Baldur's Gate 3 will continue on HBO

A cold mug of tea and uneaten biscuits are a testament to an immersive, interactive experience with player agency; Larian Studios’ award-winning Baldur’s Gate 3 is such a video game!

So, news of a live-action adaptation from the co-creator of The Last of Us series, Craig Mazin (Chernobyl), has piqued my interest. I may be an outlier, but I've enjoyed seasons one and two of The Last of Us.

“After putting nearly 1000 hours into the incredible world of Baldur’s Gate 3, it is a dream come true to be able to continue the story that Larian and Wizards of the Coast created,” Mazin said. “I am a devoted fan of D&D and the brilliant way that Swen Vincke and his gifted team adapted it. I can’t wait to help bring Baldur’s Gate and all of its incredible characters to life with as much respect and love as we can, and I’m deeply grateful to Gabe Marano and his team at Hasbro for entrusting me with this incredibly important property.”

The fantasy genre captured my childhood imagination when a neighbour friend gifted me a copy of The Hobbit, and I saw Ralph Bakshi's animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings in the cinema. From there, I consumed Fighting Fantasy, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), played text-based adventures on 8-bit home computers, watched Knightmare on ITV, and collected Citadel Miniatures.

During the spring and summer school holidays, my dad would take me on a forest trail (lost to time) as I underwent years of rehabilitation in the wake of a life-changing childhood trauma. As he carried me part of the way on his back, I imagined I was Frodo with Strider on a quest to destroy the One Ring to rule them all.

Fast forward to 2024. I downloaded Baldur’s Gate 3 for Xbox Series S and embarked on an epic adventure that encapsulates everything I love about tragic tales of found family. My character, a female elf called L’Ara Wynter (in homage to Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft), survived an abduction by mind flayers that had stepped out of a Lovecraftian nightmare, fell in love with Shadowheart and befriended a band of dysfunctional misfits on the road less travelled, in shades of Tolkien.

Over 2 years on, Baldur's Gate 3 continues to get updates with fixes and further Forgotten Realms content.

On X (formerly Twitter), the director of publishing at Larian Studios, Michael Douse, expressed concerns over his team being excluded from the upcoming HBO series' creation.

Douse wrote: "I've spent the last 8 to 10 years of my life with the writers & creators of Baldur's Gate 3 and they're the most incredible storytellers & creators in the space. Only hope is that they get both the credit deserved & the characters are represented at the same level as the game."

The decision is controversial given Mazin's creative collaboration with Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann on The Last of Us, and fans are divided. Hasbro owns Wizards of the Coast and can use its own intellectual property (IP) as it sees fit, but to ignore Larian Studios' contribution to Baldur's Gate would be disingenuous. The Fallout series on Prime Video is expanding on the subversive post-apocalyptic world with oversight from Bethesda Game Studios' Todd Howard.

He continued, "Our stories are built by fierce comeraderie [sic] and resolve. I have watched them write and write and write and through respect for audience & material come up with some of the finest shit i [sic] have ever played. I hope TV allows for the same thoroghness [sic]."

What are your thoughts on a Baldur's Gate 3 series seemingly sans creative input from Larian Studios on HBO? Let me know in the comments below.

Blake's 7 reboot from Doctor Who director

Blake's 7 fans (myself included) have been here before.

The adventures of a band of freedom fighters battling a corrupt Earth Federation and stumbling upon an ultramodern alien starship, the Liberator, Blake’s 7 was the brainchild of Terry Nation. He was already fêted for creating the Daleks for Doctor Who and the post-apocalyptic series Survivors. The latter made for chilling viewing in lockdown.

Despite a restrictive budget and starting within a week of the original UK cinema release of Star Wars, Blake’s 7 was rarely short of ambition and quickly became a hit, averaging 9.22 million viewers for its first series. Nation had planned for the Daleks to appear in the second series, but this was blocked.

Talk of reboots has percolated for years. Back in 2013, Microsoft planned to bring the beloved sci-fi series to Xbox LIVE! However, Deadline reports a reboot is in the works from Doctor Who and The Last of Us director Peter Hoar.

“The Blake’s 7 story is legendary because they were given the [British police show] Softly, Softly slot that was intended for police drama with a budget intended for one big set and a few location shoots,” said double-BAFTA winner Hoar, whose credits include It’s a Sin and Umbrella Academy. “At the time it felt like it meant something. Those shows got into my veins. I could tell they didn’t have money but I was able to compartmentalize and enjoy the ride knowing that the sets wobbled.”

Hoar compares Blake’s 7 to Disney+ hit Star Wars: Andor, which he thinks is a success not because of its circa-$25 million per hour budget but “because of the integrity, wit and sophistication.”

On the subject of Doctor Who on Disney+.

“I don’t think anybody would doubt the skills at the front line of that show but something went wrong,” he added. “I think there were lots of areas you could point fingers at but ultimately it wasn’t a better show with more money. And that’s a good thing, because we haven’t got the money anymore, nobody has.”

Hoar has opened a "genre-based" production company, Multitude Productions, and has acquired the intellectual property (IP) for the iconic 1970s and 1980s cult sci-fi hit, along with executive Matthew Bouch and producer Jason Haigh-Ellery.

Bouch said: “We’re driven by our passions but also seeing that there is a gap in the market in the UK – particularly with the well-publicized dropping off of Doctor Who – for genre-based British IP.

“We look back at when we were young with a degree of nostalgia but also thinking about the 70s and 80s as we were growing up and the amount of genre material that was available, whether it was Blake’s 7 or the Narnia adaptation. We are looking to the international market and seeing if there is a way of dovetailing that British low-budget sensibility with international markets. We know in the U.S. there’s a big contraction and we all need to think about finding ways to make things more economical.”

Buy the original Blake's 7 series on Amazon (affiliate link).

Until a reboot is down and safe, what are your thoughts on Blake's 7? Let me know in the comments below.

Pedro Pascal dances away the blues with AirPods

Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) stars in Someday, a short film directed by Spike Jonze (Her) promoting Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.

After playing the titular Mandalorian in the successful Star Wars live-action spin-off series on Disney+, Pascal is no stranger to wearing advanced technology.



The dancing evokes the iconic iPod campaign of the early noughties.

Pascal stars next in the second season of The Last of Us and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

What did you think of Someday? Will you be buying AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation? Let me know in the comments below.

The Last of Us cast at SXSW

South by Southwest (SXSW) hosted a panel at the Austin Convention Center on Saturday featuring the cast and creators of HBO’s Emmy-winning series The Last of Us.

Cast members Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Kaitlyn Dever, Gabriel Luna, Isabela Merced and Young Mazino attended the panel, alongside showrunners and directors Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin.



An official trailer for season two was dropped during the panel.



Read the official synopsis:

“After five years of peace following the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie’s collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.”

Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal and Gabriel Luna are back, and we also see Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac. Catherine O’Hara also guest stars.

The Last of Us returns this April on HBO and Sky Atlantic.

Are you looking forward to the second season of The Last of Us? Let me know in the comments below.

The Last of Us at CES

A new teaser trailer for season two of The Last of Us dropped during Sony's presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.



Read the official synopsis:

“After five years of peace following the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie’s collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.”

Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal and Gabriel Luna are back, and we also see Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac. Catherine O’Hara also guest stars.

In related news, Sony showcased its Future Immersive Entertainment Concept. According to Sony, it combines Crystal LED panels, audio, haptics, scent, and atmospherics with a PlayStation game like The Last of Us to create an interactive experience. For now, this is only a proof of concept.

The Last of Us returns this April on HBO and Sky Atlantic.

Are you looking forward to the second season of The Last of Us? Let me know in the comments below.

The Last of Us Day

It's The Last of Us Day and HBO has released the first official teaser trailer for The Last of Us season two. This is expected to adapt The Last of Us Part II video game from 2020.



Read the official synopsis:

“After five years of peace following the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie’s collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.”

Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal and Gabriel Luna are back and we also see Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac. Catherine O’Hara also guest stars.

Season one of The Last of Us is an intense, character-driven story, and there’s a haunting beauty to its rustic depiction of America in the wake of an incurable pandemic. Heightened by a real-life pandemic we’re emerging from. Our shared trauma is explored in HBO’s live-action adaptation of Naughty Dog's award-winning PlayStation 3 (PS3) video game from 2013.

The Last of Us returns in 2025 on HBO and Sky Atlantic.

Are you looking forward to the second season of The Last of Us? What did you think of the first teaser trailer? How are you celebrating The Last of Us Day? Let me know in the comments below.

The Mandalorian channels Game of Thrones

The latest episode of The Mandalorian on Disney+ channels Game of Thrones, and features a surprising redemption arc.

