If you've watched movies like District 9 and Chappie, then you're familiar with Neill Blomkamp's creative mind and some of his body of work. Now Blomkamp is making his way into gaming by joining the Gunzilla Games studio as its newest Chief Visionary Officer. 

The studio is gearing up for its "next evolution of multiplayer AAA shooters," but with a strong focus on narrative and delivering an impactful story. To make that vision a reality, Blombkamp is offering his creative talents and directing experience. 

“Gunzilla has a strong vision that clearly stands out. With a team of incredible talents and long-time industry veterans, it is creating a new, exciting multiplayer AAA shooter game that pushes the boundaries of gameplay, player freedom, customization options as well as narrative experience within the shooter genre. My own big-screen film experience will hopefully help shape new ways of interactive storytelling and next-generation visuals. And by making the best use of everything today’s video game development technologies have on offer, we will jointly create an immersive experience as we’ve never seen before,” says Blomkamp about his most recent move.

“As Chief Visionary Officer, Neill will be a key member of our team. Adding the perspective of filmmaking to video game development brings interactive entertainment to the next level. We all share the same vision, and Neill is the perfect completion to the narrative and visual art lead roles in our team. We are extremely proud that he is joining us - while we are creating our own universe, some of our inspiration originates in his works. We always hoped we could add a bit of his magic to our game - now this is happening. The team has been working hard on pre-production over the past year - having Neill joining us at this stage is bringing us closer to fulfilling our mission of delivering the next evolution of shooter games”, adds Vlad Korolev, CEO and co-founder of Gunzilla Games.

In addition to his new role, Blomkamp also has a new movie coming out, called Demonic, in theaters and to streaming services on August 20, 2021. You can learn more about his latest cinematic venture here while also checking out the Gunzilla Games website here to learn more about the road ahead. 

Earlier this month, we reported that Netflix has begun its ventures into gaming beyond adaptations by naming former EA Mobile exec Greg Peters its new Chief Operating Officer for the company's game goals. Now, Netflix has confirmed said reports, stating the goal behind the games as well as confirming that they will be available at no additional cost. 

Netflix confirmed the news in a new letter to investors. In the letter, the streaming services mentioned interactive experiences like Black Mirror Bandersnatch when talking about new goals. Seeing gaming as a category that already fits inline with Netflix's goals for expansion, Netflix has begun the process of integrating games into its service with a mobile focus in mind to start out. 

You can read the full gaming portion of the notice to investors below: 

We’re also in the early stages of further expanding into games, building on our earlier efforts around interactivity (eg, Black Mirror Bandersnatch) and our Stranger Things games. We view gaming as another new content category for us, similar to our expansion into original films, animation and unscripted TV. Games will be included in members’ Netflix subscription at no additional cost similar to films and series. Initially, we’ll be primarily focused on games for mobile devices. We’re excited as ever about our movies and TV series offering and we expect a long runway of increasing investment and growth across all of our existing content categories, but since we are nearly a decade into our push into original programming, we think the time is right to learn more about how our members value games.

If interested in the other plans Netflix has, including more non-fiction options to go along with its new reality TV series initiative, you can read the full financials document here. 

The company did not state specifically which types of games will be the focus, both in terms of other platforms and genre of choice, nor did it detail exactly how this will work through the service's UI, but for now we at least have a confirmation about immediate goals. 

I'm interested to see what this recent pivot means for the Netflix name and for a larger relation to other industries outside of the scope of movies and TV.  The video games industry has surpassed the value of the film and TV market, which has led to a more creatively open mind towards the narrative tales gaming has to offer. As the games industry continues to stay in a hyper-focused spotlight within mainstream media, the next few years will be vital when looking at how the next step of entertainment evolution will progress. 

For the first time, Z-Man Games is expanding the Pandemic formula into a licensed partnership, as today brought details of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King – A Pandemic System Board Game.  It’s a mouthful of a title, but the game itself has the potential to be a big hit in tabletop circles.

