Anime streaming service Crunchyroll announced its "first slate" of Crunchyroll Originals with all projects set for release in 2020. The first of Crunchyroll's newest projects, In/Spectre, is a fantasy anime streaming on the service now. The seven others coming later are a mix of previously announced and unannounced projects in production with companies like Webtoon, its own Crunchyroll Studios Production, and more. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/5-notable-black-characters-in-anime-history"] You can read more about each project below:

Crunchyroll and Webtoon Production Projects

• Tower of God - Based on a comic of the same name by SIU, this fantasy action series follows a man fighting his way through a mysterious tower. This is scheduled for spring 2020 with animation by Telecom Animation Film.
• Noblesse - Also based on a comic of the same name by Jeho Son and Kwangsu lee, this fantasy is about the adventures of a vampire noble who wakes up in the modern-day after 820 years of sleep. Noblesse is animated by Production I.G.

Crunchyroll Originals

• Onyx Equinox - "A young Aztec boy is saved from death by the gods and chosen to act as ‘humanity’s champion,’ forced to discard his apathy toward his fellow man and prove humanity’s potential in a fight that spans across fantastical-yet-authentic Mesoamerican cultures." This show created by Sofia Alexander premieres in summer 2020.
• The God of High School - Based on a comic of the same name by Yongje Park and animated by MAPPA, this series is about high schoolers loaning power from gods and fighting their way through an "epic tournament."
• Meiji Gekken: Sword & Gun - "Japan, 1870. We follow an ensemble of characters - a former samurai, a yakuza bodyguard, a devious spy and a geisha assassin - as they try to find their place in the rapidly evolving Meiji-era while escaping the sins of their pasts…" This Crunchyroll Studios Production is out sometime in 2020.
• FreakAngels - Based on graphic novels by the same name by Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield, this show follows twelve psychics in a post-apocalyptic London attempting to rebuild society.
• High Guardian Spice - Created by Raye Rodriguez, this Crunchyroll Studios production follows four girls training at the High Guardian Academy to become heroes.

Crunchyroll has been co-producing anime like Kenmono Friends and A Place Further than the Universe since 2015 since the company partnered with Sumitomo to produce anime for a global audience. It also partnered with NBC Universal in 2017. In other Crunchyroll news, the streaming service recently announced a new limited streetwear line with Kinfold. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Miranda Sanchez is an executive editor at IGN. You can chat with her about video games and anime on Twitter.

Rainbow Six Siege's development team would like the competitive shooter to go free-to-play one day.

That's according to game director Leroy Athanassoff who spoke to PC Gamer at the Six Invitational 2020. "It’s a company decision. I think on the development team we want that at some point. We want the game to be accessible to everyone,” Athanassoff said.

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However, he added that while the desire is there to make Siege free-to-play, Athanassoff reckons the game isn't ready for it yet. “You need certain features ready to be a good and successful free-to-play game,” he said.

One of these features according to the game director is a solution to smurfing in Siege. Smurfing is when an experienced player creates a new account in order to play against players of lesser skill. "What’s important for us is that we find out as soon as possible that a player is highly skilled in the things that matter,” Athanassoff said. “The problem right now is that you can play a certain amount of matches with Copper players while you’re a Diamond.”

Ubisoft has a team dedicated to making smurfing less of a problem in Rainbow Six Siege. If that team is able to lessen its impact then Siege will be a little closer to going free-to-play. One of the ways to do this is to change how a player's skill is worked out.

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Currently, Siege's ranking system looks at a player's win rate, but Athanasoff's team is looking to bring in more stats so smurfs aren't matched with lower-skilled players as often.

More on the future of Rainbow Six Siege was recently revealed during the Six Invitational 2020. New operators Iana and Oryx were announced, alongside a player reputation system, and confirmation that Siege would be coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

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Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

With ongoing concerns about the spread of COVID-19 (a.k.a. Coronavirus), games companies are increasingly pulling out of major events for the protection of their employees and the public. Below is a list of dropouts, changes and cancellations at game shows across the world, forced by the current health crisis. We'll update this story as and when more news emerges. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/07/the-outer-worlds-switch-version-delayed-due-to-coronavirus"]

Taipei Game Show (February 6-9)

January 31: The organisers of Taipei Game Show – who had previously announced temperature checks and mandatory masks for attendees – announce that the show has been postponed to an unspecified date later this year.  “We are deeply sorry to announce the difference decision from our committee,” said the organizers in a statement. “However, due to the serious outbreak of Wuhan coronavirus, we have decided to postpone the event to this summer.”

