Ubisoft has announced that its free-to-play battle royale game Hyper Scape will be shut down on April 28, after less than two years of operation.

In a short blog post, Ubisoft announced it has made “the difficult decision to end development of Hyper Scape and shut the game down as of April 28th.”

The company says that its vision of creating a vertical, fast-paced shooter may not have gone as far as it could but that Ubisoft “will be taking key learnings from this game into future projects.”

There is no word on whether current players will receive any sendoff bonus, but Ubisoft thanked the community for their devotion and passion.

Hyper Scape was Ubisoft’s answer to the battle royale boom following success seen by games like Fortnite and Apex Legends. Unfortunately, Hyper Scape didn’t have what it takes to stand out in the field, despite its map design and vertical gameplay.

Ubisoft hasn’t completely given up on the genre, however. In October 2021 the company announced Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Frontline, a battle royale game set in the Ghost Recon universe.

However, Ghost Recon Frontline has been delayed indefinitely. It’s unclear if Ubisoft will examine what happened to Hyper Scape first before proceeding with Frontline’s release.

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

Elder Scrolls Online's next expansion will be heading to a brand new region. Earlier today, Zenimax Online announced The Elder Scrolls Online: Legacy of the Bretons, a new DLC set that will take the popular MMO to the never-before-explored Systres Archipelago.

The expansion was introduced via a new trailer that you can watch below. It serves to set the mood for a more traditional medieval fantasy this time around, spotlighting the Bretons in a story that will focus more on the politics between the world's various factions.

"The Bretons are the one race that has never really had an opportunity to shine in the sun," Elder Scrolls Online creative director Rich Lambert said in a recent interview with PC Gamer. "They've never had a spotlight in any Elder Scrolls game. Even when we did bits and pieces of them in both Glenumbra and Stormhaven, we never really focused on their culture. So that was something we wanted to rectify."

In addition to cloak-and-dagger politics, Legacy of the Bretons will introduce a new card game in the vein of Gwent, Triple Triad, and other in-game CCGs. Called Tales of Tribute, it will allow players to take on both NPCs and ranked opponents. Players will be provided with four starter packs that can be earned by completing a tutorial.

The new expansion will begin in March with the Ascending Tide DLC, which will add two new dungeons and provide backstory for the new content. It will be followed by the High Isle chapter, which will begin the expansion proper.

The Elder Scrolls Online has made new expansions a yearly event, exploring established regions including Skyrim and Morrowind. Last year's expansion, titled The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood, revisited Oblivion. In our review, we said that it "delivers more of the same," but that it's buoyed by funny writing and striking map layout.

The Elder Scrolls Online first launched in 2014, and Legacy of the Bretons will be the franchise's sixth major expansion. It will be out June 6 on PC and June 21 on console.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

Ron Perlman and Guillermo del Toro were a perfect match when the two brought Hellboy to the big screen back in 2004, and in a sequel four years later. Now, on the eve of turning 72, Perlman says he’s willing to step into the make-up room again for Hellboy 3, if only for the fans.

In an interview with Variety, Perlman was asked whether he’d be game to make a Hellboy 3, to which the actor responded: “Am I eager to do Hellboy 3? No, I’m 71 f*cking years old,” Perlman says. “[But] we owe this to the fans, and we should give it to them because it would be an epic conclusion.”

Hellboy, based on the Dark Horse comic by Mike Mignola, is the story of a covert government agency tasked with fighting supernatural forces. Hellboy, a half-demon summoned from hell by the Nazis, is one of the members of this agency.

A sequel, titled Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, was released in 2008. While both films were praised for bringing an original superhero movie to the big screen with Guillermo del Toro’s trademark style, particularly the focus on practical effects and costuming, the series was never a financial giant the way later comic movies were.

However, The Golden Army was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Makeup, a testament to the film’s quality design.

