Epic has just released a quick teaser showcasing what players can expect for Season 2 of Chapter 5 of Fortnite. For the upcoming season, players will be able to use the power of the gods to earn a victory royale.

The teaser was posted on the official Fortnite X/Twitter account. Although the video isn’t that long, players are given a good glimpse of what’s to come in the next season. From the looks of it, wild animals may be making their way back to the island, and players will be able to use a new melee weapon that extends to hit targets and use Zeus’s lightning bolts.

For the last few months, it’s been rumored that the upcoming season will be based on Greek mythology, and the latest trailer confirms that. The Fortnite Twitter account has also been alluding to that all week, with a series of tweets referencing the gods.

Season 1 is scheduled to end on March 8 at March 7 at 11 PM PT, which is March 8 at 2 AM ET. Even though Season 2 doesn’t have an official start date, it’s safe to assume that it will start later that day, based on how Fortnite has handled these in the past.

For more Fortnite news, check out our story detailing how Epic has hit a new hurdle in bringing Fortnite back to iOS.

How does an actor prepare to star in the Minecraft movie? Well, by playing a lot of Minecraft. Or at least that was Jack Black’s approach when getting ready to star in the film.

He told IGN, “I have literally been exclusive to Minecraft for the last month and a half. All Minecraft all the time. I’m in a little movie called Minecraft. I don’t want to brag, but it’s kind of a big deal.”

Black plays Steve in the upcoming Minecraft film, but the plot of the film remains a mystery. As fans know, Minecraft is an open-ended sandbox game with no set story. Whatever the case, Black said he’s actually returning to Minecraft, as he played the game “years ago” because his kids were, too, and he wanted to talk to them about it.

“So I studied hard and I learned and I was getting really into it building houses and tunneling around. Now I’m getting back into it–it’s pretty rad,” he said.

Black is becoming something of a go-to actor for video game films. Before this, he voiced Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and he played a main character in the new Jumanji films, which have video game elements. He’s also set to appear as the voice of Claptrap in the upcoming Borderlands film.

The Minecraft movie also stars Danielle Brooks, Jason Momoa, Jennifer Coolidge, Kate McKinnon, Jemaine Clement, and Emma Myers. It’s currently filming in New Zealand with Napoleon Dynamite’s Jared Hess directing. The film arrives in April 2025.

Season 2 Reloaded is live in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and the update adds the second main Easter egg quest for Zombies mode. This is another multi-step Easter egg that unlocks access to the Dark Aether via the rifts, and it allows you to earn this season’s powerful new schematics for the Mags of Holding, Blood Burner bike, and the V-R11 Wonder Weapon. Here we’ll guide you through completing it.

If you haven’t done Season 1’s main mission, Easter egg, or earned those schematic rewards, we have a full guide for completing the Act 4 “Bad Signal” story mission, and the Dark Aether Rifts and Season 1 schematics.

The setup

You need to complete the new Season 2 story mission called Countermeasures to start this Easter egg. This isn’t a particularly tough mission, and you’re given a generous 30-minute timer, but you’ll still want to make sure you’re properly geared up with decent perks and Pack-a-Punched weapons. Completing this will award you with a gold-rarity Drum item in the mission reward rift. Make sure to grab the Drum and complete the mission to extract with it.

It’s worth noting that you can complete the second step of this guide in your first playthrough of the Countermeasures story mission. This is best accomplished with teammates, and you can split the tasks by having one player advance the story mission while the others hunt the quest items.

However, you can replay the mission as many times as you need to collect the quest items listed below. Just remember, you’re still in the story mission, so you’ll still need to complete the mission objective each time to have a successful exfil.

Collect remaining quest items

The Drum item from the story mission rewards is one of four items you need. You don’t need to get these remaining pieces in any specific order, but the recommended order listed below will make the best use of your time.

While not necessary, it’s helpful if someone brings in a Scorcher Wonder Weapon just to make it easier and faster to get around the map and collect the quest items. This also works for collecting the bunnies in a later step.

Crafting a dog bone to spawn a friendly hellhound is also helpful when collecting quest items, because the pup can revive you if you’re split up from your team or trying to collect these items solo.

