E3 2022 is already being planned, and it could return to an in-person show, albeit with some digital elements as well. Stanley Pierre-Louis, the CEO of the ESA, said in an interview that future E3 events will "probably be a mix of physical and digital," though nothing is decided yet and feedback from 2021's show will inform next year's."The shape of that is yet to be determined, and we hope to learn from this year's event what transfers well," he told GI.biz. "I can't speak to future E3s because we really want to focus on E3 2021 and ensure this is a great experience for exhibitors, the media, and fans alike."While Pierre-Louis wouldn't be drawn into commenting on next year's show, he did speak to the fact that gaming overall is booming right now due in part to the pandemic.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The policies put in place by President Trump to ban TikTok and WeChat from the United States have been revoked by President Biden. As a part of a new executive order, Biden has rescinded the blanket bans and has initiated a more measured approach to reviewing foreign-connected software applications.Back in the middle of 2020, President Trump issued a series of executive orders that required the parent companies of WeChat and TikTok to spin off their United States operations and sell them to an American company or be prohibited. After jockeying from several American corporations, Oracle was eventually settled on to take over certain aspects of TikTok's infrastructure. However, this deal never went through, and Trump's executive orders have been dealt blows from court decisions.After assuming the presidency, President Biden took further steps to prevent the TikTok and WeChat bans from going into effect. Today, his administration officially revoked Trump's executive orders, meaning that TikTok and WeChat aren't under imminent threat of prohibition in the United States. However, Biden has also empowered Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to review apps that are directly controlled by or fall under the jurisdiction of "foreign adversaries" (both TikTok and WeChat are owned by Chinese companies).Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Wednesday morning, WWE stock (NYSE: WWE) saw a strong spike, even going up to 17% at one point. The sudden rise of the stock was first spotted by the WallStreetBest subreddit. The same thread on the site has identified the stock as "having potential" that's possibly due for a few reasons. Obviously, the biggest being that the company will return to live events next month, video game sales are doing relatively well, recent talent cuts of huge stars, and rumors of a theoretical sale.Economist Brandon Thurston, who specializes in the business and economics of wrestling companies tweeted out the rise as it was developing in real-time.Good morning. r/wallstreetbeats has taken an interest in $WWE. It’s up 10% in premarket trading.https://t.co/3vt03BSFjq pic.twitter.com/S59lgmt2aK — Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) June 9, 2021"Who knows where this is going, but for those who love this stat," Thurston added. "With WWE stock up 16% currently, the market value of Vince McMahon's ownership (nearly 29 million shares) is currently almost $300 million more valuable than it was yesterday."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Over the past few months, a global semiconductor shortage has constrained the supply of countless different products--from F-150s and Ford Broncos to Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X consoles. With few signs that the shortage will ease on its own, the U.S. government is now one step closer to implementing legislation aimed at alleviating the constraints and improving the availability of the chips.Called the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, the bill passed the Senate this week with unusual bipartisan support. 68 Senators voted for the bill compared to 32 against, easily clearing the 60-vote threshold necessary to avoid a filibuster. The bill allocates $52 billion for the semiconductor industry alone, in addition to an array of other investments in the technology industry. Over $200 billion is directed at technological initiatives in total. The Senate just passed the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, including my Endless Frontier Act.This legislation will set the United States on a path to out-innovate, out-produce, and out-compete the world in the industries of the future. — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 8, 2021The semiconductor shortage has been felt particularly acutely in the PC gaming space, as those looking to build new PCs or buy pre-built ones have had to contend with skyrocketing prices and extensive scarcity in GPU and CPU chips. This bill, if passed into law, may help with these constraints by focusing on building up semiconductor production capacity in the United States. Today, the vast majority of semiconductors are made in foundries in Southeast Asia. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The full trailer for Fear Street is here. The three-movie adaptation of RL Stein's hugely popular young adult horror series hits Netflix in July.The movies are titled Fear Street Part 1: 1994, Fear Street Part 2: 1978, and Fear Street Part 3: 1666. Unsurprisingly, given there are 3 films, the trailer is long and gives us a good idea of what to expect. Fear Street is set in the cursed Ohio town of Shadyside, where regular massacres have been happening for over 300 years. The '90s section is reminiscent of that decades' commercial slasher movies, such as Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, while the '70s-set movie has that era's familiar horror setting of the holiday camp. The final part deals with witchcraft in the 17th century and has creepy period vibes of films like The Witch. The films are clearly connected, although we'll have to wait until next month to see how exactly. Check the trailer out below:Fear Street Part 1: 1994 hits Netflix on July 2, with Part 2: 1978 and Part 3: 1666 following on July 9 and July 16 respectively. The cast includes Stranger Things stars Maya Hawke and Sadie Sink, plus Emily Rudd (Sea Change), Ryan Simpkins (Brigsby Bear), Ashley Zukerman (Designated Survivor), and Fred Hechinger (News of the World). All three films are directed by Leigh Janiak.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Fortnite Season 7 tweaks weapon upgrades in a way that will be unfamiliar to players who first started playing last season, but for most everyone else, it's a system they're used to and just haven't seen in a while. Nonetheless, even if you remember the old days of the Fortnite Upgrade Bench, Upgrade Bench locations change with every season in which they appear. Here's where you can find all Fortnite Upgrade Benches in Chapter 2 Season 7, plus how to use them when you get there.Fortnite Upgrade Bench LocationsThere are currently 10 Upgrade Benches located across the Season 7 map. More may be added and others moved in future updates as Epic continuously works to balance the game, but for now, here's where you can find them all. Keep in mind that one of the Week 1 challenges also asks you to use an Upgrade Bench three times, so this guide helps complete that Epic Quest too.Craggy Cliffs inside Sticks RestaurantSteamy Stacks in the centermost buildingDirty Docks in the area's largest buildingCatty Corner near the trailerCamp Cod in the southeast of the islandIn the factory east of Slurpy SwampInside Durrr Burger south of Holly HedgesNear the shore at Believer BeachAt the farmland west of Corny ComplexIn a nondescript building just east of The AftermathAll Upgrade Bench locations in Fortnite Season 7How To Upgrade Weapons In FortniteUpgrading a weapon in hand is different than crafting your own weapon (though we have a guide for that too). You won't need Nuts And Bolts. Instead, you'll want to make sure you have enough Gold Bars to upgrade the rarity of your weapon. Each rarity upgrade improves the reliability of a weapon in stats like accuracy and damage, meaning you should make sure you're equipped with the best possible weapons you can afford. Here's what each weapon rarity means in color and how much it costs to upgrade to that rarity from the one before it.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Ubisoft has outlined a new list of bonuses for CEO Yves Guillemot, and the changes include swapping out a gender diversity initiative for one centered around carbon emissions. As reported by Axios, Ubisoft's new set of bonuses does not include that same gender diversity goal as last year's set does, although that three-year goal is still in effect for Guillemot.The long-term goal for Ubisoft was to increase the percentage of women within the company from 22% at the end of March 2020 to 24% by the end of March 2023. The goal remains as a three-year potential bonus for Guillemot but was not included in this year's set of multi-year bonuses, instead replaced by a carbon intensity goal. Ubisoft reported women make up 23.5% of its workforce as of the end of March this year, potentially putting it on track to complete its stated goal.The new three-year carbon density goal has three main goals, in addition to smaller criteria. First, the company needs to reach 100% renewable energy; it stands at 73.5% as of 2020. Ubisoft also aims to reduce the number of business trips the company takes by 20% in addition to increasing the percentage of its games sold digitally up to 68%. For reference, 48% of Ubisoft's game sales were digital in 2019.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Space Jam: A New Legacy, now finally just a few weeks from release, has gotten a second trailer. The movie will be in theaters and HBO Max on July 16--just a little over a month from today.As with the first trailer released back in April, this one fully displays the fun and madcap lunacy the movie's plot requires. For those who haven't been closely following this highly-anticipated sequel to the 1996 live-action/animated sports comedy, A New Legacy's plot was revealed a while back: "During a trip to the Warner Bros. studio, NBA superstar LeBron James and his son accidentally get trapped within a world that contains all of Warner Bros.' stories and characters… to get back home, LeBron and the Tunes have to unravel [a] mysterious plan and win an epic basketball game." Check out the trailer below to see this all laid out.Space Jam: A New Legacy is directed by Malcolm D. Lee and co-written by Juel Taylor, Tony Rettenmaier, Keenan Coogler, and Terance Nance. In addition to LeBron James, the film's cast also includes Don Cheadle, Khris Davis, Sonequa Martin-Green, Cedric Joe, Jeff Bergman, Eric Bauza, and Zendaya.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

During Day 3 of Netflix's Geeked Week, a special clip was revealed of Season 2 of the zombie apocalypse series Black Summer. The new season arrives to the streaming service on June 17.Living in a zombie apocalypse is understandably challenging. You have to make tough decisions, like forcing people out into the world of the undead because they have a bite on them or they seem unsafe. Sure, you're dooming people to their un-deaths, but it's for your own survival. Check out this clip from Episode 1 of Black Summer Season 2.During a zombie apocalypse, you do what you must to survive. Here's a look at season 2 of Black Summer, coming to Netflix on June 17th. #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/oexOuCd2NN — Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 9, 2021The series follows a group of strangers that come together in the early days of a zombie apocalypse in order to survive. The series is actually a prequel to the Syfy show Z Nation, which aired for five seasons, ending in 2018.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Stranger Things co-creators the Duffer Brothers have announced that Season 4 will add four new recurring cast members: Amybeth McNulty (Anne with an E), Myles Truitt (Queen Sugar), Regina Ting Chen (Queen of the South), and Grace Van Dien (The Village). The news was broadcast during Netflix's Geeked Week event, a virtual fan-facing event revealing first looks at upcoming content.McNulty will play Vickie, "a cool, fast-talking band nerd who catches the eye of one of our beloved heroes." Truitt will play Patrick, "a Hawkins basketball star who has friends, talent, and a good life, until shocking events send his life spiraling out of control." Ting Chen will play Ms. Kelly, "a popular guidance counselor who cares deeply for her students--especially those struggling the most." Finally, Van Dien will play Chrissy, "Hawkins' High lead cheerleader and the most popular girl in school. But beneath the seemingly perfect surface lies a dark secret."all aboard! the Duffer Brothers are here with special news that they want to personally share with you. @stranger_things #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/TVheNMqgUl — Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 9, 2021The highly anticipated next season of the Netflix series is currently in production in Atlanta, and is likely coming in 2022. As has been widely reported previously, while Season 4 was delayed considerably due to COVID-19, many in the cast and creative team have reported that the extra time has made the writing stronger. Director Shawn Levy confirmed that "the quality of these screenplays are exceptional, maybe better than ever."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

A Stranger Things prequel podcast arrives on June 29. The show is titled Rebel Robin: Surviving Hawkins and it will focus on the Robin Buckley, the character played by Maya Hawke in the hit show.The six-episode podcast was announced as part of Netflix's Geeked Week event. Hawke will reprise her role, which she first played in 2019's Stranger Things Season 3, and will provide some backstory to her character. There's also a tie-in novel titled Rebel Robin due on the same day. Netflix has released a teaser--check it out below:Good news dinguses! Scoops Ahoy Employee of the Year Robin Buckley gets an all-new @stranger_things Prequel Podcast series and book on June 29. #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/Dla8zYtssb — Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 9, 2021Several new cast members were also announced for the upcoming Stranger Things Season 4 during Geeked Week. They are Amybeth McNulty (Anne with an E) as Vickie, Myles Truitt (Queen Sugar) as Patrick, Regina Ting Chen (Queen of the South) as Ms. Kelly, and Grace Van Dien (The Village) as Chrissy.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Cross-play is officially coming to Overwatch, with Blizzard confirming that a cross-play beta will be available before a full rollout. The feature will be supported across all versions of the game (PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4/PS5, and Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S) and comes as part of a broader launch of a "global Battle.net."Players will only be able to participate in Overwatch cross-play after creating a Battle.net account and linking it to their various console accounts. Naturally, this doesn't apply to PC players who have been playing the game through the Battle.net launcher since it was released in 2016; console players will need to link or set one up regardless of their desire to use cross-play. The addition of cross-play was likely the big feature Overwatch game director Aaron Keller teased recently. Blizzard has set up a page on its website with details on how to create and link a Battle.net accountAs an added bonus, anyone that links their Nintendo, PlayStation, or Xbox accounts to Battle.net by the end of the year will also receive a golden loot box. You'll receive a golden loot box for each platform you log in on.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Amazon Prime Day is one of the biggest deals events of the year for Prime subscribers, and though the annual sale always brings hefty discounts on practically anything you'd want to buy, the company is also throwing free Amazon credit at shoppers to help sweeten the deals even further. There are two main ways to claim free Amazon credit ahead of Prime Day, each of which will get you $10 to spend during the sale (so $20 total)--and neither involves signing up for Amazon's credit card. Let's get into it: Here's how you can claim free Amazon credit ahead of Prime Day 2021.Shop small businesses on AmazonJust like last year, Amazon is highlighting small businesses ahead of Prime Day and urging users to "shop local" (despite the fact that you're still buying on Amazon and benefiting a massive corporation, of course). Between June 7 and June 20, when you spend at least $10 on products from small businesses on Amazon, you will receive $10 back. You'll know you've qualified when you receive a confirmation email notifying you that credit has been added to your account. You can then spend that $10 credit on Prime Day from June 21 to 22. This deal is exclusive to Prime members.The qualifying small business offers span several major categories, including electronics, pet supplies, home & kitchen, and even handmade items. You can also shop by region--so if you live in the Northeast United States and want to support "local" sellers, you can browse products specifically made in that region.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

WandaVision star Elizabeth Olsen has commented on the possibility of the MCU show getting a second season, and she is not hopeful. As part of Variety's latest Actors on Actors episode, The Flight Attendant's Kaley Cuoco and Olsen chatted about all manner of things, and WandaVision naturally came up in the discussion.Cuoco asked Olsen if there will be a second season of WandaVision, to which Olsen replied, "No. No. It's definitely a limited series."Cuoco pointed out that The Flight Attendant was originally billed as a limited series before it was picked up for a second season. Olsen responded that the door is always open with Marvel, but it remains to be seen if WandaVision will in fact return.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The next evolution of GameSpot sister site Giant Bomb is coming soon, and it features some returning faces. A new lineup of shows is coming with content from GameSpot's own Tamoor Hussain and Lucy James, as well as former GameSpot video producer Danny O'Dwyer and a few other viewer favorites.Announced contributors to the new Giant Bomb content slate include:Tamoor HussainLucy JamesDanny O'DwyerJeff GrubbDan RyckertYes, Dan Ryckert is back on Giant Bomb! The former editor and Taco Bell nuptials-haver will be contributing to the site on new content, and there be even more announcements regarding more shows and contributors in the weeks and months ahead. Alongside Jeff, other Jeff, Jan, Jason, and Rorie, Giant Bomb is also looking for more full-time employees following the departure of longtime staffers Vinny Caravella, Alex Navarro, and Brad Shoemaker.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com