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World of Warcraft: Shadowlands' Patch 9.1 Will Finally Let Us Fight Sylvanas

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 08:49 AM PST

Yes, finally, it looks like we get to fight the genocidal Forsaken Horde leader Sylvanas in the next World of Warcraft: Shadowlands patch. In a leaked document of materials intended to be announced tomorrow at BlizzCon, the details of the next major patch for Shadowlands were revealed, including its next raid and a boss that awaits players inside. In patch 9.1, entitled Chains of Domination, the Jailer pulls a new domain into the Maw -- Korthia, a long-lost city. Korthia is the stage for new quests and outdoor content in 9.1, as players endeavor to unite the four covenants of the Shadowlands to take the fight to the expansion's ultimate Big Bad: the Jailer. However, the Jailer has an ally on his side: former Horde leader Sylvanas Windrunner. Sylvanas awaits inside a new ten-boss dungeon located in Torghast, the Sanctum of Domination. Players will also encounter "the true eye of the jailer," as well as a "terrible new champion" that Sylvanas has wrought -- likely Alliance leader Anduin Wrynn, who she has been trying to corrupt throughout the expansion so far. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/29/world-of-warcraft-shadowlands-story-trailer"] Other new content will include a new eight-boss "mega-dungeon" called Tazavesh, the Veiled Market, that features the enigmatic Brokers we've seen throughout Shadowlands so far. We'll also see a new season of PvP content, a new seasonal Keystone dungeon affix, new Covenant cosmetic armor sets, and will be able to unlock flying across the four Covenant areas in Shadowlands. The press documents do not include a release window for patch 9.1, though currently patch 9.0.5 is on the game's Public Test Realm and expected to release soon, and 9.1 is likely to follow. Also in the leak was the announcement that World of Warcraft: Classic would get The Burning Crusade expansion sometime later this year. Our review of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands when it launched late last year found the expansion included "the most compelling max level experience WoW has had in many years." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Classic Launches This Year

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 08:49 AM PST

After the success of World of Warcraft: Classic, Blizzard is preparing to take the re-release of its MMORPG in its original form to the next expansion, with the launch of The Burning Crusade sometime later this year. The news was planned to be announced at this year's BlizzCon event taking place online tomorrow, but a leaked early press kit revealed the expansion early. The Burning Crusade was originally released in 2007, and will add two new races to World of Warcraft Classic's playable roster -- the Alliance Draenei, and the Horde Blood Elves. It raises the level cap to 70, and sends players to the broken world of Outland to fight the invading Burning Legion across areas such as the scorched Hellfire Penninsula, the swampy Zangarmarsh, and the mystical Terokkar Forest. It also introduced flying, allowing players to earn mounts that would let them soar across Outland. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/14/world-of-warcraft-classic-preview-more-than-just-nostalgia"] As with World of Warcraft: Classic, Blizzard intends to release content from the original game in phases, including the opening of the Black Temple, Zul'Aman, and the Sunwell. However, Blizzard is also planning on preserving the original Classic experience for those who want it. Players will be able to choose when the expansion launches whether they want to bring their Classic characters to The Burning Crusade expansion with the rest of their server, or if they want to move them to a new server that will remain perpetually in original Classic. As with the rest of Classic, The Burning Crusade will be available free with existing World of Warcraft subscriptions. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Bungie Expands Its Studio, Partly to Create Non-Destiny Games