Tattered MMA Gloves

You’ll want to head to the giant cargo ship, which is in the area right beside where you spawn into the story mission. You can’t miss it. On the ship deck is an obelisk. Activate the obelisk’s seal, and it will spawn an Insta-Kill powerup item. Grab it and melee zombies within the glowing circle around you. Do this until the event is completed, and you’ll be rewarded with a purple-rarity MMA Gloves item.

Perforated Target

For this item, head north of the soccer field, and you’ll see a four-way path on your map at the E3 quadrant. The obelisk is located in the center of the four-way. Activate the seal, and this challenge requires you to get headshot kills within the glowing ring around you. Do this until the event is completed, and you’ll be rewarded with a purple-rarity Perforated Target item.

Pristine Mirror

You’ll need to head down to the bottom right corner of the map. This one is hard to spot because it’s in a foggy area, but just go to your tac-map and mark the grid section I-8 on the map. Activate this obelisk seal and the challenge requires you to get kills with specific ammo types. There will be ammo mods sitting by the obelisk to make sure you have the ammo type you need. Completing this will reward the purple-rarity Pristine Mirror item.

Upgrade the quest items

The Drum is the only quest item you have in the gold rarity. The three purple items will need to be upgraded before continuing. Spawn into a new match with one or more of the items you want to upgrade, and again, this can be done in any order.

Take the Tattered MMA Gloves to the boxing gym located at the bottom of the map at the Zaravan Suburbs.

Take the gloves to the center of the gym’s boxing ring, and you should get a prompt to interact. This will require you to melee all three punching bags hanging on the wall beside the ring. Start with the far-left bag, melee until it’s on fire, and then melee the middle, and right side punching bags until all three are on fire. That will spawn a zombie with fire hands. Melee it to death, and then you’ll have the upgraded gold rarity gloves.

Take the Perforated Target to the training area just south of Shanin Manor. Interact with the central-most target. This will spawn a bunch of purple glowing targets. You need to shoot them all until they each turn red. This will spawn a red glowing zombie to kill with a headshot. This will award you the gold-rarity target item.

Tip: Get on high ground to get a better visual, and also make sure to check the backsides of the nearby crates. Sometimes the targets spawn in tricky spots.

Take the Pristine Mirror to the graveyard located on the right edge of the map below the military base. There will be a place in front of the mausoleum (location shown in the picture below) to interact with and deposit the item.

Then, you’ll need to kill zombies in the area with a specific ammo mod type. Just like the previous step with ammo types, you’re given ammo mods to provide you with the type you need. These are in the glowing part of the tower structure next to the mausoleum. Completing this will give you the gold rarity mirror. If you don’t do this fast enough and the zombies stop spawning, run back to the mausoleum and start the process over.

Place the items

You need to have all four of these items at the start of a fresh match. You only need one of each, so if a teammate already has the mirror, you won’t need a mirror of your own. Collectively, just make sure you have all four gold items.

Make sure you’re geared up with tier 3 Pack-a-Punch weapons, 3-plate, killstreak, and perks. I’d also recommend the Tombstone perk for whoever is holding the items. You don’t want to die and lose all of the items here.

Head to the purple tornado swirling on the map. Place the items on the four pedestals that match for each of the four items. Take out the Mimic mini-boss that spawns to get the rift sigil item it drops.

You don’t have to use the Sigil now, but if you’re still well geared up and want to continue, use the Sigil on the portal. This is a one time use item, but you now have a chance to earn more Sigils from completing contracts in the Dark Aether Rifts or by completing tier 3 contracts.

How to complete S2 Dark Aether Rifts and unlock new schematics

This works just like the Season 1 rifts. Use the Sigil by placing it on the side of the gate, and the gate will unlock and glow yellow. Once you’ve stepped into the Dark Aether, you’ll have a 30-minute timer to complete three contracts. Find and interact with three Mister Peeks plushies (the blue bunny from the Mystery Box) and complete the contract each one gives you.

