Ljubomir Peklar, the creative director for Scorn, has publicly apologized following a "hostile" update sent out about the game's delay.

In an update to Kickstarter backers, the creative director and EbbSoftware CEO apologized to fans and took full responsibility for the update being posted. "I quickly and haphazardly read through the draft of the update and in all my wisdom approved it," said Peklar.

"Reading through again it was clear that the hostile tone it was written in should not be how we should express ideas or plans to people that help us out. We may be tired, confused, and frustrated at our own ineptitude, but there is no reason to lash out at you. For that, I personally apologise. I will do my best for this kind of outburst not to happen again."

Having read through the original post, it's not difficult to gauge why fans were upset. When asked what the team had been doing since the game's last trailer was released in October last year, the update reads, "There is no big revelation here. We were just developing a game and that is nothing more to it than that."

Despite trying to explain a number of factors that have affected decisions taken by the team in terms of the game's delay and its lack of communication with fans, the initial update bears a similar hostile tone at several points throughout.

Referencing the launch of Cyberpunk 2077, the update attempts to justify the lack of updates sent out to backers while simultaneously seeming to take aim at shareholders generally. "Cyberpunk 2077 should've been delayed for a year, but the hype and the pressure from shareholders were more important. Maybe if they didn't push their developers to create marketing content they could've put more time into fixing the game."

The post then goes on to discuss further issues that the game has experienced delving into problems with hype and its inexperienced development team. While it does take ownership for a number of those mistakes, the statement includes various statements and rhetorical questions throughout these sections that could be interpreted as patronising.

At the end of the statement, the team explains that a release date for the game has been pushed back into 2022. "And for the end, a bit of friendly advice," reads a concluding statement from the team. "If lack of communication is so bothersome just ask for a refund and be done with it. It's just a game. You can play it when it's out if you are still interested."

The reaction to the original post has been largely negative, with a number of fans having asked for refunds since its publication. While Peklar's apology is a step in the right direction for the studio, it remains to be whether it will be enough to keep those upset by the post invested.

Scorn – a grim, surreal FPS – has been in the works for a very long time. A first part was originally meant to arrive in 2017, before a re-reveal as an Xbox console exclusive saw it target Fall 2021. The most recent delay has pushed the game back to an unspecified date in 2022.

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

Marvel’s Eternals star Salma Hayek, who plays Eternals leader Ajak, has revealed she has signed a deal to star in multiple Marvel movies.

During an interview with Smallzy’s Celebrity Talk Podcast (via /Film), the 55-year-old Eternals actress revealed that she’s already signed up for multiple Marvel movies.

“I did sign multiple movie deals!” she said. “It was kind of fun being part of this... secret society that you have to protect so fearlessly!”

This story contains major spoilers for the plot of Marvel’s Eternals – if you haven’t seen it yet, turn back now.

Although the number of movies she’s signed up for remains a mystery, there’s an even bigger question – how is Salma Hayek’s Ajak going to return to the MCU? If you’ve seen Marvel’s Eternals, you’ll know that it’s revealed rather early that Ajak is dead – her scenes that follow are flashbacks from before she was betrayed by Ikaris and ultimately killed by Kro, the leader of the Deviants.

That’s a pretty finite end for Salma Hayek’s character, so Marvel is going to have to get creative if we’re going to see the former Eternals leader once more.

It’s entirely possible that Marvel has factored in potential sequels to Hayek’s contract – meaning an Eternals 2 could be on the cards. If that’s the case, we might expect yet more Ajak flashbacks throughout her thousands of years on Earth.

However, it’s also possible that Ajak could show up in other Marvel properties. After all, with the likes of Captain Marvel and Captain America: The First Avenger taking place during different time periods, it’s not implausible to think of Hayek’s ancient Eternal showing up in the midst of a fight.

However it pans out, Marvel’s Eternals is already doing pretty well at the box office, with an opening weekend of $71 million – just shy of Marvel’s high-end expectations for the film. It’s a shame that Eternals is currently the lowest-rated MCU movie with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of just 47% – a score that’s sure to give Marvel something to think about when considering a sequel.

Still, with the introduction of Marvel’s Black Knight, Eternals has opened up a number of possibilities for the future of the MCU. And it looks as though Salma Hayek will be a part of that – in one way or another.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Foo Fighters have made a secret comedy-horror movie titled Studio 666, which is slated for release next year.

Deadline first reported the news, revealing that Dave Grohl and his Foo Fighters bandmates Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, and Rami Jaffee are starring in the movie that was filmed in secret. The cast also includes Whitney Cummings, Leslie Grossman, Will Forte, Jenna Ortega, and Jeff Garlin, with BJ McDonnell serving as director.

