IGN Video Games |
- Dontnod CEO Says Life is Strange Is 'Not Our Strategy' For Now
- Dontnod 'Refused Several Proposals' of Acquisition to Maintain Independence
- Teen Titans' Beast Boy Joins Fortnite Later This Week
- 12 Minutes Is Like a Dramatic Stage Play With A-List Actors
- Gears of War Series Moving to Unreal Engine 5 for 'Multiple New Projects'
- Movie Director Says Resident Evil Village Copied His Monster Design
- Carnage Explained: Who Is Venom 2's Villain?
- Sony Now Expecting PS5 Shortages to Continue Into Next Year
- Resident Evil Village Used a Giant, Grumpy Stand-In for Lady Dimitrescu's Performance Capture
- Capcom Has Broken Its Profit Records for the Fourth Year in a Row
- Activision No Longer Working With Call of Duty Actor After Sexist Comments
- Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier to Get a Closed Beta in June 2021
- Remnant: From the Ashes to Get a Free Next-Gen Upgrade This Week
- Call of Duty: Warzone May Soon Add Rambo and Die Hard's John McClane
- Resident Evil Village: How to Get House Beneviento's Treasure
- Alternate Routes Guide: How to Get Behind the Waterfall and More in Pokemon Snap
| Dontnod CEO Says Life is Strange Is 'Not Our Strategy' For Now Posted: 10 May 2021 10:31 AM PDT Though Dontnod's seen success with games like Tell Me Why and Vampyr, it's still primarily associated with Life Is Strange. In addition to pioneering the series with the original Life Is Strange (which was widely praised by critics and sold over three million copies) Dontnod is also responsible for Life Is Strange 2 and The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. But according to CEO Oskar Guilbert, Dontnod is now ready to move on. "Never say never," Guilbert said. "But for the moment it's not our strategy, yeah. We want to create our own IPs. That's what we want to do." Despite its association with Life Is Strange, Dontnod doesn't own the intellectual property. Square Enix does. And Square Enix recently announced that Life is Strange: True Colors will be developed by Deck Nine, which also worked on Life Is Strange: Before the Storm. That on its own doesn't prevent Dontnod from ever returning to Life Is Strange, but, at least for now, more Life Is Strange isn't in the studio's plans. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/03/life-is-strange-2-the-complete-season-trailer"] Head of publishing Xavier Spinat added immediately after, "But we are looking at what's happening, of course. Because our fans are looking at it, and so we are looking at it." Guilbert elaborated further on the importance of Dontnod owning its own games, tying it into other topics we addressed during the interview like the studio's long-term stability. He also talked about Dontnod's determination to remain independent and not have its portfolio influenced by outside editorial decisions. "We think that this is something really important for the company, for the ownership of the teams, and for the future of Dontnod," he said. "This is our value for the next [few] years. So we decided to now develop IP [that is] fully or at least partially owned [by Dontnod]. So this is really our strategy. "We continue to work with Focus Home Interactive. We work with them on Vampyr. We continue to work with them on Project 8 [Dontnod's internal name for one of its upcoming games]. So yes, we are seen as the Life is Strange studio, but I hope that in the future we'll be seen like-- we cannot reveal the titles for our next game, but let's say Project 9, Project 10, Project 11. Or Dontnod Project 1." Earlier this year, Dontnod announced it was working on a new franchise in partnership with Tencent after Tencent bought a minority stake in the company. In total, the studio has seven projects in the works — six internally, and one it is publishing for independent developer PortaPlay. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.  |
| Dontnod 'Refused Several Proposals' of Acquisition to Maintain Independence Posted: 10 May 2021 10:30 AM PDT At a time when it seems like every independent studio that grows to a certain size and has a hit game or two is getting acquired by a giant entity, Dontnod is growing while fiercely proclaiming its ongoing independence. Speaking to IGN, Dontnod CEO Oskar Guilbert says that Dontnod had actually turned down a number of companies who wanted to acquire it in recent years. "To be honest, we refused several proposals," he says. "There are a lot of people who are interested [in] the game industry and see the game industry as a new El Dorado for investing. "...We raised 40 million euros in January. But for us, it was really important that the historic shareholders still have the majority, and still can keep the company independent. That's something really important for us." Why is Dontnod so adamant that it stay independent? For Guilbert, it comes down to the identity that Dontnod has built up over the years. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/27/tell-me-why-review"] "The values, the kind of games we want to do — it's really important for us that we keep this identity of the company for the future. [...] I don't want to be pretentious, but we're one of the game companies which do these kinds of games — like Life is Strange, like Tell Me Why, and Vampyr also in a sense. We really want to continue doing this. And we are lucky because our current partners, our people who put a lot of money in our company still let us do what we want to do. "...Intuitively I think people know what it means, a game made by Dontnod. This is very important for us because we really want to continue to develop this brand, the Dontnod brand as something which is meaningful internally for us, and also externally for the players." All that understood, both Guilbert and Dontnod head of publishing Xavier Spinat are candid that staying independent in the space Dontnod has carved out for itself can be a challenge. Currently, Dontnod has around 250 employees internally working on six games — five in the Paris headquarters, and a sixth in the new Montreal studio. The company is taking its growth slow and steady, not wanting to overpromise or take on too many games at once, but also not wanting to put all its money in a single title. For example, its most recent releases — Twin Mirror and Tell Me Why — launched just a few months apart last year. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=It%20was%20really%20important%20that%20the%20historic%20shareholders%20still%20have%20the%20majority%2C%20and%20still%20can%20keep%20the%20company%20independent."] And more recently, Dontnod has opted to further support its ambitions by moving into not just self-publishing, but third-party publishing as well, first with a game by indie studio PortaPlay. I pointed out to Spinat that PortaPlay seemed an odd choice for Dontnod's commitment to company identity, given its portfolio of games like drunken zombie war title Broken Lines. But Spinat reassures me I would be pleasantly surprised. "They are an indie studio with some veterans at heart, and to survive they are doing work-for-hire with museums, with institutions in Denmark," he says. "So they are doing a lot of varied work… And we don't want to talk right now about the concept, but [the game Dontnod is publishing] was a project that was very dear to the birth of the company and [PortaPlay has] been working on it for quite a while. We saw immediately that there was passion and emotion and authenticity into everything that was in it. We think it was something that would interest our audience and something we would be proud to follow up and to bring into our portfolio. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/02/twin-mirror-launch-trailer"] Spinat reiterates that with publishing as well, Dontnod wants to take things slow. "We don't want to become in two years, a publisher that publishes 10 games per year… We want to maintain consistency and quality in the lineup, which is our goal, [and] keep the editorial vision strong." But ultimately, Spinat continues, all of this comes back to Dontnod wanting to maintain its independence. If it can ensure it's not dependent on a single title to be a hit, and diversify its business between development and publishing, that helps keep the company stable, especially in an industry where it's so easy for a studio to fall apart if one project goes badly, or one funding source dries up. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=We%20don't%20want%20to%20become%20in%20two%20years%2C%20a%20publisher%20that%20publishes%2010%20games%20per%20year."] "Even though there's an opportunity to get financed or published right now, it's also very unstable to be an indie developer," Spinat says. "Because you have one project. You cannot do two in parallel. It's very rare. And if it fails, it means you need to take your team and start over, so it's very difficult to build franchises, to build communication with the community. To build a sense of togetherness, let's say. It's difficult, because you never know. And just one failure can bring you down. "Dontnod was lucky enough to build successes in the past that were consistent in various areas because Vampyr is not Life is Strange, for example. That gave the idea to not just go with one bigger project, one bigger project, one bigger project, but several balanced projects. So if one failed — it's not like we plan for failure, of course. But we need to take that into account because of the survivability of the studio." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.  |
| Teen Titans' Beast Boy Joins Fortnite Later This Week Posted: 10 May 2021 09:58 AM PDT Beast Boy from DC's Teen Titans is coming to Fortnite later this week. He'll be able to join his comic teammate Raven, and there will even be a chance to earn some specific Beast Boy and Raven rewards when the animal shapeshifter lands on the island. Beast Boy will be available on Thursday, May 13 at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET on the Fortnite item shop. He'll come with the requisite back bling (a controller strapped to a pizza box), and custom pickaxe. Furthermore, Beast Boy will come with both his superhero outfit and a casual outfit, plus his Go Ape Emote will let him transform into a green gorilla.  For anyone who can't wait until Thursday, Fortnite players will have the opportunity to unlock Beast Boy early in the Teen Titans Cup, a duo tournament beginning on May 12. Teams that score at least eight points can also earn a new Beast Boy and Raven Loading Screen from artist Gabriel Piccolo that highlights the couple's romance. Anyone who just participates in the tournament will earn a Beast Boy and Raven spray. It's great to see Fortnite play up the recent canonization of the Beast Boy and Raven romance, a longtime favorite pairing in the fan community finally made official by DC.  Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 6 is currently underway and some of pop culture's biggest characters are joining up on the island including Kratos, Master Chief, and more. There are also a few members of the Teen Titans still unaccounted for, so perhaps there's a chance we'll see the whole team together in Fortnite? [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. |
