The Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Sciences have announced a new category. Starting in 2026, the Academy will bestow an award for best achievement in casting.

This is the first new category since Best Animated Feature in 2002 (which went to the masterpiece Shrek, in case you forgot). The Academy previously announced a “Most Popular” category, but this was scuttled after members rallied against it.

“Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognize and celebrate. We congratulate our casting directors branch members on this exciting milestone and for their commitment and diligence throughout this process,” Academy president Janet Yang and CEO Bill Kramer said (via The Hollyw…

Battlefield 2042 continues to bring big changes to its launch maps, with the patch notes for update 3.1 revealing all the changes coming to Manifest. Come from Sports betting site VPbet

With this latest map rework, DICE is looking to make the cargo port “more streamlined” while also strengthening its visual identity. The update, which arrives December 12, will adjust the spaces between flags on Manifest across Battlefield 2042’s main game modes in order to reduce travel time and create stronger frontlines. Various points of interest across the map will be updated too, with locations like the Weather Station and Container Yard sporting new looks. Part of the Weather Station now sits as a burning ruin, and add…

If you don’t have kids, it’s quite possible you’ve never heard of Gorilla Tag, and if you do have kids, there’s a good chance Gorilla Tag is all you’ve been hearing about for a few years now. Originally developed by one person, Kerestell Smith–known to fans by his online handle Lemming–Gorilla Tag is the game of a generation. It hosts a million unique players daily, up to three million monthly active users, and has been played by over 12 million people since it released in 2021. While many older players have sometimes already written off VR, players of a particular age, approximately 7-14, have flocked to a game that is simple in its gameplay loop but sneakily complex in its design.

As both a writer in this space and the parent of a Gen Alpha kid who’…

Riot Games has released the notes for Legends of Runeterra’s upcoming Patch 2.90, and if you’ve enjoyed Irelia and Azir’s recent reign of dominance, we have bad news for you.

The Follower and Spell that make the Irelia/Azir deck so powerful–Blossoming Blade and Inspiring Marshal–are seeing an increase in summoning cost and an adjustment in stats, which will have a big impact on the deck going forward.

Riot cited internal data as the reason for the change, saying “our most recent information indicates the deck is just too powerful, so we’re making two very targeted changes. We hope to maintain the fun while opening up opportunities for other strategies and to reduce the frustration of playing against it.”

Heroes receiving buffs include …

Game development is an exciting field with potentially huge upshot as a career path. Whether pursued professionally or just for fun, learning how to program is a rewarding process for anyone into gaming or software development. But learning can also be challenging. Lots of would-be developers attend four year institutions or bootcamps just to learn the requisite skills. Both of these can get pricey. However thanks to bourgeoning e-learning platforms, learning game development is more within reach than ever.

The 2021 Pay What You Want: Hardcore Game Developer Certification Bundle is an excellent option for anyone looking to learn what it takes to be a game developer. From the very basics to more advanced techniques, this bundle touches it all. Best of all, you set the price. Bid o…

Overwatch 2 has hit at least 25 million players, and a month after launch, it’s time to start looking forward to Season 2 of the free-to-play hero shooter, which will bring new content to the game, some of which has already been confirmed by Blizzard. Here’s everything we know about Season 2 of Overwatch 2.

Season 2 release date

In a blog post, Blizzard provided some details about the upcoming Season 2 of Overwatch 2, which will start on December 6 Come from Sports betting site VPbet . Blizzard has confirmed that each season will last nine weeks total and players can expect the new season to drop on that date. Blizzard has not yet announced what time on December 6 the new seas…

If you love mining in Stardew Valley, you’re going to spend a ton of time fighting monsters. As you fight monsters, your combat skill will improve and at level 5, you are presented with the choice of two professions: Fighter or Scout. Fighter focuses on dealing more damage consistently, while Scout boosts your critical hit chance. Here’s which profession you should choose.

Fighter or Scout

In most cases, it’s generally better to go with the fighter profession, since the more consistent damage allows you to reliably defeat monsters. Fighter grants 10% more damage and an additional 15 HP. Fighter also leads to the two level 10 options of Brute and Defender, with Brute increasing your damage by 15%, stacking with Fighter. Defender gives you 25 more …

GameFly is running a sale on preowned games, and tons of great Xbox, PS5, and Switch games are included in the savings. You’ll find the most enticing deals for Xbox and PS5, though Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a standout deal across all platforms, as the game is down to just $45 from its usual $70. You can also get 2023 hits like Dead Space, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and Street Fighter 6 for stellar prices. All pre-played GameFly games come with the original case and any inserts you’d get with a new copy.

