Next year, Persona and Shin Megami Tensei developer Atlus would like to release a new game that will further solidify the company's status as a premier Japanese studio.

As reported by Gematsu, Famitsu asked several video game companies about their goals and ambitions for 2022 as this year draws to an end, and Atlus' Shinjiro Takada had some exciting things to say for fans of the studio's games.

Takada - who is responsible for such franchises as Shin Megami Tensei and Etrian Odyssey - says, "I chose ‘Challenge’ as my keyword for 2022 in hopes to release a title to the world that will become a pillar for Atlus." He continues, "The staff are working hard on development to make something that’ll be interesting and satisfying for everyone, so I’d be happy if you could look forward to it.”

Currently, we know of three projects that Atlus is working on. A port of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax was announced at The Game Awards 2021 and is launching on March 17, 2022, for PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. Additionally, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is launching for Nintendo Switch on April 22, 2022; it was originally released on PS4 in 2020. The last one is Project Re Fantasy, which is being led by a new development team called Studio Zero. It was revealed back in 2016, but not much information about the game has been shown yet.

It's unclear whether or not Re Fantasy is the game Takada is talking about. However, speaking with Famitsu in December 2020, Atlus producer Katsura Hashino stated that development on the game was at its climax and that he would like to release gameplay details soon.

There is also a potential Atlus titled called "Project Pen" that was listed on the Australian Government Classification Database in November, so that could be another possibility.

“With Shin Megami Tensei V finally released, we are taking a breath of relief, although we hope to announce something this year (2022) too, so please stay tuned," Takada explains.

This year, Atlus localized Persona 5 Strikers and Shin Megami Tensei III HD Remaster, as well as launched a global simultaneous release for Shin Megami Tensei V. Hopefully, Atlus will continue with the global launches for future games so western fans can enjoy them at the same time as the Japanese ones.

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

Next year, Persona and Shin Megami Tensei developer Atlus would like to release a new game that will further solidify the company's status as a premier Japanese studio.

As reported by Gematsu, Famitsu asked several video game companies about their goals and ambitions for 2022 as this year draws to an end, and Atlus' Shinjiro Takada had some exciting things to say for fans of the studio's games.

Takada - who is responsible for such franchises as Shin Megami Tensei and Etrian Odyssey - says, "I chose ‘Challenge’ as my keyword for 2022 in hopes to release a title to the world that will become a pillar for Atlus." He continues, "The staff are working hard on development to make something that’ll be interesting and satisfying for everyone, so I’d be happy if you could look forward to it.”

Currently, we know of three projects that Atlus is working on. A port of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax was announced at The Game Awards 2021 and is launching on March 17, 2022, for PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. Additionally, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is launching for Nintendo Switch on April 22, 2022; it was originally released on PS4 in 2020. The last one is Project Re Fantasy, which is being led by a new development team called Studio Zero. It was revealed back in 2016, but not much information about the game has been shown yet.

It's unclear whether or not Re Fantasy is the game Takada is talking about. However, speaking with Famitsu in December 2020, Atlus producer Katsura Hashino stated that development on the game was at its climax and that he would like to release gameplay details soon.

There is also a potential Atlus titled called "Project Pen" that was listed on the Australian Government Classification Database in November, so that could be another possibility.

“With Shin Megami Tensei V finally released, we are taking a breath of relief, although we hope to announce something this year (2022) too, so please stay tuned," Takada explains.

This year, Atlus localized Persona 5 Strikers and Shin Megami Tensei III HD Remaster, as well as launched a global simultaneous release for Shin Megami Tensei V. Hopefully, Atlus will continue with the global launches for future games so western fans can enjoy them at the same time as the Japanese ones.

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

If you think cats don't actually care about humans, think again. A study from PLOS One, reported by The Animal Rescue Site, says that cats keep mental tabs on their humans while at home.

A group of scientists from Kyoto University found that cats use context clues within the home to determine where their owners are, even if they're in a completely different room.

The experiment that led to this finding saw researchers recording the voices of cat owners calling out their pets' names, along with other sounds like the voices of strangers and of other cats. Then, scientists observed the reactions of the cats while playing the sounds.