These can be done in any order and found in the following locations:

• A bunny can be found upstairs in the warehouse near the spawn area. As soon as you spawn, turn around and head inside.
• Another bunny is found at the highest point of the mall roof
• Bunny on top of the tallest building in the E6 quadrant of the map

Listen as you search around. These bunnies have a sound cue. You’ll hear a giggling child when you get close.

Also, make sure you search each reward rift you get from the bunny contracts. Each one of these has the chance to reward one of the new items in the game: Mags of Holding or the Blood Burner bike. However, these are just one-time consumables. Just like last season, you’ll need to go back into the Dark Aether rift a second time to try and collect the schematics to craft these items.

You or someone on your team should also find at least one Elder Sigil item drop. Make sure to collect these to exfil with.

When ready to exit, find one of the triangle portals like you entered through. They are random but there should be more than one, so you should have a few options here. Any of these portals will end your match, and you’ll keep any sigils and acquisitions you found during your time in the Dark Aether.

Start a new match with the Elder Sigil. Put the Sigil on the opposite side of the gate as last time. The gate will turn red. This is a tier 5 threat zone.

Having a six-player “super squad” here is very helpful. You’ll rinse and repeat the same steps as above. Go to the same bunny locations as before and do the contracts. Your timer has been reduced to only 15 minutes.

This tier 5 zone is how you collect and unlock the Season 2 schematics for crafting the Mags of Holding, Blood Burner bike, and the V-R11 Wonder Weapon schematics.

Prime Video’s Fallout TV series is almost here, and for fans of the post-apocalyptic series, some good-looking collectibles are now available to preorder. Well, maybe not that one ghoulish figure but he still looks pretty cool even if he is missing most of his skin. McFarlane is only manufacturing 5,200-5,600 figures of each character, and the Amazon-exclusive three-pack is even more limited at approximately 3,600 units. Needless to say, Fallout fans will want to place their orders as soon as possible.

Preorder individual figures at Best Buy

Currently, collectors have a few options to choose from. Best Buy is selling the three figures for $25 each. These standalone figures start shipping out on April 19, a week after the Fallout show debuts. Meanwhile, Amazon has an exclusive three-pack with a May 10 release date. The three-pack will end up saving you $15 versus buying all three separately, and each figure has a special gold nameplate.

Fallout TV show figures – Amazon-exclusive three-pack

McFarlane Toys has created some highly detailed replicas of characters from the show as part of its Movie Maniacs line. The Ghoul is locked and loaded for a high noon showdown, Vault dweller Lucy is sporting a can-kill attitude alongside her fancy threads, and Maximus looks unstoppable inside of his Brotherhood of Steel armor.

It’s worth noting that each figure is already locked in its pose, so technically, these are inaction figures. Each one of them comes with an environmental base, collectible art card, and a backdrop, and there’s a good chance they’ll sell out quickly as they hit that sweet spot for affordability and eye-catching designs.

Each one is around six inches in height, and with the display base, you can easily show them off on a desk or on a shelf without taking up too much space.

The Fallout TV adaptation premieres on April 11. The show is exclusive to Prime Video, so you’ll either need to have a full Amazon Prime membership or a standalone Prime Video subscription to watch.

Bethesda’s Starfield was one of the most popular games of 2023. Offering a sweeping galaxy to explore, plenty of customization options, and more robust gunplay than other Bethesda games, it garnered legions of players on Xbox and PC when it arrived last September. If you’re one of those fans, you might be interested in the Starfield Premium Upgrade, which is currently on sale for just $18 (down from $35).

The Starfield Premium Upgrade doesn’t include the base game–instead, it’s an add-on pack that comes with a steelbook display case, Constellation patch, and a digital artbook and soundtrack. You’ll also get access to the upcoming Shattered Space Story expansion along with a bit of in-game DLC via the Constellation Skin Pack.

Keep in mind that this discount is available at both Amazon and GameStop, but Amazon is quickly selling out. Only a few are currently left in stock at Amazon, and there’s a good chance it’ll sell out soon. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for the Premium Upgrade, and it’s not likely to stick around for long. If you’re interested, be sure to check it out as soon as you can.