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 08:38 AM PST

Bungie has started an expansion of its studio headquarters, with a facility being built to focus partly on creating games that aren't Destiny. The news was revealed in a press release from Bungie, which revealed the expansion. The land expansion will "increase Bungie's HQ footprint from 84,000 sq. ft. to more than 208,000 sq. ft." Estimated to be completed by Fall 2022, the move is part of Bungie's "commitment to the long-term development of Destiny 2". The studio also plans to use the new space to "tell new stories in the Destiny Universe, and create entirely new worlds in to-be-announced IPs." Particularly, Bungie plans to "bring at least one new IP to market before 2025." Back in June of 2020, job listings were found suggesting the studio's new IP will be "comedic" and feature "whimsical characters."  As reported by PCGamesN, Bungie filed a trademark for something called 'Matter' back in 2018, which may be related to this new IP. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/09/15/destiny-2-review"] Bungie expects to grow rapidly in the future and is expanding to accommodate new talent and build more games. In 2022, the studio will also open its first international office in Amsterdam for its Publishing and Marketing division. Outside of games themselves, there appears to be a focus on "new media" and "multi-media IP expansion" based on the talent Bungie is hiring. The studio has added Pamela Kaufman to its board of directors, who previously worked on "licensing and merchandising of ViacomCBS' portfolio of brands spanning Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, CBS, Showtime and Paramount Pictures." While expanding the Destiny universe could involve more games, it could also spread beyond this medium and into others such as TV, Film and more. Bungie's Destiny 2 recently entered its thirteenth season, the Season of the Chosen. Find out more about what to expect from it here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Valheim: How to Increase Your Inventory Space and Carry Weight

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 08:30 AM PST

The Disc Room Developers' Next Game Is a Charity Racer Set in the World of Minit

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 08:00 AM PST

After Jan Willem Nijman and Kitty Calis launched their saw blade dodging game Disc Room last year, the conversation (as it does) turned to what project they would move onto next. Both Disc Room and their previous project, Minit, had been well-received, affording the independent duo a bit of freedom to pursue something a bit less structured...or in this case, explicitly dedicated to making money.

Which is why they turned their 2018 top-down timed adventure Minit into a racing game for charity.

Today, the pair have launched Minit Fun Racer (Get it? Minit Fun(d) Racer? Like fundraiser?) in collaboration with their former Minit development colleagues Jukio Kallio and Dominik Johann. The game is out today on Steam and itch.io, published by Devolver Digital, and all proceeds from the game are going to charity.

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"For a long time I wanted to make a game for charity," Calis says, speaking in an interview with IGN. "I think it was just a matter of getting the band back together and the right situation. And it was really fun to do."

Nijman and Calis aren't able to specify exactly which charity the money would be going to just yet, but they did confirm that multiple charities would be supported. Calis says that their plan is to publish a monthly update to let people know how much money was donated to where during each period of the game's sales, and the intention is to keep the game up on sale indefinitely and continue donating for as long as it keeps making money.

Minit Fun Racer is a small, timed racing game in the same visual style and world as Minit, where the player must dodge traffic and obstacles, collect coins to add more time to the clock, and try to get as far as they can through a busy street and desert in order to watch a sunset in a scenic spot.

"Especially nowadays, one of the things I'm really enjoying is the sunset," Calis says of the game's small but simple end goal. "It sounds super silly, but it's there every day. Before COVID, I didn't always take the time to enjoy the little things in life."

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Minit Fun Racer's collected coins can be spent on buffs in a small in-game shop, and there are plenty of goofy little easter eggs and achievements scattered throughout to keep the game interesting for several hours of play.

"A lot of the game is actually about, like Minit, these little details," Nijman says. "You can complete goals to get your driver's license, and we really wanted that stuff to reflect something interesting in the world, so it's not just 'Play ten games,' it's more like, 'Hit two cop cars,' and you don't just get an achievement, but a helicopter starts chasing you."

Calis adds that players who open the game at a certain time of night might even find their races haunted by ghosts.

Minit Fun Racer is short and sweet, and Nijman says it only took the group a few months to make. The timing was perfect, he said, as he and Calis had just come off of working on Disc Room, Kallio had wrapped up Fall Guys, and Johann was done with Stanley Parable. The cards simply aligned for the group, and their collective experience with making Minit had been so positive they all were happy to take some time to work on the charity racer.

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The idea for the game stemmed from an illustration Calis made for The New York Times last year, but Nijman and Calis say they always wanted to return to the world of Minit one way or another. The two have been vocal in the past about their belief in healthy work habits, crediting individuals for their work, and making games without crunch. Nijman quips that the two "crunched so little [on Disc Room] we had two months spare to make a game for charity."

And their previous publishing partner Devolver is on board too, and has also agreed not to take any profit on the game so that its proceeds can be donated.