Following last week's Coruscant capers in The Convert, which potentially ties into Emperor Palpatine's (Ian McDiarmid) return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Foundling briskly explores Grogu's past as Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) go in pursuit of dragons in an adventure worthy of Classic Star Wars comics strips.

Grogu experiences a flashback to Order 66 from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and his surprising saviour is finally revealed. No, it's not Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) saving Baby Yoda from 501st Legion clone troopers, led by Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen), as they storm the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, it's Ahmed Best!

Best is perhaps infamously known for playing Jar Jar Binks in George Lucas' prequel trilogy. Here, Best is playing Jedi Master Kelleran Beq and it's a joy to behold as he valiantly battles clone troopers and escapes from Coruscant with Grogu.

I hope we see Beq again.

The Mandalorian is tantamount to Jon Favreau (Iron Man) and Dave Filoni (Star Wars Rebels) unleashing the contents of a mythological toy box with the power of Epic Games' Unreal Engine. It’s film school for geeks with knowing nods to spaghetti western and tech noir genres.

More galactic joy ride than a deep character-driven rumination on love and loss like Pascal’s other hit television series, The Last of Us. And I’m fine with that.

In related news on Disney+. Star Wars: The Bad Batch season two follows Omega and Clone Force 99 as Filoni's animated spin-off series continues to explore events between Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: A New Hope with the maturity of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels.

Are you watching The Mandalorian on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

The Last of Us avoids Super Bowl

HBO has announced The Last of Us episode 5 will be aired this Friday to avoid clashing with the Super Bowl on Sunday.

UK-based fans (myself included) won't have to wait. It will be available on demand from Saturday morning ahead of Monday's premiere on Sky Atlantic.

The live-action adaptation of the award-winning PlayStation video game is taking the world by storm. The show, which co-stars Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Bella Ramsay (Game of Thrones) in the lead roles, has been renewed for a second season.

"I’m humbled, honoured, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey," executive producer Neil Druckmann said in an official statement.

"Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two!"

Executive producer Craig Mazin added: "I’m so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I’m even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey.

"The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn’t be more ready to dive back in."

Are you watching The Last of Us? Let me know in the comments below.

The Last of Us' Pedro Pascal in HBO Mario Kart

Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) is currently starring in HBO's lauded live-action adaptation of The Last of Us on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. At the weekend, he appeared as Mario in a satirical Mario Kart skit for Saturday Night Live (SNL).



Read the official synopsis:

"In a video game turned series, a trailer follows a group of people as they try to help a princess get to Rainbow Road."

Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) is playing Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Perhaps Pascal should replace him in the upcoming animated feature film?

What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

The Last of Us infects TV this January

The Last of Us, written by Neil Druckmann, was released by Naughty Dog a decade ago on the PlayStation 3 (PS3). It's that rare breed of video game I've owned across console generations, most recently on PlayStation 5 (PS5).

So, it's not entirely surprising I'm looking forward to HBO's live-action adaptation, co-written by Druckmann and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and filmed during a real-life global pandemic, starring Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones).

Read the official synopsis:

"THE LAST OF US takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival."

The Last of Us premieres on 15th January on HBO and HBO Max in the US and 16th January on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK.

Are you excited about The Last of Us on HBO? Let me know in the comments below.

The Last of Us first look from HBO

HBO has released a first look at its upcoming live-action adaptation of The Last of Us from writer-director Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl).

Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) and Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) are perfectly cast as Ellie and Joel respectively. Seeing the former Game of Thrones co-stars standing in a field, I thought it was a screenshot from a PlayStation 5 (PS5) enhanced version of Naughty Dog's award-winning video game franchise.

The Last of Us is currently in production in Canada, which fills me with familial pride (my late maternal grandmother was Canadian). Presumably, it'll be available to stream exclusively on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic in the UK.

Are you looking forward to the upcoming HBO series? What are your thoughts on the image? Let me know in the comments below.

The Mandalorian star cast in The Last of Us

Pedro Pascal, who plays the titular The Mandalorian in the hit Disney+ Star Wars spin-off series, has been cast as Joel in HBO's live-action adaptation of The Last of Us.

Pascal celebrated the announcement on Twitter, sharing a quote from the game: "No matter what, you keep finding something to fight for."

Pascal will be joined by Game of Thrones co-star Bella Ramsey as Ellie. Ramsey most recently appeared in His Dark Materials.

Neil Druckmann, the writer-director of the Last of Us video games, also reacted to the casting news, writing: "We're absolutely thrilled to have Bella join the TLoU family.... Aaaaand there’s the other half. Stoked to have Pedro aboard our show!"

