SNK has announced three of the characters coming to King of Fighters 15, one of IGN's "Games to Watch in 2021," and announced that a gameplay trailer will arrive on January 7. In a trailer (below), producer Yasuyuki Oda and creative director Eisuke Ogura explained that Kyo, Benimaru and Shun'ei would all appear in the upcoming fighting game. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/03/king-of-fighters-15-official-character-announcement"] Shun'ei returns from KoF14, and will now play the role of the lead protagonist in the story. He has an updated look, and new moves on top of his previous set. Kyo, who appeared in the very first KoF game, makes a return in a black jacket and bandana. Benimaru switches back to a sleeveless shirt design, and will be more familiar to how fans remember him. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=king-of-fighters-15-images&captions=true"] Team composition in 15 will "differ greatly" from KoF14, but SNK won't be drawn on more details, only promising that more information will arrive soon. The developers call it the "most ambitious" King of Fighters game they've made. King of Fighters 15 was announced at EVO 2019, but the team has been silent since - it looks like we'll be seeing much more in the coming months. Keep checking back all month long for more of our "Games to Watch in 2021" IGN First series. Yesterday we had a new behind-the-scenes trailer for John Wick Hex to celebrate its Xbox and Switch release, and on Tuesday we had an extended look at the pirate-y action-RPG King of Seas. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

SNK has announced three of the characters coming to King of Fighters 15, one of IGN's "Games to Watch in 2021," and announced that a gameplay trailer will arrive on January 7. In a trailer (below), producer Yasuyuki Oda and creative director Eisuke Ogura explained that Kyo, Benimaru and Shun'ei would all appear in the upcoming fighting game. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/03/king-of-fighters-15-official-character-announcement"] Shun'ei returns from KoF14, and will now play the role of the lead protagonist in the story. He has an updated look, and new moves on top of his previous set. Kyo, who appeared in the very first KoF game, makes a return in a black jacket and bandana. Benimaru switches back to a sleeveless shirt design, and will be more familiar to how fans remember him. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=king-of-fighters-15-images&captions=true"] Team composition in 15 will "differ greatly" from KoF14, but SNK won't be drawn on more details, only promising that more information will arrive soon. The developers call it the "most ambitious" King of Fighters game they've made. King of Fighters 15 was announced at EVO 2019, but the team has been silent since - it looks like we'll be seeing much more in the coming months. Keep checking back all month long for more of our "Games to Watch in 2021" IGN First series. Yesterday we had a new behind-the-scenes trailer for John Wick Hex to celebrate its Xbox and Switch release, and on Tuesday we had an extended look at the pirate-y action-RPG King of Seas. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

The Call of Duty Endowment has announced that the Second Annual C.O.D.E. Bowl, which also happens to be the first ever Trans-Atlantic military Esports competition, will take place on December 11, 2020. Presented by USAA, this charity event is meant to raise awareness and funds for veteran employment and will feature Esports teams from all five U.S. Department of Defense military branches and the UK military's British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. This year will include new teams from the US Marine Corps, US Air Force, and the US Space Force. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/09/call-of-duty-to-raise-money-to-help-unemployed-veterans-ign-now"] The C.O.D.E. Bowl will begin at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm GMT on December 11, and each team will compete in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in a tournament-style competition. Furthermore, each team will be captained by a "popular Call of Duty streamer teamed up with another top influencer and service members from the United States and United Kingdom." Courage, LEGIQN, Huskerrs, Swagg, Espresso, Vikkstar, Tommey, C9Emz, and Spratt have been announced as streamers participating so far, and more will be announced as we get closer to the event. Ram Trucks will also be a part of this event, and is giving away a 2021 Ram 1500 Built To Serve special edition truck to "a deserving veteran recently placed into a job through the Endowment's support." Scuf Controllers will also be an event partner, and all proceeds from the event will "be used to place veterans into high-quality jobs." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/everything-you-need-to-know-about-call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war"] “We are proud to have the United States and the United Kingdom militaries come together to participate in the C.O.D.E. Bowl,” said Dan Goldenberg, Executive Director of the Call of Duty Endowment. “This will be the first time all military branches have come together for a spirited eSports competition with the added bonus of raising awareness for veteran employment and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with USAA to make this happen.” The Call of Duty Endowment has funded the placement of more than 77,000 veterans into high quality employment since it began in 2009. It has a goal to place 100,000 vets into meaningful jobs by 2024. The Endowments's 2019 cost to place a veteran in a job was $499, which is 1/6 the cost of US Department of Labor efforts. [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.

