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Watch 15 minutes of 'Elden Ring' gameplay here at 9:45AM ET
For most Souls fans, this will be the best chance to see the highly anticipated RPG in action before its February 25th release date.
'Elden Ring' will let you summon the spirits of dead enemies as allies
Director Hidetaka Miyazaki revealed a bunch more details about FromSoftware's next game.
HBO announces 'Game of Thrones' spin-off 'House of the Dragon'
To close out its big HBO Max presentation -- the service will launch in May 2020 with a $14.99 per month price -- execs revealed that the flagship HBO show Game of Thrones will get a new spin-off based on Fire & Blood. House of the Dragon is a spin-off produced by author George R.R. Martin and Ryan Condal, which is set 300 years prior to the events of the first show. Miguel Sapochnik, who directed the "Battle of the Bastards" episode will serve as co-showrunner, as well as directing the pilot and additional episodes. The show is initially set for a 10-episode run, and is a part of Sapochnik's overall deal to create shows for HBO and HBO Max. In a statement, HBO programming president Casey Bloys said "The Game of Thrones universe is so rich with stories. We look forward to exploring the origins of House Targaryen and the earlier days of Westeros along with Miguel, Ryan and George."
George R. R. Martin and From Software collaborate on 'Elden Ring'
The rumors were true -- George R. R. Martin is involved in a video game, and it's not a Game of Thrones tie-in. The author has partnered with From Software to produce Elden Ring, a fantasy title coming to the Xbox One and PC. There are precious few details at this point, but it's set in a universe created by Dark Souls mastermind Hidetaka Miyazaki. Someone appears to have shattered the ring, and the consequences are dire.
Syfy cancels George R.R. Martin’s ‘Nightflyers’
Nightflyers, the space drama based on George R.R. Martin's 1980 novella, could be grounded for good. Just a few months after Syfy released all 10 episodes simultaneously in an attempt to appeal to binge viewers, the network has chosen to forgo a second season. Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter both say that the show has been cancelled.
George R.R. Martin and indie cinemas want 'The Interview' to live on
Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has called the cancellation of Sony's The Interview "a stunning display of cowardice," and says he'd be glad to show it in his own theater, the Jean Cocteau Cinema in New Mexico. Like other celebrities (including George Clooney), the Game of Thrones author is critical of both the chains and Sony itself, but the comments posted to his blog are particularly pointed. He says "it's a good thing these guys weren't around when Charlie Chaplin made The Great Dictator. If Kim Jong-Un scares them, Adolf Hitler would have had them shitting in their smallclothes." He ends the post saying "come to Santa Fe, Seth [Rogen], we'll show your film for you."
Barely Related: Marvel movie madness, Harry Potter can rap
Happy Halloween, everyone! Stay safe and have fun. Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
George R.R. Martin's assistant to consult on Telltale's Game of Thrones
George R.R. Martin's series of fantasy novels, A Song of Ice and Fire, is immensely popular, especially thanks to HBO's Game of Thrones adaptation. It's to be joined by another take on the property from adventure gaming studio Telltale Games. To help Telltale keep its adaptation of Martin's source material in check, HBO assigned sci-fi author and Martin's personal assistant Ty Corey Franck to the developer as its story consultant, according to The New York Times. Telltale announced its Game of Thrones adaptation at the VGX awards in December. The partnership between Telltale and HBO spans multiple years and games, and NYT reports that it began with a little persuasion from the developer in the form of a 10-minute presentation of what the game may look like when it launches this year. Game of Thrones is just one project that's keeping the 200-person developer busy, as it recently launched the third episode of The Wolf Among Us, as well as the first two episodes of the second season of The Walking Dead on Vita. We recently met with Telltale's producers and The Wolf Among Us voice actor Adam Harrington, the voice behind Bigby Wolf, for a special one-hour livestream of the game filled with funny and interesting stories. [Image: Telltale Games]
Game of Thrones Ascent launches alliance vs. alliance
