The German Ubisoft store has given us an insight to the content coming in Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Season Pass, which looks to include a story mission based on "The Legend of Beowulf." The news was first spotted by GameNotify on Twitter, which included a link to Assassin's Creed Valhalla's store page on the German Ubisoft Store site. Sure enough, in the Overview section, you can read the following line: "Includes the story mission: The Legend of Beowulf. Discover the cruel truth behind the legend." Beowulf is an Old English epic poem which follows the eponymous Beowulf, a heroic warrior who saves the king of the Danes from a vicious monster called Grendel. The tale is set in Scandinavia, so it makes a lot of sense for Assassin's Creed Valhalla to draw on the legend to flesh out its world. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/assassins-creed-valhalla-official-trailer"] Given that you sail from Norway to England to raid Old Blighty's coasts during Valhalla's campaign, it's safe to assume this story will take place in the early throes of Eivor's journey, when they're still trying to survive in their Norse homeland. Yet the suggestion that you will reveal a "cruel truth" makes us think that Ubisoft may be looking to warp the mythology somewhat. Another bonus mission, the Way of the Berserker, is available to those who pre-order the game ahead of its launch later this year. Beyond the Beowulf mission, the season pass is said to "expand your experience with new content, new lands and new gear." We've got a complete pre-order guide for the many versions of Valhalla you can get, if you're interested in those extras. We learned last week that Valhalla will be "shorter and smaller" than Assassin's Creed Odyssey to address the common criticism that the Grecian game was bloated. Valhalla was one of 13 games shown off at last week's Inside Xbox, but fans weren't too happy with its promised gameplay teaser. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.  

Don't expect details on The Elder Scrolls VI until "years from now", according to Bethesda senior vice president Pete Hines. Responding to a tweet asking for information about the next-gen game, Hines was unequivocal, making clear that news on the still fairly unknown Starfield is coming well before anything on Elder Scrolls:

It’s after Starfield, which you pretty much know nothing about. So if you’re coming at me for details now and not years from now, I’m failing to properly manage your expectations.

— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) May 10, 2020

We already knew not to expect Starfield or Elder Scrolls 6 news this year so it'll likely be some time before we hear anything about either game. Bethesda won't be holding a digital replacement for E3 this year, but it does plan to deliver news on Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo in some form. After being teased at E3 2018, neither Starfield or Elder Scrolls 6 have release windows as of yet, and a recent job listing for the latter could suggest that development on Elder Scrolls 6 has only recently begun in earnest. We might not have been told too much about the follow-up to Skyrim, but here's everything we can speculate on about its release date, gameplay and more. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/elder-scrolls-vi-may-have-just-begun-production-ign-daily-fix"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

John Krasinski reunited some of his former co-stars from The Office to surprise a newly married couple on Episode 7 of his Some Good News web series. Taking to Twitter, Krasinski shared the latest instalment of his feel-good newscast, which spotlights positive stories from around the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In one segment, Krasinski spoke to a couple from Maryland who re-enacted the famous wedding proposal from The Office, in which Jim Halpert (Krasinski) gets down on one knee for Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) in front of a petrol station, for their own engagement.

Episode 7 is here! This one is filled with all kinds of LOVE — just the Good News we need! #SGNhttps://t.co/Q9QJ73TqOA

— Some Good News (@somegoodnews) May 11, 2020

"You guys have proved that proposal works 100 percent of the time," Krasinski joked with the couple, before encouraging them to get married live on the show. He then surprised them with the news that he had been ordained as a minister for the virtual ceremony, to which he invited their parents, siblings and friends to join the Zoom video conference. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/25/the-office-surprising-reason-behind-steve-carells-exit-revealed-ign-now"] Next up, he brought Jenna Fischer on to stand in as the couple's maid of honour. "I didn't know what your wedding colours were, but I went with pink and white," she said, gesturing to a flower arrangement behind her. Country singer Zac Brown then appeared on the group chat to perform "The Man Who Loves You the Most" for the bride's virtual walk down the aisle. After officiating the ceremony, Krasinski was joined by Steve Carell, Ed Helms, Ellie Kemper, Mindy Kaling, Rainn Wilson, B.J. Novak, Angela Kinsey, Brian Baumgartner, Creed Bratton, Kate Flannery, Oscar Nunez and Phyllis Smith who recreated their respective dances from Jim and Pam's wedding for a virtual after-party set to Chris Brown's song "Forever." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-tv-shows-of-the-decade-2010-2019&captions=true"] For some even more good news, watch the moment that Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Broadway cast of Hamilton surprised a young fan with a performance of her favourite song and check out the very first episode of John Krasinski's YouTube series featuring "entertainment correspondent" Steve Carell. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

One of the developers behind SteamDB has revealed that Valve is seemingly working on a loyalty system that could potentially reward users with game discounts and virtual items. Pavel Djundik posted the news to Twitter, noting that the "loyalty awards" system would feature accruable points that can be redeemed for badge levels, and will allow reactions to user reviews. According to Djundik, there will also be "reward items" and perhaps a system where players can receive discounts on games as a reward for their loyalty to Steam.

Valve is working on loyalty awards/rewards. It has a point system, and a system to add reactions to user reviews.

Also includes reward items, redeeming points for badge levels, and possiblity game discounts. — Pavel Djundik (@thexpaw) May 9, 2020

Djundik followed up his post with a supposed screenshot of the reactions that players could be leaving on user reviews in the near future - "Deep Thoughts, Heartwarming, Hilarious, Hot Take, Poetry and xHelpful." The last entry could mean Helpful or Not Helpful, depending on the use of the "x" as a prefix. Djundik is a full-stack developer and data miner known for his work on SteamDB, a third-party database that often reveals games ahead of time. Just last week, we reported on a SteamDB listing for Yakuza: Like a Dragon which hinted at the game coming to PC and Steam. Sure enough, Like a Dragon's Western PC release was unveiled after the May installment of Xbox 20/20. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

A report suggests that the long-rumoured remaster of Diablo 2 may be coming this year. French news outlet ActuGaming is reporting that the game, which it believes to be called Diablo 2 Resurrected, will launch in Q4 2020. The editor of ActuGaming has previously correctly predicted announcements for Overwatch 2, Diablo 4 and WoW: Shadowlands. The article cites "sources close to the studio," and suggests that Vicarious Visions is supporting Blizzard on the project. Vicarious Visions has been operating for decades now, but the studio most recently worked on the Crash Bandicoot revival, developing the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/06/19/blizzard-remastering-warcraft-3-and-diablo-2"] It's not known when this potential remaster will be revealed, but it's thought that it should make headlines before its scheduled launch date at the end of the year, if the rumours turn out to be true. We previously reported on a Blizzard job listing back in 2017 that suggested the studio was working on "restoring" both Warcraft III and Diablo II, which lends credence to this rumour. Warcraft III: Reforged launched in February of this year, a game we called "an uninspiring refresh of a truly great game." Hopefully, this rumoured Diablo II remaster will do its precursor more justice. [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Stone of Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Dave Filoni has spoken of the significance of the Duel of the Fates scene in Episode I: The Phantom Menace, saying it is more than just a "cool lightsaber battle." Filoni identified the epic duel between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul as a pivotal moment in the Star Wars saga, as he shared some interesting insights into the deeper meaning of the fight during a roundtable discussion on the latest episode of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian.

Dave Filoni on why Qui-Gon Jinn and Duel of the Fates is so important pic.twitter.com/aHKCF8H1rR

