New Photos from White House Down

Here's our first look at the upcoming thriller White House Down, starring Channing Tatum as a Secret Service agent who must protect the President (Jamie Foxx) from terrorists. The film opens June 28, 2013.

Source : ign[dot]com

Nintendo Details Miiverse

Today Nintendo President Satoru Iwata delivered another Nintendo Direct livestream, in which he detailed some of the Wii U’s functionality with a focus on Nitendo’s new online service, Miiverse.

When you first power-up the Wii U, you'll be taken to Warawara plaza where you'll make a Miiverse account. Each Wii U will be able to support up to ten different account, with each one containing unique save game data, browser bookmarks and other user-specific information.

Iwata also demonstrated how Miiverse will provide a helpful, informative community while playing specific games. Say you only get a silver medal on a level in New Super Mario Bros. Wii U. You can now turn to the Miiverse community for advice on how to claim gold next time. If you die several times, you'll be asked to talk about your frustration on Miiverse. You can choose to follow reliable or particularly help contributors, and there's even a function to hide spoilerific contributions. Iwata also said that Miiverse functionality can be integrated without additional work for developers.

Incidentally, Iwata also used the opportunity to don a pair of immaculate white gloves and unbox the Wii U himself, removing the console, holding the GamePad aloft, and (less exciting) unpacking various cables.

Nintendo's new console Wii U will be released in North America on November 18, Europe on November 30, and in Japan on December 8.

Daniel is IGN's UK Staff Writer, and you can be part of the world's worst cult by following him on IGN and Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Capcom Hints at More Wii U Projects

In a recent Q and A on the Capcom Unity message boards, Capcom’s Consumer Software Senior Vice President Christian Svensson hinted that the company has more Wii U projects in the works.

"I have to be careful what I say here as it will surely be over-analyzed and misinterpreted to be more than what I'm saying." Svensson wrote. "We have other projects in the works beyond MH3 Ultimate. Unfortunately at this time I can not provide any details. I'm sure as someone who is interested in Wii U and a Capcom-Unity.com member, you won't be able to miss news of future projects when they finally do get announced."

Svensson was deliberately ambiguous in his wording, so these projects could be anything from eShop content to ports, to new games. In the meantime, Capcom's focus lies with the recently announced Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, coming to Europe and North America for the 3DS and Wii U in March 2013.

Keep checking back to IGN for more on Monster Hunter and Capcom's Wii U efforts.

Lucy O'Brien is Assistant Editor at IGN AU. Find her on IGN here,Twitter here or meet the rest of the Australian team by joining the IGN Australia Facebook community.

Source : ign[dot]com

Gearbox Wants to Make More Duke Nukem

During an interview on IGN's Up at Noon, Gearbox Software President Randy Pitchford expressed interest in developing more Duke Nukem games. Gearbox boughtthe rights to Duke Nukem in 2010 when the studio took over the Duke Nukem: Forever project, and it's looking to do even more.

“I willingly and lovingly acquired the brand. When I did that, I wasn’t thinking that the only goal is just to make sure everyone could play Duke Nukem: Forever,” Pitchford told IGN. “The real goal for me is I’d like to build a Duke Nukem game again.”

He continued to say, “I think what I would do and what Gearbox would do would be a little different" than Duke Nukem: Forever. "I think it would be amazing, and I look forward to that.”

You can catch Randy Pitchford's lengthy interview below, in which he discusses Borderlands 2 on Vita, the next Brothers in Arms sequel, and even more on Duke Nukem right at the start.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor for IGN's Xbox 360 team. He’s also quite Canadian. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

New Brothers in Arms in Development

A new Brothers in Arms game is in development at Gearbox Software. During his interview on IGN's Up at Noon, Gearbox President and CEO Randy Pitchford discussed the new direction for the game formerly known as Brothers in Arms: Furious 4, and what's in store for the franchise's future.

"The hallmarks of the Brothers in Arms series are about authenticity, squad combat, brotherhood between soldiers," Pitchford told IGN. "I mean we really commit to and have a tremendous amount of deference in the Brothers in Arms games," and Furious 4 simply didn't align with these goals. Instead, Furious 4 will become a new IP, freeing Gearbox to work on a more traditional Brothers in Arms title.

