Black Ops 6 is "biggest Call of Duty ever" | News-in-brief"Number one in total players, hours played, and total matches," says publisher ActivisionImage credit: Treyarch / Activision News by GamesIndustry.biz Staff Contributor Published on Nov. 25, 2024 This is a News-in-brief article, our short format linking to an official source for more information. Read more about this story by following the link below:Black Ops 6 is "biggest Call of Duty ever"

IO Interactive "ceases collaboration" with MMA fighter Conor McGregor "effective immediately""We take this matter very seriously and cannot ignore its implications," the studio saidImage credit: IO Interactive News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Nov. 25, 2024 IO Interactive has cut ties with Conor McGregor after a woman who accused the MMA fighter of rape won her civil case against him.The studio said that in light of the recent ruling, it had made the decision to "cease its collaboration" with McGregor with immediate effect.IO had based Hitman's The Disruptor on McGregor, and had several missions and a DLC pack featuring the character."In light of the recent court ruling regarding Conor McGregor, IO Interactive has made the decision to cease its collaboration with the athlete, effective immediately," the studio said in a statement posted to X/Twitter."We take this matter very seriously and cannot ignore its implications. Consequently, we will begin removing all content featuring Mr. McGregor from our storefronts starting today."

Justin Carter, Contributing EditorNovember 25, 20242 Min ReadImage via Ubisoft.At a GlanceThe Barcelona unions aim to reverse Ubisoft's 'sudden' RTO change, which they warn will make complications for all employees.GamesIndustry reports that unions for Ubisoft's Barcelona studio, which works on mobile games and supports titles such as Rainbow Six Siege, filed a lawsuit against the French publisher in October over its controversial return-to-office (RTO) mandate across all its global studios.Ubisoft first announced its RTO policy in September, which calls for employees to work in-person for three days a week. The change was soft-launched at its Montreal office last year and was divisive, with several Montreal workers feeling management went back on remote work promises made during the height of the COVID pandemic.The unions are teaming with Spain's labor group Confederacin General del Trabajo (CGT) to demand Ubisoft reverse the RTO policy, and aim to secure protections for Barcelona staff to continue remote work under a collective agreement.In an email to GamesIndustry, the unions alleged that prior to filing the lawsuit, management did not approach them to negotiate, despite their willingness to bargain. They further claim the RTO choice was made "suddenly and without transparency," and would lead to logistical problems as a result of the influx of returning workers.Since September, developers from Ubisoft's various France-based studios have gone on strike, with encouragement from the French game union STJV. In mid-October, Ubisoft Milan employees also went on strike, and voiced fears about RTO potentially forcing them to quit.Ubisoft Barcelona is the first studio to sue over the RTO policy, and marks the newest string of lawsuits to hit Ubisoft this year. Earlier in November, a pair of California players sued the publisher for unceremoniously delisting The Crew back in March. And in October, a separate pair of players took the company the court for allegedly sharing user data with Meta through its account linking system.Game Developer has reached out to Ubisoft regarding the lawsuit, and will update when a response is given.Read more about:UbisoftUnionizationLawsuitsAbout the AuthorJustin CarterContributing Editor, GameDeveloper.comA Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.See more from Justin CarterDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

Chris Kerr, News EditorNovember 25, 20242 Min ReadImage via IATSEAt a GlanceAccording to IATSE, it marks the first successful unionization attempt at a motion capture studio in the video game industry.Staff at 2K's Motion Capture Studio in Petaluma, California, have voted to unionize with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).The vote took place on Friday, November 22. According to IATSE, it marks the first successful unionization attempt at a motion capture studio in the video game industry.15 workers (71 percent) voted in favor of the move, while six voted against the decision.Employees at the Petaluma studio filed for the union election in October last year. In response, 2K said it respected the rights of workers seeking a vote but suggested unionization wasn't the best way forward."We know the needs of our workforce are diverse, and that our industry faces new challenges as we continue to evolve and grow," said a company spokesperson at the time. "We feel that we are best served addressing these challenges and changing needs together through our existing feedback channels rather than through a union."IATSE International president Matthew D. Loeb claimed the formation of the 2K MoCap Union is a historic milestone that proves "collective action is the best way to secure fairness, equity, and respect in the workplace.""Their courage will inspire others in the industry to follow suit. This outcome