‘Arrested Development’ to return in May

By John Greenlee April 4, 2013

Six years after Fox cancelled the show, Arrested Development is finally coming back to TV (and computers and smartphones and anything else that supports Netflix). The fourth season will debut on May 26 with 15 full episodes, each around 30 minutes, to be released at once.

It has been a big, big year for cancelled TV shows making a comeback. Recently, Veronica Mars announced that it had roundhouse kicked Kickstarter records in the face, and easily reached its target goal in order to bring the show back as a movie. As of this writing it has more than doubled its $2 million goal, and there are still 8 days to go. Its success has also also spurred talk of other shows following suit.

Shawn Ryan’s short lived detective series Terriers may soon head to Kickstarter, and Bryan Fuller’s Pushing Daisies may join it. Veronica Mars’ creator Rob Thomas has even claimed that Warner Bros., the company that owns the rights to Veronica Mars, is considering the Veronica Mars’ Kickstarter project as a guinea pig for other properties. If the movie it spawns is a success, Warner Bros. may consider this a legitimate new model to help finance struggling properties with a loyal fan base.

In the meantime though, Arrested Development will return with its original staff and crew, including series creator Mitch Hurwitz. Netflix is hoping this will be the first of many collaborations, although Hurwitz has claimed this will be the final season.

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Gaming

Xbox and Bethesda’s Developer_Direct is their most important showcase ever

A screen capture from the Redfall gameplay reveal.

Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda just announced that their first-ever Developer_Direct showcase will be held January 25, giving Microsoft footing in the game showcase space outside of events like E3 and Gamescom. After a rough year for Xbox first-party studios, this Developer_Direct will finally give us another very deep look at games like Redfall, Forza Motorsport, and Minecraft Legends, whichwill start to form its game lineup for this year, whetting our appetites for what's to come to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Game Pass in 2023. Although the seeming lack of any brand new first-party announcement might make this Developer_Direct not feel that exciting to the average player, this is a critical showcase for Microsoft if it wants to win jaded fans back.
So far this console generation, Microsoft has been inconsistent in terms of both content and transparency about the state of its games. We've gotten a couple of exhilarating bursts of info on new upcoming exclusives at the past couple of Xbox summer showcases, and fall 2021 had a solid lineup of releases in Deathloop, Forza Horizon 5, and Halo Infinite. But these flurries of excitement are overshadowed by large droughts in terms of releases and reports that cast doubt over the state of some first-party games' development. That's why Developer_Direct will be so crucial for Microsoft. This show will allow it to refocus players on a (hopefully) more consistent release lineup and start to give fans a consistent showcase cadence to be excited for.

The content factor
Digital Trends has done plenty of writing highlighting how 2022 was a very weak year for Microsoft. The delay of Redfall and Starfield in 2022 really ruined that year, even though Pentiment and As Dusk Falls were good games. For more mainstream gaming fans, though, Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda's 2023 looks way more exciting. Games like Redfall, Forza Motorsport, Minecraft Legends, and Starfield have 2023 release windows, while long-announced games like Senua's Sacrifice: Hellblade II, Contraband, and Avowed seem like they've been in development long enough to not be too far off. However, Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda haven't shown us how this year will be paced out in terms of releases, and players were not pleased with Microsoft's lackluster presence at The Game Awards 2022
That's the first major task of Developer_Direct. While no release dates were technically promised in its announcement, this show is a prime spot to let Xbox fans know precisely when they can get their hands on these long-awaited first-party titles. One of the most exciting parts of a Nintendo Direct is consistently seeing Nintendo's lineup for the next few months take form in real time, giving fans a bunch of neat titles to experience before the next inevitable showcase. Xbox is sorely in need of something like that, and Developer_Direct provides the perfect opportunity to do so, mainly because it seems to be focused less on the number of announcements and more on delivering info about games people are already interested in.

Gaming

Cozy Grove developer Spry Fox joins Netflix as its sixth studio

Cozy Grove

Spry Fox is the latest studio to join Netflix's gaming division. The studio is best known for its work on developing indie title Cozy Grove.

Spry Fox explains that joining Netflix will enable the studio to deliver games that the team already is making and wants to make, but with more support and resources to get them to new audiences. Spry Fox also won't have to stress out about how much profit its games make and can focus on making the best experience possible for players. Lastly, the studio wants to collaborate with Netflix in order to make better games.

Gaming

5 games by female developers you should check out

A living room in Unpacking.

March is Women's History Month, a time where we should all reflect on the impactful, prominent, and ever-changing ways in which women are shaping our world. In the last several decades, women have made incredible strides in the workplace, particularly in game development, a historically male-dominated field. While things aren't perfect yet -- there are still far too many stories of "bro culture" at major developers like Activision Blizzard and Riot -- we are actively moving toward an industry where women's contributions are supported and valued.

In celebration of Women's History Month, here are five games by female developers that deserve more attention.
Unpacking
This quiet, relaxing puzzle game involves unpacking boxes of items and placing them within apartments and homes. While it might not sound like a traditional game, beneath Unpacking's straightforward gameplay is a poignant story of intimacy, transition, and life as a whole. Just whose boxes are you unpacking? Where are they going, and why do they bring these things along with them? Those are questions you'll need to play the game to answer.