Monthly Archives: February 2021
Total War: Warhammer 3 Announced for 2021
Creative Assembly has announced Total War: Warhammer 3, which will arrive in 2021 for PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store).
"In Total War: WARHAMMER III each choice you make will shape the reality-shattering conflict to come," reads the trailer's description, "from the mysterious Lands of the East to the daemon-infested Realms of Chaos. Will you conquer your daemons? Or command them?"
A trailer (below) shows a battle between the Kingdom of Kislev and a Khorne-aligned Chaos force, with teases for Nurgle, Slaanesh and Tzeentch Chaos forces, and a final peek at a Cathay faction:
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/03/total-war-warhammer-iii-announce-trailer"]
This will be the video game debut for Kislev and Cathay factions, and publisher Sega promises, "players will wage war with the most diverse array of legendary heroes, gargantuan monsters, flying creatures and magical powers that the series has ever seen."
As for the new campaign, Sega says players will be tasked with "saving or exploiting the power of a dying god. Each race offers a unique journey through the nightmarish Chaos Realm, culminating in an endgame that will determine the fate of the world."
“Our vision, from the start, was to create a series that felt like an incredible journey through this world we all loved.,” said game director, Ian Roxburgh in a press release. “The enormous support of our players in ensuring the success of the first two instalments has pushed our ambition to new heights, and we can’t wait for everyone to experience it.”
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/09/25/total-war-warhammer-2-review"]
We awarded Total War: Warhammer 2 a huge 9.1/10 review, saying, "The story and objective-driven campaign is a league above anything we’ve seen in the entire Total War series before in both design and presentation."
We weren't the only people to like it: Superman himself, Henry Cavill is a huge fan, and ended up becoming an Easter egg in his own favourite game.
[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.
2K Will Still Publish Borderlands Despite Gearbox Takeover
2K has confirmed that it will remain the publisher of the Borderlands games, despite the recent announcement that Gearbox has been acquired by Embracer.
In a statement sent to IGN, a 2K spokesperson said: "As the proud publisher of the Borderlands franchise, we are happy for our partners at Gearbox and this exciting new chapter for their organization. The merger does not change 2K’s relationship with Gearbox nor our role as the publisher for the Borderlands IP or any other projects we are currently working on with the studio. We look forward to continuing our long-term partnership with this incredibly talented team and delivering many more exciting entertainment experiences to gaming fans around the world.”
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/10/borderlands-3-review"]
Embracer, a video games holding company, publishes games via THQ Nordic, its primary publishing subsidiary. As such, some may have wondered if Borderlands would switch from being published by 2K to THQ Nordic or Deep Silver, another publishing company owned by Embracer. But, as 2K have now made clear, that will not be the case.
Embracer recently acquired 13 companies in one day, but Gearbox signals the company's highest profile developer catch so far.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.
Complete List of the 78th Golden Globe Nominees
The nominees for the 78th Golden Globe Awards have been announced, with David Fincher's Mank leading the pack with six nominations.
This year's nominees were announced by Sarah Jessica Parker and Taraji P. Henson on an E! News simulcast of the TODAY Show on Wednesday. Mank took home nominations for Best Picture and Best Director, together with Best Actor (Gary Oldman), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Amanda Seyfried), Best Screenplay (Jack Fincher), and Best Original Score (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross).
Other hot contenders in the film category included Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7, which picked up five nominations, and Chloé Zhao's Nomadland, Anthony Hopkins The Father, and Carey Mulligan's Promising Young Woman, which followed closely behind with four nominations apiece. Each of these titles also made an appearance in the Best Picture - Drama category.
Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in August of last year, received a posthumous Golden Globes nomination in the Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama category for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Viola Davis also received a Best Actress nomination for her role in the film, which is based on the play of the same name by August Wilson.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/08/ma-raineys-black-bottom-got-talent-official-clip"]
The Golden Globe nomination ceremony also made history this year, as three women were recognized in the Best Director category - which is the first time that more than one female has been shortlisted for the category in a single year. Emerald Fennell, Regina King, and Chloé Zhao all received nominations. They were joined by David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin.
Meanwhile, The Crown led the TV nominations, scoring six in total, including Best Television Series, Best Actor (Josh O'Connor), Best Actress (Olivia Colman, Emma Corrin), and Best Supporting Actress (Gillian Anderson, Helena Bonham Carter). The historical drama series is going up against The Mandalorian, Lovecraft Country, Ozark, and Ratched in the Best Television Series - Drama category.
