The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has revealed the nominations for its 25th annual DICE awards, and Insomniac's Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart leads the pack with 9 nominations.

Arkane's Deathloop follows closely behind with 8 nominations, while inscryption and It Takes Two earn 6 each. All four of those games are up for Game of the Year, as well as Housemarque's Returnal – meaning three of the five GOTY contenders are PlayStation exclusives.

The awards will be held on February 24 in Las Vegas, and IGN will be the official media partner, meaning you'll be able to stream the entire event live right here with us.

You can check out the full list of nominees below:

Game of the Year

• Deathloop
• Inscryption
• It Takes Two
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Returnal

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Call of Duty: Vanguard
• Deathloop
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil Village

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Call of Duty: Vanguard
• Deathloop
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Resident Evil Village

Outstanding Achievement in Character

• Deathloop – Colt Vahn
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits – Kena
• Life is Strange: True Colors – Alex Chen
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Rivet
• Resident Evil Village – Lady Dimitrescu

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• Deathloop
• It Takes Two
• Kena: Bridge of Spirits
• Psychonauts 2
• Returnal

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

• Forza Horizon 5
• Halo Infinite
• It Takes Two
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Returnal

Outstanding Achievement in Story

• Before Your Eyes
• Inscryption
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Psychonauts 2
• The Forgotten City

Outstanding Technical Achievement

• Battlefield 2042
• Forza Horizon 5
• Moncage
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Returnal

Action Game of the Year

• Deathloop
• Halo Infinite
• Metroid Dread
• Returnal
• The Ascent

Adventure Game of the Year

• Death's Door
• It Takes Two
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Psychonauts 2
• Resident Evil Village

Family Game of the Year

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise
• Cozy Grove
• Mario Party Superstars
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• Warioware: Get it Together

Fighting Game of the Year

• Guilty Gear Strive
• Melty Blood: Type Lumina
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl

Racing Game of the Year

• F1 2021
• Forza Horizon 5
• Hot Wheels Unleashed

Role-Playing Game of the Year

• Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
• Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
• Shin Megami Tensei V
• Tales of Arise
• Wildermyth

Sports Game of the Year

• FIFA 22
• Mario Golf: Super Rush
• NBA 2k22
• Riders Republic
• The Climb 2

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• Age of Empires IV
• Gloomhaven
• Griftlands
• Inscryption
• Loop Hero

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

• Lone Echo II
• Puzzling Places
• Resident Evil 4 VR
• Song in the Smoke
• Yuki

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

• Demeo
• I Expect You To Die 2
• Lone Echo II
• Resident Evil 4 VR
• Song in the Smoke

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

• Death's Door
• Inscryption
• Loop Hero
• Sable
• Unpacking

Mobile Game of the Year

• Behind the Frame
• Fantasian
• League of Legends: Wild Rift
• Moncage
• Pokémon Unite

Online Game of the Year

• Back 4 Blood
• Call of Duty: Vanguard
• Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
• Halo Infinite
• Knockout City

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• Deathloop
• Inscryption
• It Takes Two
• Loop Hero
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• Deathloop
• Inscryption
• It Takes Two
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
• The Artful Escape

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.

IO Interactive has announced that the Hitman Trilogy Collection will be launching next week, and it's coming straight to Game Pass.

IO Interactive is combining all three of its Hitman games into one single package that fans will be able to get their hands on next week. Officially launching on January 20, the collection will be available for fans on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and on PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store.

However, that's not all. For those of you currently signed up for Xbox Game Pass, there will be no need to purchase the game separately, as the studio has also announced that the trilogy will be coming to the service on day one.

January 20 marks the first time that Hitman 3 has been made available to players on Steam. The game's Steam launch will include full support for the title's brand-new VR mode (which is set to launch the same day) as well as a number of other technical improvements coming to Hitman 3 on PC later this year including the likes of Ray Tracing as well as Variable Rate Shading to boost PC performance.

HITMAN Trilogy includes all three games from the World of Assassination. Available digitally on January 20 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Epic Games Store. As well as Steam and Xbox Game Pass.

Watch the full @HITMAN 3 Year 2 reveal here: https://t.co/1SODjYBTQC pic.twitter.com/0o4gvAj7WK

— IO Interactive (@IOInteractive) January 13, 2022

As well as announcing the launch date for its Hitman Trilogy, IO has also shed further light on what's in store for Hitman 3 across the next twelve months. According to a press release from the studio, Year 2 content for the game will include two brand new modes and a new map, named Rocky, which will be revealed later this year.