also demonstrates what can be achieved when workers exercise their right to organize, a right that we will continue to fight to defend and expand," added Loeb.The union will now begin negotiations with 2K management to secure a contract that "reflects their contributions to the company's success.""Positive change" and protection in the age of AIRyan Kwok, a motion capture tools engineer at the studio, said the union will be seeking "positive change" in the face of widespread layoffs and the rise of generative AI."I felt inspired to see so many of us rally together to equip ourselves with the means to create positive change at our studio. The state of the industry is severe. Why must workers take the fall when corporations overextend and collapse? On top of that, AI stands to dramatically change the way games will be created if protections for human creatives are not secured in the present," said Kwok."Im optimistic that Take-Two will recognize that we are investing in this studio, just as they have. We hope to bargain in good faith to make this studios processes more transparent, democratic, and equitable for all of us."A huge number of workers at major companies including Microsoft, Embracer, and Sega have unionized in recent years in the hopes of securing better working conditions in a volatile industry.Read more about:UnionizationTop StoriesAbout the AuthorChris KerrNews Editor, GameDeveloper.comGame Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, andPocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.See more from Chris KerrDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

Since the beginning of November, Amazon and other retailers have been releasing a steady drip of early Black Friday deals. However, now that were officially just a few days out from the main event, it feels like there are more deals than ever and theyre getting better by the day.RelatedSurprisingly, some of the best deals currently available are on Apple devices. Right now, for instance, the latest AirPods Pro and second-gen Apple Watch SE have already dropped to their lowest prices to date. There are also steep discounts to be had on iPads, MacBooks, Apple Pencils, MagSafe-compatible chargers, and other accessories.To make sorting through the various discounts easier, weve organized the deals below based on category. Its always possible some of these items will drop further in price on Black Friday, though, which is why we recommend you bookmark this post and check back on November 29th.The best AirPods and Beats dealsApple AirPods Pro 2$154$25038% off$154$154$25038% offThe second-gen AirPods Pro improve upon Apples original pair with much better noise cancellation, sound quality, and onboard volume controls. The latest refresh also ships with a USB-C charging case, as opposed to Lightning.Read our review.Beats Studio Pro$160$35054% off$160$160$35054% offCompared to their predecessors, the Beats Studio Pro feature improved noise cancellation, sound quality, and comfort. They were the first Apple headphones to support lossless audio over USB-C, too, and probably are your best option if you frequently switch between iOS and Android devices. Read our review.TheBeats Studio Buds Plusare on sale at Amazon,Best Buy, andTarget for $129.99 ($40 off), which is one of their better prices to date. The wireless earbuds offer significant improvements over their predecessor, delivering superior sound, active noise cancellation, and battery life. Admittedly, they dont silence your surroundings as well as Apples second-gen AirPods Pro, but they do offer native support for both iOS and Android features. Plus, Beats offers a translucent option that looks way slicker than the AirPods Pro. Read our review.The original AirPods Maxwith a Lightning port are down to $399 ($150 off) at Amazon and Target which is just $5 shy of their lowest price to date while the updated USB-C model is going for$499.99($51 off) at Amazon. Both pairs of headphones offer the same luxe, comfortable design, with terrific sound, ANC, and a natural-sounding transparency model. However, the updated model supports USB-C charging and comes in a few extra colors. Read our original AirPods Max review.Beats Solo 4$100$20050% off$100$100$20050% offWith lossless USB-C audio, 50-hour battery life, Find My, spatial audio, and more comfy ear cups, the Beats Solo 4 gained significant quality-of-life improvements over their eight-year-old predecessors. They still deliver that bass-rich Beats sound, too. Read our review.The best Apple Watch deals2022 Apple Watch SE (40mm, GPS) $149$24940% off$149$149$24940% offThe latest SE borrows a few features from the Series 8, including the same chipset and Crash Detection feature, but its an otherwise subtle upgrade from the last-gen SE. Read our review.Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm, GPS)$329$39918% off$329$329$39918% offThe Apple Watch Series 10 has a larger, wide-angle OLED display with up to 30 percent more screen area. Its also thinner and lighter than its predecessors. Read our review.You can buy the Apple Watch Ultra 2 with an Ocean BandAmazon, which is $10 shy of its best price to date. The new black model is also on sale for $20 more at Amazon and Best Buy. The rugged wearable offers better performance than the original Ultra thanks to Apples S9 SiP, which lets you take advantage of the newer double tap feature. It continues to offer a wide range of features thatll appeal to outdoorsy types as well, including robust water resistance, sensors for measuring dive metrics, a battery that lasts for days, and the brightest display of any wearable in Apples lineup. Read our review.The best iPad deals13-inch iPad Pro M4 (Wi-Fi, 256GB) $1099$129915% off$1099$1099$129915% offThe newest iPad Pro comes in either an 11- or 13-inch configuration with Apples M4 processor. Both models also feature an OLED display, a much thinner and lighter build, new horizontal placement for the front camera, and support for the Apple Pencil Pro. Read our review.$1099 at Amazon$1099 at Best Buy2022 Apple iPad (64GB, Wi-Fi)$250$34928% off$250$250$34928% offApples 10th-gen iPad is the successor to the older ninth-gen model. In exchange for its revised design, landscape-oriented webcam, USB-C port, larger 10.9-inch screen, and faster processor, it ditched the headphone jack and home button. Read our review.The older 2021 iPad is also on sale with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage at its all-time low of $199.99 ($129 off) at Best Buy and Target. The last-gen iPad remains a great tablet for entertainment, even if it offers a smaller, 10.2-inch display, lacks USB-C, and runs on Apples slower A13 Bionic chip. Its still fast enough that you can comfortably use it for a range of tasks, from streaming and video chatting to browsing the web. As an extra perk, it features a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can still use a pair of wired headphones.The best Mac deals13-inch MacBook Air with M2 (2022)$749$99925% off$749$749$99925% offThe 2022 MacBook Air is a thin, lightweight device powered by Apples M2 chip. The M2 model touts an improved 1080p webcam and a better display than its predecessor, while retaining features like long battery life and MagSafe charging. Read our review.$749 at Amazon (256GB SSD, 16GB RAM)$749 at Best Buy (256GB SSD, 16GB RAM)13-inch Apple MacBook Air M3 (2024) $844$109923% off$844$844$109923% offThe MacBook Air M3 is a jack-of-all-trades, with a balanced combination of performance and power efficiency. It also now supports dual displays with the lid closed, and the storage speed is noticeably faster. You dont need to think about if this laptop will meet your needs it just will. Read our review.$844 at Amazon (16GB / 256GB SSD)$849 at Best Buy (16GB / 256GB SSD)The 15-inch MacBook Air M3 is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for an all-time low of $1,044 ($255 off). The laptop is nearly identical to its 13-inch sibling, except that it offers a larger screen and better speaker array. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip is on sale with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage starting at $1,399 ($200 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The new laptop addresses almost every complaint we originally had with its predecessor, offering double the base memory and a third Thunderbolt 4 port that lets you connect an external display to either side. It also comes with other perks, including an upgraded 12MP webcam with Center Stage, a new Desk View mode, and an optional nano-texture display. Read our review.The base 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro chip, which offers the same features as its 14-inch sibling, is currently on sale atAmazon and Best Buywith 24GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $2,199 ($300 off). Compared to the 14-inch model, though, its more powerful and featuresThunderbolt 5ports.You can buy the new M4-powered iMac at Amazon for an all-time low of $1,149 ($150 off) when you clip the on-page coupon. That discount is available on the base model, which comes with an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU M4 chip, 16GB of memory, and 256GB of storage. We wish the base model came with more than a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, but its otherwise a good desktop machine with a great 24-inch display and speedy performance. It even supports Apples Center Stage feature and comes with the same 12MP webcam as the M4 MacBook Pro. Read our review.The best deals on Apple-compatible chargersAnker MagGo Magnetic Charging Station 8-in-1$56$10044% off$56$56$10044% offA Qi2 pad on the front and a party in the back, with three AC outlets and four USB ports. It can deliver up to 67W through a single USB-C port or divided between its two USB-C and two USB-A ports. Read our MagSafe / Qi2 charger buying guide.$56 at Amazon$56 at Anker (with code WS7DV2NMENHH)$91$91$13030% offThe Satechi 3-in-1 has a sturdy aluminum frame and folds flat for travel. Its included 45W power adapter allows simultaneous charging of a Qi2 phone, wireless earbuds, and Apple Watch (with fast-charging). If you want a basic Qi2 charging puck, the Anker MagGo Wireless Charger (Pad) is our favorite on the market. Its currently on sale at Amazon for Prime members without an AC adapter for an all-time low of $19.19 (about $5 off) a price Anker is matching with offer code WSPEV2OTG3CH. Prime members can also buy the charger with anadapter for $26.99 ($3 off). The magnetic charging pad supplies a maximum of 15 watts of power to compatible iPhones and comes with a five-foot USB-C cable.ESRs Qi2 Magnetic Wireless Car Charger is on sale for $21.83 ($14 off) at Amazon, which matches its best price to date. The charger delivers up to 15 watts of power to MagSafe-compatible iPhones specifically the iPhone 12 and newer phones and can be mounted to either your car vent or dash. Bear in mind, however, that youll have to buy your own power adapter.Ankers Qi2-certifiedMagGo Wireless Charging Station (Foldable 3-in-1)is available for an all-time low of $82.49 (about $28 off) fromAmazon and Anker with promo code WSTDOZTVE2. The charger is a good option for travelers thanks to its foldable, lightweight design, one that can deliver up to 15 watts of power to MagSafe-compatible phones. Its also capable of charging an Apple Watch and a pair of AirPods simultaneously.$110$110$13015% offThe latest version of Belkins 3-in-1 BoostCharge Pro stand uses Qi2 for 15W wireless charging and a refined design allowing the attached phone to tilt. It also comes with a compact 36W USB-C power adapter.Nomad Stand One Max (third-gen, Qi2) $135$15010% off$135$135$15010% offNomads updated 3-in-1 Stand One Max adds Qi2 support for charging compatible iPhones at 15W. It can simultaneously charge AirPods and fast-charge an Apple Watch.$135 at NomadOther Apple dealsApple AirTag (four-pack)$73$9926% off$73$73$9926% offApples AirTags are unobtrusive, waterproof, and tap into the massive Find My network for out-of-range locating. Read our review.You can buy Apples official iPhone 16 Clear Case with MagSafefrom Amazon starting at$37 ($12 off), which is its best price yet. Apple designed the polycarbonate case so that it works well with the iPhone 16s newCamera Control button. The company also added a glossy scratch-resistant coating, likely after many complained about how last yearsFineWoven casesscratched easily.While not technically a part of a Black Friday sale, you can also save money on various Apple Pencils. The Apple Pencil (USB-C), for instance, is currently on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for $69 ($10 off), which is $4 shy of its best price to date. The stylus is compatible with Apples current iPad lineup and supports tilt sensitivity, along with the nifty hover feature when used with the latest iPad Pro models. However, while it does magnetically attach to the side of your iPad for easy storage, it doesnt offer wireless charging.Apple Pencil Pro $99$12923% off$99$99$12923% offThe Apple Pencil Pro offers a slate of new features, including Find My support so you can find the stylus when it gets lost. It also touts new creative capabilities, like squeeze gestures and a Barrel Roll gyroscope.The second-gen Apple Pencil is also on sale for $79.99 ($49 off) at Amazon and Target. Unlike the USB-C Apple Pencil, Apples older stylus offers wireless charging and pressure sensitivity. Its not, however, compatible with newer iPads including the 10th-gen iPad, M2 iPad Air,andM4 iPad Pro though it does work well with older tablets.The Apple Studio Display is down to an all-time low of $1,299.99 ($300 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The 27-inch display boasts impressive 5K picture quality and pixel scaling for macOS computers, along with great speakers. However, be mindful that while it is a decent monitor, it lacks a variable refresh rate and features like HDR, which are features youd expect to find in a display this expensive. Read our review.

Zoom is changing its name from Zoom Video Communications Inc. to just Zoom Communications Inc. In a post on the company blog, Zoom Communications CEO Eric Yuan writes that Zoom is now an AI-first work platform for human connection that delivers modern, hybrid work solutions. Its a muddy, if vague, change compared to its 2020 rise when the classic Zoom Meetings product became synonymous with video conferencing and thrived as companies were forced to transition employees to work from home.Now, it no longer wants to be known for video as workers have returned to offices, and bigger, better-resourced competition from Google, Microsoft, and Slack offers video as a feature of the office suites companies already pay for.By the end of 2020, Zooms year-over-year revenue had quadrupled, but by early 2022, the projections had changed, as Wedbush analyst Dan Ivespredicted that the work from home beneficiaries... Netflix, Facebook, Zoom, Peloton, theyll see growth fall off a cliff. For both Peloton and Zoom, the next few months and years have borne that out.Zoom has fought back by launching more comprehensive communications tools, starting with Zoom Team Chat. Now, Zoom offers its own full-suite Zoom Workplace solution with Google- and Microsoft-style Office productivity apps, a business email client, and more.Yuan said in an appearance over the summer on Decoder...today we all spend a lot of time either making phone calls, joining meetings, sending emails, deleting some spam emails and replying to some text messages, still very busy. How [do we] leverage AI, how do we leverage Zoom Workplace, to fully automate that kind of work? Thats something that is very important for us.Zooms AI companion 2.0 launched in October with improved summarizing and assistance tools, which he says will translate into a fully customizable digital twin equipped with your institutional knowledge, freeing up a whole days worth of work and allowing you to work just four days per week.

Large-scale model training focuses on improving the efficiency and scalability of neural networks, especially in pre-training language models with billions of parameters. Efficient optimization involves balancing computational resources, data parallelism, and accuracy. Achieving this requires a clear understanding of key metrics like the critical batch size (CBS), which plays a central role in training optimization. Researchers aim to uncover how to scale training processes effectively while maintaining computational efficiency and model performance.One of the primary challenges in training large-scale models is determining the point where increasing batch size no longer proportionally reduces optimization steps. This threshold, known as CBS, requires careful tuning to avoid diminishing returns in efficiency. Effective management of this trade-off is critical for enabling faster training within constrained resources. Practitioners without a clear understanding of CBS face difficulties scaling up training for models with higher parameter counts or larger datasets.Existing studies have explored the effects of batch size on model performance but often focus on achieving minimal loss rather than analyzing CBS explicitly. Also, most approaches need to separate the contributions of data size and model size to CBS, complicating the understanding of how these factors interact. Researchers have identified gaps in previous methodologies, particularly the need for a systematic framework to study CBS scaling for large-scale pre-training. This gap has hindered the development of optimized training protocols for larger models.The research from Harvard University, the University of California Berkeley, the University of Hong Kong, and Amazon addressed these gaps by introducing a systematic approach to measure CBS in large-scale autoregressive language models, with parameter sizes ranging from 85 million to 1.2 billion. The study utilized the C4 dataset comprising 3.07 billion tokens. The researchers performed extensive experiments to disentangle the effects of model size and data size on CBS. Scaling laws were developed to quantify these relationships, providing valuable insights into large-scale training dynamics.The experiments included training models under controlled scenarios, with either data or model size held constant to isolate their effects. This revealed that CBS is predominantly influenced by data size rather than model size. To refine their measurements, the researchers incorporated hyperparameter sweeps for learning rates and momentum. One key innovation was using exponential weight averaging (EWA), which improved optimization efficiency and ensured consistent performance across various training configurations.Notable findings included that CBS scales strongly with data size, allowing for greater data parallelism without sacrificing computational efficiency. For example, models trained with a fixed token count of 3.07 billion showed consistent CBS scaling regardless of parameter size. The study also demonstrated that increasing data size significantly reduces serial training time, highlighting the potential for optimizing parallelism in resource-constrained scenarios. The results align with theoretical analyses, including insights from infinite-width neural network regimes.The research established key takeaways that offer practical guidelines for large-scale training optimization. These are summarized as follows:Data size dominance: CBS scales primarily with data size, enabling efficient parallelism for larger datasets without degrading computational efficiency.Model size invariance: Increasing model size has minimal impact on CBS, particularly beyond a certain parameter threshold.Exponential weight averaging: EWA enhances training consistency and efficiency, outperforming traditional cosine scheduling in large-batch scenarios.Scaling strategies: Width and depth scaling yield equivalent efficiency gains, providing flexibility in model design.Hyperparameter tuning: Proper adjustments in learning rates and momentum are critical for achieving optimal CBS, especially in over- and under-training scenarios.In conclusion, this study sheds light on the critical factors influencing large-scale model training, with CBS emerging as a pivotal metric for optimization. The research provides actionable insights into enhancing training efficiency by demonstrating that CBS scales with data size rather than model size. Introducing scaling laws and innovative techniques like EWA ensures practical applicability in real-world scenarios, enabling researchers to design better training protocols for expansive datasets and complex models. These findings pave the way for more efficient use of resources in the rapidly evolving field of machine learning.Check out the Paper. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. If you like our work, you will love ournewsletter.. Dont Forget to join our55k+ ML SubReddit. Sana Hassan+ postsSana Hassan, a consulting intern at Marktechpost and dual-degree student at IIT Madras, is passionate about applying technology and AI to address real-world challenges. With a keen interest in solving practical problems, he brings a fresh perspective to the intersection of AI and real-life solutions. Read this AI Research Report from Kili Technology on 'Evaluation of Large Language Model Vulnerabilities: A Comparative Analysis of Red Teaming Techniques'

Folks, we've nearly made it to Black Friday. As everyone already knows, it's always one of the best times to go wild buying phyiscal media for yourself and others. As part of its Black Friday Week Sale, Amazon is cutting prices on tons of Blu-rays and 4K UHD discs. Some of the standout offers are on movies and TV shows at their lowest prices ever; others are matching prices that haven't been seen since July 2023. Some are just decent price cuts worth jumping on. Take a look; I'll be updating throughout the week.Box Sets and Collections4K UHDDune 2-Film Collection4K UHDBatman 4K Film Collection (1989-1997)4K UHD + Blu-rayThe Dark Knight TrilogyBlu-rayCC40 - The Criterion CollectionBlu-rayStar Trek: The Picard Legacy Collection4K UHD + DigitalMad Max 5-Film Collection - Limited EditionBlu-rayThe Wire: The Complete SeriesBlu-ray + DigitalFast & Furious 10-Movie Collection4K UHDSeinfeld: The Complete SeriesBlu-ray + DigitalShrek 6-Movie Collection4K UHDThe Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Extended & Theatrical)Blu-rayAlfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate CollectionBlu-rayTerminator 6-Film CollectionBruce Lee: His Greatest Hits4K UHD + Blu-rayHarry Potter: 8-Film CollectionAs it was written: Tons of giftable (and collectable) box sets of movies and TV series are on sale at pretty steep discounts. Highlights include Denis Villenueve's two-film Dune set at its best-ever price, several eras of Batmen for cheap, a limited edition Star Trek box set for Sir Patrick Stewart heads, a very sick-looking Bruce Lee greatest hits box set, a collection of all six Terminator movies, the ultimate Alfred Hitchcock collection, and plenty of others. Scroll through to see them all.Steelbooks and Limited Editions4K UHD + Blu-rayStand By Me - Limited Edition Steelbook4K UHD + Blu-ray + DigitalSpider-verse 2-Movie Collector's Edition4K UHD + Blu-ray + DigitalE.T. The Extra-Terrestrial - 40th Anniversary Limited Edition Gift Set4K UHDMission:Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One Limited Edition Steelbook4K UHDThe Fifth Element SteelbookA bunch of these are looking pretty dang appealing right now, especially that Stand By Me steelbook, the Spider-verse collector's edition two-film set, The Fifth Element limited edition steelbook, and, to appease Mr. Movies himself, the movie formerly known as Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.Other Good Deals on Movies4K UHD + Blu-ray + DigitalSpider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse4K UHDThe Shining4K UHDMad Max: Fury RoadBlu-ray + DigitalDeadpool & Wolverine4K UHDThe ThingBlu-rayInside Out 24K UHD + Blu-rayGodzilla Minus One4K UHDAlien: RomulusBlu-rayGladiator4K UHDInceptionA mix of old and new movies, these are sales on regular ol' Blu-rays and 4K UHDs, some of which are at their lowest prices ever (like The Shining, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Godzilla Minus One, Alien: Romulus, etc.) or the lowest since more than a year ago (looking at you, The Thing). Others are deals that maybe aren't unique to Black Friday (Gladiator, Inception, Deadpool & Wolverine, etc.) but still warrant some attention, espspecially if you're been eyeing the movies already.More Black Friday Deals to Check OutWere in the home stretch: Black Friday falls on November 29 this year. All month long, retailers have been rolling out sales, ramping up to massive discounts on Black Friday and through the weekend into Cyber Monday. Aside from movies, there are already some fantastic deals available on PS5 consoles (including PSVR2) and controllers, video games for all platforms, AirPods Pro, and tons more.PS5, PS4, XboxElden RingPS5, XboxMetaphor: ReFantazioPS5Final Fantasy VII RebirthPS5Armored Core VI Fires of RubiconPS5, XboxStar Wars OutlawsPS5, PS4, XboxPersona 3 ReloadPS5, XboxUnicorn OverlordPS5, XboxAlan Wake 2 Deluxe EditionPS5, XboxShin Megami Tensei VPS5, Xbox, SwitchMetal Gear Solid:Metal Gear Solid: The Master Collection Vol.1PS4Final Fantasy: I-VI Collection Anniversary EditionPS5, XboxDragon's Dogma 2PS5Astro BotLeanne Butkovic (she/they) is an Editorial Project Manager at IGN, where they've also written about movies, TV, and games.

The Target Black Friday Sale has kicked off in earnest with some major sneak peek discounts we've all been waiting for on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 consoles, peripherals, and video games. But that's not all. Pretty much everything in Target's publicized ad scan has gone live, including Meta Quest VR headsets, LEGOs, board games, toys and more. Many of these deals are priced lower than every other retailer. They all expire on Friday, November 29.Target is one of my favorite one-stop shopping sites, both in-store and online. Its prices are very competitive, its return policy is generous, and it has plenty of retail locations so that buying online and picking up in-store is a convenient option. Target offers great exclusive discounts via its Target Circle membership, and best of all, joining is free. There is a paid upgrade that's worth it for regular Target shoppers, and it's on sale for Black Friday as well.Black Friday Nintendo Switch DealsThe Nintendo Switch holiday bundles were already a pretty good deal. For the cost of the Switch console, you were also getting Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and a one-year Nintendo Switch online membership. For Black Friday, that's not good enough. So, starting now, Target is taking an extra $75 off both bundles: The Switch OLED bundle is marked down to $275 and the Switch bundle is down to $225. It's refreshing to finally see a better Switch deal after years of