"We love this entire team and have a long history with each of them across a myriad of different projects," says Devolver marketing manager Robbie Paterson. "It's a great game and a great way to do some good, so we were honored to come on board as part of this project."

Nijman emphasizes that he wants Minit Fun Racer to be a game that people buy because they think it will be fun to play -- not just because they want to donate to a cause.

"We want to encourage people to do good, but this game should also stand by itself," he says. "If you just buy it because you want to have a good time and accidentally help out a charity, that's also good for us. It needed to be able to stand on its own."

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Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout Announced for Xbox

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 06:44 AM PST

Mediatonic has announced that Fall Guys will be coming to Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One this summer. In a post on Xbox Wire, lead game designer Joe Walsh revealed that Fall Guys is headed to the current and last generation of Xbox consoles this summer, placing it just under a year behind the PlayStation 4 release, which happened August 2020. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/04/fall-guys-launch-trailer"] No further reveals were made, but the news comes hot on the heels of the announcement of Fall Guys coming to Nintendo Switch, which was revealed as part of the latest Nintendo Direct. The Switch version is also launching in the summer, so it may be that both Xbox and Switch versions launch during a similar window. When Fall Guys launched it quickly became the most downloaded game on PlayStation Plus, so it stands a good chance of taking off on Xbox, too. It isn't planned for Xbox Game pass, though, so won't be free for subscribers in the same was as it was on PS4. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.  

Final Fantasy 14 Director Won't Share Whether Future Storylines Will be Shorter

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 06:00 AM PST

Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker, the upcoming expansion for Square Enix's massively successful MMORPG, marks the end of a major story arc that stretches across one reboot and four expansions. Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida shared with IGN how this long-running saga was only possible thanks to the MMO's continued success. Earlier this month, Yoshida appeared on stage in Japan to reveal the next expansion for Final Fantasy 14, Endwalker. The upcoming expansion closes the book on a storyline that first began in Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, which was released in 2013. This storyline focusing on a war between two gods, Hydaelyn and Zodiark, will be eight years old by the time Endwalker is released later this year. But even getting to this point was not guaranteed for the development team. "The idea of creating a large-scale saga and bringing closure to it after multiple expansions came about when we were working on A Realm Reborn," says Yoshida in an interview with IGN. "However, in order to make that idea a reality, gaining popularity and acquiring the adequate funds and acclaim to continue long-term service would be required." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/06/final-fantasy-14-endwalker-teaser-trailer"] Yoshida says that until the launch of the second expansion, Heavensward, it was still unclear if the development team could achieve its goal of telling a long, multi-expansion storyline. "Our goal largely depended on if players were enjoying the game and continuing to play," admits Yoshida. He goes on to say that it wasn't until the release of the Stormblood expansion when he "finally felt confident that we would be able to make this a reality." As to whether future storylines in Final Fantasy 14 will be as long, Yoshida isn't sharing just yet. "I believe the development staff is most keen on finding out more about the next story, including how long it right be and if we'll be going in the direction of shorter storylines." Final Fantasy 14 famously suffered a disastrous launch back in 2010. Initial impressions from critics and players found there were just too many complicated systems and bugs weighing the MMO down for it to be enjoyable. IGN reviewed the original version and gave it a 5.5. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=final-fantasy-xiv-endwalker-screenshots-and-artwork&captions=true"] Yoshida was tasked with revitalizing Final Fantasy 14, a process that took over two years. Then, in 2013, the popular MMORPG that players love today launched renewed under a new title, A Realm Reborn. But given such a rocky start and the need for a complete overhaul, it's understandable why Yoshida would feel uncertain whether or not Final Fantasy 14 could even make it to Endwalker. Eight years and 20 million players later, Final Fantasy 14 is probably in its strongest position yet after glowing reviews for the last expansion, Shadowbringers. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/final-fantasy-16-reveal-trailer"] Along with the conclusion to the Hydaelyn storyline, Endwalker will introduce two new job classes. The first class that was revealed is Sage, a new "barrier" healer type class where characters control floating swords that deal damage and heal allies. Yoshida tells IGN that the character animation work, in particular, will be something that will impress fans. Yoshida is also serving as producer on the upcoming Final Fantasy 16, developed by a team that includes former Final Fantasy 14 developers. Yoshida has already shared details about the heroes and world of Final Fantasy 16 here. Final Fantasy 14 will also be coming to PS5 later this year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is News Editor at IGN.