The first of those two modes, Elusive Target Arcade, will take the game's Elusive Target concept to further heights by adding a number of new challenges and unlockable rewards to Hitman 3 - while a brand new Freelancer mode is also set to be introduced this year.

Launching this Spring, IO says that Hitman 3's new Freelancer mode will bring a brand new way to play the game as it introduces new roguelike elements, further strategic planning and a customizable safehouse into the fold.

For more from the world of Hitman, make sure to check out this article detailing how the game's developers are reportedly working on an Xbox fantasy game featuring dragons.

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

Bandai Namco has announced My Hero Academia: Ultra Rumble - a new free-to-play battle royale game headed to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.

As reported by Gematsu, Bandai Namco revealed the game in the latest issue of Weekly Jump magazine and, while a release date wasn't shared, the magazine does tease that players will get to "team up to win a 24-player rumble in multiplayer action!"

Prior to launch, My Hero Academia: Ultra Rumble will have a closed beta test for a select few to try out the game and some of what it has to offer. When they become available, all the details on the closed beta and how to sign up will be available on the game's official website.

My Hero Academia is no stranger to the video game world, and the franchise and its characters have appeared in various forms over the years, beginning with My Hero Academia: Battle for All for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016.

My Hero: One's Justice followed in 2018 and its sequel - My Hero: One's Justice 2 - was released in 2020. Izuku "Deku" Midoriya, All Might, and Katsuki Bakugo have also appeared as playable characters in Jump Force and there have been a few mobile title releases as well.

In our review of My Hero: One's Justice 2, we said that it "touches up some of the nuances of the original's combat and builds an impressive roster, but doesn't bring its A-game when it comes to offering much beyond a few good matches."

For more, check out why we believe My Hero Academia is one of the best choices for beginners and why this new wave of Shonen Anime are raising the bar.

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.

Nathan Drake returns in a new Uncharted poster, along with a whole gallery of new images from the upcoming video game movie.

The new Uncharted poster features Tom Holland as Nathan Drake – the young fortune hunter in search of one of the greatest treasures in the world. Along with his mentor Victor “Sully” Sullivan (played by Mark Wahlberg), Drake is about to embark on a globetrotting adventure like no other.

Rather fitting then, that this new poster has distinct Raiders of the Lost Ark vibes:

Alongside Holland and Wahlberg, we also find Sophia Ali as a fellow treasure hunter and love interest Chloe Frazer, Tati Gabrielle as Braddock, and Antonio Banderas as the film’s villain and Nathan Drake’s ruthless competitor.

And a collection of new images gives us an even closer look at what we can expect in Uncharted. Unfortunately, there are no new images of Sully’s iconic moustache.

But what we do get is a glimpse of Drake’s first adventure, as well as a quieter moment between Drake and Banderas’ unnamed villain as they peer into a glass cabinet containing an artifact that looks a bit like the Cross of Coronado from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Seriously, guys, it belongs in a museum.

Check out the brand-new Uncharted images below:

Directed by Ruben Fleischer, Uncharted is based on the popular PlayStation video game franchise. Although little is known about Drake’s first big-screen adventure at the moment, the script was written by Rafe Judkins, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway.

Of course, adventure is the name of the game, with the first Uncharted trailer giving us a brief look at what we can expect. The film is said to be an origin story, with PlayStation boss Jim Ryan saying that this is “just the beginning” for the new adventure franchise. And with multiple references to the videogames, there’s plenty for fans to get excited about.

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

Microsoft quietly discontinued manufacturing all Xbox One consoles at the end of 2020, the company has revealed.

As reported by The Verge, Microsoft has stated that it stopped producing Xbox One consoles at the end of 2020 in order to focus its efforts on its new generation of consoles. “To focus on production of Xbox Series X / S, we stopped production for all Xbox One consoles by the end of 2020,” a statement reads.

The company announced that it had ceased production on all Xbox One X and digital Xbox One S consoles a few months prior to the launch of the Xbox Series X in 2020. However, the latest comments from Microsoft indicate that the publisher also stopped manufacturing the disc version of the Xbox One S only a few months later.

It's possible that focusing entirely on Xbox Series console production has helped ease supply issues for Microsoft amid worldwide parts shortages for electronics.

News of the discontinuation comes just shortly after it was reported that Sony is set to produce more PlayStation 4 consoles than initially planned. The company had planned to stop production of the PlayStation 4 at the end of 2021. However, ongoing PS5 shortages have seemingly pushed the technology giant to continue manufacturing its last-generation console for a little while longer.

According to a Bloomberg report, the decision was said to be reached because "the older console uses less advanced chips, is simpler to make and provides a budget-friendly alternative to the PS5." In total, it is expected that a further one million PS4 consoles will be produced due to the issue. As per a Sony official who asked to remain anonymous, this strategy is meant to "fill the supply vacuum and keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem."

