News
Ubisoft CEO Squashes Any Lingering Hope for a ‘ZombiU’ Sequel
Following the consistently low sales of their Mature-rated games on the Wii U, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has decided that since a majority of Nintendo fans don’t seem to be too interested in that kind of entertainment, they’re just going to stop making them. This means Watch Dogs, scheduled to arrive later this year, will be the final M-rated game Ubisoft brings to the Wii U. This also means no more ZombiU, though that should come as surprise seeing as Ubisoft confirmed last July that they had scrapped the prototype for a sequel they had in-development.
This disheartening bit of news comes from Game Informer, which recently had the chance to chat with Guillemot regarding their plans for Nintendo’s console. The gist of it is the publisher will be shifting their focus entirely on bringing family-friendly entertainment, like their incredibly popular Just Dance series, to the Wii U from now on.
Their decision to not turn ZombiU into a series makes sense from a business perspective, but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing. ZombiU is a fantastic game that had the potential to become a strong new horror franchise. It certainly deserved to last longer than it did.
All of us here at Bloody Disgusting are deeply sad to learn that The Blob director Chuck Russell has passed away at 74 years old.
Russell’s career began with his directorial debut, 1987’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.
The multihyphenate film director, screenwriter, and producer is best known for helming 1994 comedy The Mask starring Jim Carrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger actioner Eraser, and adventure spinoff The Scorpion King. The latter served as the first leading role for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The filmmaker left an indelible mark on horror with his ANOES sequel, 1988’s The Blob, and 2000’s Bless the Child.
Russell’s final film credit is 2024’s Witchboard remake starring Madison Iseman (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), and Jamie Campbell Bower (“Stranger Things”).
It marked Russell’s return to horror after a lengthy hiatus, and he shared sequel hopes to Bloody Disgusting in an interview ahead of the remake’s release: “I got to design the board with real mystical symbols and things that I know represent good and evil, and where that board takes us if the audiences respond to the film, and I hope they will; I know it’s out there for you guys, but the sequel is a world we’ll get to go a little further. That’s sure the intention.”
He also recently expressed interest in returning to the franchise that began his career.
TMZ notes that Russell passed away at his San Diego-area home.
We send our deepest condolences to Chuck Russell’s family, friends, and fans.
Director, Co-Writer & Producer Chuck Russell behind the scenes of the horror film, WITCHBOARD. Photo courtesy of The Avenue and Atlas Distribution
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