Nintendo is holding a new Spirit Board event in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate this weekend. The event is underway now until August 10 and introduces new Spirits to the game based on the recently released Mario Golf: Super Rush.

Three new Spirits in total will debut during the Spirit Board event: Mario, Luigi, and Peach in their Mario Golf: Super Rush attire. All three Spirits will be appearing periodically on the Spirit Board throughout the event. On top of that, you’ll receive extra gold for defeating them.

The Mario Golf Spirit Board event runs until 11 PM PT on August 10 (2 AM ET on August 11). If you happen to miss out on the event, you’ll have another chance to find the new Mario Golf Spirits on the Spirit Board and in the game’s shop at a later date.

In other Smash …

Minecraft has remained incredibly popular since releasing in 2009, and it’s once again been thrust into the mainstream with the reveal trailer for A Minecraft Movie. The film won’t arrive until next year—but a new Minecraft Switch controller is now available, giving fans a great way to enjoy all their favorite games. The controller has already proven to be incredibly popular, however, and is currently out of stock at Amazon. Thankfully, Amazon is allowing you to continue placing orders and will update your shipping details when additional inventory arrives.

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Swedish firm Embracer Group announced a number of new acquisitions this week, which included Limited Run Games, Singtrix, Tuxedo Labs, Tripwire Interactive, and Middle-earth Enterprises, grabbing the film and television rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit in the process. The price for this latest round of acquisitions came to SEK8.2 billion, around $770 million, although Embracer Group didn’t mention how much of that cash was spent on the purchase of Middle-earth Enterprises.

The final price of that purchase is surprising, given the lucrative nature of the Middle-earth IP on its own. The IP rights cover movie projects and television series, and Embracer mentioned in a press release that this encompasses “key upcoming works” such as Amazon series The Lord of the Rings: R…

Apple Original Films has landed Adam McKay and Jennifer Lawrence’s high-profile Bad Blood movie chronicling the rise and fall of disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Deadline was the first to report confirmation of this long-rumored project finally finding a path to production and release.

The movie will tell the true story of how Holmes built a healthcare technology company into a breakthrough corporation that was promising to revolutionize blood testing. Holmes became the youngest and wealthiest self-made billionaire before she and her company unraveled. Bad Blood is based on the 2018 book of the same name, written by investigative journalist John Carreyou–who originally broke the story of widespread fraud in the company in 2015.

McKay will wri…

It’s approaching summertime in the Northern Hemisphere, and if you’re looking to keep your snacks and drinks cold on a trip to the beach, you can now do so in style with an officially licensed Sonic the Hedgehog cooler from Igloo.

The cooler features Green Hill Zone graphics inspired by Sonic’s 16-bit days from the ’90s. This is Igloo’s iconic tent-top Playmate cooler, featuring a push-button on the side and what Igloo calls “thermecool insulation” to keep things cold. The cooler holds up to nine 12-oz cans and is made in America. It retails for $40 USD and is available now on Igloo’s website.

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When PlayStation 5 was launched in 2020, the system box had an 8K logo that promised support for future titles with 8K graphics. But at some point in the last few months, Sony has quietly removed any mention of 8K on the PlayStation 5 boxes, and fans have finally noticed the change.

Via PlayStation Lifestyle, a Reddit thread went viral with the news. Some fans on social media have even called it false advertising.

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PlayStation titles are seeing discounts at a wide variety of retailers today, with Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and Walmart all offering big price cuts. Included in the numerous sales are exclusives such as Death Stranding, Days Gone, and The Last of Us Part II, among others.

Returnal is one of the newest games in the promotion, currently discounted to $50, down from $70. It’s one of the better prices we’ve seen for Returnal since it launched last year, and anyone looking for a challenge should swing by Amazon and check out the promotion. There’s no indication as to how long this price will last, so be sure to take advantage of the savings while you can.

If you’re looking for something a bit more relaxed, you’ll find Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Everybody’…

While The Game Awards handed out hardware and debuted new trailers, one moment stood out maybe more than it should’ve–or maybe exactly as it should’ve. Guillermo Del Toro checked in via a pre-recorded video to promote his next horror movie, Nightmare Alley, and announce the winner for the Best Art Direction award. But it was his passing comment regarding Silent Hill that stuck out.

“You know, one franchise I love the art direction in: Silent Hill. I hope we get a new one of those.” Del Toro then playfully shrugged his shoulders as though he knows no better than anyone–which of course made us think he actually does know something.

Muddying the waters even more is the fact that Hideo Kojima introduced Del Toro. The pair were previously attached to Silent Hills, a planned seq…

Amazon is currently running a massive buy two, get one free sale–giving you a chance to score hit games at some of the lowest prices of the year. The event includes categories beyond video games, so you can mix and match a few games with a bunch of different books, toys, office supplies, and more. Heads up: Target is also running a buy two, get one free sale.

Video games are a big part of the sale, with hundreds of different titles included in the catalog. The best way to save is by choosing expensive titles that don’t often go on sale. Also, note that the cheapest of your three items will be the one marked down to $0, so do your best to avoid picking two full-priced items and one that’s already cheap.

Some of the most notable games in the B2G1 …