Stone Marshall's Blog, page 50
January 25, 2019
Warner Bros.’ Minecraft Movie Finds a New Director
Peter Sollett, whose directorial credits include Freeheld and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, is now set to write and direct Warner Bros.’ film adaptation of Minecraft.
The film has been in development since 2014 after Warner Bros. acquired the rights. Initially, Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum) was set to direct with Kieran Mulroney and Michele Mulroney writing the script. However, Minecraft developer Mojang didn’t agree with the direction, so Levy had left the project. In 2015, Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator and star Rob McElhenny was then set to direct but had also left the project last year.
New plot details have also emerged. According to Variety, the story will revolve around a teenage girl and a group of adventurers attempting to save the Overworld from the evil Ender Dragon. Who will actually star as these characters have yet to be revealed. Steve Carrell’s name has been pushed around for quite some time but it seems he will not be joining the movie.
The movie will be produced by Roy Lee and Jon Berg. Additional producer credits will also go to Jill Messick — who had passed away last February — and Mojang. Jon Spaihts will be credited as an executive producer.
The Minecraft movie was expected to release this year. However, with the new directorial shift, a new release window has not yet been determined.
We Finally Kinda Know What The Shit The ‘Minecraft’ Movie Will Be About
The Minecraft movie has been through a number of directors during its lengthy production, with Peter Sollett named as the latest to join the project. Along with a new director, the film has also been given a brief plot summary.
Rob McElhenney, co-creator of the comedy series, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, stepped down from the position last year. Sollett is known for his work on the movies, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Freeheld, along with the Hulu TV series, The Path.
In terms of plot, there isn’t a heap of information, but according to Variety, “the story follows a teenage girl and her unlikely group of adventurers who, after the malevolent Ender Dragon sets out on a path of destruction, must save their beautiful, blocky Overworld.” Make of that what you will.
After McElhenney’s departure, Aaron and Adam Nee were brought on as writers, so it would seem the plot is a product of their work, which is in fairly stark contrast to the previous plot. Proposed by the film’s original director, Shawn Levy, it was going to be a Goonies-style adventure within the Minecraft universe, which, if you ask me, sounds like it would have kicked ass.
Whether the latest take on the film will even go ahead is yet to be confirmed, but Minecraft studio, Mojang, is still on board with the project, which has been in development since 2014.
Will the Minecraft film somehow break the curse of video game movie adaptations being mostly hot garbage? Only time will tell.
January 24, 2019
THE ANNOUNCEMENT TRAILER FOR MINECRAFT-INSPIRED HYTALE HAS 31 MILLION VIEWS IN LESS THAN A MONTH
Just last month Hypixel Studios, the company behind the Hipixel Minecraft server, announced their very first game called Hytale. Along with the announcement, they released a reveal trailer that has seen massive success already.
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If you haven’t heard much about the game, it’s a sandbox role-playing game influenced by the box style graphics of Minecraft. What’s crazy though is that in less than one month, the trailer for Hytale has amassed over 31 million views on YouTube.
Just to put that into perspective, Fortnite’s Season 5 Trailer, the most watched video gaming trailer in 2018, earned a whopping 48 million views in 6 months and the Red Dead Redemption 2 announcement trailer has earned 17 million views in over 2 years. Now this very first video from the small studio has already earned over half the amount of the Fortnite video in a fraction of the time and that’s pretty insane. You can check the video that’s getting all the attention below.
If you want to know more, here’s the official description straight from the game’s website: “Embark on a journey of adventure and creativity. Hytale combines the scope of a sandbox with the depth of a roleplaying game, immersing players in a procedurally generated world where teetering towers and deep dungeons promise rich rewards. Hytale supports everything from block-by-block construction to scripting and minigame creation, delivered using easy to use and powerful tools.”
If the views are anything to go by, Hytale is looking like it might be a serious Minecraft competitor, especially if it continues to gain traction in the industry. Given that Minecraft is one of the best-selling video games of all time, only time will tell just how well Hytale will do once released on PC. As it stands right now though, there is no release date set, nor has the team decided whether this will be free-to-play. You can check out the official website for all the current known details.
