Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford has confirmed that the plot of the upcoming Borderlands film will not be exactly as the same as the beloved video game franchise.

Pitchford took to Twitter on April 6 to share a brief statement following the release of the film’s official plot. “To the interested: The Borderlands Cinematic Universe is not identical to the Borderlands Videogame Universe,” he said.

“We are authentic to characters, tone and style, but allow for independent storylines. The mediums are not the same, so the content should not be bound to the same rules.”

Pitchford’s comment has since been met with criticism from gamers, one of whom has accused Gearbox of deciding to “pee all over something we love”. Check out Pitchford’s response below.

I’m not sure what you expect, but some of the most experienced and talented film makers in the world are working extremely hard to create something to entertain you. Maybe just take it as it comes instead to of fixate on whatever you’re thinking of?

— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) April 6, 2021

Yesterday (April 6), Lionsgate revealed that actor Edgar Ramirez has been casted for the role of Atlas, the founder of the Borderlands universe’s largest weapons manufacturer. Lionsgate also revealed the film’s official synopsis.

Per an IGN report, a portion of the synopsis notes that the film’s characters will band together to become a group of unlikely heroes who “must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other.”

The rest of the cast for the film includes Jamie Lee Curtis as Dr. Tannis, Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Jack Black as Claptrap, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg, and Kevin Hart as Roland.

A release date for the Borderlands film has yet to be announced.

Respawn Entertainment has confirmed that the upcoming ninth season of Apex Legends will include “a ton” of Titanfall content.

Apex Legends’ Game Director Chad Grenier and Senior Writer Ashley Reed shared the news during a recent Twitch panel hosted by BrownGirlGamerCode. Grenier confirmed that Apex Legends will continue to incorporate Titanfall lore moving forward.

“Next season, Season 9, you’re actually going to see a ton of Titanfall coming back into the game in one way or another. So, I’ve told some people before, if you’re a Titanfall fan, hang on for Season 9 because there’s going to be some really cool stuff in there,” Grenier said.

“What’s going on in Titanfall is a war, Apex is what happens after the war, like what is life like in this place?” Reed went on to explain. “So we’re trying to integrate Titanfall into that, because Titanfall’s very much a part of the universe.”

Grenier and Reed did not share further details on what season 9 will bring to Apex Legends in terms of Titanfall lore. Respawn currently has no plans to incorporate Titans properly into Apex Legends as well, although both games share the same universe.

In May 2020, Respawn co-founder Vince Zampella said that “there’s nothing currently in development” for the series. However, he added that he would “personally like to see some kind of resurrection there. We’ll see if I can make that happen”.

Last month, Grenier revealed that the new hero being introduced in Apex Legends season 9 will appeal to a Japanese audience. “I mentioned a little about Season 9, but the legend in Season 9 I hope will be liked in Japan,” Grenier said.

Season 9 of Apex Legends has yet to receive a release date.

A report by researchers at the universities of Plymouth and Wolverhampton have found strong links between loot boxes and gambling.

The research has concluded that loot boxes are “structurally and psychologically akin to gambling” and that large numbers of children are spending real and in-game currency on them.

The research, which can be viewed here, was commissioned by the charity GambleAware, and it compiles existing research that examines the strength of links between loot boxes and gambling behaviour.

Some key points from the research suggest that of the 93 per cent of children who play video games, up to 40 per cent of them opened loot boxes.

The report also found that young men are most likely to engage with them, with younger age and lower education correlating with increased spending.

It was also discovered that around 5% of loot box purchasers were spending around £70 per month, generating over half of the industry revenue from loot boxes. The report confirms that one third of these spenders “fall into the ‘problem gambler’ category.”

The report also found that players are often “nudged” towards purchases via a number of psychological techniques such as “endowment effects, ‘fear of missing out’ and obfuscation of costs” and also positioned loot boxes as part of a “sophisticated choice architecture” created in order to monetise modern video games.

This report comes after the UK Government launched a call for evidence on the use of loot boxes in video games last year.

The statement which was made on September 23 2020 said the Government aims to seek the experiences of players and their parents or guardians as well as rigorous, high quality data and research from video games companies, academia, civil society as well as any other organisations with an interest in this issue”.

Earlier this year, former EA Sports president Peter Moore said that he does not view loot boxes as a form of gambling, in an interview where he compared the modes’ randomised packs to “collecting cigarette cards in the 1920s and ’30s.”

TT Games has delayed LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, which was scheduled for release in Spring 2021.

The developer made the announcement via Twitter, thanking fans for their continued patience.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga had been expected to release in late 2020 until a trailer during Gamescom 2020 confirmed that it would actually arrive in Spring 2021.

While a new date has not been confirmed, the message from TT Games said that this will be updated “as soon as possible”.

Thanks to all our fans for your continued patience. pic.twitter.com/tCDV9Ikftd

— TT Games (@TTGames) April 2, 2021

“All of us at TT Games are working hard to make LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga the biggest and best-ever LEGO game – but we’re going to need more time to do it,” the studio said. “We won’t be able to make our intended Spring release date, but will provide updated launch timing as soon as possible.”

First announced in 2019, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is set to be the largest game in the LEGO Star Wars series, featuring levels from across all nine films.

As an open-world game, players will also be able to experience these levels and stories in any order they choose.

It is unfortunately another major game delay from publisher Warner Bros. Games, which follows the announcement of delays for Back 4 Blood, Gotham Knights and Hogwarts Legacy, the latter two having been delayed to 2022.

It’s not just games affected by delays, as the Analogue Pocket has also been delayed to later this year.