Latest news with #Cliffhanger
Gizmodo
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Summer Game Fest Doesn't Just Try Its Best, It Tries Too Hard
Half a decade into its life, Summer Game Fest still just can't get out of its own way. After a PlayStation showcase earlier in the week, the annual video game promo circuit for the summer began in earnest with that two-hour showcase by the name of Summer Game Fest, which had teases, sequels, and wholly new games galore. Par for the course for SGF and host Geoff Keighley, both of which have endeavored to step up during this decade as the once and glorious trade show king E3 has gradually died off. But this year's carried an odd air about it, even before a Splitgate 2 developer walked onstage with a 'Make FPS Great Again Hat' (really) before smacktalking 'the same Call of Duty' and revealing his shooter's battle royale mode. A lot of that weirdness is because the games industry is going through it right now. It's been over a week since EA killed its Black Panther game and developer Cliffhanger, and industry layoffs have only continued since. Time stops for no one, and since 2023, there've been reductions by the dozens or hundreds, sometimes on a daily, even hourly basis. What we thought was just 'survive til '25' in 2023 or 2024 is now just 'survive' as games and their studios die in the blink of an eye. Combined with what feels like a weirdly muted Nintendo Switch 2 launch and the United States government going through another round of bullshit, of course this trade show feels funky. Other factors to this strange feeling are owed entirely to Summer Game Fest. Never is it more clear when the industry is chasing trends than an event like this, which had plenty of souls and roguelikes and shooters of the space, competitive, and extraction variety. The two genres' popularity seemed to wear on viewers and remind us how we easily tire of things we once liked. Compared to PlayStation's showcase earlier in the week, SGF also felt less consistent in what it had to offer: Resident Evil Requiem and Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver were agreeable highs, other trailers seemed to show up to be polite or didn't really land. More problematically, five years in, Summer Game Fest still feels like it has no real identity of its own beyond an extension of the annual year's end Game Awards. Those ceremonies and accompanying game reveals have a substantially different energy thanks to musical performances, celebrity appearances and usually delightful Muppet gags. Without those, SGF feels less 'fun,' for lack of a better word. It wants to be E3, but the big pressers we tuned in for could sometimes be bad as figureheads for game publishers were high off their own supply or overindulged in nonsense they seemed to think was funny. This can't be that, both because publishers have their indvidual, more regular showcases, and it doesn't want to be perceived as disrespectful to the medium and its audience happy to receive recognition but not the criticism that comes with it. Previously, Keighley has caught flack for failing to properly acknowledge the industry's struggles, or doing so in a clumsy manner. This year's Summer Game Fest opened with him highlighting 2025's current crop of best-selling games, some of which came from teams much smaller than your average triple-A studio. Expedition 33's been the biggest and worst offender of this 'honor'; since the RPG's reveal and launch, it's been lauded as a triumph for a developer with a headcount in the small dozens. But its seven-minute credits show that's not the true story: yes, Sandfall has 33 or 34 employees, but it also had third-party animators, QA contractors, and localizers (and more!) that helped make for a fantastic debut title. Keighley's stressing of those small teams—one guy made a brawler with just the help of nine of his friends!—turns what was likely a well-intentioned acknowledgment of into additional fuel for the fiery divide between indie and triple-A developers at a bad time for both. The narrative around game development (and who makes them) is bad enough thanks to ongoing layoffs and increased player harassment, and this will likely exacerbate things. It's a moment that best represents the double-edged sword of Summer Game Fest's prominence and this particular industry figurehead: sooner or later, amid all the flash and celebration this window into the industry provides, someone sours things by putting their foot in their mouth.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Finalists revealed for 2025 Cumbria Tourism Awards