According to the report, cats were most surprised when hearing their owner's voice. The surprise is increased because they already saw the owner leave the room, so hearing the familiar voice doesn't make sense to the animal. Researchers say the cat's surprise reaction implies that cats create a mental map of where their people are at all times.

“Results showed that cats were surprised when their owner appeared to be ‘teleported’ to a new, unexpected location, but they did not react in the same way when tested with non-social stimuli," reads the report. "These results suggest that cats hold a mental representation of the unseen owner and map their owner’s location from the owner’s voice, showing evidence of socio-spatial cognition.”

All you cat lovers out there may want to know that there's a live-action Garfield movie in the works, starring everyone's favorite Monday-hating cat. The iconic character will be voiced by Chris Pratt, which in addition to his role as Super Mario, has the internet wondering who he'll voice next.

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

If you think cats don't actually care about humans, think again. A study from PLOS One, reported by The Animal Rescue Site, says that cats keep mental tabs on their humans while at home.

A group of scientists from Kyoto University found that cats use context clues within the home to determine where their owners are, even if they're in a completely different room.

The experiment that led to this finding saw researchers recording the voices of cat owners calling out their pets' names, along with other sounds like the voices of strangers and of other cats. Then, scientists observed the reactions of the cats while playing the sounds.

According to the report, cats were most surprised when hearing their owner's voice. The surprise is increased because they already saw the owner leave the room, so hearing the familiar voice doesn't make sense to the animal. Researchers say the cat's surprise reaction implies that cats create a mental map of where their people are at all times.

“Results showed that cats were surprised when their owner appeared to be ‘teleported’ to a new, unexpected location, but they did not react in the same way when tested with non-social stimuli," reads the report. "These results suggest that cats hold a mental representation of the unseen owner and map their owner’s location from the owner’s voice, showing evidence of socio-spatial cognition.”

All you cat lovers out there may want to know that there's a live-action Garfield movie in the works, starring everyone's favorite Monday-hating cat. The iconic character will be voiced by Chris Pratt, which in addition to his role as Super Mario, has the internet wondering who he'll voice next.

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

Remedy Entertainment, the company behind Control and Alan Wake, has signed a global development, license, and distribution agreement with Tencent for a new co-operative multiplayer game that is currently codenamed Vanguard.

Announced by Remedy, Vanguard - which should obviously not be confused for Call of Duty: Vanguard - will be a "free-to-play, co-operative PvE shooter that combines Remedy's narrative expertise and action gameplay into an immersive multiplayer experience."

The game will be developed with the Unreal Engine for both PC and consoles and, while Remedy will develop and publish the game for most of the world, Tencent will localize Vanguard for "the selected Asian markets" and it will cover any related localization costs.

As it stands, Vanguard is "currently in the proof-of-concept phase" and the game's "development budget up to the first year of live operations will be in the range of a typical Remedy AAA game budget."

Remedy and Tencent will co-finance Vanguard's development and each company will be responsible for the publishing and game operating costs in their territories. After the development costs have been recouped, both companies will share a portion of revenue with the other.

Alongside the PC and consoles version of Vanguard, Remedy has given Tencent the worldwide rights to both develop and publish a mobile version of the game. Tencent will cover the costs of the project, and the companies have "agreed on a separate sharing scheme for the mobile version."

This announcement follows the news from May 2021 that Tencent had acquired a 3.8% stake in Remedy, which amounted to 500,000 shares. There was no game annoucement back then, but that has now changed.

“Vanguard marks Remedy’s first entry into Games-as-a-Service business model, executed by our top tier team of free-to-play experts," Said CEO of Remedy Entertainment Tero Virtala. "We are building something new and exciting for co-operative multiplayer space, on top of Remedy’s strengths. Expanding our capabilities to take on publishing responsibilities is the next step in the development of our company.

"We are excited for this long-term partnership with Tencent and with confidence can say that it is an excellent fit in supporting Vanguard’s ambitious plans. Vanguard is a global opportunity, and Tencent can support Remedy internationally, and lead the operations in Asia and the mobile markets.”

Remedy had announced that it formed a new team called Vanguard in 2018 that had the goal to "challenge conventions and to prototype and ship new types of ongoing live multiplayer game experiences," and it would appear that this is the team inside Remedy that is working on this as the names are the same.

Vanguard joins the many projects currently in development at Remedy, including Alan Wake 2, the campaign of CrossfireX, multiple games in the Control universe, and a new, early-stage project.

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.

Remedy Entertainment, the company behind Control and Alan Wake, has signed a global development, license, and distribution agreement with Tencent for a new co-operative multiplayer game that is currently codenamed Vanguard.

Announced by Remedy, Vanguard - which should obviously not be confused for Call of Duty: Vanguard - will be a "free-to-play, co-operative PvE shooter that combines Remedy's narrative expertise and action gameplay into an immersive multiplayer experience."

The game will be developed with the Unreal Engine for both PC and consoles and, while Remedy will develop and publish the game for most of the world, Tencent will localize Vanguard for "the selected Asian markets" and it will cover any related localization costs.

As it stands, Vanguard is "currently in the proof-of-concept phase" and the game's "development budget up to the first year of live operations will be in the range of a typical Remedy AAA game budget."

Remedy and Tencent will co-finance Vanguard's development and each company will be responsible for the publishing and game operating costs in their territories. After the development costs have been recouped, both companies will share a portion of revenue with the other.

Alongside the PC and consoles version of Vanguard, Remedy has given Tencent the worldwide rights to both develop and publish a mobile version of the game. Tencent will cover the costs of the project, and the companies have "agreed on a separate sharing scheme for the mobile version."

This announcement follows the news from May 2021 that Tencent had acquired a 3.8% stake in Remedy, which amounted to 500,000 shares. There was no game annoucement back then, but that has now changed.

“Vanguard marks Remedy’s first entry into Games-as-a-Service business model, executed by our top tier team of free-to-play experts," Said CEO of Remedy Entertainment Tero Virtala. "We are building something new and exciting for co-operative multiplayer space, on top of Remedy’s strengths. Expanding our capabilities to take on publishing responsibilities is the next step in the development of our company.

"We are excited for this long-term partnership with Tencent and with confidence can say that it is an excellent fit in supporting Vanguard’s ambitious plans. Vanguard is a global opportunity, and Tencent can support Remedy internationally, and lead the operations in Asia and the mobile markets.”

Remedy had announced that it formed a new team called Vanguard in 2018 that had the goal to "challenge conventions and to prototype and ship new types of ongoing live multiplayer game experiences," and it would appear that this is the team inside Remedy that is working on this as the names are the same.

Vanguard joins the many projects currently in development at Remedy, including Alan Wake 2, the campaign of CrossfireX, multiple games in the Control universe, and a new, early-stage project.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The LEGO Group has not only officially unveiled the LEGO Ideas Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone Set, but it has also announced that it will be available for purchase on January 1, 2022, for $69.99 USD.

Green Hill Zone, which has become one of the most iconic levels in gaming since its debut in the original Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991 for SEGA Genesis, is getting the LEGO treatment thanks to the 24-year-old Viv Grannell.

Grannell conceived this concept through the LEGO Ideas platform and, after it reached the required 10,000 votes from the community, the LEGO team chose to make this dream a reality.

The LEGO Ideas Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone Set is a 1,125-piece set and it includes five minifigures, including Sonic, Crabmeat, Moto Bug, Dr. Eggman, and the Phantom Ruby. Additionally, the box will also come packaged with TV monitor power-ups, Eggman's Egg Mobile, gems, "10 boxes of golden-coloured Rings and a Technic lever to spring Sonic and friends into the air."

"Just about anyone who has enjoyed video games on any level in the last 30 years, knows and loves Sonic — and has probably sped through the unforgettable Green Hill Zone with him," LEGO Designer Sam Johnson said. "We have designed this set to be just as colourful and fun as the in-game version of The Green Hill Zone, then filled it with lots of easter eggs and even prizes to help fans enjoy some of their most beloved gaming icons in a brand-new way.”

As previously mentioned, the LEGO Ideas Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone set will be available from January 1, 2022, and will cost $69.99 USD.