As a distributor, Netflix topped the list with 42 of its titles nominated across the board, including 22 in the film category and 20 on the television side of the proceedings.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=igns-best-reviewed-movies-of-2020&captions=true"]
The complete list of nominees follows:
Best Motion Picture – Drama
- Nomadland
- Mank
- The Father
- Promising Young Woman
- The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
- Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
- Hamilton
- Music
- Palm Springs
- The Prom
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
- Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
- Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
- Anthony Hopkins, The Father
- Gary Oldman, Mank
- Tahar Ramin, The Mauritanian
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
- Viola Davis, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
- Andra Day, The United States vs Billie
- Frances McDormand, Nomadland
- Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
- Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
- Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
- James Corden, The Prom
- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
- Andy Samberg, Palm Springs
- Dev Patel, Personal History of David Copperfield
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
- Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
- Kate Hudson, Music
- Michelle Pfeiffer, French Exit
- Rosamund Pike, I Care A Lot
- Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
- Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
- Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
- Jared Leto, The Little Things
- Bill Murray, On the Rocks
- Leslie Odom, Jr., One Night in Miami
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
- Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
- Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian
- Amanda Seyfried, Mank
- Helena Zengel, News of the World
- Olivia Colman, The Father
Best Director – Motion Picture
- Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
- David Fincher, Mank
- Regina King, One Night in Miami
- Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
- Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
- Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
- Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
- Jack Fincher, Mank
- Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton, The Father
- Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Best Motion Picture – Animated
- Soul
- Onward
- Wolfwalkers
- Over the Moon
- The Croods: A New Age
Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
- Another Round
- Minari
- Two of Us
- The Life Ahead
- La Llorona
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
- Alexandre Desplat, The Midnight Sky
- Ludwig Göransson, Tenet
- James Newton Howard, News of the World
- Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste, Soul
- Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Mank
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
- Fight for You from Judas and the Black Messiah - H.E.R., Dernst Emile II, Tiara Thomas
- Hear My Voice from The Trial of the Chicago 7 - Daniel Pemberton, Celeste
- Io Si (Seen) from The Life Ahead - Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, Niccolò Agliardi
- Speak Now from One Night in Miami - Leslie Odom Jr., Sam Ashworth
- Tigress & Tweed from The United States vs. Billie Holliday - Andra Day, Raphael Saadiq
Best Television Series – Drama
- The Mandalorian
- The Crown
- Lovecraft Country
- Ozark
- Ratched
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
- Emily in Paris
- The Flight Attendant
- The Great
- Ted Lasso
- Schitt's Creek
Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
- Normal People
- The Queen's Gambit
- The Undoing
- Small Axe
- Unorthodox
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Drama
- Jason Bateman, Ozark
- Josh O'Connor, The Crown
- Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
- Matthew Rhys, Perry Mason
- Al Pacino, Hunters
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
- Olivia Colman, The Crown
- Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
- Emma Corrin, The Crown
- Laura Linney, Ozark
- Sarah Paulson, Ratched
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
- Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
- Eugene Levy, Schitt's Creek
- Nicholas Hoult, The Great
- Ramy Youssef, Ramy
- Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
- Lily Collins, Emily in Paris
- Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
- Elle Fanning, The Great
- Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek
- Jane Levy, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
- Bryan Cranston, Your Honor
- Jeff Daniels, The Comey Rule
- Ethan Hawke, The Good Lord Bird
- Hugh Grant, The Undoing
- Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
- Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit
- Shira Haas, Unorthodox
- Nicole Kidman, The Undoing
- Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
- Daisy Edgar-Jones, Normal People
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
- John Boyega, Small Axe
- Brendan Gleeson, The Comey Rule
- Dan Levy, Schitt's Creek
- Jim Parsons, Hollywood
- Donald Sutherland, The Undoing
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
- Gillian Anderson, The Crown
- Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
- Julia Garner, Ozark
- Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek
- Cynthia Nixon, Ratched
Cosmic Sin: Exclusive Trailer for Bruce Willis-Frank Grillo Sci-Fi Action Film
Today, we have your exclusive first look at the new trailer and poster for Cosmic Sin, an upcoming sci-fi action movie starring Bruce Willis and Frank Grillo.
Set in the year 2524, four hundred years after humans colorized the outer planets, Cosmic Sin follows James Ford (Willis), a retired general called back into service after soldiers on a remote planet are attacked by a hostile alien fleet.
With the threat of interstellar war rapidly escalating into a seeming inevitability, General Ford joins forces with General Eron Ryle (Grillo) and a team of elite soldiers to stop the attack before it's too late.
Watch the exclusive trailer for Cosmic Sin in the player below:
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/03/cosmic-sin-exclusive-official-trailer"]
In addition to Willis and Grillo, the cast includes Brandon Thomas Lee, Perrey Reeves, Corey Large, Lochlyn Munro, Costas Mandylor, CJ Perry, and Adelaide Kane.