Valheim: New Updates Will Bring Bosses, Ship Customisation and More

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 05:34 AM PST

Valheim is getting new boss battles, ship customisation, biomes, and more in various updates throughout 2021, Iron Gate Studios has confirmed. In an interview with PC Gamer, Valheim's developer provided more details on what content is coming to the Viking open-world survival RPG. Until recently, a loose roadmap - posted on Valheim's Steam community page - was the only information we had on what additional content would arrive. Now, Iron Gate Studios co-founder Henrik Törnqvist has elaborated on Valheim's 2021 updates and how each one will expand on its unique world. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/12/valheim-11-tips-to-get-you-started"] Hearth and Home - Valheim's first update - will "focus on the house building aspect of the game," Törnqvist said, "With more building pieces and stuff to do in and around the house." Recipes and food preparation, and new building materials to fortify your house, will also form part of Hearth and Home. Cult of the Wolf will follow Hearth and Home, and focuses on combat and exploring Valheim's various biomes. Iron Gate declined to elaborate when asked but, given the update's name, it's likely to encompass the icy Mountain biome in some capacity. Törnqvist also confirmed that update three - Ships and the Sea - "will bring in some ship customisation and try to flesh out the ocean biome a bit more", while the Mistlands biome patch will introduce new enemies, items, bosses, resources, and more to keep Valheim fresh for established players. Speaking specifically on the boss front, Törnqvist also revealed that each of Valheim's nine biomes will contain a boss battle when the game's final version launches, and that Iron Gate is "also exploring adding mini-bosses and stuff like that". [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/17/valheim-early-access-review"] Törnqvist didn't provide any new information on the roadmap's wishlist, such as a Sandbox mode and multiplayer interactions among other possible inclusions. Iron Gate's five-strong team currently has its hands full with the myriad of bugs that players have discovered, so don't expect further updates on that front any time soon. Valheim has stormed the Steam charts since its Early Access launch over a fortnight ago. The indie title sold two million copies in its first 13 days, and had a peak concurrent user count of 374,300 as of today, according to Steam Database. In our Early Access review, we said Valheim "has created a world I'm consistently joyful to live in and discover more of." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Tom Power is a UK-based freelance journalist. Follow him on Twitter.

Codemasters to Remain as 'Independent Group' After EA Acquisition

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 05:31 AM PST

EA has formally completed its $1.2 billion acquisition of Codemasters, and has confirmed to IGN that it will be treating the company's studios as an 'independent group', making their own games. EA did however signal an interest in perhaps bringing the Formula 1 license back under its own EA Sports brand. In a press release, EA explained that Codemasters' franchises such as Formula 1, Dirt, and Project CARS will sit alongside EA's existing racing games. Speaking to IGN, EA executive vice president of strategic growth Matt Bilbey explained that Codemasters' studios (including Slightly Mad, which it purchased in 2019) would remain somewhat autonomous after the purchase. "We will be treating the Codemasters' studios as an independent group for the foreseeable future, giving them all the support they need to deliver their much-loved games and exploring all opportunities for growth as we go," Bilbey explained. "We're incredibly excited about what the future holds for them and while they will remain independent, we will be there to pour fuel on their growth capabilities through the power of EA's distribution." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/19/dirt-5-review"] Bilbey explained the motivation for the purchase by saying that EA sees further room for growth in racing games, with the acquisition allowing EA "to deliver racing experiences to fans on a more regular basis". Formula 1 seems to be of particular interest, with Bilbey describing it as, "one of the few true global sports, with strong fan growth in North America, Asia and continued growth in Europe." Speaking of Formula 1, IGN also asked whether there were plans to bring the license (which Codemasters has held since 2009) under the EA Sports banner. EA Sports last held the F1 license in 2000-2003. Bilbey didn't commit to that move, but did signal some interest: "We are very proud of the values and reach that the EA Sports brand brings," replied Bilbey. "Codemasters have very similar values and a proven track record of quality. We do believe that the opportunity to partner Formula 1 with the Codemasters brand and EA Sports is a compelling proposition to reach even more racing fans globally." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/06/f1-2020-review"] EA does have something of a chequered history with racing game-focused studios in recent years, with EA Black Box shuttered and two Ghost Games studios closed in the last decade. We asked Bilbey what message the company had for those cynical of the move: "We are huge fans of the racing genre and I know that many of your readers are too," explained Bilbey, "which is why I'm sure they'll understand just why we've admired Codemasters for so long. Our intent is to build on the success that Codemasters have generated, ensuring we help create a bright, brilliant and exciting future for racing fans, that's populated by amazing games delivered into the hands of more players than ever before. "Codemasters joins one of the strongest creative collectives in the industry alongside DICE, Respawn, Bioware, Criterion EA Sports and many others, and the shared knowledge and expertise of this group paves the way for significant innovation for all. We are looking forward to providing Codemasters with every level of support to drive success together, and know there is a strong future ahead of us." Additional reporting by Luke Reilly and Matt Kim. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Embracer Group Wants to Create an Archive of Every Video Game, Ever