| 12 Minutes Is Like a Dramatic Stage Play With A-List Actors Posted: 10 May 2021 09:00 AM PDT I was smitten with writer-director Luis Antonio's time-loop drama 12 Minutes from the moment it first appeared during Xbox's E3 2019 press conference, after which it was one of the most-talked-about surprises of the show. Playing it then only reinforced my enthusiasm. It's no wonder that the noted and trusted tastemakers at publisher Annapurna picked it up, and thankfully it's now due for release on Xbox platforms and PC "soon." I played a recent, seemingly near-final build of 12 Minutes (via Parsec on PC), and while I have plenty of new compliments to lob at it in a moment, I'll start with the same faux-complaint I had the first time: I didn't have nearly enough time to dig into it! Both my 2019 hands-on and my latest one were under 30 minutes each, which meant that I got to do a few loops and dig into the murder mystery, and then my time was up. This time, as before, I walked away from my time with 12 Minutes and couldn't stop thinking about it. Where is it going? How is it going to resolve? Who killed the wife's father? [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=12-minutes-screenshots&captions=true"] But I'm getting ahead of myself. Twelve Minutes is, at first glance, extremely simple. It takes place entirely in a married couple's apartment, with the camera looking down on them from above. You play the husband (voiced by James McAvoy), who arrives home, starts talking to his wife (played by Daisy Ridley), sits down for a special dessert to celebrate some good news your wife has to share, and then...there's a knock on the door. It's a cop (Willem Dafoe) who barges in, zip-ties the wife's hands behind her back and accuses her of murdering her father years before, and then does the same to the husband and ultimately chokes you to death. Except then you wake up. It's a time loop. And the game begins. You must figure out why this is happening and how to stop it. The apartment is small; there's your kitchen/living room, your bedroom, your bathroom, and a small closet attached to the living room. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere to run. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/10/12-minutes-6-minute-director-gameplay-commentary"] So on my second loop, I tried telling my wife what happened. About the time loop and the cop. I tried to prove it to her, but, even after preemptively grabbing the present she was going to surprise me with from her bedroom drawer, it wasn't proof enough. She answered the door, the cop came in, and I suffered the same asphyxiated fate, only to wake up 12 minutes earlier to start again. The next time, I searched the apartment and ignored my wife's plea to sit down for dessert. I grabbed a knife from the kitchen. The knock came again, and this time I tried to use the knife on the cop, only for him to disarm me and, yet again, kill me. On my final run, I hid in the closet with her phone and tried to call the police by dialing 911, but as they dispatched an officer it was too late -- the cop found me and the loop ended the same way it always had. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/27/12-minutes-cast-reveal-trailer"] Twelve Minutes fascinated me on its core concept alone two years ago, but as it nears the finish line in 2021, it's looking and sounding much better. The casting of three Hollywood veterans injects all of the dialogue with the necessary gravity and drama it demands. "We're relying on animation and voice acting to make you believe the characters are alive," Antonio says, while the graphics have been cleaned up such that the game looks a lot more polished now. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=It%E2%80%99s%20a%20time%20loop.%20You%20must%20figure%20out%20why%20this%20is%20happening%20and%20how%20to%20stop%20it."] Gameplay-wise, unlike traditional roguelikes, Antonio calls 12 Minutes "a tailored one-off experience" that should last 6-8 hours, though "the way you go about getting the knowledge [needed to solve the mystery] should be different for each person," he says. It's obviously part point-and-click adventure game, too, thanks to the inventory management that's vital to solving the mystery. I cannot wait to sit down with 12 Minutes for an extended chunk of time so that I can really start to peel back its many narrative layers. It's on track to be the video game equivalent of a riveting three-actor stage play, which is something we rarely, if ever, get in our medium. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.  |