PAX East (February 27-March 1)

February 19: Sony announces that it will no longer attend PAX East in any capacity, including canceling the first public hands-on of The Last of Us Part 2. February 20: Capcom cancels any developer involvement in the Monster Hunter Festa event, due to take place during PAX East. The event itself will still take place. February 21: Square Enix scales back its PAX East showing, with no Japanese staff to attend the show. Final Fantasy developer and fan sessions are canceled, but other Square events at the show will continue as planned. February 23: The mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh, sends an open letter to Sony, urging the company to reconsider its decision to skip PAX East. "These fears reinforce harmful stereotypes that generations of Asians have worked hard to dismantle," reads Walsh's letter.

Game Developers Conference (March 16-20)

February 20: Both PlayStation and Facebook Oculus announce that they will not attend GDC, cancelling all scheduled participaton in the show. "[We are] emoving our booth footprint and are advising all employees to refrain from travel during the show”, said an Oculus spokesperson. February 20: GDC organisers say they "are confident that the Game Developers Conference will follow in the footsteps of other large and successful international events taking place at the Moscone Center." However, they will enact "enhanced on-site measures" at the show, per CDC and WHO guidance. February 24: Kojima Productions pulls out of GDC, cancelling two sessions at the show, including Hideo Kojima's talk on the design philosophy of Death Stranding. February 25: EA says it is also cancelling its participation with GDC, as well as "limiting attendance" to other unspecified events. The company will also restrict all non-essential travel for employees. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-the-big-games-coming-in-2020&captions=true"] Coronavirus has seen other game-related setbacks, including a delay to The Outer Worlds on Switch, and Animal Crossing special edition console production being affected. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

Star Wars' Project Luminous has officially been revealed as Star Wars: The High Republic - new adult and young adult novels, children's books, and comics that will explore this new era that takes place 200 years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. These inter-connected stories, which will begin to debut in August 2020 at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, "will not overlap any of the filmed features or series currently planned for production, giving creators and partners a vast amount of room to tell Star Wars stories with new adventures and original characters." This is a multi-year project that will have a "core group of heroes that will expand," and the first phase of this new initiative is called "Light of the Jedi."

Hundreds of years before the Skywalker Saga, the Galactic Republic is at its height. Protected by the Jedi Knights, guardians of peace and justice throughout the galaxy.

Get the details on #StarWarsTheHighRepublic, exclusively on https://t.co/mVXi17qoJk: https://t.co/iEdglKjC6Y pic.twitter.com/hmDuUZwNjD — Star Wars (@starwars) February 25, 2020

Jedi are like the Knights of the Round Table during the High Republic Era, and villains known as the space viking-like Nihil will be causing trouble in that galaxy far, far away. The High Republic has a very distinct style, which is reflected in the Jedi's Temple wear and mission attire. Additionally, some of the Lightsabers will resemble King Arthur's Excalibur, complete with longer handles and a crossguard. The threat and tension, as Lucasfilm's Pablo Hidalgo explains, stems from the fact that the Republic's reach does not cover all the galaxy. It is a time that has a bit of a "wild, wild west" feel. There are even "Texas Ranger" Jedi who explore the farthest reaches of space, beyond the safety of the Republic. These stories will written by a team of writers that include Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Daniel Jose Older, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule. Lucasfilm brought these writers and many more to Skywalker Ranch to develop this new concept and give them the chance to tell the stories they've always dreamed of. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-the-high-republic-publishing-initiative-novels-books-and-comics&captions=true"] “Star Wars: The High Republic features the Jedi as we’ve always wanted to see them — as true guardians of peace and justice. This is a hopeful, optimistic time, when the Jedi and the Galactic Republic are at their height. But of course, into this glorious new era something wicked this way comes,” says Lucasfilm publishing creative director Michael Siglain. “This initiative will give readers young and old a new corner of the galaxy to explore through rich, meaningful stories. Plus, readers will learn what scares the Jedi.” The first story will be Charles Soule's Light of the Jedi on August 25, 2020, followed by Justina Ireland's A Test of Courage on September 8, and Claudia Gray's Into the Dark on October 13. There will also be comics from both Marvel and IDW. Light of the Jedi will begin in a time of peace, but an event known as The Great Disaster occurs and forces the Jedi into action. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-the-high-republic-announcement-screenshots&captions=true"] Two of the big inspirations for The High Republic were Obi-Wan's A New Hope quote, "For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic," and the simple question that asks, what scares the Jedi? These stories will also not just focus on the Jedi, there will be new smugglers, scoundrels, and bounty hunters that will have the spotlight. Soule had actually been teasing the arrival of the High Republic Era in both The Rise of Kylo Ren #2 comic and 2020's Star Wars #2. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/04/the-star-wars-saga-timeline-in-chronological-order"] The High Republic will be just some of the Star Wars stories that will fill the void until Star Wars returns to the big screen in 2022. [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 who is telling all from a galaxy near and far, far away that he will one day write a Star Wars story. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