Long before the real world was wrestling with the concept, a board game called Pandemic was released in 2008 and took tabletop enthusiasts by storm. Designed by Matt Leacock, the cooperative experience challenged players to work together as doctors, researchers, and scientists to confront a series of deadly illnesses and save the world. The clever system, which emphasizes specific threat areas that arise, again and again, is one of the foundational games of the modern board game era, and it’s often recommended as an ideal launchpad into deeper thematic tabletop experiences. Pandemic became so popular that it has seen numerous expansions and offshoots, from fast-playing variants like Pandemic: Rapid Response, to a trip to ancient times to halt Rome's Fall. One evolution of the formula, Pandemic Legacy, helped usher in the new style of play known as legacy gaming.

Wrath of the Lich King is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated expansions and eras for the long-running MMO, especially for how it culminated important storylines first glimpsed way back in Warcraft III. The continent of Northrend was also a fan-favorite location, with numerous memorable sites to discover, including the imposing Icecrown Citadel that loomed in the distance.

The new Pandemic System board game embraces that celebrated corner of the Warcraft fiction and puts players in charge of individual heroes as they range out across the frozen continent. Playable characters include Sylvanas Windrunner, Thrall, and Varian Wrynn, who set aside their enmity to work together and confront the Lich King and his undead armies.

Our first glimpses of the game reveal a large board with interconnected locations, which should be familiar to experienced Pandemic players. But where the original saw those locations gradually filling with disease cubes, this World of Warcraft game sees the slowly encroaching ghouls and abominations of an undead scourge. Players visit iconic dungeon and raid locations like Naxxramas and The Nexus. And even as detailed plastic minis range about across Northrend, a large cardboard standee of Icecrown dominates the middle of the board.

Designed for 1 to 5 players and meant to be played in about an hour, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King – A Pandemic System Board Game is currently targeting a $59.99 price point. Check out a trailer for the new board game below.

Click here to watch embedded media

Netflix is on a roll when it comes to adding more anime and gaming adaptations to its library. With adaptations like Dota, Resident Evil, Castlevania, and more, it's clear that the streaming service is all-in on "geek culture," as it markets this branch, and that includes even more The Witcher on the horizon. With the live-action The Witcher season 2 coming soon and the prequel well underway, there is yet another Polish-inspired adaptation in the works, and that's with Netflix's The Witcher anime called Nightmare of the Wolf. We've got a brand new look at what's ahead with a fresh trailer and a full cast reveal. 

Netflix shared the latest trailer of Nightmare of the Wolf on the official Witcher Twitter account, which you can see below. Additionally, Netflix also confirmed the cast behind the mainstay characters. But first, let's take a look at the trailer: 

When you’re a monster hunter, every deal has a price. The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf premieres August 23 only on @netflix. pic.twitter.com/M6vFlBG1cO

— The Witcher (@witchernetflix) July 21, 2021

As for the cast: 

• Theo James as Vesemir
  • "Vesemir grew up as a servant on a nobleman’s estate, working long days for too little coin. He yearns to break free of his social standing and to explore the Continent to find his destiny."
• Lara Pulver as Tetra
  • "Tetra Gilcrest is a powerful sorceress who is descended from one of the Continent’s first mages, and believes magic connects all things of beauty. She and her followers work to keep peace on the Continent by ensuring that magic is not abused."
• Mary McDonnel as Lady Zerbst
  • "Lady Zerbst is a Kaedwen noblewoman who inherited her husband’s seat on the king’s advisory council after his death. She has since risen to become one of the king’s most trusted advisors, and a fierce supporter of the witchers."
• Graham McTavis as Degla
  • "Deglan was raised on the harsh, unforgiving Skellige Isles and is the hardened warrior-leader of the witchers. He is fiercely loyal to his “boys,” and committed to doing whatever is necessary to protect them."

The anime is a prequel with Vesemir taking center stage. He's an older veteran to the witcher order and somewhat of a father figure to Geralt of Rivia. According to Netflix, the official description states: “Long before mentoring Geralt, Vesemir begins his own journey as a witcher after the mysterious Deglan claims him through the Law of Surprise.” 

Lauren S. Hissrich, the current showrunner of the live-action The Witcher series, is at the helm as showrunner and co-executive producer on Nightmare of the Wolf. She is joined by Kwang Han (The Boondocks, The Last Airbender) as the anime's director. Writing the new series is Beau DeMayo, rounding out the creative team. 

The anime take will be dropping on Netflix sooner than you might think. The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf arrives on August 23, 2021, exclusively on the streaming platform.