Disney+ has officially revealed a May 4 premiere date for Star Wars: The Bad Batch, an all-new animated series from Lucasfilm. During the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour on Wednesday, Disney+ paneled some of its upcoming series and officially announced the release date for Star Wars: The Bad Batch. The Clone Wars spinoff series will debut on the streaming service on May 4, also known as Star Wars Day, a recurring holiday that celebrates the long-spanning intergalactic franchise. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/12/star-wars-the-bad-batch-trailer-breakdown"] Star Wars: The Bad Batch follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch as they find their way through a rapidly changing galaxy in the immediate aftermath of the Clone Wars. Members of Bad Batch — a unique squad of clones who vary genetically from their brothers in the Clone Army — each possess a singular exceptional skill that makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew. The troopers, formally known as the Clone Force 99 squad, were first introduced in the opening storyline of The Clone Wars: Season 7. Acting as both a sequel and a spinoff to the beloved CG-animated series, The Bad Batch series will pick up shortly after the end of the war, exploring the team's new existence as mercenaries and their struggle to find a purpose. The upcoming series is helmed by a number of Star Wars veterans, including executive producers Dave Filoni, Athena Portillo, Brad Rau, and Jennifer Corbett, together with co-executive producer Carrie Beck and producer Josh Rimes. Rau is also credited as the supervising director of the series, while Corbett is head writer. Both previously worked on Star Wars Resistance together. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"] The Bad Batch is just the latest Star Wars series to be slotted into the Disney+ schedule, following two seasons of The Mandalorian. Fans can also look forward to a Rogue One prequel series focused on Diego Luna's Cassian Andor, an Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor, and a mysterious female-led series from Russian Doll's Leslye Headland. For even more from the galaxy far, far away, read our roundup of Star Wars TV shows, video games, comics, and everything else coming out of the franchise this year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

At today's Disney+ Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, Disney revealed premiere dates and new images for such shows as Loki, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Monsters at Work, and more. Following Marvel's The Falcon and Winter Soldier's debut on Disney+ on March 19, it was revealed that Loki will premiere on June 11, 2021. Taking place after Avengers: Endgame, this series will see the return of Tom Hiddleston as Loki alongside Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku and Richard E. Grant. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=disney-premiere-dates-and-images-loki-star-wars-the-bad-batch-and-more&captions=true"] Star Wars: The Bad Batch, which follows the elite and experimental clones of the titular Bad Batch, will see its first episode arrive on Disney + on May 4, 2021. On March 26, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers will make its debut, and will be followed by Big Shot, a new series that stars John Stamos, on April 16, 2021. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series will return for its second season on Friday, May 14, and will follow the East High Wildcats as they prepare to perform Beauty and the Beast as their spring musical. The second season of Zenimation will arrive on June 11 and will provide another mindfulness soundscape experience with scenes from eight decades of Walt Disney Animation Studios films. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/marvels-loki-official-trailer"] On June 25, The Mysterious Benedict Society will debut on Disney+ and follows a group of orphans who must "foil a nefarious plot with global ramifications while creating a new sort of family along the way." July 2 will see the return of everyone's favorite monsters in Monsters At Work. It stars Ben Feldman as Tylor Tuskmon, but will also feature Billy Crystal's Mike Wazowski and John Goodman's James P. "Sulley" Sullivan." Turner & Hooch will premiere on July 16, and stars Josh Peck as Scott Turner, who also happens to be the son of Detective Scott Turner from the 1989 film on the same name starring Tom Hanks. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/10/star-wars-the-bad-batch-official-sizzle-reel-trailer"] Lastly, Chip 'N' Dale: Park Life will debut on Friday, July 23. This series will combine classic-style cartoon comedy with contemporary storytelling and will contain 36 seven-minute episodes. [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 Black Mirror-inspired survival horror game Dark Moonlight has been announced for PC by developer Silent Bear Studio. Check out the in-engine reveal trailer above and the first screenshots in the gallery below. Centering around themes of fears and phobias, you'll play Dave Kellerman, a mental health sufferer who voluntarily undergoes an "unconventional" treatment. As the developers describe it, "Instead of releasing him from his phobias, the therapy forces him into an unknown world at the borders of reality and nightmare. To survive, David will have to put his fears and mental health aside. With limited means of defense, including weapons and ammo, and threatened by horrifying monsters and demons lurking in every corner, David will be challenged by clever puzzles his mind puts in front of him, trying to stop him from progressing." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dark-moonlight-screenshots&captions=true"] On the games side, Silent Bear cites its video game influences as Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and Outlast. You can wishlist Dark Moonlight on Steam. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