Are you excited for The Last of Us on HBO? Let me know in the comments below.

PS5 pre-order midnight madness

Following last evening's PlayStation 5 (PS5) showcase and the announcement that pre-orders, for the disc-based and all-digital systems, would go live on Thursday morning, some retailers started taking pre-orders at midnight: leading to chaos, confusion and online retail sites crashing. Thereby souring the excitement for many consumers during the shared trauma of a global pandemic.

Without warning, Game, Smyths Toys, Walmart and Best Buy in the US began taking pre-orders and these sold out within minutes. I was fortunate enough to secure the disc-based PS5 from Smyths Toys (before switching to Amazon and ordering accessories) and alerted members of my PlayStation group on Facebook.

This morning Amazon.co.uk (affiliate link) sold out of its initial allocation. There is no guarantee of further stock until early 2021. However, pre-orders begin at Argos on Friday morning. So, it's worth following the likes of IGN UK Deals on Twitter.

Regarding the showcase itself. It was curious to see selected PS5 exclusives confirmed for PS4. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy: A Big Adventure and Horizon Forbidden West will be available for the current gen console.

However, some gamers are concerned this flies against the platform's ethos of generational change, seemingly holding back the development of PS5 titles and negates the need to upgrade for the foreseeable future. PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan countenances this during an interview with The Washington Post.

“No one should be disappointed,” Ryan said. “The PS5 versions of those games are built from the ground up to take advantage of the PS5 feature set, and we have an upgrade path for PS4 users to get the PS5 versions for free. It’s about people having choice. I’m really quite pleased about the situation.”

Sony taking a page out of Microsoft's cross-gen playbook for Xbox and it's worth noting the PS4 has an install base of over 112 million units since launching in 2013. That's a lot of money to leave on the table.

“The PS4 community will continue to be incredibly important to us for three or four years,” Ryan said. “Many will transition to PS5, we hope if we do our job well, but tens of millions will still be engaged with the PS4.”

God of War: Ragnarok was officially announced as a PS5-only exclusive.

The PlayStation Plus Collection will grant existing PlayStation Plus subscribers (myself included) access to the following curated first and third-party titles day-one on PS5:

God of War
The Last of Us: Remastered
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Battlefield 1
Monster Hunter World
Fallout 4
Final Fantasy XV
The Last Guardian
Ratchet and Clank
Infamous: Second Son
Days Gone
Bloodborne
Detroit: Become Human
Batman: Arkham Knight
Mortal Kombat X
Persona 5
Until Dawn
Resident Evil: Biohazard

It's no Game Pass rival for sure. But, it does mean I can trade-in physical copies to partly fund my PS5 purchase.

The formation of PlayStation Studios will only strengthen the brand and Sony is now exploring new ways to capitalise on its franchises with live-action adaptations of Uncharted and The Last of Us.

The PS5 goes on sale 19th November in the UK. A week after Microsoft's Xbox Series S and X. However, pent-up demand for Sony's latest console may far exceed that of Microsoft's leading to scalpers making hay on the secondary market this holiday season.

Did you try pre-ordering a PS5? Let me know in the comments below.

The Last of Us Part 2 surpasses Spider-Man sales

The Last of Us Part II has eclipsed Marvel's Spider-Man to become the fastest-selling PlayStation exclusive in Sony's history with more than 4 million copies sold worldwide.

"The Last of Us Part 2 represents large scale innovation in gaming with a great blend of excellent gameplay mechanics and masterful storytelling," Eric Lempel, senior vice president of worldwide marketing for Sony PlayStation, said in a statement. "We strive to bring you unique, engaging experiences."

Neil Druckmann, vice president of Naughty Dog and director of The Last of Us Part II said:

“We are so immensely grateful to the millions of fans around the world that have played The Last of Us Part II and shared their experiences with us over the last week. We set out to tell a new kind of story, one that deals with difficult themes and would challenge you in unexpected ways. Hearing how the experience has resonated with so many of you and witnessing the type of thoughtful discussions it has sparked has been so incredible. We’ve also been so inspired by your creativity – whether it’s your gorgeous Photo Mode shots, jaw-dropping gameplay GIFs, or the songs you’ve recorded using Ellie’s guitar.

The Last of Us Part II was made possible thanks to the efforts of the hundreds of talented and passionate developers here at Naughty Dog. We can imagine no greater honour than seeing that same passion mirrored by the people playing it. Thank you for helping us reach this amazing milestone.”