Are you one of these 31 million views? What do you think about what you’ve seen of Hytale so far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and don’t forget to keep it locked for updates!
This Gaming Fan Turned His Television Into a Giant Nintendo Switch
Fans of Nintendo games have awesome ways of showing their devotion to their favorite company, whether it’s with a collection filled with SNES and Nintendo 64 titles; or collecting a number of stuffed Mario dolls (or, dare we suggest, Tingle from the Legend of Zelda series). But one particular fan decided to go all out, essentially turning his television into a giant Nintendo Switch.
As originally reported by DualShockers, a Reddit user by the name of Logbies recently shared documentation of his project, in which he custom built two large Joy-Cons (not working, but still cool-looking) and attached them to the sides of his television to resemble a huge Switch system.
The Germany-based user managed to put together the Joy-Cons by hand, which also serve as a storage unit that can hold up to 40 Nintendo Switch games right there next to the TV. So while the games may not be on display, the rest of the unit still looks cool enough that you can’t help but gaze in awe.
But that’s not all. For good measure, Logbies also managed to put together a table that resembles a Nintendo Switch, right down to having a video screen. Again, it’s not playable, but it looks so cool that we can’t help but want one in our living room anyway. And those that try to prop their feet up on it will get a very stern warning, if not a full brush-off with our favorite Mario hat. Off, off!
You can see the video of the Nintendo table above, on the Switch_Dreamer YouTube channel. It doesn’t appear that there’s a video yet that documents the creation of the large Joy-Cons for the television, but hopefully we’ll get one soon. In the meantime, here’s a cool behind-the-scenes photo.
(Photo: Reddit)We can’t help but wonder what Logbies might build next. Whatever it is, though, the users over on Reddit seem to be ready for it, providing a healthy amount of feedback on his post.
Some noted things like “This is really cool” and “Nice work. I guarantee someone will repost this in /r/gaming with a title like ‘this tv’ and get 10k upvotes.” Others, however, got constructive with their words, with one user suggesting that this is the new Nintendo Switch XL that Nintendo might release later this year, and another wondering if it supports Bluetooth. It’s all in good fun, though.0COMMENTS
What do you think about these projects? Share your thoughts with me on Twitter at @TheDCD!
(Hat tip to DualShockers for the scoop!)
January 23, 2019
First Trailer of ‘Minecraft’ Inspired Game ‘Hytale’ Has 31 Million Views In Less Than 30 Days
Back in December, Hypixel Studios announced its debut game, Hytale, a sandbox role-playing game that wears its Minecraft influence on its blocky sleeve.
A month later, and the announcement trailer for the game has exploded to 31 million views, suggesting there may soon be a new Minecraft competitor.
To put 31 million views into perspective, Fortnite’s Season 5 trailer — the most viewed gaming trailer in 2018 — racked up 48 million views in six months. Hytale has 31 million views in less than a month. That’s pretty damn impressive.
So, what the heck is all the hooplah about? Well, for one, the game looks pretty darn good. Two, Minecraft is one of the biggest games of all-time and is still very popular, and so when a game comes around evoking it, there’s a massive potential audience to come clicking. And lastly, because of who is developing the game.
Hypixel Studios isn’t just a random development team out of nowhere. It’s a team that created the huge Minecraft Hypixel server. And as you would expect, the massive following it created with that has followed the team over to Hytale.
Oh, and the team has the support of Riot Games — the makers of League of Legends — which doesn’t hurt.
“Embark on a journey of adventure and creativity,” reads an official description for the game. “Hytale combines the scope of a sandbox with the depth of a roleplaying game, immersing players in a procedurally generated world where teetering towers and deep dungeons promise rich rewards. Hytale supports everything from block-by-block construction to scripting and minigame creation, delivered using easy to use and powerful tools.”
“As you traverse each generated landscape, you’ll piece together the history of the world through handcrafted adventure scenarios. You might encounter a mage’s tower overrun with monsters, descend into an underground cavern, or take on a colossal boss monster. With a wide variety of scenarios available at launch, no two adventures will be the same.”
Hytale is in development for PC. At the moment of publishing, there’s no word of a release date or console ports.
