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How Keanu Reeves’ Cyberpunk 2077 Reveal Helped Spiritfarer

Although the two games may seem completely unrelated, a connection was illuminated between Keanu Reeves’ appearance promoting Cyberpunk 2077 at E3 2019 and Spiritfarer during a recent interview with the Director of ID@Xbox Chris Charla. Both games have become critically-acclaimed titles for their respective genres, despite Cyberpunk 2077 being initially plagued with glitches. In their own ways, each feature unique and impactful narratives and world exploration, albeit through very different mechanics.
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Cyberpunk 2077 is an action-RPG that was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated AAA games of the past several years, promising stellar graphics, a detailed dystopian open-world, and unique branching storylines. Hype for the game had always been immense, but it soared to new heights after a presentation at E3 2019. During the Xbox Conference, Keanu Reeves took the stage with the announcement that he would be lending both his voice and likeness to in-game character Johnny Silverhands. His appearance is cemented as one of the most iconic E3 moments in recent history, particularly after a fan went viral for calling Keanu Reeves breathtaking.

Related: Keanu Reeves Has Never Played Cyberpunk 2077, Despite CDPR Claims

Spiritfarer differs from Cyberpunk 2077 in almost every way, from its graphic style to its plot and gameplay mechanics. Players assume the role of Spiritfarer Stella, and are tasked with helping ferry souls to the afterlife. However, before she can do so, she must first care for the spirits aboard her ship, tending to their needs and learning their stories. Spiritfarer weaves an incredibly emotional tale that has earned it much-deserved praise for the unique way it approaches the concept of death, and likely would’ve reached its acclaimed status today regardless of when it was announced – however, it’s possible that Keanu Reeves helped the game gain player interest.

How Cyberpunk 2077’s Keanu Reeves Presentation Helped Spiritfarer

Spiritfarer and Cyberpunk key art together.

In a recent Screen Rant interview with Director of ID@Xbox Chris Charla that discussed how the program helps indie developers publish their work, Charla recounted some of the most memorable moments for indie games rising to prominence, one of which occurred soon after Keanu Reeves announced his Cyberpunk 2077 character at E3 2019, which can be seen in a video on the Gamespot Youtube page. After one of the most highly anticipated games of the summer had been covered, the follow-up game had to be a strong contender – and that game was Spiritfarer. Charla commented on the event and indie games being increasingly featured at events, stating:

My personal favorite E3 moment is, “What game could follow Keanu Reeves? Spiritfarer.” That is by far my favorite game transition at any game show ever. It’s not a question of if, it’s always a question of what – and I love that level of support for games from independent developers at Microsoft. I think it’s just a testament to how great the games are, and how much the hard work of the independent developer community has paid off, that they’re now an essential part of the platform mix on Xbox. And on every other platform as well.

Although in 2019 E3 was already a highly-viewed event for video game fans everywhere, the anticipation of Cyberpunk 2077 undoubtedly led to more fans watching live, particularly after word spread like wildfire that Keanu Reeves had taken the stage. In the same vein, Xbox had to be aware that this particular Xbox Conference would become one of their most popular events to be viewed in clips online afterwards. With players still coming off the wave of Keanu Reeves-induced endorphins, Spiritfarer being the next game to hit the screen was an incredibly bold choice by Microsoft that made one thing clear: these games are on the same level. In retrospect, it’s easy to see why the superb management sim Spiritfarer was featured at such a key point in Xbox’s presentation on its own merit, but its placement at E3 also helped the title gain traction and helped set the stage for it to become the incredibly popular indie hit it is today.

Keanu Reeves’ appearance in particular added a tremendous amount of clout to the entire presentation, in a way signaling that every other game announced that day deserves special attention – particularly the one directly following Cyberpunk 2077. This transition marked that there was no longer a separation between AAA titles and independent ones, which used to be featured at their own separate presentations. Additionally, the incredible amount of extra viewers garnered by Reeves meant many more eyes were on the gorgeous Studio Ghibli-inspired Spiritfarer art style and creative gameplay, which surely generated a lot of buzz amongst fans of the Japanese animation studio as well as management simulation fans. Although Spiritfarer was likely destined to be a hit from the start, it probably wouldn’t have skyrocketed in popularity so quickly were it not for its coupling with Cyberpunk 2077’s Keanu Reeves-led presentation, forever linking the two games in an unexpected way.

Next: Chris Charla Interview: ID@Xbox

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‘I am officially off the market’: When Margot Robbie revealed she made the ‘conscious’ decision of not dating actors


Margot Robbie revealed her decision to not date actors because of the media scrutiny that came with a public relationship of two high-profile actors
Back in 2015, A-lister Margot Robbie made a declaration that she would not be dating any actors. The actress may have alluded to her fiance Tom Ackerley, who she married the following year in 2016. In an exclusive interview with Marie Claire, she revealed that being in a relationship as an actor herself came with its own set of challenges. She believed that dating someone who was popular would add on to the media scrutiny.

