Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said that Activision offered world-famous skateboarder Tony Hawk $300k to lend his name and likeness to the first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game--an offer that came at a low point for him financially.

In an interview with the Grit podcast, Kotick claimed that Hawk was living in his car at the time, going through his second divorce. Kotick said that Hawk was desperate for money, so they signed him up with an additional 1.5% royalty rate that they renegotiated further as time went on.

"We made Pro Skater, did well, but Pro Skater 2, that was an awesome game. And that was the explosion of the business in some ways," Kotick explained.

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Amazon is running a Buy One Get One 50% deal on select board and card games. A bit of everything is included in the event, ranging from classics like Jenga and Trouble to more complex titles like Catan and Arkham Horror. Cashing in on the savings is easy. Just add two eligible products to your cart, and the cheaper product will receive a 50% discount during checkout. Best of all, you can mix and match these games with other B2G1 50% off items--so if you can’t find two games that catch your eye, check out the full catalog of books, toys, and more eligible for the deal.

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Several versions of Monopoly are eligible for the discount, including versions based on Harry Potter, Wicked, and Pokemon. The Wicked Edition is the most affordable at $19 (was $30), so give it a look if you’re a fan of the film (or the novel it’s based on). Catan is always an easy recommendation for players seeking a strategic board game, and that’s especially true now that it’s on sale for $44 (was $55). Already own the base game? Pick up the Seafarer’s Expansion for $26.39 (was $33) that extends the gameboard with new islands to develop.

Monopoly: Wicked Edition, Kanoodle, and Catan

Kanoodle is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a solo game to keep you busy, as it’s on sale for $10 (was $14). The brain teaser puzzle game tasks you with piecing together various designs with its color bricks--and with puzzles ranging from easy to nearly impossible, it’s fun for all skill levels. A more robust version of the game, Kanoodle Ultimate Champion, is also part of the B2G1 50% off sale and is discounted to $18 (was $25). This version comes with a timer to track how long it takes you to solve each puzzle.

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Compulsion Games' South of Midnight seems to be exactly what I expected: an action-adventure game featuring platforming and combat that feels reminiscent of the genre during the PlayStation 2 era. Having now played the game for about 90 minutes, the gameplay doesn't wow me. That said, South of Midnight doesn't feel like a game that needs to deliver a never-before-seen gameplay experience. The focal point of the game is clearly its celebration of the myths, sounds, culture, and language of the American South, and in that respect, South of Midnight feels like it's going to exceed those expectations.

You play as Hazel in South of Midnight, desperate to find her mother after their home washes away in a hurricane. Early into her journey, she learns to be a weaver, a person who can both unravel the corrupting forces influencing a community and knit together constructs to glide or leap across dangerous swampland. As Hazel searches for her mom, her abilities and skills as a weaver continue to develop and she comes across numerous legendary monsters, beings who were once humans or animals and have since been twisted into mythical larger-than-life creatures by the trauma and tragedy that surrounded them in life. As a weaver, Hazel's job is to put these legends to rest.

Hazel can use her weaver abilities to glide, grapple, double jump, and wall-run.

My time with the game saw me step in during an early chapter, which immediately precedes the level and boss battle I saw during my trip to Compulsion Games last year. The chapter starts with Hazel having only recently become a weaver and making the acquaintance of Catfish, who promises to help her find her mother if she first frees him from the grip of a colossal tree that resembles a scared and sad-looking man. The level then establishes the gameplay loop that South of Midnight will presumably follow for the rest of the story: Hazel platforms through largely linear levels, encountering and fighting groups of enemies who guard the memories that detail the truth behind a local legend.

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Castlevania: Nocturne Season 1 on Blu-ray

$20 (was $40)

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Castlevania fans can save big on Netflix's animated adaptation on Blu-ray. For a limited time, the original four-season arc and Nocturne Season 1 are on sale for 50% off at Amazon. You can get the original series for $45 total, and Nocturne's $20 deal price is its lowest since launching in October.

See all Castlevania Blu-rays at Amazon

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Check your inbox, because an Elden Ring Nightreign email might be waiting for you. Bandai Namco is now sending out invite codes for the action-RPG's closed beta. The event will have five different sessions from February 14-16.

GameSpot can confirm that Elden Ring Nightreign network test codes have already been emailed out to players who signed up for the beta last month. Along with your platform choice and specific code, Bandai Namco has reconfirmed the following times, too:

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Sony has confirmed that its first State of Play livestream for 2025 will kick off on February 12 at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET. As usual, you'll be able to watch it on Sony's YouTube and Twitch channels.

This looks like it'll be a pretty big livestream, as Sony says the event will run for at least 40 minutes and will show "a creative and unique selection of exciting games" from various studios around the world.

So what else can you expect from the show? Sony is keeping details on it under wraps, but the company does have some big games in development currently. The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog revealed Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet last year, Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima sequel--Ghost of Yotei--is scheduled to release later this year, and it'll be interesting to see if the live-service heist-'em-up FairGame$ makes an appearance after a long period of radio silence.

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Well, that was fast. Just yesterday, NetEase announced Marvel Rivals was restructuring its season rankings, but that was quickly reversed. On Tuesday, NetEase released an updated statement explaining that it would keep players' rankings through the season and not have a reset in the second half of the season as it originally wanted to try.

The reasoning behind the change was to try some "major balance changes" that were supposed to "shake up the battlefield" for the remainder of the game's first competitive season. Players immediately responded with how much they hated it causing NetEase to backpedal within hours.