This is just one of the many new Sonic adventures underway, as the blue blur himself will also be starring in the upcoming "open-zone" Sonic Frontiers and Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Movie.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The LEGO Group has not only officially unveiled the LEGO Ideas Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone Set, but it has also announced that it will be available for purchase on January 1, 2022, for $69.99 USD.

Green Hill Zone, which has become one of the most iconic levels in gaming since its debut in the original Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991 for SEGA Genesis, is getting the LEGO treatment thanks to the 24-year-old Viv Grannell.

Grannell conceived this concept through the LEGO Ideas platform and, after it reached the required 10,000 votes from the community, the LEGO team chose to make this dream a reality.

The LEGO Ideas Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone Set is a 1,125-piece set and it includes five minifigures, including Sonic, Crabmeat, Moto Bug, Dr. Eggman, and the Phantom Ruby. Additionally, the box will also come packaged with TV monitor power-ups, Eggman's Egg Mobile, gems, "10 boxes of golden-coloured Rings and a Technic lever to spring Sonic and friends into the air."

"Just about anyone who has enjoyed video games on any level in the last 30 years, knows and loves Sonic — and has probably sped through the unforgettable Green Hill Zone with him," LEGO Designer Sam Johnson said. "We have designed this set to be just as colourful and fun as the in-game version of The Green Hill Zone, then filled it with lots of easter eggs and even prizes to help fans enjoy some of their most beloved gaming icons in a brand-new way.”

As previously mentioned, the LEGO Ideas Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone set will be available from January 1, 2022, and will cost $69.99 USD.

This is just one of the many new Sonic adventures underway, as the blue blur himself will also be starring in the upcoming "open-zone" Sonic Frontiers and Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Movie.

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.

Riot Games, the company behind such games as League of Legends and Valorant, will pay out a total of $100 million — including an $80 million settlement, plus an additional $20 million in fees and expenses — after reaching a global settlement agreement with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE), and several private Plaintiffs to resolve its gender discrimination lawsuit from 2018.

As per the agreement, Riot will pay $80 million to all current and former full-time employees and temporary agency contractors in California who identify as women and worked at the company from November 2014 to the present day. The other $20 million will go towards "attorneys' fees and miscellaneous expenses."

Furthermore, Riot has agreed to have its internal reporting and pay equity processes monitored by a third-party company that is approved by both Riot and the DFEH for three years.

Final approval of this settlement by the court is currently pending, and a hearing is expected to take place within "the coming months."

“Three years ago, Riot was at the heart of what became a reckoning in our industry," A Riot spokesperson said. "We had to face the fact that despite our best intentions, we hadn’t always lived up to our values. As a company we stood at a crossroads; we could deny the shortcomings of our culture, or we could apologize, correct course, and build a better Riot. We chose the latter.

"We’re incredibly grateful to every Rioter who has worked to create a culture where inclusivity is the norm, where we’re deeply committed to fairness and equality, and where embracing diversity fuels creativity and innovation.

"While we’re proud of how far we’ve come since 2018, we must also take responsibility for the past. We hope that this settlement properly acknowledges those who had negative experiences at Riot and demonstrates our desire to lead by example in bringing more accountability and equality to the games industry.”

In this case, Riot Games is represented by Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, while the plaintiffs in the class are represented by Genie Harrison Law APC and JML Law APLC. Genie Harrison also issued a statement saying that this was a great day not just for the women of Riot Games, but for those all over the gaming and tech industry who deserve a workplace devoid of any harassment and discrimination.

"This is a great day for the women of Riot Games — and for women at all video game and tech companies — who deserve a workplace that is free of harassment and discrimination,” said Genie Harrison. “We appreciate Riot’s introspection and work since 2018 toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive company, its willingness to take responsibility for its past, and its commitment to continued fairness and equality in the future.”

As previously noted, this settlement is for the gender-based discrimination lawsuit that was filed in 2018 following a report from Kotaku that exposed the sexist culture that had become prevalent at Riot Games.

Kotaku spoke to 28 current and former employees who had dealt with a "bro culture" that "in some instances, rewards behavior that disadvantages women."

Jessica Negron, one of the two plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said she went through a situation where her manager had quit and she took on all of their responsibilities but saw no increase in compensation or change of job title. Three men were hired over her despite her speaking up, and she was never even interviewed or talked to about the role.

Melanie McCracken is the other plaintiff in the case and claimed that, after speaking up about her experiences with the sexist culture at the company, "HR failed to keep the meeting confidential and leaked the information to her supervisor." In 2015, she took a new position, and her former supervisor was then promoted to a senior position a year later. McCracken was then told that she had been "given a five-month countdown to find a new position or 'be fired.'"

In 2019, Riot Games was ordered to pay at least $10 million as part of a settlement for the lawsuit, but the DFEH stepped in and blocked the agreement and stated these victims should be paid as much as $400 million.

In 2021, Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent was sued following allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination. Riot's investigation showed no evidence of these accusations, and this particular settlement does not include this separate case.

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.

Riot Games, the company behind such games as League of Legends and Valorant, will pay out a total of $100 million — including an $80 million settlement, plus an additional $20 million in fees and expenses — after reaching a global settlement agreement with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE), and several private Plaintiffs to resolve its gender discrimination lawsuit from 2018.

As per the agreement, Riot will pay $80 million to all current and former full-time employees and temporary agency contractors in California who identify as women and worked at the company from November 2014 to the present day. The other $20 million will go towards "attorneys' fees and miscellaneous expenses."

Furthermore, Riot has agreed to have its internal reporting and pay equity processes monitored by a third-party company that is approved by both Riot and the DFEH for three years.

Final approval of this settlement by the court is currently pending, and a hearing is expected to take place within "the coming months."

“Three years ago, Riot was at the heart of what became a reckoning in our industry," A Riot spokesperson said. "We had to face the fact that despite our best intentions, we hadn’t always lived up to our values. As a company we stood at a crossroads; we could deny the shortcomings of our culture, or we could apologize, correct course, and build a better Riot. We chose the latter.

"We’re incredibly grateful to every Rioter who has worked to create a culture where inclusivity is the norm, where we’re deeply committed to fairness and equality, and where embracing diversity fuels creativity and innovation.

"While we’re proud of how far we’ve come since 2018, we must also take responsibility for the past. We hope that this settlement properly acknowledges those who had negative experiences at Riot and demonstrates our desire to lead by example in bringing more accountability and equality to the games industry.”

In this case, Riot Games is represented by Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, while the plaintiffs in the class are represented by Genie Harrison Law APC and JML Law APLC. Genie Harrison also issued a statement saying that this was a great day not just for the women of Riot Games, but for those all over the gaming and tech industry who deserve a workplace devoid of any harassment and discrimination.

"This is a great day for the women of Riot Games — and for women at all video game and tech companies — who deserve a workplace that is free of harassment and discrimination,” said Genie Harrison. “We appreciate Riot’s introspection and work since 2018 toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive company, its willingness to take responsibility for its past, and its commitment to continued fairness and equality in the future.”

As previously noted, this settlement is for the gender-based discrimination lawsuit that was filed in 2018 following a report from Kotaku that exposed the sexist culture that had become prevalent at Riot Games.

Kotaku spoke to 28 current and former employees who had dealt with a "bro culture" that "in some instances, rewards behavior that disadvantages women."

Jessica Negron, one of the two plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said she went through a situation where her manager had quit and she took on all of their responsibilities but saw no increase in compensation of change of job title. Three men were hired over her despite her speaking up, and she was never even interviewed or talked to about the role.

Melanie McCracken is the other plaintiff in the case and claimed that, after speaking up about her experiences with the sexist culture at the company, "HR failed to keep the meeting confidential and leaked the information to her supervisor." In 2015, she took a new position, and her former supervisor was then promoted to a senior position a year later. McCracken was then told that she had been "given a five-month countdown to find a new position of 'be fired.'"

In 2019, Riot Games was ordered to pay at least $10 million as part of a settlement for the lawsuit, but the DFEH stepped in and blocked the agreement and stated these victims should be paid as much as $400 million.

In 2021, Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent was sued following allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination. Riot's investigation showed no evidence of these accusations, and this particular settlement does not include this separate case.

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.