Riot Games has revealed that League of Legends: Wild Rift will launch on iOS in 2020. Riot says this is a new version of the original wildly popular MOBA title, which launched on PC 10 years ago, and it's built from scratch to take advantage of the mobile platform.
Rumors that League of Legends would be making its way to smartphones first appeared in May, but the official confirmation arrived on Tuesday during a series of Riot announcements posted to YouTube to celebrate the game's 10th anniversary.
Wild Rift will feature the same five-on-five gameplay that made its PC counterpart a success, but individual matches are shorter at around 15 to 20 minutes long. There's also a twin-stick control scheme that Riot says will allow for quicker responses and faster battles.
Otherwise, players can expect the familiar LoL elements, like 5v5 maps and lots of playable characters from the existing roster of champions.
League of Legends is still one of the most popular PC games in the world, but sources suggest that revenue dipped last year, down 21 percent from 2017.
Given the drop off, a brief survey of the MOBA mobile landscape is enough to realize that the game's arrival on iPhone and Android was the logical next step. Titles like Fortnite and PUBG have shown that if a game's mechanics can be translated successfully to touchscreen devices, then expanding to mobile can prove hugely successful.
Riot plans to launch the mobile version "everywhere in the world by the end of 2020," followed by the game's debut on console. Alpha and beta versions of the game will be released in the next few months, rolling out in China first.
Deadline reports that Apple has already greenlighted a second season of Apple TV+ space drama "For All Mankind," along with additional seasons for several other shows set to debut on its upcoming streaming video service.
The cast of "For All Mankind" celebrated the show's premiere on Tuesday
Renewing the shows early is said to be part of a strategy by Apple to queue up original content and ensure there's a steady pipeline of programming by avoiding lengthy hiatuses between seasons.
Apart from "The Morning Show", which was picked up on a two-season deal, Apple previously hasn't officially confirmed second seasons for any of the shows it's promoting ahead of the launch of Apple TV+ on November 1.
Shows also reportedly renewed or in the process of being renewed for a second season include futuristic thriller "See," starring Jason Momoa, period comedy "Dickinson," which stars Hailee Steinfeld as poet Emily Dickinson, immigrant anthology comedy "Little America," and young detective drama "Home Before Dark."
Apple premiered "For All Mankind" on Tuesday at the Regency Village Theater in Westwood, California, where show stars Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones, Shantel VanSanten, Wrenn Schmidt and Jodi Balfour were in attendance. The show imagines a world in which the global space race never ended and the space program remained the cultural centerpiece of America's hopes and dreams.
The first three episodes of "For All Mankind" will be available to watch on Apple TV+ on the day it launches, while new episodes will continue to roll out weekly, every Friday. Apple has launched a press site showcasing information on a number of movies and series coming to Apple TV+, which will be priced at $4.99 per month for up to six family members.
The service will be available on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac and other platforms, including online via www.tv.apple.com. Customers who purchase any new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch starting September 10, 2019, are eligible for one year of Apple TV+ for free.
Google today unveiled several new products at its Made by Google event in New York, including the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL smartphones, Pixel Buds 2 wireless earphones, Pixelbook Go notebook, and new Nest devices.
The new Pixel 4 and 4 XL were widely rumored ahead of their release, to the point that Google even shared teaser photos of its own, and now the devices are official. Key features include 90Hz displays, a new rear-facing 16-megapixel telephoto lens, facial authentication, motion sensing, and more.
The Pixel 4 sports a 5.7-inch OLED display, while the larger Pixel 4 XL has a 6.3-inch OLED display. Both displays are 90Hz for a smoother experience, compared to 60Hz for the iPhone 11 Pro and most other smartphones.
With the Pixel 4, Google says you can fine-tune the brightness and amount of detail in the shadows, helping with difficult shots like sunset portraits. And with a new astrophotography capability, Night Sight on the Pixel 4 can capture shots of the night sky, the stars, and even the Milky Way when visible.
Google has moved away from both the notch and rear fingerprint scanner of the Pixel 3, with the Pixel 4 and 4 XL instead featuring a sizeable top bezel housing an earpiece, front camera, and sensors for a facial authentication system similar to Face ID. Google says the Pixel 4 has the "fastest face unlock" of any smartphone.
