Update: A leaked snippet from Call of Duty: Warzone appears to confirm that Sergeant Frank Woods from Call of Duty: Black Ops will be arriving in the game as a 'Demon Dogs' Operator. According to Call of Duty Tracker, the Frank Woods Operator will be a pre-order bonus available to players who purchase the 'Ultimate Edition' of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which will also apparently give players early access to the Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War Open Beta, and provide a set of in-game cosmetics.

Sergeant Frank Woods will be joining the Demon Dogs in #ModernWarfare and #Warzone as a pre-order bonus for #BlackOpsColdWar!https://t.co/ktWxz3XWtb pic.twitter.com/mqbF8CJJ0K

— Call of Duty Tracker (@CODTracker) August 25, 2020

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Game files found in a new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare update seem to have revealed that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a direct sequel to 2010's Call of Duty: Black Ops. As spotted by COD Tracker, the game's description has been found in the datamined files following an update that arrived to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on August 24. The description notes that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is "the direct sequel to the original and fan-favorite Call of Duty: Black Ops." "Black Ops Cold War will drop fans into the depths of the Cold War’s volatile geopolitical battle of the early 1980s," reads the leaked description. "Nothing is ever as it seems in a gripping single-player Campaign, where players will come face-to-face with historical figures and hard truths, as they battle around the globe through iconic locales like East Berlin, Vietnam, Turkey, Soviet KGB headquarters and more. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/19/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-teaser-trailer"] As elite operatives, you will follow the trail of a shadowy figure named Perseus who is on a mission to destabilize the global balance of power and change the course of history. Descend into the dark center of this global conspiracy alongside iconic characters Woods, Mason and Hudson and a new cast of operatives attempting to stop a plot decades in the making. Beyond the Campaign, players will bring a Cold War arsenal of weapons and equipment into the next generation of Multiplayer and Zombies experiences." As teased in the 'Know Your History' trailer, it looks like the Black Ops Cold War campaign will be grounded in history, featuring "historical figures and hard truths" while also bringing back fan favourite characters like Woods, Mason and Hudson, who will join a new cast in tracking down Perseus. The description also appears to confirm that there will be a Zombies mode present in the game and that Cold War weaponry will be brought to the next-generation of Multiplayer. Given Black Ops Cold War's ties to Call of Duty: Warzone, perhaps this is suggesting that Warzone will benefit from some of the new weapons and items introduced in this year's Call of Duty. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was officially confirmed last week, with the vibrant cover art revealed in tandem. The game is set to be fully revealed by Activision on August 26. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Microsoft has tapped top talent from Bungie and Crystal Dynamics to join its mysterious 'AAAA' studio, The Initiative. Among the 16 new hires revealed on LinkedIn by studio head Darrell Gallagher, we can see that Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Marvel's Avengers director Remi Lacoste has made the jump to The Initiative to work as an Experiental Director. Destiny 2 narrative lead Christine Thompson has also joined the studio in a lead writer position. We're yet to learn what the studio is working on, with our latest clue arriving from Xbox head Phil Spencer, who revealed The Initiative is "challenging themselves to do new things (and old things) in new ways,", whatever that means. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/xbox-series-x-official-optimized-for-xbox-series-x-trailer"] Microsoft revealed it had founded The Initiative in Santa Monica as part of its E3 2018 conference, where it announced a slew of acquisitions. The studio is being led by Darrell Gallagher, who previously worked at Rockstar Games, Crystal Dynamics and later Activision, overseeing the development of games like GTA IV, Tomb Raider and Destiny 2. At the time, Spencer touted Gallagher's abilities, calling him a "visionary storyteller." According to Santa Monica job listings found on the Microsoft website later that year, the studio was calling for experience in "shipping high quality titles at AAAA standards" and a "knowledge and understanding of the process of building new IP." The studio went on to hire God of War lead producer Brian Westergaard and Christian Cantamessa, who was the lead writer on Red Dead Redemption. The 'AAAA' studio then picked up Sunset Overdrive director Drew Murray. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Microsoft has tapped top talent from Bungie and Crystal Dynamics to join its mysterious 'AAAA' studio, The Initiative. Among the 16 new hires revealed on LinkedIn by studio head Darrell Gallagher, we can see that Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Marvel's Avengers director Remi Lacoste has made the jump to The Initiative to work as an Experiental Director. Destiny 2 narrative lead Christine Thompson has also joined the studio in a lead writer position. We're yet to learn what the studio is working on, with our latest clue arriving from Xbox head Phil Spencer, who revealed The Initiative is "challenging themselves to do new things (and old things) in new ways,", whatever that means. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/25/xbox-series-x-official-optimized-for-xbox-series-x-trailer"] Microsoft revealed it had founded The Initiative in Santa Monica as part of its E3 2018 conference, where it announced a slew of acquisitions. The studio is being led by Darrell Gallagher, who previously worked at Rockstar Games, Crystal Dynamics and later Activision, overseeing the development of games like GTA IV, Tomb Raider and Destiny 2. At the time, Spencer touted Gallagher's abilities, calling him a "visionary storyteller." According to Santa Monica job listings found on the Microsoft website later that year, the studio was calling for experience in "shipping high quality titles at AAAA standards" and a "knowledge and understanding of the process of building new IP." The studio went on to hire God of War lead producer Brian Westergaard and Christian Cantamessa, who was the lead writer on Red Dead Redemption. The 'AAAA' studio then picked up Sunset Overdrive director Drew Murray. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Apple has taken an early victory in its legal battle with Epic Games, as the court ruled it doesn't have to "immediately reinstate" Fortnite on its App Store. As reported by Bloomberg, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers made the ruling late Monday night, but it wasn't a total loss for Epic Games as she also granted Epic's request for "a temporary order blocking Apple from limiting the game developer's ability to provide Unreal Engine, key graphics technology, for other apps." Rogers was very clear in saying that the case isn't a "slam dunk" for either Apple or Epic Games, and that these temporary ruling will not "dictate the final outcome of the litigation." There will be another hearing on September 28 to discuss a "longer-term solution." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/13/apple-removes-fortnite-from-ios-app-store"] This legal battle between Apple and Epic Games began when Epic altered the price of Fortnite V-Bucks and implemented a new direct payment system that would get around Apple and Google's "exorbitant" app store fees. Shortly after, Fortnite was removed from both the Apple App Store and Google Play store, and Epic followed those moves by filing a complaint against both companies. Microsoft filed a statement in support of Epic, saying that "ensuring that Epic has access to the latest Apple technology is the right thing for gamer developers & gamers," as the Unreal Engine is used by many developers, Microsoft included. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=games-that-came-back-from-the-brink-of-disaster&captions=true"] This decision by the courts is an unfortunate one for Fortnite players on iOS devices, as Fortnite's Chapter 2, Season 4 will launch on August 27 and will lock out those iPhone and iPad players who won't be able to update the game. [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.

