Monthly Archives: February 2020

Cyberpunk 2077 is Apparently Getting Its Own Nvidia GPU

Nvidia, makers of graphics cards for gaming PCs the world over, is teasing a Cyberpunk 2077-themed GPU.

Nvidia posted a blurry photo of the GPU following a brief exchange between the Nvidia and Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter accounts. The Cyberpunk account started by coyly asking Nvidia if they had ever considered releasing a limited edition Cyberpunk 2077 GPU, to which the Nvidia account with a couple emojis and a simple message: “Stay tuned…”

Here's the image from Nvidia's Twitter:

 nvidia

As one Reddit user pointed out, it appears we might be back in ye olden days of 2007, when GPUs frequently came with character art on them. We don't currently know what stats this GPU will boast, but we'll update this article when Nvidia finally releases more info.

It’s not the only thing Nvidia is working on. Nvidia GeForce Now has re-entered the market as a serious competitor to Google Stadia. GeForce Now, uh, now streams the games you already own for $4.99 a month. You can check out what we thought about how easy it was to setup, how well the streaming works, and whether it’s worth subscribing to in our review of Nvidia GeForce Now.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/10/nvidia-geforce-now-review"]

As for Cyberpunk 2077, we’re still waiting for it to release on September 17 following its delay. In the meantime, you can buy Cyberpunk 2077 Funko toys in April. You can also read up on why CD Projekt Red decided to delay Cyberpunk 2077. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

Box Office: Sonic the Hedgehog Races Past the Competition

Sonic made a rather large BOOM! at the box office over this President's Day Weekend, racing past its initial predictions of $40-45 million to (b)ring in an estimated $57 million. Worldwide, it's brought in $100 million, making it the best showing of all time for a video game movie, according to Variety. With Monday being a holiday, Sonic is expected to pull in $68 million domestically. Warner Bros.' Birds of Prey took in a decent $17.1 million over the weekend, which was enough to land it in second place Monday is expected to bump the take to $19.6 million. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/13/sonic-the-hedgehog-review"] Doing very well for themselves over the Valentine's Day/President's Day cluster were Blumhouse's Fantasy Island, which earned $12.4 million, and The Photograph, starring Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield, which grabbed $12.2 million. Both films cost very little to produce. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/14/blumhouses-fantasy-island-review"]

North American Box Office Estimates

Bad Boys for Life and 1917 continued their strong showings in the Top 10 while Bong Joon-ho's Parasite received a nice box office bump following its history-making Oscar win for Best Picture. Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Downhill debuted to a disappointing $4.6 million. Here are the Top 10 North American box office estimates for the (2-day) weekend (via Box Office Mojo)

  • 1. Sonic the Hedgehog $57,000,000
  • 2. Birds of Prey $17,115,000
  • 3. Fantasy Island $12,400,000
  • 4. The Photograph $12,270,000
  • 5. Bad Boys for Life $11,305,000
  • 6. 1917 $8,090,000
  • 7. Jumanji: The Next Level $5,700,000
  • 8. Parasite $5,500,500
  • 9. Dolittle $5,050,000
  • 10 Downhill $4,671,000
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/15/sonic-responds-to-ign-comments"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Co-Star of Disney’s Queen of Katwe Dies at 15

Nikita Pearl Waligwa, a co-star of Disney’s 2016 film Queen of Katwe, has died, according to a Deadline report citing Ugandan media. Waligwa reportedly died due to a brain tumor.

[caption id="attachment_2303869" align="alignnone" width="720"]Nikita Pearl Waligwa, as Gloria in 2016's Queen of Katwe. Nikita Pearl Waligwa, as Gloria in Queen of Katwe.[/caption]

Queen of Katwe told the true story of Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan chess prodigy rising from the poverty of the slum her family lived in. Waliga starred as Gloria, a friend of Phiona who introduces her to chess and its rules. Waligwa starred alongside well-known actors like Lupita Nyong’o, playing Phiona’s mother, and David Oyelowo, her chess teacher.

Waligwa was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016, spurring her family to get the young actress medical treatment in India. By 2017, she had evidently recovered from the tumor, but it returned this last year.