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 04:57 AM PST

Embracer Group, which owns a number of video game studios including Gearbox Software, Volition and 4A Games, is creating a comprehensive video game archive which plans to include every video game ever made. Martin Lindell, an adviser at Embracer Group posted the news to Twitter, and you can watch CEO Lars Wingefors talk about his plans for the archive at this timestamped video link. Wingefors has already donated his own collection to form "the foundation of the archive" but Embracer Group plans to create "an archive of all video games" and has been acquiring significant collections from private collectors in Europe over the past year. It currently holds around 50,000 pieces, including "games, consoles, peripherals and arcades," many of which are described as extremely rare. Wingefors has said that the project "will take decades to complete," but the group is committed to seeing it through. The archive may be kept near the Embracer Group Headquarters in Värmland, Sweden but the company has plans to create "satellite exhibits" at the companies it owns about the creative history of their companies. It may also create external travelling exhibits around the globe. The project is being spearheaded by Thomas Sunhede, co-author of a book concerning the history of Swedish video game development. Embracer Group has said that the archive will also act as a "complete reference library for the benefit of the group." Elsewhere, the Embracer Group has revealed that it has 150 games in development, with 70 to be completed by March 2022. The company recently acquired Borderlands developer Gearbox Software for $1.3 Billion in early February. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Embracer Group Has 150 Games In Development

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 04:17 AM PST

Embracer Group, which owns Gearbox Software (Borderlands), Volition (Saint's Row), Coffee Stain (Satisfactory) and 4A Games (Metro Exodus) to name a few, has 150 games in development, with 70 due to be completed before March 2022. The news was revealed as part of the group's third-quarter interim report, published on the Embracer Group website. The number of game development projects at Embracer Group increased 56% year-on-year, from 96 in October-December 2019 to 150 in October-December 2020. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/02/13/metro-exodus-review"] "We now expect the next financial year ending March 2022 to become the strongest in our history driven by numerous significant releases towards the second half of the year," the report reads. "In total, we expect to complete more than 70 premium game development projects." This means that by March 2022, 70 of the 150 games in development will be in a state fit for release (although they won't necessarily all see release in that time period) The Embracer Group has clearly been on a hiring spree to account for all of these new games in development. "Total headcount increased 93% to 5,730 (2,970) where total game developers increased 92% to 4,325 (2,258)," the report reads. That's nearly double the number of game developers onboarded in the space of a year. We reported back in May of 2020 that Embracer Group had 69 unannounced games in development, so hopefully we'll hear more about all of these new projects in the near future. At that point, the group also had 118 games in development, so its embarked on a whopping 32 new projects since May of last year. The group could easily add more games to this list in the wake of its latest string of acquisitions, which included port pioneers Aspyr Media and Borderlands developer Gearbox, which it picked up earlier this month for $1.3 Billion. One game it seemingly won't be helping make is Little Nightmares 3, with developer Tarsier now focusing on new IP. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Little Nightmares Series Could Be Over as Studio Focuses on Creating New IP