Apple has taken an early victory in its legal battle with Epic Games, as the court ruled it doesn't have to "immediately reinstate" Fortnite on its App Store. As reported by Bloomberg, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers made the ruling late Monday night, but it wasn't a total loss for Epic Games as she also granted Epic's request for "a temporary order blocking Apple from limiting the game developer's ability to provide Unreal Engine, key graphics technology, for other apps." Rogers was very clear in saying that the case isn't a "slam dunk" for either Apple or Epic Games, and that these temporary ruling will not "dictate the final outcome of the litigation." There will be another hearing on September 28 to discuss a "longer-term solution." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/13/apple-removes-fortnite-from-ios-app-store"] This legal battle between Apple and Epic Games began when Epic altered the price of Fortnite V-Bucks and implemented a new direct payment system that would get around Apple and Google's "exorbitant" app store fees. Shortly after, Fortnite was removed from both the Apple App Store and Google Play store, and Epic followed those moves by filing a complaint against both companies. Microsoft filed a statement in support of Epic, saying that "ensuring that Epic has access to the latest Apple technology is the right thing for gamer developers & gamers," as the Unreal Engine is used by many developers, Microsoft included. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=games-that-came-back-from-the-brink-of-disaster&captions=true"] This decision by the courts is an unfortunate one for Fortnite players on iOS devices, as Fortnite's Chapter 2, Season 4 will launch on August 27 and will lock out those iPhone and iPad players who won't be able to update the game. [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.

Multiple Lab Zero Games employees have resigned from the developer behind such games as Skullgirls and Indivisible following inappropriate behavior and abuse from its studio head Mike "MikeZ" Zaimont. Zaimont was previously accused of making two employees "uncomfortable with demeaning and sexually suggestive comments" and, on July 3, 2020, Lab Zero Games Tweeted that it would make a "full statement soon" on the allegations. This statement never happened, and now multiple Lab Zero Games employees have resigned and are speaking up against the abuse that occurred at the studio. Former lead animator and art director Mariel Cartwright called Mike a "close friend and coworker for 10 years," and tried to be as "understanding as any friend could by trying to listen to his side, always being willing to talk things through." However, following the "widely-criticized racist joke and then the inappropriate DMs and other stories, Cartwright and the team started speaking up. "What we realized was that there was a pattern of behavior that I don't think we had fully understood until then," Cartwright wrote. "A pattern of hostility, insults, threats, lying, and harassment that many on our team had not openly shared with each other before." Zaimont was approached about his behavior multiple times, but he'd "say we were being unfair and would threaten to quit - which would jeopardize our projects, and so people would back down. He's also outright told us that he can't and won't change." Former senior animator Jonathan Kim also resigned from Lab Zero Games after 8 years and described how the "goal for Lab Zero was to become an employee-owned company, where everyone would have the equity and the workers would enjoy the benefits of their work." This goal was never reached, and Zaimont became 100% owner in March 2020. Groundwork for giving all employees equity was in process until Zaimont's issues in June 2020, when the team began an internal investigation and "soon realized that Mike's behavior wasn't just scattered incidents, but actually systemic signs of his overall behavior and attitude as an individual." Kim explained that "almost every employee had a story where Mike abused his position of power to put his coworkers in uncomfortable stressful situations for years, which include: frequently mentioning his genitals, forcing unwanted physical contact, making sexual comments about himself or about employee's bodies, insulting coworkers privately or openly in front of other coworkers, or using very personal details to threaten or demean coworkers when they didn't go along with what he wanted or act in a way he wished." Former artist Brian "EU03" Jun wrote how, due to Zaimont being the sole owner of Lab Zero Games, it was very difficult to remove him from the company. Zaimont had entered negotiations for terms of separation while he was on administrative leave, but his terms "were unrealistically high and event potentially illegal to force onto the company and employees." Lab Zero's board rejected his proposal, and Zaimont "reversed his stance and said he will not leave the company. He also removed all members of the board to assume full control of Lab Zero Games." He then, to the shock of Lab Zero's employees, tried to re-engage in negotiations with mostly the same terms just a few days later. These decisions by Zaimont, and the many allegations of abuse detailed above, caused these employees to resign and speak up about their experiences. [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.