When IGN reviewed Queen of Katwe back in 2016, we credited the film for breaking Disney’s live-action slump at the time, calling it an unconventional feel-good tale. Queen of Katwe was Waligwa's only known acting credit, according to IMDb.

Waligwa was 15 years old.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Wins Anime of the Year at The Anime Awards

The winners of this year's The Anime Awards, which are presented by Crunchyroll and held at its headquarters in San Francisco, have been revealed and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba won Anime of the Year. Demon Slayer also won Best Boy for Tanjiro Kamado and Best Fight Scene for the battle of Tanjiro & Nezuko vs Rui. Mob Psycho 100 II, which IGN awarded Best Anime Series of 2019 and Best Animation of 2019, won Best Animation and Best Opening Sequence. KAGUYA SAMA: LOVE IS WAR won three categories - Best Ending Sequence, Best Couple, and Best Comedy. Other anime who won multiple awards included The Rising of Shield Hero and The Promised Neverland. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/26/demon-slayer-kimetsu-no-yaiba-official-trailer-english-dub"] See the full list of winners at the Fourth Annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards below:
  • Anime of the Year - Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
  • Best Animation - Mob Psycho 100 II
  • Best Opening Sequence - Mob Psycho 100 II, ♪ 99.9 - MOB CHOIR feat. sajou no hana
  • Best Ending Sequence - KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR, ♪ Chikatto Chika Chikaa♡ - Konomi Kohara
  • Best Boy - Tanjiro Kamado, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
  • Best Girl - Raphtalia, The Rising of the Shield Hero
  • Best Score - Mocky, Carole & Tuesday
  • Best VA Performance (JP) - Yuichi Nakamura voices Bruno Bucciarati in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
  • Best VA Performance (EN) - Billy Kametz voices Naofumi in The Rising of the Shield Hero
  • Best Director - Tetsuro Araki, Chief Director and Masashi Koizuka, Director – Attack on Titan Season 3
  • Best Best Character Design - Satoshi Iwataki, Original Character Design by Hiroyuki Asada, Dororo
  • Best Protagonist - Senku, Dr. STONE
  • Best Antagonist - Isabella, The Promised Neverland
  • Best Fight Scene - Tanjiro & Nezuko vs. Rui, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
  • Best Couple - Kaguya Shinomiya & Miyuki Shirogane, KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR
  • Best Drama - Vinland Saga, WIT STUDIO
  • Best Fantasy - The Promised Neverland, CloverWorks
  • Best Comedy - KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR, A-1 Pictures
Additionally, George Wada, president of Wit Studio, was celebrated as the Industry Icon of this year's Anime Awards. Wada oversees such series as Attack on Titan, The Ancient Magus' Bride, and Vinland Saga. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/25/top-10-best-anime-series-of-all-time"] The results for this year's Anime Awards were based on over 11 million votes cast by fans from around the world. This is a huge increase over 2019's 5 million votes. The top five countries that voted this year were the United States, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Alongside all the award announcements, Crunchyroll revealed that four new titles would be coming to its platform, including The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me? (April 2020), My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! (April 2020), The Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2 (Fall 2020), and So I'm a Spider, So What? (2020). For more on Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, check out our op-ed on why we think it earned the right to be called one of the best new anime of 2019. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-anime-of-the-decade-2010-2019&captions=true"] Disclosure: IGN's Miranda Sanchez was a presenter at Crunchyroll's Fourth Annual Anime Awards. [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.

