Electronic Arts has announced The Sims Spark'd, a new reality competition show that will have players participating in both skills and elimination challenges in The Sims 4 to build the "most unique characters, worlds and stories." The Sims Spark'd will be a four-part series that airs weekly and will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8pm PT/11pm ET. It is produced in partnership with Turner Sports' esports and gaming entertainment brand ELEAGUE and Buzzfeed Multiplayer. This new competition will have 12 contestants competing for $100,000 and each player will have to impress a panel of celebrity judges that includes BuzzFeed Multiplayer YouTube personality Kelsey Impicciche, singer-songwriter Tayla Parx, and Maxis game developer Dave Miotke. Former American Idol finalist Rayvon Owen will be the host of the show. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/08/the-sims-sparkd-reality-show-official-trailer"] The contestants will remain a mystery until the permiere, but they include "familiar online personalities who each specialize in their own element of The Sims gameplay." Those at home will be able to do more than simply watch, as Maxis will be putting out a series of in-game challenges in The Sims 4 called the Spark'd Challenge Program that will also begin Friday, July 17. Furthermore, those who stand out and become a top creator can win a chance to be considered for a future season of The Sims Spark'd. If players are interested in catching up on The Sims 4 before this new show, EA announced at EA Play Live 2020 that The Sims 4 base game and all packs are now available on Steam. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/18/the-sims-4-steam-announcement-trailer-ea-play-2020"] [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.

It's been a follow-up nearly a decade in the making but the sequel novel to Ready Player One is (almost) finally here. Ready Player Two will be published November 24, 2020, Random House announced Wednesday. You can now pre-order Ready Player Two.

We are excited to reveal Ernest Cline's followup to READY PLAYER ONE! Introducing, READY PLAYER TWO, coming 11/24. pic.twitter.com/yWaCIJNIvX

— Random House (@randomhouse) July 8, 2020

Ernest Cline's original book came out in 2011 and proved a blockbuster sensation, taking readers into a dystopian future where citizens escape into a 1980s pop culture-drenched virtual reality called the OASIS. Director Steven Spielberg adapted Ready Player One as a movie in 2018 that starred Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance. In our positive Ready Player One review, we called the film "far more than just a reference-fest. It’s an action film first, both in the relatively bland real world and in the colorful, over-the-top virtual one, and carries Steven Spielberg’s affinity for thoughtful timing and some genuinely thrilling sequences." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-virtual-reality-adventure-movies&captions=true"] No word yet on whether there are any plans to adapt Ready Player Two for the big screen.

It's been a follow-up nearly a decade in the making but the sequel novel to Ready Player One is (almost) finally here. Ready Player Two will be published November 24, 2020, Random House announced Wednesday. You can now pre-order Ready Player Two.

We are excited to reveal Ernest Cline's followup to READY PLAYER ONE! Introducing, READY PLAYER TWO, coming 11/24. pic.twitter.com/yWaCIJNIvX

— Random House (@randomhouse) July 8, 2020

Ernest Cline's original book came out in 2011 and proved a blockbuster sensation, taking readers into a dystopian future where citizens escape into a 1980s pop culture-drenched virtual reality called the OASIS. Director Steven Spielberg adapted Ready Player One as a movie in 2018 that starred Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance. In our positive Ready Player One review, we called the film "far more than just a reference-fest. It’s an action film first, both in the relatively bland real world and in the colorful, over-the-top virtual one, and carries Steven Spielberg’s affinity for thoughtful timing and some genuinely thrilling sequences." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-virtual-reality-adventure-movies&captions=true"] No word yet on whether there are any plans to adapt Ready Player Two for the big screen.

Universal Pictures announced Wednesday that it has postponed four of their major horror releases due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Halloween Kills, which was to have opened October 16, 2020, has been postponed an entire year to a Friday, October 15, 2021 wide release. Likewise, its sequel Halloween Ends has been pushed from October 15, 2021, to Friday, October 14, 2022. (C'mon, you can't open a Halloween movie at any other time than Halloween!) [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/08/halloween-kills-official-trailer-1"] Both films are a follow-up to the 2018 hit -- which itself was a direct sequel to the 1978 John Carpenter classic -- and sees the return of star Jamie Lee Curtis as well as the creative team of director David Gordon Green and co-writer/executive producer Danny McBride.

