Among the dozens of announcements and reveals at Gamescom’s Opening Night Live, the newly unveiled UFL is one that caught the eye in particular. It’s not because of some stunning gameplay reveal – we didn’t see gameplay at all, in fact – but because of what the game’s aiming to do, which is upset the traditional balance of an entire genre of games. It’s not very often that a new football game comes along, never mind one with the avowed intentions of wrestling the dominance away from the historically huge duo of FIFA and PES (now eFootball).

Strikerz Inc. is taking up such a challenge, a new studio built up of offices scattered all across Europe, which harbours hopes of UFL sweeping the globe, much like its workforce. It’s a tough market to crack, especially considering the financial power of EA’s FIFA and the sheer number of players it attracts annually, so how does Strikerz Inc. plan to do this? I spoke to Eugene Nashilov, CEO of the studio to discover what makes UFL unique.

It’s clear when speaking to Nashilov that this isn’t some snap decision to make a new football game and get in on the action. UFL has been in development for 5 years already, and a huge amount of research was put into the football game genre before creative work on UFL even began.

“Before going into the development stage of the game, we conducted an in-depth study of the market, analyzed players’ needs and demands, examined the pros and cons of the existing gaming titles and very much more,” Nashilov explains. “The feedback and data we collected motivated us to create a brand-new game, one that meets and exceeds gamers' vision of the perfect football game.”

‘The perfect football game’ may well sound like lofty ambitions, but with the murmurs of disgruntlement among the FIFA community at its continued stagnation as loud as ever, UFL sees an opportunity to enter its horse into the race. But why does Nashilov feel like UFL will break the losing streak of non-EA and Konami football games that have sought to get a foothold?

“Football video games have been on the market for more than 25 years,” Nashilov begins, as he explains UFL’s overarching philosophy. “However, the games on the market today have failed to innovate: over the years, football simulators have barely updated themselves to keep up with modern gaming trends, mechanics and business models. The community has been complaining about it for years.”

“Perhaps existing football games, with an eye toward their strong legacy, have found it difficult to change and bring new features in a timely manner. UFL, on the other hand, is a brand-new game that embodies and reflects gamers’ hopes and expectations.”

More than anything, UFL seems born from the developers' frustrations with the directions both EA and Konami have taken their flagship football games in over recent years. The studio touts its developers as “football fans and gamers ourselves”, ultimately striving to create the sort of soccer simulation they dream of playing. But what exactly will make UFL stand out?

One big question is club and league licenses, something FIFA have famously held over their rivals historically. On the Strikerz website it states, "In UFL, players will be able to create their own football clubs made up of more than 5000 licensed footballers and compete with other gamers worldwide to prove their skills and climb to the very top of the league". From this we can speculate that perhaps players will be creating their own virtual teams built from squads of real-life footballers. This hasn’t been explained in any way by the developers, but certainly sounds different to what current games offer.

While we’re yet to see any gameplay, the basic set-up sounds like a hybrid of FIFA and Football Manager, putting as much emphasis on what happens off the pitch as on it. Nashilov explains, “you will manage your club, form a roster, develop tactics and compete with other gamers in seasons to prove your skills and climb to the very top of the league. Competitive, fair gaming is at the very core of UFL’s gameplay. In this competition, your victory depends solely on your gaming skills and the choices you make.”

‘Fair to Play’ is UFL’s mantra, the core idea that drives what it’s trying to achieve, and ultimately its weapon in the fight against FIFA. It’s no secret that the loot box nature and pay-to-win aspects of FIFA’s Ultimate Team mode have been under heavy scrutiny for years now, and with billions of dollars being spent on it by players each year, it's seemingly impossible to avoid a pay-to-win landscape developing. Strikerz Inc. wants to keep away from this approach completely, firmly believing that the player’s skill level, and nothing else, should determine how successful they are in their football game.