Not only is The Last of Us Part II one of the greatest video game sequels ever made, Ellie is an openly gay female protagonist and I, for one, can't wait for HBO's live-action adaptation.

PS5 future of gaming event 4th June

PlayStation 5 (PS5) is, literally, emerging from the shadows on 4th June. Sony has announced a 'future of gaming' livestream showcasing PS5-only titles and seemingly teased the new console's startup chime.



Ordinarily, flaming June would be a month of major events. From the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) to the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it isn't safe and practicable for people to gather in large groups.

So, events like E3 have been cancelled and others, like WWDC, will be livestreamed. Incidentally, I mostly use the official Remote Play app for iPhone and iPad, since native DualShock 4 support was added with iOS 13, to stream games from my PS4.

"I’m excited to share that we will soon give you a first look at the games you’ll be playing after PlayStation 5 launches this holiday," writes Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and president Jim Ryan on the official PlayStation Blog.

"This digital showcase will run for a bit more than an hour and, for the first time, we will all be together virtually experiencing the excitement together. A lack of physical events has given us an amazing opportunity to think differently and bring you on this journey with us, and hopefully, closer than ever before. This is part of our series of PS5 updates and, rest assured, after next week’s showcase, we will still have much to share with you."

Scans of the July issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine (OPM) have appeared online, revealing some of the games bound for PS5 with more expected to be announced exclusively during the livestream.

A Rat's Quest: The Way Back Home (ETA 2021)
Assassin's Creed Valhalla (ETA 2020)
Battlefield 6 (ETA 2021)
Chorus (ETA 2021)
Cygni: All Guns Blazing (ETA TBA)
Dauntless (ETA TBA)
Dirt 5 (2020)
Dragon Age 4 (ETA TBA)
Dying Light 2 (ETA TBA)
FIFA 21 (ETA 2020)
Godfall (ETA TBA)
Gods & Monsters (ETA TBA)
Gothic Remake (ETA TBA)
Madden 21 (ETA 2020)
Moonray (ETA Summer 2021)
MicroMan (ETA TBA)
NHL 21 (ETA 2020)
Nth'O Infinity Reborn (ETA February 2021)
Observer: System Redux (ETA 2020)
Outriders (ETA 2020)
Path of Exile 2 (ETA 2020)
PsyHotel (ETA TBA)
Quantum Error (ETA 2020)
Rainbow Six Quarantine (ETA TBA)
Rainbow Six Siege (ETA TBA)
Redo! Enhanced Edition (ETA 2020)
Scarlet Nexus (ETA TBA)
Sniper Elite 5 (ETA TBA)
Soulborn (ETA Late 2021)
Starfield (ETA TBA)
The Elder Scrolls 6 (ETA TBA)
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (ETA 2021)
The Sims 5 (ETA TBA)
Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 (ETA 2020)
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 (ETA TBA)
Warframe (ETA TBA)
Watch Dogs Legion (ETA TBA)
WRC 9 (ETA 2020)

Aside from software. Will PlayStation fans (myself included) get to see the 'box' itself? Well, the Tokyo-based company could borrow from late Apple CEO Steve Jobs' playbook with one more thing... Given manufacturing of the upcoming console is rumoured to have begun, Sony won't want someone to leak a photo of the PS5 and lose control of the messaging.

Sony's PS5 strategy will eclipse Microsoft's Xbox Series X as The Last of Us Part II is tracking to become the fastest selling first-party exclusive in the company's history, and the PS4 has dominated this console generation. Of course, I've championed Game Pass and PlayStation Now still lags behind.

The PS5 is on track for a holiday 2020 launch. The pre-order countdown starts now.

What are you hoping to see? Let me know in the comments below.

The Last of Us Part 2 State of Play this Wednesday

This Wednesday's State of Play is a deep dive into The Last of Us Part II (affiliate link) from PlayStation first-party developer Naughty Dog.

The livestream, with director Neil Druckmann, will be available across multiple platforms including Twitch and YouTube.

North America: 1pm PDT / 2pm MDT / 3pm CDT / 4pm EDT
UK/Ire: 9pm BST
Europe: 10pm CEST / 11pm EEST
Asia/Oceania: 5am JST / 4am AWST / 6am AEST

The Last of Us Part II review embargo lifts 12th June and is released 19th June.