2/24 Update: Added details about ray tracing, teraflops, “Quick Resume,” and “Smart Delivery.” [poilib element="accentDivider"] At The Game Awards 2019, Microsoft’s next-gen console finally earned its official name: The Xbox Series X. Initially revealed at the E3 2019 press conference as Project Scarlett, specifics about the console have been scarce. Microsoft has given us some concrete details to focus on, however, including some specs, a release window, a major launch title, and more.

Xbox Series X Price: How Much Will it Cost?

There's been no official word from Microsoft on how much the Xbox Series X will cost. However, we estimate it could cost between $450-600 based on the hardware alone. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/next-gen-console-watch-the-biggest-ps5-price-factors"]

Xbox Series X Release Date: When Does it Come Out?

During Microsoft’s E3 2019 press conference, the company revealed the Xbox Series X is set to launch in Holiday 2020. This partially lines up with previous reports that suggested “multiple pieces of hardware” would be released in 2020, and another report that specifically said Xbox's Project Scarlett would be released by Holiday 2020. With E3 2020 just a few months away, some are hoping that we will be given some news on the Xbox Series X release date. Earlier this year, Sony announced that it would not be attending the show, but Microsoft has confirmed that the Xbox team is "hard at work on E3" prep. With Sony absent, Phil Spencer and his team will definitely be the main focus of the show, however, it remains to be seen if that means we hear any announcements about an Xbox Series X release date or price.

Xbox Series X Specs: What Hardware Does it Have?

As part of the initial Project Scarlett announcement video, those involved in the creation of the new console said it will be four times more powerful than the Xbox One X, which is capable of 8K output, 120 frames per second, variable refresh rates and real-time “next-gen ray tracing." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/24/xbox-series-x-has-12-teraflops-new-technical-specs-revealed-ign-news"] Spencer later clarified that the Xbox Series X would feature DirectX raytracing, which will allow for more realistic environments, with “accurate reflections and realistic acoustics.” A new generation SSD is being used as virtual RAM, allegedly offering over 40 times performance increases from the current generation. Xbox Series X will also leverage high-bandwidth GDDR 6 SDRAM. AMD and Microsoft co-engineered and designed a custom processor for the Xbox Series X. This processor leverages AMD’s latest Zen 2 and Navi technology. It was clear before E3 2019 that AMD would be designing the next Xbox's processor, as Spencer briefly discussed a partnership with AMD during a keynote address at CES 2019. Spencer teased the new Xbox Series X processor on Twitter earlier this year when he changed his profile picture to an image of the chip. The new processor, which looks very similar to that of the Xbox One X reads "8K" and "Project Scarlett." [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Xbox Series X Features[/caption] The same team that worked on the Xbox One X is working on the Xbox Series X and they are prioritizing reduced load times. Xbox head Phil Spencer is a longtime advocate for framerate over resolution, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Xbox Series X team is paying close attention to better framerates. In February 2020, Phil Spencer posted on the Xbox blog, detailing some features coming to the Xbox Series X. A “Quick Resume” feature will allow players to load “suspended state” games almost instantly and let you quickly navigate through multiple games without having to endure enormous load times. It was also confirmed that the Xbox Series X will have 12 teraflops of GPU power, which is four times more than the Xbox One and twice as much as the Xbox One X. For those not familiar with the term, a teraflop is a measure of how many complex calculations a machine can handle every second. Essentially, it allows for higher-quality graphical output. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-console-power-levels-compared&captions=true"] At EA's Q3 2020 investors call, CFO Blake Jorgensen told investors that the power behind the new generation of consoles would "blow people's mind." "The power of the new consoles is gonna be substantially greater than existing consoles," said Jorgensen during the call. "We can do a lot more [with PS5 and Xbox Series X]. Things we’re doing will blow people’s minds." It sounds like Microsoft's next-gen console is going to be pretty powerful. We actually broke down how the Xbox Series X compares to PCs.