Edward Drake directs Cosmic Sin from a screenplay by Edward Drake and Corey Large.
Here's the exclusive official poster for Cosmic Sin:
The film, which runs 90 minutes, is rated R for language, some sexual references, and violence.
Saban Films is slated to release Cosmic Sin in theaters, On Demand, and On Digital on March 12, 2021.
Biomutant Gameplay Breakdown: A Weird Open World Concoction of Zelda, Shadow of Mordor, And More
Over the course of almost four years, developer Experiment 101 has revealed slivers of information about Biomutant, its bonkers open-world adventure. Those tidbits of knowledge form a scattershot, incomplete picture of a freeform RPG that might be a bit Zelda-y. But, thanks to a recent chat with Experiment 101 studio head Stefan Ljungqvist, we now have a more comprehensive understanding of what Biomutant is.
“If you like Breath of the Wild, or that type of structure, I think you're really going to enjoy this game,” Ljungqvist tells me, confirming that Zelda suspicion. But as he continues to paint a picture of Biomutant, plenty more games come to mind; Far Cry, Mad Max, Monster Hunter, and even Fallout among them.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/24/biomutant-10-minutes-of-new-gameplay-footage"]
Biomutant is built around three “facets”; a Tribe War, the world-sustaining Tree of Life, and your character’s backstory. A linear mission chain, designed specifically to provide some structure to the otherwise freeform world, forms the main storyline, and will guide players into these three facets. The open-world nature of the game, though, means you can interact with these aspects however you please, within reason.
“There's six tribes in the world,” says Ljungqvist, beginning his breakdown of these facets. “It's kind of a Shadow of Mordor-lite thing going on. I start by allying with one leader from a tribe.”
The world is filled with outposts, each owned by one of the six tribes. Conquer these for your chosen tribe, and you’ll begin to amass favour with your new allies. “You gradually become the tribe's champion,” Ljungqvist explains. “You'll be awarded the tribe's special weapon, learn their Wung-Fu style [a special combat technique], and new shops open in respective outposts.” Some outposts even provide access to special mounts, such as the bizarre giant clockwork hand that allows you to scuttle over the landscape akin to Thing from The Addams Family.
With all three of a rival tribe’s outposts conquered, you’ll be able to assault their fortress. “At the end of that you can decide the destiny of the rival tribe's Sifu [leader], and that plays back into the choices that you are making that tie into the end-game,” reveals Ljungqvist.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=biomutant-screenshots&captions=true"]
Those decisions relate to the second facet, the Tree of Life, the fate of which will ultimately dictate the destiny of Biomutant’s world. To help contextualise your decisions, the tribes you can ally with are either working towards good or evil goals. “A light or ‘good’ tribe wants to unite the other tribes,” Ljungqvist says. “And they want to make sure that the Tree of Life survives, because they believe that you can have a restart in the world that currently is. Whilst the dark tribes believe you have to destroy what you have in order to start anew.”
Allying with a light tribe doesn’t permanently lock you into a ‘good’ path. Rather, you can abandon a tribe at any time should you have a change of heart. However, you’ll have to then re-conquer previously dominated outposts in the name of your new tribe. Taking over outposts is a permanent achievement, though, so you won’t have to worry about re-taking camps from counter-attacks. “You don't want to have Starcraft in Zelda,” sums up Ljungqvist.
There are bigger foes than just rival tribes, though. The Tree of Life has four roots that span across the world, each leading to a ‘World Eater’ boss; huge monster battles that demand particular tactics and equipment. “You take them on by using a specific vehicle,” explains Ljungqvist. “It can be the Mekton [a mech] or Googlide, which is the water-ski, or a submarine.”
“To get those [vehicles], you'll interact with other key characters in the game, to help and get them ready for the fight,” he adds. “Once you've fought those four big World Eaters, and depending on the tribes, or on your light or dark Aura [karma], the destiny of those four World Eaters might be different. Will you allow them to live or not, to destroy the Tree or not?”
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/08/22/15-minutes-of-new-biomutant-gameplay-gamescom-2018"]
The final of the three facets is your character’s backstory, which - naturally - Ljungqvist is keeping a mystery. “Who are you, and where did you come from?” he asks rhetorically. “That's the third leg of completing this whole main story, and hopefully people will go out into the world and explore that.”
Uncovering that backstory will lead you deeper into Biomutant’s world of strange characters, beasts, and cultures. It’s all built on an eight square-kilometer base; a small map by the standards set by Ljungqvist’s previous work on Just Cause, but still big enough to pack in numerous different biomes.