“For what Brothers in Arms is meant to be, we love that too," said Pitchford, "and we do have some creative effort going on there that will lead eventually to a project that we’ll announce at some point." It's still too early to announce any specifics, but Pitchford says Gearbox loves the series, "and we’ve got some action there as well.”

Randy Pitchford also teased the return of Brothers in Arms on Podcast Unlocked.

For the full conversation about Brothers in Arms, you can check out Pitchford's extended visit to Up at Noon below.

Mitch Dyer is an Associate Editor for IGN's Xbox 360 team. He’s also quite Canadian. Read his ramblings on Twitter and follow him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Sony ‘Working with’ Bethesda for PS3 Skyrim DLC

Sony is “working closely” with Bethesda to bring Skyrim’s downloadable content to PlayStation 3. In a recent interview, Sony vice president Adam Boyes said Sony’s development support team collaborates with all third party publishers to fix technical issues, and that includes Bethesda.

"We work with all of our partners to try and solve their problems," Boyes told Kotaku. "We have a big, broad dev support team that works closely with Bethesda, and with all of our partners, to work with them to solve that any sort of issues they have along the way. Of course, I always want everything to work always for everyone. I can't promise any kind of resolution or timeline but can say that everyone involved is trying their best to get this stuff working."

Previously, Bethesda said it was “not yet satisfied with Dawnguard’s performance on the PS3.” The publisher later suggested that the downloadable content might never hit PS3 at all, adding “this is not a problem we’re positive we can solve.”

Skyrim’s Dawnguard and Hearthfire content have technically never been announced for PlayStation 3, despite Dawnguard being available on Xbox 360 and PC and Hearthfire recently hitting Xbox Live.

Keep checking back to IGN for updates on the situation as it continues to develop.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Dishonored Dev: People are Tired of “the Same Thing Over and Over”

Dishonored’s executive producer Julien Roby disagrees with the sentiment recently expressed by EA Labels president Frank Gibeau that late in the console cycle is a poor time to launch new IPs.

We asked Roby for his thoughts on the matter during a hands-on with the game in Sydney late last week.

“Well, you probably have some insight on that but I think as long as the game is good, whether it’s a new IP or not, if the game is good, it gets a good review and it’s marketed properly people will want to look at it,” said Roby. “Specifically now, because it’s been a few years where we’ve only got sequels of sequels of sequels of sequels. I think people are getting tired of just playing the same thing over and over.”

“

I think people are getting tired of just playing the same thing over and over.

“So I hope that they’re going to try Dishonored for the fact that it’s trying to do something a little different that those other games.”

Roby agreed that it’s perhaps telling that two of the most-talked about games of E3 and Gamescom this year were, like Dishonored, both brand new titles: Watch Dogs and Remember Me.

We asked Roby whether he felt gamers are craving something new.

“I think so,” he said. “You look at the line-up for Christmas this year and it’s like something number six, something number five, something number seven. I really think people are starving for something new. Something new in terms of universe. Something new in terms of gameplay. Something new in terms of visuals.”

The level available to playthrough, already detailed in part here, was packed with a glut of ways to complete it. The target building can be entered via several means; teleporting from a higher neighbouring building, possessing a fish and swimming underneath the cellar, or simply finding the right credentials to walk straight through the front door. The target herself, one of three similarly dressed women at a masquerade party, can be identified in a number of different ways and can be taken care of, either lethally or non-lethally, in even more. With the combinations of powers at players’ disposal, and the freedom to complete hits however one sees fit, Roby and the team hope gamers will exchange stories on how they’ve tackled the game’s missions and encourage one another to experiment and re-experiment.

“We really hope players are going to talk together and say, ‘Oh, you did it this way?’ and ‘Oh, you did it this way?’ and realise that they actually created their own little stories in terms of how they did their objectives,” said Roby. “And then they’re going to get back to it and try different things.”

“

It’s a lot about experimenting... [G]o through different routes, use different powers, try different things that you didn’t try the first time.

“It’s a lot about experimenting... [G]o through different routes, use different powers, try different things that you didn’t try the first time. It’s not about running through a linear corridor.”

