Monthly Archives: April 2021
Hitman Dev’s James Bond Game Is an Original Story Drawing From the Franchise’s Entire History
IGN's Ryan McCaffrey sat down with IO Interactive CEO and co-owner Hakan Abrak to discuss the studio's history in the latest episode of IGN Unfiltered (watch the full interview tomorrow), along with the team's upcoming James Bond game, Hitman 3, separating from Square Enix, and much more.
Abrak confirmed that IO won't be using the likeness of any actor who has portrayed 007 in the past, but that's not the only place IO is differentiating itself from what Bond has done before. The team will also be creating a completely new story for their original Bond.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/19/io-interactive-bond-game-project-007-teaser-trailer"]
When asked if IO would be taking inspiration from the Bond films or books, Abrak said, "It's important to mention: doing a licensed game is new to us. We've only done our own, original IPs (intellectual property), right? We've created these characters... ourselves, from scratch.
"So, I think for us to really embrace this fully, and really, as I said before, we don't like to work 'mechanical.' It's not just because it's a big IP, or it's a licensed game, and commercially this is interesting... It means nothing to us. We've taken a lot of non-commercial risks before. So, for us, it's about... we need to feel it, deep inside. The passion needs to be there, so it was very important for us that it wasn't a movie adaptation. So, it wasn't a game about... a specific movie, where the story has already been told."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/20/why-a-james-bond-007-game-from-the-hitman-team-has-major-potential"]
He continued: "It's very important that we could create a digital Bond. A Bond for the gaming industry... So it's a completely original story. This felt really, really important for us and we conveyed that to [James Bond owner] EON and they agreed that the result would probably be better doing it like that.
"There's always excitement around a new Bond. It's amazing, what they have done with the franchise over the years. Every Bond kind of defines a generation and it's amazing how they kept reinventing themselves over so many years. So, we're not only inspired by one movie, or games and whatnot. We're inspired by the whole thing, and just sucking things into us to make an original Bond, an original story, but that is absolutely true and recognizable in the values there is in Bond. I'm really looking forward to creating a new community that the gamers can call their own."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/02/hitman-3-reviews-is-this-the-best-hitman-ever-the-review-crew"]
For more interviews with the best, brightest, most fascinating minds in the games industry, check out be sure to check out every episode of IGN Unfiltered, which includes talks with The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley, Master Chief co-creator Marcus Lehto, 343's Bonnie Ross, Valve's Robin Walker & Chris Remo, Respawn's Stig Asmussen, and so many more.
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Brian Barnett writes wiki guides, deals posts, features, and much more for IGN. You can get your fix of Brian's antics on Twitter and Instagram (@Ribnax).JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 6 Is In Production and Will Adapt Stone Ocean
During the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure the Animation Special Event, it was confirmed that the series' sixth season is in production and will look to adapt the Stone Ocean story arc from the Japanese manga series of the same name.
As reported by CBR.com, the anime design for the next JoJo, Jolyne Cujoh, was also revealed and can be seen in the poster below.
While no premiere date was given, a teaser trailer was shown that celebrates the history of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure while also teasing its exciting future with Jolyne.
Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon's Ai Farouz will voice Jolyne, who is also the first female protagonist in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise. Fairouz shared her excitement of her new role with fans, saying that Jojo is what inspired her to take on voice-acting as a profession. "I cannot live without the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, and it is also what inspired me to take on voice-acting as a profession," Fairouz said, as translated by Anime News Network. "So when I heard that I was going to be able to participate in the series, I was lost for words and surprised that “Even a Stand would be blown to the moon.” I cried so much as it was literally the moment my dream came true, which I have chased over for 12 years. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/25/top-10-best-anime-series-of-all-time"] "I love and admire Jolyne as a character and her beautiful, strong nature gave me strength especially during my student years, so I am grateful for the opportunity to voice Jolyne." It's been nearly two years since JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind came to an end, so this news is very welcome to fans waiting for more. The Star Ocean manga ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1999 to 2003 and totaled in 17 volumes. [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.【「ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ストーンオーシャン」アニメ制作決定!!】
「ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ストーンオーシャン」のアニメ制作が決定いたしました!!#jojo_anime pic.twitter.com/eq1pYxG5d7 — TVアニメ『ジョジョの奇妙な冒険』公式 (@anime_jojo) April 4, 2021
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 6 Is In Production and Will Adapt Stone Ocean
During the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure the Animation Special Event, it was confirmed that the series' sixth season is in production and will look to adapt the Stone Ocean story arc from the Japanese manga series of the same name.
As reported by CBR.com, the anime design for the next JoJo, Jolyne Cujoh, was also revealed and can be seen in the poster below.
While no premiere date was given, a teaser trailer was shown that celebrates the history of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure while also teasing its exciting future with Jolyne.
Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon's Ai Farouz will voice Jolyne, who is also the first female protagonist in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise. Fairouz shared her excitement of her new role with fans, saying that Jojo is what inspired her to take on voice-acting as a profession. "I cannot live without the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, and it is also what inspired me to take on voice-acting as a profession," Fairouz said, as translated by Anime News Network. "So when I heard that I was going to be able to participate in the series, I was lost for words and surprised that “Even a Stand would be blown to the moon.” I cried so much as it was literally the moment my dream came true, which I have chased over for 12 years. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/25/top-10-best-anime-series-of-all-time"] "I love and admire Jolyne as a character and her beautiful, strong nature gave me strength especially during my student years, so I am grateful for the opportunity to voice Jolyne." It's been nearly two years since JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind came to an end, so this news is very welcome to fans waiting for more. The Star Ocean manga ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1999 to 2003 and totaled in 17 volumes. [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.【「ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ストーンオーシャン」アニメ制作決定!!】
「ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ストーンオーシャン」のアニメ制作が決定いたしました!!#jojo_anime pic.twitter.com/eq1pYxG5d7 — TVアニメ『ジョジョの奇妙な冒険』公式 (@anime_jojo) April 4, 2021
Marvel’s Loki: New Images Tease the Time Traveling Disney+ Series
New images from Marvel's Loki tease the time traveling adventure premiering Disney+ on June 11, 2021.
Marvel’s Loki: New Images Tease the Time Traveling Disney+ Series
New images from Marvel's Loki tease the time traveling adventure premiering Disney+ on June 11, 2021.
Loki: New Trailer Released Ahead of Its June 2021 Premiere Date
A new trailer has been released for Marvel's Loki, a new series set to premiere on Disney+ on June 11, 2021.
This new trailer shows more of Owen Wilson's Mobius and the TVA's plan to force Loki to fix the mess he made during the events of Avengers: Endgame.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/05/marvel-studios-loki-official-trailer-2"]
Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson will be joined by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, and Richard E. Grant in this new series that reportedly already has a second season in development.
We've now seen two trailers for Marvel's Loki, and those and the newest poster hint more about Loki's upcoming adventure with the TVA, or Time Variance Authority, the group in Marvel Comics who govern the growing number of realities in the multiverse.
Speaking of the multiverse, we also know that Marvel's Loki will have a connection to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and that this story will see Loki finding his way to various points throughout human history, influencing historical events in the way only the God of Mischief can.
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Marvel's Loki will be the next Marvel Disney+ series following The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, which just aired its third episode.
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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.
Loki: New Trailer Released Ahead of Its June 2021 Premiere Date
A new trailer has been released for Marvel's Loki, a new series set to premiere on Disney+ on June 11, 2021.
This new trailer shows more of Owen Wilson's Mobius and the TVA's plan to force Loki to fix the mess he made during the events of Avengers: Endgame.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/05/marvel-studios-loki-official-trailer-2"]
Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson will be joined by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, and Richard E. Grant in this new series that reportedly already has a second season in development.
We've now seen two trailers for Marvel's Loki, and those and the newest poster hint more about Loki's upcoming adventure with the TVA, or Time Variance Authority, the group in Marvel Comics who govern the growing number of realities in the multiverse.
Speaking of the multiverse, we also know that Marvel's Loki will have a connection to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and that this story will see Loki finding his way to various points throughout human history, influencing historical events in the way only the God of Mischief can.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/marvels-loki-official-trailer"]
Marvel's Loki will be the next Marvel Disney+ series following The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, which just aired its third episode.
[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.
GameStop Shares Fall As It Plans an Up to $1 Billion Stock Sale
GameStop has announced its "at-the-market" equity offering program that will allow it to sell up to 3.5 million shares of its common stock, essentially cashing in on the Reddit-fueled stock situation and potentially earning the company up to $1 billion USD to help "further accelerate its transformation" and strengthen its balance sheet.
GameStop revealed the news today in a statement, sharing that the timing and amount of any sales will be determined by "a variety of factors considered by the Company." Furthermore, this Common Stock will be offered through Jefferies LLC, who will serve as the sales agent.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/28/what-is-going-on-with-gamestop-stock-ign-now"]
At Thursday's closing price of $191.45, GameStop could earn up to $670 million. However, it does not need to sell its shares at that value as this specific program will allow it to sell the stock over an extended period of time.
As of this writing, GameStop's share price has already dropped nearly 10% to $173.12.
This is the first we are hearing of GameStop's plan to cash in on the previously mentioned Reddit-fueled stock situation that has seen GameStop's share price skyrocket more than 900% at certain times this year.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/07/how-gamestop-plans-to-save-itself"]
Just last year, GameStop's stock price was trending as low as $3 per share. At its height in January 2021, the price rose up to nearly $350 per share. This increase was in-part do to a fight between short-sellers like Citron Research and the subreddit r/WallStreetBets.