For more information and media on the game, be sure to peep its official website. And of course, feel free to leave a comment letting us know what you think. How does the game look? Will Hytale takedown Minecraft?
Minecraft Marketplace October 2018’s top 10 creations: Who doesn’t love free?
The Minecraft Marketplace continues to draw in more people than ever with free content. That led to yet another huge spikes in downloads for the month to 2,255,888. That’s up from 1,351,438 in September. While many people are downloading the free promotional worlds and experiences, that should get people used to the idea of using the store. And creators could see even more sales in the future as a result.
As with September, a lot of the free content in October came from The Minecraft Team’s MineCon Earth fan event. That’s where the developer introduced its Grid Runners mode. It’s also where Jigarbov launched the free MineCon Earth version of Abstraction. On top of those, The Minecraft Team also launched the Purple Parrot Party Palace, which is also free.
So the download numbers continue to climb for the Marketplace. We’ll have to see if that increases spending.
Top 10 most downloaded
Grid Runners — NoxcrewAbstraction: MINECON EARTH — Jigarbov ProductionsPurple Parrot Party Place – MinecraftCity Mash-Up — Everbloom StudiosHorror House — CubeCraft GamesAquatic Life — Cyclone DesignsImmersion: Chicago — ShapescapeMillionare Mansions — NoxcrewCity Life — PixelHeadsZombie Apocalypse — PixelHeads
Top 10 highest grossing
City Mash-Up — Everbloom StudiosImmersion: Chicago — ShapescapeAquatic Life — Cyclone DesignsMillionaire Mansions — NoxcrewCity Life — PixelHeadsZombie Apocalypse — PixelHeadsCampCraft — BlockworksFarms – ShapescapeMine Zoo – Cyclone DesignsPirates of the Caribbean — Minecraft
See you again soon.
January 22, 2019
Minecraft’s cats, pandas, and thriving Marketplace partners
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The Minecraft Team at Microsoft has built a burgeoning Marketplace. And for the last several months in a row, it has worked to make fans excited to use this store. That started with the first ever Minecraft Marketplace summer sale, and it culminated with a winter event in December. Now, each month, players download millions of pieces of content (a lot of it for free). And that growth is something that is benefiting both Microsoft and external developers.
On the Marketplace, third-party Minecraft partners can sell their content. And thanks to Microsoft’s crossplatform Xbox Live support, these worlds and skins go live for players on Windows 10, mobile, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. This has enabled several small studios to turn their support for the Minecraft ecosystem into full-time work. It has also empowered The Minecraft team with a new way to engage and excite its audience.
Microsoft has begun using its partner support and events as effective marketing tools. And that came together in a big way at the end of 2018.
Catastrophic Pandamonium
One of the best examples of The Minecraft Team’s strategy is Catastrophic Pandomonium from GameMode One. This is a map that introduces players to the new cat and panda creatures from Minecraft’s latest content patch. It gives fans a way to quickly see their new behaviors in what GameMode One managing director Sean Davidson calls a “Minecraft preserve.”
Above: A panda bear in Minecraft.
Microsoft worked with developer Gamemode One to create this world and offer it as a free download. Its release drove players into the Marketplace during one of its biggest sales of the year. And that’s something that Davidson is happy to participate in.
“We’ve worked hard to contribute Catastrophic Pandamonium to the winter sale,” Davidson explained to GamesBeat. “This product was thoroughly enjoyable to develop. It proved to be an interesting challenge and change of pace for my team. Releases weaved into a promotion are an exciting prospect for any partner.”
Building a strong Minecraft Marketplace together
Davidson sees Catastrophic Pandamonium as part of a larger effort to expose more players to the Marketplace. And that’s important to him (and The Minecraft Team) because it means more developers can succeed.
“The seasonal promos are a great opportunity to resurface older products, especially for some AAA pieces of content that may have been overlooked at launch,” Davidson wrote. “The winter promotion is no exception, with this sale focusing on bundles and free content. For the majority of Marketplace creators, the promo means creating festive new marketing assets for existing content.”
And while other devs updated their maps with holly and wreaths, GameMode One put most of its efforts into creating Catastrophic Pandamonium. But Davidson sees a synergy in this strategy that is paying off.