On the topic of multiplayer and forcing it into games that don’t require it, Roby and the Dishonored team are pleased the game is remaining a dedicated, single-player title.

“Bethesda has been very supportive of that since the beginning,” said Roby. “I mean, it doesn’t make any sense to make multiplayer if it’s just to add it on the box. As a checkbox, you know?”

“The idea was to make a great single-player experience, as we did with a lot of player choice, and if we had to lose some time making multiplayer it means we would lose focus on the single-player and spend more time on multiplayer and in the end you just get lower [quality] single-player and crappy multiplayer.”

One of the key pillars of Dishonored is emergent gameplay and the ability to combine powers with unexpected results, results that sometimes surprise even the designers. The tricky thing is balancing the ability to let players circumvent things in ways the designers may not have realised was possible and keeping the game functional.

“

If the player thinks about something we want to make sure they can actually do it.

“Well, there is of course the possibility that people will be able to break the game if they really try to insist on wrecking it, but what we wanted to ensure was that the player always feels in power and that we always say yes to the player,” said Roby. “For instance, if the player thinks about something we want to make sure they can actually do it, that there are no stupid rules that prevent them from doing it. So we prefer to overpower the player a little but still let them have fun rather than trying to direct the game so much, and let the player do what they want to do.”

Luke is Games Editor at IGN AU. You can chat to him about Die Hard with a Vengeance, cars and single-player games here or find him and the rest of the Australian team by joining the IGN Australia Facebook community.

Source : ign[dot]com

Capcom President: New Strategy Ahead

Capcom's annual financial report has been released, and it contains some interesting information concerning how the company will make games going forward.

In the report, Capcom president and COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto said:

"We launch sales of popular series titles held by the Company approximately every 2.5 years. This is because the development of a single major title usually requires 3-4 years; in the event that there are few hits, it will be difficult to create a series title every year and earnings will be adversely impacted.

"For this reason, it is important either to maintain a large number of popular titles or shorten the sales cycle to ensure stable earnings. Among the multitude of major titles held by Capcom - such as Monster Hunter, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Lost Planet, Dead Rising and many others - we will promote shortening of the sales cycle in pursuit of further earnings stabilisation and growth."

Tsujimoto went onto to describe how this increased productivity will be achieved. Firstly, Capcom will limit development teams to 100 members, with "multiple sequel titles [being] developed at the same time". The Japanese publisher will additionally strengthen its in-house development, increasing its staff by 100 graduates each year. It will also attempt to increase the number of titles released in a single year, "using a hybrid development model whereby the core portions of the project aredeveloped in-house by Capcom and the process-work is outsourced to outside development companies".

While he didn't have much to say about the next generation of home consoles, Tsujimoto did say that Capcom will be allocating around "20 per cent of development investment " into creating new products, including a "new popular next generation franchise".

So we'll get more Capcom games each year, and there will be less time between sequels for its more popular titles.

Are these announcements something to be happy about or do they inspire a creeping fear that quality standards could slip? Capcom seems to be making the right noises, reassuring fans that's its strengthening in the areas it needs to in order to execute this new strategy. But let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Daniel is IGN's UK Staff Writer. His development cycle was roughly nine months. Follow him on IGN and Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Torchlight 2 Gets a Release Date

Runic Games has announced that Torchlight II will release on Thursday September 20, 2012.

Company president Travis Baldree made the announcement on the official Torchlight II blog, meaning there's less than a month to go until the dungeon-crawling rival to Diablo III is available.

“

The official Release Date for Torchlight II is Thursday, September 20, 2012. Three weeks away!

"I don't think there's much else I could say that would interest you right now, so - the official Release Date for Torchlight II is Thursday, September 20, 2012. Three weeks away!" he said.

"We'll announce it 'more' officially and bigger tomorrow. You know first! Thank all of you for being an awesome and patient community, we look forward to getting this into your hands!"

Developed by the same creative masterminds behind Diablo I and II, the original Torchlight released in 2009 to positive reviews, though many criticised its lack of multiplayer support. As a result, the team have pursued peer-to-peer multiplayer for Torchlight II, and they plan to carry the knowledge derived from this experience with them as they begin work on the Torchlight MMO.