CD Projekt Red has delayed Cyberpunk 2077's major 1.2 patch following the cyber attack the studio suffered earlier this month. CD Projekt Red announced the news on Twitter, also mentioning that this new patch "goes beyond any of our previous updates." "While we dearly wanted to deliver Patch 1.2 for Cyberpunk 2077 in the timespan we detailed previously, the recent cyber attack on the studio’s IT infrastructure and extensive scope of the update mean this unfortunately will not happen — we’ll need some additional time," CD Projekt Red wrote. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/09/cyberpunk-2077-and-witcher-3-source-code-stolen-ign-now"] "Our goal for Patch 1.2 goes beyond any of our previous updates. We’ve been working on numerous overall quality improvements and fixes, and we still have work to do to make sure that’s what you get. With that in mind, we’re now aiming for release in the second half of March. "It’s not the news we enjoy sharing, but we want to make sure we launch this update properly. Stay tuned for more information as the time draws closer. Thank you for your continued patience and support." The aforementioned cyber attack against CD Projekt Red compromised the studio's internal systems and the hackers stole documents and the source code for Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, and more. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/02/cyberpunk-2077-console-performance-review-patch-110-111"] These stolen files were reportedly sold in a dark web auction that was allegedly set at $7 million. Patch 1.2 was part of the Cyberpunk 2077 Updates Roadmap that detailed the game's future after the litany of launch issues. Alongside these updates, there are still free DLCS planned alongside the free next-gen console update that will arrive in the second half of 2021. [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.

Port pioneers Aspyr will bring Star Wars Republic Commando to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on April 6. The 2005 tactical shooter game is heading to modern consoles, allowing a new generation to experience another side of the Clone Wars. The game follows an elite squadron of genetically modified clone troopers who embark on specialized missions during the conflict – and asks players to control the squad alongside traditional first-person shooting. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/24/star-wars-republic-commando-official-announcement-trailer-ps4-nintendo-switch"] Aspyr's press release mentions that the game will feature modernized controls and will be "a single-player experience," so don't expect the PVP multiplayer modes from the original game to feature. It will be released for $14.99 (UK and AU prices unavilable at time of writing). The game originally launched on the Xbox and Microsoft Windows, so this will mark the first time the game has been playable on a PlayStation or Nintendo console. The game is already available on the Xbox platform via backwards compatibility, and PC via Steam. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-republic-commando-ps4-screenshots&captions=true"] We reviewed Star Wars: Republic Commando upon its original release, scoring it an 8.2 and calling it a "good, fun ride." In other Star Wars game news, check out our article covering every IGN Star Wars game review. It was recently revealed that Ubisoft is working on a story-driven open-world Star Wars game using The Division's engine. This comes as Star Wars games have been brought under the Lucasfilm Games banner, which also includes Bethesda's upcoming Indiana Jones title. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Check out everything announced and revealed during PlayStation's February 2021 State of Play event.

Sony has announced that a new State of Play will be airing on February 25, 2021. Senior Director Sid Shuman confirmed in a PlayStation blog post that the broadcast will feature new updates and deep dives for 10 games that will be released on PS4 and PS5. Furthermore, there will be new game announcements and updates for certain third-party and indie games that made an appearance in June 2020's PlayStation 5 Showcase. Next-Gen Console Watch will be hosting a post-show right after State of Play as well.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/25/state-of-play-live-stream-playstation"]

PlayStation State of Play Start Time

The upcoming State of Play takes place on Thursday, February 25, and will start at 2pm PT, 5pm ET, 10pm GMT. If you’re tuning in from Australia, that translates to Friday, February 26 at 8am AEST. It’s expected to be about 30 minutes long and IGN will have a Next-Gen Console Watch post-show immediately following the State of Play, which will last for 20 minutes.

Where to Watch the PlayStation State of Play (February 2021)

If you’re interested in watching the upcoming State of Play, we’ll be hosting the stream here and across our many channels on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and more. Here’s the full list of places you can watch the PlayStation State of Play:

• IGN.com (homepage)
• IGN's Facebook Channel
• IGN’s Twitter
• IGN's Twitch Channel
• IGN’s Youtube Channel
• IGN's TikTok
• IGN's iOS App
• IGN's Android App
• IGN's PlayStation 4 App
• IGN's Xbox One App
• Roku
• IGN App for Android TV
• IGN for Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• IGN 1 on Samsung TV Plus
• Pluto TV
• Plex Live TV

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What to Expect at the Upcoming PlayStation State of Play

While no specific games were mentioned in the State of Play announcement, many will be hoping to hear from some of PlayStation's biggest upcoming first-party games, including Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Horizon Forbidden West, and the sequel to 2018's God of War. As for third-party games, we may get another look at Resident Evil Village, which is set to be released on May 7, 2021, the 3D action-adventure game Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Jett: The Far Shore, Goodbye Volcano High, Stray, and/or Returnal. Another big game many will be hoping for is the PlayStation and PC exclusive Final Fantasy 16, which was announced at September 2020's PS5 event. Which games are you excited to hear more about? Let us know in the comments! [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.

Nintendo has announced that there will be presentation next week that will not only give fans an in-depth look at Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's upcoming fighters Pyra and Mythra, but it will also reveal their release date. Announced on Nintendo's Twitter, this showcase will take place on March 4, 2021 at 6am PT/9am ET/2pm GMT and will be led by Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai. Nintendo also notes that this presentation will be "roughly 35 minutes long" and that there will be "no further new fighter announcements." Xenoblade Chronicles 2's Pyra and Mythra, who are technically one fighter, were announced at last week's Nintendo Direct that also revealed The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, Splatoon 3, and Mario Golf: Super Rush. These fighters follow Final Fantasy 7's Sephiroth as the latest to join the ever-expanding roster in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Following their release, there will be two fighters left in the Fighters Pass Vol. 2. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/17/super-smash-bros-ultimate-pyra-and-mythra-dlc-character-announcement-trailer"] It will be interesting to see if Nintendo once again allows players to unlock Pyra and Mythra earlier than normal if they can beat a specific challenge. While Sephiroth's release date was set for December 22, 2020, those who completed the Sephiroth Challenge could unlock him well before then. If you need a refresher on Pyra and/or Mythra's origins, be sure to check out our review of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 in the mean time. [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.

Call of Duty Warzone is almost definitely receiving an invasion of Zombies, as leaked challenges point towards the inclusion of the undead as part of the Season 2 update. As spotted by DexertoIntel on Twitter, a series of challenges have seemingly leaked, which mention how players must kill zombies in Warzone. "In Warzone, eliminate 8 Zombies before the first circle closes," one reads, with others asking players to use Shotguns to kill zombies or rapidly kill 2 or more Zombies multiple times.

Warzone Zombies confirmed for Season 2?