the same thing.Update: Target is currently the only place to buy these bundles at this price online without a membership.Nintendo Switch OLED Model: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe BundleNintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe BundleNintendo Switch Pro ControllerNintendo Switch Joy-Cons (Pair)More Nintendo Switch Games Under $40In addition to Tears of the Kingdom, plenty of other Nintendo Switch games have broken past the traditional $39.99 "sale price" barrier, including the 10/10 "Masterpiece" Super Mario Odyssey, the cat-tastic Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, the idyllic Animal Crossing: New Horizons and my kids' favorite, Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Up to now we haven't seen many deals on Switch games at all for Black Friday, so we're glad to see the floodgates opening.SwitchThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomSwitchSuper Mario OdysseySwitchPikmin 4Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's FuryAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsSwitchKirby and the Forgotten LandSwitchSuper Mario Maker 2SwitchYoshi's Crafted World (Digital)SwitchPikmin 1 + 2SwitchNintendo Switch SportsFinal Fantasy I-VI Collection Anniversary EditionPS5, Xbox, SwitchBalatroApple AirPods Pro for $153.99Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB)The best Black Friday AirPods deal has arrived, and it's better than I predicted. Target is offering the second generation Apple AirPods Pro wireless noise cancelling earbuds for only $153.99. This is the lowest price I've seen all year long and it's very unlikely to drop further. This discount brings the price down to the same level as the Apple AirPods 4 with noise cancelling. Between the two, the AirPods Pro is still Apple's best earbuds because it offers better sound quality and better noise cancellation performance.Buy a Meta Quest 3S VR Headset, Get $75 Gift CardMeta Quest 3S VR Headset with Bonus $75 CardIf you thought the Meta Quest 3S was attractively priced at $299.99, well, this deal will blow your socks off. Target is now throwing in a bonus $75 gift card. The Quest 3S adopts many of the same features of the Quest 3, like the new Touch controllers, the upgraded SnapDragon APU, and full color AR passthrough. In his 9/10 Quest 3S review, Gabriel Moss wrote that "raw processing power, full-color passthrough, and snappy Touch Plus controllers make the Quest 3S a fantastic standalone VR headset that also brings entry-level mixed-reality gaming to the masses for arguably the very first time."Up to $150 Off the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer Smart GlassesRay-Ban Meta Wayfarer Smart Glasses with Bonus $90 Gift CardThe Meta Wayfarer glasses are certainly an intriguing device, but many of you might not be lured in by the $300 price tag. What if I told you that you could get it for $60 less and Target will even toss in a bonus $90 Target gift card? If you're a regular Target shopper like myself, that's essentially as good as cash. These Wayfarer glasses are an influencer's dream; they have a built-in camera and speakers so you can take videos and photos without every reaching for your phone.30% Off Apple iPad AirTarget Circle Deal (Free to Join)iPad Air 5th Gen (M1) 10.9" 64GBTarget has the 5th generation iPad Air 10.9" M1 tablet for only $359.99 after you clip a Target Circle coupon. That makes it $240 cheaper than the current gen 2024 model and one of the best Black Friday iPad deals I've seen. This is still a very relevant tablet in 2024; the Apple M1 chip is more powerful than the A14 Bionic chip in the newest iPad and the A17 Pro in the newest iPad Mini. It features a 10.9" 2360x1640 Retina display with True Tone and P3 wide color and a USB-C connector.40% Off Apple Watch UltraApple Watch Ultra GPS + Cellular Titanium CaseHere's an amazing Target exclusive Black Friday deal on Apple's flagship watch. The first generation Apple Watch Ultra Smart Watch is down to $479 after a massive $320 (40%) off Target Circle coupon. The Target Circle membership is free to join, so everyone can partake in this deal. That's the best price we've seen for Apple's highest end and most rugged watch in its lineup. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen this watch drop below $600 brand new. The Watch Ultra is definitely the best watch in the lineup for anyone who enjoys the rugged outdoors, thanks to its durability, features, and apps.Black Friday PlayStation DealsSony's Black Friday PlayStation deals all went live on Friday, November 21. Target is one of Sony's major authorized resellers and the massive price drops I've seen on PS5 Slim console bundles, DualSense controllers, PS VR2 headset, and video games are all available on their site.Sony PlayStation 5 Slim Digital NBA 2K25 Console BundleSony PlayStation 5 Slim Digital ConsoleSony PlayStation 5 Slim Disc ConsoleSony PlayStation VR2 Horizon Call of the Mountain BundlePS5 DualSense Chroma ControllersPS5 DualSense Controllers Starting at $54.99Star Wars Outlaws for $39.99PS5, XboxStar Wars OutlawsFor those of you who have been patiently holding out on the $49.99 Star Wars Outlaws offer, kudos to you. Target will slash the price to $39.99 on Sunday and that will be the time to strike. This is a good time to get into the game since Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment recently deployed a massive update bringing a host of performance and gameplay enhancements, a range of visual improvements, and bug fixes to the open-world sci-fi game on console and PC.More PS5 and Xbox Video Game DealsTarget just unloaded a bunch of games for sale. The best deals are on the exceedingly adorable Astro Bot for $49.99, or the gorgeous Stellar Blade for $49.99. If you're a sports gamer, pick up the latest NBA 2K25 game for only $29.99.PS5Astro BotPS5Stellar BladePS5Gran Turismo 7PS5, XboxEA Sports Madden 25PS5, XboxEA Sports College Football 25PS5, Xbox, SwitchNBA 2K25PS5Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles MoralesPS5Final Fantasy XVI

