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.

Park Beyond was announced earlier today at Gamescom 2021’s Opening Night Live, and the trailer introduced us to the idea of “impossification”. But what exactly does that mean? IGN sat down with the developers at Limbic Entertainment to find out more about Park Beyond’s larger-than-life roller coasters.

“Impossification for us means to push things beyond boundaries and make the impossible actually possible,” said Stephan Winter, CEO at Limbic. “You will meet it in all parts of our gameplay.”

So far, we’ve seen how impossification applies to ride and roller coaster designs. The trailer shows off a carousel ride that is multi-tiered, like a mechanical spinning wedding cake. Then there’s a kraken; a huge animatronic sea monster tossing visitors around like juggling balls. “We simply had the idea to dream really big,” said Winter. “Let’s be the guy who pushes beyond the limits of nowadays, defies a bit of reality and gravity, and does something truly amazing.”

Winter also offered a description of another ride we can expect to see, in which visitors are slingshotted into the sky and then caught and rolled into a tunnel. “It looks so crazy,” he said. “100% no way we’re ever going to see this in real life, but it’s one of the coolest, crazy rides.”

Park Beyond appears to be heavily focused on allowing players to create rides that are simply beyond the capabilities of real-life engineering. The team at Limbic want these creations to be within reach of everyone, no matter your creative abilities.

“All of the pieces are totally modular, so you can create exactly what you are envisioning,” said Park Beyond’s Game Director, Johannes Reithmann. “You can build your coaster around the environment, looping it around bridges, building it around other rides. All these modules, and as many as you like.

“There are also prefabs [pre-built rides], which support and help you to get going faster at the beginning. But as you get more and more experienced with the editor, you open up more and more freedom and opportunities to build the coaster you always wanted to.”

Building the park is just one side of Park Beyond, though. Like the genre original, Theme Park, or more recent games like Planet Coaster, managing the park and its staff is as important as creating the rides. But Limbic recognises that some players will be more adept at the creativity layers, while others will want to focus more on the financial management. As such, there are assists to help both types of players.

“You go all-in on creativity, or you can fully enjoy the deep management systems, and it’s up to you to decide what you want to mainly use,” said Winter. “So if you are more a creative person, you let the assistance system take over everything financial and management related. If you are more of a management player, then just use the prefabs we build for you, and easy-to place rides and coasters.”

Park Beyond is planned to release sometime in 2022 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Until then, for more from this year’s big summer games event, be sure to check out our Gamescom 2021 schedule.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Park Beyond was announced earlier today at Gamescom 2021’s Opening Night Live, and the trailer introduced us to the idea of “impossification”. But what exactly does that mean? IGN sat down with the developers at Limbic Entertainment to find out more about Park Beyond’s larger-than-life roller coasters.

“Impossification for us means to push things beyond boundaries and make the impossible actually possible,” said Stephan Winter, CEO at Limbic. “You will meet it in all parts of our gameplay.”

So far, we’ve seen how impossification applies to ride and roller coaster designs. The trailer shows off a carousel ride that is multi-tiered, like a mechanical spinning wedding cake. Then there’s a kraken; a huge animatronic sea monster tossing visitors around like juggling balls. “We simply had the idea to dream really big,” said Winter. “Let’s be the guy who pushes beyond the limits of nowadays, defies a bit of reality and gravity, and does something truly amazing.”

Winter also offered a description of another ride we can expect to see, in which visitors are slingshotted into the sky and then caught and rolled into a tunnel. “It looks so crazy,” he said. “100% no way we’re ever going to see this in real life, but it’s one of the coolest, crazy rides.”

Park Beyond appears to be heavily focused on allowing players to create rides that are simply beyond the capabilities of real-life engineering. The team at Limbic want these creations to be within reach of everyone, no matter your creative abilities.

“All of the pieces are totally modular, so you can create exactly what you are envisioning,” said Park Beyond’s Game Director, Johannes Reithmann. “You can build your coaster around the environment, looping it around bridges, building it around other rides. All these modules, and as many as you like.

“There are also prefabs [pre-built rides], which support and help you to get going faster at the beginning. But as you get more and more experienced with the editor, you open up more and more freedom and opportunities to build the coaster you always wanted to.”

Building the park is just one side of Park Beyond, though. Like the genre original, Theme Park, or more recent games like Planet Coaster, managing the park and its staff is as important as creating the rides. But Limbic recognises that some players will be more adept at the creativity layers, while others will want to focus more on the financial management. As such, there are assists to help both types of players.

“You go all-in on creativity, or you can fully enjoy the deep management systems, and it’s up to you to decide what you want to mainly use,” said Winter. “So if you are more a creative person, you let the assistance system take over everything financial and management related. If you are more of a management player, then just use the prefabs we build for you, and easy-to place rides and coasters.”

Park Beyond is planned to release sometime in 2022 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Until then, for more from this year’s big summer games event, be sure to check out our Gamescom 2021 schedule.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

When Marvel's Midnight Suns was revealed today, one of the featured elements was the Abbey — a home base where you can carve out time to hang out with your favorite superheroes.

The mechanic bears more than a little resemblance to the one found in Persona. First, you choose a character that you want to spend time with, be it Wolverine or Captain Marvel; then you need to choose the right activity, like playing video games. Doing so will raise player-created Hunter's relationship with the hero in question.

But don't get any ideas about the Hunter falling in love with, say, Ghost Rider, creative director Jake Solomon tells IGN in a new interview. You will just be "very, very, very good friends," emphasis on the "very."

In a separate interview, Solomon characterized it as "math" and "decidedly not romantic." However, it will be as "deep as friendships go." Cap and Bucky deep? We'll see just have to see.

"The idea is that by the time you maximize your friendship with these characters, you are as close to them as anybody else in the Marvel universe. But yeah, not romantic," Solomon says. "[T]rust me, if I could romance Blade, I would But yes, it's more a case of these are very well-defined characters. So instead it's deep, deep friendship."

Marvel's Midnight Suns will seek to adapt Marvel's characters within Firaxis' popular XCOM formula, which it revived back in 2012. The Abbey will be a key component, with the heroes you invest time into having the potential to unlock special powers that can "change the battlefield" along with a unique costume.

Midnight Suns will be a fast-paced tactics game that seeks to flip the traditional XCOM formula. Instead of soldiers facing overwhelming odds, it will feature powerful superheroes, necessitating major changes to the overall gameplay. We'll get to see what that will entail for ourselves when Midnight Suns' gameplay debuts exclusively on IGN on September 1.

Overall, Marvel has offered Firaxis Games a relatively free hand in how it has shaped Midnight Suns' depiction of the Marvel universe. While Marvel is "pretty involved" in the creative process, they haven't mandated any of the story elements, Solomon says. Marvel was even amenable to a customizable character despite the obvious difficulty of being able to create a unique hero who could stand next to Iron Man and seem like an equal.

Ultimately, Midnight Suns will seek to adapt the original early '90s story, which put the spotlight on Marvel's supernatural heroes.

"For us, it's fun to take the established characters and pull them into the dark side of Marvel," Solomon says.

Marvel's Midnight Suns is under development for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It is slated to arrive in March 2022. For more news and info on Gamescom 2021, check out our Gamescom 2021 hub.

When Marvel's Midnight Suns was revealed today, one of the featured elements was the Abbey — a home base where you can carve out time to hang out with your favorite superheroes.

The mechanic bears more than a little resemblance to the one found in Persona. First, you choose a character that you want to spend time with, be it Wolverine or Captain Marvel; then you need to choose the right activity, like playing video games. Doing so will raise player-created Hunter's relationship with the hero in question.

But don't get any ideas about the Hunter falling in love with, say, Ghost Rider, creative director Jake Solomon tells IGN in a new interview. You will just be "very, very, very good friends," emphasis on the "very."

In a separate interview, Solomon characterized it as "math" and "decidedly not romantic." However, it will be as "deep as friendships go." Cap and Bucky deep? We'll see just have to see.

"The idea is that by the time you maximize your friendship with these characters, you are as close to them as anybody else in the Marvel universe. But yeah, not romantic," Solomon says. "[T]rust me, if I could romance Blade, I would But yes, it's more a case of these are very well-defined characters. So instead it's deep, deep friendship."

Marvel's Midnight Suns will seek to adapt Marvel's characters within Firaxis' popular XCOM formula, which it revived back in 2012. The Abbey will be a key component, with the heroes you invest time into having the potential to unlock special powers that can "change the battlefield" along with a unique costume.

Midnight Suns will be a fast-paced tactics game that seeks to flip the traditional XCOM formula. Instead of soldiers facing overwhelming odds, it will feature powerful superheroes, necessitating major changes to the overall gameplay. We'll get to see what that will entail for ourselves when Midnight Suns' gameplay debuts exclusively on IGN on September 1.

Overall, Marvel has offered Firaxis Games a relatively free hand in how it has shaped Midnight Suns' depiction of the Marvel universe. While Marvel is "pretty involved" in the creative process, they haven't mandated any of the story elements, Solomon says. Marvel was even amenable to a customizable character despite the obvious difficulty of being able to create a unique hero who could stand next to Iron Man and seem like an equal.

Ultimately, Midnight Suns will seek to adapt the original early '90s story, which put the spotlight on Marvel's supernatural heroes.

"For us, it's fun to take the established characters and pull them into the dark side of Marvel," Solomon says.

Marvel's Midnight Suns is under development for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It is slated to arrive in March 2022. For more news and info on Gamescom 2021, check out our Gamescom 2021 hub.

Death Stranding: Director's Cut has shown off multiple new items and missions – and also a jetpack.

Shown off during Gamescom's Opening Night Live, an extended trailer showed off multiple new features. New items include thrusters for your jetpack that allow you glide, a cargo catapult that allows you to fire cargo to faraway areas, and a Buddy Bot that can now carry Sam. A new weapon training area includes high score chasing events and virtual combat encounters. Boss battles can also be revisited and refought via your Private Room area, and leaderboards have been introduced.

More music and customisation options have also been added, and jump ramps have also been added that allow you to perform tricks on a bike. The previously announced racetrack addition also got a new introduction.

New delivery missions have also been added, including a stealth-based facility that looks very much like a Metal Gear level (with appropriate music). We also got a curious teaser for what looks like an underwater area, with a potentially dangerous whale.

Death Stranding: Director's Cut is coming in September, bringing everything from performance upgrades, updated combat, and new items to deploy, with Kojima Productions also promising that it will expand on the social strand system. In fact, it's adding enough new material for the first time that even its creator doesn't really agree with the title 'Director's Cut'.

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.

Death Stranding: Director's Cut has shown off multiple new items and missions – and also a jetpack.

Shown off during Gamescom's Opening Night Live, an extended trailer showed off multiple new features. New items include thrusters for your jetpack that allow you glide, a cargo catapult that allows you to fire cargo to faraway areas, and a Buddy Bot that can now carry Sam. A new weapon training area includes high score chasing events and virtual combat encounters. Boss battles can also be revisited and refought via your Private Room area, and leaderboards have been introduced.

More music and customisation options have also been added, and jump ramps have also been added that allow you to perform tricks on a bike. The previously announced racetrack addition also got a new introduction.

New delivery missions have also been added, including a stealth-based facility that looks very much like a Metal Gear level (with appropriate music). We also got a curious teaser for what looks like an underwater area, with a potentially dangerous whale.

Death Stranding: Director's Cut is coming in September, bringing everything from performance upgrades, updated combat, and new items to deploy, with Kojima Productions also promising that it will expand on the social strand system. In fact, it's adding enough new material for the first time that even its creator doesn't really agree with the title 'Director's Cut'.

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.

Sifu, the new kung-fu game from Sloclap, is coming out on February 22 on consoles and PC. A new release date trailer premiered during Opening Night Live.

As announced during Gamescom, the kung-fu game Sifu gets a February release date. Preorders on PlayStation Store and Epic Games Store are available now.

Also announced at Gamescom, Sifu is getting a special Deluxe edition which includes the base game, 48-hour early access, a digital artbook, and the original soundtrack from Beijing-based composer Howie Lee.

Sifu is a new martial arts game from the developers of Absolver. Sifu features a unique gameplay mechanic where each time the player "dies" they will revive as a slightly older version. In IGN's interview with the developers, the aging mechanic is a metaphor for the wisdom martial artists gain with age.

Of course, this is on top of the bone-crunching martial arts gameplay and combat.

For more from Gamescom and Opening Night Live, check out IGN's full coverage for news, trailers, and announcements.

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

Sifu, the new kung-fu game from Sloclap, is coming out on February 22 on consoles and PC. A new release date trailer premiered during Opening Night Live.

As announced during Gamescom, the kung-fu game Sifu gets a February release date. Preorders on PlayStation Store and Epic Games Store are available now.

Also announced at Gamescom, Sifu is getting a special Deluxe edition which includes the base game, 48-hour early access, a digital artbook, and the original soundtrack from Beijing-based composer Howie Lee.

Sifu is a new martial arts game from the developers of Absolver. Sifu features a unique gameplay mechanic where each time the player "dies" they will revive as a slightly older version. In IGN's interview with the developers, the aging mechanic is a metaphor for the wisdom martial artists gain with age.

Of course, this is on top of the bone-crunching martial arts gameplay and combat.

For more from Gamescom and Opening Night Live, check out IGN's full coverage for news, trailers, and announcements.

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

Coffee Stain Publishing and Iron Gate Studio have annouced that the Hearth & Home update for Valheim will release this September.

Revealed as part of Gamescom's Opening Night Live, the first major update for Valheim will launch on September 16. The Hearth & Home update is focused on improving Valheim's core base building and survival mechanics. Players can expect a reworked food and cooking system, which includes spice racks, butcher tables, pots and pans, and new recipes. Specific foods can be prepared that tie into the newly improved health and stamina system, providing player with further interesting choices.

Alongside new food changes are updates to the building mechanics, including a range of new build pieces, such as a treasure chest to store gold in, new window hatches, and darkwood materials.

For more from Valheim, check out our early access review, and the player who beat every Valheim boss in just 90 minutes. And for more from this summer's big game event, take a look at our Gamescom 2021 schedule.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.