Stardew Valley’s Pelican Town Remade in Dreams

Only released a few days ago on PlayStation 4, players are already hard at work designing their own creations in Media Molecule's Dreams. One of the most impressive creations so far is a complete 3D recreation of Stardew Valley's Pelican Town. Creator Tooshi, a YouTuber who produces a ton of Stardew Valley videos, shared the remake on Twitter, taking viewers on a quick tour of Pelican Town which features some of Stardew Valley's most recognizable locations like Jojamart and Stardrop Saloon. Check out the trailer above. The Dreams recreation is almost identical to that of Stardew Valley and even allows players to visit various NPC homes — although you can't go inside. If you'd like to check out the creation for yourself, it can be downloaded for free on the Dreams website. Here's a birds-eye view of Pelican Town. stardew-valley-3 [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=14-community-creations-made-in-dreams&captions=true"] Tooshi detailed the process of his Stardew Valley Dreams creation on YouTube for those interested. You can also find tons of other Stardew creations on his YouTube channel. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/16/we-played-the-most-nsfw-games-we-could-find-in-ps4s-dreams"] Dreams has been home to tons of different fan creations over the past few months, including Mario, Sonic, and Pokemon creations. Dreams' early access came to an end in December and released on PS4 earlier this month. Some creators have even created "demakes" of modern games reimagined as PS1 classics, such as this PS1 demake of The Last of Us Part 2 by YouTuber Bearly Regal. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/01/the-last-of-us-part-ii-remade-as-ps1-game-in-dreams-created-by-bearly-regal"] If you're interested in the game, be sure to check out our Dreams review as well as a short history of how Dreams came to be. If you're wondering whether or not Dreams is a legit game design tool, check out an actual game developer's review of Dreams. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN. Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.

First Look At New Rainbow Six Siege Operators Gameplay

Ubisoft has announced Operation Void Edge, the first season of Rainbow Six Siege Year 5. As is tradition, the season adds DLC in the form of two new Operators - Iana and Oryx - a map rework, and a few tweaks to keep the game balanced. Unlike Siege’s previous operation, which introduced new Operators designed to be fresh alternatives to pre-existing roles, Operation Void Edge’s characters bring wholly new gameplay elements to Rainbow Six. In short: controllable decoy scout holograms and the ability to leap through walls and hatches. Rainbow Six Siege Iana Void EdgeFirst up is Iana, who is perhaps Siege’s most sci-fi attacker yet. A Dutch operator who previously worked as part of the European space project, her gadget, the Gemini Replicator, creates a controllable holographic copy of herself. Essentially a walking version of Alibi’s Prisma, when activated you effectively (for lack of a better term) leap out of Iana’s body and into the hologram. Controlling the Gemini Replicator is identical to using a regular Operator, although the hologram cannot shoot, melee, deploy secondary gadgets, climb ladders, or use rappel ropes. It does produce footsteps and noise, though, and so can be used to convince an enemy that an attacker is moving towards their position. Essentially, the Gemini Replicator is a drone that looks like a human, which puts an interesting spin on intelligence gathering. Unlike an Alibi Prisma hologram, the Gemini Replicator can only be used for a short period of time, and there is a cooldown between uses, which is longer if an enemy destroys the device. Shooting the hologram anywhere in its ‘body mass’ will destroy it, and Mute’s Signal Disruptor will also prevent it from working. With a 2 speed and 2 armor rating, Iana is a medium-balanced operator. She’s equipped with the popular G36C, previously only used by Ash, and the ARX200 that was first introduced as part of Nomad’s loadout. In her secondary slots is a 9mm MK1, and the option of either smoke or frag grenades. Rainbow Six Siege Oryx Void EdgeOn defense is Oryx, a Jordanian defender who, like Caviera, has no gadget. Instead he has an ability, Remah Dash, that allows him to charge over short distances and even - at the cost of 10 health points - run through breakable walls. Yup, he’s basically the Kool-Aid Man. The dash can also be used to knock down opponents, which seems especially useful against shield operators like Montagne and Blitz. As you can imagine, he’s a relatively speedy defender (2 speed, 2 armor), and that athleticism also allows him a second unique passive ability: he can jump up through broken hatches. This is invaluable for quick rotation between split level bomb sites, and makes him perhaps Siege’s most effective roamer. Oryx’s loadout consists of the MP5LI and the SPAS-12 shotgun, and the Bailiff 410 and USPc40 pistols, plus a choice of barbed wire or bulletproof camera. By having shotgun options on both his primary and secondary, it means Oryx can always have a way to blow through hatches and make a quick rotation. Meanwhile, Remah Dash means he’s effectively a human Impact Grenade when it comes to removing walls between sites. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/15/rainbow-six-siege-oregon-map-comparison"] As with all Siege operations, Void Edge comes with a map component. It’s another rework, this time to Oregon. The cultist base location has been a firm favourite in the Siege community since launch, and has essentially been untouched due to how well designed it is. But Void Edge makes a few small but important alterations, with the biggest of them being the removal of the Tower bomb site. It has been relocated to Meeting Hall and Kitchen, which will hopefully make it a more viable site for both attackers and defenders. Other changes have made many areas more open, as well as creating better rotation routes. A new freezer room has been added to the basement with a set of stairs up to the first floor, meaning attackers now have a third entry point into a site that has typically been kinder to defenders. The map now features a few more breakable walls than previously, which certainly feels at least partly done in order to introduce Oryx in an environment perfectly designed for his toolset. Tweaks and balance changes are an important part of every Siege season, and Void Edge makes some major changes to both Twitch and Lesion. Twitch’s drones now have 3 barbs in a magazine, down from 5, although they will recharge over time, akin to Echo’s Yokai drone. The barbs now only do one point of damage instead of 10, focusing their use on gadget destruction rather than damaging players. Lesion’s Gu Mines now do not deal damage when triggered, but each ‘sting’ they inflict while a needle is stuck in an enemy player will do two extra damage. Downed operators who crawl over Gu Mines will not trigger them, meaning that Lesion should cause less cheap kills. The icons that indicate Gu Mines on the HUD have been entirely removed unless Lesion is in direct line of sight of them, meaning it’s now harder to tell which mines have been triggered. Overall, the focus seems on making Lesion more of Operator designed to slow attackers, rather than gather accurate situational intelligence based on which mines are triggered. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/14/rainbow-six-siege-operation-void-edge-new-operators-reveal-trailer"] Year 4 struggled to offer many Operator options that felt truly viable; Nokk and Warden seemed to have become obscure within weeks of launch, while Amaru and Goyo still don’t quite seem to have hit their stride. Year 5 seems to be kicking off with a much better start, though. Iana’s hologram is a simple, effective gadget that combines the best of the traditional drone with some fun decoy tactics. However, it’s Oryx that’s certainly the star of Void Edge. His destructive dash is the lure, but it’s his hatch-leaping ability that will hopefully see him become a firm favourite for roamers. It may be similar to Amaru’s grapple in many ways, but it’s an ability that will simply be more valuable to mobile defenders. For more Rainbow Six Siege, check out our documentary Saving Siege, the full story of the game’s development and journey to FPS domination. Or for something a bit more fun, take a look at Ubisoft’s developers rating IGN’s Operator designs. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer, and a little upset at what Ubisoft has done to Lesion, even though it's clearly the right move. You can follow him on Twitter

