Following their recent teasers, the official social media pages of Skeletron is revealing their Kickstarter announcement video for Roboskull MK II.
Red Shadows Roboskull MK II Kickstarter Announced
Details On The Upcoming AAA G.I. Joe Console Game By Wizards Of The Coast
We have received some additional details on the upcoming G.I. Joe console game by Hasbro‘s Wizards Of The Coast.
The game, which was first announced during Hasbro’s 2021 Investor Day, is confirmed to be a 3rd Person Action-Adventure game.
The development of this new game will be handled by a brand new division at Wizards Of The Coast. This division is named New Raleigh-Durham Studio and its head office can be located in North Carolina. The studio is lead by industry veterans from game development studios such as WB Games (Hitman series, Batman: Arkham Series, etc.).
The division is aiming to deliver a AAA title with hopes to reinvent the brand in a new way.
Apart from the shooting mechanics, the game is targeting a sophisticated melee combat system.
This new game will utilize the Unreal Engine (5?) and will release across multiple consoles.
HISSTANK Coverage Of Goldman Sachs 30th Annual Communacopia Conference
Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner, CFO Deb Thomas, and eOne CEO Darren Throop attended Goldman Sachs 30th Annual Communacopia Conference this morning.
During the event, Mr. Goldner stated that some toys will be delayed by a quarter due to prevailing logistic concerns. He explained that as an example, a toy that was supposed to release in quarter 3 will be pushed to quarter 4 (late 2021 – early 2022). However, the company did not specify which toys will experience this delay. On a happier note, Brian Goldner stated that they are seeing gradual ease in the situation. The toy giant is using all kinds of tactics including the usage of additional ports to circumnavigate the issue.
Also due to COVID-19 pandemic, eOne will evaluate Hasbro movie releases on a case-by-case basis. Some movies will release theatrically with a shorter theatrical window as opposed to the usual 90-days before hitting home video. Some will directly shift to streaming. CEO of eOne confirmed that Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts and the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie will see a theatrical release, but did not elaborate on the release window period (90 Days vs. 45 Days). However, Mr. Throop stated that a shorter window will benefit merchandise sales.
Brian Goldner stated that more entertainment content is on its way for properties such as Transformers, G.I. Joe, My Little Pony, and Risk.
G.I. Joe Classified Series Novel Pushed Back To July 2022
Once again, the release date of the first novel of G.I. Joe Classified Series has been pushed back. The Hard Cover edition and the Kindle Digital edition will see the light of day on July 26th, 2022.
This is the third pushback for the book. Originally slated to release on August 2021 to coincide with the release of Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, the date was pushed to November 2021. It was then delayed to Marck 15th, 2022.
Titled as ‘Welcome To Springfield‘, the story will see “a group of ordinary kids finds themselves facing extraordinary circumstances . . . and with the help of mentors like Duke, Scarlett, and Roadblock, they’ll find what it means to be a team, rise to the occasion, and save the day when nobody else can. A heart-pounding thrill ride from start to finish that will enthrall G.I. Joe fans and action-adventure readers alike.”
You can preorder the book from Amazon.
IDW December 2021 G.I. Joe Solicitations
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. We have with us the IDW December 2021 G.I. Joe Solicitations.
This December we will see…
- G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #289 – Cover A: Williams II
- G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #289 – Cover B: Casey Maloney
- G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Yearbook #4
Find out more information about each title (and their covers), after the jump.
Red Shadows Toyline Announced By Roboskull LLC
A little over a year ago, a Minnesota-based toy company named Roboskull applied and obtained action figure trademarks for Skeletron, Red Shadows, and Roboskull from the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO).
Those who are familiar with UK’s Action Force need no introduction for the aforementioned trademarks including the name of the company.
Jump to the present day: A bunch of social media channels and an official website popped up with hints towards Red Shadows; the near-forgotten enemy of the Action Force. In fact, the official Facebook page even tagged Bob Brechin; one of the original designers of Action Force toys including Skeletron and Roboskull.
The company revealed several logos and stated that official reveals are coming soon.
All of these hints point towards a revival of Red Shadows by Roboskull LLC parent company and its Skeletron subsidiary.
You can check out their trademarks and links to official pages, after the jump.
News Post Image: Updated logo for Red Shadows.
The Magic Squad: An Official Magic Show Featuring Hasbro Properties
Joining hands with Hasbro, Kilburn Live is set to unveil a magic show featuring Hasbro properties such as Transformers, G.I. Joe, My Little Pony, and Monopoly.
Featuring a cast of young magicians, the show will feature over 30 different illusions within its 90-minute run time.
The show is primarily targeted towards little kids and the magicians will also teach them how to perform simple magic tricks. The package will also include a bunch of tricks to take home.
