Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • How ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ Sets-Up The Franchise’s Future

    How ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ Sets-Up The Franchise’s Future

    Finally, after two years, we got a sequel to Insomniac’s Spider-Man. Just as the PlayStation 5 has released, Spider-Man: Miles Morales kicked off the next-generation of gaming. The story takes place a year after Peter managed to take down his former mentor. Now, he is leaving the city in the hands of his protegé, who just moved to Harlem. His mother is running for City Council while the Roxxon Energy Corporation is in the middle of a gang war with the new-found Underground army. Their leader, only known as the Tinkerer, has outfitted them with high-tech weaponry that could shake Miles’ new home to its very core. It all offers Miles a unique story while Peter is away in Sokovia with Mary Jane. Now, the question remains of how they will tackle the existence of two Spider-Men in a future sequel.

     

     

    Miles Morales is a spin-off from the original. So, the story is quite a bit shorter than and on a smaller scale. Yes, Harlem is at risk, but he luckily didn’t have to stop a virus from spreading throughout the entire city. Now that his story is done, Peter is back in town. The post-game does hint at them taking rounds patrolling, which could be an indication of how they tackle the next main installment. We have no date or title for the next Spider-Man entry, but there is a good chance it’ll release in the next two years. Now that Miles has been introduced, we will be switching between the characters throughout the expanding story. There is also a chance we could see inspiration from Batman: Arkham Knight, where you could switch between the characters mid-battle. So, if you are facing an enemy type that is only vulnerable to a venom-based attack, you need to take control of Miles. Also, does that mean they might call it Spider-Men?

    Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how they balance both characters in the game. We will probably have another threat that will affect the entirety of New York City. Osborn seems prone to create something that has some devastating results. I did start wondering if we might see more characters getting added throughout the story. The addition of Miles was a great surprise during the 2018 game, and there is quite an extensive cast from the comics left to explore. They could add characters like Silk or Spider-Woman, who can bring their unique skills to the game alongside Mary Jane’s stealth sections. They might try to add some more variation as the game once again returns to Peter Parker.

     

     

    In general, I do think we’ll see more spider-based characters added to the franchise as it grows. I wouldn’t even rule out that they go down the Spider-Verse route to give people fan-favorite characters, like Gwen Stacy. Now, the advantage is that they can continuously add spin-offs for these newly introduced characters to keep the franchise going. For example, we could get a game focused on Gwen Stacy that tells the story of the events before she would somehow end up in 2018’s universe. Insomniac could add a unique art style to the city similar to that of the comics and what was briefly shown in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The advantage is that as they add new spider-based characters, you can switch between them in the main franchise. So, their work for the spin-offs also influences the mainline development. There is a reason Sony wants to create an entire film franchise aroudn the web-crawler and the games could make that a reality. My only question is, where can I sign up for an Agent Venom spin-off?

  • ‘The Mandalorian’: Katee Sackhoff Teases Bo-Katan’s Darksaber Hunt

    ‘The Mandalorian’: Katee Sackhoff Teases Bo-Katan’s Darksaber Hunt

    The Mandalorian‘s latest episode gave us the live-action debut of Bo-Katan. Not just that but Katee Sackhoff returns to play the character she famously voiced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels. It was probably one of the best adaptations we have seen from animation to live-action. Sadly, at the end of the episode, our favorite Mandalorian and child went their separate ways. Luckily, Sackhoff revealed in an interview with ET that we did not see the last of her by a longshot.

    She’s so important to the story in The Mandalorian and where it’s going.

    We all assumed that similar to the first season some of the characters will make their return in a later episode. Moff Gideon is after the child, so it wouldn’t be too surprising that their paths would cross. He is in the possession of the Darksaber that Bo-Katan is after, so we might see the various stories collide once again. She also teases that we might get to see a brand new side to the character.

    I think that there is a little piece of Bo-Katan that I don’t think you see coming. She’s got something else going on in her mind and everything she does is purposeful and I think that is something new for her.

    There is a good chance this is connected to the story between Moff and Bo-Katan. We do not know how he got into the possession of the fabled Darksaber. It could be connected to the events of the Great Purge, which may be shown in a later episode. There was also the rumor that she might be getting her very own spin-off series, which could explore that moment in history. The Mandalorian seems to be slowly expanding to all corners of Star Wars history. There was a tease that they took some inspiration from Game of Thrones, so maybe we’ll see the return of Mandalore in future episodes.