For more from Microsoft, make sure to check out this article detailing how Phil Spencer recently spoke about how Xbox is "not a free speech platform" for politics. And, if you've read that, then make sure to check out our rundown for everything Xbox Game Pass this January.

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

Nintendo has released a new 13-minute gameplay video showcasing Pokémon Legends Arceus. It offers and in-depth look at Arceus' new spin on the classic monster collecting game, including how Pokémon are battled and caught out in the wild.

The more open world-like nature of Legends Arceus means that Pokémon can be caught in and out of battle; you can try and sneak up on them and catch them unaware, or catch them in the more traditional way during battles. To try and get an advantage over your potential captures, you can throw items to lure or distract Pokémon.

Getting into a battle with a Pokémon brings a certain amount of risk, as they can directly attack you. Should you take enough damage, you'll eventually faint and lose items. As such, you'll want to be careful around particularly aggressive wild Pokémon, because items can be use to craft new creations in the new scavenging and crafting system.

A detailed explainer of Pokémon battles reveals that the turn-based system has been overhauled with a two-style system. Pokémon can attack with either strong style or agile agile moves. Agile moves are less powerful, but faster, and may allow you to take another attack turn sooner. Strong style moves are the opposite: more devastating, but you risk delaying your next turn. Using a combination of both will be important for success, it seems.

Mini-boss style Pokémon, known as Alpha Pokémon, can be found in the world, and are larger, stronger versions of classic favourites. Seen in the trailer is an alpha Walrein with glowing red eyes, who's a pretty big boy compared to the trainer's own Raichu.

The biggest battles, however, appear to be Noble Pokémon boss battles. These are a mixture of action-based sections in which you must both avoids attacks and throws "balms" at the boss, then more traditional turn-based Pokémon battles.

Pokémon are not just used for fighting, though. As in the original games they can also be used as mounts, but in Legends Arceus you can switch between traversal Pokémon on the fly, such as switching from a ground-based mount onto a flying Pokemon.

As ever, trading is a big part of the Pokémon games, and so Legends Arceus will also allow you to trade monsters with other players. The system can been seen in action in the trailer. We also get a look at the customisation options for clothes and hairstyles.

For more from Pokémon Legends Arceus, check out the Hisui Clans and Hisuian Voltorb trailers, and more details on the Noble Pokémon.

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

The leader of Turkmenistan would like to finally close the "Gates of Hell" crater that has been burning in the Karakum Desert since the 1970s.

As reported by Metro, the president of Turkmenistan has urged scientists to find a way to seal up the fiery sinkhole, officially known as the Darvaza Crater, largely due to the environmental damage caused by the "methane and other noxious gases" that it releases into the air, which has sparked concerns over the negative impact on the health of the people living nearby.

The flaming crater reportedly stretches 230-feet wide across the desert terrain, which is located approximately 150 miles north of Turkmenistan's capital, Ashgabat. It is said to have been formed in 1971 during a Soviet drilling operation for natural gas deposits when the ground beneath the drill rig collapsed inwards and created a 70-foot deep hole.

Shortly after its accidental creation, the crater was reportedly set alight in a bid to burn off the natural gases being emitted, with the Soviets estimating that it would "burn itself out in a couple of weeks." However, this expectation turned out to be quite wrong, as the fiery pit is still ablaze 50 years later, with its amber glow visible for miles around the site.

"We are creating – and will continue to create – all necessary conditions for the development of the colossal hydrocarbon resources of our independent Motherland, in the interests of our people," the Turkmen president declared alongside his most recent proposal to extinguish the flames, having made a previous attempt to expel the Gates of Hell in 2010.

Craters can sometimes offer a passage to the past. The Chicxulub crater, for instance, marks the impact site of an asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago. Scientists determined that the asteroid crashed and created a 90-mile deep hole in the ground, which had such an impact that the resulting effects killed all dinosaurs and 75% of the world's animal species.

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

Thumbnail image credit: Dale Johnson/500px/Getty.

A Starfield-themed watch has seemingly leaked online, and some fans think it might be set to arrive as part of the game's Collector's Edition at launch - or could even appear in the game itself.

The watch itself was actually spotted for the first time in a behind-the-scenes trailer last year (you can see it at 1:33 mark here), but new images have been posted on the Starfield subreddit by user SquiddyVonn, who found the images alongside a draft user manual by manufacturer The Wand Company.