“This is one of our core principles, essential for everything we do. We believe that our players’ success should not depend on the number of in-game purchases or the value of donations they make, but on their gaming skills, experience and mastery. You will never be obligated to purchase anything in UFL to achieve high ranks and remain competitive.

“The fair-to-play concept also means that we will regularly add new features and updates with no mandatory payments or yearly fees. Free to play is an established distributional model in the gaming industry and one we want to bring to the football simulation genre. We believe the fair-to-play model will make our game much more appealing for all the football lovers out there.

“In UFL, players will be able to control all aspects of the game, ranging from teams’ composition to what tactics and formations will be used in the upcoming match. Your path to victory is determined by your skill and ability. In other words, our game is designed to be a fair-to-play experience that implies a skill-first approach and zero tolerance for pay-to-win options.”

eFootball, Konami’s rebrand of Pro Evolution Soccer, will also soon be releasing as a free-to-play game, so the shift that Nashilov speaks about is already taking place. But with still some confusion about how eFootball will work in terms of paid add-ons such as modes and card packs, it’s certainly not going to be the completely free model that UFL claims to be. We don’t have full details on how that will work just yet, but it seems as though Nashilov is promising cosmetic-only paid content throughout UFL.

If UFL truly turns out to be as consumer friendly as pitched, then Strikerz Inc. could have a real game-changer on its hands. Of course, with any football game, it will have to get its on-the-pitch action right to stand any chance, and with no look at UFL’s gameplay currently available we just have no real way of knowing how close to creating ‘the perfect football game’ the developer is. It doesn’t seem like we’ll be finding out anytime soon either, with Nashilov explaining the team is, “neither ready to announce the exact release date nor give any information about the possibility of beta testing.”

It’s intriguing, though. Whereas new shooters, fighters and racers come out on a consistent basis to enter their respective crowded marketplaces, new football games are just a thing that don’t happen anymore. Strikerz Inc. may already have the likes of FIFA and eFootball in its sights, but the ambitions don’t seem to be ending there. Nashilov wants UFL to be bigger than a game and something that, if things go as planned, will be firmly part of sports culture in years to come.

“The Premier League, NBA, NHL and others are not just sporting competitions, but powerful brands and sports and entertainment phenomena that connect fans around the world”, says Nashilov. “With UFL, we’re building more than just a video game. Our mission is to build a powerful sports brand and to create an ecosystem around the video game that integrates both online and offline aspects of the category: esports, music, fashion, content creation, celebrities, partners and more.”

It’s a stupendously big pitch, but in order to truly stand out against such established competition, I guess it needs to be. Time will tell on whether UFL can reach its lofty ambitions – but either way Strikerz Inc. has my attention.

Simon Cardy loves all things football despite how much it hurts him. Find him over on Twitter at @CardySimon.

CW has revealed that its next big crossover event for The Flash is a five-part special called "Armageddon."

The Flash has tackled Crisis on Infinite Earths, brought back a Flash from the 1990s and more for its annual crossover events, and this year’s event will see the team battle to save the world, yet again.

Beginning November 16 at 8 p.m. EST, Armageddon will take place across five different parts and it will see the return of some fan-favorite heroes, too.

"Team Flash will widen its roster to include Javicia Leslie as Batwoman, Brandon Routh as The Atom, Cress Williams as Black Lightning, Chyler Leigh as Sentinel, Kat McNamara as Mia Queen, and Osric Chau as Ryan Choi," a press release from CW reads. "In addition, Tom Cavanagh and Neal McDonough return as the adversaries we love to hate – Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash and Damien Darhk."

Armageddon represents Leslie's first crossover appearance as Batwoman after she was cast to replace Ruby Rose as a new Batwoman last year. It also (kind of) marks the return of Williams' Black Lightning after CW's Black Lightning show came to an end after its fourth season.

Armageddon will kick off on November 16, marking the start of Season 8 of The Flash.

While waiting for that, check out how this crossover event was teased earlier this year and then read about Jordan Fisher's casting to play Bart Allen/Impulse in the series.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

CW has revealed that its next big crossover event for The Flash is a five-part special called "Armageddon."

The Flash has tackled Crisis on Infinite Earths, brought back a Flash from the 1990s and more for its annual crossover events, and this year’s event will see the team battle to save the world, yet again.

Beginning November 16 at 8 p.m. EST, Armageddon will take place across five different parts and it will see the return of some fan-favorite heroes, too.

"Team Flash will widen its roster to include Javicia Leslie as Batwoman, Brandon Routh as The Atom, Cress Williams as Black Lightning, Chyler Leigh as Sentinel, Kat McNamara as Mia Queen, and Osric Chau as Ryan Choi," a press release from CW reads. "In addition, Tom Cavanagh and Neal McDonough return as the adversaries we love to hate – Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash and Damien Darhk."

Armageddon represents Leslie's first crossover appearance as Batwoman after she was cast to replace Ruby Rose as a new Batwoman last year. It also (kind of) marks the return of Williams' Black Lightning after CW's Black Lightning show came to an end after its fourth season.

Armageddon will kick off on November 16, marking the start of Season 8 of The Flash.

While waiting for that, check out how this crossover event was teased earlier this year and then read about Jordan Fisher's casting to play Bart Allen/Impulse in the series.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Guy Beahm, better known as Dr. Disrespect, was permanently banned from Twitch last June. Now, the streamer is suing Twitch over it.

Dr. Disrespect announced the news on his YouTube channel yesterday, according to Dot Esports, and said the reason he's suing the company is because of why he was banned.

He didn't quite reveal exactly why he was banned, and Twitch doesn't usually publicize its reasoning for bans like this, but he said "there's a reason why we're suing the f**k out of them."

"I can't talk about it, but a lot of people ask me, 'do you know the reason?' Yeah, I do know the reason why now," Dr. Disrespect said. "I've known for months now the reason why and I'll just say this right now champs, 'there's a reason why we're suing the f**k out of them.' I don't know how else to put it. The amount of damages and you just don't — nah, no, no."

Dr. Disrespect seems to become frustrated in talking about this in the video, which is why he seemingly cuts himself off before saying more. He also said that a year later, despite what people might think, he's making "a fourth, a quarter” of what he made on Twitch.

"The Twitch ban has really, really affected us not just from a financial standpoint but from a networking standpoint," he said on YouTube. "From all the relationships we built over the past five years in terms of Activision and EA, all the big sponsors and partnerships, they have to question, 'why did you get banned?'"

He continued and said "whether it's obvious or not, [the] blacklisting and shadowbanning" of him is happening.

"As well as you think we're doing and again, I think we're doing well enough, it's been extremely disheartening and it's been a rollercoaster of emotions and it f**king sucks," Dr. Disrespect said.

Dot Esports notes that at the time of Dr. Disrespect's permanent ban on Twitch, he had more than 23,000 subscribers and averaged just as many viewers as well. IGN reached out to Twitch at the time of his ban but the company did not comment specifically on the situation, instead opting to provide the following general statement:

"As is our process, we take appropriate action when we have evidence that a streamer has acted in violation of our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service. These apply to all streamers regardless of status or prominence in the community."

Despite Dr. Disrespect stating he personally knows the reason why he was banned, that information is still not available to the public. However, the reasoning could come out in court, although that's not guaranteed.

Catch up on Dr. Disrespect's permanent ban that occurred last year and then read about how he won't be returning to Twitch and is "not interested" in an exclusive partnership. In other news about the streamer, Dr. Disrespect revealed last week that he's starting up a new game studio.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Guy Beahm, better known as Dr. Disrespect, was permanently banned from Twitch last June. Now, the streamer is suing Twitch over it.

Dr. Disrespect announced the news on his YouTube channel yesterday, according to Dot Esports, and said the reason he's suing the company is because of why he was banned.

He didn't quite reveal exactly why he was banned, and Twitch doesn't usually publicize its reasoning for bans like this, but he said "there's a reason why we're suing the f**k out of them."

"I can't talk about it, but a lot of people ask me, 'do you know the reason?' Yeah, I do know the reason why now," Dr. Disrespect said. "I've known for months now the reason why and I'll just say this right now champs, 'there's a reason why we're suing the f**k out of them.' I don't know how else to put it. The amount of damages and you just don't — nah, no, no."

Dr. Disrespect seems to become frustrated in talking about this in the video, which is why he seemingly cuts himself off before saying more. He also said that a year later, despite what people might think, he's making "a fourth, a quarter” of what he made on Twitch.

"The Twitch ban has really, really affected us not just from a financial standpoint but from a networking standpoint," he said on YouTube. "From all the relationships we built over the past five years in terms of Activision and EA, all the big sponsors and partnerships, they have to question, 'why did you get banned?'"

He continued and said "whether it's obvious or not, [the] blacklisting and shadowbanning" of him is happening.

"As well as you think we're doing and again, I think we're doing well enough, it's been extremely disheartening and it's been a rollercoaster of emotions and it f**king sucks," Dr. Disrespect said.

Dot Esports notes that at the time of Dr. Disrespect's permanent ban on Twitch, he had more than 23,000 subscribers and averaged just as many viewers as well. IGN reached out to Twitch at the time of his ban but the company did not comment specifically on the situation, instead opting to provide the following general statement:

"As is our process, we take appropriate action when we have evidence that a streamer has acted in violation of our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service. These apply to all streamers regardless of status or prominence in the community."

Despite Dr. Disrespect stating he personally knows the reason why he was banned, that information is still not available to the public. However, the reasoning could come out in court, although that's not guaranteed.

Catch up on Dr. Disrespect's permanent ban that occurred last year and then read about how he won't be returning to Twitch and is "not interested" in an exclusive partnership. In other news about the streamer, Dr. Disrespect revealed last week that he's starting up a new game studio.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

The trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home has broken the record for most global views in 24-hours.

The official trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home was viewed over 355.5 million times within 24-hours, a new record beating the previous record-holder Avengers: Endgame and its 289 million views.

The record comes even after a rough early version of the No Way Home trailer (which was filmed on two phones) was leaked the weekend before. But that seemed to only make audiences want to watch the finished trailer when it finally premiered.

The trailer for the third Tom Holland Spider-Man film is exciting for more than just the chance to see Doctor Strange and Spider-Man team-up. Phase 4 instead keeps messing with the multiverse and it all seems to come to a head in No Way Home when both Doc Ock and the Green Goblin from the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies appear in the trailer.

That’s not all. Jamie Foxx’s Electro is also confirmed for the movie meaning Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man universe is also involved with these shenanigans. And though not confirmed, fans are convinced they see Sandman and Lizard in this trailer as well.

IGN has a full rundown of the easter eggs and comic inspirations for the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer, but you can check out the record-breaking trailer above.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

The trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home has broken the record for most global views in 24-hours.

The official trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home was viewed over 355.5 million times within 24-hours, a new record beating the previous record-holder Avengers: Endgame and its 289 million views.

The record comes even after a rough early version of the No Way Home trailer (which was filmed on two phones) was leaked the weekend before. But that seemed to only make audiences want to watch the finished trailer when it finally premiered.

The trailer for the third Tom Holland Spider-Man film is exciting for more than just the chance to see Doctor Strange and Spider-Man team-up. Phase 4 instead keeps messing with the multiverse and it all seems to come to a head in No Way Home when both Doc Ock and the Green Goblin from the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies appear in the trailer.

That’s not all. Jamie Foxx’s Electro is also confirmed for the movie meaning Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man universe is also involved with these shenanigans. And though not confirmed, fans are convinced they see Sandman and Lizard in this trailer as well.

