Here’s the breakdown of the latest news in nerd culture: 

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is Coming to the Switch

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, the latest in the popular gaming franchise, is making its way to the Nintendo Switch. The game originally released in October of 2020 for PlayStation 4 and XBox One. The game is also being updated graphically for PlayStation 5 and XBox Series X versions which will release the same day it will be available on the Switch: March 12, 2021. The new versions of the game will still cost the standard $59.99.

The latest Crash Bandicoot game coming to new consoles will allow more gamers to be able to experience all the platforming, battles, and adventures it has to offer. The fact that it’s being released on a Nintendo console has fans further clambering for Crash to finally be invited to compete in Super Smash Bros.

Blue Sky Studios is Closing Down

Disney will be closing down Blue Sky Studios, the animation house behind films like Ice Age and Rio. Disney will be working with the employees being affected by this and exploring open positions at their other internal studios. Blue Sky’s final day will be in April 2021. 

Blue Sky Studios churned out 13 feature-length films during its lifespan, and were acquired by Disney during the merger with Blue Sky’s parent company 20th Century Fox. This is a massive upset for fans of Robots or Epic. It does make sense considering Disney already owns and operates a handful of different animation studios, though.

Jamie Lee Curtis Joins the Borderlands Movie Cast

Another big name joins the cast of the upcoming Borderlands film, and it’s none other than Jamie Lee Curtis. Curtis will be portraying the loony archeologist, Dr. Tannis. Dr. Tannis is a major non-playable character in the story of the Borderlands video game series who assists the Vault Hunters on their journey. 

Jamie Lee Curtis absolutely has the talent to portray a character like Tannis, but fans are worried about this casting choice as Curtis is decades older than the character in the game. Only time will tell if she turns out to be the perfect choice or not. 

BREAKING: As I write this post, Jack Black was announced to be voicing Claptrap, the annoying yet lovable robot.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Release Date Announced

The highly anticipated sequel to the 2020 video game movie is set to release on April 8, 2022, as announced on Twitter. The date announcement came in the form of a 10-second teaser trailer that just features music and text, but gave us some subtle hints about the film. 

First of all, the song that plays during the clip is music from Emerald Hill Zone, the first level of the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 video game. Perhaps this will mean that more video game music or other elements will be featured in the new movie than in the first one. Second, the number “2” in the title is yellow with two fox tails, indicating Tails will likely have a larger part in this movie. There is also a glowing yellow being that dashes across the screen. It could be Tails, but it’s fast enough to potentially be Super Sonic. Either way, April 8th of 2022 can’t get here soon enough.

HBO Casts Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us TV Series

HBO has announced who will portray Joel and Ellie in their upcoming live-action The Last of Us series. Joel will be played by the Mandalorian himself, Pedro Pascal. Ellie will be played by Bella Ramsey, who’s known for her role as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones. Fans are excited about two talented, big-name actors known for their roles in other science fiction/fantasy series. They both appear to be fantastic fits for the roles of Joel and Ellie. 

There is currently no release date yet for The Last of Us TV series, but it is set to come out later this year on HBO. It’s only a matter of time before we start seeing images of those creepy Clickers. 

That wraps up this round of Nerdy News. Make sure to check back at nonstopnerd.com for more on all things nerdy!