This news follows GameStop's most recent earnings call, which was uncharacteristically short and made no mention of this plan. It did, however, describe some of its planned "transformation," as it wants to see itself as a broader technology company that will focus on selling more gaming-adjacent products, including monitors, TVs, and mobile gaming items.
It also has a desire to improve its distribution network and reduce its reliance on console cycles.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/25/reggie-fils-aim-quits-gamestop-board-of-directors-after-just-one-year-ign-now"]
Alongside its plan to offer up stock, GameStop also shared that, in the first nine-weeks of fiscal 2021, total global sales increased "approximately 11% from the nine-week period ended April 4, 2020."
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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.
GameStop Shares Fall As It Plans an Up to $1 Billion Stock Sale
GameStop has announced its "at-the-market" equity offering program that will allow it to sell up to 3.5 million shares of its common stock, essentially cashing in on the Reddit-fueled stock situation and potentially earning the company up to $1 billion USD to help "further accelerate its transformation" and strengthen its balance sheet.
GameStop revealed the news today in a statement, sharing that the timing and amount of any sales will be determined by "a variety of factors considered by the Company." Furthermore, this Common Stock will be offered through Jefferies LLC, who will serve as the sales agent.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/28/what-is-going-on-with-gamestop-stock-ign-now"]
At Thursday's closing price of $191.45, GameStop could earn up to $670 million. However, it does not need to sell its shares at that value as this specific program will allow it to sell the stock over an extended period of time.
As of this writing, GameStop's share price has already dropped nearly 10% to $173.12.
This is the first we are hearing of GameStop's plan to cash in on the previously mentioned Reddit-fueled stock situation that has seen GameStop's share price skyrocket more than 900% at certain times this year.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/07/how-gamestop-plans-to-save-itself"]
Just last year, GameStop's stock price was trending as low as $3 per share. At its height in January 2021, the price rose up to nearly $350 per share. This increase was in-part do to a fight between short-sellers like Citron Research and the subreddit r/WallStreetBets.
This news follows GameStop's most recent earnings call, which was uncharacteristically short and made no mention of this plan. It did, however, describe some of its planned "transformation," as it wants to see itself as a broader technology company that will focus on selling more gaming-adjacent products, including monitors, TVs, and mobile gaming items.
It also has a desire to improve its distribution network and reduce its reliance on console cycles.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/25/reggie-fils-aim-quits-gamestop-board-of-directors-after-just-one-year-ign-now"]
Alongside its plan to offer up stock, GameStop also shared that, in the first nine-weeks of fiscal 2021, total global sales increased "approximately 11% from the nine-week period ended April 4, 2020."
[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 Walking Dead’s Final Season Premiere Date Revealed
The Walking Dead's 24-episode eleventh and final season will officially premiere on Sunday, August 22, 2021.
AMC revealed the date alongside a new teaser that ran during tonight's Season 10 finale. It also shared that this final, expanded season will kick off with eight episodes, the "first of a massive 24-episode story arc that will bring the show's decade-long successful run to conclusion."
“Coming off of the six additional episodes for Season 10, which focused on smaller, character-driven stories, we're excited to kick off Season 11 bigger than ever,” says Angela Kang, showrunner and executive producer of The Walking Dead. “The stakes will be high – we'll see more zombies, tons of action, intriguing new stories, never-before-seen locations and our groups together in one community for the first time, trying to rebuild what the Whisperers took from them.” The Walking Dead's Season 10 finale - "Here's Negan" - was a strong ending to the 22-spisode season. In our review, we said, "unlike Walking Dead's other extra Season 10 episodes, "Here's Negan" uses the small scale and limited cast call sheets of the COVID era to its advantage, allowing Jeffrey Dean Morgan and wife Hilarie Burton plenty of one-on-one screen time together to help paint Negan as a previously loving and sympathetic character. The Walking Dead's final season will conclude in 2022, but that doesn't mean we will be leaving its zombie-filled world anytime soon as AMC has already greenlit a spinoff series focused on Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier that is set to premiere in 2023. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-walking-dead-best-daryl-and-carol-moments&captions=true"] There will also be a new anthology series set in The Walking Dead universe titled "Tales of the Walking Dead," that will be "an episodic anthology with individual episodes or arcs of episodes focused on new or existing characters, backstories or other stand-alone experiences." Furthermore, it was previously revealed that we'd be getting a Walking Dead movie focused on Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes. [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.#TheWalkingDead's final season kicks off Sunday, August 22nd on AMC pic.twitter.com/FnDtesEeqJ
— The Walking Dead (@TheWalkingDead) April 5, 2021