Still haven’t played Starfield? You’ll find the standard edition for just $50 (down from $70), making this a great time to dive into the sprawling RPG. Starfield is also available on Xbox Game Pass–you can get a three-month subscription to Game Pass Ultimate for $45. Our Starfield review gave it a solid 7/10 due to its fun gunplay and bizarre side quests, along with its seemingly endless trove of content.

“Starfield has its moments, for sure. Its satisfying gunplay makes combat exciting, especially when it’s integrated into setpieces within its better, more captivating questlines,” wrote critic Michael Higham. “And although limited in its conception of space exploration, there’s a novelty in poking around the galaxy to see star systems up close and personal, and occasionally finding side content worth chasing.”

Electronic Arts is a big believer in AI. CEO Andrew Wilsons said during a Morgan Stanley speaking event this week that AI could help lead to a number of efficiencies for the company that could help it to develop and release games faster, and make more money from them. Wilson gave this speech not long after the company laid off 670 people. Many have raised concerns that AI could negatively impact the people who make games and their jobs, but Wilson spent his speaking event talking up what he sees as the positives. He did not discuss how EA’s plans for AI could impact human jobs.

He said EA’s games are already using generative AI, adding that AI is “something we are embracing deeply.” He said big games take around 6-7 years to make, and EA’s ambition is to make the game development process more efficient.

Wilson went on to say that EA has conducted a study across all of its development processes and found that 60% of development processes have a “high feasibility” of being positively impacted by generative AI.

As an example, Wilson said in the past it took six months to develop a stadium in one of its sports games, and now it takes six weeks. In the future, it could take six days, he said.

EA’s ambition, Wilson said, is to use generative AI to make its development processes 30% more efficient. Wilson said EA’s development teams are driven by the desire to “get to the fun faster” and release games faster. The aim is to “get to greatness much more quickly,” he said.

Generative AI could also help games become more compelling, Wilson said. As an example, he said FIFA 23 has 12 “run cycles,” or animations for how players run in the game. In FC 24, there are 1,200, he said. Every time an EA game gets “bigger” or “deeper,” Wilson said more people come to EA’s games and spend more time playing them.

Right now, EA has a playerbase of 700 million players, Wilson said, and the aim in the future is to add 50% more over time.

In terms of monetization, Wilson said generative AI can help with creating “personalized” and “bespoke” content that players will be more interested in spending money on. He said EA has the potential to make 10%-20% revenue more from microtransactions with generative AI baked in.

Finally, Wilson said if EA can succeed with its AI ambitions, its games could potentially reach a network of more than 3 billion people, and those people could use AI to “expand and enhance” EA’s games with user-generated content. If EA’s vision comes to life, the company would become “the beneficiary of platform economics,” he said.

Wilson ended his talk on AI by stressing that it continues to be “early days” for AI, noting that it seems like issues with AI are popping up on a daily basis. Despite that, Wilson said EA is “more excited than we’ve ever been” about AI.

Prior to this, Wilson warned that advances to AI would lead to job losses. Wilson said the “fear of displacement of the workforce” is a legitimate issue as it pertains to AI. History has shown that major revolutions like the agricultural revolution and the industrial revolution led to “displacement” in the workforce in the near term and then “meaningful increases” in job opportunities down the road. AI could follow a similar trajectory,

EA is not alone in its admiration for AI. Microsoft is heavily invested in AI and has said AI will be baked into every product it makes going forward, including Xbox. Microsoft also implemented mass layoffs around the same time of pushing further into AI.

Want to load up on Steam games without dropping a bunch of cash? Then swing by Fanatical, where you’ll find two new bundle deals, including one that lets you snag up to ten games for just five bucks. You’ll get to choose from a catalog filled with indie gems and a few AAA blockbusters, making this a great way to score tons of games for cheap. Plus, many of the games in these bundles are confirmed as playable on Steam Deck.

The two bundles up for grabs are the Platinum Collection Build Your Own Bundle (March) and the Build Your Own Spring Bundle. Anyone who enjoys discovering new indies will find much to love about Spring Bundle, which is largely comprised of smaller games that haven’t quite broken into the mainstream. The Platinum Collection, meanwhile, has a few blockbusters in its catalog–though the bundle tiers are a bit pricier.

