Director Denis Villeneuve has revealed the level of attention to detail and time spent on perfecting the look of the iconic sandworms of planet Arrakis in his upcoming screen retelling of Dune. Villeneuve, who previously brought alien creatures to life in Arrival before tackling Blade Runner 2049, told Empire Magazine (via /Film) that he and his production team spent a year understanding how such a giant creature would operate in a desert environment in order to obtain the right look. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dune-movie-every-actor-in-the-sci-fi-reboot&captions=true"] “We talked about every little detail that would make such a beast possible, from the texture of the skin, to the way the mouth opens, to the system to eat its food in the sand," Villeneuve said. He added, "It was a year of work to design and to find the perfect shape that looked prehistoric enough.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/dune-photos-reveal-stillsuits-and-weapons-ign-now"] The sandworms literally loom large in the saga of Dune. They inhabit the deserts of the planet Arrakis, where they are integral to the production of the spice that makes Arrakis such a singularly important world. And the spice, as any Dune fan knows, is the source of great wealth and thus power, leading to the dangerous rivalries between the story's great houses. For more on Dune, check out our breakdown of the new stillsuits and weapons, all the official photos, get the lowdown on the prequel comic, and learn why Dune '84 director David Lynch has "zero interest" in the remake.

InXile Entertainment, a California-based video game developer founded by Brian Fargo, confirmed that its next project after the release of Wasteland 3 will be a new triple-A RPG developed using Unreal Engine 5. Considering inXile is now a Microsoft first-party studio, it means the Xbox Series X will indeed have first-party games developed using Epic’s game engine. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/13/ps5-unreal-engine-5-tech-demo"] In response to a question from a fan on Twitter, inXile Entertainment confirmed that its next video game project will “indeed be using Unreal Engine 5 for our next project.” Studio boss Brian Fargo also confirmed on Twitter that its “next gen RPG” will use Unreal Engine 5. Unreal Engine 5 is Epic Games’ next-gen game engine. Two major features of the engine are two technologies called Lumen and Nanite. Lumen is a universal lighting system that makes it easier for developers to create realistic lighting effects, while Nanite lets developers import movie-quality digital assets directly into their games. In an interview with IGN Tim Sweeney said that the technology running the Lumen in the Land of Nanite tech demo was possible thanks to the SSD technology in the PS5. But Sweeney also said the same two technologies were able to run on the Xbox Series X. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=unreal-engine-5-playstation-5-tech-demo&captions=true"] Xbox boss Phil Spencer also tweeted how “many of our [Xbox Game Studios] are using Unreal,” and mentioned Ninja Theory is using the engine for Hellblade 2. InXile is currently developing Wasteland 3, a sequel to the isometric post-apocalyptic RPG, Wasteland 2. In 2018 Microsoft Studios announced that it acquired InXile along with Obsidian Entertainment to join its new Xbox Game Studios stable. Other Xbox Game Studios developers include Rare, 343 Industries, Ninja Theory, and more. Both Xbox and PlayStation are prepping to reveal more next-gen games, with Sony’s CEO confirming PS5 game reveals will happen soon. Meanwhile, Xbox is planning another 20/20 livestream focused on first-party titles, including Halo Infinite. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

The 93rd annual Academy Awards show isn't scheduled to air until February 28, 2021, but it appears that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the upcoming ceremony could be delayed. Per Variety, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is considering a postponement of the 2021 telecast on ABC. "It's likely they'll be postponed," a source close to the situation informed Variety. The outlet goes on to report that the details surrounding the potential delay have not been formally discussed and "another source says the date is currently unchanged." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-history-of-comic-book-movies-at-the-oscars&captions=true"] Back in April, the Oscars changed its rules in a big way because of Coronavirus, allowing movies that debuted on digital or streaming platforms to qualify for Best Picture. However, this new exception is only being made for the upcoming 93rd Academy Awards. In normal circumstances, the Academy requires a movie to be shown in a movie theater in L.A. County "for a theatrical qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days, during which period screenings must occur at least three times daily." In regards to whether or not the Oscars will actually be delayed, Academy president David Rubin told Variety that "It’s impossible to know what the landscape will be. We know we want to celebrate film but we do not know exactly what form it will take." In other Oscar news, find out why Joker was never going to win Best Picture, and check out the complete 2020 winner's list right here. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/11/what-was-eminem-doing-at-the-oscars-ign-now"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Ruby Rose is exiting the title role in The CW's Batwoman. The network will recast the role of Kate Kane with a new actress for the second season, which isn't slated to debut till January 2021. “I have made the very difficult decision to not return to Batwoman next season,” Rose said in a statement obtained by Deadline. “This was not a decision I made lightly as I have the utmost respect for the cast, crew and everyone involved with the show in both Vancouver and in Los Angeles.” Rose continued, "I am beyond appreciative to Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Caroline Dries for not only giving me this incredible opportunity, but for welcoming me into the DC universe they have so beautifully created." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=batwoman-season-1-photos&captions=true"] Batwoman, which just recently aired its first season finale, was already renewed for a second season at the time Rose announced her exit. While no official reason was given for Rose's exit, Deadline reports that it is not related to the very serious injury Rose endured filming season one. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-jokers-arrowverse-fate-revealed-ign-now"] The creative powers-that-be reiterated that they would recast the role of Batwoman with another LGBTQ actor: “The studio and network are firmly committed to Batwoman’s second season and long-term future, and we — along with the show’s talented creative team — look forward to sharing its new direction, including the casting of a new lead actress and member of the LGBTQ community, in the coming months.” For more on Batwoman, check out our review of the Season One finale, how it sets up the next CW crossover, and get the skinny on that (kinda sorta) Bruce Wayne reveal.