I know you all have been looking forward to an update on the status of "Halloween Kills". Here it is: pic.twitter.com/EWivyipYgR

— John Carpenter (@TheHorrorMaster) July 8, 2020

The Jordan Peele-produced, Nia DaCosta-directed Candyman will now take the place of Halloween Kills' original release date, shifting from a September 25, 2020, to October 16, 2020 wide release. Finally, The Forever Purge has a new wide release date of Friday, July 9, 2021. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/27/candyman-official-trailer]

Universal Pictures announced Wednesday that it has postponed four of their major horror releases due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Halloween Kills, which was to have opened October 16, 2020, has been postponed an entire year to a Friday, October 15, 2021 wide release. Likewise, its sequel Halloween Ends has been pushed from October 15, 2021, to Friday, October 14, 2022. (C'mon, you can't open a Halloween movie at any other time than Halloween!) [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/08/halloween-kills-official-trailer-1"] Both films are a follow-up to the 2018 hit -- which itself was a direct sequel to the 1978 John Carpenter classic -- and sees the return of star Jamie Lee Curtis as well as the creative team of director David Gordon Green and co-writer/executive producer Danny McBride.

I know you all have been looking forward to an update on the status of "Halloween Kills". Here it is: pic.twitter.com/EWivyipYgR

— John Carpenter (@TheHorrorMaster) July 8, 2020

The Jordan Peele-produced, Nia DaCosta-directed Candyman will now take the place of Halloween Kills' original release date, shifting from a September 25, 2020, to October 16, 2020 wide release. Finally, The Forever Purge has a new wide release date of Friday, July 9, 2021. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/27/candyman-official-trailer]

Tyler "Ninja" Blevins announced that he will begin streaming on YouTube Gaming following the news that Microsoft will shut down Mixer. His first stream on YouTube ever premiered today, July 8. Ninja left Twitch in 2019 to join Mixer, but since the service will no longer exist at the end of July, all eyes were on Ninja to see whether he would return to Twitch or choose another platform. Ninja reportedly declined to join Facebook's streaming service. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ninja-career-highlights&captions=true"] Ninja made waves back in 2019 when he announced that he signed a deal with Microsoft to stream exclusively on Mixer. However, Microsoft has since announced that it will be shutting down Mixer and redirect streamers to Facebook instead. The news that Mixer was shutting down created tremors throughout the world of internet streaming. Partnered Mixer streamers were offered immediate partner status with Facebook Gaming, but for many other streamers it was a sudden and swift loss of both a platform and potential income. Meanwhile, Ninja, who reportedly signed an exclusivity deal rumored to be worth millions, declined to sign a similar deal with Facebook Gaming. He's since largely stuck to posting videos and updates on his YouTube channel. Ninja rose the prominence with the advent of Fortnite Battle Royale. Despite being a pro Halo player for years, Ninja's career exploded alongside the popularity of Epic's battle royale shooter. Ninja has since become one of the most recognizable video game streamer, and has made inroads into mainstream culture with appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)