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 04:02 AM PST

Tarsier Studios "will, from now on, focus on creating new IPs", potentially spelling the end of its Little Nightmares series. Tarsier parent company Embracer Group revealed its Q3 earnings today, including a section on the Swedish studio. "After the quarter Tarsier studios game Little Nightmares 2 was published [by Bandai Namco] and was well received by its audience," reads the earnings report. "Tarsier studios will, from now on, focus on creating new IPs." In a webcast to accompany the earnings, Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors went into more detail. "I'm super-thrilled, and I spoke to the CEO of Tarsier the other day, and congratulated him [on] the critical success of Little Nightmares 2. It's an IP they created, but it's owned by Bandai Namco and published by Bandai Namco, so it doesn't really have any significant commercial impact for us, even though if it does really well it could have some royalty revenues over time. "But I'm super excited about them achieving such a game again, because the first game was very well received, and this game looks as well received. Now, having that game created, they will move over to create new IPs, and I'm super excited, and that was the main reason we made this acquisition a bit over a year ago." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/04/26/little-nightmares-review"] Wingefors' comments don't outwardly say that Tarsier will no longer make Little Nightmares games, but his mention of the series' ownership by Bandai Namco (a competing publisher), and his pointing to new IPs being the reason for the acquisition seem to imply it. It is, of course, possible that Bandai Namco could now hand the Little Nightmares IP to a new studio, given its success. We've contacted Tarsier, Embracer, and Bandai Namco for comment. Tarsier was acquired by Embracer Group (the prolific acquisition-focused holding company that now owns the likes of Gearbox, 4A Games, Volition, and many more games companies) in December 2019. Little Nightmares 2 had been announced earlier that year, implying that devlopment had already begun for Bandai Namco at the time of the acquisition. We awarded Little Nightmares 2 a 7/10 review, saying "There's no doubting developer Tarsier Studios' artistry and ability, but I hope for its next project it leaves these Little Nightmares behind and dares to dream bigger." It seems that may now be the case. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News, and he really wants you to play Tarsier's somewhat forgotten VR game, Statik. It's fantastic. Follow him on Twitter.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Outbreak Zombies Mode Seemingly Leaks

Posted: 18 Feb 2021 02:37 AM PST

A series of leaks suggest that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will receive a new Zombies mode called Outbreak in the near future. Multiple reports suggest that the Call of Duty website changed briefly overnight to display the words "Welcome to Outbreak - A new, large-scale Zombies experience." You can see a screencap of the text on the ModernWarzone Twitter account. This was echoed by The Gaming Revolution and users on Reddit like MrTheRevertz, who found the same text in the Call of Duty App. A complementary leak from ColdWarLeakz shows a number of Zombies-related icons that have apparently been found in the Warzone files. Officially, Treyarch has been teasing something Zombies-related on Twitter over the past few days, starting with a purple portal visual (which will be familiar to Zombies players) and a glimpse at the Ural Mountains. The studio's latest tweet offers "Requiem recon intel," and mentions how Aetherium crystals "are spreading across" a snowy region and altering the atmosphere. This lines up with a circulated leak from Twitter user Okami in early February, which said that Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War would receive a "new mode called Outbreak." At the time, Okami said it would be "Treyarch style, co-op zombies on a large scale Fireteam map", and described it as "open world zombies," which gives us a decent idea of how the new rumoured mode will function. Seeming Zombies teasers were first spotted inside of Call of Duty: Warzone last week, bringing machines from Cold War's Zombies mode into the battle royale game, as well as screen distortion effects that pointed towards Nova 6 and other facets of COD Zombies lore. So far, Outbreak seems to be mentioned as a Black Ops Cold War mode, but it's possible that it would come with some connection to Warzone. We recently learned that Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War is one of the best selling games in US history. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Every Monster Confirmed for Monster Hunter Rise So Far (Updated)