Trailblazing tourism businesses from across the county will step into the spotlight next month (Tuesday, July 8) for the Cumbria Tourism Awards 2025. The prestigious awards shine a light on operators who go above and beyond to deliver world-class visitor experiences, with the winners crowned during a VIP celebration evening at Kendal's Castle Green Hotel hosted by author and mountaineer Nigel Vardy. The 2025 finalists are: Dock Museum, Barrow finalist (Image: Supplied) The Dock Museum, Barrow-in-Furness Bendrigg, Kendal Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Lindeth Fell Country House, Bowness-on-Windermere Sunnyside Guest House, Keswick Wheatlands Lodge - Windermere Solway Holiday Park, Silloth Park Cliffe, Windermere The Quiet Site, Ullswater Ullswater Heights Holiday Home and Lodge Park, Penrith Double award nominee, Pures Lakes Skincare's new BEATRIX range (Image: Supplied) Shed One Distillery, Ulverston - Make Your Own Distilled Spirit Cliffhanger Escape Rooms, Backbarrow - Bank Diamond Heist Pure Lakes Skincare, Far Sawrey - Soap Making Masterclass Honister Slate Mine - Guided Mine Tours Castlerigg Hall Caravan Camping Glamping, Keswick The Cottage in the Wood, Whinlatter Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire The Swan Hotel & Spa, Newby Bridge Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa, Windermere Another Place, The Lake, Ullswater Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, the only business to be nominated in three categories (Image: Supplied) Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Muncaster Castle, Gardens and Hawk & Owl Centre Honister Slate Mine Queens Head Troutbeck The Brackenrigg Inn, Ullswater The Royal at Dockray Pennington's Tea and Coffee Ltd, Kendal CoolCrafting, Kendal Pure Lakes Skincare, Far Sawrey Nigel Vardy, host of the Cumbria Tourism Awards 2025 (Image: Supplied) Grange Bridge Cottage, Borrowdale E-Bike Safaris Ltd, Kendal Langdale Chase, Windermere Farlam Hall Hotel & Restaurant, Carlisle Willowbeck Lodge, Carlisle Dufton Barn Holidays, Appleby-in-Westmorland Fair Rigg by Cradel Haus, Windermere Netherby Hall, Carlisle The Ruskin Museum, Coniston Mirehouse and Gardens, Keswick Quaker Tapestry Museum, Kendal SOURCE at Gilpin Hotel, Windermere Storrs Hall Hotel, Bowness-on-Windermere Pentonbridge Inn, Carlisle The Cottage In The Wood, Whinlatter The Cumbria Tourism Awards 2025 will be held next month (Image: Supplied) Sunset Café Silecroft Beach Bassenthwaite Lake Station Force Walkers Café & Terrace, Ambleside Peter Hill, Cumbrian Heavy Horses, Nr Millom Claire Winter-Moore, Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Margaret Craig, Embleton Spa Hotel Judith Talbot, The Melbreak Hotel Askham Hall and Bank Barn, Nr Penrith Hidden River Barn, Longtown Storrs Hall Hotel, Bowness-on-Windermere Eden Barn Ltd, Kirkby Stephen
The Irish Sun
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Major Marvel game cancelled as jobs lost in shock closure of studio with upset fans slamming ‘disappointing shambles'
A MAJOR Marvel game has been cancelled and jobs lost in a shock closure of its studio. Fans have been left feeling upset and have slammed the decision as a "disappointing shambles." 2 A major Marvel game has been cancelled with jobs lost in a shock closure of its studio Credit: Getty 2 Electronic Arts plans to close its subsidiary Cliffhanger Games and has cancelled development on its debut project Credit: Marvel Electronic Arts plans to close its subsidiary Cliffhanger Games and has cancelled development on its debut project. EA's Marvel's The information came from an email sent by EA Entertainment president Laura Miele. Laura shared that this change alongside others was to put their focus where they thought there was the opportunity for the most growth. Marvel News Beyond Cliffhanger Games, and other recent cancellations like with Respawn and an untitled Titanfall project, people have been laid off on its mobile, and central teams. While this is believed to be less than was laid off last month's 300 people, it is still a significant amount reports According to Laura, EA will be helping people find opportunities within EA. However, Laura states that the Iron Man game in work at Motive Studios will continue, as will the third Star Wars: Jedi game, and Bioware's work on the next Mass Effect game. Most read in Gaming This comes also after they announced the pausing of various racing games that had been in the works earlier this month. Cliffhanger debuted in 2023 under the leadership of former Monolith Productions studio head Kevin Stephens, after a two-year incubation period. Florence Pugh stars in Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts It had yet to divulge any real details about its Black Panther project. But earlier reports indicated that BP would've been an open-world action-adventure in the same spirit as Monolith's award-winning Shadow of Mordor. Electronic Arts, headquartered in Redwood City, Calif, is one of the largest independent video game companies left in the modern industry. It's arguably best known to mainstream audiences for its Madden and FIFA sports games, but has also produced big hits like Battlefield, Dead Space, Mass Effect, and Apex Legends. All the latest PS5 reviews from The Sun Get the lowdown on more of the latest PS5 releases from our expert reviewers. Stellar Blade Eiyuden