Here are some of the week’s highlights in gaming, movies, and other nerd-related news:
Telltale Games’ Minecraft Story Mode on Xbox 360 is now listed for $99.99 per episode to deter new players from purchasing (via Polygon)
Per Mojang, removing the game from the Xbox 360 storefront would unfortunately remove from the games library of those who already purchased the episodes
Blizzard has released a new short story for Overwatch, detailing Baptiste’s past (via Polygon)
Along with the comic, Blizzard announced a mini-event featuring Baptiste titled “Baptiste’s Reunion Challenge”
Players can earn a new Epic tier skin for Baptiste as well as sprays and icons
The event runs until July 1
Amazon is offering Final Fantasy XIV players the chance to earn a free Black Fat Chocobo mount by spending $19.99 on games/accessories on Amazon (via Amazon)
Dr. Mario World, a free-to-play mobile version of the Nintendo’s classic puzzle game, comes to iOS and Android on July 10
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne will allow PS4 players early access to a beta from June 21 – 23 for PS Plus subscribers, and June 28 – 30 for all other PS4 players
Respawn has detailed a new LMG, the L-Star (first appearing in the Titanfall series), coming to Season 2 of Apex Legends
The new season launches on July 2
Ubisoft detailed a new “Gunner” specialization for The Division 2, an end-game class that was added with their most recent title update
Bungie has detailed an overhaul to its Eververse microtransaction system coming this fall with its Shadowkeep expansion (via Bungie)
EA Sports released the reveal trailer for NHL 20, revealing the cover athlete to be Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews
Obsidian’s 2010 shooter-RPG Alpha Protocol has been removed from Steam due to a music licencing issue (via Destructoid)
Harry Potter: Wizard Unite has launched in the US and UK as of June 21
Developed by Pokemon Go developer Niantic, the mobile title is an AR game based in the Harry Potter universe
Gears 5 developer The Coalition has detailed its content release strategy, revealing that the game will not have loot boxes or a season pass (via Gears 5)
Xbox One’s Games Pass is adding Rare Replay, Resident Evil: Revelations, and Goat Simulator on June 20
PC’s Games Pass adds Torment: Tides of Numenera and Goat Simulator as well (via Gamespot)
Former Gearbox lawyer Wade Callendar has provided evidence in the ongoing legal battle against Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford
The filed documents provide evidence that Pitchford allegedly siphoned funds from Gearbox to a personal company (via GameDaily.biz)
PlayStation Network is running a Flash Sale until June 24 on PS4, PS3, and PSVita games (via PlayStation Blog)
EA’s vice president of legal and government affairs, Kerry Hopkins, appeared before a House of Commons committee in the UK to discuss the ethics of loot boxes and microtransactions
Hopkins referred to loot boxes as “surprise mechanics,” comparing them to products such as Kinder Eggs (via Polygon)
In movie/TV news, the final trailer for Netflix’s Stranger Things season 3 was released
The first trailer for the third season of Netflix’s GLOW was released
The new season starts on August 9
Anime classic Neon Genesis Evangelion is now available to stream on Netflix
A new trailer for Amazon’s The Boys, an adaptation of Garth Ennis’ comic series, was released
The first season drops on July 26
A sequel to 2018’s Halloween soft-reboot will reportedly start shooting this year, with a release in 2020
Jamie Lee Curtis will reportedly return, as well as director Davis Gordon Green (via Collider)
Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige is looking to bring actor Keanu Reeves into the MCu is some capacity (via Comicbook)
In other MCU news, Avengers: Endgame is getting re-released in theaters on June 28, along with new post-credits scenes (via Screenrant)
The Kingsman series prequel movie will be titled The King’s Man, being released next year from series director Matthew Vaughn (via Empire)
A new Matrix movie is reportedly in development, with the Wachowski’s returning to direct and Michael B. Jordan (Creed, Black Panther) slated to star (via Discussing Film)
One year from today, Pixar Animation Studios will take you on a journey from the streets of New York City to the cosmic realms to discover the answers to life's most important questions. Disney & Pixar's "Soul" arrives in theaters on June 19, 2020. pic.twitter.com/D3VP8Tw4RM