Torchlight II will be available both through Steam and in retail form in September.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and was obsessed with Diablo III for about a week. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Nintendo Addresses Criticism Directed at Mario Sequels

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has responded to recent criticism that the company is diluting the quality of its Mario titles by iterating too frequently on its most famous mascot.

It will ration the number of side-scrolling 2D Mario titles.

"We only create a New Super Mario Bros. title one [sic] per platform," said Iwata in an interview with Kotaku. "I think we'll probably go ahead and continue at that pace.

"That being said, that's probably Miyamoto's choice, so I can't give you a 100 per cent guarantee that that's the pace we'll continue at."

Super Mario 3D Land came out towards the end of last year and was the first Mario title to be released on 3DS, receiving great reviews. New Super Mario Bros. 2 came out last week to a more mixed response. And it isn't long before Nintendo releases New Super Mario Bros. U alongside its new console, Wii U (sometime later this year).

“

I believe the two titles are unique enough that I wouldn't say that I'm super-worried that people are going to be confused.

Responding to concerns that the two games (New Super Mario Bros. 2 and U) might be too similar, and could suffer from being released just months apart, Iwata stated: "I believe the two titles are unique enough that I wouldn't say that I'm super-worried that people are going to be confused.

Iwata also spoke about the company's approach to DLC. New Super Mario Bros. 2 is the first Mario title to feature downloadable content. Iwata allayed any fears that it might be selling content stripped out of the game, saying: "Our goal is to create DLC in such a way that consumers do not feel that they have been cheated or deceived. Now I believe there are people out there, readers, who have are worried about that, and we just want to ensure them that we have that in mind and want them to know that that's not what we are planning on doing," he concluded.

Daniel is IGN's UK Staff Writer. You can be part of the world's worst cult by following him on IGN and Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Need for Speed: Most Wanted: Vita's Hidden Gem

“This is going to be the best racing game on Vita this year.” It’s a bold statement, but one that Alex Ward, Vice President of Criterion, doesn’t make lightly. He’s talking about the Vita version of Need for Speed: Most Wanted, which is being shown for the first time at Gamescom, and it’s no surprise he’s happy about what the development team has achieved with the game.

Incredibly, the Vita version of Need for Speed: Most Wanted is essentially the same as the PS3 and Xbox 360 games. “Everything from what we the ‘TV game’ is here on the small screen,” he announces. And when he says everything, he means it – every highway, back street, bridge and tunnel. All of the cars, the meet-ups, the challenges and the drive-through garages – they’re all in the game, and importantly they haven’t been cut down or changed to fit the Vita.

“This is pretty much the PS3 version of the game shoehorned onto Vita very tightly,” he continues. “This is a very technically ambitious thing to do - there aren’t any open-world games on Vita so far. To keep the world the same, to not make any compromises – that’s what we’ve done.”

So when you get behind the wheel of a BMW M5 in Need for Speed Vita it’ll feel exactly the same as it does on PS3. The handling is just as sharp and responsive, the drifting as perfectly pitched, which is impressive considering the differences between two machines. “On handheld the physics are very hard to get right because you’re very limited on memory but the handling is pretty much the same,” explains Ward. “We can do the same demo on Vita that we can on PS3.”

Better still, all of the detail from the home console game is carried over too, so as a race progresses your car gets scuffed and scraped, and damaged with every knock it takes. There will be races at different times of the day too, and while Criterion is still hard at work populating the city and implementing many of the features, we did see the switch from daytime to dusk, with your car’s headlights flickering into action to illuminate the tarmac ahead.

Impressively, Ward promises that all of the cars will feature in the game, and they look fantastic on Vita’s small but punchy screen. “These cars are the best cars ever to appear in a Need for Speed game,” he enthuses, “and they’re the same here as they are on PS3 and 360. To get them onto Vita like this is ******* insane.” And like its bigger brother, Vita’s recreation of the city of Fairhaven will be littered with supercars waiting to be found. Stumbled upon a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S? Simply jack it and it’s yours to keep.