The Batman: Zoe Kravitz Thrilled to Be Robert Pattinson’s ‘Partner in Crime’

Zoe Kravitz, who stars in Hulu's new adaptation of High Fidelity, has started working on Matt Reeves' The Batman, where she'll play Selina Kyle/Catwoman opposite Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne/Batman. While doing press for High Fidelity, Kravitz spoke to Variety about co-starring with Pattinson and their time training together. "I’ve never worked with him before," she said, "but we’ve been together for the last few weeks. I had to camera test with him and now we’ve been training together and rehearsing together and he’s just a delightful person and such a wonderful, thoughtful actor." "I think he’s perfect for the role," Kravitz added, "and it’s going to be such an adventure. I’m excited to have him as my partner in crime and to be there to support each other, because it’s intense. It’s going to be a long shoot and there’s a lot of pressure, and I know he has my back and I have his." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=batman-ranking-the-movie-batsuits&captions=true"] Recently, director Matt Reeves posted a camera test to Twitter, revealing Pattinson as Batman, drawing a few Daredevil comparisons, and making some theorize that the bat symbol on his chest is constructed of the gun that killed Thomas and Martha Wayne. With Pattinson's costume partially unveiled, we ranked all the movie batsuits - from Adam West's camp classic to Michael Keaton's gothic greatness to Ben Affleck's Superman-smashing armor. You can also check out our review of Hulu's High Fidelity, starring Zoe Kravitz, here. The Batman is scheduled to be released on June 25, 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/15/the-batman-is-the-bat-symbol-really-the-gun-that-killed-his-parents"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Tom Holland and Chris Pratt Unite on IGN’s Onward Premiere Live Stream