| Gears of War Series Moving to Unreal Engine 5 for 'Multiple New Projects' Posted: 10 May 2021 08:18 AM PDT The Gears of War series is getting 'multiple new projects', all of which will be developed on the upcoming Unreal Engine 5. In a blogpost, developer The Coalition announced that it is has started "shifting our resources to next-gen development using Unreal Engine 5." It also confirmed that this isn't just for Gears 6, saying it will be "developing on UE5 for multiple new projects in the coming years." However, don't expect an announcement for a new Gears game anytime soon; the developer makes clear that, "Shifting to a new engine is a big undertaking, so we want to be clear that we will not be announcing any new projects or titles for some time." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/13/ps5-unreal-engine-5-tech-demo"] Unreal Engine 5 was announced last year with a spectacular PS5 tech demo, which aims to help create games that would be deemed impossible to make with current technology, but help increase efficiency for developers. It was impressive enough that Sony invested $250 million in creator Epic Games, with Epic CEO Tim Sweeney saying, "I guess they liked it!" As for its current projects, The Coalition made clear that Gears 5 updates Operation 7 and Operation 8 will be coming during the course of 2021. "Each Operation will have two drops including new characters, new maps, and special events, reads the post. "Through the end of the year, we will have store updates with exciting new content as well as featured playlists." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/xbox-series-x-performance-test-how-gears-5-proves-its-a-beast"] The Gears series has a long histroy with the Unreal Engine, beginning life at the engine's creator, Epic Games. It was among the first 720p games on Xbox 360, and Gears 5 came to Xbox Series X with a hugely impressive next-gen update last year. [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.  |
| Movie Director Says Resident Evil Village Copied His Monster Design Posted: 10 May 2021 08:01 AM PDT A disgruntled movie director has suggested that Capcom copied his monster design for a boss fight in Resident Evil Village. The claim has come from Dutch director Richard Raaphorst via LinkedIn, who states that the design of a boss monster from Resident Evil Village is the same as a creature from his 2013 horror movie Frankenstein's Army. He reads, "In 2013 I directed my film Frankenstein's Army. It's a crazy monster movie filled with my own creature designs, one of which has been used - completely without authorization or credit in the newest Resident Evil game." Light spoilers for Resident Evil Village follow. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/05/resident-evil-village-review"] The monster in question is a boss fight from the Heisenberg's Factory section of the game, where you fight a monster with a propeller for a head called Sturm. In Frankenstein's Army, a similar monster appears as an unnamed human creature with a propeller for a head (you can watch a video of the movie scene here). Raaphorst provided images of the two scenes, going as far as telling Eurogamer that Sturm is a "one to one" copy of his design. In that interview with Eurogamer, Raaphorst points out that even the way the scene and boss fight end is similar, with the monster being forced to burst into flames. "It's just the same scene as in my movie," he said, "except that in my movie you have to cut loose the fuel tubes. That's the only thing that is missing. But the whole thing is getting into flames, and then it explodes, and then the way it rotates through the camera - it's all the same, really. Even the environments, the whole colour palette. It looks like an animatic for my movie." [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="630"]  Raaphorst's comparison images. (Source: LinkedIn)[/caption] Raaphort goes on to say that, "It's so difficult to come up with a great design. It's really hard to actually think about something that communicates as a cool design. It's not just that ideas are floating around that you can grab. It's actually hard labour. Then they just grab it and put it somewhere in the game." Twitter user CloneKorp has created a thread claiming that not only Sturm, but a number of monsters from Frankenstein's Army were repurposed for Resident Evil Village. In a reply, Raaphorst said, "Oh dude, this is worse then I thought. First I felt angry, then proud, but now I see this, I feel sad." IGN has contacted Capcom for comment on the similarities, and Raaphorst's claims. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2013/07/25/frankensteins-army-red-band-clip"] In other Capcom news, it was revealed today that the company continues to achieve record breaking profits, with the latest fiscal year being the most profitable in its history thanks to strong sales of its Resident Evil and Monster Hunter franchises. It was also revealed that Capcom used a giant grumpy stand-in for Lady Dimitrescu's motion capture in Resident Evil Village. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Liam Wiseman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @liamthewiseman |
| Carnage Explained: Who Is Venom 2's Villain? Posted: 10 May 2021 07:43 AM PDT The first trailer for Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage has arrived, and guess what? It features Carnage! But who exactly is the very red, very scary symbiote bad guy? It all started with Spider-Man's black alien costume in the comics, which betrayed him and wound up in the hands of his bitter rival Eddie Brock -- who became Venom. But it also spawned an even meaner and deadlier nemesis in the form of Carnage. This bloodthirsty sadist has racked up quite a body count over the years, and even the Avengers have been hard-pressed to bring him to justice. And now the Woody Harrelson character (also known as Cletus Kasady) is finally arriving on the big screen. With that in mind, here's everything you need to know about this symbiote psychopath... [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=venom-let-there-be-carnage-easter-eggs&captions=true"] Carnage