Multiplayer will be fully supported, with all of the modes and challenges making the jump onto Sony’s handheld. Unfortunately cross-play isn’t going to feature – the idea of PS3 and Vita owners going head-to-head was a little too ambitious – but it will fully support Autolog. So when you race on the Vita version – or indeed any version of the game, including iPad – you’re constantly earning Speed Points that accumulate on your Autolog profile, all of which help bump you up the Most Wanted leaderboards.

Need for Speed will make use of Vita’s unique functionality too, and the touchscreen can be used to quickly access HUD information in the middle of a race. But Ward was quick to iterate that it won’t impact how the game plays, and that thankfully “you won’t be driving using the touchscreen.” Or the gyro, we hope.

Most Wanted on Vita is an ambitious project, then, but one whose ambition is more than matched by the talent of the developer behind the game. Criterion’s racing pedigree is unquestionable, and with Hot Pursuit and now Most Wanted it’s brought the Need for Speed name back to the top of its game. While some developers outsource handheld versions of big franchises to enable them to focus on the home console versions, it’s a testament to Criterion’s commitment that it kept the project to itself. “It would’ve been really easy to do Vita out of house,” says Ward. “We did that on some of our previous games. But when I saw the specs for the Vita, I knew we had to do it.”

I’m thankful they chose to do it, too.

Source : ign[dot]com

First Official Photo of Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln

We've seen some set photos of him before, but now the first official photo of Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis as President Abraham Lincoln has been released.

Entertainment Weekly debuted the image and also chatted with Lincoln director Steven Spielberg about the 16th U.S. President. “Lincoln had a very, very complicated – and at the same time, extremely clear — inner life,” said Spielberg. “He thought things out. He talked things out. He argued both sides of every issue. And he was very careful in making any decision. As a matter of fact, his opponents and his enemies criticized him often for being impossibly slow to a decision.”

The director added, "Our movie is really about a working leader who must make tough decisions and get things done in the face of overwhelming opposition.”

Lincoln opens in limited release November 9 before opening wide  November 16.

Source : ign[dot]com

Dawnguard is Out for PC Right Now

Announced today at Quake Con 2012, Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing Pete Hines took the stage to discuss the state of Dawnguard for PC, the first expansion pack for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The big news? That Dawnguard is available right now on Steam for $19.99.

Over the next several days other Bethesda games and iD titles will be on sale during Steam. For $99.99 you can also get more than 20 of the two studios' previous games during Quake Con. If you pre-order Dishonored you can get the library for $79.99. All iD apps on the iOS appstore will also be marked down to 99 cents for the duration of the show.

Source : ign[dot]com

SuperBot Confirms Veracity of PlayStation All-Stars Leak

Today, SuperBot Entertainment President Chan Park posted on the PlayStation Blog to speak about the beta for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, which is set to go wide before the game’s release.

But there’s an interesting tidbit buried in his post about the massive leak of information purportedly garnered from the beta. Essentially, Park confirms that the leak contains real information.

He notes that “there was an unexpected and unintended leak in our beta that allowed fans to be able to see some additional content. We’ve enjoyed reading all of the fan reaction and are thrilled that so many of you are excited to learn more our character roster and level mash-ups [sic], however we are still in development and the leaked content does not fully represent the final product nor the incredible efforts that were made to make these elements truly spectacular.”

Park concludes that “This will be evident in the coming weeks as the content is officially revealed, beginning with our next character announcement at Gamescom in the coming weeks.” So while Park has confirmed that the leak data is real and that it was indeed extracted from the PlayStation All-Stars beta, it may not reflect PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale’s final form come October.

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

Source : ign[dot]com

CBS "Very Optimistic" About How I Met Your Mother: Season 9

At the TCA press tour today, CBS president Nina Tassler confirmed today that conversations were underway to bring How I Met Your Mother back in the 2013-2014 season. The show is going into Season 8 this fall, but now it seems Season 9 is increasingly likely.

Tassler said "They had an incredible year last year and we've got a great relationship with [series creators] Craig [Thomas] and Carter [Bays].

How I Met Your Mother of course has much more pressure than other sitcoms to tie up its overall storyline and Tassler said, “Certainly they have a very strategic wrap up for the show.”