Ghost of Tsushima’s State of Play showcase culminated with a look at how the Sucker Punch-developed PS4 exclusive is paying homage to the samurai films that inspired it, with a black-and-white film grain mode that can be turned on from the start. But of course, with a game that is clearly built with as colorful and vibrant a world as Tsushima’s evidently has been, did the developers run into any issues ensuring the cinematic mode was still fun to play? Speaking to IGN after the State of Play, Ghost of Tsushima Creative Director and Art Director Jason Connell explained how Sucker Punch’s rigorous playtesting practices helped them ensure playing through Tsushima's adventure would be just as fun in its standard or filmic looks, given much of Tsushima's naturalistic approach to guiding players involves those very players noticing unique parts of the world. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ghost-of-tsushima-gameplay-customization-and-upgrades"] “There are definitely some things that are more challenging when you're in that mode. Once we created that mode, and you can play the whole game through it, we quickly realized there were some areas that we need to reevaluate,” Connell said. “Like, if we were using the same icon on the map but just using a different color, then that doesn't work that well. So you have to change the shape of the second icon because the color alone won't work.” Connell explained how this work to make the game fully understandable in that mode took some of its cues from how colorblind accessibility modes in games work. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ghost-of-tsushima-ps4-4k-screenshots&captions=true"] “And frankly, we take a lot of cues from learning from a colorblind accessibility mode. It effectively would be that for us. We just put the mode on and play the game a ton and find out where it breaks and rework on the design. And that's how we work in general about almost everything,” he said. That mode will be something players can experience the entire game in, while the State of Play also confirmed players can turn on a Japanese language voice track from the start if they so choose. And, befitting of Sony’s first-party efforts this generation, Sucker Punch will include a photo mode that allows players to change particle effects and even choose portions of the soundtrack to back players’ scenes. Connell also spoke to IGN about why Ghost of Tsushima isn’t using Infamous’ karma meter, as well as what Ghost of Tsushima biggest Sucker Punch’s biggest game ever means for the scope of what players can expect. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/18-minutes-of-ghosts-of-tsushima-gameplay-full-4k-60fps-presentation"] For more on Ghost of Tsushima, which is set to be released on PS4 July 17, be sure to read everything we learned from the Ghost of Tsushima State of Play, and find out why the Ghost of Tsushima showcase wowed us on the latest episode of our weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Editor's note: Former IGN employee Andrew Goldfarb is currently working for Ghost of Tsushima developer Sucker Punch. Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

DC's wildly popular zombie comic DCeased is getting another spinoff in 2020. DCeased: Hope at World's End is a digital-first series that fleshes out a missing period of time from the original book. The new series will again be written by DCeased writer Tom Taylor, with art by Dustin Nguyen (Descender), Renato Guedes (Action Comics), Carmine Di Giandomenico (The Flash) and Marco Failla (The Marvelous X-Men). Ben Oliver, Francesco Mattina and Yasmine Putri will provide covers. Check out the slideshow below for a look at covers and interior art for the new series: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dceased-hope-at-worlds-end-fleshes-out-dcs-superhero-zombie-saga&captions=true"] Hope at World's End spins out of the events of the original DCeased series, specifically filling in the time jump that takes place in DCeased #5. The series will offer greater insight into the struggles facing heroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Stephanie Brown, Wally West and Jimmy Olsen as they deal with a world ravaged by an Anti-Life zombie plague. “There was a point in DCeased where we had to make the decision to skip weeks of losses and triumphs and heroism or our first miniseries wouldn't exactly be a miniseries,” said Taylor in DC's press release. “But we knew we had a larger story to tell, so we seeded plots we could expand on and deliberately left huge characters off the table for the future. That future is here.” Though it's a spinoff of the original series, Hope at World's End will also lay the groundwork for the upcoming sequel series DCeased 2, which launches in June 2020. DCeased 2 deals with a new generation of heroes rising up to replace the zombie-ravaged old, and Hope at World's End will help chronicle the evolution of younger characters like Jon Kent, Stephanie Brown and Damian Wayne. “With Hope at World's End, we finally get to tell the tale of what Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Black Adam, Wink, the Aerie, Martian Manhunter, Black Manta, Steph Brown, Robin, Superboy and more did to save as much of humanity as they could,” continued Taylor. “And Super Sons fans won't want to miss the apocalyptic adventures of Damian and Jon as they stand up to the worst crisis the Earth has ever seen, and take their first steps on the road to becoming the next World's Finest.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/21/dceased-writer-on-creating-the-walking-dead-with-superheroes-comic-con-2019"] Hope at World's End will run 14 chapters in total. The first chapter is available now on the DC Comics app, ComiXology and other digital comics providers, with new chapters to follow every other Tuesday. DC hasn't yet confirmed a print version of the series, but based on past digital-first projects like Injustice: Gods Among Us, we assume the publisher will eventually release the series in both single issue and trade paperback formats. Hope at World's End is actually the second DCeased spinoff to debut in 2020. DC recently wrapped up DCeased: The Unkillables, a limited series that explores the events of the original comic from the perspective of more unsavory types like Deathstroke and Red Hood. For more on the DCeased saga, find out why the original series was nominated for IGN's Best Limited Comic Book or Mini-Series of 2019 and see seven other times zombies invaded our favorite superhero comics. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Lionsgate announced Tuesday that Oscar winner Halle Berry will star in director Roland Emmerich's next sci-fi disaster epic, Moonfall. Frozen's Josh Gad is also set to star in the movie, which begins filming later this year in Montreal. Here's the official plot synopsis for Moonfall, which Emmerich also co-wrote with screenwriters Harald Kloser and Spenser Cohen:

"In Moonfall, a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact, and against all odds, a ragtag team launches an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love and risking everything to land on the lunar surface and save our planet from annihilation."

Berry will play "a NASA astronaut-turned-administrator whose previous space mission holds a clue about an impending catastrophe." She previously played an astronaut in the CBS television series Extant. Call us prescient but back in 2009 IGN listed the moon as one of the things Roland Emmerich hasn't blown up yet. "If you think about it, the moon really is just sitting there – like a useless dog napping in the evening sky – begging to be blown up or forever disfigured," we wrote at the time. "Because aside from controlling the ebb and flow of the tides – or illuminating the Earth during the nighttime – what exactly does it do? It's just a big floating rock that's nowhere near cool enough to give the sun a run for its money. There's nothing on it – no water, no life. Relatively speaking, it's barely even in space. So please, Roland, put the damn moon out of its misery already." Oh, be careful what you wish for, IGN! [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2013/09/11/roland-emmerichs-life-in-trailers-universal-soldier"] Master of disaster Roland Emmerich's other world-threatening films include Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, Godzilla, and Independence Day: Resurgence.

This week in Red Dead Online you can get a free American Wildflower map, 50% bonus cash for turning the American Wildflower set to Madam Nazar, and much more.

2K Games and Hangar 13 have officially unveiled the full Mafia: Trilogy today. 2K Games previously announced the collection in a short teaser, and a leak online tipped the internet off about “Definitive Editions” for Mafia 1, 2, and 3. The first Mafia has been completely remade from the ground-up. The complete remake includes a new game engine, updated script, new cutscenes, added gameplay sequences, and more. However, Mafia 1 won’t be available to play until August 28, 2020. Meanwhile, Mafia 2: Definitive Edition is available today as part of the trilogy and received an Ultra HD remaster. Mafia: Definitive Edition follows cab driver turned mobster Tommy Angelo as he joins the ranks of the Salieri crime family during prohibition in the 1930s. The first Mafia is set the fictional city of Lost Heaven, Illinois, [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=mafia-trilogy-screenshots&captions=true"] Although only the first Mafia has been completely remade, Mafia 2: Definitive Edition features an ultra HD remaster that supports 4K visuals. Mafia 2 tells a different mafia story, this time in the fictional Empire Bay, New York post-World War 2. Veteran Vito Scaletta has to join the local family to help pay off his father’s debts. Meanwhile, Mafia 3: Definitive Edition follows Vietnam War veteran Lincoln Clay who sets out to start his own family to take revenge on the Italian Mafia that killed his loved ones. Both Mafia 2 and Mafia 3: Definitive Edition is available today and includes all their post-launch DLC. Mafia: Trilogy bundles all three Definitive Edition Mafia games, but each game will also be sold separately if you’re only looking to pick up one of the Mafia titles. Furthermore, players who already own Mafia 2 on Steam or Mafia 3 on PS4, Xbox One, and Steam will be upgraded to the Definitive Edition for free upon launch. The Mafia: Trilogy will also be available on the Epic Games Store at a later time. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/19/mafia-trilogy-announcement-trailer"] Purchasing the Trilogy at launch will grant immediate access to Mafia 2 and 3, but the Mafia 1 remake won’t be available until its launch in August. A physical edition will also be released in full on August 28, but only planned for select EMEA region territories. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.