As fans continue to wait for the release of Ghostwire: Tokyo from Tango Gameworks, studio founder Shinji Mikami has revealed another new title is already in the works, and it's being led by Evil Within 2's director.

Mikami appeared in a video with Xbox head Phil Spencer as part of Microsoft's livestream event during the first day of Tokyo Game Show and hinted at a new title, saying that John Johanas, the director of The Evil Within 2, is working on it.

Mikami mentioned Johanas when prodded by Spencer to talk about the Tango Gameworks’ philosophy of fostering young new talent: "Right now John is in the middle of working energetically on a new game," Mikami told Spencer.

Mikami did not drop any further hints on what type of game Johanas may be working on. Due to Microsoft's purchase of Bethesda Softworks' parent company, ZeniMax Media, and its studios last year, it's likely whatever title Johanas is hard at work on is being developed with Xbox platforms in mind.

Johanas has been with Tango Gameworks since August 2010 and was the visual effects designer for the 2014 survival horror title The Evil Within. Johanas served as director for the game's two DLC offerings.

He then took the torch from Mikami and directed The Evil Within 2. Shouldering both the pressure of building upon the franchise and taking the reins from a survival horror legend in Mikami, Johanas helped deliver an experience that garnered mostly positive responses from critics and players when it was released in 2017.

Mikami has mentioned in past interviews that part of the reason he tapped Johanas to helm The Evil Within 2 was because the veteran game designer views Tango Gameworks as a place to nurture talent and give young creatives a chance to spread their wings and succeed.

Mikami has had a long career in the business and has been paying it forward by providing opportunities to young talents like Johanas and giving them the space and freedom to create and come up with new ideas.

Spencer alluded to that as well during their TGS chat: “One of the things you and I have talked about is the importance of young people in our industry, bringing new voices onto our creative teams, and hearing from a new generation of creators,” said Spencer.

Rather than having young creatives wait for their turn, Mikami gives some of them a chance and the space to create by providing opportunities sooner rather than later. He mentioned that philosophy again during his talk with Spencer during the TGS presentation: "As a studio that tries to give young people big opportunities, we're always taking on the challenge of creating new games."

Spencer asked Mikami about the young talent within his studio and in addition to singling out Johanas, Mikami also mentioned Kenji Kimura, the director for the upcoming GhostWire: Tokyo. "He is a young creator who is working hard and doing his best as a director," Mikami said. "He really has a lot of ability."

Ikumi Nakamura is another example. Nakamura joined Mikami at Tango Gameworks in 2010 and worked on both The Evil Within and its sequel. Her energetic presentation at E3 2019 as part of the Ghostwire: Tokyo team went viral on social media. Nakamura has since left the company and heads her own independent studio.

While Johanas' project will likely remain under wraps for a while, Ghostwire: Tokyo, which Kimura is at the helm of, experienced a delay and is scheduled to be released for the PlayStation 5, where it will be a limited console exclusive, and PC in 2022.

Jason Coskrey is a writer based in Tokyo. Find him on Twitter at @JCoskrey.

Capcom has revealed a number of new details about its "massive expansion" to Monster Hunter Rise, Sunbreak.

Announced during a Capcom showcase at Tokyo Game Show 2021, we saw a little more from the game's cutscenes and learned new details about the monsters and locations we'll be visiting. It's very much an expansion for seasoned Rise players, only allowing access after finishing the 7-star quest Serpent Goddess of Thunder. The expansion will also introduce a new Master Rank level for quests.

After finishing that quest, you'll be able to take your hunter on a journey, leaving behind the core game's hub, Kamura Village, and taking you to a brand new base of operations (which hasn't yet been revealed). The eerie location we saw in the game's introductory trailer was confirmed to be a new hunting locale, complete with castle ruins to scale using your wirebugs.

We also learned more about some of the monsters involved. The Elder Dragon seen in the first trailer is called Malzeno, but other details remains scarce. We'll also see a number of returning monsters from older games, including Shogun Ceanataur, which got a trailer introduction of its own.

Capcom also announced that the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise will be released in January 2022. Given that Sunbreak doesn't arrive until summer 2022, it will be released for PC at the same time.

It's sounding like a very similar approach to expansion as Monster Hunter World's Iceborne DLC. In our 9/10 review, we called it "a true beast of an expansion", and that it was almost big enoughn to be a sequel on its own, adding many new monsters and locations, as well as quality of life improvements. Here's hoping Sunbreak follows suit.

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.

Capcom has announced that Monster Hunter Rise for PC (via Steam) will be released on January 12, 2022.

Announced during Tokyo Game Show 2021, the Steam version of the game boasts a number of updates to the original Switch version: 4K resolution support, high-res textures, uncapped framerates, optimised keyboard and mouse controls, voice chat, and ultrawide 21:9 display support.

A demo for the PC version of the game will arrive on October 13, giving you a look at what's to come. The demo will include online multiplayer and offline solo play, allow use of all 14 weapon types, and include two tutorials. After the tutorials, three quests are available, against Great Izuchi, Mizutsune and Magnamalo.

Released as a Switch exclusive in March, we awarded Monster Hunter Rise an 8/10 review, saying that it "mixes classic Monster Hunter ideas with some of World’s best improvements and a whole bunch of clever new mechanics of its own."

After leaks suggested the game would eventually get an improved PC release, Capcom confirmed that the game would get a PC release. "“We received a lot of requests for a PC version of Monster Hunter Rise, particularly from overseas players, and so we have decided to develop a version for PC," said producer Ryozo Tsujimoto at the time.

Rise will receive a "massive expansion", Sunbreak in the summer of 2022 – the PC edition will receive it at the same time.

This article was updated after publish with new details provided by Capcom.

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.

Playground Games has announced a range of details surrounding the PC version of Forza Horizon 5, including its recommended system requirements for AMD and Nvidia setups.

In a post released on the Forza website, the developer says that it has worked diligently to ensure that everyone experiences the best version of Forza Horizon 5 as players look to set out across the game's stunning Mexican landscapes.

In order to deliver that experience, Playground Games says that it has updated its minimum specifications "from the previous estimate given on the Microsoft Store and Steam." At the low end, Forza Horizon 5's minimum specs are relatively modest. Player's harnessing older graphics cards such as a Radeon RTX 470 or Nvidia GTX 970 should theoretically be able to run the game - although Playground does recommend that fans come equipped with at least an RX 470 or GTX 970 for a better experience.

As part of the update, the developer has said that "Forza Horizon 5 is built from the ground up on PC to deliver the open road in extraordinary detail at limitless speeds." In game, this means that players will have access to a wealth of graphics settings when Horizon 5 releases - spanning from the inclusion of HDR for more luminous lighting to 4K graphics options and the ability to unlock the game's framerate.

In addition, the PC version of Forza Horizon 5 will feature built-in support for 21:9 ultrawide displays and is confirmed to work in line with a range of popular Logitech, Thrustmaster, and Fanatec steering wheels. For players not quite up to date on their latest driving peripherals, haptic feedback on the Xbox Wireless Controller will be supported by all versions of Forza Horizon 5, including the Steam edition for the very first time.

Playground notes that powerful graphical features in Forza Horizon 5 have allowed the team to develop a world with stunning realism. The developer says that players embarking on their adventures through the world's environments will experience "extreme draw distances and robust levels of detail" down to the "tiniest features like the light that glows through each needle on a cholla cactus."

Forza Horizon 5 is set to be released on November 11 for PC and Xbox consoles. In the meantime, make sure to check out this article detailing hundreds of cars set to appear in the game. Alternatively, you can check out some of the latest gameplay footage to be released for Playground's latest driving installment below:

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Zoolander's original pitch featured an ending wherein the movie's titular protagonist "died and went to heaven," but the studio passed on the idea.

The cast and crew of Zoolander recently sat down with Esquire to celebrate the twenty-year anniversary of the Ben Stiller-led satire. Reflecting on the classic 2001 comedy, John Hamburg, the movie's co-writer, remembered a time in which the team considered giving the film a much darker ending where Derek Zoolander would have "died and went to heaven."

Actor Ben Stiller recalled the forsaken finale that would have seen Derek Zoolander facing down a bullet train as it zooms towards him on a track. "He has to shoot the 'Blue Steel' or 'Magnum' look at the train to stop it, and it doesn't work," he explained. "The train plows and kills him, basically, and then he goes up to heaven."

The scene resulting in Derek's demise was never actually filmed as the studio ultimately didn't think it was funny enough. The team returned to the drawing board and ended up replacing it with a "feel-good ending" in which Derek, Hansel, and Maury hatched a plan to open a center for ants "Kids Who Can't Read Good and Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too."

Zoolander spawned a sequel in 2016, which wouldn't have been possible had Derek kicked the bucket. He also wouldn't have been able to rub shoulders with the stacked roster of celebrity cameos lined up for the second film — including one from Justin Bieber that served to "delight and appall audiences in equal measure," according to IGN's review of Zoolander 2.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Xbox held its digital showcase at Tokyo Game Show 2021 today, announcing Cloud Gaming for multiple countries, as well as introducing new Game Pass games and seeing Phil Spencer announce his intention to add more Japanese games to the Xbox line-up.

To ensure sure you don't miss anything, we've included all the big news from the showcase (which you can watch below):

Cloud Game Streaming Coming to Australia, Japan, Mexico and Brazil Tomorrow

In a video presentation at Tokyo Game Show 2021 Online, Microsoft's Phil Spencer and an assortment of guests revealed that Xbox Cloud Gaming will be available in Japan, Mexico, Australia, and Brazil starting Friday, October 1. Spencer expressed his gratitude to Japanese Xbox fans, stating that the Japanese market "is the fastest-growing market for Xbox anywhere in the world."

Phil Spencer Wants Xbox to Increase Its Japanese Game Line-Up

Phil Spencer said that Xbox is working "every single day to increase our line-up of Japanese games", in order to "help bring Japanese games around the world."

"It's an honour to support [TGS] and our Japanese partners," Spencer said in converation with Shinji Mikami. "We're working with Japanese publishers every single day to increase our line-up of Japanese games on Xbox. We know it's really important to fans and customers on Xbox."

Earlier in the show, Spencer had reiterated that Japan is the fastest-growing market for Xbox anywhere in the world, and it's clear that the company wants to make the best of that burgeoning interest. Spencer points out that there have been over 100 Japanese titles on Xbox Game Pass, 200 Japanese indie games in the ID@Xbox program, and that the company is actively working on console supply issues.

Tango Gameworks Is Developing a New Game, Evil Within 2 Director Leading

In a long-distance conversation with Phil Spencer, Tango Gameworks' Shinji Mikami expressed his hope for the future of Japanese games, stating that his studio actively sought to give young talent a chance to create new concepts. When asked to highlight a specific name, he mentioned two: Kenji Kimura, director of the upcoming Ghostwire: Tokyo, and John Johanas, director of The Evil Within 2. He added that Johanas is "hard at work at a new game" but did not elaborate.

Scarlet Nexus and More Head to Game Pass

Following her introduction, a series of trailers highlighted new games available on Xbox Game Pass effective immediately. The biggest title was Scarlet Nexus, but Ai: The Somnium Files, and Mighty Goose are also playable as of today. Upcoming Game Pass titles playable upon release will include Back 4 Blood, Forza Horizon 5, and Halo Infinite.

Redfall, Starfield and More Will Be Localized for Japan

Various developers joined the presentation to promote the fact that their upcoming games would be fully localized into Japanese at launch. Harvey Smith of Arkane Studios said Redfall will include a complete Japanese voice cast when that game debuts in the summer of 2022. Todd Howard of Bethesda likewise said that Starfield will include Japanese text and voices, adding that this is "our largest translation ever" with "over 300 actors and 150,000 lines of dialogue."

SWERY's The Good Life Gets an Xbox-Exclusive Demo

A showcase of upcoming Asian indie games included a few tidbits regarding upcoming releases. Swery's The Good Life has an exclusive Xbox demo available today; the full game launches on multiple platforms on October 15.

Eternal Return Gets a Release Date and Trailer

A new trailer for Eternal Return preceded the news that the game is coming to the Microsoft Store on October 19.

Overall the presentation was light on breaking news but instead served as a reminder to Japanese game players that Microsoft isn't going anywhere and that buying a console isn't the only way to enjoy Xbox games.

Diamond Feit is a writer/podcaster in Osaka, Japan who uses Twitter and Twitch as feitclub.

White Owls Inc. and Playism have announced that The Good Life, the next game from Deadly Premonition creator SWERY, will be available on Xbox Game Pass from launch.

The Good Life, which will release on October 15, is a "debt-repayment RPG" that lets you experience a slice of life in the small British town of Rainy Woods. It will launch on Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Steam, as well as on the Game Pass subscription service.

If you're curious as to what weird and wonderful things Hidetaka “SWERY” Suehiro and his team has dreamed up for The Good Life, a demo is available right now on Xbox One. PC players will be able to play this demo when it arrives on Steam as part of the Steam Next Festival, which begins October 1.

That demo will give you a first taste of a game in which you play Naomi, a photographer from New York who's arrived in Rainy Woods to discover the truth behind the "happiest town in the world". Unravelling that mystery requires cooking, eating, sleeping, shopping, farming, taking photos, and other "unconventional quests". You can also play as a human, cat, or dog, which is not what you'd usually expect of a mystery game.

The Good Life was announced back in 2017 and was crowd funded, albeit suffering initial setbacks after the first round of funding failed. Back in 2018 The Good Life was listed as coming to Xbox Game Pass in that November, but the release never happened. Finally, though, it looks like The Good Life is about to make it's debut on October 15.

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

Phil Spencer has said that Xbox is working "every single day to increase our line-up of Japanese games", in order to "help bring Japanese games around the world."

Speaking during the Xbox Showcase at Tokyo Game Show 2021, the Head of Xbox was asked about the company's commitment to Japan by Tango Gameworks founder Shinji Mikami. "It's an honour to support [TGS] and our Japanese partners," Spencer replied. "We're working with Japanese publishers every single day to increase our line-up of Japanese games on Xbox. We know it's really important to fans and customers on Xbox."

Earlier in the show, Spencer had reiterated that Japan is the fastest-growing market for Xbox anywhere in the world, and it's clear that the company wants to make the best of that burgeoning interest. Spencer points out that there have been over 100 Japanese titles on Xbox Game Pass, 200 Japanese indie games in the ID@Xbox program, and that the company is actively working on console supply issues. He also announced that Cloud Game Streaming is launching in Japan on Tuesday.

However, Spencer made clear that the company's interest isn't just in increasing the number of Japanese Xbox fans, but to actively become part of bringing more Japanese-made games to other areas: "We're excited by the growth of the Japanese gaming market, and we want not only to participate, but to help bring Japanese games around the world."

Xbox has had a famously difficult history in Japan, something it's actively been looking to improve on with the Series X and Series S consoles – and early signs are seemingly looking good. While Spencer has previously played down rumours that Xbox was looking to acquire Japanese developers, it did get one, Tango Gameworks, when the company bought Bethesda this year.

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.

Squid Game is on track to become Netflix's biggest TV show ever — if the early viewership figures hold.

According to Deadline, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos estimated that Squid Game could top the streaming service's charts, judging by the numbers, though he didn't specify which particular metric he was monitoring to gauge its popularity. He simply told CNET and others that there's "a very good chance it's going to be our biggest show ever."

"There's a show on Netflix right now that is the No. 1 in the world, like everywhere in the world. It's called Squid Game. Squid Game will definitely be our biggest non-English language show in the world, for sure," Sarandos affirmed to those in attendance at Vox Media's Code Conference in Beverly Hills, California earlier this week.

Sarandos shared viewership data highlighting two different metrics that Netflix is using to track the popularity of its series and films. One metric tracks the number of users that watched at least two minutes of a show or film within the first 28 days of release while the other metric measures the total hours spent watching a show or film within the first 28 days.

The data shared at the event spotlighted the Regency-era debutante drama Bridgerton as Netflix's most-watched series ever, with 82 million subscribers tuning in to watch at least two minutes of the show in its first 28 days on the service, and a whopping 625 million total hours viewed within its first four weeks of release on the service.

As a relatively new title, Squid Game had only been available on the service for approximately 11 days when Sarandos remarked on its popularity. The show officially hit the streamer on September 17, which means there's still a number of calendar days for views to rack up before the dystopian thriller potentially finds a place on these charts.

Squid Game's popularity seems to be stretching across different mediums, as in recent days fan-made games based on the deadly challenges found in the show have started to crop up all over Roblox. In fact, several Squid Game remakes have made their way onto the platform's most popular lists, with many more showing up after a quick search of the buzzworthy title.

Squid Game is a nine-episode South Korean survival drama where hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation and gather on a remote island to compete in a series of deadly children's games for the chance to win a big cash prize and escape poverty — with deadly high stakes. The full first season is available to watch now on Netflix.

If you're looking for something to watch after Squid Game, take a look at everything new that's coming to Netflix in October, including everything from legendary sitcom Seinfeld to the zombie-less Army of the Dead prequel Army of Thieves to a brand-new season of Locke and Key and an all-new anime set in the magical world of David Ayer's Bright.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

SNK has unveiled the first brand-new character for the upcoming The King of Fighters XV. This new fighter, a young woman named Isla, is a "rival" to Shun'ei, who was the hero of The King of Fighters XIV.

Revealed during a special video program amid the first day of Tokyo Game Show 2021, Isla's most striking feature is a pair of "phantom hands" which hover beside her at all times. This makes sense for a rival to Shun'ei, who is famed for his own oversized phantom hands – although his ones only deploy during certain moves. Isla's "hands" are closer to human-sized and are always visible. Most of her attacks make use of them, giving her an array of long-range moves. In that sense, Isla more closely resembles Verse, the monstrous final boss of KOF XIV, who also had glowing ghostly gauntlets floating next to him.

Is Verse coming back to KOF XV? SNK isn't saying, but Isla is the first wholly original character in the game to receive a full introduction, and she was prominently featured in a trailer introducing various characters hanging out in Tokyo. "The story revolves around Isla and Shun'ei, so they both play a large part," said KOF XV creative director Eisuke Ogura.

As far as the rest of the lineup goes, SNK has promised that KOF XV will feature 39 characters split into 13 teams, of whom 30 have been officially revealed so far (31 if you count Heidern appearing on posters). However, during today's video the team did mention that a KOF XV "Deluxe Edition" will include two teams of DLC characters (six fighters total) and early access to the game as a preorder bonus. Early purchases also include a free DLC costume for Terry Bogard based on his look in Garou: Mark of the Wolves, while those who purchase digitally will get a free costume for Leona based on her classic outfit in the ’90s KOF games.

SNK had already announced that The King of Fighters XV will feature rollback netcode for online matches, but today they revealed that rollback netcode is also coming to The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition on Steam as part of a "major update" this winter. KOF XV chief producer Yasuyuki Oda said that the company will hold a beta test soon and invited players to join.

The King of Fighters XV is scheduled for a worldwide release on February 17, 2022 on PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows 10, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.

Diamond Feit is a writer/podcaster in Osaka, Japan who uses Twitter and Twitch as feitclub.