That being said, CBS obviously would like that wrap up to be held off at least another year and she also said Thomas and Bays “Want it back,” before adding, "We're not there yet in terms of resolving the season. We're in early conversations and we're pretty optimistic."

A key element of bringing HIMYM back will be securing new contracts for all the talent, including Bays, Thomas and the cast, all of whom are under contract through the end of Season 8.

Source : ign[dot]com

Louie Renewed for Season 4; Wilfred and Anger Management Renewals Likely

At the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour today, FX president John Landgraf announced that the critically acclaimed Louie has been renewed for Season 4. This comes on the heels of Louie receiving multiple Emmy nominations, including Louie C.K.’s nominations for acting and writing (though Landgraf acknowledged their disappointment that it didn’t get a Outstanding Comedy nomination).

Not officially announced as renewed yet were Wilfred and Anger Management, but it sounds like both will almost certainly be back. Landgraf said he was “very optimistic” about Wilfred’s renewal, but noted there were “some deal issues to work out” first.

Anger Management meanwhile has an unusual (but not unique – the same deal was established for Tyler Perry’s TBS comedies) situation where if FX picks it up, it’s picking it up for an additional 90-episodes on top of the original 10, making it a 100-episode, syndication-ready package.

While Landgraf said they won’t make the final decision on that pickup until the first 10 complete their run, he did reveal Martin Sheen would be joining the cast as Charlie Sheen’s onscreen father, should it continue (Martin will guest star in Season 1). It’s hard to believe that the show would not be picked up, on the heels of a casting announcement like that.

Landgraf also revealed Brand X with Russell Brand will be back this fall for seven more episodes, after its six-episode summer run. The fall episodes will air alongside It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League. Landgraf said there will be changes to the format.

Source : ign[dot]com

Axe Cop: President of the World #1 Review

If you have ever read any Axe Cop, either online or in print, you probably know what to expect from Axe Cop: President of the World #1. It's crazy, goofy, and over the top. It's as entertaining as it is ridiculous. Basically, it's everything we love about Axe Cop.

This series is a direct sequel to Bad Guy Earth. If you read and enjoyed Bad Guy Earth (like we did), you love the hell out of this issue. If you didn't read Bad Guy Earth, don't fret. This isn't the kind of series that requires any intimate knowledge of continuity. Axe Cop is a cop that found an axe and he hates bad guys. That's pretty much all you need to know in order to fall in love with this book.

There is a lot going on in this issue. Axe Cop is now the President of the World, as you have probably guessed from the title. All the bad guys of the world have died from poisonous poop. There's a new cop named Goo Cop. There's a gorilla with robotic gun fists and several races of bad guy aliens that have set their sights on Earth. Nearly every page made me laugh. Malachai Nicolle writes like an unrestrained 8-year-old, because, you know, he is. His imagination has always been the driving force of Axe Cop and in this issue, it's racing along at full speed.

Ethan Nicolle's art is as playful as ever. Like every issue of Axe Cop, President of the World is requiring him to mash tons of information into each and every page. It's a credit to Ethan's art and storytelling skills that Axe Cop, and all the insanity that comes with it, always manages to run smoothly. I don't know why it took us so long to get a talking, bowtie-wearing gorilla with robotic gun fists in a comic book, but I'm glad Ethan Nicolle is the one drawing it. His art has grown a great deal throughout the Axe Cop series, and President of the World is some of his best work to date.

If you are not reading Axe Cop, you need to fix that. It's unbridled madness and is quite possibly the most fun you can have while reading a comic. Every once and a while, when I mention Axe Cop to someone who has never read the series, they'll ask me what it's about. I'll tell them it's not really about anything, at all; it's just a good time.

I'm just glad we live in a world where Axe Cop: President of the World exists.

Benjamin is a writer and storyteller. He owns many leather-bound books and his office smells of rich mahogany. Follow Benjamin on Twitter, or find him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Community: NBC President Comments on Dan Harmon's Removal

Today, at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour, was the first time NBC president Bob Greenblatt had faced a large group of TV journalists since Dan Harmon’s controversial removal from Community. And while it’s believed that Community’s studio, Sony, were the primary decision-makers when it came to removing Harmon, it’s also clear NBC went along with that decision. And so it was inevitable Greenblatt would be asked about the situation with the series today.

