The Batman has received its official MPA rating, and it looks as though it’s not quite as hardcore as we were led to believe.

According to its most recent bulletin, The Batman has been rated PG-13 by the Classification and Rating Administration.

The film has been “Rated PG-13 for strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material.”

Despite rumours that The Batman would be an R-rated superhero movie, this doesn’t come as a huge surprise. After all, Warner Bros. will want as many people as possible to be able to see the movie – especially during the box office drought of the ongoing pandemic.

The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as a younger version of Bruce Wayne, delving into the early days of Batman’s vigilante career, and will also act as a Catwoman origin story.

And while the recent trailer gives us a far grittier impression of the Dark Knight, it looks as though the struggling hero won’t be going as far as we thought in his pursuit of justice.

Still, there’s a lot that filmmakers can get away with in a PG-13 movie. After all, the darkest of Batman movies to date, The Dark Knight, was also given a PG-13 certificate. But those of us expecting Batman to get his hands a bit dirtier this time around might be disappointed. Especially after the R-rated Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, was received so well.

Robert Pattinson takes the leading role in The Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot, and Paul Dano as The Riddler.

The film is directed by Matt Reeves and is based on a screenplay by Reeves, and Peter Craig. Walter Hamada is listed as executive producer alongside Simon Emanuel, Chantal Nong, and Michael E. Uslan. Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark and Toby Hefferman are on board to produce.

The Batman is set to debut in theaters on March 4, 2022. For more, check out Jim Carrey in The Batman trailer (yes, it somehow works) and the streaming date for The Batman on HBO Max.

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

A new trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land has revealed a March release date, as well as support for co-op play.

The Kirby and the Forgotten Land release date is March 25, 2022, and it will celebrate 30 years of the Kirby series. The trailer also shows off co-op in action, as well as a variety of Kirby's copy abilities.

Showcased in the video is the new Drill and Ranger copy abilities. The Drill copy ability allows Kirby to submerge into the ground and attack enemies from below. The Ranger, meanwhile, is a long-range ability that allows you to attack faraway enemies.

Should you wish to go into the Forgotten Land with a buddy, a co-op partner can play as Bandana Waddle Dee. Nintendo notes that co-op is single system multiplayer only, and so must be played in 'couch co-op' rather than online.

The open-world design of Kirby and the Forgotten Land includes a central hub, known as Waddle Dee Town. As you rescue more Waddle Dees during your adventure, the town will develop more and more, with new shops opening up and the ability to play games with the townsfolk. As an example, you'll be able to help out in the Waddle Dee Café by preparing customer orders to keep them satisfied.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is available to pre-order now. For more, check out what to expect from Nintendo in 2022, and the five Switch games we're most excited for.

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

A new trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land has revealed a March release date, as well as support for co-op play.

The Kirby and the Forgotten Land release date is March 25, 2022, and it will celebrate 30 years of the Kirby series. The trailer also shows off co-op in action, as well as a variety of Kirby's copy abilities.

Showcased in the video is the new Drill and Ranger copy abilities. The Drill copy ability allows Kirby to submerge into the ground and attack enemies from below. The Ranger, meanwhile, is a long-range ability that allows you to attack faraway enemies.

Should you wish to go into the Forgotten Land with a buddy, a co-op partner can play as Bandana Waddle Dee. Nintendo notes that co-op is single system multiplayer only, and so must be played in 'couch co-op' rather than online.

The open-world design of Kirby and the Forgotten Land includes a central hub, known as Waddle Dee Town. As you rescue more Waddle Dees during your adventure, the town will develop more and more, with new shops opening up and the ability to play games with the townsfolk. As an example, you'll be able to help out in the Waddle Dee Café by preparing customer orders to keep them satisfied.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is available to pre-order now. For more, check out what to expect from Nintendo in 2022, and the five Switch games we're most excited for.

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

A fan-made Titanfall 2 mod going by the name of Northstar may finally be the solution that fans have been looking for in order to remedy the game's persistent online problems.