Last August, Disruptor Beam announced plans to enhance endgame in Game of Thrones Ascent by adding alliance vs alliance combat. Players looking forward to the large scale battles and diplomatic dealings of AvA can now jump in and have at altering the balance of power in Westeros as the system is now live. The post explaining the new system is quite lengthy, but here's the idea in a nutshell: Alliances will earn victory points by establishing and fortifying camps as well as attacking or assisting other alliances, and to the victors (the ones with the most points) go the spoils (special rewards). After a period of time, a new phase will begin and all points and camps will reset. The system, which is meant to evolve, will offer different rewards, different goals, and potentially different ways to earn victory in different phases. For an in-depth look at AvA, check out the devs' detailed guide. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Game of Thrones: Ascent to introduce item enhancements and alliance PvP
Big changes are headed to browser-based social MMO Game of Thrones: Ascent. In a lengthy and detailed developer blog, studio Disruptor Beam outlined the challenges it sees with keeping players engaged in GoTA at the endgame point and how it plans to address those challenges. The main problem, it appears, is that there currently isn't enough to do after finishing volumes one and two of the story. Disruptor Beam determined that the lack of options upon the completion of the story leaves players with no reason to play, noting, "There needs to be something more to our endgame." The studio has a two-part plan to keep players engaged. The first is item enhancement, which allows players to modify items to adjust their attributes and unlock new abilities. Improved items can be made permanent so they persist through reincarnation. The second part is alliance vs. alliance combat and diplomacy, which enables players to create alliances of up to 500 members and declare war (or form peaceful bonds). Alliances will be able to own camps and use those camps as launch points for attacks against other alliances. According to Disruptor Beam, both of these features are still in the deep testing phase. The studio hopes to have them rolled out in the next few months. In the meantime, it appears as though Game of Thrones: Ascent is growing more and more into a fully featured MMO every day. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip]
Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms releases its first trailer
We know a little bit about the game, but up until now, nothing has actually been seen of the upcoming Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms. But the wait is now over, as a trailer for the browser-based game has been unveiled to show off some of what players can expect when the game finally goes live. And if you're hoping for the opportunity to cross swords with rival houses in a massive political battle... well, that does seem to be on the plate. There's admittedly not too much that can be displayed via a trailer running under a minute long. But the trailer does show off the graphics and some hints of the combat, which looks to be very much a matter of skill. Check out the full trailer just past the break, and keep your eyes open for more information as the game ramps up for more reveals at San Diego Comic-Con. [Update: George R.R. Martin himself has also posted the video and the original press release. He notes that he'll be at SDCC checking out the game at the Dark Horse booth.]
Bigpoint's A Game of Thrones MMO to debut at GDC 2012
Brace yourselves; GDC is coming. And with it comes the first ever public demonstration of Bigpoint's upcoming MMO title based on George R.R. Martin's hit fantasy series, A Game of Thrones. For the first time ever, players will be able to get a look at the world of Westeros brought to life in all its browser-based glory. Bigpoint CEO and founder Heiko Hubertz is understandably optimistic about the title, stating that the devs "intend to build a game that resonates intimately with its diehard community of followers, while also creating an authentic gaming experience that attracts newcomers to the franchise." So if you're heading to GDC 2012 and you want to take a look, just make a trip on over to Bigpoint's booth and see for yourself. What's that? You're not going to GDC this year? Well, then it's a good thing we're going for you! You can look for more info from our impressions coming later next week. Andremember: When you play the game of thrones, you win or you corpse run. [Source: Bigpoint press release]
15 Minutes of Fame: Hodor!
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. When last we heard from Game of Thrones' Kristian Nairn, the burly Irish actor was preparing to stuff himself into an airplane seat and fly to America for a bit of rest and recreation before filming begins on Season 2 of the acclaimed HBO series. As you read this week's installment of our interview -- a Skype conversation held a few days after our initial e-interview simply overflowed the confines of email -- Nairn is wrapping up his whirlwind visit and preparing to head back to Belfast ... and more World of Warcraft. This week, we chat with Nairn about his preferences for PvP and arcane spec, more on his character Hodor, and his very pointed notion of what questing would be like in a Game of Thrones MMO.