Perlman and del Toro have spoken about a desire to make a third Hellboy movie together in the past, but the movie was never more than a wish by the two creators. Instead, in 2019 a Hellboy reboot starring David Harbour was released, but it was a critical and box office bomb.

So now, 13 years after The Golden Army, Perlman is on record to say he would like to make another one despite being in his 70s. And it’s all for you, the fans.

Perlman and del Toro are teaming up again for an upcoming stop-motion Pinocchio movie for Netflix, produced by the Jim Hensen Company.

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

UFL, the football game looking to take on the genre dominance of FIFA, has revealed its first gameplay exclusively with IGN. The game will arrive "when it's ready" in 2022 after 6 years of development, and has made a major statement of intent by signing on superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as its cover star.

The new gameplay trailer (below) shows off its Unreal Engine looks, player likenesses, in-game menus, customisation options, and a confirmation that UFL will arrive this year for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, and PS4. The game is in it "final stage of development", so it hopefully won't be too far away.

During a reveal event, Strikerz revealed that UFL will include ranked and unranked modes, and allow for offline play, with 2v2 and 3v3 matches supported, as well as unspecified "special events". However, the game will be built primarily around a flagship mode, UFL's global online football league. Here, players will create their own team and play within "a fair, division-based matchmaking system." Divisions will be linked by promotions and seasons will take place over a full year – at the end of that year, a single player will be crowned UFL Champion.

Strikerz promises that matchmaking will be built entirely around putting players and teams together that are a match on skill, with no handicaps involved. Progressing high enough up the divisions will get you to UFL's Premier Division, which offers spots in pro tournaments among other rewards. There will be a separate team ranking too, allowing you to play competitively with friends.

A free-to-play game that developer Strikerz says will be "fair-to-play", UFL will allow players to build their own football teams from a pool of around 5,000 real-life players. While exact details haven't been revealed, it appears that the game will allow for paid and earned progression for your created team. Strikerz explained that the more you play, and the more you win, the more opportunities you'll get to strengthen your team – both by securing new players, and upgrading the ones you have.

Shots of in-game menus reveal that the game will include squad, management, and cosmetic customisation for your club. There are also mentions of a "Team Pass" (presumably a battle pass system of some kind), quests, and challenges.

Squad management looks to be familiar to those who have played FIFA's Ultimate Team mode, with teams of individually rated players being put together based on skill and chemistry ratings. Customisation of those teams includes kits, items and stadiums. It's not clear how those customisation options are earned (or paid for) at this point.

Announced at Gamescom 2021, UFL is striving to take on the two titans of the football game genre, FIFA and eFootball – and it's been snapping up club and player licenses to help make that happen.

Aside from Ronaldo, UFL has brought on Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Roberto Firmino, and Oleksandr Zinchenko as ambassadors, while West Ham United, Sporting CP, Shakhtar Donetsk, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayer Leverkusen, Beşiktaş, Monaco, Celtic, Rangers and Hashtag FC have become partner clubs. More are set to be announced.

Speaking during a reveal event, Strikerz CEO Eugene Nashilov said that those partners would become a key part of the game: "With UFL, we’re building an ecosystem unique in sports video gaming. We are planning to hold special events featuring our ambassadors and partner clubs — a hybrid of on- and offline activities."

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.

UFL, the football game looking to take on the genre dominance of FIFA, has revealed its first gameplay exclusively with IGN. The game will arrive "when it's ready" in 2022 after 6 years of development, and has made a major statement of intent by signing on superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as its cover star.

The new gameplay trailer (below) shows off its Unreal Engine looks, player likenesses, in-game menus, customisation options, and a confirmation that UFL will arrive this year for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, and PS4. The game is in it "final stage of development", so it hopefully won't be too far away.

During a reveal event, Strikerz revealed that UFL will include ranked and unranked modes, and allow for offline play, with 2v2 and 3v3 matches supported, as well as unspecified "special events". However, the game will be built primarily around a flagship mode, UFL's global online football league. Here, players will create their own team and play within "a fair, division-based matchmaking system." Divisions will be linked by promotions and seasons will take place over a full year – at the end of that year, a single player will be crowned UFL Champion.