As reported by PC Gamer, the Northstar mod was released in December and essentially allows fans to run their own custom servers in Titanfall 2. For the Titanfall community, this is a massive and incredibly important change to the game, as it allows players to bypass Titanfall 2's official servers, and at the same time, its constant issues with DDoS attacks.

Similar to other modern shooters, Titanfall 2's official servers use matchmaking playlists that allow players to jump into games with ease. However, vulnerabilities in the game's servers have left them open to a number of attacks by hackers over the years and for long periods have made the game virtually unplayable for the game's fanbase.

As per PC Gamer, the Northstar mod essentially takes a step away from matchmaking by instead pushing the community toward an old-school browser system. While servers on the new system are still theoretically able to be attacked, the process is both slightly more difficult and less likely to cause widespread issues. This point was further illustrated by the community-led Save Titanfall account on Twitter.

"I've seen a few people asking if this "gets rid of attacks"," explains the account. "And the short answer is yes. If an attacker wants to crash your server, they will have to track down the server's IP address. Private games not on the master server will be impossible to track down & crash."

I've seen a few people asking if this "gets rid of attacks", and the short answer is yes. If an attacker wants to crash your server, they will have to track down the server's IP address. Private games not on the master server will be impossible to track down & crash.

— SaveTitanfall (@save_titanfall) December 24, 2021

To find out more about the full story behind Titanfall 2's infamous history with DDoS attacks, this feature on the game is definitely worth a read. While Titanfall 2 was eventually abandoned by EA, the wider story explored in the piece includes a strange saga of hacks, a forty-page document of collated evidence known as Operation Red Tape, conspiracies theories, and a journalist caught in the middle of it all. And, if you've read through that, then why not also check out our review of the game where we awarded it a 9/10.

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

A fan-made Titanfall 2 mod going by the name of Northstar may finally be the solution that fans have been looking for in order to remedy the game's persistent online problems.

As reported by PC Gamer, the Northstar mod was released in December and essentially allows fans to run their own custom servers in Titanfall 2. For the Titanfall community, this is a massive and incredibly important change to the game, as it allows players to bypass Titanfall 2's official servers, and at the same time, its constant issues with DDoS attacks.

Similar to other modern shooters, Titanfall 2's official servers use matchmaking playlists that allow players to jump into games with ease. However, vulnerabilities in the game's servers have left them open to a number of attacks by hackers over the years and for long periods have made the game virtually unplayable for the game's fanbase.

As per PC Gamer, the Northstar mod essentially takes a step away from matchmaking by instead pushing the community toward an old-school browser system. While servers on the new system are still theoretically able to be attacked, the process is both slightly more difficult and less likely to cause widespread issues. This point was further illustrated by the community-led Save Titanfall account on Twitter.

"I've seen a few people asking if this "gets rid of attacks"," explains the account. "And the short answer is yes. If an attacker wants to crash your server, they will have to track down the server's IP address. Private games not on the master server will be impossible to track down & crash."

I've seen a few people asking if this "gets rid of attacks", and the short answer is yes. If an attacker wants to crash your server, they will have to track down the server's IP address. Private games not on the master server will be impossible to track down & crash.

— SaveTitanfall (@save_titanfall) December 24, 2021

To find out more about the full story behind Titanfall 2's infamous history with DDoS attacks, this feature on the game is definitely worth a read. While Titanfall 2 was eventually abandoned by EA, the wider story explored in the piece includes a strange saga of hacks, a forty-page document of collated evidence known as Operation Red Tape, conspiracies theories, and a journalist caught in the middle of it all. And, if you've read through that, then why not also check out our review of the game where we awarded it a 9/10.

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

To deal with the ongoing global PlayStation 5 shortage, Sony has allegedly decided to produce more PlayStation 4s than it had initially planned to help "fill the supply vacuum and keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem."