— 2x college graduate (@ariesanakin) May 9, 2020

"In Phantom Menace, you're watching these two Jedi in their prime fight this evil villain," Filoni explained. "Maul couldn't be more obviously the villain. He's designed to look evil, and he is evil, and he expresses that from his face, all the way out to the type of lightsaber he fights with. What's at stake is really how Anakin is going to turn out. Because Qui-Gon is different than the rest of the Jedi, and you get that in the movie." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/12/star-wars-breaking-down-the-duels-the-phantom-menace"] Filoni went on to discuss the prominent theme of fathers and sons that runs throughout the Star Wars saga, pointing out that Qui-Gon Jinn serves as a father figure to Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace because he stands by the fact "Jedi are supposed to actually care and love" at their core. "He's fighting for Anakin, and that's why it's the Duel of the Fates," Filoni said. "It's the fate of this child. And depending on how this fight goes, his life is going to be dramatically different. So Qui-Gon loses, of course, so the father figure [is gone]. Because he knew what it meant to take this kid away from his mother when he had an attachment, and he's left with Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan trains Anakin, at first, out of a promise he makes to Qui-Gon, not because he cares about him. He's a brother to Anakin, eventually, but he's not a father figure. That's a failing for Anakin. He doesn't have the family that he needs. He loses his mother in the next film. He fails the promise to his mother, 'I will come back and save you.' So he's left completely vulnerable, and Star Wars is ultimately about family." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/21/star-wars-lightsaber-color-meanings-explained"] Filoni concluded the in-depth discussion of the scene by highlighting how the Duel of the Fates ultimately reverberates throughout the entire Star Wars saga, right the way through to the final encounter between Luke Skywalker and the Emperor at the end of Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. "So that moment in that movie, that I think a lot of people diminish into just this cool lightsaber fight, is everything that the entire three films of the prequels hangs on," Filoni added. "It's that one particular fight. And Maul serves his purpose, and at that point died — before George made me bring him back. But he died, and that's showing you, again, how the Emperor is completely self-serving. He's just a tool. He's using people and now he's going to use this child. That follows all the way through to the line, which terrified me as a kid, when the Emperor tells Luke, 'You, like your father, are now mine.'" [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-10-best-star-wars-movie-moments&captions=true"] If you're looking forward to seeing more epic Star Wars duels in the future, then you might be interested to learn that Disney has just announced a new Star Wars movie directed by Taika Waititi. Plus, Bob Iger has not ruled out Star Wars trilogies despite wanting to take "a bit of a hiatus" after the release of Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker last year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

LOTR's Andy Serkis, who was in the midst of filming his role as Alfred Pennyworth in Matt Reeves' The Batman when production shut down indefinitely due to the coronavirus, has confirmed the film's overall darker tone. While speaking to LAD Bible, Serkis was asked if fans should expect a "darker, broodier" Batman, to which Serkis chuckled and replied "I would say that's not far from the truth." Devling into the story a little bit more, Serkis stated that "[The Batman] is very much about the emotional connection between Alfred and Bruce. That's really at the center of it. And it is a really exquisite script that Matt has written." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ranking-the-batman-movies&captions=true"] Serkis is the latest actor to portray Alfred in the movies, following fellow Brits Michael Gough, Michael Caine, and Jeremy Irons (and even TV's Alan Napier, who appeared in the 1966 movie). “[Michael Caine] was fantastic," Serkis said, when asked how he intended to follow those who came before him. "His Alfred was legendary, I couldn’t even begin to go there, really. You find it for yourself. It’s like playing these iconic roles in Shakespeare, you go back, you revisit them and you have to make it your own, and see what it is about the character that connects with you and your personal venn diagram.” The Batman, now moved to an October 2021 release, is reportedly more of a noir-style, detective-driven story and an "odd throwback" to '70s films Klute and Chinatown. Andy Serkis also directed the Venom sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which wrapped principal photography back in February, before the COVID-19 crisis shut most everything down, allowing Serkis to star in The Batman. We've got a running theory about Let There Be Carnage, that the film is strongly hinting at a villain far worse than Woody Harrelson's Cletus Kasady. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/24/venom-2-title-teases-a-secret-villain-theory"] [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 Felton, who played the sinister and sneaky Slytherin student Draco Malfoy throughout the entire Harry Potter film franchise, received some surprising (and distressing) news this past week courtesy of the Wizarding World website. According to Felton's "Wizarding Passport," which can be created on the Wizarding World site or imported from one's old Pottermore account (as Wizarding World replaced Pottermore and became the all-things Harry Potter hub), the actor, deep down, is a Hufflepuff. "A sad day....on so many levels #harrypotterathome" Felton posted to his IG account... Responding to Felton's "sad day" post, Wizarding World added "On the contrary Tom, it's a happy day! Hufflepuff is full of just and loyal friends, you'll fit right in! (p.s they're also closest to the kitchens...)." Also this past week, as part of the Harry Potter at Home Initiative, a roster of celebrities signed up to read chapters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - including Daniel Radcliffe, Stephen Fry, David Beckham, Dakota Fanning, Claudia Kim, Noma Dumezweni, and Eddie Redmayne. Radcliffe launched the project by reading the first chapter, "The Boy Who Lived," as all 17 chapters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone will be read by different narrators between now and the middle of summer. Videos will be posted weekly on the Harry Potter At Home hub, with audio versions available to stream on Spotify. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-harry-potter-characters&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.