Greenblatt was asked about how the network views Community currently, having also moved it to Fridays and giving it a reduced thirteen-episode order. NBC have ordered a ton of new comedies for the fall and Greenblatt spoke about how the network (who are coming off years of infamously bad ratings) are trying to expand this audience, given the critically acclaimed but small audiences shows like Community, Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock get, which are dwarfed by the audiences for CBS hits like Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Mike and Molly and 2 Broke Girls.

Said Greenblatt, “I think we’re in a transition with our comedy programming and trying to broaden the audience and broaden what the network does. Those Thursday comedies, which the critics love and we love, tend to be a bit more narrow than we would like as we go forward.” Greenblatt noted Community has always been a bubble show, but they decided to renew it and, “See what a fourth season will do for us.” He said the order was for thirteen episodes, “because we really wanted to get more comedies on the schedule. We sort of laid out the number of episodes we’d need of things in order to get more shows on.” However, he also said the initial thirteen episode order didn’t mean they might not decide to extend the season past that.

Addressing the Dan Harmon situation, Greenblatt clearly wasn’t going to get into specifics about why that decision was made, saying, “Every so often, it’s time to make a change with the showrunner. You sort of evaluate the creative and how the show is run and how the writing staff works. Sometimes you want to freshen the show. We just decided it was time to do that on Community. No disrespect to anyone.” Greenblatt also stressed, “I think Community fans will get the same show they loved since the beginning.”

As for whether Community could get a Season 5 or whether the network sees Season 4 as the end, Greenblatt said, “I would love nothing more for Community to have a following on Friday and be able to continue.”

Later, Greenblatt spoke a bit more about the difficulties they’ve had with their comedies, saying, “These shows, especially the Thursday night shows, are just great shows. They’re award winning and incredibly sophisticated and clever and we couldn’t be prouder of them.” However, addressing the network’s overall ratings decline, he said, “We just can’t get the biggest audience for those shows. They do tend to be a little more narrow and a little more sophisticated than you want for a real broad audience.”

He said the intent with new NBC comedies, including Go On, Animal Practice and The New Normal was to have series that are “Also clever and also smart and you critics like them but can also broaden the size of the audience.”

Source : ign[dot]com

5 or 6 New Amazon Tablet Models Forthcoming

Amazon will introduce “up to five or six tablet SKUs” Reuters reported this morning. The tip comes from Demos Parneros, president of U.S. Retail for Staples, one of Amazon’s retail partners. Among the new tablets will be a 10-inch model, Parneros said.

Of course, five or six SKUs really means one or at most two new tablet models, as each storage option gets a unique SKU. So what looks at first like an huge announcement is almost certianly too limited to refer to the Amazon’s rumored smart-phone. Still (assuming this isn’t actually just a new batch of e-readers) a 10-inch version of the Kindle Fire would surely compete more directly (or, like, at all) with the iPad.

With third-party retailers getting info, an official announcement from Amazon can’t be far off. Would you buy a 10-inch tablet or a phone from Amazon? Let us know in the comments.

Source : ign[dot]com

Former EA Exec Joins THQ

THQ has hired Ron Moravek as executive vice president of production. Moravek will report directly to THQ president Jason Rubin and has been hired as part of an initiative to “embrace new strategic business models, digitally connected experiences, and a more focused, high-quality game slate.”

Moravek is the co-founder of Company of Heroes developer Relic Entertainment, which THQ acquired in 2004. Moravek previously served as vice president and COO of EA Canada and most recently was a senior advisor to cloud-based internet security firm NuCaptcha.

THQ has seen several corporate changes in the past six months, following Jason Rubin replacing Danny Bilson as president and the resignation of vice president Teri Manby. Moravek’s appointment comes after THQ “shifted its focus” earlier this year, following the failure of its uDraw tablet peripherals.

THQ has seen continued financial trouble throughout 2012, closing its San Diego studio and most recently announcing plans to consolidate its quality assurance facilities. It’s also facing a class-action lawsuit regarding uDraw.

For more on THQ’s plans for 2013, check out our interview with Jason Rubin from E3.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com