Tyler "Ninja" Blevins announced that he will begin streaming on YouTube Gaming following the news that Microsoft will shut down Mixer. His first stream on YouTube ever premiered today, July 8. Ninja left Twitch in 2019 to join Mixer, but since the service will no longer exist at the end of July, all eyes were on Ninja to see whether he would return to Twitch or choose another platform. Ninja reportedly declined to join Facebook's streaming service. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ninja-career-highlights&captions=true"] Ninja made waves back in 2019 when he announced that he signed a deal with Microsoft to stream exclusively on Mixer. However, Microsoft has since announced that it will be shutting down Mixer and redirect streamers to Facebook instead. The news that Mixer was shutting down created tremors throughout the world of internet streaming. Partnered Mixer streamers were offered immediate partner status with Facebook Gaming, but for many other streamers it was a sudden and swift loss of both a platform and potential income. Meanwhile, Ninja, who reportedly signed an exclusivity deal rumored to be worth millions, declined to sign a similar deal with Facebook Gaming. He's since largely stuck to posting videos and updates on his YouTube channel. Ninja rose the prominence with the advent of Fortnite Battle Royale. Despite being a pro Halo player for years, Ninja's career exploded alongside the popularity of Epic's battle royale shooter. Ninja has since become one of the most recognizable video game streamer, and has made inroads into mainstream culture with appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Amazon is set to release a short film centred on Karl Urban's Billy Butcher as a "companion piece" to The Boys season 2. In an interview with Collider, series showrunner Eric Kripke revealed that the second episode of the forthcoming season was originally supposed to show what happened to Butcher off-screen in-between seasons. However, the footage was eventually cut due to pacing issues and repackaged into a short film to be released "sometime in the middle of the release of the [next] series." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/08/amazons-the-boys-season-2-official-teaser"] "We are going to release a pretty substantial thing," Kripke said. "It's not really spoiling anything to say that as season two begins Butcher is MIA and then shows up. In episode two, we originally shot something that really revealed where he went and what his experiences were, but it ultimately didn't end up fitting that well into the episode because it made Butcher's story a lot less mysterious and intriguing." "It was better to not know in that particular episode but we had these scenes," he explained further. "So we strung them into a short film called 'Butcher,' and we're going to release that... it'll work as a companion piece to the show. There's actually references in the show that you won't understand unless you see this thing because it was really tied into our plot." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=amazons-the-boys-9-surprising-differences-from-the-comics&captions=true"] Earlier today, Amazon Prime Video debuted the official teaser trailer for The Boys Season 2, alongside a new poster of the show's "wanted" cast members who are shown to be running from the law in the aftermath of the events from season one. The Boys Season 2 will premiere its first three episodes worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on September 4, 2020, with the remaining five episodes airing every Friday right the way through to the show's season finale on October 9, 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Amazon is set to release a short film centred on Karl Urban's Billy Butcher as a "companion piece" to The Boys season 2. In an interview with Collider, series showrunner Eric Kripke revealed that the second episode of the forthcoming season was originally supposed to show what happened to Butcher off-screen in-between seasons. However, the footage was eventually cut due to pacing issues and repackaged into a short film to be released "sometime in the middle of the release of the [next] series." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/08/amazons-the-boys-season-2-official-teaser"] "We are going to release a pretty substantial thing," Kripke said. "It's not really spoiling anything to say that as season two begins Butcher is MIA and then shows up. In episode two, we originally shot something that really revealed where he went and what his experiences were, but it ultimately didn't end up fitting that well into the episode because it made Butcher's story a lot less mysterious and intriguing." "It was better to not know in that particular episode but we had these scenes," he explained further. "So we strung them into a short film called 'Butcher,' and we're going to release that... it'll work as a companion piece to the show. There's actually references in the show that you won't understand unless you see this thing because it was really tied into our plot." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=amazons-the-boys-9-surprising-differences-from-the-comics&captions=true"] Earlier today, Amazon Prime Video debuted the official teaser trailer for The Boys Season 2, alongside a new poster of the show's "wanted" cast members who are shown to be running from the law in the aftermath of the events from season one. The Boys Season 2 will premiere its first three episodes worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on September 4, 2020, with the remaining five episodes airing every Friday right the way through to the show's season finale on October 9, 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Amazon Prime Video has debuted an official teaser trailer for The Boys Season 2, alongside a new poster of the show's "wanted" cast members. The new trailer opens with a small fleet of military vehicles embarking on a "multi-state manhunt" for Billy Butcher and his known associates who are on the run from the law, as they desperately try to regroup and fight back against Vought and the Superheroes. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/08/amazons-the-boys-season-2-official-teaser"] A quick montage of clips in the trailer reveals that Butcher's "plan" to overcome these threats involves some signature blood-crushing violence, explosive distractions, and scream-inducing speedboat escapes. Meanwhile, Stormfront, the newest member of The Seven, arrives on the scene threatening to disrupt the status quo and cause problems for Homelander, as she unleashes her super-powerful plasma bolt capabilities. Alongside the action-packed new trailer, Amazon released a blood-splattered one-sheet of "wanted" posters for Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara), Frenchie (Tomer Kapon), and Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso). The Boys Season 2 will premiere its first three episodes worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on September 4, 2020, with the remaining five episodes airing every Friday right the way through to the show's season finale on October 9, 2020. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/26/amazons-the-boys-season-1-review"] For more on The Boys, find out more about the second season's upcoming premiere schedule, read IGN's interview with Karl Urban about the future of the satirical superhero series, and dive into this piece about the biggest differences between the TV series and the comic books. Alternatively, for a more complete round-up, take a look at everything we know about The Boys Season 2 so far. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.