“The events and promos have provided players with great low-price — and occasionally free — content and have consistently driven steady traffic to the Marketplace,” Davidson told GamesBeat. “The Marketplace has opened up to an increasingly larger audience. And with that increase came more Marketplace partners. The Marketplace has been growing at a healthy rate and the future is promising.”
January 21, 2019
Peter Sollett to Direct Warner Bros.’ ‘Minecraft’ Movie (EXCLUSIVE)
Peter Sollett has been brought on to write and direct Warner Bros.’ long-anticipated film adaptation of the popular video game “Minecraft.”
The pic will be produced by Vertigo’s Roy Lee and Jon Berg. Jill Messick, who died last February, is also still credited as a producer. The video game developer that released the game, Mojang, is also on board as a producer. Jon Spaihts will executive produce.
Based on the globally popular video game, the story follows a teenage girl and her unlikely group of adventurers who, after the malevolent Ender Dragon sets out on a path of destruction, must save their beautiful, blocky Overworld.
The studio has worked hard over the years to launch this franchise ever since it landed the highly coveted rights in 2014. Various talent has circled the project, including Shawn Levy and Rob McElhenney, who were both previously on board to direct, as well as Steve Carell, who circled a role in the film, but scheduling forced both parties to depart talks and the film was put back in the development cycle. Still, the studio sees “Minecraft” as a brand that sells at the global level and recognizes the potential it has as another potential franchise to add to its library.
For Sollett, the film marks his biggest studio movie to date, having previously worked on mid-range budget movies like “Freeheld” and “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.” Sollett is best known for his critically acclaimed film “Raising Victor Vargas.”
He is repped by CAA.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Riccardo De Luca/AP/REX/Shutterstock (6703807d)Peter Sollett Director Peter Sollett poses for photographers during the photo call of his movie Freeheld, at Rome’s Film Festival, in Rome
Italy Rome FF Freeheld, Rome, Italy
Minecraft Movie Unearths A New Director
Warner Bros. has tapped Peter Sollett to direct the big-screen adaptation of Minecraft, Variety reports. Sollett is known for films like the critical hit Raising Victor Vargas, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Freeheld.
The adaptation has been in the works since WB acquired the movie rights to the popular game in 2014. Various directors have been in talks at different points, including Shawn Levy and Rob McElhenney. Each had a different idea for the film, from a Goonies-style adventure to something more off-the-wall. Steve Carell was also said to be in talks to star as well.
Mojang, the studio behind Minecraft, is listed as one of several producers on the film, and has been heavily involved in the story direction. Mojang COO Vu Bui said in 2015 that the company didn’t want this to be seen as the definitive Minecraft story, because the building game is all about making your own. “We don’t want any story that we make, whether it’s a movie or a book, to create some sort of ‘this is the official Minecraft, this is how you play the game’ thing,” Bui said. “That would discourage all the players who don’t play in that way. When coming up with a story [for the movie], we want to make sure it is just a story within Minecraft, as opposed to the story within Minecraft.”
This adaptation will follow a teenage girl and her friends as they attempt to save the blocky Overworld from the Ender Dragon.
Minecraft currently boasts 91 million monthly active players, which even tops the success of Fortnite. It has already spawned a variety of adaptations and licensing, from books and collectibles to Telltale’s Minecraft Story Mode.Filed under:Minecraft
January 20, 2019
BLEEPS & BLOOPS: A LOOK AT GAMING’S INFLUENCE ON ELECTRONIC MUSIC [PT 1]
Technology is everywhere, whether it’s your smartphone, your smartwatch, or even your refrigerator, we’re connected in more ways then we can even keep track of! Every day we see a new device, and every day another device becomes obsolete. Innovation keeps this continuous state of flux going, and music does not just sit idly by. Since EDM is some of the most technologically-forward music, it is not surprising to see how much technology affects it.
Enter Bleeps & Bloops, our journey in exploring the wonderful world of technology and how it influences our favorite genre of music! From video games to virtual reality, EDM is changing every day! Get ready to dive into the digital world like never before, and see just how your music is changing.