Posted: 17 Feb 2021 05:15 PM PST

Valheim: How to Find Haldor the Merchant

Posted: 17 Feb 2021 04:46 PM PST

Stubbs the Zombie Re-Release Coming to PC, Consoles in March

Posted: 17 Feb 2021 03:29 PM PST

Stubbs the Zombie is returning with a re-release of the 2005 game Rebel Without a Pulse, to be published by Aspyr. Rebel Without a Pulse will be released on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on March 16, with the game being available via backward compatibility on Xbox Series X and S and PS5. The re-release appears to not be a proper remake but more of a remaster as the game's official press release touts the return of "the painfully slow, forced tutorial," but with achievements/Trophies and modernized controls available as part of the new version. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/stubbs-the-zombie-nintendo-switch-trailer"] IGN's Stubbs the Zombie review said Rebel Without a Pulse was "well built, has a satisfying though limited gameplay style, and cooperative support allows players to really get the most out of this title. The art and sound of the game is very well done, incorporating the style of the 1950s with retro-futuristic laser pistols, flying saucers, and robots." Be sure to check out everything announced at the February 2021 Nintendo Direct for more. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Knockout City: Mario Kart Dev's New Dodgeball Game Is Kid-Like Fun

Posted: 17 Feb 2021 03:00 PM PST

You know that part in The Legend of Zelda where Ganon and Link bounce a ball of lightning back and forth until someone dies? Knockout City, the upcoming dodgeball multiplayer game from the studio that gave us Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, is that exact moment of pure joy but dialed up to 11 and played on repeat. Knockout City is like a game of catch on steroids. Round after round, my squad of 3 or 4 players (depending on the game mode) tried our best to tag the opposing team with rubber balls, which they tried to catch, dodge, or deflect, then lob back in our direction. By catching a ball thrown at me with perfect timing, the ball became charged with energy and would move even faster the next time I pitched it. And since that effect can be stacked multiple times until the ball moves like a bullet, the stakes were constantly spiking as we tossed balls back and forth until someone's avatar cartoonishly collapsed to the floor or was flung off a building in a moment of ecstasy. It's one of the simplest possible premises for a game, but done with such intensity and precision, it took me all of ten seconds to become utterly addicted. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=knockout-city-screenshots&captions=true"] What kept me engaged for the duration of my time with Knockout City though, was all the layers that make this modern game of Pong nuanced and strategic. Since catching a ball had to be timed fairly impeccably, I could fake a throw (yes, there's a button for that) to goad my opponent into pressing the catch button too early, then actually throw it and hit them during their brief cooldown window. An indicator that frames the screen allowed me to know when I was being targeted by an enemy and from which direction, so I could dodge, spin around to catch it, or, if I was feeling bold, tackle the enemy player swatting their ball away in the process. If an enemy was hiding out of view, I would perform a spin move to curve the ball over or around obstacles and eliminate them while they thought themselves safe. All these factors amounted to a complex game of rock, paper, scissors where I was always trying to outmaneuver, outsmart, and outplay my opponents and when everything went according to plan I felt like an absolute dodgeball God among ordinary men. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=By%20curling%20into%20a%20ball%20and%20rolling%20into%20the%20arms%20of%20a%20fellow%20player%2C%20I%20could%20turn%20myself%20into%20human%20ammunition."] In Knockout City, things can get hectic in the best possible way, and working as a team was utterly necessary. The situation would occasionally arise where there were no nearby balls to lob at my enemy, so naturally the obvious solution was to become the ball. By curling into a ball and rolling into the arms of a fellow player, I could turn myself into human ammunition and watch my teammate fling me at the nearest player unlucky enough to catch a taste of my noggin. Or if my teammate really wanted to do some damage, they'd charge up their throwing arm and hurl me into the air, which allowed me to direct myself towards the enemy and explode at their feet, eliminating multiple enemies at once. There's even an entire game mode where there aren't any balls to find on the course, which forced us to work as a team and use one another as ammo to win the day. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/17/knockout-city-19-minutes-of-multiplayer-gameplay"] Adding to the mayhem, there were special powered-up ball types that could be scavenged from each course. I used one to trap enemies in ball form, allowing me to use them as ammunition against their own team. Another was just a literal ticking time bomb, which turned the already over-the-top game of catch into a very high stakes game of hot potato. And my personal favorite, the moon ball, allowed me to jump as if I was in low gravity, and throw the ball in slow motion to the befuddlement of my opponents. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/17/knockout-city-diamond-dash-and-ball-up-modes-gameplay"] If I wasn't already impressed and excited by what I played of Knockout City, the promise of no loot boxes, cosmetic microtransactions only (which can also be earned in-game), and cross-play and cross-progression on day one brought me to my feet. With dangerously habit-forming dodgeball action and the ability to toss balls across PC, Switch, and consoles, Knockout City seems like it would earn Rip Torn's approval. You can get a chance to try out Knockout City for yourself during its first PC closed beta starting this weekend, February 20-21 from 7am - 8pm PT in NA and EU regions. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Travis Northup is an IGN contributor based in San Francisco. He always wears a suit and is a regular on Fireteam Chat: IGN's Destiny show. Follow him on Twitter at @TieGuyTravis.