Explained: The BasicsCarnage is basically the closest thing Spider-Man's rogues gallery has to a Joker. Most of Spidey's enemies have some tragic or redeeming qualities. Not Carnage. He's a force of nature who lives to kill, destroy and sow chaos. And he's not particular about the order in which he does so. Cletus Kasady was already an accomplished criminal and sadist even before gaining superhuman powers. But after spending some time as Eddie Brock's cellmate and gaining a symbiote costume of his own, he's become one of the most proficient killers in the Marvel Universe. He's incredibly strong and very difficult to put down once the blood starts flowing. A mutual hatred of Carnage is about the only thing that can make Spider-Man and Venom put aside their differences and work towards a common goal. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/venom-let-there-be-carnage-exclusive-trailer-breakdown-with-director-andy-serkis-ign-rewind-theater"] Carnage's Powers and AbilitiesCarnage is basically a meaner, stronger version of Venom. His costume is an offshoot of the Venom symbiote, and like Venom, Carnage has access to amped-up versions of Spider-Man's powers, such as boosted strength, agility and speed. Like Venom, Carnage can block out Spider-Man's Spider-Sense, even while he has access to enhanced senses of his own. However, because Carnage's symbiote gestated on Earth rather than the planet Klyntar, it's stronger and more unstable. Carnage is powerful enough to fight both Spider-Man and Venom to a standstill. He can reshape his symbiote tendrils into various deadly weapons and even launch them as projectiles. The symbiote also grants Kasady a Wolverine-like healing factor, allowing him to survive what seemed like certain death on multiple occasions. Fortunately, Carnage does have weaknesses. He's not as susceptible to sonic weapons as Venom, but he is even weaker than Venom is when faced with fire. He's also extremely vulnerable to the touch of Anti-Venom, a hero whose entire purpose is to hunt down and destroy symbiote. And in Venom 2, director Andy Serkis says Carnage's powers are somewhat different, including the ability to turn into mist! Carnage: Origin and BackgroundGiven the breakout popularity of Venom after 1988's Amazing Spider-Man #300, it was only a matter of time before Marvel further exploited the concept. Carnage was the first (and by far the most popular) of several new symbiote villains introduced in the early '90s, with Cletus Kasady making his first appearance as Carnage in 1992's Amazing Spider-Man #360 (created by writer David Michelinie and artists Erik Larsen and Mark Bagley) and quickly became a recurring presence in the franchise.
Carnage: Beyond the ComicsCarnage has had plenty of room to shine on the small screen. Carnage first appeared in animated form in 1994's Spider-Man: The Animated Series (voiced by Scott Cleverdon) and served a a major antagonist in several episodes. He also played a big role in the spinoff series Spider-Man Unlimited (voiced this time by Michael Donovan). [caption id="attachment_2002075" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Carnage as seen in Ultimate Spider-Man[/caption] Carnage missed out on appearing in 2008's Spectacular Spider-Man, though he was slated to show up if the series had lasted longer than two seasons. He did play a recurring role in Marvel's next Spider-Man cartoon, Ultimate Spider-Man (voiced by both Dee Bradley Baker and Fred Tatasciore). That series continued the comic-book trend of having the Carnage symbiote bond with other Marvel characters, resulting in mash-ups like Carnage-Ock and Carnage-Hulk. Carnage has also enjoyed a healthy video game career dating back to the 1992 Game Boy title The Amazing Spider-Man 2. He was a major boss character in 1994's Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage and its sequel, Spider-Man and Venom: Separation Anxiety, both of which are inspired by the comic book storylines of the same name. Carnage has also appeared in everything from LEGO Marvel Super Heroes to Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions to Marvel Puzzle Quest. The video game adaptation of 2014's Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie even offered a glimpse of what Carnage might have looked like in Sony's rebooted Spider-Man universe (of the time). For years the villain was rumored to be the main antagonist in Sony's Venom solo movie. At one point that movie was even reportedly titled Venom Carnage. However, Riz Ahmed's character Carlton Drake wound up being the main baddie -- as a different symbiote villain called Riot -- in the film. Woody Harrelson had a small role as Cletus Kasady in the movie, setting up his transformation into Carnage for the sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, where he will co-star with Tom Hardy. May 10, 2021: This story has been updated with the latest information about Venom: Let There Be Carnage. [widget path="ign/modules/recirc" parameters="title=Explained!&type=articles%2Cvideos&tags=explained-recirc&count=6&columnCount=6&theme=article"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN. |