Here’s a look at the two bundles on Fanatical. If neither catches your eye, be sure to check out the site’s massive Spring Sale, which includes huge discounts on games like Alan Wake 2, Dave the Diver, and more.

Platinum Collection Build Your Own Bundle (March)

Pick three games for $10, five games for $15, or seven games for $20. Notable titles include the tactical-RPG Wasteland 3, the narrative adventure Road 96: Mile 0, and the surreal puzzler Silt. Here’s a look at the entire catalog you can pick from:

• Trinity Fusion
• Scars Above
• Adore
• Perish
• Dros
• The Bunny Graveyard
• Zelter
• Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine
• Mystic Academy: Escape Room
• What The Duck
• Imp of the Sun
• Golf Vs Zombies
• Jets’n’Guns 2
• Letters: A Written Adventure
• Undead Horde 2: Necropolis
• Medieval Machines Builder
• Trans Neuronica
• Silent Sector
• Don Duality
• Silt
• Wasteland 3
• Luna’s Fishing Garden
• Road 96: Mile 0
• Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts

Build Your Own Spring Bundle

Get one game for $1, five games for $3, or ten games for $5. Most of the games in this catalog are smaller, lesser-known indies, though nearly all of them have earned positive reviews on Steam. This includes the 3D platformer Trifox, the chilling adventure game Metamorphosis, and the hilarious sandbox game Just Die Already. Here’s a look at everything up for grabs.

• Trifox
• Metamorphosis
• The Hong Kong Massacre
• Dr Livingstone, I Presume? Reversed Escape Room
• Time on Frog Island
• Flame Keeper
• Latte Stand Tycoon +
• Mythic Ocean
• Super Galaxy Squadron EX Turbo
• Big Bang West
• X-Morph: Defense Complete Pack
• What Lies in the Multiverse
• Don’t Be Afraid
• Samudra
• Zombie Driver HD Complete Edition
• Dusk ’82: Ultimate Edition
• The Town of Light
• Northmark: Hour of the Wolf
• Just Die Already
• Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!

Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom.

McFarlane Toys is celebrating its 30th year and while it started by making toys only for Todd McFarlane’s comic book creations, it’s become a powerhouse in the toy industry. For the past five years, the company has been delivering high-end figures for DC Comics to rival Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line. While it has been criticized that McFarlane is mostly in the Batman business, the company has provided figures based on classic DC stories and has spread across DC’s pantheon of heroes and villains.

That being said, when McFarlane does do highly desired Bat-characters or designs, the clamor intensifies. The pre-orders for the company’s latest offerings, Azrael Armor Batman and First Appearance Batman, dropped last Friday and went through several sellouts at Amazon and Gamestop. Fans have wanted that classic Azrael armor since the White Knight Azrael figure came out a few years ago in Wave 3. The First Appearance Batman is the latest figure to join the first appearance line with Superman, and Alan Scott’s Green Lantern having been released late last year.

These won’t be out until mid-May, but McFarlane Toys have provided GameSpot with an early sample of both versions of the Azrael Armor and First Appearance Batman. So let’s dive into this set.

First Appearance Batman:

If we’re talking about a design that hasn’t been made a lot throughout the years, it would be this one. There was a Mattel toy and DC Direct but those were more than a decade ago–DC Direct was 2004! There was also the Black and White statue based on the design, but not a whole lot of action figures. It’s a weird design at first glance, but there’s also something instantly classic about it.

Like most McFarlane figures, this Batman has 22 points of articulation and stands 7″ tall. The figure comes with three sets of hands: open palm, closed fist, and a weird claw position, with the ability to mix and match. The accessory he comes with is a wrench in a pastel blue color, a nod to a scene in Detective Comics #27 where Batman uses it to smash out of a glass gas chamber. It’s a deep cut, but none of the hands given really hold the piece well enough to look right.

It’s got nice flat colors, outside of the yellow belt standing out. The biggest upgrade with this figure is the wired cape. It’s not cloth, like you would expect from Super 7 or NECA, but a polyester so it’s more lightweight and easier to sculpt. The glove sculpt is really nice, too with creases and folds for that homemade look for a billionaire that hadn’t discovered body armor yet.