Like many smartwatches, the timepiece appears to come with a number of added features beyond simply telling time. In addition to sporting various designs, images of the device suggest that wearers will be able to use it for a number of purposes such as checking your location's current temperature, humidity, and local times for sunrise and sunset.

The manual linked to the post seemingly offers further insight into the watch's origins. As shared on Reddit, the manual states that the device is being manufactured by the UK-based prop and replica design agency, The Wand Company. The company has worked on a number of other notable projects including various premium display-grade Poké Ball replicas, a gesture-based remote control wand, and the collectible Pip-Boy that was released alongside certain editions of Fallout 4.

A number of comments on the Reddit post have suggested that the watch may come as part of Starfield's Collectors Edition, but this is yet to be confirmed by Bethesda.

In a follow-up video made by SquiddyVonn on YouTube, the user also suggests that the watch could be used as part of Starfield's UI - noting that its display box appears briefly in that first trailer reveal. In effect, like the Pip-Boy is a part of the Fallout games' menu system, the watch could function similarly in Starfield.

Whether or not the watch will be released as part of the game's collectors edition remains to be seen. However, with its real-world versatility and impressive design, it would almost certainly go down as a popular piece of memorabilia with fans upon its release.

As for Starfield itself, the game is due out November 11 on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. The game is not set to feature on PlayStation consoles following Microsoft's purchase of Bethesda last year. For more on Starfield, make sure to check out this piece taking a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming game.

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

While we may have now entered 2022, that doesn't mean that fans will stop going to extreme lengths to ensure that you can play Doom on pretty much anything you'd like. Doomed: Demons of the Nether is the most recent fan-made project to successfully translate the franchise – this time by way of a Minecraft map that looks absolutely wild.

The map itself was created by modder Sibogy and even has its own trailer (which you can watch below). According to a post made by the fan-developer on Reddit, the adventure map took two years to create, uses data packs, command blocks, and a custom resource pack, and will be completely free for anyone to download.

While the game is based on the recent Doom games by id Software, it isn't an exact copy. Speaking to PC Gamer about the creation, Sibogy explained, "I didn't want to make a 1:1 copy because you might as well play Doom at that point. If something seemed fun I looked to implement it."

The adventure map itself contains four different levels that players can work through, comprising Mars, The Foundry, The UAC Facility, and The Nether while also including a number of cutscenes, boss fights, and more. The map pack is currently available for download through Sibogy's website. While the download itself isn't particularly tricky, the page does also feature a set of installation instructions in order to get you up and gunning as quickly as possible.

The fan-made take on the franchise follows on from a number of other attempts from the Doom community to spread the game's universe as far and wide as possible. Only a few months ago, IGN reported on another Doom project that allowed players to step into the shoes of the series' iconic Doom Marine all through the medium of Twitter. The creation of a Tweet2Doom bot on the social media platform allowed players to reply in tweet-form using various command prompts in order to progress through the game in an almost turn-based fashion.

For more from Doom, make sure to check out this piece from December that details how rats are being taught to run around various Doom maps as part of a VR experiment.

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

Ever since Han Solo sent Boba Fett tumbling into the belly of Sarlacc in Return of the Jedi, Star Wars fans have puzzled over whether the infamous bounty survived his time in the belly of the beast.

The Mandalorian confirmed that, yes, Boba Fett is indeed alive, and its follow-up provides more details on how he escaped. In episode 1, we see Fett trapped in the Sarlacc's stomach, where he makes canny use of a Stormtrooper's respirator and his flamethrower to escape.

Talking about making the scene, actor Temuera Morrison described it as "claustrophobic."

"I remember the slime, and I remember not breathing too good in there, and they had all these people moving these things around me... It was very painful, actually," Morrison said.

In the following scene, Fett bursts forth from the sand — a moment apparently predicted by Patton Oswalt in a memorable Parks and Recreation scene. It's intended to reflect Boba Fett's rebirth, Morrison says, as the bounty hunter emerges into the harsh desert shorn of his familiar weapons and armor.

"It was nice to have that as a low point for something to grow from and flourish into something else and trying to get himself back together again," Morrison says. "So it's about Boba's re-rising again, coming out of the sand, reemerging."

Book of Boba Fett is currently in the middle of its seven-episode run, with the third episode releasing earlier today. In our review of the first episode, we called it a "strong but restrained opening to this new Star Wars spin-off" with some "choice flashbacks that establish Boba Fett 2.0"

We also talked to Morrison's co-star, Ming-Na Wen, who plays the mysterious Fennec Shand. In the interview, Shand talks about how Street Fighter prepared her for roles in Agents of SHIELD and now Book of Boba Fett.

Book of Boba Fett is streaming through February on Disney+.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN