Tom Holland has denied that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will be returning for Spider-Man 3. During an interview with Esquire, Holland, who has played Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2016's Captain America: Civil War, strongly dismissed rumors that both Maguire and Garfield would be reprising their respective Spidey roles for the untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel, which officially entered production towards the end of last year. "No, no, they will not be appearing in this film," he firmly told the publication when asked about the possibility of the two actors returning. "Unless they have hidden the most massive piece of information from me, which I think is too big of a secret for them to keep from me. But as of yet, no. It'll be a continuation of the Spider-Man movies that we've been making." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/09/tobey-maguire-andrew-garfield-more-reportedly-returning-for-spider-man-3-ign-now"] As per our earlier video report above, speculation has been rife over the possibility of past Spider-flick stars making a comeback for Spider-Man 3, with Maguire and Garfield being two of the names caught up in the tangled web of rumors. A previous report stated that "Garfield will be back" and that Maguire would be joining him if Sony and Marvel managed to close the deal. Despite Holland's flat-out denial of their involvement, Disney has a history of misdirecting fans and leading them to believe that certain things will or won't happen in movies, often saving the "big reveal" for the moment that audiences are sat in front of the big screen. On several occasions, red herrings have appeared in Disney's marketing, so there is a chance that Holland has been sworn to secrecy. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] Maguire played Peter Parker and Spider-Man in 2002's Spider-Man, 2004's Spider-Man 2, and 2007's Spider-Man 3. Garfield played Peter Parker and Spider-Man in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man and in 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Spider-Man 3's casting line-up, confirmed or otherwise, has been teasing a live-action Spider-Verse/multiverse crossover of epic proportions, which could be intertwined with later events in the MCU, particularly Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. For more on the Doctor Strange sequel and its multiverse concept, read our theories about which characters and worlds may appear. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night got an update adding a Classic Mode last month, but IGN can reveal that the update added a second, hidden mode too – 1986 Mode is an extra-difficult version of Classic Mode, and it's unlocked in, well, classic fashion. By heading to the Classic Mode title screen and entering the Konami Code (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, [Horizontal Left Face Button]), [Horizontal Right Face Button]), you'll see "1986 Mode" appear at the bottom of the screen. You can check out full details below but, in short, it acts as an altered version of Classic Mode, changing the colour of player-character Miriam's outfit, and making the game a lot harder. You can check out a video about unlocking the mode below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/09/how-to-unlock-bloodstaineds-hidden-1986-mode"] 1986 Mode has lain undiscovered since the Classic Mode update, and aims to add an even more old-school platforming feel to the already old-school mode. The mode's name is a reference to the year the original Castlevania game was released, and many of the changes it adds reflect the 1986 version of Castlevania. Those changes include:

• No Backflip
• No Backstep
• No Slide
• Mid-air control is reduced
• Cannot jump off stairs
• Cannot jump on to stairs
• Extended whip is not available
• Cannot stand/crouch mid-whip animation

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/26/bloodstained-ritual-of-the-night-review"] Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a spiritual successor to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – we awarded it an 8.8 review, saying "The wait was worth it. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a whole new castle to crash full of unexpected monsters and mysteries in the vein of classic Castlevania." Classic Mode was added last month, adding five levels inspired by '80s action-platformers such as the original Castlevania games. [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.

Sony is seemingly looking at developing its back button attachment for the PlayStation 5's DualSense controller, according to a new patent. A new 'controller add-on device with customizable presets' document was published on the World Intellectual Property Organization database on February 4, which suggests that Sony wants to develop the accessory to function with the PS5's gamepad. According to the patent, Sony filed the required paperwork on June 29, 2020, and the document's publication would seemingly enable Sony to begin production on a DualSense back button attachment. Images (below) seem to show a near-identical peripheral to the PS4 back button attachment released last year. We called that attachment "easy to recommend", despite being "a little on the weird side" in a 7/10 review. At the time, we even wondered if it meant the DualSense would have in-built back buttons, but that wasn't to be – it seems Sony is now offering an option for that. [caption id="attachment_2471219" align="alignnone" width="2116"] Source: World Intellectual Property Organization[/caption] Like the PlayStation 4's DualShock controller peripheral, the DualSense gamepad accessory would couple onto the input slots at the base of the PS5's controller. The buttons on the accessory would also be fully customizable, which would allow users to map command pre-sets based on each button press. The patent indicates that the back button add-on would allow more buttons to be "within the reach of the user while using certain functions" as some button prompts "may be out of reach for the average hand while using certain functions". It's unclear if Sony will press ahead with production on its DualSense back button add-on, or if this is the company merely covering themselves against third-party accessories. Sony has previously pressured Customize My Plates, a third-party PS5 plate maker, into canceling its custom-created orders, and the PS5 back button patent may be a way to prevent other companies from creating their own back button accessories. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/ps5-dualsense-controller-review"] News of this PS5 back button add-on patent comes after Sony revealed that the DualSense controller would not come automatically fitted with such a device. In September 2020, Sony confirmed that the gamepad would not have back button or trigger functionality, but this patent document suggests that it may not be long before the peripheral is official. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Tom Power is a UK-based freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter.

There are over a million words in Disco Elysium. That’s not hyperbole. For a benchmark, picture the entirety of The Lord of the Rings - all three books, plus The Hobbit for good measure - twice. And all of those million words, most of which previously sat in silence on the screen, are going to be read aloud in the upcoming Final Cut edition of the game. Full voice acting is coming to Disco Elysium, and - as you can probably guess - it’s been no small undertaking. Wanting to know more about how this feat has been achieved, I sent a few questions to developer ZA/UM. In response, Disco Elysium’s lead writer, Helen Hindpere, sent me 1,549 words worth of answers, written in such a manner that I felt our interview had become an extension of the game itself. Words, it would seem, are as essential as breathing to the studio. “I just watched an interview with a Soviet poet from the fifties,” Hindpere tells me. “Arvi Siig, a hero of mine. He said: poetry must belong to the masses. “I was like: f**k yeah, Arvi! With all my heart I agree. Disco Elysium is a wild and singular adventure, but it’s also meant for the widest possible audience.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/17/disco-elysium-review"] Currently, Disco Elysium’s mostly speechless original form is only available on PC and Mac. But with The Final Cut, it will arrive on PlayStation in March, and on Xbox and Switch later in 2021. And with those extra platforms comes the potential of a much wider audience. “Games are just so much more accessible with full VO [voiceover], especially RPGs,” says Hindpere. “And it’s crucial for the console experience too… TV screens just aren’t made for reading like monitors are. You need VO.” Adding voice acting isn’t just about making Disco Elysium accessible to more people, though. ZA/UM wrote the game with VO in mind, and so the Final Cut’s script remains “99% the same” as the original release. As such, the addition of acting brings Disco Elysium closer to its intended vision. “Our intent was always to simulate how real life conversations work,” says Hindpere. “Not film conversations, or even book conversations, but real conversations. Ours are probably the most sprawling dialogue trees ever written. That’s because Disco Elysium is a conversation simulator. The VO brings us even closer to that.” Of course, making those conversations come alive requires the right talent. The original version of Disco Elysium has a small amount of voice acting that’s notable for its authentic, scrappy feeling, in part generated by a “ragtag band of miscreants, friends, and friends of friends,” that ZA/UM remains thankful for. These recordings work as the blueprint for The Final Cut’s approach. “We had to voice the entire character this time, not just the beginnings of the dialogues,” notes Hindpere. “Your conversations take you to some rather extreme places psychologically. So we did re-casting with professional actors. Many we kept too – from the original. Favourites like Kim Kitsuragi and Evrart Claire (Jullian Champenois and Tariq Khan). It’s a mix. Hopefully we kept that colourful vibe, only now with added acting chops.” Finding the right cast has been a sprawling task. “You need people from all over the world to pull this kind of project off,” says Hindpere. “One day – a Moroccan rapper from the Canaries. The other – a Taiwanese rapper from Taiwan. Then a Liverpudlian scouse comes in and absolutely tears it up as Cuno. The casting process has been very planetary. That’s how we’ve found the right voices, I think.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/disco-elysium-final-cut-trailer"] Finding the ideal actors for the likes of The Deserter and Paledriver has been one thing, but the biggest challenge ZA/UM faced was finding a voice to bring the whole experience together. “The narrator is the voice of Disco Elysium,” Hindpere emphasises. “He reads all non-direct speech. This means every object, every parenthesis, and so on. Only when we miraculously stumbled upon Lenval Brown did we know: ok, we have the voice of Disco Elysium now. We can really attempt to do this.” Brown, who's voice can be heard in the above trailer, is a jazz musician when he’s not bringing video game dialogue to life. He voices around half of Disco Elysium’s script. As a reminder, that’s half a million words, the same as Tolstoy’s War and Peace. “No Lenval – no Disco Elysium VO,” says Hindpere. “It’s that central.” The role of the narrator in Disco Elysium is much more than a voice to guide the player between conversations. As well as a storyteller, Brown is also the voice of the 24 different skills, which manifest as individual ‘characters’ within the protagonist's mind. “It seems like a natural choice to have each skill voiced by a different actor, but believe me, it would be awful,” says Hindpere, answering the most obvious question. “Grating, cartoonish, hyperactive. There’s something about Disco Elysium that not a lot of people realize – it’s actually a very calm and cosy game.... It’s cosy, like watching a series of dark detective fiction – while curled up on the couch with your SO. Or reading a book. It has that vibe to it. Taking the skills as narration, rather than a band of harpies tearing at you, was essential to keeping the experience level.” “As a final note – I’ll get pretty in-depth now, but hey! you’re reading an interview with a Disco Elysium dev so you get what you pay for – in our psychological system the 24 skills all reside in the same part of your character’s brain: the Posterior Neocortex, where modern science says consciousness lies,” adds Hindpere. “The casting sheet literally says: POSTERIOR NEOCORTEX. So the skills all share the voice of the Posterior Neocortex. There are different brain-voices in the game too: the Ancient Reptilian Brain, the Limbic System and the Spinal Cord (all narrate your dreams). Those have different voices, because they are truly different parts of your character’s brain.” Finding the right actors, inviting back beloved voices, and recording over a million words has taken ZA/UM around 14 months to do. The small studio has done almost all of this while the world has been suffering from the impact of what Hindpere refers to as “the microorganism”, which has meant recording sessions over Zoom and a lot of rescheduling. “It’s been a whole-studio challenge, too,” Hindpere makes clear. “Everyone is on VO one way or another. We have our own in-house trio of directors working with the actors. Plus every single writer on call and doing QA. We all share the responsibility to get it right. The Final Cut really needs to be the ultimate edition of Disco Elysium.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=disco-elysium-18-screenshots&captions=true"] As well as being the ultimate edition, I also think The Final Cut will help deliver the truest version of ZA/UM’s world. I am guilty of waxing lyrical about the world of Revachol and its loftiness, but Hindpere reminds me that Disco Elysium is also weird and wild and wacky. “Disco Elysium has as much in common with the Eurodance band Scooter and the 2006 comedy “Dude, Where’s My Car?” as it has with… what have we been accused of lately? Hauntology? Existentialism?,” Hindpere says. “We’re about that, but we’re also about Scooter. Faster, Harder, Scooter!” And… well, yes. It’s all in the title. Disco Elysium. Of course it’s wild. This is a game where you can have debates with your own necktie, afterall. The Apocalypse Cop route, in which you act as a prophet of the end of all things, is delivered with playful absurdity. Full voice work will bring these aspects to life in a way that will balance out the dark, haunting sound of British Sea Power’s score, hopefully making for a version that conveys Disco Elysium’s full personality spectrum for the ears as well as the eyes. “It feels quite luxurious,” Hindpere says, summing up VO’s impact on the game. “High production values usually do. But then it also feels more direct and personal.” Disco Elysium already feels like it speaks directly to the player. But currently, the relationship is akin to an author talking to a reader. That in itself has a particular kind of intimacy, and is certainly part of why I find its story so impactful. But the promise of experiencing it all again, where that relationship is replaced with more authentic conversation, is something that has me excited for The Final Cut. And for those on console who have never played this convention-shattering RPG, Disco Elysium’s upcoming incarnation will hopefully be the best possible way to first experience it. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

The Xbox Series X and S were the UK's best selling consoles in January 2021, beating out both PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch for the first time since launch. As reported by GamesIndustry.Biz (based on GfK's charts), Microsoft's next-gen consoles outsold all competitors in January. The Nintendo Switch took second place despite sales being up by 21% and console sales, in general, being up by 148% compared to the previous year. Microsoft posted record profits in January, with its gaming hardware segment growing 86% due to the launch of the Series X and S. GI's report notes that the PlayStation 5 took third place in GfK's charts. Given the Switch's enormous success, particularly in the last year, and PlayStation's recent dominance in the tug-of-war between Sony and Microsoft, this is a positive sign for Xbox. However, that is likely influenced as much by market shortages as sheer demand – IGN UK Deals' Robert Anderson indicated that Xbox Series consoles saw three or four UK stock drops in January, with PS5 only seeing one. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/xbox-series-x-review"] It was recently revealed that the PlayStation 5 had shipped 4.5 million units worldwide as of December 2020, matching the launch of the PS4. AMD recently anticipated its chip shortage to last through the first half of 2021, which may affect the production of the Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 consoles. Those supply constraints have seen a notable rise in console reselling, leading to a potential console scalping ban gaining momentum in the UK parliament, which that may prevent the high levels of inflated reselling we've seen with the next-gen consoles. Elsewhere, Animal Crossing New Horizons held strong as the top boxed game in the UK for January 2021, with Hitman 3 entering the chart at 12th position, making it the month's best-selling launch. Here's our review of Hitman 3, which we scored a 9, calling it "highly replayable." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Dan Harmon, the Emmy-winning co-creator of Rick and Morty, is continuing to develop a new animated comedy series at Fox, set in mythical ancient Greece. According to IndieWire, Fox just announced details of the upcoming series, revealing that the story is set to unfold in ancient Greece, and will be centered on "a flawed family of humans, gods, and monsters that tries to run one of the world's first cities without killing each other." The outlet also noted that voice casting for the series is underway, with more announcements expected to follow at a later date. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/09/rick-and-morty-top-10-episodes"] "Leave it to Dan Harmon to turn the mythos of early Greek civilization into remarkably sharp commentary on today's politics, celebrity, and pop culture," said Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn. "This project is an incredibly irreverent family comedy as told by one of the town's most inventive storytellers. We are proud to be partnered with Dan on this series, which strengthens our hold on the animation space and, as we continue to build Fox Entertainment, marks an important first step for us with our first fully owned scripted property." The new project stems from Fox's 2020 animation deal with Harmon, which included a series commitment for an animated comedy show intended to premiere on the network in the spring of 2022. Fox Entertainment is producing the series, and Fox-owned Bento Box Entertainment, the studio behind Bob's Burgers, is serving as the animation house on the project. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=rick-and-morty-best-one-liners&captions=true"] Fox has quite a packed slate of adult animation these days, having in the past couple of years added to its roster of The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Bob's Burgers, along with Bless the Harts, Duncanville, The Great North, and the still-to-come Housebroken. However, this new Harmon project will be Fox Entertainment's first fully-owned animated series. Outside of this new series, Rick & Morty fans have plenty to look forward to with the future of Adult Swim's hit animated sci-fi sitcom. During an Adult Swim Con Rick & Morty panel last year, Harmon shared a sneak peek of Season 5 featuring Rick's nemesis, Mr. Nimbus, and also gave updates on Season 5 production and the status of Season 6. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

CD Projekt Red has been the victim of a targeted cyberattack, in which hackers claim to have stolen internal documents and the source code for Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, and more. The company announced the attack on Twitter, noting its "internal systems have been compromised" and that the hackers had left a ransom note. The ransom note was released to the public alongside the announcement, and it claims that the hackers have "dumped full copies of the source codes" for Cyberpunk 2077, Witcher 3, Gwent and "the unreleased version of Witcher 3," presumably the next-gen edition coming later this year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/07/cyberpunk-2077-review"] The hackers also claim to have access to "all" of the company's documents related to "accounting, administration, legal, HR, investor relations and more." The ransom note ends by noting that CD Projekt Red has 48 hours to contact the hackers, or "your source codes will be sold or leaked online and your documents will be sent to our contacts in gaming journalism. Your public image will go down the shitter even more and people will see how you [sic] shitty your company functions. Investors will lose trust in your company and the stock will dive even lower," the note continues.

Important Update pic.twitter.com/PCEuhAJosR

— CD PROJEKT RED (@CDPROJEKTRED) February 9, 2021

According to CD Projekt, devices on its network have been encrypted, but they have begun restoring their IT infrastructure and data through backups. "We will not give in to the demands nor negotiate with the actor, being aware that this may eventually lead to the release of the compromised data," the company's Twitter statement reads. CD Projekt Red says that to the best of its knowledge, "the compromised systems did not contain any personal data of our players or users of our services." The company has contacted the relevant authorities, including the President of the Personal Data Protection Office and IT forensic specialists, who will be investigating the cyber attack. This ransomware attack echoes a similar event for Capcom, in which hackers stole huge amounts of data, eventually leaking multiple games and leaving former employees fearing for the saftey of their personal data. Recently, Capcom said the attack had no significant impact on the games it planned to release. In other CD Projekt Red news, the company recently issued a hotfix for Cyberpunk 2077 that squashed a vulnerability that could make PC modders vulnerable to malicious hackers. Tesla recently revealed that its new cars can run The Witcher 3 via embedded 10-Teraflop gaming rigs. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Black Myth: Wukong – the Chinese indie action-RPG that gained huge attention upon announcement last year – has gotten a new gameplay trailer, showing off a number of fresh elements. Released to celebrate Chinese New Year, ushering in the Year of the Ox, developer Game Science makes clear that the trailer doesn't show a section of planned story from the game. However, it does show off never-before-seen gameplay, including a new area, filled with enemy types, bosses, and spells we haven't seen before. Check out the new gameplay below [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/09/black-myth-wukong-official-year-of-the-ox-gameplay-trailer"] Set in a desert-like area covered in dead plants and dotted with temple-like buildings, we see fast-paced battles against acrobatic, wolf-like humanoids, a spear-and-shield wielding rat, what seems to be a lightning-firing mage, and a swarm of miniature, red-eyed attackers. We also see a number of more boss-like enemies, from a giant, fleshy mouse-like creature, to a two-headed, fire-breathing rat-like being, to a towering humanoid ox. We also see the player-character (who may or may not be the real Wukong of Chinese folktales) use a set of new spells to fight them: transforming into a skull-filled walking boulder to deflect ranged attacks, freezing a charging enemy in place and knocking them away (a little reminiscent of Breath of the Wild's Stasis ability), parrying against multiple enemies, and transforming into three lightning-wielding creatures for an aerial attack. A caption makes clear that "This video is specially produced for celebrating the Year of the Ox, it does not represent actual plot." However, it seem unlikely that any of the elements above were designed simply for the trailer, meaning they'll likely be implemented in the final game in different ways. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=black-myth-wukong-11-screenshots&captions=true"] This marks the first new Black Myth gameplay since the 13-minute announcement video, which saw incredible popularity across the Internet last year. In September, Game Science told IGN that it planned to go quiet "for a long time" to work on the game – this release appears to be solely to celebrate Chinese New Year with fans, rather than to signal that we'll be learning much more about the game. For more on Black Myth: Wukong, check out everything we know about it, and read our exclusive story on the studio making it. [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.