Strikerz promises that matchmaking will be built entirely around putting players and teams together that are a match on skill, with no handicaps involved. Progressing high enough up the divisions will get you to UFL's Premier Division, which offers spots in pro tournaments among other rewards. There will be a separate team ranking too, allowing you to play competitively with friends.

A free-to-play game that developer Strikerz says will be "fair-to-play", UFL will allow players to build their own football teams from a pool of around 5,000 real-life players. While exact details haven't been revealed, it appears that the game will allow for paid and earned progression for your created team. Strikerz explained that the more you play, and the more you win, the more opportunities you'll get to strengthen your team – both by securing new players, and upgrading the ones you have.

Shots of in-game menus reveal that the game will include squad, management, and cosmetic customisation for your club. There are also mentions of a "Team Pass" (presumably a battle pass system of some kind), quests, and challenges.

Squad management looks to be familiar to those who have played FIFA's Ultimate Team mode, with teams of individually rated players being put together based on skill and chemistry ratings. Customisation of those teams includes kits, items and stadiums. It's not clear how those customisation options are earned (or paid for) at this point.

Announced at Gamescom 2021, UFL is striving to take on the two titans of the football game genre, FIFA and eFootball – and it's been snapping up club and player licenses to help make that happen.

Aside from Ronaldo, UFL has brought on Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Roberto Firmino, and Oleksandr Zinchenko as ambassadors, while West Ham United, Sporting CP, Shakhtar Donetsk, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayer Leverkusen, Beşiktaş, Monaco, Celtic, Rangers and Hashtag FC have become partner clubs. More are set to be announced.

Speaking during a reveal event, Strikerz CEO Eugene Nashilov said that those partners would become a key part of the game: "With UFL, we’re building an ecosystem unique in sports video gaming. We are planning to hold special events featuring our ambassadors and partner clubs — a hybrid of on- and offline activities."

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.

A skydiver has performed the world's first human flight in an electric wingsuit, pushing forward the possibilities for how we perceive human flight.

As reported by CNET, Austrian skydiver Peter Salzmann took the flight using a specially designed chest piece made in partnership with BMWi. As opposed to a traditional wingsuit flight, where the height you jump from largely determines your overall velocity and airtime, Salzmann's electric-powered design is designed to keep him up higher, for longer.

As per a separate piece by CNET, Salzmann's first outing took place over the Three Brother's Peaks in Austria and saw him reach maximum speeds of 186mph, a figure which represents a significant increase in speeds normally managed by traditional wingsuits. Jumping from 3,000m via helicopter, the stuntman was able to surmount the first two peaks via wingsuit only and deploy his electric-powered device to help him reach the third mountain.

Fitted to the front of Salzmann, the chest piece itself looks a little like you might expect from a bright yellow electric jetpack. The device contains 50V lithium batteries that can be activated to power two carbon fiber rotors while the diver is in the air.

Although the suit still requires Salzmann to jump from a height, the rotors themselves are reported to provide up to five minutes of additional thrust and can be turned on and off with a simple squeeze of Salzmann's left fingers.

As per an interview with CNET, Salzmann started as a stunt man in his teenage years before later becoming a skydiver. The daredevil explains that he got the idea for a powered wingsuit in 2017. "I was in the mountains with a friend of mine and we found this jump which was not possible with a current wingsuit," explains Salzmann in the interview.

"And, we really thought about, 'okay how could we make this possible to jump that?' We needed like [an] additional boost system, something which would increase our performance to be able to fly at a flatter angle [...] to fly down the whole mountain."

After coming up with a number of possible solutions to his problem, Salzmann ended up coordinating with BMWi to develop the all-electric thrust system, which was then tested meticulously before the diver's maiden voyage.