Are you looking forward to this Wednesday's State of Play and The Last of Us Part II? Let me know in the comments below.

Watch The Last of Us Part 2's story trailer

The past few weeks haven't been too great for Sony's first-party studio Naughty Dog and upcoming title The Last of Us Part II (affiliate link). There was a significant leak that, inevitably in this digitally connected era, spiralled out of control amidst allegations of disgruntled employees and a server hack.

Fans who were either spoiled or actively sought out the leaked footage were seemingly incensed by the story, for the most part. It's always worth remembering that these clips are viewed out of context.

Today Sony revealed a new story trailer for The Last of Us Part II, which will be released on 19th June following a delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.



Are you excited about The Last of Us Part II or have you cancelled your pre-order in the wake of controversy? Let me know in the comments below.

Chernobyl creator adapts The Last of Us for HBO

HBO is developing an adaptation of The Last of Us with Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann. HBO's series will cover the events of the original video game, which was written by Druckmann, with the possibility of additional content based on the upcoming sequel, The Last of Us Part II (affiliate link), which is released 29th May.

"Getting a chance to adapt this breathtaking work of art has been a dream of mine for years, and I'm so honored to do it in partnership with Neil," said Mazin in a statement about the upcoming series.

“This is a true thrill for us at Sony Pictures Television. ‘The Last of Us’ is a brilliant achievement in storytelling and character development, and we are lucky to have the opportunity to work with this team to adapt it,” said Chris Parnell, co-President of Sony Pictures Television Studios. “This is the first of many shows we intend to develop with our friends at PlayStation Productions.”

HBO is synonymous with prestige television including Game of Thrones, Westworld, Chernobyl and most recently His Dark Materials.

“This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for us to partner with Craig, Neil, Carolyn and the teams at Sony, Naughty Dog and PlayStation to bring the virtual world of this acclaimed game to life,” said HBO programming president Casey Bloys.

A movie adaptation has been in development for some time, but a mini-series is the perfect medium for a character-driven story such as Ellie and Joel's journey.

Are you looking forward to The Last of Us on HBO and the upcoming video game sequel? Let me know in the comments below.

Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams stars in Doctor Who

Actress Maisie Williams, best known for her role as Arya Stark in HBO's Game of Thrones, is guest starring in Series 9 of Doctor Who, which is currently in production for broadcast later this year.

On her first day on set Williams said, "I'm so excited to be working on Doctor Who as it’s such a big and important part of British Culture. I can't wait to meet the cast and crew and start filming, especially as we’ll be shooting not too far from my home town."

Showrunner Steven Moffat said, "We're thrilled to have Maisie Williams joining us on Doctor Who. It’s not possible to say too much about who or what she’s playing, but she is going to challenge the Doctor in very unexpected ways. This time he might just be out of his depth, and we know Maisie is going to give him exactly the right sort of hell."

Williams is linked to play Ellie in a Sony Pictures adaptation of the multi award-winning PlayStation exclusive The Last of Us.

Will Maisie's character clash with Clara? Let me know in the comments below.

The quest to find Game of the Year

Tauriel, an Elf Mage, begins an epic quest...

2014 has, for the most part, been notable for video game re-releases on PS4 and Xbox One!

There were no clear contenders for Game of the Year (GotY) as in previous years, which has included Dishonored, Bioshock Infinite and Tomb Raider. Instead, the media was fixated on the PS4's seemingly insurmountable sales lead on Xbox One and the latter's price drop. Where were the compelling next gen games coming from?



PlayStation exclusive The Last of Us Remastered and GTA V for PS4 and Xbox One could be considered worthy of, permanent, pride of place on a bookshelf in their next gen incarnations. And may garner GotY for a second year running from gaming enthusiasts and critics alike.



Bungie's overblown blockbuster Destiny fell short of the studio's greatest achievements: Halo and Marathon. Offering shallow, but addictive, fun in the form of Fireteams. A week doesn't pass by when I don't play an Heroic Strike mission. Only to see teammates and myself strewn, hapless, across the desolate dunes of Mars.



Delays have lead to an overcrowded November, which includes the annual Call of Duty. However, I may have discovered my GotY: Dragon Age: Inquisition. In short, a compelling blend of Mass Effect meets Skyrim. I invested an hour customising my character, Tauriel (pictured at the start), before embarking on the 100 hour or more quest.

Honourable mention: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, which meshed Assassin's Creed with stablemate Batman: Arkham.

What say you, fellow gamer?