"After the release of Dev Talk 10 regarding the seasonal rank adjustment, we received a wealth of feedback from the community," the statement read. "A common concern was the pressure associated with having a rank reset every half-season, which has made participating in competitive mode less enjoyable."

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Fallout Season 2 is now in production and series star Walton Goggins has provided an update on it. Goggins, who plays The Ghoul, said Season 2 is "in the middle of filming" currently and that Season 2 is bigger and better than Season 1.

"I can tell you that I thought Season 1 was extraordinary, personally, I was very pleased with it," Goggins told Deadline. "This blows it out of the water, what these writers have done and the artisans that have come together to tell this story. It's really gonna be something. I can't wait for people to see it. We're working really hard to make that happen."

Walton Goggins teases #Fallout Season 2 : “I thought Season 1 was extraordinary… This blows it out of the water” pic.twitter.com/B1BmmGC8t3

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) February 11, 2025

Season 2 is expected to take viewers to new locations where they will battle Deathclaws. Whereas Season 1 was filmed in New York, Season 2 shifted to California due in part to a huge tax credit.

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Civilization VII developer Firaxis has released a new patch for the turn-based strategy game on PC, tweaking the gameplay, AI opponents, and the user interface. This is one of several patches that Firaxis will roll out as it continues to fine-tune Civilization VII. Firaxis did note that cross-play multiplayer has been temporarily disabled so that it can "expedite" deployment of the patch, but console players looking to cross-play against other console users should remain unaffected.

For the changes to the UI, Firaxis says the patch will fix issues that resulted in several bugs, like missing text, portraits not showing up under leaders, and menus failing to open. Other tweaks here include adding a notification for when espionage actions have been completed and general improvements to the layout of text and visuals. Strangely, there's no mention in the patch notes regarding the weird coughing noise that early access players have heard.

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When you think of Transylvania, the first monster that comes to mind is probably a vampire like Count Dracula. Or perhaps even a werewolf. But in the upcoming co-op asymmetrical horror game Deadly Quiet, we're not quite sure what to make of the creatures living in Transylvania's Hoia Baciu forest. As seen in the game's first trailer below, these monsters have humanoid bodies and animal-like heads--including antlers. They also carry around multiple human skulls, if you want a preview of what your character's fate will be if you can't escape.

While Deadly Quiet is a first-person game, players aren't looking through the eyes of their characters. Instead, the action is seen through a bodycam, which may be why the visuals look so intentionally rough. There are some advantages to this approach, including being able to spot the outlines of the three other players in co-op, even in pitch-black conditions. The downside is that the camera has less clarity than your own eyes, and it seems as if these creatures can sneak up on you in the darkness if you're not extremely careful.

Much like last year's A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, sound is your enemy in Deadly Quiet. Whatever these creatures are, their hearing is very acute. If you step on the wrong twig, they'll hear you. Even speaking into your mic with teammates can give away your position.

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War Robots: Frontiers will be released for PC and consoles on March 4, and GameSpot has two exclusive trailers to show off. The game looks to redefine mech-based warfare in online multiplayer PvP battles. You'll take to the cockpit of your own war machine and pilot your way to victory in this new entry in the War Robots series.

Having been in early access since November 2022, War Robots: Frontiers is set to enter its full release phase, which sees the game move to a free-to-play model. Taking community feedback on board, developer MY.GAMES has made plentiful adjustments, additions, and improvements throughout the game's early-access period. Thanks to frequent playtesting and feedback, the UI has been completely refreshed, a new tutorial has been added, maps have been reworked, and the mechs have been constantly adapted and evolved. The developer has also set up a community Discord where players can continue to provide feedback and get in-depth insights to War Robots: Frontiers' development process.

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Destiny 2's Vault of Glass raid is becoming increasingly popular following the launch of Episode 3: Heresy. The raid's weapons now have the ability to drop with new perks, and an exclusive origin trait: Timelost Magazine. Final blows using weapons with this trait grant bonus Super energy. When your Super expires, the weapon's magazine size is doubled for a long duration and reloads from reserves. Guardians can also finally craft weapons obtained in Vault of Glass.

We've split the loot tables by each encounter, so if you're looking for that god roll Found Verdict you'll be able to see which encounters you need to farm. For each weapon, we've also bolded the most desirable perks.

You can run through the raid or specific encounters on Master difficulty mode to get the Adept, or Timelost, versions of these weapons, too. Timelost weapons are similar to Adept versions, specific to Vault of Glass, in that they roll with two selectable perks per column, increasing your chances of getting a great roll. They also gain a small boost to their stats when Masterworked. The more patterns you've unlocked, the higher the likelihood is that you can find a Timelost weapon with a third perk option in column three or four.

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Keep moving. You’ve got to keep moving. Because in the high adrenaline shooter Cold VR, when you slow down, time goes faster, and so does the relentless enemy AI. And you really don’t want that to happen. COLD VR is an exhilarating virtual reality game that puts you in control of time. Stay on the move to outwit and outmanoeuvre the relentless enemy AI. The fate of the virtual world rests in your hands! Time is your greatest weapon. Move to slow it down, stop, and risk everything.

Have you ever been to the Arctic? Do you want to open a motel in the Arctic? With the company of aurora, blizzards, polar days and nights, primeval forests, and wild animals, can you turn a run-down motel into a landmark in the Arctic?