Chronicle Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide Berserk Boy South Park: Snow Day Alone in the Dark Expeditions: A MudRunner Game Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Skull and Bones Helldivers 2 For Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch, check out our full game reviews section . Its recent layoffs have been attributed to a process of reorganization and refocus that was first announced in 2024 by CEO Andrew Wilson. He said he was: 'leading through an accelerated industry transformation.' Cliffhanger's closure is the latest in a series of shutdowns and layoffs that have plagued the international video game industry for over two years. In the Pacific Northwest, impacted companies include Phoenix Labs, Monolith Productions, Rec Room, and Wizards of the Coast's Project Sigil team. Fans on Reddit have posted about their disappointment and one said: "Wow. Created on 2023, closed in 2025 before releasing your first game. "Never become a game developer friends." Another added: "EA did the exact same thing with Ridgeline Games last year. Created in 2022 to create the next Battlefield campaign, closed in 2024 without releasing anything." "This is disappointing. Really hoping the Iron Man gets a release and is good. Hell at this rate, I'm hoping that the Wolverine gets released" said another user. One user commentated: "From the outside, EA is such a bizarre company to observe. It's almost like they have absolutely no idea what they want long term." "Another one bites the dust. The industry is in complete shambles at this point" exclaimed another fan. And another added: "What a disappointing shambles. Was really looking forward to this."
Engadget
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
EA cancels Black Panther game and closes studio developing it
EA is cancelling its Black Panther game and closing the studio creating it, Cliffhanger Games, as part of a larger round of layoffs at the company, IGN reports. The third-person action-adventure game was originally announced in July 2023 as one of several Marvel projects being developed at EA studios. IGN writes that a smaller number of people are being laid off than the previous round of cuts that impacted Titanfall developer Respawn, but EA is still eliminating roles outside of Cliffhanger, including people on the publisher's "mobile and central teams." EA is reportedly telling staff that the layoffs are a way to "sharpen our focus and put our creative energy behind the most significant growth opportunities." As of right now, those "opportunities" include an Iron Man game in development at EA Motive, the next Star Wars Jedi game from Respawn, and new entries in a few key franchises, like The Sims, Battlefield, Skate and Apex Legends. Beyond that, the company has EA Sports and the next Mass Effect game, though Bioware has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs since 2023, so there's uncertainty there, too. In a similar way to how it approached Bioware's restructuring, IGN reports that EA is trying to find roles for at least some Cliffhanger Games staff in other parts of the company. Engadget has contacted EA for comment and will update this article if we hear back. EA growing disinterest in licensed games as been public since at least February 2024, when CEO Andrew Wilson announced that the company was "moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry." The company recently announced a new strategy game using the Star Wars license — Star Wars Zero Company — but that seems more like an outlier than the norm. EA's Black Panther game wasn't the only project featuring the character — Amy Hennig's Marvel 19943: Rise of Hydra hasn't been cancelled yet — but it does seems strange the company gave up so easily. Black Panther made over $1.3 billion during its original run in theaters. It seems entirely possible the same audience that enjoyed the movie would show up for a new game featuring their favorite Marvel character.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Watch: Pierce Brosnan paints on the beach in 'Four Letters of Love'
May 21 (UPI) -- Quiver Distribution released the trailer for Four Letters of Love on Wednesday. The film opens in theaters and digital video-on-demand on July 25. The trailer shows William (Pierce Brosnan) walk out of his office job to become a painter, following the word of God. William invites his son, Nicholas (Fionn O'Shea) to join him on the shore while he paints. Nicholas is in love with Isabel (Ann Skelly), but her parents (Helena Bonham-Carter and Gabriel Byrne) send her away to a convent school. Nicholas writes Isabel letters as he longs to reconnect with her. Niall Williams wrote Four Letters of Love. Polly Steele directs. Brosnan starred in the ensemble espionage drama Black Bag and on the Paramount+ drama MobLand. He spoke with UPI last year about his film The Last Rifleman while on the set of the upcoming Cliffhanger remake. The year before, Brosnan shared memories of working with the late James Caan in Fast Charlie.