Margot Robbie opened up on why she made a conscious decision to not date actorsTalking to Marie Claire, she claimed, “I am officially off the market.” She then shared the reasoning behind her decision and added, “I made a conscious decision not to date actors.” She continued to explain, “But not because I hate actors. That’s a nasty generalization to make, and that’s not the case. People take such an interest in your love life when you have a profile, it puts a lot of stress on a relationship.”
The Barbie actress continued, “So two people with profiles, I figure it’s just double the amount of scrutiny, and I’d like to avoid that at all costs.” This came after reports of her locking lips with Tarzan co-star Alexander Skarsgard started making rounds. It was reported that she was caught kissing the actor during the Sundance Film Festival.

Margot Robbie revealed she opted for a minimal lifestyle even after becoming an actorIn the interview, Robbie also opened up about how she was adapting to fame. She shared, “I have a normal 24-year-old life. If I were a waitress, I’d probably have the exact same lifestyle. I’d go to the same clubs I go to already, live in the same house with the same housemates, hang out with the same people.”
However, Margot Robbie tied the knot with Tom Ackerley who is an English producer and actor. The duo met on the sets of 2013 movie Suite Francaise where Tom was working as an assistant director. Post marriage, both of them launched their production company LuckyChap Entertainment.

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Monica Bellucci and Tin Burton at lunch in the restaurant in Selci Lama


For All Saints’ Day, the Hollywood star from Tiferno returned to his native Umbria to enjoy a moment of relaxation and then visit his parentsOn the occasion of the All Saints’ Day celebrations, the Hollywood star of Tiferno origin, Monica Bellucci, returned to her native Umbria to enjoy a moment of relaxation and to visit her father Pasquale and her mother Brunella.Flanked by her current partner Tim Burton, she went to lunch, together with about twenty old friends, at the Osteria del Musicista, which has always been her favorite restaurant, in Selci Lama.Menu dedicated to typical dishes of the area, which includes an appetizer with breadsticks lined with coppa, duck in porchetta and grilled pork livers, polenta with wild boar sauce accompanied by the very typical cappelletti in broth.To conclude, a dessert based on fried “ciaccia” with Nutella and roasted chestnuts.
Having paid the bill and greeted the restaurant owner and lifelong friend, Roberto Polchi, Monica brought home cappelletti and broth for a family dinner.

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‘Rocky’ Was Quite Different In His Original Screenplay, Sylvester Stallone Claims


Sylvester Stallone took his friend’s advice on a rewrite of the original screenplay to Rocky. A few tweaks later, he was on his way to major success.
In the new Netflix documentary Sly, Stallone discussed how he initially conceived of the project, which had a much harder edge. In the early version, Rocky was depicted as a “thuggish” character, inspired by Martin Scorsese’s crime drama, Mean Streets.

But Stallone’s perspective changed when a friend read the script and thought the boxer was too cruel for audiences to actually care about him.
Stallone recalled her crying.

“She goes, ‘I hate Rocky. I hate him. He’s cruel. He hits people. He beats them up.’”
Stallone took it to heart, and asked what he could do to soften the character.

“I said, ‘what if you stop short of it?’ Like, maybe he almost did. He could have, that’s his job, but he doesn’t?’ ‘That’d be nice,’” he added. “I said, ‘What if he had a girlfriend or something?’ ‘Yeah, that’s nice.’ So I go back, start writing that: ‘Girlfriend. Nice.’”
$117 million in box office later, a franchise was born.

Stallone also revealed that actor Dolph Lundgren sent him to the hospital during one fight scene in Rocky IV.
“Dolph Lundgren… he pulverized me,” Stallone says in the documentary. “Later that night, my heart started to swell—which happens when the heart hits the chest—and then my blood pressure went up to 260, and they thought I was going to be talking to angels. Next thing I know, I’m in intensive care, where I’m surrounded by nuns, and I thought, ‘OK, that’s curtains.’”
Stallone was in the hospital for nine days following the incident, praying for “one more round.”
“For the first minute of the fight, it is going to be a free-for-all,” Stallone told Lundgren. The Swedish actor joked in a separate interview that all he did was “obey orders,” explaining, “[Stallone] was the boss. I did what he told me.”
Doctors allegedly told Stallone that he received a blow to the ribs that made his heart rattle around in his ribcage, a condition typically seen in head-on collisions. “I did hit a bus, of sorts,” Stallone joked.

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