Film and TV production has resumed in New Zealand, meaning the live-action scenes that still need to be shot for James Cameron's four Avatar sequels can start up again, as reports say that the total cost for the sequels is hovering around a cool billion. Breaking down to approximately $250 million a movie. As Deadline reports, Avatars 2 through 5 will be picking up where they left off in a few months's time, along with Amazon’s The Lord Of The Rings series which also, naturally, shoots in New Zealand. New Zealand’s health and safety production protocols have been endorsed by the national government, which means that cameras can start rolling once more on the big live pieces for Cameron's blockbusters sequels, which are being filmed all at once. In fact, some New Zealand film and TV shoots are already underway. The official Avatar Twitter account posted an image of James Cameron on set, though the team is currently not back in New Zealand yet.

From the set of the sequels: @JimCameron directing the actors before they dive underwater for performance capture.

Fun fact: That layer of white on the water's surface is comprised of floating balls that prevent lights from interfering with filming underwater. pic.twitter.com/dOBwS6qOXF — Avatar (@officialavatar) May 6, 2020

Back in January, before the COVID-19 crisis shut down most productions all over the world, some cool concept art for the Avatar sequels was revealed... [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=avatar-sequels-concept-art-revealed&captions=true"] Avatar 2 is still on track to open December 17, 2021 - with the others set to release on December 22, 2023, December 19, 2025, and December 17, 2027. Avatar was the highest-grossing movie of all time until Avengers: Endgame dethroned it. The margin between the two films is so small, however, that James Cameron believes Avatar, once inevitably re-released ahead of Avatar 2, will reclaim the top spot. For more on the Avatar sequels, read about Michelle Yeoh's casting, what Stephen Lang had to say about filming performance-capture underwater, and what James Cameron had to say about Kate Winslet's character. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/08/10/james-cameron-on-why-avatar-sequels-spirituality-is-essential"] [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.

Saturday Night Live's new bi-weekly "SNL at Home" presentation started a mini-tradition in its first iteration, a month back, by having the show's "host" be a surprise reveal at the top of the episode. Granted, these stars do little more than introduce the silliness, and the surprise musical guest later on, but they're still the de facto hosts. Tom Hanks was the first, followed by Brad Pitt, who appeared as Dr. Anthony Fauci. This week's host was former SNL cast member Kristen Wiig, who provided viewers with an elaborate "at home" opening credits sequence followed by a special message for mothers everywhere on this Mother's Day weekend. Check it out...

Your host, Kristen Wiig! #SNLAtHome pic.twitter.com/EdO7CRsoQu

— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) May 10, 2020

Also, unlike previous "at home" hosts, Wiig appeared in a separate skit as a hyperactive YouTuber, named P. J. Charnt, giving out hair advice. The episode also featured fun cameo spots from Martin Short, Tina Fey, and Josh Gad.

This was meant to be my “We Are the World.” I could not have been more wrong. https://t.co/Z7bZSJpoiz

— Josh Gad (@joshgad) May 10, 2020

For more TV news, check out our review of Hulu's Solar Opposites, created Rick and Morty's Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan, the news of a Walking Dead star joining the Silence of the Lambs sequel series, and our list of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/15/solar-opposites-official-trailer"] [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.