Studio 666 will see "what happens when the legendary rock band rents an Encino mansion steeped in grisly rock and roll history, to record their 10th album." After moving in, though, frontman Grohl finds that he is creatively blocked, and "when evil forces in the house sink into his consciousness, the creative juices begin flowing but so does the blood."

Open Road Films has acquired worldwide rights to the movie, which is based on a story by Grohl that was turned into a screenplay, written by Jeff Buhler and Rebecca Hughes. It will be released in theaters in the US on February 25, 2022, with an international release set to be confirmed at a later date.

"After decades of ridiculous music videos and numerous music documentaries under our collective belts, it was finally time to take it to the next level… A full-length feature horror comedy film," Grohl said when the project was finally announced. "Like most things Foo, Studio 666 began with a far fetched idea that blossomed into something bigger than we ever imagined possible.

"We wanted to recapture the classic magic that all of our favorite rock and roll movies had, but with a twist: hilarious gore that f***ing rocks," he added. "With the help of Tom Ortenberg and the team at Open Road Films we can finally let this cat out of the bag after keeping it our best-kept secret for two years. Be ready to laugh, scream, and headbang in your popcorn. Studio 666 will f*** you up."

The movie was filmed inside the same house that Foo Fighters recorded their tenth studio album, Medicine at Midnight, which was released earlier this year, several months prior to the band being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was their first year of eligibility as their debut album officially hit shelves 25 years ago.

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

Five years after its October 2016 release as a free-to-play game on PS4 and subsequent shutdown 13 months later, The Tomorrow Children is set to return. Q-Games, the Kyoto-based indie developer behind the game, has acquired the rights from publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment, returning the Tomorrow Children IP to creator Dylan Cuthbert and his team.

During a rare private server gameplay video in September 2021, Q-Games CEO and founder Cuthbert told IGN Japan that he hoped to acquire the rights and re-release The Tomorrow Children if Sony would allow it. A small-but-vocal audience has called for its return since public servers were closed in November 2017, rendering the game unplayable, and Cuthbert says it was this dedication from fans that convinced him to pursue negotiations with Sony over the rights.

“I’d like to thank first and foremost the fans of The Tomorrow Children, without whom I would never have had the confidence to keep pursuing this deal,” Cuthbert said in an announcement today. “Our fans are some of the most amazing gamers out there, and every day for the past four years they have kept the dream alive. I think the happiest thing about this decision is imagining the enjoyment those fans will feel as they re-enter the crazy post-apocalyptic neo-soviet world of The Tomorrow Children.

“Secondly I’d like to thank Sony Interactive Entertainment for also working with me to have the IP returned to Q-Games. It has taken a concerted effort by all of us to get to this ultimate step, and I’m full of gratitude to everyone involved in the process.”

The Tomorrow Children was an online-only multiplayer experience in which players collaborated to build towns, farm resources, and protect the world from attackers – all set in a surreal, Soviet-inflected post-apocalypse. The game received a mixed reception upon launch and its servers were closed just over a year later, but it built up a cult following.

Although no release date or platforms were announced, it appears The Tomorrow Children will return in an evolved form, as Cuthbert promised that he is “now tweaking and re-working parts of the game every week”. The Tomorrow Children was already a pioneering title, having been developed in partnership with Sony from early in the PS4’s life cycle. Its advanced Voxel Cone Tracing graphics engine resulted in a Pixar-like visual presentation that still looks impressive today, while elements of its loose online co-op system would later be reflected in games such as Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding. Together with planned updates, we can hope the new version of The Tomorrow Children will look at home alongside modern games when it is finally released.

In the meantime, Q-Games will be publishing a newsletter with behind-the-scenes updates so that fans can see how development is progressing. Registration for the newsletter is available here.

“I hope everyone follows along and gets involved in this process,” commented Cuthbert. “We plan to make quite a few changes for the better, and give The Tomorrow Children the re-launch it deserves! Come watch the fun!”

Cuthbert has a close relationship with Sony, having worked there for a spell around the turn of the millennium, and he has had a hand in backend aspects of several PlayStation consoles since the PS2, most famously including the PS2’s rubber duck tech demo and the PS3’s XrossMediaBar interface. Q-Games’ flagship PixelJunk series was closely associated with PlayStation platforms for many years and helped to raise player interest in indie games on Sony consoles. The Tomorrow Children was developed by Q-Games and published by SIE, with production support from Sony’s Japan Studio.