As reported by Bloomberg, sources say Sony has told assembly partners that it is planning to produce PS4s throughout 2022 despite having plans to "discontinue assembly at the end of 2021."

This strategy would add roughly one million PS4s to help with the fact that it can't produce enough PS5s due to the global chip shortage that is impacting so many parts of the tech world thanks to challenges that have arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This number could be adjusted based on demand and 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."

According to a Sony official who asked to remain anonymous, this strategy is meant to "fill the supply vacuum and keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem."

Furthermore, increasing the production of PS4 consoles appears to give Sony "more leeway when negotiating with manufacturing partners for a better deal."

Sony has confirmed to Bloomberg that PS4 production would continue throughout 2022, but it has also denied that it was planning on discontinuing the assembly of its previous console.

"It is one of the best-selling consoles ever and there is always crossover between generations,” A Sony spokesperson said.

For more on PlayStation, check out our look at what we can expect from Sony in 2022 and our picks for the 10 best PS5 games.

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.

To deal with the ongoing global PlayStation 5 shortage, Sony has allegedly decided to produce more PlayStation 4s than it had initially planned to help "fill the supply vacuum and keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem."

As reported by Bloomberg, sources say Sony has told assembly partners that it is planning to produce PS4s throughout 2022 despite having plans to "discontinue assembly at the end of 2021."

This strategy would add roughly one million PS4s to help with the fact that it can't produce enough PS5s due to the global chip shortage that is impacting so many parts of the tech world thanks to challenges that have arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This number could be adjusted based on demand and 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."

According to a Sony official who asked to remain anonymous, this strategy is meant to "fill the supply vacuum and keep gamers within the PlayStation ecosystem."

Furthermore, increasing the production of PS4 consoles appears to give Sony "more leeway when negotiating with manufacturing partners for a better deal."

Sony has confirmed to Bloomberg that PS4 production would continue throughout 2022, but it has also denied that it was planning on discontinuing the assembly of its previous console.

"It is one of the best-selling consoles ever and there is always crossover between generations,” A Sony spokesperson said.

For more on PlayStation, check out our look at what we can expect from Sony in 2022 and our picks for the 10 best PS5 games.

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.

Ben Affleck has had a difficult time playing Batman over the years, and the actor has now revealed more about his decision to part ways with the character. Speaking to his longtime friend and colleague Matt Damon for an interview on Entertainment Weekly, Affleck reiterated how difficult it was filming Justice League.

"I had a really nadir experience around Justice League for a lot of different reasons," Affleck said. "Not blaming anybody, there's a lot of things that happened. But really what it was is that I wasn't happy. I didn't like being there. I didn't think it was interesting. And then some really s---ty things, awful things happened. But, that's when I was like, I'm not going to do that anymore."

In fact, Affleck says his Good Will Hunting partner helped him realize he needed to move on to other projects.

"I talked to you about it and you were a principal influence on that decision," Affleck said. "I want to do the things that would bring me joy. Then we went and did Last Duel and I had fun every day on this movie. I wasn't the star, I wasn't likable. I was a villain. I wasn't all the things I thought I was supposed to be when I started out and yet it was a wonderful experience. And it was all just stuff that came along that I wasn't chasing."

Affleck has previously said that filming Justice League was a "very, very, very hard experience" that led to a relapse in drinking, and his decision to pull out of the planned Batman solo movie. The actor is set to appear in the upcoming Flash movie as the Caped Crusader, and Affleck said filming those scenes, "put a really nice finish on my experience with that character”.

Affleck first donned the cowl for 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, later appearing in 2017's Justice League, and, of course, the infamous Snyder Cut of the same film. His appearance led to a number of internet jokes, including the "Sad Batman" meme. The Flash movie will mark his final appearance as Bruce Wayne. For more, check out the latest trailer for The Flash, which shows off Michael Keaton's Batman, who is also returning for the movie.

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

Ben Affleck has had a difficult time playing Batman over the years, and the actor has now revealed more about his decision to part ways with the character. Speaking to his longtime friend and colleague Matt Damon for an interview on Entertainment Weekly, Affleck reiterated how difficult it was filming Justice League.

"I had a really nadir experience around Justice League for a lot of different reasons," Affleck said. "Not blaming anybody, there's a lot of things that happened. But really what it was is that I wasn't happy. I didn't like being there. I didn't think it was interesting. And then some really s---ty things, awful things happened. But, that's when I was like, I'm not going to do that anymore."

In fact, Affleck says his Good Will Hunting partner helped him realize he needed to move on to other projects.

"I talked to you about it and you were a principal influence on that decision," Affleck said. "I want to do the things that would bring me joy. Then we went and did Last Duel and I had fun every day on this movie. I wasn't the star, I wasn't likable. I was a villain. I wasn't all the things I thought I was supposed to be when I started out and yet it was a wonderful experience. And it was all just stuff that came along that I wasn't chasing."

Affleck has previously said that filming Justice League was a "very, very, very hard experience" that led to a relapse in drinking, and his decision to pull out of the planned Batman solo movie. The actor is set to appear in the upcoming Flash movie as the Caped Crusader, and Affleck said filming those scenes, "put a really nice finish on my experience with that character”.

Affleck first donned the cowl for 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, later appearing in 2017's Justice League, and, of course, the infamous Snyder Cut of the same film. His appearance led to a number of internet jokes, including the "Sad Batman" meme. The Flash movie will mark his final appearance as Bruce Wayne. For more, check out the latest trailer for The Flash, which shows off Michael Keaton's Batman, who is also returning for the movie.

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

Update 1/12 10:09 am PT: According to The Verge, the App Store has begun removing clone apps that are using the Worlde name in the title. This news follows recent coverage of developers capitalizing on Wordle's free-to-play nature and benefitting from its popularity.

While some imitation apps remain on the App Store, Apple seems to be specifically removing games that use the title "Worldle" as creator Josh Wardle declined to copyright his popular puzzle word game as it was meant to be a gift for his wife.

Original Story: Wordle, the browser word puzzle game your friends are probably playing, is easily the first big sensation of 2022. Since so many folks are either playing it or asking what it is, it’s probably not a good idea to rip it off and then brag about it online.

Here’s a little background. Wordle is a puzzle game where every day you have to correctly guess a five-letter word in six tries. It was created by software engineer Josh Wardle for his wife who loves word games. Wardle said he never wanted to make money from Wordle, hence why it’s a free browser game.

Then there’s Zach Shakked who proudly shared earlier this week on Twitter that he loves Wordle so much that he just made it again and put it on the App Store using the same name, Wordle. Other than the option to guess four, six, and seven-letter words, the (not original) Wordle is essentially the same game and interface.

While copycat apps are quite common, they rarely use the same name. But considering Wardle made this game for his wife and had no intent to earn a profit, he likely didn’t file a copyright claim on the game’s name.

This led (not original) Wordle on the App Store to garner 12,000 downloads overnight and become the fourth highest result for the term “Wordle” according to Shakked. In his words, “We’re going to the f*cking moon.”

There have been games with similar mechanics dating back at least to the 19th century — the 1980s game show Lingo was far from the first — but this guy plagiarized the name and interface from Wordle as a naked cash grab.

— Andy Baio (@waxpancake) January 11, 2022

Because while Wardle offers a free browser version, Shakked offers a paid “Pro version” that gives players unlimited playtime. The backlash was swift, as it's not a great look for someone to brag about profiting from someone else's success. Shakked has since made his Twitter account private.

Engineer Andy Baio, who shared Shakked’s braggadocious tweets on profiting from (not original) Wordle, says that while Wardle’s game is not original itself — with roots going back to the 1980s word game Lingo — Shakked’s version wholesale copies the name and interface that Wardle did originate.

IGN has reached out to Shakked, but in the meantime, you can play the original Wordle here and check out IGN’s beginner’s Wordle guide for some helpful tips.

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