IGN has a full rundown of the easter eggs and comic inspirations for the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer, but you can check out the record-breaking trailer above.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission, the third feature film release for the popular anime, officially has an English release date. Funimation revealed today that the third My Hero Academia film will be out in the U.S. at the end of October.

First released in Japan back in August, My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission sees Deku and his friend Rody get falsely accused of a crime — part of a nefarious plan to eliminate all the world's Quirks. It's up to Deku and his friend to put a stop to Humarise's plans before it's too late.

The film was ultimately very successful in Japan, earning more money than any film in the series to date. Like Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, it has succeeded despite COVID-19, which has impacted the box office numbers for even major blockbuster releases.

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission's English release will also include a theatrical run in more than 1,500 theaters across the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Tickets will go on sale on October 1.

It comes on the heels of the launch of the series' fifth season on Funimation. The third film film will feature the same cast and creative team as the first two moves, with Justin Briner playing Izuku Midoriya and David Matranga playing Shoto Todoroki.

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission arrives in North America on October 29, with a streaming date still to be revealed.

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission, the third feature film release for the popular anime, officially has an English release date. Funimation revealed today that the third My Hero Academia film will be out in the U.S. at the end of October.

First released in Japan back in August, My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission sees Deku and his friend Rody get falsely accused of a crime — part of a nefarious plan to eliminate all the world's Quirks. It's up to Deku and his friend to put a stop to Humarise's plans before it's too late.

The film was ultimately very successful in Japan, earning more money than any film in the series to date. Like Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, it has succeeded despite COVID-19, which has impacted the box office numbers for even major blockbuster releases.

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission's English release will also include a theatrical run in more than 1,500 theaters across the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Tickets will go on sale on October 1.

It comes on the heels of the launch of the series' fifth season on Funimation. The third film film will feature the same cast and creative team as the first two moves, with Justin Briner playing Izuku Midoriya and David Matranga playing Shoto Todoroki.

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission arrives in North America on October 29, with a streaming date still to be revealed.

SPOILERS AHEAD for the Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian!

A brand new Disney+ special focused on the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian has shared a behind-the-scenes look at how the team brought back Luke Skywalker and kept him secret using Jedi Master Plo Koon as fake-out.

This special episode of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian is available to all subscribers on Disney+ right now and gives a fascinating look into the making of the show’s latest finale that saw Grogu/Baby Yoda leaving Din Djarin (aka The Mandalorian) to go with Luke Skywalker. Hearing from both the crew and Mark Hamill himself on how they made this ending possible was both heartwarming and fascinating.

For example, keeping the reveal of Mark Hamill returning as Luke Skywalker was one of the hardest things for the team to do, and it came with as much hard work as trying to keep Grogu from leaking out early.

One of the main ways they did this was putting Jedi Master Plo Koon in the script where Luke was actually supposed to be. This meant many of the cast and crew assumed Plo Koon was the Jedi who Grogu reached out to.

For those who are unfamiliar, Plo Koon was one of the Jedi who did not survive Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith, which takes place after the events of The Mandalorian. He was also heavily featured in Star Wars: The Clone Wars as well.

The reason Plo Koon was chosen was in part due to the fact that the Kel Dor Jedi Master is Dave Filoni’s favorite. This fake-out would protect the secret from those on the cast and crew and would throw off fans who would think he would be a logical choice if it were to leak to the public.

Not only was Plo Koon put into the script, but there was concept artwork made of him for the scene in question instead of Luke, certain dailies would have the Jedi Master’s face digitally placed on a body, and much more.

The special also revealed that executive producer Jon Favreau and director Peyton Reed took Grogu over to Mark Hamill’s house to help convince him to return to that galaxy far, far away. Luckily, Hamill didn’t need much convincing.

Hamill talked about how he was contacted by Jon and Dave, who invited him to share his opinion on something in The Mandalorian. He said that the request “should have been a giveaway.”

“When they went from the original trilogy to the sequels, obviously there is a huge gap in time where there are these untold stories, but I just assumed they’d get an age-appropriate actor,” Hamill said on the thought of him returning as Luke. “I didn’t really think about it all that much, I thought, ‘Oh, if they wanted to tell stories of Luke post-Return of the Jedi, I wonder who they’d get.’

“When they said they were going to use the de-aging process they used in the Marvel movies, I was just gob-smacked. I didn’t answer right away, I mean I had to think about it. The more I thought about it, I thought, ‘This is like really an opportunity that was completely unexpected but was almost a responsibility.’ In other words, if they are saying they want me to do this, how could I say no?”

Peyton Reed then shared the story about how, in December 2019, he and Jon Favreau went to Hamill’s home with the episode’s script, Luke Skywalker’s wardrobe, and the Grogu puppet. Reed and Favreau were a bit worried because they had to wait while Hamill read the script in his office in real-time when they got there.

Reed then said that Hamill came out and “he was thrilled, and I think a huge weight was lifted off of Jon’s shoulders when that happened.”

“When you have those feelings, where it feels really compelling, you know that you’re onto something,” Favreau said of this journey. “We knew that if we could pull this off it would represent so much to so many people. Especially to Mark, it will let him come in there and show Luke at this moment and let it be a celebration, and also a culmination of the two-season arc about the journey of this little child.”

As to how they made this de-aging magic happen, the team explained how it was accomplished with a combination of exploring Deep Fake technology and other de-aging techniques that utilized countless amounts of photos, film footage, interviews, and much more of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker to make this dream come true. They ended up utilizing the de-aging technology and learned a lot along the way.

While Mark Hamill was on set in full Jedi gear that was purposefully reminiscent of what he wore in Return of the Jedi, there was also another actor named Max Lloyd-Jones who physically resembled a younger Hamill that was used to fully create the Luke we see on screen. Hamill himself couldn’t believe how much Lloyd-Jone looked like him, saying “he looks more like me than me!”

“He’d watch me do the scenes, I’d watch him do the scenes, so we’d try to match each other,” Hamill said. “I would look at the monitor and, of course, the image is small, but I thought, ‘oh my gosh, he looks more like me than me!’ It was just uncanny... this guy… and he’s a good actor!”

To help make this younger version of Luke Skywalker, the team used a combination of the “de-aging magic” and footage of Hamill and Lloyd-Jones on set and in a lighting rig called the Egg that would let them get proper lighting and resolution to use in creating the final image.

Hamill’s likeness wasn’t the only thing that had to be recreated, however, as his voice was also synthesized using an application called Respeacher. This application is a neural network that used archival material like clean recorded ADR from the original films, a book on tape Hamill had done from that time, and Star Wars radio plays from that time to recreate his voice for this new performance.

While the tech behind bringing Luke Skywalker is impressive, it isn’t that alone that lends to the magic of that final scene. In addition to hiding Luke’s face and letting the scene build before the reveal, music also played a big part. In fact, Luke’s appearance is the first time we hear John Williams’ music from the original trilogy in the episode.

All of this builds up to a moment that is meant to mean something for fans of all ages. Filoni summed that sentiment up by saying that is what Star Wars is all about, giving the world a good and uplifting feeling, which they hope they accomplished with Luke and Mark Hamill’s return.

“You see your crew just staring at Mark, and you realize they are remembering what it meant to them,” Filoni said. “And you realize that you’ve been a part of constructing something that is giving that experience to people... this good feeling. Which fundamentally, Star Wars should deliver a good feeling, an uplifting feeling in you and your family.”

While we don’t know when/if Hamill and Grogu will return, The Mandalorian will return for a third season. According to star Giancarlo Esposito, production is set to begin soon now that filming for The Book of Boba Fett is now complete.

For more, check out our review of The Mandalorian’s second season and how Mark Hamill has done secret voice cameos for every Star Wars movie since 2015.

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.