Epic Games

Thanks To A New Kendrick Lamar ‘Not Like Us’ Video Game, You Too Can Take A Wack At Drake And Owls

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Kendrick Lamar Not Like Us Video Screenshot 2024 (1024x437)
YouTube

Today (July 15), Kendrick Lamar’s venomous Drake diss track “Not Like Us” returned to the top of the music charts.

Since its release, DJs have hard their fun with it. During Kendrick’s The Pop Out — Ken & Friends show backed by Amazon Music, the entire West Coast line danced to Drake’s demise. Now, the public can take a wack at Drake (or rather, an owl) thanks to a new video game.

Inspired by the bold piñata scene within Kendrick’s official visual, Richie Branson, a graphic designer, animator, and game designer (Bleacher Report, Epic Games, Fortnite) created a hilarious web game for hip-hop heads to enjoy in their free time.

“This game is a free love letter to video games and hip-hop,” wrote Branson on the game’s credit page.

Users are tasked with hitting as many animated owls as they can, as a reimagined instrumental of Mustard’s production plays in the background. The modified Pokémon adventure doesn’t have a leaderboard at this time. However, users have begun to screenshot their results to compare with others.

Clearly, the Los Angeles Public Library was on to something when it decided to retire its owl puppet.

To play Richie Branson’s ‘Not Like Us’ game, inspired by Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping song, click here.

Is SZA Coming To “Fornite”?

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Footage of SZA receiving a body scan against a blue screen has emerged amid rumors that the singer is set to become a new Fortnite skin. No formal announcement has been made but fans seem pretty hyped by the opportunity to play as SZA in-game. However, are you pumped for this rumored addition to the game? Let us know in the comments.

The Epic Games title has grown at an unprecedented rate. Fans can already buy skins based on Marshmello, Major Lazer, Travis Scott, Ariana Grande, J Balvin, Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, The Kid LAROI, Enimen, The Weeknd, and Lady Gaga. Athletes such as Neymar, LeBron James, and Chloe Kim have also been added to the game. Furthermore, fans of content creators such as Ninja and MrBeast also have access to skins for those individuals.

Read More: Eminem Fortnite Skin Used To Recreate Iconic Rap Battle From 8 Mile: Watch

SZA Wins At BRIT Awards And Grammys

Elsewhere, SZA beat out a crowded field to take home “Best International Artist” at the BRIT Awards. The St. Louis singer took home the award ahead of the likes of Miley Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift. In fact it, was a quiet night overall for Swift. Cyrus took home “International Song of the Year” for “Flowers”. However, it should be noted that Swift did not have a nomination in this category. Previously, Swift had topped SZA for “Album of the Year” at the Grammys.

Furthermore, speaking of the Grammys, alongside Phoebe Bridgers, she won the 2024 Grammy for best pop dup/group performance for their track “Ghost in the Machine”. The pair most notably won the award over Swift, who was nominated for her track “Karma”, which featured Ice Spice. “Holy sh-t THANK YOU @phoebe_bridgers!!!I F-CKING LOVE YOU B-TCH !! 🥹😩Thank you to @RecordingAcad!!!!!!! I’m so grateful 🥹🙏🏾 and thank you to every producer on this record especially rob and Carter 🥹🫡🫶🏾 love u gang . WE GOT ONE !! 🤞🏾😭,” SZA wrote on X after the award was announced. “Ghost in the Machine” peaked at No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Read More: SZA Gets Fans Riled Up With Recording Studio Thirst Trap

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When Does The Weeknd Come To ‘Fortnite?’

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In recent years, Epic Games has really ramped up its efforts to strengthen Fortnite‘s chokehold on pop culture, in part through the use of music stars appearing in the game as playable skins or performers in special events and virtual concerts. Most recently, Ed Sheeran, Kid Cudi, and Eminem have all found their way to the island, and soon, they’ll be joined by The Weeknd, who’ll also perform in the upcoming Fortnite Festival game mode.

When Does The Weeknd Come To Fortnite?

In a new trailer released this week, the skin for Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, can be seen as the star performs in a virtual concert — as well gameplay for the rhythm-based Fortnite Festival mode a la Rock Band (whose developers also made the new game) or Guitar Hero — in two different incarnation. While his After Hours persona is quickly highlighted, it looks like the big feature is Abel’s more recent, MF DOOM-inspired tour look, complete with a glimmering chrome mask and a white, robe-like hoodie.

The trailer also reveals when he’ll be available in the game: December 9. Fortnite Festival launches the same day, allowing players to play in a band for and with their friends. It sounds like a cool expansion on the core gameplay, especially as Fortnite attracts a larger and larger audience (who may not all want to shoot each other all the time).

Check out the trailer for Fortnite Festival above.

Snoop Dogg and Son Announce their own Fornite game studio to promote diverse creators

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Snoop Dogg and Son Announce their own Fornite game studio to promote diverse creators

Rapper Snoop Dogg has spent the last several decades adding almost as many successful business ventures to his portfolio as he has musical awards to his artistic accomplishments. And this week, he diversified his business portfolio even more, stepping into the world of tech with his son, Cordell Broadus, as the two announced Death Row Games, a Fortnite-based game studio designed to provide access and opportunity to diverse creators and broaden the narrative around gaming.

The game studio relies on Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5 (UE5), a community-based platform that allows anyone from individual creators to professional gaming studios to create content using open-source code. (Epic Games takes a 5% royalty fee from most developers who sell their content via the platform.) The versatile code allows creators to create games that are usually functional on most consoles including Xbox, Playstation, PC, and VR devices.

Snoop stated that he and his son have been experimenting with game publishing for the last few years, but on an amateur level. They decided to start Death Row Games as a way to make
“a home for diverse creators in the gaming ecosystem and be a part of the narrative, the storytelling of what the next game should be looking like. And I keep saying ‘show representation of the culture in these sectors,’ versus us just being the talent. We wanted to make sure that we’re part of the decision that’s being made and more importantly tell these stories from diverse creators and focus on creatives in underserved communities.”

For those that may not be aware, Snoop has been involved in the gaming industry for quite some time, participating in the esports gaming collective FaZe Clan and also had a custom skin in Call of Duty and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. In 2019, he launched his own esports tournament series, the Gangsta Gaming League and in 2021, he dropped an exclusive NFT collection titled “A Journey with the Dogg.” In 2013, the rapper also debuted the Snoopify app, which allows users to add Snoop Dogg-themed stickers and graphics to their personal photos.

Death Row Games will join Snoop’s other business ventures, which have an estimated net worth of $160 million and include Snoop Doggie Dogg’s pet product line, venture capital firm Casa Verde Capital, the Leafs by Snoop cannabis brand, Snoopadelic Films, his Indoggo gin line, and several more. Cordell, Snoop’s second-oldest son, also has experience in the game design and NFT space.

No word if Snoop will show up like Travis Scott to perform a Fortnite concert for fans yet, but Snoop did set up residency in The Sandbox gaming metaverse back in 2021, hosting a virtual performance and dropping custom NFTs for fans.

The post Snoop Dogg and Son Announce their own Fornite game studio to promote diverse creators first appeared on The Source.

The post Snoop Dogg and Son Announce their own Fornite game studio to promote diverse creators appeared first on The Source.

The Source Law Review: Parents Sue Gamer Developer, Claim Their Kids Won’t Eat, Sleep or Shower Because They’re Addicted to Fortnite

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VideoGameJuggernaut'Fortnite'Pullsin$.BillionDollarsin

Epic Games, manufacturer of the hugely popular Fortnite video game series, has been sued by a group of Canadian parents who claim that the company intentionally developed Fortnite to be highly addictive and their children became so severely dependent on the game that they stopped eating, sleeping, and bathing. 

Canadian Superior Court Justice Sylvain Lussier has authorized the class action lawsuit to move forward, writing that the lawsuit “does not appear frivolous or manifestly ill-founded” and that there is “a serious issue to be argued, supported by sufficient and specific allegations to the risks or even dangers arising from the use of Fortnite.”  The court referenced the World Health Organization’s recognition of video game addiction as a disease in 2018.

Justice Lussier disagreed with the parent’s allegations that Epic had intentionally made the games addictive. However, he did recognize the possibility that the game is, in fact, addictive and that Epic is aware of that fact. 

One parent reported that her child had played the game 6,923 times, and other parents said their child played 7,700 times over two years for at least three hours each day.  One of the children in the lawsuit is alleged to have received a medical diagnosis of addiction. 

Epic has characterized the lawsuit as “meritless.” It claims that the game has parental controls that allow parents to control their child’s interaction with the game, including requiring parental permission for a child to make in-game purchases.   While the game is free to play, players can purchase in-game money called ‘V Bucks” to buy gear, upgrades, and other in-game materials.

The post The Source Law Review: Parents Sue Gamer Developer, Claim Their Kids Won’t Eat, Sleep or Shower Because They’re Addicted to Fortnite appeared first on The Source.

Juice WRLD’s Manager Wants To Get The Rapper Into ‘Fortnite’ As A Playable Character

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Juice WRLD Fortnite
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Juice WRLD was a well-known gamer in his life; fans know he was tapped in with Faze Clan, regularly expressed his love for games, and even paid homage to classic games with his music throughout his career, including on the Twisted Metal-inspired cover of his Death Race For Love album. Likewise, the gaming community reciprocated his love, with streamers regularly playing his music and expressing their grief for his death in 2018. Now, it appears the late rapper could receive one of the ultimate honors, being put into one of the most popular modern games as a player skin.

Juice’s former manager, Peter Jideonwo, posted a video to social media that has since circulated on Twitter via hip-hop-focused accounts saying that he is currently in talks with Epic Games, the publisher of the popular shooter game Fortnite, to get the rapper into the game. “(We) really need Juice WRLD in Fortnite,” he said. “We’ve been trying our hardest, and that’s also a work in progress… It would be cool because everyone in Fortnite loves Juice and ‘Come And Go’ was a huge hit in Fortnite. I think it fits. So if y’all wanna go hit up Epic Games and Fortnite, y’all should definitely do that too.”

A photo of a purported player skin representing Juice WRLD has been circulating since, with fans speculating that the rapper could be joining the game soon, but apparently, the photo in question is just fan-made concept art. Should Juice join the game, he’ll be the third rapper after Travis Scott and Anderson .Paak, who was added as part of the duo Silk Sonic alongside his groupmate Bruno Mars. Last year, the game also added LeBron James as a playable skin.

Meanwhile, another rapper was recently added to a different popular shooter; Snoop Dogg, who previously collaborated with Call Of Duty to provide his voice, will be added to three of the franchise’s current games as an operator with special equipment.

Silk Sonic Brings Soulful Radio And Funky ‘Fits To ‘Fortnite’

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Silk Sonic In Fortnite
Epic Games

Over the years, Epic Games’ Fortnite has increasingly become a home not just for legions of gamers but also for musicians who enjoy the game’s combination of third-person shooter and building mechanics. Those musicians have also partnered with Epic Games for in-game appearances like Travis Scott’s 2020 concert, which broke the game’s streaming record, and Ariana Grande’s 2021 concert.

Today, Epic announced the game’s latest musical partners: Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars — known collectively as Silk Sonic. Rather than playing an in-game concert, though, Silk Sonic will offer their music to gamers another way, via an in-game radio station that will play their hits like “Leave The Door Open.” Their debut hit previously featured in the game as an emote, or a dance that the player’s avatar can perform on command. Emotes have been a big part of the game’s success, as the game itself is free, but players can buy emotes via mini-transactions with real money.

The radio station can be accessed when a player uses one of the vehicles in the game and will be hosted by Bootsy Collins, who is featured on Silk Sonic’s debut album, An Evening With Silk Sonic. In addition, new skins will allow players to dress their avatars in funky, ’70s-style outfits inspired by Andy and Bruno.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.