An interstellar object previously believed by some to be from aliens might actually be a piece of planet from another solar system, according to a new study. A massive cigar-shaped object known as Oumuamua passed by Earth in 2017 at 196,000 mph and Harvard professor, Avi Loeb, said earlier this year that it likely originated from aliens. A new study from two Arizona State University scientists suggests the object to actually be the piece of a Pluto-like planet in a different solar system knocked off the surface about half a billion years ago. "This research is exciting in that we've probably resolved the mystery of what Oumuamua is and we can reasonably identify it as a chunk of an 'exo-Pluto,' a Pluto-like planet in another solar system," ASU astrophysicist, Steven Desch, said in a press release. "Until now, we've had no way to know if other solar systems have Pluto-like planets, but now we have seen a chunk of one pass by Earth." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/08/scientist-says-object-that-flew-by-earth-could-have-been-made-by-aliens-ign-news"] Desch mentioned that some have deemed Oumuamua as something originating from aliens, but they said that might have been the result of an inability to "immediately explain it in detail." "Everybody is interested in aliens, and it was inevitable that this first object outside the solar system would make people think aliens," Desch said. "But it's important in science not to jump to conclusions. It took two or three years to figure out a natural explanation — a chunk of nitrogen ice — that matches everything we know about Oumuamua. That's not long in science, and far too soon to say we had exhausted all natural explanations." Rather than aliens, Desch's study with fellow ASU researcher and astronomer, Alan Jackson, posits that Oumuamua is actually a piece of solidified nitrogen. The reason the pair conclude the object is likely from a Pluto-like planet is because Pluto's surface is also made of solidified nitrogen. Jackson said it was likely knocked off the surface of a planet about half a billion years ago, at which point, it was thrown out of its solar system. Floating through space at nearly 200,000 mph, it eventually arrived to our solar system. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cosmos-possible-worlds-gallery&captions=true"] "Oumuamua likely wasn't flat when it entered our solar system, but melted away to a sliver, losing more than 95% of its mass, during its close encounter with the Sun," Jackson said in the press release. The interstellar object passed by Earth as a bizarre, cigar-shaped object, but it likely looked something more like a comet when it first left its origin point. Jackson said the outer layers of solid nitrogen evaporated as it floated through space, especially as it endured the heat of our Sun, which led to its flattened shape. They compared this shedding of nitrogen layers to the way a bar of soap slowly flattens out as it's used. The duo theorized multiple types of ice for the object, but studies revealed that it had to have been nitrogen. "We knew we had hit on the right idea when we completed the calculation for what albedo (which is the proportion of the incident light or radiation that is reflected by a surface) would make the motion of Oumuamua match the observations," Jackson said. "That value came out as being the same as we observe on the surface of Pluto or Triton, bodies covered in nitrogen ice." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/19/cosmos-possible-worlds-exclusive-season-finale-clip"] NASA said in 2018 that Oumuamua is, "the first object ever seen in our solar system that is known to have originated elsewhere." Desch and Jackson said that as more interstellar objects like Oumuamua are discovered, scientists like themselves can continue to learn more about what lies beyond our solar system. "It's hoped that in a decade or so we can acquire statistics on what sorts of objects pass through the solar system, and if nitrogen ice chunks are rare or as common as we've calculated," Jackson said. "Either way, we should be able to learn a lot about other solar systems, and whether they underwent the same sorts of collisional histories that ours did." For more science, read about these possible signs of life detected on Venus and then read about how a galactic federation of aliens might already be in contact with the US and Israeli governments. Check out this story about a study that claims alien civilizations destroyed themselves through progress after that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Fans of Matt Kindt's critically acclaimed sci-fi comic MIND MGMT will be happy to know Kindt is returning to the series in 2021. However, there's a big catch. MIND MGMT: The Artifact isn't being released by traditional means, but will instead be sold at auction as an NFT (or non-fungible token). Only one lucky bidder will have the privilege of actually owning and reading this new story. IGN can exclusively reveal the first details about MIND MGMT: The Artifact, which is a single, standalone comic set within this sci-fi espionage universe. Because Kindt doesn't want to reveal the contents of the story itself, he's instead created an "artist's statement" image that sheds some light on the philosophical nature of this story. Check out that image below: [caption id="attachment_2489518" align="aligncenter" width="1860"] Art by Matt Kindt.[/caption] “I wanted to create an original MIND MGMT comic book narrative that would explore the nature of belief and the value of ideas and their intangible nature as a way of exploring the idea of NFTs,” Kindt writes. “The best way to explore this idea was for the actual story – the MIND MGMT narrative – to become what it is about. This story is written as a MIND MGMT espionage narrative – an agent sent on a mission to retrieve a priceless artifact. There are secret codes, monk-ninjas. LOTS of monk-ninja and a teenage immortal intent on stealing this priceless artifact. This story is about the nature of belief and value while simultaneously becoming its own idea. It is both a real apple…and a drawing of an apple.” Clearly, Kindt intends to use The Artifact as a way of commenting on the new obsession with NFT and the importance modern culture places on esoteric digital items. As the artist's statement reveals, there are no current plans to reprint The Artifact in any form, digitally or in print. Kindt is leaving it up to the winning bidder to decide what becomes of the story. In that sense, The Artifact is similar to the infamous Wu-Tang Clan record that sold to Martin Shkreli in 2015 for $2 million. As far as we know, however, Kindt isn't including a clause granting he or actor Bill Murray the right to attempt to steal it back. “I have no intention of ever publishing MIND MGMT: The Artifact in a traditional way,” said Kindt in a statement. “The highest bidder for the auction will determine what happens next. Will they share it online? Will they read it with family and friends? Will it be erased? Does the value of an idea come from the owning of it? Or the sharing of it? That’s up to the one who possesses it. I don’t entirely know what happens next.” This isn't quite the first time a comic has been released as a single NFT, as Omar Spahi's Xenoglyphs became the first to capitalize on what's sure to become a growing trend in the industry. However, this is easily the most high-profile example to date. NFT technology has suddenly become a source of fascination in light of a single JPG image selling for a record-breaking $69 million at auction in March 2021. However, NFT art has also drawn heavy criticism, given the enormous energy costs involved in generating these unique tokens and the resulting environmental impact. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-6-most-popular-cryptocurrencies-right-now&captions=true"] MIND MGMT: The Artifact is currently up for bidding, with the auction set to close on March 31. Even if The Artifact remains locked away for eternity, there is hope the series will continue in other forms. 20th Century Fox acquired the MIND MGMT film rights in 2013, with Ridley Scott attached to produce. More recently, Universal announced a MIND MGMT TV series, with Dexter's David Cerrone serving as showrunner. It's unclear whether either project is still in active development. Whatever the future holds for this particular franchise, Kindt remains hard at work on BRZRKR, the violent action/fantasy comic co-written by Keanu Reeves. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