The specific details of the deal between Q-Games and SIE were not announced.

Sony has occasionally collaborated with the creators of its classic IP on reissues, such as working with Parappa The Rapper creator Masaya Matsuura on a PS4 remaster, but in general it has held on to the rights to the vast majority of its second-party franchises. This makes Q-Games’ achievement in acquiring the rights to The Tomorrow Children all the more impressive. It’s exciting to see what this development will mean not only for The Tomorrow Children, but for other dormant Sony titles as well.

Daniel Robson is Chief Editor at IGN Japan. For full disclosure, he worked at SIE Japan Studio while The Tomorrow Children was under development, but didn't work directly on creating the project. He is also a fan of the game. Follow him on Twitter here.

A pop-up store selling exclusive merchandise themed around the Konami Code has opened at the Akihabara Container in Tokyo’s Akihabara district.

The Konami Code – a combination of button presses that unlocked special goodies in various Konami games from the 1980s onwards – was first used in Gradius in 1986. By entering up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, players could unlock a more powerful ship to play with. The hidden command went on to be used in Gradius II and other Konami titles.

The pop-up shop sells various exclusive items based on classic Konami titles such as Gradius, Goemon, Snatcher and Tokimeki Memorial. The full lineup can be seen in the gallery below or on the official website.

In addition, the store features a photo spot with a massive wall panel of Chichibinta Rika from the Parodius series, where visitors are invited to pose for selfies.

Konami has even released a theme song based on the Konami Code, produced by Japanese artist TOMOSUKE, sung by meiyo, and illustrated by Kaneko Shake. The video for the song, which features lyrics in Japanese extolling the virtues of the button command in detail, is available on Konami’s Japanese YouTube account.

Konami has come under fire in recent years for moving away from game development following the departure of Hideo Kojima, but that hasn't stopped the publisher from cashing in on its various classic properties. In September, Konami released the Castlevania Advance Collection, which contains several Game Boy Advance games as well as Dracula X for the Super NES.

The Konami Code 35th anniversary celebration began on October 28 and will continue to November 16. If you're able to make it to Japan in that time and you have even a little love for classic games, it's worth a visit for the nostalgia hit alone.

Ryuichi Kataoka is a writer for IGN Japan

A pop-up store selling exclusive merchandise themed around the Konami Code has opened at the Akihabara Container in Tokyo’s Akihabara district.

The Konami Code – a combination of button presses that unlocked special goodies in various Konami games from the 1980s onwards – was first used in Gradius in 1986. By entering up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, players could unlock a more powerful ship to play with. The hidden command went on to be used in Gradius II and other Konami titles.

The pop-up shop sells various exclusive items based on classic Konami titles such as Gradius, Goemon, Snatcher and Tokimeki Memorial. The full lineup can be seen in the gallery below or on the official website.

In addition, the store features a photo spot with a massive wall panel of Chichibinta Rika from the Parodius series, where visitors are invited to pose for selfies.

Konami has even released a theme song based on the Konami Code, produced by Japanese artist TOMOSUKE, sung by meiyo, and illustrated by Kaneko Shake. The video for the song, which features lyrics in Japanese extolling the virtues of the button command in detail, is available on Konami’s Japanese YouTube account.

Konami has come under fire in recent years for moving away from game development following the departure of Hideo Kojima, but that hasn't stopped the publisher from cashing in on its various classic properties. In September, Konami released the Castlevania Advance Collection, which contains several Game Boy Advance games as well as Dracula X for the Super NES.

The Konami Code 35th anniversary celebration began on October 28 and will continue to November 16. If you're able to make it to Japan in that time and you have even a little love for classic games, it's worth a visit for the nostalgia hit alone.

Ryuichi Kataoka is a writer for IGN Japan

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl aren't out until next week, but the long-awaited remakes have already leaked owing to the retail copies being released early. This is nothing new for The Pokémon Company, which has been forced to deal with multiple leaks over the past few years. From the huge Pokémon Sword and Shield backlash to this new Diamond and Pearl leak, it's safe to say the Pokémon series has a noticeable problem keeping information under wraps.

Reported over the weekend by VGC, a Reddit user posted that they'd gotten a North American copy of the upcoming Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. The post has since been removed, but pictures and videos of the games have been floating around on Twitter.

Leaks for Upcoming Pokémon Switch Games

The Gen 4 remakes were initially revealed back in February. However, just days before the official announcement, leaker Centro Pokemon said fans would soon get the "big news they've been waiting for", along with pictures of Dialga and Palkia from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. The leak turned out to be true, as Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were unveiled shortly after.

In the same presentation back in February, Pokémon: Legends Arceus was also revealed. However, the morning of the presentation, the game leaked, with clips of the trailer floating around Twitter, along with descriptions of the game.

The Pokémon Sword and Shield Saga

Even further back, Pokémon games have had the tendency to leak, both leading up to their release and their announcements.

The most well-known example is 2019's Pokémon Sword and Shield, which suffered from a handful of leaks leading up to release, followed by a lengthy legal pursuit. Months before release, a leak surfaced that ended up containing many true elements of the final games, including Team Yell, the rival's names, regional evolutions, and more.

Then, the firestorm started in early November 2019, just before the games were set to come out. A list of Sword and Shield leaks detailed the Galar region Pokédex, Gigantamax forms, Galarian forms, and more. We already knew that select Pokémon from previous generations would not return to Sword and Shield, but these leaks further fueled the fire of the "Dexit" outrage and backlash on social media.

Shortly after release, lawyers for The Pokémon Company began searching for the Sword and Shield leakers. The lawyers said the leaks caused The Pokémon Company "irreparable injury" in their ability to market the game. Later on, The Pokémon Company began a lawsuit against the leakers. Finally, in February of 2020, Nintendo cut ties with a game publication after one if its reviewers leaked images of Sword and Shield. All said and done, the Sword and Shield incident was one of the biggest leaks of 2019.

More Switch and 3DS Pokémon Leaks

Even further back, Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee leaked just ahead of their official reveal at E3 2018, while 2016's Pokémon Sun and Moon dealt with leaks leading up to launch, as the version exclusives surfaced just a week ahead of release.

As is usually the case, not all of the leaks have turned out to be true. Shortly after Sun and Moon's release, it was rumored that Pokémon Stars would be coming to Nintendo Switch, a third version of the Alolan adventure. However, it turned out to be Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon on 3DS, as the first Pokémon game the Switch got was Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee. A trademark for Pokémon Delta Emerald also surfaced, but it also never came to be.

And now, potentially due to all of the repeated instances of leaked Pokémon games, Nintendo has become notorious for strict review copy distribution and complex embargo restrictions. Even with their best efforts to shut down the leaks, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have become another example of information becoming public before it was supposed to.

Fans are already reacting to the leaks, with some complaining about what they've seen so far, while others are poking fun at the idea of spoilers for a remake of a 15-year-old game. Still, it won't be long until Pokémon fans can try the remakes out for themselves, as Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl launch next Friday,

While you wait for the official release, check out our Pokémon Brilliant Diamond preview, where we call the remakes the "old-school Pokémon games we've been missing."

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl aren't out until next week, but the long-awaited remakes have already leaked owing to the retail copies being released early. This is nothing new for The Pokémon Company, which has been forced to deal with multiple leaks over the past few years. From the huge Pokémon Sword and Shield backlash to this new Diamond and Pearl leak, it's safe to say the Pokémon series has a noticeable problem keeping information under wraps.

Reported over the weekend by VGC, a Reddit user posted that they'd gotten a North American copy of the upcoming Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. The post has since been removed, but pictures and videos of the games have been floating around on Twitter.

Leaks for Upcoming Pokémon Switch Games

The Gen 4 remakes were initially revealed back in February. However, just days before the official announcement, leaker Centro Pokemon said fans would soon get the "big news they've been waiting for", along with pictures of Dialga and Palkia from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. The leak turned out to be true, as Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were unveiled shortly after.

In the same presentation back in February, Pokémon: Legends Arceus was also revealed. However, the morning of the presentation, the game leaked, with clips of the trailer floating around Twitter, along with descriptions of the game.

The Pokémon Sword and Shield Saga

Even further back, Pokémon games have had the tendency to leak, both leading up to their release and their announcements.

The most well-known example is 2019's Pokémon Sword and Shield, which suffered from a handful of leaks leading up to release, followed by a lengthy legal pursuit. Months before release, a leak surfaced that ended up containing many true elements of the final games, including Team Yell, the rival's names, regional evolutions, and more.

Then, the firestorm started in early November 2019, just before the games were set to come out. A list of Sword and Shield leaks detailed the Galar region Pokédex, Gigantamax forms, Galarian forms, and more. We already knew that select Pokémon from previous generations would not return to Sword and Shield, but these leaks further fueled the fire of the "Dexit" outrage and backlash on social media.

Shortly after release, lawyers for The Pokémon Company began searching for the Sword and Shield leakers. The lawyers said the leaks caused The Pokémon Company "irreparable injury" in their ability to market the game. Later on, The Pokémon Company began a lawsuit against the leakers. Finally, in February of 2020, Nintendo cut ties with a game publication after one if its reviewers leaked images of Sword and Shield. All said and done, the Sword and Shield incident was one of the biggest leaks of 2019.

More Switch and 3DS Pokémon Leaks

Even further back, Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee leaked just ahead of their official reveal at E3 2018, while 2016's Pokémon Sun and Moon dealt with leaks leading up to launch, as the version exclusives surfaced just a week ahead of release.

As is usually the case, not all of the leaks have turned out to be true. Shortly after Sun and Moon's release, it was rumored that Pokémon Stars would be coming to Nintendo Switch, a third version of the Alolan adventure. However, it turned out to be Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon on 3DS, as the first Pokémon game the Switch got was Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee. A trademark for Pokémon Delta Emerald also surfaced, but it also never came to be.

And now, potentially due to all of the repeated instances of leaked Pokémon games, Nintendo has become notorious for strict review copy distribution and complex embargo restrictions. Even with their best efforts to shut down the leaks, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have become another example of information becoming public before it was supposed to.

Fans are already reacting to the leaks, with some complaining about what they've seen so far, while others are poking fun at the idea of spoilers for a remake of a 15-year-old game. Still, it won't be long until Pokémon fans can try the remakes out for themselves, as Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl launch next Friday,

While you wait for the official release, check out our Pokémon Brilliant Diamond preview, where we call the remakes the "old-school Pokémon games we've been missing."

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Back 4 Blood is going to get a bunch of new features starting in December and into 2022. These include heavily-requested features like a new co-op mode, new difficulty level, and even an offline mode.

Turtle Rock has announced that this month the team will focus on various quality of life improvements and bug fixes. The biggest feature coming in December is an offline solo mode with campaign progression. This was a much-requested feature since playing Back 4 Blood requires an internet connection, even when playing solo.

Also in December, there will be new supply lines and cards as well as a new Ridden practice area, card type, and holiday seasonal event.

In 2022, there will be even more content such as a new difficulty level, new co-op mode, melee updates, and additional quality of life improvements, as well as both new player and corruption cards.

Back 4 Blood's first story expansion, Tunnels of Terror will also launch in 2022. It's part of the game's Annual Pass and introduces new playable characters and Ridden types. The pass comes with new weapons, cards, skins, and a new activity type. Expansions 2 and 3 are scheduled to launch later in 2022.

IGN's Back 4 Blood review praised the co-op horror shooter saying, "Between its stellar card augmentations, excellent campaign, and jovial tone that creeps into every facet of its design, Back 4 Blood puts some exciting new spins on a familiar genre."

Cleaners, the future is lookin' bright! Here's a roadmap of what's to come for Fort Hope. #Back4Blood pic.twitter.com/IHCvGqZXO0

— Back 4 Blood (@back4blood) November 8, 2021

Check out how to unlock characters and cosmetics in Back 4 Blood as well as how to create an overpowered melee build in the game.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey

Back 4 Blood is going to get a bunch of new features starting in December and into 2022. These include heavily-requested features like a new co-op mode, new difficulty level, and even an offline mode.

Turtle Rock has announced that this month the team will focus on various quality of life improvements and bug fixes. The biggest feature coming in December is an offline solo mode with campaign progression. This was a much-requested feature since playing Back 4 Blood requires an internet connection, even when playing solo.

Also in December, there will be new supply lines and cards as well as a new Ridden practice area, card type, and holiday seasonal event.

In 2022, there will be even more content such as a new difficulty level, new co-op mode, melee updates, and additional quality of life improvements, as well as both new player and corruption cards.

Back 4 Blood's first story expansion, Tunnels of Terror will also launch in 2022. It's part of the game's Annual Pass and introduces new playable characters and Ridden types. The pass comes with new weapons, cards, skins, and a new activity type. Expansions 2 and 3 are scheduled to launch later in 2022.

IGN's Back 4 Blood review praised the co-op horror shooter saying, "Between its stellar card augmentations, excellent campaign, and jovial tone that creeps into every facet of its design, Back 4 Blood puts some exciting new spins on a familiar genre."

Cleaners, the future is lookin' bright! Here's a roadmap of what's to come for Fort Hope. #Back4Blood pic.twitter.com/IHCvGqZXO0

— Back 4 Blood (@back4blood) November 8, 2021

Check out how to unlock characters and cosmetics in Back 4 Blood as well as how to create an overpowered melee build in the game.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey