GameStop CEO George Sherman says there is currently "no indication of any impact on the product launch or delivery date" of either PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. In an earnings conference call, Sherman discussed the current effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on the games retailer. While explaining that the "situation remains fluid", he specifically brought up the potential effects on next-gen consoles: "As for the impact on the new supply chain and manufacturing for the new consoles," Sherman explained, "we will continue to work with the console makers as the launch approaches, but as of now, we have no indication of any impact on the product launch or delivery date, which is expected in time for holiday 2020." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=developers-share-what-most-excites-them-about-next-gen-tech&captions=true"] In fact, Sherman says the impact of the virus on its stock in general has been relatively low: "In the near term, we continue to monitor inventory levels for specific categories that might be impacted by shipping or delivery delays, but as of now, any impact has been minimal." It's not clear exactly how much insider information that Sherman is working with here, but it's likely the CEO is in close contact with the console manufacturers. Before previous console launches, GameStop executives have explained that they "know more than we can share", and were privy to unannounced information such as the Nintendo Switch (then codenamed NX) using physical media, despite widespread rumours that it would be digital-only. It must also be pointed out that it's beneficial for Sherman and GameStop to reassure investors that next-gen consoles - likely to be among their best-selling items this year - will arrive on schedule. Sherman's statement tallies somewhat with a Sony-retained PR agency, which explained that PS5 had not yet been delayed. However, with the effects of the coronavirus outbreak changing daily, these kinds of statements can't be taken as guarantees that no delays will be implemented. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=next-gen-buzzwords-explained&captions=true"] It's been a troubling few weeks for GameStop, but despite closing European stores and converting US stores into curbside pickup-only locations, Sherman says there has been, "an increase in store and online traffic over the past few weeks." While that's good news in the short term, Sherman also announced that it would permanently close 300 more GameStop outlets in the next fiscal year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News, and he finds it wild looking back at old NX pieces he wrote. Follow him on Twitter.

Fantastic Beasts 3 actor Dan Fogler has given the latest scoop on the upcoming third instalment of the Harry Potter spin-off franchise amid recent filming delays, saying fans should expect to see some "epic battle scenes." In an interview with Syfy Wire, Fogler, who plays No-Maj Jacob Kowalski in the film series, praised the character development in the forthcoming chapter, which he says is building towards a "massive war" in the wizarding world. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/29/fantastic-beasts-3-will-release-in-2021"] "I can say I read the script and the character development is really lovely and it's very similar to the feel of the first movie, which I think is great," Fogler revealed to the outlet. "It's leading toward this massive war with the backdrop of World War II, so you can just imagine epic battle scenes are coming." Interestingly, the first film in the series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, takes place in 1926, while the second entry, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, is set in 1927, which means there could be a significant time-jump at some point in the planned five-film series to eventually cover the 1939-1945 period of World War II. For now, though, Fogler said that the cast and crew are waiting for the right moment to resume production. "I guess when everybody else starts back up," he said. "When the mechanism starts to move again and everybody starts to get back to work, that's when we'll get back to work. Hopefully, sooner than later." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] Fantastic Beasts 3 joins a growing list of movie and TV productions affected by COVID-19, including Universal's Fast 9, which will now be released in April 2021, almost a year later than originally planned, MGM's No Time to Die, which will now be released in November 2020, and Paramount's A Quiet Place: Part II, which currently does not have a new release date set. For a list of recommendations on how best to help, and stay safe, during the Coronavirus pandemic, please read our resource guide. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Doom Eternal, unlike its 2016 predecessor, does not have a pistol. At least, not in the final version of the game. Id Software did create a fully-functioning handgun for Doom Eternal, and it’s actually buried in the game’s files. If you’re on PC, you can even access it and add it to your arsenal.

You've probably heard by now that DOOM Eternal originally had a pistol and YES it's still in the game and accessible via console commands (with Cheat Engine)

I've heard it was scrapped because it didn't really fit the combat flow. Still pretty sweet looking. pic.twitter.com/FZFmrhQwCB — Dave Eternal (@DaveOshry) March 26, 2020

As highlighted on Twitter by Dave Oshry, a senior director at developer RocketWerkz, by using the Cheat Engine software, you can access Doom Eternal’s developer console and use a command to enable the cut pistol. It’s a snazzy looking weapon, too, with a cool equip animation and either single-shot or burst-fire modes. If you want to try the weapon for yourself, you’ll need to download and install Cheat Engine, and also grab the associated file for Doom Eternal. Then boot up Doom Eternal, TAB out to your desktop and load up Doom Eternal file, which will automatically open Cheat Engine. Then click the ‘Select Process to Open’ button below the ‘File’ menu, find and select Doom Eternal, and accept the next pop-up window. Now, if you look in the bottom pane of Cheat Engine you’ll see a line of text written in purple, ending ‘release-pc-hotfix2’. Click the box to the left of it to open the sub-menu, and click to cross the boxes next to both the console command and noclip commands entries below. You can then TAB back into your game. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/24/doom-eternal-why-gore-makes-combat-smarter"] When in-game, tap the Tilde button (the one below Esc and above TAB on your keyboard) to open the developer console. Type into the console 'give weapon/player/pistol' and tap Enter. This will spawn the pistol in the hand of the Doom Slayer. For more Doom Eternal, check out our final glowing review of both the campaign and multiplayer mode, our guide to killing the hardest enemy, and why speed is vital for combating the denizens of Hell. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

The studio behind The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 is donating nearly $1 Million to help fight the Coronavirus pandemic. The news arrives thanks to a LinkedIn post from CD Projekt Red's co-founder, Marcin Iwinski. Iwinski revealed that the studio will be donating "a sum of 4 million PLN [approximately $970,000 USD] to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Poland." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/24/7-cyberpunk-games-to-play-before-cyberpunk-2077"] The four million was split between the board of directors and shareholders and the company itself, with each party donating 2 million PLN. "We'd like to thank all the brave souls who fight for our well being every day and hope these funds help in your effort to rid us of the virus," Iwinski's statement reads. The studio is collaborating with a Polish NGO, Fundacja Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy, to fundraise for medical equipment and support healthcare workers fighting the virus in CD Projekt Red's home country. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/25/how-coronavirus-is-affecting-nintendo"] This follows recent news that Nintendo has donated 10,000 respirator masks to American healthcare workers in Washington to help fight the virus. In other CD Projekt Red news, the studio recently revealed an incredible figurine from Pure Arts that represents Cyberpunk 2077's female protagonist. We also learned earlier in March that CD Projekt Red's next game after Cyberpunk 2077 will be a game set in the Witcher universe, yet details about how it will take shape are yet to be revealed. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Following Europe, the US will now see slower downloads on PSN - but gameplay still shouldn't be affected.

GameStop is set to permanently close 300 more stores in the coming year. The news arrived in an earnings call conducted by the company, which shed light on GameStop's financial situation. It was revealed that the company "plans to meet or exceed" the number of closures that occurred in the previous fiscal year, which saw 321 shops close their doors. The retailer currently has 5,500 operational stores across the US. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/07/how-gamestop-plans-to-save-itself"] In the earnings call, the company touched on the huge financial uncertainty caused by the ongoing pandemic, but noted that the COVID-19 crisis has led to a 2% increase in sales in recent months. GameStop turned a profit in the fourth quarter and saw a decrease in its net loss for the full fiscal year, from $673 million to $470.9 million this year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/16/leaked-gamestop-store-redesign"] The earnings call also mentioned GameInformer, GameStop's media outlet that suffered layoffs in 2019. GameStop plans to build value in the brand through "interactive digital media," but the retailer didn't go into any further detail about their plans. In other GameSpot news, the company decided to close its stores in accordance with CDC guidelines after coming under fire for deeming its outlets as "essential" business and keeping the doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Courteney Cox, who played Monica Geller on the popular sitcom Friends, told Jimmy Kimmel that she's watching the entire series while self-isolating. Cox admitted to Kimmel that she doesn't actually remember that many details from the show, so now is the perfect time to watch the series. "People love the show so much, I decided to binge-watch Friends," Cox said. "I just started season one, it's really good." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/26/new-to-netflix-for-april-2020"] The actress added that she bought the show to stream on Amazon Prime Video, since it's no longer available on Netflix. Cox also said that the Friends reunion special, where all six main cast members are supposed to reunite and reminisce about the show, was scheduled to film earlier this week, but has been put on hold due to the COVID-19 outbreak. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=everything-coming-to-hbo-max&captions=true"] The Friends reunion was confirmed by HBO last month, and was set to be available on HBO Max in May. It's unclear if the filming delay will change the release date of the special. If you also want to watch Friends while self-isolating, check out IGN's list of the top ten Friends episodes. IGN is encouraging safety and positivity for all of our readers during this pandemic. Read our tips on how to help, and stay safe, during the COVID-19 pandemic. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and the Production Assistant for Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN's weekly Nintendo show. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.

With the coronavirus pandemic still raging, when will The Batman, Marvel's Shangi-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, The Matrix 4, Jurassic World: Dominion, Mission: Impossible 7, and other major releases slated for 2021 resume production? And when will projects such as Uncharted and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness be able to even start filming given the industry-wide shutdown? No movies will be able to resume or begin production until local governments lift bans on gatherings of more than 10 people. According to a source for Variety, it's expected that the first productions to resume will be those filming in the U.S. given that "the prospect of filming overseas presents too many logistical challenges given the global nature of COVID-19." Variety reports that studios have informed talent and their representatives that they don't expect delayed productions to resume "until mid-May at the earliest. ... But even May could be overly optimistic — the pandemic is not expected to reach its apex in major production hubs like New York City until the end of April." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] For Warner Bros., The Batman had already been filming for almost seven weeks in England when production was halted for what was initially only expected to be two weeks, while The Matrix 4 had completed filming in San Francisco and was bound for Berlin when the hiatus took effect. Paramount's Mission: Impossible 7 was about to shoot in Italy when the COVID-19 outbreak ravaged that country. Variety points out that production delays are causing scheduling issues for talent attached to star in other productions slated to begin filming later this year. Production start dates on those later films may have to be pushed and roles, both major and supporting, may need to be recast. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/04/the-batmans-matt-reeves-reveals-the-new-batmobile-ign-now] Uncharted, starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, was poised to begin filming in Berlin when production was put on hiatus. Holland was expected to segue from Uncharted to begin filming the third Spider-Man movie in July. Meanwhile, Marvel’s Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness reportedly hasn't shifted its start date and remains slated to begin filming in June.

With the coronavirus pandemic still raging, when will The Batman, Marvel's Shangi-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, The Matrix 4, Jurassic World: Dominion, Mission: Impossible 7, and other major releases slated for 2021 resume production? And when will projects such as Uncharted and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness be able to even start filming given the industry-wide shutdown? No movies will be able to resume or begin production until local governments lift bans on gatherings of more than 10 people. According to a source for Variety, it's expected that the first productions to resume will be those filming in the U.S. given that "the prospect of filming overseas presents too many logistical challenges given the global nature of COVID-19." Variety reports that studios have informed talent and their representatives that they don't expect delayed productions to resume "until mid-May at the earliest. ... But even May could be overly optimistic — the pandemic is not expected to reach its apex in major production hubs like New York City until the end of April." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] For Warner Bros., The Batman had already been filming for almost seven weeks in England when production was halted for what was initially only expected to be two weeks, while The Matrix 4 had completed filming in San Francisco and was bound for Berlin when the hiatus took effect. Paramount's Mission: Impossible 7 was about to shoot in Italy when the COVID-19 outbreak ravaged that country. Variety points out that production delays are causing scheduling issues for talent attached to star in other productions slated to begin filming later this year. Production start dates on those later films may have to be pushed and roles, both major and supporting, may need to be recast. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/04/the-batmans-matt-reeves-reveals-the-new-batmobile-ign-now] Uncharted, starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, was poised to begin filming in Berlin when production was put on hiatus. Holland was expected to segue from Uncharted to begin filming the third Spider-Man movie in July. Meanwhile, Marvel’s Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness reportedly hasn't shifted its start date and remains slated to begin filming in June.

Multiple reports say that Apple is developing its own VR and AR technology, and images of what may be Apple's headset controller have now surfaced. MacRumors posted an image of a black remote that looks very similar to the HTC Vive Focus' controller, which was released in 2018. The similarity to HTC's controller seemingly matches reports that Apple engineers were testing VR technology with HTC Vive hardware. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/01/iphone-11-pro-review"] In addition to the controller, Apple is also reportedly experimenting with a "crosswalk bowling" augmented reality experience. This game apparently simulates a virtual bowling experience across real-world crosswalks using AR technology. Players roll a virtual bowling ball at virtual pins placed on the opposite end of the crosswalk. Reports say the bowling game is only currently accessible near an Apple office in Sunnyvale, California, meant for Apple engineers to play and test while waiting to cross the street. Last November, a report said that Apple is planning on jumping into the VR and AR headset wars by 2021 or 2022. Additionally, Apple reportedly plans to release a pair of AR glasses in 2023. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/13/apple-arcade-in-100-seconds"] For more on VR, check out IGN's picks for the best VR headsets you can buy. Or, check out our review of Half-Life: Alyx, which we called a game "that the rest of VR gaming will likely take a good long while to match, much less surpass." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and the Production Assistant for Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN's weekly Nintendo show. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.