The Witcher has added seven new cast members to its Season 2 line-up, with stars from Bridgerton and Downton Abbey joining the Netflix series. Netflix has confirmed that several actors will be joining the cast of The Witcher season 2 in roles that will likely be recognizable to fans of Andrzej Sapkowski's book saga, including Bridgerton's Adjoa Andoh as Nenneke, who appears in the novels as a priestess of Melitele, and the head of the Temple of Melitele in Ellander, just outside of the main city.

The Witcher Season 2 — meet the latest cast additions:

Adjoa Andoh as Nenneke Cassie Clare as Phillippa Eilhart Liz Carr as Fenn Graham McTavish as Dijkstra Kevin Doyle as Ba’lian Simon Callow as Codringher Chris Fulton as Rience pic.twitter.com/jkvgTYMfVv — Netflix (@netflix) March 22, 2021

Other new cast additions for season 2 include Cassie Clare (Brave New World) in the role of Phillippa Eilhart, Liz Carr (Silent Witness) as Fenn, Graham McTavish (Outlander) as Dijkstra, Kevin Doyle (Downton Abbey) portraying Ba'lian, Simon Callow (A Room with A View) as Codringher, and Chris Fulton (Bridgerton) in the role of Rience, a major antagonist in the Witcher book series. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-witcher-explaining-all-the-characters-and-who-plays-them&captions=true"] These actors join the cast alongside fellow newcomers Yasen Atour playing Coen and Paul Bullion portraying Lambert, together with Agnes Born as Vereena, Basil Eidenbenz as Eskel, Aisha Fabienne Ross as Lydia, Kristofer Hivju as Nivellen, Mecia Simson as Francesca, and Kim Bodnia as Vesemir who is described as being "the oldest and most experienced witcher" in the series.

Returning to the cast for season 2 are Henry Cavill, who leads Netflix's Witcher saga, playing the role of Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan, Joey Batey, MyAnna Buring, Tom Canton, Lilly Cooper, Jeremy Crawford, Eamon Farren, Mahesh Jadu, Terence Maynard, Lars Mikkelsen, Mimî M Khayisa, Royce Pierreson, Wilson Mbomio, Anna Shaffer, and Therica Wilson-Read.

Convinced Yennefer's life was lost at the Battle of Sodden, The Witcher season 2 will pick up with Geralt taking Princess Cirilla to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen. While the Continent's kings, elves, humans, and demons strive for supremacy outside its walls, he will strive to protect Ciri from something far more dangerous: the mysterious power she possesses inside.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/21/the-witcher-cast-respond-to-ign-comments"]

The Witcher season 2 has no premiere date yet, though season 3 expected to be announced at some point. Netflix is also working on The Witcher: Blood Origin, a six-part spin-off prequel series set 1,200 years before Geralt walked the lands of the Northern Kingdoms, and The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, an anime feature film centered around Vesemir, Geralt's close friend and mentor.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Bioware Austin Executive Producer Christian Dailey has revealed a new piece of Dragon Age 4 character concept art, showing off a mage, as well as a previously-revealed magic archer. Dailey posted the concept to Twitter over the weekend, which features a character standing in a rain-drenched alley in Minrathous, wearing a boxy cape and wielding a staff with a snake at its helm. Dailey was prompted to post it by Dragon Age Creative Director Matthew Goldman, who tagged Daily previously, noting that fans "could use a little pick me up."

@SerGoldman perfect!

Happy Friday my friends - I hope you are all staying out of the rain! Stay safe. Have a great weekend!! pic.twitter.com/ViYBms8Gng — Christian Dailey (@ChristianDailey) March 20, 2021

Back in January, Dailey posted a similar piece of Dragon Age concept art featuring a helmeted archer character in a fractured world. It's not clear whether either of these new faces will show up in the forthcoming Dragon Age 4 as set characters, or if they represent player classes, but it's nice to see Bioware Austin's vision for the look of the game.

Just wanted to say Happy New Year to everyone. I hope all are safe and well. Here's to new beginnings... pic.twitter.com/Hy22jd0swl

— Christian Dailey (@ChristianDailey) January 8, 2021

A recent report suggested that Dragon Age 4 will be a single-player RPG with no multiplayer. The game will be set in the land of Tevinter, as confirmed by a recently released BioWare book.  [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

The PC system requirements have been revealed for Resident Evil Village, as well as dates for the Re:Verse multiplayer Open Beta, which kicks off on April 7. The minimum and recommended system requirements can be seen on the game's Japanese pre-order page. Players will need 8 GB of memory and a 4 GB VRAM GPU like the GTX 1050 TI to run the game at minimum specs. The specs note that 1080p 60 FPS gameplay will be possible if players tick the "Performance Focus" setting. Capcom says 16 GB of RAM is required for the recommended experience, as well as a GTX 1070 for 1080p 60 FPS gameplay with the "Focus on Screen Quality" setting ticked. Naturally, players who want to turn on Ray tracing will need a compatible card. RTX 3070 owners will be able to attain 4K 60 FPS gameplay, for example. You can see the full specs in the tweet below:

Capcom has released Resident Evil Village PC system requirements on their Japanese pre-order pagehttps://t.co/62s3XcJrrt pic.twitter.com/CHXkp0Vppe

— Nibel (@Nibellion) March 22, 2021

As well as the system requirements, Capcom revealed the Open Beta test dates for Re:Verse, the multiplayer component of Resident Evil: Village where players can embody fan-favourite characters and bioweapons. The beta test will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One, Xbox One X and PC via Steam starting on April 7 2021. Next-gen players will be able to play the Xbox One / PS4 version of the game on their consoles. The Beta will be open from April 7 at 11pm Pacific until April 10 at 11pm Pacific, (that's April 8 at 2am Eastern / 7am UK / 6pm AEDT to April 11 at the same time). You'll be able to preload the demo starting on April 5 (or April 6 in the UK and Australia). Resident Evil Village will launch on May 7 2021. Capcom recently warned fans about scam emails offering early access to the game. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Update 03/31/2021: Today's the day. Nintendo says it's removing a number of Mario products from sale. The Internet says it's executing Mario. There are only hours until we find out which is true. The Japanese Mario 35 celebration Twitter account (which will also presumably be terminated after today) has made clear that March 31 will see the end-of-service for Super Mario Bros. 35, and the end of sale for the likes of Super Mario 3D All-Stars. "Mario will continue to power up," reads a tweet, "so please continue to support us."