Multiple Lab Zero Games employees have resigned from the developer behind such games as Skullgirls and Indivisible following inappropriate behavior and abuse from its studio head Mike "MikeZ" Zaimont. Zaimont was previously accused of making two employees "uncomfortable with demeaning and sexually suggestive comments" and, on July 3, 2020, Lab Zero Games Tweeted that it would make a "full statement soon" on the allegations. This statement never happened, and now multiple Lab Zero Games employees have resigned and are speaking up against the abuse that occurred at the studio. Former lead animator and art director Mariel Cartwright called Mike a "close friend and coworker for 10 years," and tried to be as "understanding as any friend could by trying to listen to his side, always being willing to talk things through." However, following the "widely-criticized racist joke and then the inappropriate DMs and other stories, Cartwright and the team started speaking up. "What we realized was that there was a pattern of behavior that I don't think we had fully understood until then," Cartwright wrote. "A pattern of hostility, insults, threats, lying, and harassment that many on our team had not openly shared with each other before." Zaimont was approached about his behavior multiple times, but he'd "say we were being unfair and would threaten to quit - which would jeopardize our projects, and so people would back down. He's also outright told us that he can't and won't change." Former senior animator Jonathan Kim also resigned from Lab Zero Games after 8 years and described how the "goal for Lab Zero was to become an employee-owned company, where everyone would have the equity and the workers would enjoy the benefits of their work." This goal was never reached, and Zaimont became 100% owner in March 2020. Groundwork for giving all employees equity was in process until Zaimont's issues in June 2020, when the team began an internal investigation and "soon realized that Mike's behavior wasn't just scattered incidents, but actually systemic signs of his overall behavior and attitude as an individual." Kim explained that "almost every employee had a story where Mike abused his position of power to put his coworkers in uncomfortable stressful situations for years, which include: frequently mentioning his genitals, forcing unwanted physical contact, making sexual comments about himself or about employee's bodies, insulting coworkers privately or openly in front of other coworkers, or using very personal details to threaten or demean coworkers when they didn't go along with what he wanted or act in a way he wished." Former artist Brian "EU03" Jun wrote how, due to Zaimont being the sole owner of Lab Zero Games, it was very difficult to remove him from the company. Zaimont had entered negotiations for terms of separation while he was on administrative leave, but his terms "were unrealistically high and event potentially illegal to force onto the company and employees." Lab Zero's board rejected his proposal, and Zaimont "reversed his stance and said he will not leave the company. He also removed all members of the board to assume full control of Lab Zero Games." He then, to the shock of Lab Zero's employees, tried to re-engage in negotiations with mostly the same terms just a few days later. These decisions by Zaimont, and the many allegations of abuse detailed above, caused these employees to resign and speak up about their experiences. [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.

A recently approved PS5 DualSense patent suggests that Sony's next-gen controller may one day be able to identify specific users simply by how they are holding it. As reported by SegmentNext (via VGC), this patent describes a system that would use DualSense's sensors, including its gyroscope and accelerometer, to gather telemetry data to track the controller's position, orientation, and properties "such as the maximum velocity, minimum velocity or mean velocity of the controller for a given time, such as 60 seconds for example." If a match is found by the controller, it would prompt the user to accept or reject the detected profile. This patent looks to solve the issue of having to manually log into multiple accounts and provide a more seamless experience. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/12/ps5-reveal-event-in-5-minutes"] This patent isn't strictly limited to the DualSense, however, as it also indicates this technology could work with other devices like the DualShock controller, Move Motion controllers, PSVR Headset, and more. It's important to note that patents are filed by companies all the time, and this specific filing does not guarantee this will make it to PS5 owners around the world. Other recent patents filed by Sony include one that gives a glimpse of what the PS5 UI could look like, an AI tool that could help players if they are stuck in a game, a cloud system to play PS1, PS2, and PS3 games, and more. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-playstation-5-games&captions=true"] [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.