“The world is diamond shaped,” says Ljungqvist. It’s a design chosen to add a natural sense of direction to the player’s journey. “You start in the bottom corner, and the game will become more difficult once you reach the top corner of the diamond,” he explains. By having ‘narrow’ start and end points, you have specific locations for player on-boarding and a story climax. Between those points, the world expands to its furthest reaches, providing the more freeform meat of the adventure.
While players are free to explore anywhere on the map after exiting that narrow tutorial corner, some zones are gated and can’t be accessed until later in the story. Well, sort of. “For example in the Dead Zone, you are deprived of oxygen,” says Ljungqvist. “If you get the mech, you can go deeper into the Dead Zone without suffocating.” That mech is provided to you by a character in the story, thus meaning the Dead Zone is a later game location. But curious players may find a way into the Dead Zone hours before the story dictates.
“It's open-world, and you can go to any of these characters in any order,” Ljungqvist teases. “Even if you have a main quest marker, you can choose to not take that and meet another character.”
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/09/02/25-minutes-of-biomutant-gameplay-pax-2017"]
Alternatively, players can instead use Biomutant’s gear and mutation systems to help them into those areas. In terms of the Dead Zone, you may be able to find a gas mask. It’s no mech, and so the zone’s biggest challenges may still be beyond you, but at least the air won’t kill you. For areas that demand a little extra height, players without access to the air balloon may seek out the ability to place bouncing mushrooms, or learn to levitate, or use telekinesis, or glide over the obstacle using a wingsuit. It’s in these multiple methods to overcome challenges that you can see Experiment 101’s Breath of the Wild-like aspirations shine through.
Many of the aspects that Ljungqvist describes to me in our chat do not break new ground. At least, not on their own. But there’s something about their interconnectedness that intrigues me. In education, 101 typically refers to the first lesson in a subject. The basics. True to its name, Experiment 101 seems to be, well, experimenting with a variety of basic open world ideas in pursuit of something more. There’s a surprising amount of moving parts packed into Biomutant’s modestly sized map, all seemingly linked together. And with its bright, furry aesthetic and kung-fu inspired animation, these familiar parts could come together to feel experimental and new.
That’s the feeling on paper. I’ve yet to play Biomutant, so I have no idea if what’s in my head is reflected in the game. But after my chat with Ljungqvist, I believe that Biomutant has much more going for it than just its striking key art and saturday morning cartoon weirdness. I’ll find out if that’s true when it releases in May.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.
EA Has Made $3 Billion from Star Wars Games – and It Isn’t Slowing Down Anytime Soon
EA has made over $3 billion from its slate of Star Wars titles, and it isn't planning on slowing down development for how many games it makes within that license – even if it no longer holds the exclusive rights to make them.
Speaking during yesterday's EA earnings call (as transcribed by Seeking Alpha), EA CEO Andrew Wilson was asked if the company would be changing how it develops games after seemingly losing the exclusive license to create Star Wars games.
"I don’t think you should imagine that the fact that some other people will build some Star Wars games is going to change our commitment to that IP or our ability to build the appropriate number of games," replied Wilson.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/13/open-world-star-wars-game-in-the-works-at-ubisoft-ign-news"]
Wilson made clear how valuable Star Wars has been to the company, pointing out that EA Star Wars games have brought in "over $3 billion in net bookings" and 52 million sales since EA began making them (including before that exclusivity deal). Mobile game Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes has brought in $1 billion of that amount on its own.
Wilson then made clear that the company has no plans to slow down its Star Wars games production: "We’re excited by what we’ll be able to do in the future. But you shouldn’t read this as necessarily us building [fewer] titles."
Wilson added that EA will continue to invest in the franchises it's created (we've already got a sense that we'll see a Jedi: Fallen Order sequel), "as well as some new experiences across platforms for the future."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/07/star-wars-jedi-fallen-order-start-of-new-franchise-ea-confirms-ign-news"]
Star Wars' gaming future has been left wide open after Lucasfilm Games returned as a brand and announced an Ubisoft open world Star Wars game. EA subsequently made clear that it would continue to make Star Wars games. Given that it's aiming to make just as many as it has been, we might be seeing a lot of new Star Wars games in the next few years.
Ubisoft Massive's game is still relatively unknown, but job listings have hinted at a few features. Lucasfilm says it has more games to announce as the year goes on.
[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.
GoldenEye 007: Cancelled Remaster Files Have Leaked
The game files for Rare’s cancelled GoldenEye 007 Remaster have been shared onto the internet.