Tom Holland and Chris Pratt are going on their next marvelous adventure in Pixar and Disney's new animated movie Onward. IGN will bring you into the adventure by being Disney's exclusive live stream partner from the red carpet premiere in Hollywood on February 18th! In addition to interviews with Holland and Pratt, IGN's hosts Max Scoville and Sydnee Goodman will also be speaking with the incredible voice cast, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer, to the creative team behind the movie, like director Dan Scanlon and executive producer Pete Docter. And, to top it all off, if you tune into the livestream you'll get an early look at the new Pixar movie in the form of an exclusive clip! Here are the important details you need to know: For more about Onward, be sure to watch the trailer for Pixar's latest below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/17/onward-domestic-trailer-3"] Set in a suburban fantasy world, Disney and Pixar’s Onward introduces two teenage elf brothers (voices of Chris Pratt and Tom Holland) who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there. A new trailer and poster are now available, and new character posters were recently revealed, introducing cast members Mel Rodriguez, who voices Officer Colt Bronco; Lena Waithe, who lends her voice to Officer Specter; and Ali Wong, the voice of Officer Gore. Directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae, Onward opens in U.S. theaters on March 6, 2020. Be sure to drop in your questions for the cast and creators in the comments section below for a chance for them to be asked live! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-disney-and-pixar-animated-movie&captions=true"]

You Can Now Rickroll Friends in Fortnite

A new emote has hit the Fortnite Item Shop, and it's based on one of the most famous internet memes — Rickrolling. Epic actually Rickrolled fans last night via Twitter when it announced the new emote. As you can see below, the tweet seems to point to a video of a bear, but when you click on it, you'll find a video of Fishstick and Polar Patroller dancing to an actual sound clip from Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up." If you're not familiar with Rickrolling (it's 2020, have you been living under a rock?), it's a prank where someone uses a disguised hyperlink to trick someone into clicking on it. Once they've opened the link, it'll turn out to be a music video of Astley's iconic dance. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-person-suing-epic-games-over-fortnite-dances-so-far&captions=true"] The Rickroll emote is currently available in the Item Shop for 500 V-Bucks (around $5 USD). Epic has shied away from adding popular dances into the game over the past few months after it was hit with a few different lawsuits for copyright infringement. Most notably, the Fortnite developer was sued by The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's Alfonso Ribeiro after his 'Carlton' dance was added to the game. Ribeiro sued for copyright infringement, but so far his case hasn't been successful. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/01/16/epic-under-fire-for-stolen-fortnite-dance-again-ign-daily-fix"] As of January 2020, four high-profile lawsuits have been filed against Epic for copyright infringement. However, most of the lawsuits have been put on hold, as it's unclear if dances can be copyrighted. Nonetheless, Epic has taken a step back from bringing popular dances into the game, at least at the pace it previously set. It's unclear if Epic has licensed its new Rickroll to emote or if it's rolling the dice once again. Either way, if you're interested, it'd be best to pick it up now before it's gone. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN. Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.

BSG Creator Confirms Reboot Series Takes Place in the ‘Same Universe’

Last September, it was announced that a reboot of Ron D. Moore's acclaimed Battlestar Galactica (which itself was a remake) was in development at NBC, headed up by Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail. Following online speculation about what the show might include, Esmail took to Twitter to clarify that the show would "NOT be a remake," but instead a new story within the mythology. Now creator of the 2004 series Ron Moore has confirmed Esmail's BSG designs, while speaking to Variety about his Starz series Outlander. “Sam called me and was very gracious," Moore said, about when the BSG reboot news came through. "He didn’t pitch me the story so I don’t know [what it's about]. But he said his plans and he wasn’t going to re-start the show and recast it, but he wanted to do something in the same universe." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-tv-shows-of-the-decade-2010-2019&captions=true"] "Sam’s amazing," Moore added, "and I love ‘Mr. Robot.’ I was like ‘You’re an amazing guy and amazing writer, go with God!’” Esmail's developing series will be an updated look at the Battlestar Galactica universe, taking its inspiration from Moore’s series, rather than the 1978 original from Glen A. Larson. Esmail's Battlestar Galactica will form part of initial original programming slate for Peacock, which launches in April 2020. Here's a look at everything headed to Peacock, including Will Forte's MacGruber series and the Saved by the Bell reboot/sequel! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=everything-coming-to-nbcuniversals-peacock&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.