Geek Culture
All the New Cameos and References from Ready Player One (That I Noticed)

Warner Brothers’ upcoming movie Ready Player One is every geek’s dream come true. It’s got cameos and references coming out the wazoo, from Deathstroke to the titular Iron Giant from, well, The Iron Giant. Trailers are the best way to show off these cameos, and the latest video is full of them, many of which are in blink and miss them moments. Here are all the references I found:
Ryu
The main character of Capcom’s flagship Street Fighter series has a history of punching cars, but something tells me he’s here to drive one instead. He might be walking away from the audience, but I’d recognize that sleeveless gi anywhere.
Mach 5
How much do you want to bet Ryu’s gonna drive that thing? He is right next to it, and how fitting would it be for Japan’s most popular fighting game character to drive Japan’s most popular anime race car? Even if Ryu isn’t driving the Mach 5, it’s still a neat reference.
Batmobile
Sure, it’s not the Tim Burton movie batmobile, but it’s still a classic. Since the loss of Adam West is still fresh in our minds, I more than welcome any reference to one of if not the most memorable incarnation of the caped crusader.
Blanka
He’s a little hard to see, but he’s the big guy with the big hair in the middle of the screen. Also, who’s that he’s talking to? Is it…
Chun-Li
Yep, Blanka’s talking to Chun-Li. That’s a cute detail, placing one Street Fighter character with another Street Fighter character. I’m going to keep scanning Ready Player One trailers for character like Ken, Guile, Cammy, and M.Bison/Vega.
King Kong
The first Ready Player One trailer featured the Iron Giant, a character who will apparently fill the roll of Ultraman from the original book (I personally would have preferred Ultraman, because I’m a sucker for Japanese spandex-suited heroes). The Iron Giant won’t be the only giant-sized character/reference in the film, though, as good old King Kong is here to cause some chaos. But, now I can’t help but wonder what other giant characters might be in Ready Player One. I’m crossing my fingers for Godzilla and Talos from Jason and the Argonauts.
Battletoads
Whoo boy, big fight scene time. Let’s look at all the characters the animators crammed into this part of the film. First up, the three big anthropomorphic amphibians front and center. They’re clearly Rash, Zitz, and Pimple from Rare’s (in)famous game Battletoads. These characters haven’t had a game since 1994, but they’ve lived on through constant cameos, most recently in Iron Galaxy’s Killer Instinct and Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight. It’s good to see some people still fondly remember these fighting frogs.
El Dragon
You see the luchador with the giant, golden arms on the far left of the scene? That’s El Dragon from Battleborn. Yea, I’m as surprised as you are; I thought everyone forgot this game even existed, but apparently one of the animators of Ready Player One wants to immortalize that game in the movie. While this cameo probably won’t be enough to breathe new life into what remains of Battleborn, we can always hope.
Joker and Harley Quinn
Of course these two characters would make it into a Warner Bros. movie, since, you know, they’re only the most popular villains in all of DC comics. Joker’s looking a tad weird here. I can’t completely place the costume, but it looks similar to his iconic The Killing Joke clothes, or at least the hat does. As for Harley, she’s apparently combined her costumes from the Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City games. Good games, but anyone here miss when she used to dress like a harlequin? That was only the entire point of her name, after all.
Tracer
Am I the only person here who finds it odd that Tracer from Overwatch is also in a movie that features a cameo from her game’s would-be rival Battleborn? No? Just me? Well, anyway, yea, the cavalry’s here, and alongside Chun-Li to boot. I’m pretty sure we’ll see other Overwatch characters in Ready Player One. My money’s on Widowmaker.
Lara Croft
If you look closely behind that rat creature (it’s either a Warhammer Skaven, Everquest Ratonga, or Guild Wars 2 Skritt, but I don’t which), you can clearly see Lara Croft rocking her 2013 Tomb Raider look. Fans have already pointed out a cameo by Lara in what is her original 1996 appearance, and I can’t help but love that both versions of the character are in this movie.
Uruk blade
Wow, isn’t this random? One of the not-Jason and the Arognauts skeletons is clearly wielding one of the iconic uruk blades from the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movies. We can now safely assume that references won’t just be limited to cars and characters but will also include weapons. C’mon, animators, put the Master Sword and Buster Sword in the movie; you know you want to.
RX-78-2 Gundam
This ain’t no regular Gundam; it’s THE Gundam, the one that started it all: the RX-78-2 Gundam from 1979’s Mobile Suit Gundam. Some people prefer the XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero or the GF13-017NJ Shining Gundam, but if it weren’t for the RX-78-2, Gundam might never have become the household name it is today. This mobile suit is a classic for a reason, which is why it’s in Ready Player One. I only hope this Gundam’s not the only mecha in the film; I’m going to be disappointed if audiences aren’t treated to an entire army of giant anime robots, or at the very least other popular mecha like GaoGaiGar or Gurren Lagann.
Chucky
Last but certainly not least of the new references, Chucky from Child’s Play. And judging by who he’s fighting, he might be a good guy. I have mixed feelings about that, but now I want him to fight another slasher movie reference in Ready Player One.
And those are all the new references I found in the new Ready Player One trailer, at least all the ones I recognized. I’m sure the video has a few that went over my head. Which ones did you see that I missed? Comment below.
Consoles
To keep Apex Legends running for an additional “10 to 15 years,” Respawn opens a third studio

Apex Legends developer Respawn has created a third studio in order to keep the popular battle royale genre running for another “10 to 15 years”. Madison, Wisconsin is where the new studio is situated.
This third studio (the first two being headquartered in Los Angeles and Vancouver) will largely focus on Apex Legends in order to ensure a continuous and, most importantly, sustainable production pipeline. It may, however, contribute to other Respawn products in the future. Ryan Burnett, who previously served as director of engine production at Epic Games and had a distinguished 14-year career at Raven Software, the Call of Duty Studio, will serve as the studio’s head.
Senior VP of operations at Respawn, Daniel Suarez, claims in-depth in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz that “Because we intend to stick with this for the long haul, team health is unquestionably a top priority for us. We’re eager to see Apex become a franchise that endures for ten, fifteen, or more years because we think it will. We can’t just accomplish everything at once, exhaust ourselves, and be unprepared to do it over the long run.”
Consistency (as well as adequate production runway) are essential to make Apex Legends’ 90-day turnaround for new seasons of content realistic. Suarez observes that the introduction of new characters to the game takes a lot longer than you might anticipate “It takes us between a year and a year and a half to become proficient in a Legend. We are therefore making preparations well in advance.”
Only a few weeks ago, parent company EA fired more than 200 Apex Legends quality assurance testers in an impromptu Zoom call, raising concerns among some fans about the game’s future.
Do you support Respawn’s decision to open a third studio? Do you believe Apex Legends will still be around in 15 years?
Consoles
On the PS5, Kingdom Eighties brings micromanagement and vintage nostalgia

Kingdom Eighties, a micro-strategy game coming out for the PS5 in 2023, is a loving tribute to that legendary time period.Eighties will be a stand-alone novel like earlier books in the Kingdom series, such as Two Crowns or New Lands.
You take on the role of the leader, a camp counselor tasked with protecting the village against enigmatic creatures known as greed. Bike around the neighborhood with youngsters like The Champ, The Tinkerer, and The Wiz, who will support you in combat and each contribute something unique to the table while doing your best Stranger Things impressions.
Your thoughts about Kingdom Eighties Have you played any of the other Kingdom games?
Consoles
Currently available on PS5, PS4, and 18 more PS + Extra, premium games

Just now, another great update for PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium came out.There are 17 titles in all that are available for these higher membership tiers in March, which is a wonderful collection that should have something for everyone. In Europe, these games are now available for download on the PS5 and PS4, and they will soon be released in North America.
Here is a list of everything included as a reminder:
PS Plus Extra: March 2023
- Tchia (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (PS5) | Review
- Immortals Fenyx Rising (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Rainbow Six Extraction (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Ghostwire: Tokyo (PS5) | Review
- Life is Strange True Colors (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Life is Strange 2 (PS4) | Review
- Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PS4) | Review
- Street Fighter V Champion Edition (PS4) | Review
- Untitled Goose Game (PS4) | Review
- Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PS4) | Review
- RAGE 2 (PS4) | Review
- NEO: The World Ends With You (PS4) | Review
- Haven (PS5, PS4) | Review
PS Plus Premium: March 2023
- Ridge Racer Type 4 (PS1) | Review
- Ape Academy 2 (PSP)
- Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (PSP)
Tchia, an independent open-world adventure, debuts on PlayStation Plus Extra on the first day of this month. In addition to everything else mentioned above, members will also have access to this endearing new game. The three classic games mentioned above are also available to PS Plus Premium subscribers. Both Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Ape Academy 2 provide a set of trophies, which is always a welcome extra.
According to our most recent poll, the majority of you are happy with the new games and oldies that were added to the catalog this month, and we don’t blame you. It’s a fantastic choice. With these more recent membership tiers, Sony seems to be finding its footing after a somewhat poor start.
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