スーパーマリオブラザーズ35周年キャンペーンは、本日3月31日をもって終了します。ご参加いただいたすべてのみなさまに感謝を申し上げます。

マリオはこれからもますますパワーアップしていきますので、引き続き応援をどうぞよろしくお願いいたします。#スーパーマリオ35周年https://t.co/MPvhfeQ0k8 pic.twitter.com/Xx8RL2uVj8 — スーパーマリオブラザーズ35周年 (@supermario35th) March 31, 2021

While Nintendo has made clear that remaining stock of limited products will be sold while stocks last, and download codes will stay functional after March 31, it's clear that time is running out to grab copies for less-than-inflated prices. Amazon US has already ceased selling digital codes for Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and GamesIndustry reports that UK sales for the game rose by 276% in its final week on sale – meaning physical stock may well be hard to come by soon. As you might expect, the 'Mario Dies Today' meme is reaching fever pitch at this point, with fans turning their confusion about Nintendo's decision-making into social media silliness:

Oh yeah, Mario dies today. pic.twitter.com/l3OHRs9b0Z

— Apple2k / Daily MegaTen Music (@Daily_Megaten) March 31, 2021

before the joke dies

uhh mario dies today this means that bowser will have finally won, poor lad earned it, dude has been fighting mario for so long he deserves to win for once. — Norendera (@Norendera) March 31, 2021

Mario Dies Today Bye Bye old friend pic.twitter.com/ysg3NQmoW5

— Ariana Nova .H (@mustangs2444) March 31, 2021

Nintendo still hasn't fully explained the reasoning for arbitrarily cancelling sales, or given an idea as to what comes next. [poilib element="accentDivider"] It's a little over a week until Nintendo – for reasons it has still not satisfactorily explained – removes Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Super Mario Bros. 35, Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros., and the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary merch collection from sale. It's a situation so bizarre that the internet has attempted to rationalise it by deciding that March 31 is, in fact, the day Mario will die. Last year Nintendo released a number of products to celebrate Mario's 35th anniversary, with the bizarre proviso that they wouldn't be selling them beyond March 31, 2021. In the case of platformer battle royale, Super Mario Bros. 35, the game won't even be playable after that date, and Super Mario Maker on Wii U will also cease level sharing on the day. Oddly, NES re-release, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & The Blade of Light will also be removed from sale on March 31 (maybe it's Mario's favourite game?).

Mario dies on march 31

— Omega (@Omega__Aurora) March 21, 2021

Despite confusion from fans – who'd quite like the option to be able to buy or play games after the arbitrary cut-off – Nintendo is really sticking to its guns on this. The company recently formally reminded fans of the removals, and VGC reports that Nintendo's official Tokyo store will even pull physical copies of Super Mario 3D All-Stars off of shelves after the date. Tellingly, even Nintendo seems to understand the confusion this is causing, ending its removal reminder post by assuring fans that other Mario games like Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit will continue to be sold after March 31. There is, of course, the possibility that the affected games will be re-released in new, non-anniversary form after March 31, but Nintendo's made no attempt to, you know, inform anyone about it if that is going to be the case.

All the mario games are going away on March 31 because Nintendo is killing him

— Michael Spiese (@MichaelSpiese) March 20, 2021

The closest we've come to a reasoning behind all of this came from Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser, who told Polygon that it's intended as a "celebration", and (thankfully) made clear that "it’s not [a] strategy that we’re going to be using widely, but it’s one we thought was very unique for the actual anniversary." Frankly, that doesn't feel like it's doing enough to explain the thinking here, never mind whether anything is coming after the fact. So, with a dearth of information, the Nintendo community gestalt has come to a single, immutable conclusion: Mario will die on March 31. It might sound wild, but it somehow makes more sense than Nintendo just deciding to stop people from buying or playing the things they made without explanation.

Luigi: We live our lives taking each second for granted.