| Sony Now Expecting PS5 Shortages to Continue Into Next Year Posted: 10 May 2021 06:27 AM PDT It sounds as though PS5 supplies will continue to be limited into 2022. It was never going to be easy launching a new console in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, and Bloomberg now reports that Sony has spoken to a "group of analysts" about the supply constraint issues affecting PlayStation 5 supplies, reportedly warning that shortages will continue into 2022. "I don't think demand is calming down this year and even if we secure a lot more devices and produce many more units of the PlayStation 5 next year, our supply wouldn't be able to catch up with demand," Hiroki Totoki reportedly told the analysts. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/16/ps5-stock-to-be-limited-in-first-year-says-report-ign-news"] Global shortages of semiconductors, which are used in almost all computing devices, has made it increasingly difficult for the continuing demand for PS5 consoles to be met. Semiconductors are a crucial part of the PS5 architecture, and the shortages have let to delays in the console's production cycle. Ever since the PS5 launched in November 2020 it has been difficult for both retail stores, and consumers, to get their hands on one. Both the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the trade war started by the Trump administration against China have affected the ability for electronics manufacturers to get hold of these parts. It was previously reported that AMD (which produces chips for PS5) expected shortages to to continue into 2021, but that looks set to be extended into 2022 as well. Sony has previously been vocal in suggesting it wants to surpass the second-year sales of the PS4, which totalled 14.8 million units – however issues with the particular chips needed might get in the way of achieving that target. Ideally, Sony would want to keep up with, or even exceed the early sales of the Playstation 4, but that is looking increasingly challenging at this point. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/05/why-sony-is-struggling-to-sell-you-a-ps5-ign-daily-fix-"] In April, Playstation CEO Jim Ryan said that the company were looking to increase PS5 supply, and that he was in discussions with chip supplier AMD, but it's clear from this latest news that those conversations have not yet borne fruit. It's disappointing news for those looking to get their hands on a PS5, as it looks like demand will continue to outstrip supply for the foreseeable future. Despite those struggles, PS5 has still become the fastest-selling console in US history, for both dollar and unit sales. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Liam Wiseman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @liamthewiseman  |
| Resident Evil Village Used a Giant, Grumpy Stand-In for Lady Dimitrescu's Performance Capture Posted: 10 May 2021 05:11 AM PDT The actor behind Lady Dimitrescu has revealed more about the motion capture process that brought the character to life – including a big, grumpy pole that was used to simulate her 9'6" eyeline in real life. Lady Dimitrescu actress Maggie Robertson has been delighting fans during Resident Evil Village's launch weekend by responding to fan art and complementing cosplays of the popular character, as well as providing a behind-the-scenes look at the game. In one post Robertson revealed "the grumpy stand-in," a giant pole with a soft head marked with a frowny face. According to Robertson, this was used during performance capture to "mark Lady D's actual size and eye lines" while on set. Lady Dimitrescu became an internet sensation before Village's release, not least because of her huge height – but it's easy to forget that in the age of AAA performance capture, that then causes potential trouble for real-life actors trying to simulate talking to a fictional, towering vampire lady. Capcom's lo-fi solution is a neat (and funny) way to get around the issue – and I now want modders to get to work on a grumpy stand-in model for the actual game. Robertson also shared another video that shows previsualizations and motion capture footage from some key scenes in the game, including when Lady Dimitrescu tastes Ethan's blood and throws her dressing table in a fit of rage. "I'm beyond grateful for how welcoming the entire Resident Evil community has been. Floored by all the love & support you all have given me over these past few days," Robertson said on Twitter. "Keep spreading all of that love around in the name of House Dimitrescu!" We spoke extensively to Capcom about the creation of Lady Dimitrescu, and how they reacted to her sudden popularity. I wonder how they've reacted to her being modded into a Thomas the Tank Engine hybrid... In other Resident Evil Village news, here are 17 brilliant little details, and a cut fan favourite character who could have made it into the game in a very unexpected costume. We scored it an 8 in our review, calling it a "genuinely engrossing and increasingly combat-heavy continuation of the Ethan Winters story." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/resident-evil-village-lady-dimitrescu-thomas-the-tank-engine-mod-gameplay"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.  |