The Call of Duty Endowment has announced that the Second Annual C.O.D.E. Bowl, which also happens to be the first ever Trans-Atlantic military Esports competition, will take place on December 11, 2020. Presented by USAA, this charity event is meant to raise awareness and funds for veteran employment and will feature Esports teams from all five U.S. Department of Defense military branches and the UK military's British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. This year will include new teams from the US Marine Corps, US Air Force, and the US Space Force. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/09/call-of-duty-to-raise-money-to-help-unemployed-veterans-ign-now"] The C.O.D.E. Bowl will begin at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm GMT on December 11, and each team will compete in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in a tournament-style competition. Furthermore, each team will be captained by a "popular Call of Duty streamer teamed up with another top influencer and service members from the United States and United Kingdom." Courage, LEGIQN, Huskerrs, Swagg, Espresso, Vikkstar, Tommey, C9Emz, and Spratt have been announced as streamers participating so far, and more will be announced as we get closer to the event. Ram Trucks will also be a part of this event, and is giving away a 2021 Ram 1500 Built To Serve special edition truck to "a deserving veteran recently placed into a job through the Endowment's support." Scuf Controllers will also be an event partner, and all proceeds from the event will "be used to place veterans into high-quality jobs." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/everything-you-need-to-know-about-call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war"] “We are proud to have the United States and the United Kingdom militaries come together to participate in the C.O.D.E. Bowl,” said Dan Goldenberg, Executive Director of the Call of Duty Endowment. “This will be the first time all military branches have come together for a spirited eSports competition with the added bonus of raising awareness for veteran employment and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with USAA to make this happen.” The Call of Duty Endowment has funded the placement of more than 77,000 veterans into high quality employment since it began in 2009. It has a goal to place 100,000 vets into meaningful jobs by 2024. The Endowments's 2019 cost to place a veteran in a job was $499, which is 1/6 the cost of US Department of Labor efforts. [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.

Steve Borden, better known as the wrestling icon Sting, made a surprise appearance last night on AEW Dynamite. Furthermore, it’s not a one-off event; Sting has signed a new full-time contract with AEW.

.@STING HAS ARRIVED IN ALL ELITE WRESTLING! Watch #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama pic.twitter.com/NMLGKqdQtX

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 3, 2020

Winter is Coming, the episode of AEW Dynamite aired on December 2, saw the retired 61 year-old wrestler return to the ring in his first appearance on TNT since the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro back in March 2001. But in a press release sent out after the show, AEW revealed that Sting has come out of retirement to join AEW. “AEW has also confirmed tonight that it has officially signed Sting to a full-time, multi-year agreement,” said the statement. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/07/tnts-aew-all-elite-wrestling-premiere-promo-ign-first"] Sting is a former WCW and WWE star, and a member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016. He announced his retirement from wrestling in April 2016 when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and has since only made one appearance on RAW in 2019 for the 70th birthday celebration of Ric Flair. For more, check out the news that AEW is planning a console wrestling game and a management game. If you’d rather WWE, then check out our review of WWE Battlegrounds. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Steve Borden, better known as the wrestling icon Sting, made a surprise appearance last night on AEW Dynamite. Furthermore, it’s not a one-off event; Sting has signed a new full-time contract with AEW.

.@STING HAS ARRIVED IN ALL ELITE WRESTLING! Watch #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama pic.twitter.com/NMLGKqdQtX

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 3, 2020

Winter is Coming, the episode of AEW Dynamite aired on December 2, saw the retired 61 year-old wrestler return to the ring in his first appearance on TNT since the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro back in March 2001. But in a press release sent out after the show, AEW revealed that Sting has come out of retirement to join AEW. “AEW has also confirmed tonight that it has officially signed Sting to a full-time, multi-year agreement,” said the statement. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/07/tnts-aew-all-elite-wrestling-premiere-promo-ign-first"] Sting is a former WCW and WWE star, and a member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016. He announced his retirement from wrestling in April 2016 when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and has since only made one appearance on RAW in 2019 for the 70th birthday celebration of Ric Flair. For more, check out the news that AEW is planning a console wrestling game and a management game. If you’d rather WWE, then check out our review of WWE Battlegrounds. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Mads Mikkelsen, who will replace Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald in the next Fantastic Beasts film, has spoken about what he expects the difficulties of taking on the role will be. Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Mikkelsen was asked how his take on the dark wizard would be different to Depp’s portrayal. "Well it's going to be me, so that's a difference," he joked. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/johnny-depp-exits-fantastic-beasts"] Answering seriously, Mikkelsen said: “This is the tricky part. We're still working it out. There has to be a bridge between what Johnny did and what I'm going to do. And at the same time, I also have to make it my own. But also we have to find a few links [to the previous version of the character] and some bridges so it doesn't completely detach from what he's already masterfully achieved." Mikkelsen will, technically speaking, be the third actor to play Grindelwald; Colin Farrell took the role for the first movie, albeit as ‘Percival Graves’, an alter-ego for Grindelwald achieved through transfiguration magic. After being unmasked, Depp played the ‘real’ version of Grindelwald for the second film. It remains to be seen how the third installment will deal with the change, but the Wizarding World series does, of course, have the handy get-out clause of magic to fall back on. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=actors-who-were-replaced-during-production&captions=true"] Depp resigned from the role of Grindelwald after losing a libel case against News Group Newspapers regarding allegations of abuse between he and former wife, Amber Heard. The case found the allegations of domestic violence committed by him to be “substantially true”. Following the outcome he resigned from the role in the Harry Potter prequel series, and has since been replaced by Hannibal, Doctor Strange, and Casino Royale star Mikkelsen. Not much is known about the rest of Fantastic Beasts 3. Production was put on hold due to COVID-19 earlier in the year, and it will have ‘epic battles’ apparently, but little else has been made public. It is currently set for release in July 2022. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Mads Mikkelsen, who will replace Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald in the next Fantastic Beasts film, has spoken about what he expects the difficulties of taking on the role will be. Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Mikkelsen was asked how his take on the dark wizard would be different to Depp’s portrayal. "Well it's going to be me, so that's a difference," he joked. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/johnny-depp-exits-fantastic-beasts"] Answering seriously, Mikkelsen said: “This is the tricky part. We're still working it out. There has to be a bridge between what Johnny did and what I'm going to do. And at the same time, I also have to make it my own. But also we have to find a few links [to the previous version of the character] and some bridges so it doesn't completely detach from what he's already masterfully achieved." Mikkelsen will, technically speaking, be the third actor to play Grindelwald; Colin Farrell took the role for the first movie, albeit as ‘Percival Graves’, an alter-ego for Grindelwald achieved through transfiguration magic. After being unmasked, Depp played the ‘real’ version of Grindelwald for the second film. It remains to be seen how the third installment will deal with the change, but the Wizarding World series does, of course, have the handy get-out clause of magic to fall back on. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=actors-who-were-replaced-during-production&captions=true"] Depp resigned from the role of Grindelwald after losing a libel case against News Group Newspapers regarding allegations of abuse between he and former wife, Amber Heard. The case found the allegations of domestic violence committed by him to be “substantially true”. Following the outcome he resigned from the role in the Harry Potter prequel series, and has since been replaced by Hannibal, Doctor Strange, and Casino Royale star Mikkelsen. Not much is known about the rest of Fantastic Beasts 3. Production was put on hold due to COVID-19 earlier in the year, and it will have ‘epic battles’ apparently, but little else has been made public. It is currently set for release in July 2022. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Sea of Thieves will introduce a seasonal progression system in January 2021 alongside a battle pass with free and premium options. Announced as part of the final Sea of Thieves News for 2020, Rare will be moving away from the game's consistent monthly update model. The season system will replace this, bringing players new content every three months, with a "new way of play" introduced in every season, starting with Season One in January 2021. Each season will feature regular and featured live events as well as new rewards for pirate outlaws to uncover. You'll progress through 100 levels of Pirate Renown in each season, unlocking new rewards for your pirate player character and their ship. This will be separate from the existing progression system, which sees you ranking up companies by engaging with certain pockets of gameplay. Players who have achieved the coveted title of Pirate Legend will also be receiving specialized exclusive rewards as part of the new progression system. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/19/sea-of-thieves-review-2020"] An optional, premium tier of the battle pass called the 'Plunder Pass' will be available, offering even more unique rewards and exclusive items from the Pirate Emporium. As part of the January 2021 overhaul, Merchant Alliance players will be pleased to hear that Sea of Thieves will introduce a new "Voyage Experience" tied to the company where crews must use their detective skills to find lost shipments and shipwrecks. Back in November, Rare revealed the Xbox Series X and S optimizations players can expect when playing Sea of Thieves on next-gen consoles. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Sea of Thieves will introduce a seasonal progression system in January 2021 alongside a battle pass with free and premium options. Announced as part of the final Sea of Thieves News for 2020, Rare will be moving away from the game's consistent monthly update model. The season system will replace this, bringing players new content every three months, with a "new way of play" introduced in every season, starting with Season One in January 2021. Each season will feature regular and featured live events as well as new rewards for pirate outlaws to uncover. You'll progress through 100 levels of Pirate Renown in each season, unlocking new rewards for your pirate player character and their ship. This will be separate from the existing progression system, which sees you ranking up companies by engaging with certain pockets of gameplay. Players who have achieved the coveted title of Pirate Legend will also be receiving specialized exclusive rewards as part of the new progression system. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/19/sea-of-thieves-review-2020"] An optional, premium tier of the battle pass called the 'Plunder Pass' will be available, offering even more unique rewards and exclusive items from the Pirate Emporium. As part of the January 2021 overhaul, Merchant Alliance players will be pleased to hear that Sea of Thieves will introduce a new "Voyage Experience" tied to the company where crews must use their detective skills to find lost shipments and shipwrecks. Back in November, Rare revealed the Xbox Series X and S optimizations players can expect when playing Sea of Thieves on next-gen consoles. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.