Xbox Series X Design and Images: What Does it Look Like?

At The Game Awards 2019, we were given our first look at the Xbox Series X. Standing vertically in what looks to be a matte black finish, Microsoft's fourth-generation console features a power button with the signature Xbox insignia at the top that lights up white when pressed on. There's metal mesh across the top of the console that gets backlit with an Xbox green glow as well. In an interview with GameSpot, it was confirmed the Xbox Series X will support discs and is "roughly as wide as an Xbox One controller". Phil Spencer also told GameSpot that the Xbox Series X was "designed to be as quiet as possible", sporting a large fan designed to push out "high volumes of air" from the top and keep the console cool. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-series-x-reveal-images&captions=true"] Earlier this year, images of the Xbox Series X were reportedly leaked on Twitter. At the time of writing, it's still unclear if this is a real prototype, or simply an incredibly detailed mockup. Either way, the reported leak offers fans a potential closer look at the front and back of the console. A lot of fans have taken note of an unknown port located between the HDMI and digital audio port on the back of the "leaked" Xbox Series X image. Microsoft insider blog Thurrott is reporting that the unknown port will be used for expandable storage. At the time of writing, the purpose of the port has not been confirmed by Microsoft.

Xbox Series X Games: What Are the Confirmed and Rumored Titles?

So far, we know of seven titles that will be making its way to the Xbox Series X, along with two unannounced AAA games. Perhaps the biggest title of them all is Halo Infinite, which is the only confirmed Xbox Series X launch title. Confirmed Xbox Series X Games:

• Halo Infinite
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
• The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
• Watch Dogs Legion
• Rainbow Six Quarantine
• Gods and Monsters
• Battlefield 6
• 2 Unannounced AAA Games

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-big-xbox-games-coming-in-2020&captions=true"] Reports dating as far back as February 2019 suggested Halo Infinite would be coming to Project Scarlett as a launch title, though these reports claimed Halo Infinite would be released on Xbox One as well. On top of this, a poll from GDC 2019 revealed about 18% of developers were working on next-gen games. During its E3 2018 press conference, Bethesda suggested its upcoming game Starfield would be coming to the next console generation, and that The Elder Scrolls VI would launch after that. However, in March 2019, Bethesda confirmed it would not be discussing Starfield or The Elder Scrolls VI at E3 2019, but with E3 2020 just around the corner, we might get some news. Microsoft has been accumulating studios, perhaps in anticipation of the future console generation. Microsoft announced it had acquired five studios (Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, Compulsion Games, Playground Games) and founded a new Santa Monica studio during E3 2018. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/02/06/microsoft-forms-xbox-game-studios-ign-news"] Revealed during X018, an additional two studios (Obsidian Entertainment and inXile Entertainment) joined the Xbox family. During Microsoft’s E3 2019 press conference, Double Fine Productions was officially added to that stable. Make sure to check out our list of confirmed and rumored games for the Xbox Series X.

Xbox Series X Backwards Compatibility and Smart Delivery

Microsoft has confirmed that the Xbox Series X will support backwards compatibility with all Xbox One titles day one. Further, all of the original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles that are available on the Xbox One will also be available at launch. We estimate that there will be around 575 backwards compatible games on the Xbox Series X at launch. Phil Spencer also said Microsoft aims to support a "Play Anywhere" scheme, wanting to provide the option for gamers to connect across devices and across platforms, suggesting potential cross-generation play. Additionally, the Xbox Series X will feature “Smart Delivery” which will give players easy access to all digitally purchased games across all devices, meaning it doesn’t have to be purchased twice. This feature will be available for all exclusive Xbox Game Studio titles, including Halo Infinite, as well as any third-party developers that decide to opt in. Cyberpunk 2077 is one game already confirmed for smart delivery.

Project xCloud

Just before officially announcing Project Scarlett, Microsoft announced that its game streaming platform Project xCloud is coming in October 2019. Xbox head Phil Spencer also announced Console Streaming, which turns an Xbox One into a personal Xbox server for free. It’s likely this feature and Project xCloud will find its way to the Xbox Series X in the future. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/09/project-xcloud-xbox-one-presentation-e3-2019"] Last year, we went hands-on with Project xCloud and found that so far, it seems like a pretty good service. Be sure to check out our Project xCloud review if you want to hear more about it. There were some recent rumors about Project xCloud exclusive games, but Microsoft has since clarified its original comments, saying that it has "no plans for cloud-exclusive content at this time."