| Capcom Has Broken Its Profit Records for the Fourth Year in a Row Posted: 10 May 2021 04:19 AM PDT Capcom has revealed that it has hit record-high profits for the fourth consecutive year, with much of that success coming down to Monster Hunter Rise and Resident Evil 3 sales. In a press release regarding its last fiscal year, Capcom announced net sales were up 16.8%, operating income was up 51.6%, ordinary income was up 51.8%, and net income to the parent company was up 56.3%. The developer of franchises such as Devil May Cry, Monster Hunter, and Resident Evil attributed much of the success to new entries in core franchises like Monster Hunter Rise (which shipped 4 million copies in its first weekend alone) and the remake of Resident Evil 3. However, it also recognised the continued success of previously released games and expansions like Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, which have seen gamers jumping in retroactively, no doubt down to new entries in the franchise bringing in new players. It also cites strong sales for next-gen versions of games like Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/30/natural-history-expert-reacts-to-monster-hunter-rise"] Not only did this lead to the fourth consecutive year of record profits, but also the eighth consecutive year of operating income growth. Despite receiving the pandemic-related boost that many video game companies have shown in the past year, Capcom's forecasting that it will beat its income and profit records again next year. That will clearly rely on the continuation of the company's strategy of releasing a combination of new titles and providing post-launch support for existing games. Capcom has clearly noticed the popularity of its games in Western markets, stating it saw "growth in overseas revenue due to realizing both expansion of its regional markets and longer product lives for its titles". It also experienced strong results from digital promotion: "Capcom's core Digital Contents business drove results with continued success in promoting digital sales". This is likely a combination of the trend towards gamers purchasing more on digital storefronts, and also COVID-19 closing physical retail sites for much of the year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/05/resident-evil-village-review"] None of this is particularly surprising as Capcom's games and franchises have been growing from strength to strength over the past few years. With Resident Evil Village launching last week, and upcoming games like The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin coming later this summer, the train shows no sign of slowing down just yet. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Liam Wiseman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @liamthewiseman  |
| Activision No Longer Working With Call of Duty Actor After Sexist Comments Posted: 10 May 2021 03:06 AM PDT Activision has said that it will no longer work with Call of Duty voice actor Jeff Leach after a series of sexist comments Leach has made surfaced on social media. Leach was responsible for the voice of Simon 'Ghost' Riley in 2019's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty Mobile. As part of a Twitter thread from YouTuber NitroLukeDX, a video featuring some of Leach's past remarks has been circulating on social media. The video includes clips from Leach, across multiple streams, making explicit, sexual, and hateful remarks about women. The video below includes offensive language: Activision provided a statement to CharlieIntel on May 8 condemning the actor's remarks, and cutting professional ties with him. "Sexism has no place in our industry, our games or in society," Activision said. "Activision is no longer working with Jeff Leach. We strongly condemn these remarks. We are committed to delivering a fun and safe experience for all players." Leach was previously banned from Twitch for comments made about streamer TheZombiUnicorn in 2017, and has since become a streamer on Facebook Gaming. Facebook has not commented at time of writing. TheZombiUnicorn has since posted a response to the new video of Leach, calling on platforms and sponsors supporting Leach to take action. Leach has not outwardly commented on the video, or Activision's decision to cut ties with him, but (seemingly due to fan backlash over the decision) tweeted to say that "anyone who sends threatening messages is not representative of me or my community and I do not condone this is [sic] any way." In replies on Twitter, Leach has been defending his actions on stream, saying that the later clips are responses to trolls in his chat and he was using his experience "as a professional comic" to "destroy them." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-warzone-season-3-the-story-so-far-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.  |
| Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier to Get a Closed Beta in June 2021 Posted: 09 May 2021 10:17 PM PDT Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier is getting a Closed Beta Test in June 2021 that will give those with Android devices a chance to try out the upcoming battle royale mobile game. The Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier Closed Beta Test will take place from June 1 - June 7, and the registration period for those interested is currently underway. Those with a 64-bit Android device with Android 7.1 or newer and at least 3GB of available memory can sign up here until May 27, 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/25/final-fantasy-vii-the-first-soldier-teaser-trailer"] This test will only be for those in the US and Canada, and game data and progress will not be transferred over to the full game when it launches later this year. However, Square Enix will let you stream the game should you be accepted into the Beta. Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier was announced alongside Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis - a "chapter-structured single player game covering the whole of the FFVII timeline - including the events of the original game and the FFVII compilation titles." This battle royale game takes place in Midgar 30 years before Final Fantasy 7. It looks to feature gunplay, close quarters combat, abilities, Summons like Ifrit, bosses like the Guard Scorpion, and much more. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/05/07/final-fantasy-7-remake-intergrade-final-trailer"] While there is no further release window other than 2021, those hoping to jump back into the world of FF7 will be able to do so on June 10 with the launch of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade for PS5. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.  |