Splatoon 3 Announced

Posted: 17 Feb 2021 02:49 PM PST

Splatoon 3 has been announced during the February 2021 Nintendo Direct, with a scheduled release sometime in 2022. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/17/splatoon-3-reveal-trailer"] The reveal trailer showed a squid kid's cosmetic look being customized, alongside a fishy companion pet and a bow weapon, before they took a train to a new dense city locale. From there, it showed a fresh look for a lot of familiar sights: two teams of four players launching into an arena to fight and cover it in their color ink. New weapons and cosmetics were shown (as well as an adorable robot crab that turns into some kind of ball) on a single desert map, but no other details were given at this time. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=splatoon-3-reveal-screens&captions=true"] Splatoon 2 was released in July 2017 – we awarded the team shooter an 8.3 review, praising the new co-op mode and its upgrades to the Wii U original. We've since named it one of the best games on Nintendo Switch.

The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD Announced for Nintendo Switch

Posted: 17 Feb 2021 02:49 PM PST

During the February 2021 Nintendo Direct, it was announced The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is coming to Nintendo Switch. Originally released in 2011, the Wii title will make its way to Nintendo's latest system. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD retains the motion plus controls from the Nintendo Switch, while also adding a new button-only controller scheme so you can play in handheld mode. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/17/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-hd-nintendo-switch-announcement-trailer"] To accompany Skyward Sword HD, Nintendo announced a new set of Legend of Zelda-themed Joy-Cons. The left and right Joy-Cons are modeled after the Master Sword and Hylian Shield respectively, to mimic how the Joy-Cons will function when played in motion-controller mode. Screenshot_12 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was the last console Zelda game released before The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Skyward Sword took full use of the Wii's motion controls using the Wii Motion Plus adapter. This means motion controls for Skyward Sword were more sophisticated than the Wii port of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which utilized waggles versus full motion controls. But the button controls will now let players control Skyward Sword with a more conventional button scheme. Read IGN's Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword review here. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-hd-screenshots&captions=true"] Funny enough, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Switch was leaked last year by Amazon. Both Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and the Joy-Cons will be released on July 16.  

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 News Coming 'This Year'

Posted: 17 Feb 2021 02:45 PM PST

News on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 isn't coming any time in the immediate future, Nintendo stated during the February 2021 Nintendo Direct. Instead, director Eiji Aounuma says that more news on the highly anticipated sequel will be coming later this year. "We apologize. Development is proceeding smoothly, and we should be able to bring you some new information this year. For now, we'll have to ask you to wait just a bit longer," Aounuma said. The sequel to Breath of the Wild was announced back at E3 2019, but we've heard precious little about it since. The game began development because the BotW team had "too many ideas" for DLC, and drew inspiration from Red Dead Redemption 2. It's fair to say our hopes are high for the game, after we awarded the original Breath of the Wild a 10/10 review, calling it "evocative, exhilarating, and a masterclass in open-world design". [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/19/6-reasons-the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-is-still-riveting-in-2020"] Don't forget to check out everything announced during the Nintendo Direct stream. In the meantime, you can also check out everything in the Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity expansion pass.
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