Xbox Series X: What Happened to Lockhart and Anaconda?

In December 2018, reports suggested the two devices that make up Project Scarlett are referred to within Microsoft by two codenames: Lockhart and Anaconda. Again, it’s unclear if Project Scarlett still consists of multiple pieces of hardware. These two separate Xbox SKUs would theoretically have a similar dynamic to Xbox One S and Xbox One X. Lockhart was rumored to be a more affordable, baseline model that made the technology more accessible to a larger group of consumers. This could potentially be the streaming-centric device hinted at in earlier rumors. The report suggested Lockhart was comparable to, or just a bit more powerful than, the Xbox One X. Anaconda, on the other hand, would be a decidedly more powerful piece of hardware that would cost more for consumers willing to shell out the money for extra horsepower. It would reportedly provide a “cutting-edge console gaming experience.” It was also suggested the Anaconda could potentially act as a dev kit. If the rumors are to be believed, the Xbox Series X is likely the console nicknamed Anaconda, while the Lockhart console is yet to be announced by Microsoft. However, it's currently still unclear if Microsoft will have more than one console at launch.

Xbox Series X Controller vs Xbox One Controller

The Xbox Series X controller looks very similar to that of the Xbox One and was partially inspired by the Elite Series 2 controller. Notable new features with the new Series X controller are a Share button and a hybrid d-pad similar to the Elite Series 2. In the Xbox Series X announcement post from Microsoft, the company noted that the controllers "size and shape have been refined to accommodate an even wider range of people." Further, the new controller will be compatible with the Xbox One and Windows 10 PC's and will be included with every Xbox Series X purchase. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Chris Evans is in talks to star in another movie adaptation of Little Shop of Horrors. Scarlett Johansson and Taron Egerton are also reportedly looking at roles while Billy Porter is set as the voice of Audrey II. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Evans would play Dr. Orin Scrivello, a dentist and abusive boyfriend of the character Audrey. Johansson is circling the Audrey role while Egerton could potentially play the lead character, Seymour. Greg Berlanti, the director of Love, Simon and the producer of DC's Arrowverse shows, will reportedly direct the film. Warner Bros. has supposedly been trying to get these actors since the fall. Porter is signed up while Evans is the only actor said to be in negotiations at this time. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/03/27/chris-evans-wasnt-originally-on-the-list-for-captain-america"] Little Shop of Horrors is a Roger Corman movie released in 1960. It was developed into a stage musical in 1982 that has continued to play around the world ever since. The stage musical was then adapted into another movie in 1986 with Rick Moranis as Seymour and Steve Martin playing the dentist. The story revolves around a geeky plant shop attendant named Seymour who's secretly in love with Audrey, one of the workers at the shop. Seymour returns to the store with a bizarre, venus flytrap-esque plant that he names Audrey II. The plant quickly attracts customers to the store and gives Seymour the attention he's always desired. The plant begins speaking to Seymour and demands human blood to stay alive. Seymour abides and turns to some dark places to keep his fame intact. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-disney-animated-movies&captions=true"] Evans may be best known as the good-mannered Captain America but recently played a dirtbag trust fund heir in Rian Johnson's thriller Knives Out. Egerton, Johansson, and Porter are coming off a critically-acclaimed 2019 that saw Egerton play Elton John in Rocketman, Johansson earning raves for her performances in Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit, and Porter winning an Emmy award for the FX series Pose, which was renewed for a third season. The writers of the Little Shop of Horrors musical eventually went to Disney to work on The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast. All three of those movies placed in the top five of IGN's list of the best Disney movies. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who thinks the director's cut of the 1986 movie holds up tremendously well and implores all IGN readers to watch it.

Mission: Impossible VII was set to shoot for three weeks in Italy but the production of the film has been put on hold due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. COVID-19 has infected over 200 people in Italy where six people have now died from the virus. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a spokesperson for Paramount Pictures confirmed that the Mission: Impossible VII production plan has been altered to include a hiatus as a safety measure for cast and crew. "Out of an abundance of caution for the safety and well-being of our cast and crew, and efforts of the local Venetian government to halt public gatherings in response to the threat of coronavirus, we are altering the production plan for our three-week shoot in Venice, the scheduled first leg of an extensive production for Mission: Impossible 7," a studio spokesperson told THR. "During this hiatus, we want to be mindful of the concerns of the crew and are allowing them to return home until production starts." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/07/13/mission-impossible-in-7-minutes-2018-update"] Franchise lead Tom Cruise, who reprises his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, was not in Italy for the shoot yet. Mission: Impossible 7's scheduled three-week shoot in Venice is not the first event in Italy canceled as a result of COVID-19. The Venice Carnival was shut down by Italy's government and Milan's fashion week was also impacted by the outbreak. Mission: Impossible 7 is slated for release on July 23, 2021. Christopher McQuarrie, who helmed both the fifth and sixth installments of the franchise, returns to direct. Henry Czerny, who played Kittridge in the first film, is set to return to the film as well. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

EA FIFA pro player Kurt‘ Kurt0411’ Fenech has been banned from playing all EA games or accessing EA services, the company announced. The unprecedented move comes after a months-long public feud between Fenech and EA which the company says“cross a line of decency into very personal attacks and breach our Terms of Service.” Fenech tweeted out about his ban by publishing the email EA sent him notifying the permanent closure of his account. In a follow-up Tweet, Fenech wrote "End of the day I have never said anything I shouldn't have. This is just deeper than anyone thinks. They didn't want me competing at events cos [sic] they were scared I'd win them, now I'm the 2nd biggest streamer of their game and they're scared I'll overtake their golden boy."

Incredibly stuff honestly...banning me from their esports events wasn’t enough, trying to get my Twitch and YouTube channels banned wasn’t enough, they now shut down my 10 year plus Fut Founder account. No words pic.twitter.com/EqAVWprTI5

— Kurt (@Kurt0411Fifa) February 24, 2020

Fenech has been an outspoken critic of EA for the past two years, escalating in a series of social media attacks on the company and antagonizing EA employees. During one livestream Fenech was caught on camera calling an opponent a "son of a b**ch" who "can't beat me, even on this piece of trash game. F*** you, EA." He also spat on an EA logo stitched onto a scarf. EA responded to these repeated attacks by permanently banning Fenech from all FIFA esports competitions in 2019 and beyond. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-fifa-game-review-ever&captions=true"] Following Fenech’s ban, several EA FIFA staff Twitter accounts were hacked as part of a “targeted attack,” according to EA. The hacks were also part of a larger social media attack on EA staff members over criticism of FIFA 20. Fenech seemingly supported these hacks on his social media account. Fenech has continued to attack EA on his various social media channels and video platforms like YouTube and Twitch. One popular attack on EA by Fenech is to call the company “rats” and even released a diss track titled ‘Little Rats’ with another FIFA esports player Amenyah. Despite the ban and repeated warnings from EA, Kurt has seemingly continued to take jabs at the company which has resulted in the permanent ban from EA games and services. You can read EA's full statement and reasoning for the ban below:

“In November 2019, after a series of Code of Conduct violations as part of the EA SPORTS FIFA Global Series in which he threatened employees and other players, Kurt0411 was banned from competing or attending any EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series events or future competitions. Since that time, Kurt has continued to post abusive and threatening messages and videos about EA employees and competitive players on social media and he has encouraged others to do the same. His messages have crossed a line of decency into very personal attacks and breach our Terms of Service. We will not tolerate threatening behavior. As a result, today Kurt0411’s EA account will be banned from playing our games and accessing our services due to these serious and repeated violations. We build games and communities for players to have fun. Creating a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone without fear of harassment or abuse is a vital part of that. Our Terms of Service include a Code of Conduct that we ask players to abide by to keep our communities healthy and safe. We have an ongoing focus to create communities where everyone feels safe and respected, including in-game toxicity reporting tools as well as new moderation tools. And, we will continue to add more features.”

In the past, pro gamers have been permanently from games and services but for infractions like cheating. One recent, high-profile permanent ban is the case of Jarvis “FaZe Jarvis” Kaye who was banned for life from Fortnite after it was revealed he used an auto-aim cheat tool in the game. EA has made building healthy communities a major part of its strategy to remove toxicity from the game community. The company says it encourages players to share constructive criticism on sites like EA’s forums, Trello Boards, and Discord channels, but also says that “When feedback crosses the line to threatening, personal attacks, we will take action to move it out of our communities.” IGN has reached out to Fenech for comment and he reiterated his statement on Twitter. "I haven’t said anything I shouldn’t have said," Fenech tells IGN over Twitter DMs. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.