This article contains Arcane spoilers.Sadly, Arcane has ended and with it the tale of Piltover and Zaun. The Netflix show punctuated the finality of the story with several tragic deaths, and although the problems of the divided city are far from solved, theres hope that things will improve because of the sacrifices that were made. However, Riot Games and animation partner Fortiche Production clearly have no intention of leaving the world of Runeterra, and there are plenty of locations and elements of game lore to expand upon.In fact, the Arcane series finale already laid the groundwork for the next League of Legends adaptation and where it might take place. All indications are that were headed to Noxus, the home of war-mongering conquerors and the hidden society of the Black Rose. In the aftermath of the battle with her mother, Mel is seen sitting aboard a Noxian vessel headed back home, and it is likely she will be one Arcane character we will be seeing more of in the next adaptation, perhaps even as a main character.But what other characters might make cameos in the next iteration of Arcane, whatever new title it may have? The montage at the end of the finale hinted at the future in store for some characters whose arcs are incomplete. Orianna Should Make Her DebutThe longest running of these would have to be that of Singeds daughter, who has been sealed in a glass coffin for years. She appears to be awake and gazing into a mirror in the final scenes, and it seems unlikely that Arcane would introduce Orianna, as she is known to League of Legends players, only to leave her behind in the next show.Caitlyn, Sevika, and Even Vi Could Visit NoxusIts possible that Piltover council members like Caitlyn or the newly installed Zaun representative, Sevika, could be part of some sort of diplomatic visit to Noxus if the story warranted such a thing. Vi could even come with! But these characters are more likely to have finished their arcs. Even Ekko has earned a completed story with his heroic actions in the Arcane finale, defeating Viktor and saving Jinx for her part in the battle for Piltover.Jinx Might Have More Story to TellBut what about Jinx herself? Does her story end with the bringing together of Zaun and Piltover and taking out the creature Warwick, whose gloriously evolved form no longer contained any remnant of Vander? Perhaps not! Several clues point to Jinx still being alive and likely to appear again in future League of Legends adaptations beyond Arcane.First, if you look closely at the explosion at the hexgates after Jinx and Warwick fall, there is a purple, Shimmer-like streak coming out of the mostly blue cloud of smoke. Jinxs Shimmer power does allow her to quasi-teleport short distances or at least zoom quickly from one spot to another. Granted, if that were the only clue that Jinx might still be alive, it would be pretty weak evidence, but theres more to this theory than just a glimmer of purple.The second indication that Jinx escaped her fall is that, during the montage at the end of the Arcane finale, Caitlyn is seen adding Jayces Hexgate plans to the Kiramman archive using the key she inherited from her mother. On the blueprints, she examines some of the ventilation shafts coming off of the core where Jinxs explosion happened. In Caitlyns hand is the monkey-head cap from Jinxs grenade, and after examining it briefly, she smiles subtly, as though understanding that Jinx probably used these shafts to escape the blast.But perhaps the most important clue that points not only to Jinxs survival but also to her departure from Piltover is the closing shot of a white-winged airship flying away from the camera. This scene mirrors one from the Arcane premiere in which an airship is seen flying above Vi, Powder, Clagger, and Mylo before they carry out their heist. Powder sees the flying vehicle and says to the group, One day, Im gonna ride in one of those things. Obviously someone has to be in that airship at the end of the series, and this quote screams the undeniable truth: its Jinx!Where shes going is anyones guess, but her departure from the main setting of Arcane leaves open the door to her appearance in a future series. Could she end up in Noxus, where the next adaptation is likely to be set? Sure! Will she be a main character in that story? Probably not. She could either make a cameo in the next series or even save her resurfacing for a third or fourth League of Legends outing. However, it seems unlikely that her leaving her sister and everyone else behind is a throwaway detail.Make no mistake: the future of storytelling in Runeterra is likely to focus on brand new heroes. Hints of League of Legends characters like Noxian general Swain and Black Rose leader LeBlanc have already been dropped in Arcane. But viewers love to see familiar faces popping in across entries in a franchise, and theres no way Riot Games would pass up the chance to remind Arcane viewers of the show that started it all.Both seasons of Arcane are available to stream on Netflix now.