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

A skydiver has performed the world's first human flight in an electric wingsuit, pushing forward the possibilities for how we perceive human flight.

As reported by CNET, Austrian skydiver Peter Salzmann took the flight using a specially designed chest piece made in partnership with BMWi. As opposed to a traditional wingsuit flight, where the height you jump from largely determines your overall velocity and airtime, Salzmann's electric-powered design is designed to keep him up higher, for longer.

As per a separate piece by CNET, Salzmann's first outing took place over the Three Brother's Peaks in Austria and saw him reach maximum speeds of 186mph, a figure which represents a significant increase in speeds normally managed by traditional wingsuits. Jumping from 3,000m via helicopter, the stuntman was able to surmount the first two peaks via wingsuit only and deploy his electric-powered device to help him reach the third mountain.

Fitted to the front of Salzmann, the chest piece itself looks a little like you might expect from a bright yellow electric jetpack. The device contains 50V lithium batteries that can be activated to power two carbon fiber rotors while the diver is in the air.

Although the suit still requires Salzmann to jump from a height, the rotors themselves are reported to provide up to five minutes of additional thrust and can be turned on and off with a simple squeeze of Salzmann's left fingers.

As per an interview with CNET, Salzmann started as a stunt man in his teenage years before later becoming a skydiver. The daredevil explains that he got the idea for a powered wingsuit in 2017. "I was in the mountains with a friend of mine and we found this jump which was not possible with a current wingsuit," explains Salzmann in the interview.

"And, we really thought about, 'okay how could we make this possible to jump that?' We needed like [an] additional boost system, something which would increase our performance to be able to fly at a flatter angle [...] to fly down the whole mountain."

After coming up with a number of possible solutions to his problem, Salzmann ended up coordinating with BMWi to develop the all-electric thrust system, which was then tested meticulously before the diver's maiden voyage.

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

Hitman 3 Steam owners will get a free upgrade starting today to make up for the game's shaky launch.

As revealed by developer IO Interactive in a community support post, fans who purchased the game on Steam following its launch on January 20 will be entitled to a free upgrade of the game. The developer admitted in its post that Hitman 3's Steam launch didn't exactly go as planned following a flurry of fan backlash over the topic.

"We were excited to bring HITMAN 3 to Steam with new content and we knew that anticipation and excitement levels amongst our Steam players was high, especially as the game had been an Epic exclusive for a year," read a statement from the company. "Ultimately, we didn’t meet our own expectations of a launch experience and we don’t like that our Steam community is beginning their HITMAN 3 journey in this way."

"So, here’s what we’re going to do: Everyone on Steam who has already bought HITMAN 3, or anyone that buys the game through to February 19th 2022, will be granted a free upgrade. Starting on January 27th 2022, this process will begin to automatically roll out via Steam entitlements. Simply launch your Steam copy of HITMAN 3 and the new content from your free upgrade will be waiting for you to enjoy."

The specific upgrade you'll be entitled to will depend upon which version of the game you have purchased. Fans who have paid for the standard edition of Hitman 3 will automatically be upgraded to the Deluxe Edition, while those who already own the Deluxe Edition or a copy of Hitman Trilogy will gain access to the Seven Deadly Sins Collection.

Anger over the launch of Hitman 3 began last week with fans largely taking issue over the game's pricing. Purchasing the standard edition of Hitman 3 on Steam will set you back $60 — the same amount that it launched for on Epic a year ago. Considering that the game has been out for a year (albeit an Epic exclusive) many fans felt frustrated that IO Interactive hadn't discounted the game when it came out for the second time around.

On social media, the outcry from fans led to the game's subreddit being temporarily closed down after some members of the community took steps too far and began targeting their harassment.

"This decision was due to targeted harassment, and a security breach which affected our ability to moderate the subreddit effectively and safely. IOI had no part in privating the subreddit, this was entirely the decision of the moderators, and we are just fellow fans like you who volunteer our time to help out," a moderator wrote.

