already questioning the entertainment units over the amount of money being spent on movies, and the people said there was a thought within the company to not risk a public disappointment should the movie not succeed at the box office.

The Xbox TV app is now available on Amazon’s first-gen Fire TV Stick 4K Max and the third-gen Fire TV Cube. The Xbox app was first available for an initial set of Amazon devices last month.

I have said before, and still firmly believe, that Every Frame a Painting is the best YouTube series of all time. And now, after eight years of silence, it’s back! (Apparently the folks at XOXO this weekend got a preview of the duo’s short film, too, which fills me jealousy.)

BRB watching all the EFAP videos again for the 9,326th time.

Robert and Michelle King’s last two shows, Evil and The Good Fight were both pretty clearly skeptical of Big Tech by the end. Presumably this show will be slightly more grounded with fewer snipers and demons involved in the next big tech moment. And given how much the Kings have to say on how tech is transforming our culture, I can’t wait to see what they do focusing their sites on Apple and its ilk.

Edgar Bronfman Jr., who put in a $6 billion bid for control of Paramount last week, would want to partner with a company like Amazon or Apple to bolster Paramount’s streaming service, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Paramount is expected to decide whether Bronfman’s offer beats its merger deal with Skydance on August 28th.

He doesn’t seem pleased with how the game’s online head-to-head records work. And judging from the replies, plenty other people feel the same way.

“Other than that,” James said in a later post, “I love the game.”