| Remnant: From the Ashes to Get a Free Next-Gen Upgrade This Week Posted: 09 May 2021 10:17 PM PDT Remnant: From the Ashes will be receiving a free next-gen upgrade for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on May 13, 2021. Announced on Remnant: From the Ashes' Twitter, this next-gen upgrade will allow for the game to run at 4K/30 FPS or 1080p/60 FPS on both PS5 and Xbox Series X. On Xbox Series S, just the framerate will be improved as the console is only capable of outputting resolution of up to 1440p. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/20/remnant-from-the-ashes-review"] As an added bonus, cross-play is being added between Xbox and Windows 10 Store players. Remnant: From the Ashes is a third-person survival action shooter that is set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by monstrous creatures. In our review, we said that it "is a co-op action-RPG that's punishing and grotesque, but exciting and beautiful all at the same time. Despite the occasional difficulty spikes and slightly disappointing gear system, the thrill of finally beating a boss that's had your number for hours is unmatched." Remnant: From the Ashes was part of March 2021's PlayStation Plus games and was available until early April. If you missed it on PlayStation, it is currently available on Xbox Game Pass. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-10-soulslikes&captions=true"] For more, check out where Remnant: From the Ashes landed on our list of the best Soulslike games. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.  |
| Call of Duty: Warzone May Soon Add Rambo and Die Hard's John McClane Posted: 09 May 2021 10:16 PM PDT Alongside Verdansk '84, Call of Duty: Warzone looks to be continuing the celebration of the 1980s as it is teasing the arrival of both John Rambo and Die Hard's John McLane. A few days ago, the Call of Duty Twitter account asked if anyone knew "SURVIVORJOHN#1009062?" Their #WarzoneReport is pretty impressive as it shows they have 552 kills, and infinite K/D ratio, 0 deaths, 5 games played, 5 wins, and 7 hours played.  By doing a bit of digging into the history of Rambo, you will find that there have been five Rambo films (5 games played and 5 wins) - which all have a combined runtime of 7.8 hours (7 hours payed) - and Rambo has not yet died in his films (0 deaths) and has killed, according to Fandom.com, exactly 552 people (552 kills). John McClane's tease is a bit more involved, as there is a brand new website - NakatomiDuctCleaning.com - that hints at his arrival. On Twitter, Call of Duty said "Air ducts are a complicated network of danger. If yours are in need of repair, call the best business at Nakatomi Duct Cleaning."  For those unaware, Nakatomi Corporation was where McClane's estranged wife worked. Upon reaching Nakatomi Plaza, the events of Die Hard kick off and McClane eventually finds his way into the aforementioned air ducts, hence the name. The Nakatomi Duct Cleaning website features more nods to McClane, including "Say Yippee Ki Yay to Dust" and a Schedule An Appointment button that automatically tries to send an e-mail to john@nakatomiductcleaning.com. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/29/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-warzone-season-3-the-story-so-far-trailer"] For more on Warzone, check out where it ranks on our list of the 10 best battle royales and all the details on Verdansk '84. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch. |
| Resident Evil Village: How to Get House Beneviento's Treasure Posted: 09 May 2021 03:11 PM PDT  |
| Alternate Routes Guide: How to Get Behind the Waterfall and More in Pokemon Snap Posted: 09 May 2021 02:39 PM PDT  |
1993 brought about a massive Spider-Man crossover called "Maximum Carnage," arguably the biggest Marvel storyline ever to revolve around this character. It even inspired a video game of the same name (more on that later). "Maximum Carnage" forced Spider-Man and Venom to join forces with other Marvel heroes like Captain America, Black Cat, and Cloak and Dagger to battle Carnage's alliance of evil.
Carnage underwent his most significant overhaul in "Go Down Swinging," the final chapter in writer Dan Slott's decade-long Amazing Spider-Man run. There, the Carnage symbiote bonded with Norman Osborn to form a new villain called the Red Goblin. That alliance didn't last, but Carnage got another boost in 2019's Absolute Carnage, which shows the villain trying to murder everyone on Earth who's ever bonded with a symbiote. He's no longer just Spider-Man and Venom's problem anymore.| You are subscribed to email updates from IGN Video Games. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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