Mario: But what would you do if you knew how much time you had left? Only a few days left before we bid farewell to Mario... forever... Memento Mario Unus Marius#mario35 #mariomemories #march31 #Nintendo #UnusAnnus pic.twitter.com/jV8j786B9T — Kenton Draws Stuff (@ken10drawsstuff) March 22, 2021

The meme has been hanging throughout the months since the March 31 cutoff was announced but, as we enter the final days before the deadline, interest has been picking up. Google Trends reports that searches for "Mario dies" reached a year-long high in the US last week, and Twitter and Reddit are seeing the phrase flying around more and more. You can likely expect that to continue to grow until March 31 itself. It's a very silly meme, but it does speak to the wider issue with Nintendo's messaging here. The company's done so little to explain its decisions to its fans that they've taken matters into their own hands, and come up with an answer to the question that Nintendo probably doesn't like being out there all that much. If it had just taken the time to provide a little more context, it might not be so eminently clear that Mario is on his way to the big Boo Mansion in the sky. I mean, it's not as if Nintendo doesn't have previous here - it did once kill Luigi after all. [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 Boondocks reboot has seemingly been rescheduled for a 2022 release on HBO Max. According to the official Boondocks Instagram page, per Okayplayer, the beloved animated series has set a new date for its return. The page's bio appears to reveal that The Boondocks reboot is now scheduled for a release in 2022 after the new series was originally announced for Fall 2020, launching with a 50-minute special on the HBO Max streaming service. It was announced back in 2019 that HBO Max had picked up The Boondocks reboot for a two-season order, with each of the "reimagined" seasons locked in with 24 episodes that would once again follow the adventures of Huey, Riley, and Robert "Granddad" Freeman. It was also announced that Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder would be returning as showrunner and would serve as executive producer. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/03/matrix-4-dune-more-2021-movies-coming-to-hbo-max-ign-now"] "There's a unique opportunity to revisit the world of The Boondocks and do it over again for today," McGruder said in a statement at the time of the announcement. "It's crazy how different the times we live in are now - both politically and culturally - more than a decade past the original series and two decades past the original newspaper comic. There's a lot to say and it should be fun." Rumors had been circulating that the animated series might be returning for a fifth season after comedian John Witherspoon (who voiced Granddad on the show) let it slip that "The Boondocks is coming back" during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience in 2019 — but the show is now making its way back to our screens as a full reboot, with McGruder at the helm. The beloved animated comedy originally ran for four seasons from 2005-2014 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block, although the fourth and final season was produced without McGruder's involvement. The reason cited for the split between the series creator and the company was a scheduling dispute over the production schedule. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-adult-cartoon-tv-series&captions=true"] The Boondocks reboot joins a growing roster of adult animated shows at HBO Max, with this latest announcement coming shortly after the streamer handed out series orders to a lineup of new shows, including a Scooby-Doo spinoff that will tell the origin story of Velma Dinkley, and two new seasons of Clone High, serving as a reimagining of the Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Bill Lawrence 2002 series. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

McDonald's China is serving up a brand new, limited-time Big Meatball Burger that features meatballs smothered in a tomato meat sauce. Per Hypefoods, McDonald's China is introducing a new "burger" that substitutes the fast-food chain's traditional beef patty for a hefty load of meatballs slathered in tomato meat sauce. The messy filling is also paired with lettuce, mayonnaise, and a slice of cheese, served up on a classic sesame seed bun to hold the saucy spread together, though a napkin would probably be recommended in this case. [caption id="attachment_248957" align="alignnone" width="720"] Image credit: McDonald's China via Hypefoods[/caption] Celebrating the Italian-American staple, the Big Meatball Burger is currently only available at participating McDonald's China locations for a limited time, so if you're planning on visiting the Golden Arches anywhere else in the world then you may have to settle for a more traditional offering from the fast-food chain's regular menu. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/01/19/mcdonalds-putting-chocolate-on-fries-in-japan-ign-news"] This isn't the first time that McDonald's China has introduced a unique burger creation to its menu. Just last year, the company released another food mashup in the form of a limited-edition Spam and Oreos Burger that featured slices of Spam topped with an Oreo-style cookie crumb and a layer of mayonnaise, presented in a standard sesame seed bun. McDonald's Japan has also joined the cooking concoctions craze, having previously offered such creations as the McChoco Potato — a menu item that equated to a tray of fries with two sauce options: chocolate cacao flavor and white milk chocolate, and a Black Burger — another limited-time burger option featuring black buns and cheese made with bamboo charcoal and squid ink. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Footage from the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Parasite Technical Test has escaped from quarantine, revealing a number of details about the upcoming PvE shooter spin-off. Over the weekend, some users were spotted streaming the game on Twitch and Facebook Gaming, presumably breaking an NDA by doing so. The footage seen by IGN reveals a number of the game's features – although unfortunately, the player was "suspended for cheating" during the live stream, so we didn't get to see any of the multiplayer in action, just the Training Mode. The game's menus point to Parasite (or whatever subtitle it ends up using) leveraging Ubisoft Connect to maintain saves and progression across all platforms, as well as offering cross-play. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/10/rainbow-six-quarantine-reveal-trailer"] We got a small glimpse at the playable Operators, including Alibi, Lion, Vigil, Ela, Finka and Tachanka, who retain or reflect their abilities from Siege. Tachanka can deploy a Mounted LMG, and Alibi can use Prisma decoys to attract enemies. Once players pick an Operator they will see a loadout screen where they can customise their weapons with attachments and pick from a set of gadgets, including a Recon Drone, Body Armor and an Ammo Satchel. The player can also choose between a Stun Grenade, a Nitro Cell and a Scan Grenade during the loadout phase. A simulation introduces players to the game, and its main threat: Archæans. These are Parasite's hostile force, alien-looking creatures with "different behaviour and skills." Players will have to be careful when fighting them as if alerted they will summon more hostiles to attack the player or even alert a nest, which produces hostiles until it is destroyed. Stealth is suggested as a result, where players can sneak up to and take down a target with their REACT Blade, often to source a sample from the creature to complete an objective. As you'd expect, a lot of the mechanics are similar to Rainbow Six Siege, with players able to lean while aiming, shoot through walls and barricade windows. When hostiles are killed in a non-stealthy fashion or nests are alerted, they will spread a corrosive goo on the floor called Biofilm that is difficult for players to walk through, like the barbed wire in Siege. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/ubisoft-will-rely-less-on-aaa-games-in-the-future"] In each Incursion, players can proceed by completing objectives to gather intel, such as planting trackers on dormant nests. There is one objective available per each Sub-Zone in the incursion, and players move between Sub-Zones via an airlock which, once sealed, cannot be passed through to backtrack. Every Sub-Zone also has an Extraction Point where players can secure the intel gathered so far. This can also be avoided as players venture deeper into the Incursion, facing a riskier Sub-Zone instead of extracting to gain even better rewards. If players don't make it to extraction or the airlock, they will be considered MIA. Operators who are MIA will remain in the Sub-Zone they were lost in and can be rescued in a future Incursion, by being cut out of an Archæan tree. The tree will try to stop the player from rescuing the Operator, and players will need to shoot the tree's Anchor Points to fight the parasite and stop it from reabsorbing the host body, at which point the Operator will be lost. If the player succeeds in saving the Operator, they will have to be carried to the Extraction Point. Rainbow Six Quarantine was delayed due to the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic after being revealed during E3 2019, and scheduled for an Early 2020 release. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Media Molecule Studio Director Siobhan Reddy will receive BAFTA's highest honour, the BAFTA Fellowship during this week's BAFTA Games Awards. Reddy will be honoured with The BAFTA Fellowship, an award given to talented individuals to reward their creative contribution to the games industry. The award recognizes Reddy's "pioneering work on advocacy for diversity, inclusion and creative and collaborative working culture." Reddy joined Media Molecule when the studio was founded in 2006 and was named Studio Director in 2009. This means she has overseen the launch of every LittleBigPlanet game, as well as Tearaway and most recently, Dreams.   [caption id="attachment_2489600" align="alignnone" width="900"] Siobhan Reddy (Source: BAFTA)[/caption] “I am so incredibly honoured and moved to receive the BAFTA Fellowship Award. I have been privileged throughout my life and career with incredible support and encouragement," Reddy said. "I sincerely hope that my story, voice and support can be useful to others within the games industry. There is still so much to do, the Fellowship provides further motivation for me, and is real encouragement for all of us to care even more about inclusivity, diversity and building a work culture that celebrates creativity.” The BAFTA Games Awards will take place later this week on March 25th. The nominations were released earlier this month, with The Last of Us Part 2 earning 13 of them, setting a new record for the number of nominations for a single game. Over the years, many games industry legends have been recognized by the BAFTA Fellowship, including Fable creator Peter Molyneux, Grand Theft Auto creators Dan and Sam Houser, Monkey Island and Psychonauts alum Tim Schafer and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/13/dreams-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.