The figure sculpt itself is great, and has more balance than previous entries to the line.

First Appearance Batman (Platinum Chase Variant):

So this is the exact same sculpt as the First Appearance, but a different paint job. It has more of a classic comic book coloring look with the blue highlights down the boots, atop the cowl, and inside the cape.

The wrench stands out in a bad way, as it feels too much of the same color as the rest of the figure. The yellow belt still stands out, but maybe painting the wrench a different color could have made things more striking visually. By themselves, both figures look great, but there’s something about the blue cape that would look great on the non-chase.

Platinum Chases are 1:6, so that means one in every box compared to the regular.

Azrael Armor Batman:

A lot is going on with this figure. Originally appearing in Batman: Sword of Azrael, Jean-Paul Valley became the second Batman during the Knightfall, Knightquest, and KnightsEnd storylines in the early ’90s. There have been a couple of iterations of this Batman look, the most famous being designed by Joe Quesada with the Knightfall costume. That figure was released back in 2022 and is very hard to find.

This version for KnightsEnd simplified the design that was supposed “to grow with Jean-Paul” as Quesada put it, and evolve as his time as Batman went on.

It’s very similar in sculpt to the Knightfall figure with the legs, torso, and under armor being exactly the same. Where it differs though is where it counts.

The chest piece that has the stylized bat symbol is completely new as well as the helmet and the gauntlets. There’s also the cables that stretch from his back to his wrists, completing the look. The bat symbol is sculpted onto the chest piece instead of painted or a decal, which gives it a good sturdy feel that armor should.

The red visor in the red helmet could have used a minor outline, but it blends together in the comics. If that was the goal here, mission accomplished. The chrome silver used for the gauntlets is a nice touch and breaks away from the blend of matted red and grey.

His bat “wings” have a nice detailed sculpt to them, but the one thing missing is an extra set of “slash” hands that the White Knight version of Azrael had. Instead, we’re given a set of just two closed fists. This guy has talons, let him rip! His articulation isn’t bad either, but you can’t rotate his wrists due to the armor sculpting. His hands can rotate and his elbows can bend. Still, the loss of wrist movement stands out.

This Batman is a weighty figure and suffers the same fate as a lot of others in that there’s no real ankle support. It’s better than the White Knight Azrael or the animated series figures that were released in the first wave, but it should warrant a case for double-pegged bases for stability on display.

Azrael Armor Batman (Platnium Chase Variant):

This guy.

If you’re talking about a figure fans have been wanting for the past five years, this guy would rank in the top five. When people think of “Azrael Batman” they will point to this guy in a lineup. The dark blue and gold echoing Batman’s colors but are remade into this incredible image.

This is a great looking figure. The small hiccups aren’t a dealbreaker, but they are noticeable up close, especially with the paint application.

For some reason, the paint looks more smudged on the chest piece and gauntlets. It’s a different application and has a heather blue color that’s matted rather than the chromatic one of the regular version. The visor doesn’t look as clean either, but sticks out more among that sea of blue. The metallic gold pops more with the blue wrists as well. The tactical gear yellow matches well with the gold, making it a perfect adaptation of the original design.

Again, one of these versions needed open claw hands to really show off ole Jean-Paul’s intensity. This being a Platinum Chase Variant, it will also be a 1:6 release.

Overwatch 2’s Cowboy Bebop event kicks off on March 12, adding legendary skins based on characters from the popular anime. While Blizzard won’t be sharing the in-game designs just yet, it has revealed which characters are getting the skins and released some concept art to give an idea of what each skin will look like.

The Cowboy Bebop event will add a number of skins, highlight intros, and more to the game. The skins are Spike Spiegel Cassidy, Faye Valentine Ashe, Jet Black Mauga, Ed Sombra, and Ein Wrecking Ball skin. The Ein Wrecking Ball skin can be unlocked for free by all players by participating in the event, with the rest being sold in the shop. Blizzard has not yet revealed the exact pricing and bundles of these cosmetics, although previous bundles like the One Punch Man collab have typically cost between $20-$30 for each character bundle.

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