GRAB YOUR CONTROLLER AND FIND YOUR PLAYER 2, FOR OUR FIRST FEATURE WE’LL BE ENTERING THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF VIDEO GAMES!
It’s safe to say video games have taken over the world. What was once reserved for nerds, now is enjoyed by everyone. Whether it’s playing games on your cell phone, building a high-end gaming computer, waiting outside for the launch of the newest systems or games, or just having a few drinks and playing some Mario Kart, there’s something out there for everyone. Video games have influenced many mediums and EDM is no exception. We’ve compiled some of our favorite video game soundtracks and games, and explored this match made in heaven. Blow the dust off those old consoles, and dig out those old mix CDs and let’s take a look into video games and EDM!
CHIPTUNE/RETRO INFLUENCE (90’S- EARLY 00’S)
Bun on TinyCartridgeOH CHIPTUNE, WE BARELY GOT TO KNOW YOU…
This wouldn’t be a true look into video games and EDM if we didn’t include Chiptune. Although this genre never made it into the mainstream quite like dubstep or house, its impact on EDM as a whole is worth noting.
Chiptune started sometime in the early 1980’s. The name comes from how it is created. The artists use sound chips in old computers and arcade machines and synthesizers to make music. Most of the time the chips used are from obsolete/old computers and gaming systems, which gives it the classic retro sound. Some of the earliest house and electronic music used arcade/computer sounds in their work.
Despite never quite reaching mainstream success as a whole, some bands have broken through. The most notable band to do this is Crystal Castles. Sharing the same name as an Atari game, Crystal Castles incorporates glitched video game and computer sounds into their music. Despite starting out as an underground legend, they broke into the mainstream with their first album. The Alice Glass fronted duo would go on to create three critically and commercially acclaimed albums, and play some of the biggest music festivals in the world.
The MySpace era brought chiptune back to the masses for a little bit as well. Artists such as Unicorn Kid saw success on the then-popular social media website. He helped ignite a small spark that helped fellow chiptune artists get the attention they deserved. Starting out as just a teenager, Unicorn Kid worked his way up to major festival appearances and signing to the legendary Ministry of Sound label. The attention Unicorn Kid and others gathered helped artists like Anamanaguchi tour the world and even go on to play on national television.
The rise of indie games has been a breath of new life for this genre. Many indie games such as Fez and Undertale have been praised for their soundtracks. Indie games have been moving towards a retro style in recent times, and this is the perfect style for chiptune to accompany. Who knows what’s next for the little genre that could. We look forward to what the future holds!
Besides chiptune, one of the most iconic (and controversial!) video games in the world, Mortal Kombat, was a pioneer for EDM and video games. The first Mortal Kombat game hit the arcades in 1992, and changed gaming forever. A few years later, Mortal Kombat was released for home consoles. Techno group, The Immortals, released a techno album in 1994 to accompany the release. The album featured one techno song for every character, as well as that iconic theme song we all love! Mortal Kombat also gave the modern reboot the same treatment a few years ago! (see below) Hopefully Mortal Kombat continues this trend or inspires more to do the same, we’d love if all of our favorite games came with full EDM albums alongside them!
DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION AND THE RISE OF RHYTHM GAMES (1998-2007)
Arcade HeroesIf you’ve been to an arcade in the past 19 years, you’ve seen a Dance Dance Revolutionmachine. Japanese company Konami released Dance Dance Revolution in 1998 to the delight of 90’s ravers everywhere. The premise of the game was inspired by the popular style of dancing called shuffling, which was (and still is!) very common in the happy hardcore/hardstyle scenes.
DDR was a critical success, and is still a staple in most arcades to this day. DDR is considered the pioneer in rhythm and dance games, and is still influencing games 19 years later. From DDR, spawned the home-console rhythm games like Amplitude and Rez. Both feature electronic music from the early 2000’s, and their gameplay revolves around the beat of the songs. After the early rhythm games we saw an uprising of peripheral-based games. Games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band which feature some EDM stars like Skrillex, Zedd and The Glitch Mob and many more, are some of the stand-out peripheral games, and were released to critical acclaim.