Google says face unlock on the Pixel 4 is aided by a new Motion Sense feature that uses a miniature radar sensor to detect movement around the phone. The same sensor allows for quick hand gestures for snoozing alarms, dismissing timers, and silencing an incoming call, all without picking up the device.
The Pixel 4 is powered by a 2,800 mAh battery, while the Pixel 4 XL has a 3,700 mAh battery. Other tech specs for both devices include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, Adreno 640 graphics, 64GB or 128GB of storage, 6GB of RAM, Bluetooth 5.0, IP68-rated water and dust resistance, and stereo speakers.
The Pixel 4 and 4 XL start at $799 and $899 respectively, with pre-orders beginning today ahead of an October 24 release. Google will be selling the devices through all the major U.S. carriers for the first time. The devices come in three colors, including Clearly White, Just Black, and limited edition Oh So Orange.
Unlike the original Pixel Buds, the new version unveiled today feature a truly wireless design like AirPods.
Google says it scanned thousands of ears to create a design that is comfortable for as many people as possible. The new Pixel Buds feature a low-profile look that sits flush in your ear, with a so-called stabilizer arc and interchangeable ear tip ensuring a secure fit, even while exercising.
The ear tip gently seals the ear to isolate outside noises, but a spatial vent below the ear tip lets through a moderate amount of environmental sound so you can stay aware of the things around you. Pixel Buds can also dynamically adjust the volume based on the loudness of the surrounding environment.
Like Siri on the AirPods, the Pixel Buds have built-in Google Assistant.
The new Pixel Buds will be available for $179 in spring 2020 in four colors: Clearly White, Oh So Orange, Quite Mint, and Almost Black.
Google's latest Chromebook is the Pixelbook Go, a slim and light notebook that is 13mm thick and weighs just over two pounds.
Tech specs and features include a 13-inch touchscreen, 8th-generation Intel Core processors, up to 16GB RAM, up to 256GB flash storage, up to 12 hours of battery life, a backlight keyboard with soft typing, two USB-C ports, and a headphone jack. Like other Chromebooks, the Pixelbook Go runs Chrome OS.
Pricing starts at $879, with pre-orders starting today in the U.S. and Canada, followed by the U.K. in January.
Google also unveiled the Nest Mini, the successor to the Google Home Mini, with key new features including stronger bass and faster response times. Also under the Nest umbrella is a new Nest Wifi router, which builds upon the Google Wifi router with two times the speed and up to 25 percent better coverage.
MacRumors will have a hands-on overview of Google's new devices later today.
With just over two weeks to go until the launch of Apple TV+, The Hollywood Reporter today shared a deep dive into the service's history. The new report reiterates that the majority of projects coming out of Apple TV+ will reflect Apple's aspirational company brand -- a move that has led to behind-the-scenes drama for shows like Amazing Stories and the shelved Vital Signs.
Despite previous reports, Apple TV+ will not solely focus on family-friendly content; as long as explicit content serves the story, Apple will approve of the project. Still, Apple is steering the platform to be headlined by its so-called aspirational brand identity, putting the brakes on an "edgy, high-concept" version of Amazon Stories in favor of one with an aspirational viewpoint told by Once Upon A Time's Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.
In addition to the $1 billion annual content budget Apple allotted for Apple TV+ (which Apple is believed to have overshot), the company is said to be offering every showrunner and series regular a free Apple product. According to today's report, Apple has dispatched representatives to Apple TV+ show sets to "take orders" regarding which style of iPhone or iPad the crew would like.
As the launch nears, the behind-the-scenes of Apple TV+ has been chaotic, according to multiple sources. Particularly, the company has struggled with arranging early critic and tastemaker screenings, which can help promote early buzz for launch shows like The Morning Show and See. According to one unnamed publicist, Apple is treating the TV+ rollout like a product launch and not a TV service launch, leading to some unrest.
One issue that numerous sources brought up was Apple TV+'s lack of a large back catalog, which will look particularly troublesome for the company alongside Disney+ and its hundreds of hours of TV and movies dating back to the 1930's. As expected, analysts suggest Apple will acquire a content creator to address this issue in the future, suggesting such companies like MGM, Lionsgate, Sony, and A24.
Apple has also begun work on funding its own content through a new "Masters" internal production studio, the first project for which will be a follow-up to HBO's Brand of Brothers and The Pacific series called Masters of the Air. With its own studio, Apple will wholly own all of the shows and movies it creates, instead of having to work with other partners like Amblin Television.