The remaster, originally planned for release on Xbox 360 via XBLA but eventually cancelled due to a rights issue, was brought to everyone’s attention once again last month via a video showing a full playthrough. But now the files have been posted to archive and sharing sites on the internet, allowing the public to get their hands on the doomed project.
As demonstrated by the video uploaded to YouTube, this remaster allows you to swap between original and upgraded visuals, much like the Halo remasters. It runs at 60FPS and can be played at 4K, which is quite a leap beyond the capabilities of the Xbox 360 console for which it was built.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/10/13/history-of-awesome-goldeneye-007"]
In the YouTube video of the remaster, uploader Graslu00 says that they were told the game would be possibly released in some form to the public in 2021. It appears that release has come very quickly.
Playing this version requires the use of an emulator or a modded Xbox 360, so it’s important to note that anyone wishing to seek the files out will be dabbling in murky legal waters, not to mention the fact that the game itself has likely leaked from within Rare and can thus be considered stolen property.
For legitimate Bond, we can all look forward to Project 007 from Hitman developer IO Interactive. The studio has certainly proven its Bond credentials in Hitman 3.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.
How Quantic Dream’s New Studio Changes Its Future (and Its Secret Next Game)
IGN spoke exclusively with Quantic Dream's David Cage about how the developer's new studio affects its future, its unannounced AAA game, and its working culture.
Square Enix Has Remained Profitable Despite Post-Avengers Losses
Square Enix has reported year-on-year growth in its latest earnings reports, despite operating at a loss on its gaming side for two consecutive quarters.
During the nine months ending December 2020, Square reports that it saw an increase in net sales of 33.7% over the same period in 2019. Additionally, the company’s operating income rose by 47.7% to 41,022 million yen. This kept the company profitable, but not quite as healthy as 2019; profits were 4.3% less than the same period last year. Despite this, Square forecasts the full year will eventually result in a more profitable year overall by 12.4%.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/10/marvels-avengers-review"]
Factors relating to these figures can be seen in Square Enix’s presentation slides detailing the sales of HD Games across the nine months. In Q1, when the highly successful Final Fantasy 7 Remake launched, net sales were more than double Square’s best period in 2019, at 34.1 billion yen. Operating income also rose in tandem, creating an impressive spike of almost 15 billion yen. But Q2 saw a decline in net sales and a steep drop in operating income, with the company operating at a loss of approximately -6 billion yen. Net sales continued to fall in Q3, amassing 18.8 billion yen, while operating income managed to increase, but still remained at a loss. This decline correlates with the launch of Marvel’s Avengers in Q2, which received mixed reviews and struggled to maintain a healthy player base through Q3.
Q3 saw a decline in MMO sales, too, with no major expansions for Final Fantasy 14 or Dragon Quest X, but the division remained in profit thanks to continued revenue generated by players.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/19/marvels-avengers-kate-bishop-trailer"]
On the amusements side, Square has managed to recover from a dismal Q1, in which its arcade business was significantly dented by the impact of COVID. Q3 has seen it operate at a profit, and return net sales to similar levels previously seen in 2019.
While Marvel’s Avengers was September 2020’s best selling game, Square Enix had yet to recoup its development costs by the end of November. A next-gen version of the game will be released this year, although it remains to be seen if that will turn around its fate. Developer Crystal Dynamics is “confident” that players will return to the game when new modes are added, though.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.
PS5 System Update Fixes PS4 Disc Installation Bug
A new PS5 system update has resolved an issue that caused PS4 game discs to attempt to install the last-gen version of a game, even if it had already been upgraded.
The 20.02-02.50.00 update includes Sony's usual vague disclaimer that it "improves system performance", but adds details of one more specific change:
"The following issue was resolved: The PS4 version of the game was sometimes installed from the PS4 game disc even after upgrading the disc version of a PS4 game to the PS5 version."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/how-to-transfer-data-from-your-ps4-to-ps5"]
The issue affected cross-gen games such as Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which saw release on a PS4 disc and would then unlock a PS5 upgrade when used in the newer console. The bug would cause the console to repeatedly attempt to install the PS4 version from the disc, every time it was turned on, despite the PS5 version already being present.
It closes another issue with PS4-PS5 upgrades, after fixes for a download queue bug that blocked PS5 version installations, and a new warning system that shows if you're starting a PS4 game on your new console. If you're moving between consoles, we've got a guide on how to transfer save data from your PS4 to PS5.
Sony today announced that it shipped 4.5 million PS5s in 2020 - matching the PS4's launch. It's estimated that, in the US, 10-15% of PS5s have been resold for profit. If you've been playing PS4 or PS5, you can check out your personal wrap-up for last year right now to see exactly how much you played.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"]
[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.