    Source: ET, CinemaBlend

  • ‘Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla’ Outperforms ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’ in UK Boxed Sales

    ‘Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla’ Outperforms ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’ in UK Boxed Sales

    Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla has done something that no other game has done in 13 years. It was the first to outsell Call of Duty in the game’s United Kingdom release weekend. Valhalla got released a few days ahead, but it still is a huge surprise. Currently, digital sales are not included, so going by pure boxed sales, the latest Ubisoft entry was able to outsell the gaming giant. The pandemic has shifted a large number of sales to digital, so we will see if this still changes. Still, the latest Assassin’s Creed game has doubled that of its predecessor, Odyssey. 18% of its sales were for the PlayStation 5 version even though that console won’t release for another week.

    Activision Blizzard’s Anna Malmhake did highlight that the latest Call of Duty did set a brand new record as their highest first-day digital sales worldwide. It’s boxed sales in the UK, however, was down by 64% in comparison to 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. In third place, Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ sales were down by 56% to 2018’s entry, but 71% of its sales were for the PS5 ahead of its release. The next-gen exclusives Demon’s Souls was the 6th best-seller while Godfall only ranked at 16.

    Nintendo continues to remain on the top ten, like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe, and its Minecraft version. Watch Dogs: Legion dropped in sales by 36%. Overall, the UK saw a week-on-week increase of 96% in sales. PS5 games even accounted for 19% of all games sold even with the console’s belated release in Europe. It’ll be interesting to see how the next-gen launch in the US has performed.

    Source: Games Industry

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Hawkeye Voice Leaked

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Hawkeye Voice Leaked

    So, after dissecting the Marvel’s Avengers player base claim that has been going around, which you can find by clicking here, it looks like we got a new leak that teases more of the work that Crystal Dynamics has been working on. Just recently, data miner @mmmmmmmmiller had leaked an update on their work for Black Panther. Now, he also revealed our first listen to Giacomo Gianniotti‘s voice as Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye. So far, he is the second confirmed character that was going to release shortly after Kate Bishop. Given the current delays, it is unclear when we will have a chance to play as the titular character. Still, it is nice to hear the voice and a reference to his background in the circus.

    We still do not know much about where the game is heading with their DLC characters. Right now, the best orientation point for future content would be to keep an eye out for the War Table, which hopefully will give us a tease of where the story is heading. I think right now, the best move Crystal Dynamics can do is to surprise its players. They may have a crazy story planned, which is why we saw the addition of Tachyon Rifts. These new mission styles did sadly not include a brand new mission string but did add a new level of gameplay.

    Plus, the concept of time-altering rifts is a great way to introduce a unique storyline that may twist our expectations with A.I.M. The Marvel universe has a lot to offer, and slowly seeing this story evolve around that could be quite the journey similar to when Iron Man just started the franchise. Right now, it feels closer to the same experience I had with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which had a rocky start but managed to change into a unique sector with the Marvel brand.

    Source: Twitter, Vocaroo, GameRant

  • Taking a Closer Look at the ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Player Base

    Taking a Closer Look at the ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Player Base

    So, I’ve been seeing a lot of coverage surrounding Marvel’s Avengers dwindling player count. The game is suffering from terrible PR since its first reveal. Initially, people hated the designs, which seemed inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe actors but just off enough to create a weird juxtaposition. The reveal of it being a Games-as-a-Service concept just added fuel to the fire. Shortly after, Sony goes out of its way to ensure that people will hate the corporate side when they announced Spider-Man would be an exclusive character. Not just that, they started piling exclusivity partnerships that just tainted what goodwill was left.

    The game was already fighting a steep uphill battle, which was exasperated by the buggy Beta and launch. Avengers became a popular punching bag, as it was an easy target just going by the build-up alone before players even could try it out. I am not here to defend what has happened. It shouldn’t have been this way, we can all agree on this point, but we also can’t change it now. I like the game quite a bit, so I wanted to dig a little deeper and dive into the rabbit hole to see what these claims building upon. It felt like we are only seeing a very small part of the picture, so hope you will join me in this journey.

     

     

    So, this is the most current issue that is surrounding the game. You’ll see a variety of outlets sharing that same headline based on an article by Gamebyte. They, however, point to these claims being only “reportedly” a showcase of the game’s player loss. Surprisingly, most covering this claim do not repeat this aspect but have moved forward with the statement that this is a definite loss. Once you look closer into articles, it is clear that what is discussed turns out to be the PC player base, which does not include the other launch platforms.

    Of course, it makes sense that the player base dwindled. The game has hit a brick wall with its content. Every promised update has also gotten delayed due to the bugs during release. The “rumor” aspect is rather bizarre, as anyone can publicly access Steam’s ongoing analysis via Steam Charts, which is most likely the source of this claim. One close look at the site, and it isn’t too farfetched that it has sunken from 28,145 players to 837 active players as of November 14th.

     

     

    I can claim based on this image that the game has indeed lost 97% of its player base. Yet, I have to note this is only a representation of those that actively played it on Steam. So, it is only the peak amount of players during a specific timeframe that was connected. The peak does not account for those that purchased the game but have yet to try it out or replaced other players during its runtime. So, it could be even higher. We do not know how many actively purchased the game on Steam until this day. Still, from a concurrent point-of-view, it has seen quite the drop. It makes sense, as the game had the roughest launch on the platform, so it has a much harsher road ahead to regain its audience.

    Now, we must take into account that the game is also available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. So, let’s take a closer look at the only available source for their player base, Gamstat. The platform uses an API (Application Programming Interface) that connects to the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. This connection creates estimates with a 10% potential deviation due to the statistical measurements based on the available data. This site is quite fascinating. If you are interested, you can read up on how it works by clicking here.

     

     

    Okay, now back to the topic at hand. According to the database, as of now, the game has a total PlayStation player count of 2,1M with 190K additional players within the last month. It also can showcase that within that period, 320K have earned at least one trophy. So, these get counted as active players that interacted with the game to some degree. These numbers do not include players that haven’t earned a trophy. On the other side, Xbox showcases a total count of 860K players with 90K brand new ones joining in the last month. It’s MAU (monthly active users) is currently higher than that of the PlayStation with 410K. It is interesting if you consider that the total player base is higher on Sony’s console.

    Our only sour spot is the Steam Chart source, which only shows the peak of active players and not how many have played at least once. For the sake of the analysis, we can only include the 28K as a representation of PC players. It isn’t a perfect analysis point with the concurrent players, but it is our only existing maximum player number. It is also available on Stadia, but we have no data for this specific game. Destiny 2 seemed to peak at around 30K players, so this game might represent a minor margin of it. As such, we currently are talking about a player base of 2.98M.

     

     

    If we want to make a comparison point to see how many active players exist, we cannot state its current daily base between all consoles. Microsoft offers us a look at the daily active players with Avengers‘ currently having a daily peek at 6.8K. That would put it at 0.80% of its player base active daily, while 47,67% were actively playing in the last 30 days. Just this comparison highlights the difficulty of using the daily player count as the baseline comparison point. The best way to look at the existing player base is to base it on the common denominator. So, we can determine that in total 730K has played the game within the last 30 days.

    All this brings us to the fact that by current estimates, 24,46% of the player base was still active within the last 30 days. All this data represents the time range of October 14th until November 14th. It can change tomorrow or the next week. Yes, the player count is down, and that is not good for the game’s long-term development. The biggest question is if the number will rise once more content has been added. Right now, PlayStation represents the game with around 70% of its player base. It looks like that Spider-Man deal might have been a good investment after all.

     

     

    If we go purely by the existing numbers from Steam, it is only a mere 1% of the total player base representation. So, even if it is closer to 3 or 4% considering the data’s restrictions, it doesn’t truly represent the game. There are too many variables to pinpoint its current state. The only ones who can answer that question are Square-Enix and Crystal Dynamics. We can only estimate based on existing data. I am not an industry expert, but I do believe that there is enough available to at least get a better estimate than run a simple statement.

    We can even try to make comparisons, such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, which was released around the same time window. It saw a drop in returning players by 88.5% on PlayStation. Avengers dropped by 84.7% so held a little steadier in the same timeframe. Of course, they are different genres, but GaaS games have been out for some time. Anthem‘s player base most likely has already earned most trophies, so it only counts 13K returning players. That makes the comparison even more difficult, such as Destiny 2 having 160K players and 270K new additions. Yet, that game is also available to play for free, so you can see strong jumps since that change in September plus they were building up to a new content drop.

    Once I went down the rabbit hole, there were so many variables that it is difficult to really confirm the claim that is being made. If Avengers can make more money off of players that check-in once or twice a week, does it even matter by then? They haven’t dropped a big content patch, so that could also get players to return. Yes, the player base is low when compared to its launch but the true question will be, can it recover? If we go by the usual Anthem comparisons, if that game can stick around after all this time and its launch, I think the game certainly still has some time to surprise us.

     

    Source: ScreenRant, Forbes, Escapist Magazine, Forbes (Marketing), Gamebyte, SteamCharts, Gamstat (PS), Gamstat (Xbox), 9to5Google, StadiaSource, Gamstat (Concurrent Users Xbox), Gamstat (Tony Hawk), Gamstat (Anthem), Gamstat (Destiny 2), Games Industry

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Teases Kate Bishop…Sort Of

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Teases Kate Bishop…Sort Of

    The content drought continues for Marvel’s Avengers. Yes, the game is at a low-point with its Steam player count. Its current peak is at around 700 players, which isn’t a good look but also understandable with a lack of an update or additional content. Gamstat has a direct API connection to the game, which highlights how many people earned trophies within the last month. So, according to their system, at least 320,000 players are still active on the console. The site only provides data for the total amount of players for Xbox. You have to consider that it only showcases players that have played the game, so it doesn’t directly correlate to sales. Still, without any new content, there isn’t much reason to return to the game currently, a challenge I’ve been facing myself. Their latest update did provide quite a lot of performance fixes.

    Their latest weekly blog did not include any details on upcoming content again. Yet, we noticed that last week they started sharing screenshots alongside the Priority Missions. We saw the mission count almost triple as they showcased the developer’s build of the game. This week, we had one more tease with the reveal of this week’s Priority Missions.

     

     

    If you look closely on the left side, it includes a new symbol that we haven’t seen before. It is difficult to make out from this distance, so luckily, @PlayAvenger shared an image zoomed in to highlight that it is Kate Bishop’s symbol that was teased in the initial War Table. Surprisingly, it seems they did end up giving her a unique icon, as the launch video showcased her operation with Clint Barton’s.

    https://twitter.com/PlayAvenger/status/1326995398452506625?s=20

    At face value, it is a little tease that Kate’s development is further along. These teases are nice, but it would’ve been better earlier on. Many of us are desperate for content, so this tease without any timing reminds players about the long wait. Once they get the ball rolling, however, I do hope they continue with these teases. This reveal is rather interesting. If you look closely, the symbol has the same outer rim as that behind the Avengers Initiative. It just includes a globe as its main symbol, just like the Reassemble campaign uses the Avengers’ A icon. We normally select the story operations through the tab above. Now, it looks like you can even choose them directly in the War Table.

    Just based on speculation, this may be a result of them developing the New Game+ mode. This icon would enable players to replay the story directly in the War Table. We know Crystal Dynamics hasn’t started the mission, as the image highlights that a new operation is available. It isn’t much, but it feels deliberate that they are teasing this icon. Plus, this could confirm that you can replay story missions of the various operations in addition to the Reassemble campaign. It would give players an incentive to revisit some of the best parts of the game and not just restrict them to a New Game+ with the Reassemble campaign. Hopefully, we will get more clarity in the coming week(s).

    Source: Steam Charts, Gamstat (PS), Play Avengers (War Table #10), Play Avengers (War Table #11), Twitter, YouTube

  • ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Jon M. Chu Set to Direct Live-Action ‘Lilo and Stitch’

    ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Jon M. Chu Set to Direct Live-Action ‘Lilo and Stitch’

    Here’s an interesting surprise. It looks like Disney is not quite done with their cash cow live-action adaptations and has already set their eyes on the next project. They aim to adapt the Hawaiian story of Lilo & Stitch into live-action, which was originally going to be featured on Disney+. It is uncertain if things have changed but they have tapped Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu to tackle the project. Producers Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback are set to return after their success with the Aladdin adaption into live-action. They currently do not have a writer set for the project. Mike Van Waes has drafted the version that was initially titled Stitch for Disney+, which was never officially greenlit.

    The original story by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders focused on a young girl named Lilo, who met the alien creature Stitch. He was created in a lab as the perfect creation of destruction. His time in Hawaii, however, teaches him about the importance of Ohana. The little alien was hellbent on protecting his newfound home from those that are trying to recapture him once more. Chu is a fantastic director to tackle this project. It also is his second project with Disney, as he is also involved with the upcoming Lucasfilm Willow project. These live-action adaptations of beloved animated classics haven’t gotten the best reception, so maybe this film can break the curse.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • Chris Pratt Confirmed for ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    Chris Pratt Confirmed for ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    The ending of Avengers: Endgame gave us an unlikely pairing. Thor joined the Guardians of the Galaxy to find his new purpose in life. He left behind New Asgard and made Valkyrie their new Queen. So, we assumed he might be part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 before we get a new Thor sequel. Once they revealed the line-up for the fourth phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we found out that Thor: Love and Thunder would be the first to feature the Norse god. So, we wondered if it will include the Guardians or skip to a different point in time. Well, it looks like the Hollywood Reporter was able to confirm that Chris Pratt will indeed make an appearance in the upcoming film. There is a good chance he won’t be in too many scenes, as it might just pick up where the last one left off. It makes you wonder if they finally were able to solve the debate about who would be captain.
    The film is currently eyeing a February 2022 release date, so they’ve been slowly getting production started. They seem to be aiming for a January production start, as Pratt is still finishing up production on The Tomorrow War. This reveal comes at a perfect time before theories start floating around why he is traveling to Australia in case he shares something on Social Media. Strangely though, there is no confirmation of the other Guardians appearing, so it’ll be interesting to see if they are confirmed at a later date. Chris Pratt joins Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, and Christian Bale.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • Disney+ Working on a ‘Darkwing Duck’ Reboot

    Disney+ Working on a ‘Darkwing Duck’ Reboot

    He is the terror that flaps in the night, the scourge that pecks at your nightmares. Yes, it is indeed Darkwing Duck, who seems to be getting his series on Disney+. The streaming service has added Point Grey Pictures executive producers Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, and Alex McAtee to join the project. McAtee will be overseeing its production as they look for a writer. According to Variety, this is only in the early stages of development, so it might still take some time before it will appear on Disney+. This announcement follows after a few episodes on the Ducktales reboot focused on the titular character. It is uncertain if this will act as a continuation within the series’ canon or if, like the original show, will exist as its universe.

    The original Darkwing Duck from 1991 followed the suburban life of Drake Mallard. He fought crime alongside Launchpad McQuack and his adopted daughter Gosalyn. In the DuckTales reboot, they turned the original character into a fictional character of an in-universe superhero show. Jim Cummings returned to voice the iconic character but was an actor named Jim Starling. Mallard was a fan of the character who was going to replace him in a darker reboot. The Duck Knight Returns. He turned to crime-fighting after a falling out with his idol. 

    Chris Diamantopoulos took over voice acting duties for the new incarnation of Mallard. The series’ third season also finally introduced Gosalyn to round out the cast of the original. It would be a waste to disconnect the show from DuckTales, as it is already set-up these characters perfectly for a new generation. It’ll be interesting how these shows will interact with each other and if we might see other spin-offs, such as one focusing on Gizmoduck. Hopefully, they’ll give us a new rendition of that iconic theme song I am curious what direction they will take.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘The Mandalorian’ Latest Episode May Have Set Up The Third Season’s Arc

    ‘The Mandalorian’ Latest Episode May Have Set Up The Third Season’s Arc

    The Mandalorian just expanded their world once more, with the latest episode introducing some familiar faces. You can read more on it by checking out  João Pinto‘s latest entry by clicking here. He already covered most of the episode, so I want to take a look at what it may say about the future. Not too long ago, we got the reveal that Disney+ show’s third season was already entering production. What stood out, it was going to have the working title “Buccaneer” during production. The moment we read this news, we probably all had the same thought as Skyler Shuler did when he shared the news.

    As last time, keep in mind there are some mild spoilers in this article, so only continue at your own risk.

     

    Western films were the inspiration for the show’s initial direction. It wouldn’t be too surprising for them to diversify the genre as the show continues to grow. This way, it won’t become stale and can be reinvented to bring in a new audience. The latest episode teased the potential direction as we met Bo-Katan and her small team of Mandalorians. We get more insight into how Din’s creed is different from those that lived on Mandalore. It gave us some insight into how Mandalorian traditions have changed over the years especially after many wondered last season why Din couldn’t take off his helmet. It offered a lot more lore to finally connect The Mandalorian, The Clone Wars, and Rebels.

    What makes this episode stands out is how it already played around with new concepts. We spend some time in this episode at sea, where Din gets betrayed by his new captain. Just like previous episodes, this creates a visual connection to the main meat of the story after he is rescued by the previously-mentioned fellow Mandalorians, who he has been looking for throughout the season. The episode then takes that context to build the connection to the main focus of the Mandalorians hijacking a ship. If you combine this with the Mandalore history that got teased early on, it creates a potential set-up for where the series heads in its third season.

    I believe the third season will continue the arc set-up in this episode. Bo-Katan is aiming to retrieve the Darksaber so she can return to her home planet as their leader. She seems to be aware of Moff Gideon, so she might ask for his support in this mission. It would expand the cast to include a new ragtag team of Mandalorians that help Din and the Child on their quest. He becomes conflicted with the teachings of his creed while also fulfilling his mission. We might get our first live-action visit of Mandalore after they set out on their travels taking down one Empire ship after another. His own story will parallel with that of the Child, who is also on the search for his home.

    Source: DisInsider