…

The reception to Sonic Frontiers has been less than glowing, with fans wondering about or even advocating for a delay based on trailers and gameplay videos. Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka is undeterred, though, saying that the game is still on-track to release this year, and that he isn’t surprised by the feedback.

“It’s not really that surprising,” Iizuka told VGC. “We do realize everyone is just kind of reacting to the videos that they saw, and because they don’t understand what this new gameplay is they’re kind of comparing it to other games that they already know. … And this new game system itself is something that doesn’t really exist in any other comparable titles, so we really hope that from here until launch we can really explain what open zone gameplay is.”

…

When you’re chasing the thrill of speeding down winding mountain roads or drifting around a track in your favorite racing game, you can’t go wrong by adding the realism of a steering wheel. Not only does it provide an element of realistic control; it can also give you an edge in multiplayer.

While racing wheels have largely been designed for console racing games, now mobile and handheld gamers have an option to even the field. The Serafim R1+ Racing Wheel is the perfect match for all your racing games , and right now it’s only $85 when you enter code ANNUAL15.

The Serafim R1+ is a marvel of gaming technology; it has everything you need to leave your rivals in your dust. Featuring an ergonomic rubber steering wheel, a responsive peda…

A post-credits scene at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home gave us an idea of how Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-Man might come into contact with the alien symbiote known as Venom. Now, concept artist Thomas du Crest, who worked on No Way Home, has posted his idea of what Peter Parker might look like wearing the symbiote suit.

…

There are plenty of great horror movies, games, and board games on sale right now ahead of Halloween. But it’s also the perfect time of year to read books written by Stephen King. The modern master of horror fiction, King has spent the past 50 years penning haunting tales that have kept readers awake at night. King’s horror bibliography spans across numerous subgenres, and there’s no shortage of great reads. We’ve rounded up the best Stephen King book deals at Amazon ahead of Halloween.

To kick things off, check out the Stephen King Three Classic Novels Box Set for just $31, down from its usual $57. That’s one of the lowest prices we’ve seen all year for the bundle–so if you’re interested in getting your scares away from the TV, it deserves a closer look.

…

Sony has released a new entry in its popular 1000X lineup–the WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones. Like past installments, the headphones make up for their awkward name by offering impressive features such as noise-canceling, a new ergonomic design, and custom-tuned 30mm drivers for a premium listening experience. After spending some time with the new WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones, it’s clear that Sony put a lot of effort into making these its best-sounding and most comfortable pair of headphones yet.

…

Today, Sonic returns to his 2D platforming roots with Sonic Superstars. The new game pairs the fast side-scrolling action of classic Sonic titles with a 2.5D art style, new powers, and an all-new story and setting.

Sonic Superstars is available now on all platforms, but PC players can snag the Blue Blur’s latest outing at a discount at Fanatical. With this deal, Sonic Superstars standard edition is just $52.19 (normally $60), while the Deluxe edition is down to $60.89 (from $70). Both editions will be delivered instantly as Steam keys. The Deluxe edition comes with some extra DLC and digital goodies, including:

• Lego Fun Pack
• Sonic Rabbit Skin
• Mech Parts for Battle Mode
• Bonus Main Menu Wa…
  Read more

There are several great deals on multiple Nintendo Switch Pokemon titles available from various online retailers.

The biggest discount is for Pokemon Shining Pearl at Amazon, which is down to just $39.97 (normally $60). Shining Pearl’s counterpart, Brilliant Diamond, is also on sale at Amazon for $46.70 (normally $60). Both games are eligible for Prime one- or two-day shipping, depending on where you live. If you’re hankering for an old-school Pokemon adventure, this is a great way to get your fix.

Anyone looking to catch up on the latest Pokemon games can grab Pokemon Violet for just $50.60 (normally $60) or P…

I often think about the era when Grand Theft Auto games were coming out almost every year rather than once a decade or so. In those off years, there were a lot of games that tried to fill the void for players wanting an open-world crime-drama game: True Crime, Saints Row, Mafia, Scarface, Crackdown–the list goes on. Presumably, no one making these games thought they would dethrone Rockstar. Still, they understood they could capitalize on the genre’s popularity by giving players a new lookalike while Rockstar was busy cooking up the next GTA. Since 2017’s Sniper Elite 4, I’ve viewed the Sniper Elite series as something similar, only in this case, the series it’s filling in for is Hitman. Rebellion’s Sniper Elite: Resistance won’t outdo IO Interactive’s incredible Hitman series…