Even more relevant to our EDM music obsession was the DJ Hero games. Although some fans were skeptical of the announcement of the game, the series was well received and featured some of the biggest DJs and producers in the world. It included hundreds of songs, and remixes, and let you play as some of the world’s biggest DJs like, Tiësto, Daft Punk, deadmau5, DJ Shadow, and Grandmaster Flash. With EDM being bigger than ever, it’s only a matter of time before another spin off or new series is developed.
MODERN DAY APPEARANCES (2007-PRESENT)
Rockstar GamesMORE AND MORE WE SEE EDM INVADING OUR FAVORITE GAMES, AND WE DO NOT EXPECT THIS TO STOP ANYTIME SOON!
It’s almost natural to include EDM in a trailer for a game, they’re like peanut butter and jelly. Aside from using EDM in the marketing material for the games, we notice it being integrated into the virtual worlds. The fourth-highest selling game of all time, with 75 million copies sold, Grand Theft Auto V had several radio stations in the game featuring EDM stars as hosts and artists. Artist such as Flying Lotus, Soulwax and Twin Shadow, had their own channels featuring over 20 songs each, and also provided their voices for in-game fictional commercials, interviews, track commentary and more! A similar title, Saints Row 4 also featured an in-game radio station Mad Decent 106.9 hosted by the neon icon himself, Riff Raff. It featured a long list of Mad Decent artists and collaborators, such as Dillon Francis, Diplo, GTA, and DJ Snake.
On the flip-side of an in-game radio station, we notice game developers recruiting artists to make original tracks for use in the games. Skrillex’s skull-smashing hit “Reptile’s Theme” was created in support of 2011 reboot Mortal Kombat. This song was used in the advertising for the game, and also enjoyed commercial success and has become a fan-favorite and staple in Skrillex’s live sets.
One of the most popular games in the world, League of Legends, took a similar route in the release of their 2016 compilation album Warsongs. Warsongs is an album of original songs created for League of Legends, remixed by some of the biggest EDM stars in the world. Superstars like, Jauz, Marshmello, and Arty provided their spin on some of the game’s songs, along with many more artists!
This isn’t the first time League of Legends crossed-over into the EDM world. One of the biggest producers in the world, Zedd, created the soundtrack for their 2016 World Championship tournament, in the form of an original track called “Ignite”. The Grammy-winning producer, also performed live at the League of Legends World Championship at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. But wait, there’s more! For our headier and basshead friends Bassnectar, and Pretty Lights, provided original in-game songs for one of the characters! Riot Games, the team behind League of Legends definitely have infiltrated the EDM world and we are excited to see what they have up their sleeves for the future!
BONUS LEVEL: DEADMAU5
RukesThe biggest challenge while writing this feature was to make sure this didn’t turn into a whole article about the mau5. Deadmau5 is and has been a huge supporter of the video game industry and frequently joins in on projects. We just had to give him his own category because he is the epitome of video games and EDM colliding, so deadmau5 will be our Bonus Level for this feature! If you are still skeptical about that claim consider the fact that he has a Space Invaders alien tattooed on his neck, The Legend of Zelda hearts on his arm, and the signature of Shigeru Miyamoto (the creator of Zelda, Super Mario, Donkey Kong, and many other of our favorite games) also on his arm.
Deadmau5 has been a longtime supporter of the popular game Minecraft, and frequently uses images from the games in his live performances. He even named a couple songs in reference to the game. (See: “Fn Pig” & “Infra Turbo Pigcart Racer“)
The popular game Overwatch has a nice little nod to our favorite deceased mouse. They have a character named Lucio who is a DJ who uses a gun that shoots sound waves to damage enemies and heal his teammates. One of the costumes you can get for the character gives him a frog helmet with light-up eyes that looks strikingly similar to deadmau5’s helmet.
Alongside from these appearances, deadmau5 has made cameos in more games than we can list. Some notable ones include Diablo 3; (which deadmau5 is a big fan of) there is an in-game item that is a mau5head that the player can wear. Along with the mainstream hits deadmau5 makes some appearances in indie games like Goat Simulator and Rocket League. Besides all these cameos, his music is seen in a variety of games, from big-budget to indie. Maybe one day he’ll make his own game? We can only dream!