These new challenges seem to indicate so! Maybe they're arriving in that cargo ship pic.twitter.com/EbLGnDVmmP — DEXERTO Call of Duty (@DexertoIntel) February 24, 2021

It's thought by the community that this may be part of the Zombies Outbreak Challenge Event, which was revealed as part of the Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War Season 2 roadmap. The inclusion of zombies in Warzone has been teased for some time now, starting with Zombies Trial Machines appearing in the Verdansk Hospital, and strange screen distortions featuring Morse Code alerting players to a ship called Vodyanoy, which is supposedly approaching the island. Outside of Warzone, a new Zombies experience called Outbreak is also coming to the game with Season 2, which launches on Thursday, February 25. You can currently play the Outbreak mode early if you follow the steps detailed in this article. In other Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War news, we recently learned that it is one of the best-selling games in US history. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Crafty Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War players have figured out how to play the game's new Zombies mode, Outbreak, a day early. Outbreak is a "large-scale" Zombies experience that will continue the Dark Aether storyline, with new enemies, objectives and rewards. It's supposed to launch on Thursday after being teased via a raft of easter eggs found in Warzone, but players are already enjoying it. As reported by Eurogamer, players who download the game's most recent update can access the new mode by going offline and creating an offline Zombies custom match, where players will be able to select the new Outbreak mode and play on the new maps, Alpine, Ruka and Golova. It's a good way to check it out and get some training ahead of its official online release tomorrow. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/23/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-season-two-outbreak-trailer"] As you might expect, there's a lot of Outbreak gameplay on YouTube and Twitch right now. Here's some footage from YouTube user Unpunk. In the loading screen for Outbreak, we can spot a quick rundown of how the mode will work. In the Loot phase, players will move through a region towards an objective, killing Zombies and gathering resources. In the Thrive phase, they'll then complete objectives such as escorting a rover or tracking down enemies via satellite tracker to earn rewards and reveal the site of the beacon. In the Survive phase, they'll then use the beacon to warp to a new region with increased difficulty or initiate an exfiltration attempt. In other Cold War news, we recently learned that the latest entry in the Call of Duty franchise is one of the best-selling games in US history. You can check out our review of the game here, which covers each mode individually. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Diablo 4 making the shift to an open world design raises several questions. After all, an open world is not just a type of map; on one end of the spectrum it’s a level design philosophy, and on the other it’s a whole genre with its own traditions and mechanics. So what, exactly, does open world mean for Diablo? Unsurprisingly, it ushers in quite a substantial change for the isometric series, but one then thankfully won’t burn its deep-seeded action-RPG roots. “We don't want to be too disruptive to the regular gameplay flow of Diablo,” explains Joe Piepiora, Lead Systems Designer on Diablo 4, in an interview with IGN. “We don't want to create a slew of things that you need to do in the overworld, such that it might distract from the fun of killing monsters and finding dungeons. We're being very intentional about the opportunities we can provide to players so that we don't push them too hard in one direction or the other.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/19/diablo-4-rogue-cinematic-trailer"] Essentially, Diablo 4 is not turning into an open world with a map full to bursting with icons and question marks. Diablo 4 is still Diablo, it’s just that this time players will not only have more freedom of exploration, but Blizzard has the opportunity to make the world of Sanctuary feel like, well, just that: a world. “We want to make sure that when you're playing a game, you don't feel the need to open the map to continually track and re-track lots and lots of different things,” says Piepiora. “We want to make sure that it feels more like you're uncovering this stuff as you wander normally.” As you explore Sanctuary, you’ll come across less scripted characters and activities in a manner that sounds almost akin to Red Dead Redemption 2. “You may find a potion merchant not far from the road, who looks like they are in need of aid,” Piepiora suggests. “You might find even smaller things, like chasing a deer around the countryside. The corpse of a merchant on the road with bandits slinking nearby, hidden in bushes and such. Lots of like smaller things happen, just randomly, as you're adventuring around.” Previously, Diablo games were built from levels that represented chunks of Sanctuary. Diablo 4 fits those chunks together by filling in the gaps. “ I really want to know what's between these places,” says Piepiora. “I want to know how these people really live. What does Sanctuary really look like? It's possible to say Sanctuary is a bit of a stand in for the action that needs to occur, but there's all this lore and there's so much depth that's put into the fantasy of the world of Sanctuary.” Diablo 4, then, is the chance to bring that lore to life. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=diablo-4-skill-tree-update&captions=true"] This open world won’t represent all known regions of the world - it’s only Eastern Sanctuary - but that does mean an entire region with the likes of the misty forest of Scosglen, the burning deserts of Kehjistan, and everything in between fully realised. That includes not just the landmass, but the things living there, too. “We've got wildlife and background characters, as well as the creatures and monsters that you come across,” reveals Careena Kingdom, Diablo 4’s Lead Animator. “It's not just the heroes, it's the villagers, and creating those different personality types.” “There's so much out there in the environment just to stumble across as you're wandering around,” says Piepiora. “Small little stories, like that one hermit's hut in the middle of the forest that's far off the beaten path, or the misty valley in Scosglen that you go inside and people don't return from. There's all these interesting little places all throughout the world.” With these elements populating the world, it sounds like the team has shifted Diablo 4’s world designer closer to that of a more traditional RPG, such as Baldur’s Gate, while maintaining the action gameplay loops the series is loved for. This will hopefully make for a better sense of place; Sanctuary as a real location, rather than a series of battlefields. Piepiora is keen for Diablo 4 to emphasise the various cultures of Sanctuary, providing each location a sense of authenticity through aspects such as architecture, garment and weapon design, and the attitudes of the people who live there. “The Fractured Peaks and the hardy people that live there, these people live very different lives to the people that live in the misty valleys of Scosglen, or the sun drenched plains and dunes of Kehjistan… All of these people have their place in the world and they're dealing with things in their own way, with even many subdivisions among them as well.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/01/diablo-4-reveal-trailer"] Some of those subdivisions will provide unique opportunities, depending on the player’s class. “As the Rogue is advancing and exploring the world of Sanctuary, she's going to gain access to a number of different organizations that she can work with,” explains Piepiora. “Factions that grant her training, that are going to give her certain extra abilities or specializations.” This increased emphasis on NPCs and interactions is all in aid of one thing. “It's about making you feel like you are interacting with the world and that you have presence,” Kingdom says. “The world is aware that you're there.” Perhaps the most notable impact of your presence in the world comes with the liberation of Sanctuary’s numerous camps. In the wake of Diablo 3’s Reaper of Souls storyline, in which Malthael wreaked almost genocidal-levels of devastation upon Sanctuary, many of the world’s important landmarks have been taken over by the forces of darkness. Taking these back for humanity is a major part of Diablo 4’s activity list, and success has both a visual and gameplay impact on the world. “You're not going to see a bunch of other players around you when you enter one of these camp locations,” explains Piepiora. “But when you manage to finish it, and you've cleared the camp and liberated it, then it turns into a public version, where you now will see other players nearby.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/26/diablo-4-cannibal-family-turnaround-trailer"] With the transformation of the camp into a public player space, you’ll be able to meet other parties here and potentially team up for co-op activities. Furthermore, NPCs will move in and offer new quest lines and stories, as well as potentially opening up new dungeons. “Basically, it opens up more options for exploration and more ways for us to tell different kinds of stories, as the player progresses to the world,” Piepiora says. “Plus, they always get the sense that there's this permanent change they're making.” Seizing camps from the enemy has a large impact on the world, but there are smaller examples. With the open world making traversal much more important, players can make their mark by discovering and creating shortcuts. “Wandering across a cliff face and finding an area that is climbable feels pretty cool and that you feel like you've discovered something, but it's even better when you come across these places and you find that there's an area where you can kick down like a rope or create a shortcut for yourself later,” says Piepiora. Quick travel between waypoints will still be available for both convenience and the more traditional Diablo player, but it sounds like Blizzard is making Sanctuary a much more compelling place to explore than in previous games. Where once scouring hidden corners was simply an exercise in ensuring every last drop of loot was found, the Diablo 4 team appears to be thinking about Sanctuary in the same way as the Warcraft team thinks about Azeroth. And while they may be entirely different experiences on the gameplay front, I’m excited to play a game where, hopefully, Sanctuary finally feels like a place worth saving. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.