Official description:
“Featuring a unique combination of cutting-edge magic, kid-friendly humor, audience interactivity, and the most iconic Hasbro toys and games, “playtime” takes on a whole new meaning when you dare to join The Magic Squad!
In a hilarious and fast-paced story, The Magic Squad will teach tricks to the whole audience all while executing illusions designed to astound spectators of any age.
The action-packed show reveals the reality-bending power inside every child’s favorite toys, and by the end, every audience member will become an official part of The Magic Squad.”
You can check out more information, via the official website of The Magic Squad.
Hasbro To Open An Arcade At American Dream
Joining hands with Kilburn Live, Hasbro is set to open an arcade at the American Dream complex in Bergen County, New Jersey.
According to the press release received, Hasbro will bring games and activities based on Monopoly, G.I, Joe, My Little Pony, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Clue, Connect Four, and Candyland.
“We want to bring people together to play, but in a manner you aren’t seeing in today’s marketplace,” said Charlie Keegan, CEO of The Game Room. “With the much-loved content from Hasbro and the magnitude of a venue like American Dream, we have a unique opportunity here to bring rich, engaging, interactive experiences to life and in the process re-imagine the destination entertainment concept.”
“The Game Room powered by Hasbro is designed to be the next evolution of modern social entertainment,” said Matt Proulx, Vice President of Location Based Entertainment at Hasbro. “Anchored with Hasbro’s iconic, multi-generational brands, we are focused on providing an immersive entertainment experience that engages everyone and encourages families and guests of all ages to come together to play, compete and socialize.”
The arcade is planned to go live in 2022. You can check out the full press release, after the jump.
Paramount Pictures Officially Announces Its Restructuring
Paramount Pictures has sent us a press release; officially announcing their restructuring within the company.
As previously heard, Brian Robbins will take over Jim Gianopulos as the chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures. Meanwhile, David Nevins will oversee Paramount Television.
However, in an interesting twist, Brian Robbins will primarily oversee films produced for Paramount+ streaming service, while David Nevins will oversee scripted series for the same platform.
It is also interesting that mentioning theatrical releases has taken a back seat on the press release.
Jim Gianopulos will remain as an advisor for the remainder of the year and the company had good things to say about him:
“During his time at Paramount, Gianopulos has been responsible for creating and restoring massively successful franchises including A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II, with more films in the works; Sonic the Hedgehog, with a sequel slated for release next year; Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the most profitable and critically-acclaimed film in the franchise, with the seventh and eight installments in production; the highly-anticipated Top Gun: Maverick; and Bumblebee, which marked a reinvigorated Transformers brand, returning the franchise to both profitability and critical acclaim. Additionally, Gianopulos rebuilt the popular Tom Clancy franchise across both film and television and was responsible for the award-winning 2018 hit Elton John biopic Rocketman.”
You can check out the full press release, after the jump.
Paramount Pictures CEO Jim Gianopulos To Step Down, Studio To Drop Big-Budget Movies
Paramount Pictures CEO Jim Gianopulos is set to step down from his position.
Following the underwhelming box-office yield of Transformers: The Last Knight and China’s clampdown on foreign investments, HuaHua Media left its partnership with Paramount Pictures at the end of 2017. HuaHua Media was supposed to fund 25% of the next two Transformers movies and 25% of all Paramount movies until 2020.
2017 was not a kind year for Paramount. That year, the movie production giant saw a loss of $445 million; where $100 million loss was from Transformers: The Last Knight alone.
Enter Jim Gianopulos.
Mr. Gianopulos took decisive action to turn things around for Paramount and it worked. At the end of 2017, Paramount Pictures entered a new agreement with Hasbro, where the toy giant would chip in more money to their movies but at greater creative control.
Such steps ensured the financial safety of Paramount and the company went on to produce critically acclaimed movies such as A Quiet Place and Bumblebee under the new leadership of Jim Gianopulos.
All things must come to an end and so does the tenure of Mr. Jim Gianopulos. We wish him the very best for his future work and we also wish his successor Brian Robbins, a wonderful stay with many Hasbro movies to follow.
On a closing note, Paramount has expressed their interest to drop big-budget movies in favor of smaller productions that will directly go on their streaming service Paramount+.
“What this is all setting up, according to insiders, is Paramount retreating from big theatrical productions to focus on titles – remakes, branded content, cheaper fare – that will service its streamer, Paramount+.” -Borys Kit, Journalist
There is a likelihood that this move may affect the pending renewal of the aforementioned agreement with Hasbro at the end of the year 2022.
You can also read follow-up articles for this development via Deadline and Hollywood Reporter.