The subreddit returned later the same day, though Mark was quick to address some basic ground rules stating that while "criticism is of course allowed", "harassment and vitriol is not."

For more from Hitman 3, make sure to check out this post detailing what you can expect from the game throughout 2022.

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

Hitman 3 Steam owners will get a free upgrade starting today to make up for the game's shaky launch.

As revealed by developer IO Interactive in a community support post, fans who purchased the game on Steam following its launch on January 20 will be entitled to a free upgrade of the game. The developer admitted in its post that Hitman 3's Steam launch didn't exactly go as planned following a flurry of fan backlash over the topic.

"We were excited to bring HITMAN 3 to Steam with new content and we knew that anticipation and excitement levels amongst our Steam players was high, especially as the game had been an Epic exclusive for a year," read a statement from the company. "Ultimately, we didn’t meet our own expectations of a launch experience and we don’t like that our Steam community is beginning their HITMAN 3 journey in this way."

"So, here’s what we’re going to do: Everyone on Steam who has already bought HITMAN 3, or anyone that buys the game through to February 19th 2022, will be granted a free upgrade. Starting on January 27th 2022, this process will begin to automatically roll out via Steam entitlements. Simply launch your Steam copy of HITMAN 3 and the new content from your free upgrade will be waiting for you to enjoy."

The specific upgrade you'll be entitled to will depend upon which version of the game you have purchased. Fans who have paid for the standard edition of Hitman 3 will automatically be upgraded to the Deluxe Edition, while those who already own the Deluxe Edition or a copy of Hitman Trilogy will gain access to the Seven Deadly Sins Collection.

Anger over the launch of Hitman 3 began last week with fans largely taking issue over the game's pricing. Purchasing the standard edition of Hitman 3 on Steam will set you back $60 — the same amount that it launched for on Epic a year ago. Considering that the game has been out for a year (albeit an Epic exclusive) many fans felt frustrated that IO Interactive hadn't discounted the game when it came out for the second time around.

On social media, the outcry from fans led to the game's subreddit being temporarily closed down after some members of the community took steps too far and began targeting their harassment.

"This decision was due to targeted harassment, and a security breach which affected our ability to moderate the subreddit effectively and safely. IOI had no part in privating the subreddit, this was entirely the decision of the moderators, and we are just fellow fans like you who volunteer our time to help out," a moderator wrote.

The subreddit returned later the same day, though Mark was quick to address some basic ground rules stating that while "criticism is of course allowed", "harassment and vitriol is not."

For more from Hitman 3, make sure to check out this post detailing what you can expect from the game throughout 2022.

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

Ed Boon, the co-creator of Mortal Kombat and Injustice, will be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame this year.

As part of the 25th annual D.I.C.E. awards, Boon will join Bethesda's Todd Howard, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, Valve's Gabe Newell, Xbox's Bonnie Ross and other industry legends in the Hall of Fame. The award is given to "game creators who have been instrumental in the development of highly influential games and moving a particular genre forward."

Ed Boon began his career programming pinball machines, before moving into video game development and co-creating Mortal Kombat with John Tobias. The game stirred up controversy for its depiction of ludicrous ultraviolence, but has become part of the fighting game firmament over eleven mainline installments. Boon went onto create Netherrealm Studios, which added much-loved DC superhero series Injustice to its fighting game line-up.

"We are thrilled to have Ed be inducted into our Hall of Fame," says Meggan Scavio, AIAS president. "From his early work on pinball machines to his monumental achievements co-creating the Mortal Kombat franchise, Ed's dedication and perseverance to the craft and art of games has left an incredible legacy for fans and game developers alike."

The 2022 D.I.C.E. awards take place on February 24, and IGN will be the official media partner, meaning you'll be able to stream the entire event live right here with us.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is leading the pack with 9 nominations, with Deathloop, Inscryption, and It Takes Two following closely behind.

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.