Twitch has introduced new rules to stop channels from consistently sharing misinformation.

The policy update will target streamers who consistently make false claims, on or off Twitch, regarding protected groups, health issues including COVID-19, public emergencies, and misinformation that promotes violence or diminishes civic systems such as election results.

Angela Hession, Twitch's vice president of trust and safety, said the website is "taking this precautionary step and updating our policies to ensure that these misinformation superspreaders won’t find a home on our service," per the New York Times.

The policy states that users will be prohibited if their "online presence is dedicated to (1) persistently sharing (2) widely disproven and broadly shared (3) harmful misinformation topic."

Twitch also makes clear that all misinformation spreaders will be targeted by the new policy even if they don't make false claims while streaming. Sharing the misinformation on other platforms such as Twitter is enough to warrant action against their Twitch account.

The company introduced the changes because of its growing popularity, acknowledging that streamers could use Twitch as a tool to cause real world harm. Twitch has 140 million unique monthly visitors, up from 55 million in 2015 according to Backlinko.

Misinformation is a key area of interest right now, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We've already seen video game footage being passed off as real-life war footage, and one developer has pleaded with people not to use its game for false purposes.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

The Batman star Robert Pattinson has admitted that he got in trouble for stealing socks while working on the movie.

During an interview with BBC Radio 1, he was asked if he manager to nab any bat-paraphernalia, and the answer was unexpected:

"It's impossible to take anything home from [set]. I think the only thing I really got was... I did get a lot of, um, socks [laughs]. All of my socks are all from Batman."

“I kept getting told off by Warner Bros.,” he added. “They're like, 'You know, it's fine to have a few, but you take them every day [laughs]. How many socks do you need, 'cause we've been shooting for a year?’”

It’s unclear whether the bat-socks have any built-in bat-gadgets. A utility garter belt, perhaps? But one thing’s certain – if you get a pair of socks from Robert Pattinson for Christmas this year, you’ll know exactly where he got them.

Stealing socks isn’t the only unexpected thing Pattinson got up to on the set of The Batman after he admitted he spent a lot of time chilling in his bat-tent making ambient electronic music. “I’d be in the tent just making ambient electronic music in the suit, looking over the cowl,” he said.

As well as making music and pilfering socks, Pattinson also spent a long time working on his Bat-voice which he admitted wasn’t very good to start with.

“Everyone does this kind of gruff, gravelly thing,” he explained. “And I’m like, ‘I’m going to do the opposite — I’m gonna go really whispery.’ And I tried to do it for the first two weeks, and it just looked absolutely atrocious, and they told me to stop doing it.”

The Batman stars Robert Pattinson in the title role, but it’s more of a villain origin story than a Batman origin – firmly setting up The Riddler as a vigilante who takes inspiration from Batman’s own crime-fighting efforts.

We awarded the movie a full 10/10 review, saying "Matt Reeves’ violent, thrilling, darkly beautiful take on The Batman more than justifies its place in the franchise’s canon." If you've seen it, make sure to check out our deeply spoiler filled chat with Reeves about the movie's biggest spoiler.

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

The Batman star Robert Pattinson has admitted that he got in trouble for stealing socks while working on the movie.

During an interview with BBC Radio 1, he was asked if he manager to nab any bat-paraphernalia, and the answer was unexpected:

"It's impossible to take anything home from [set]. I think the only thing I really got was... I did get a lot of, um, socks [laughs]. All of my socks are all from Batman."

“I kept getting told off by Warner Bros.,” he added. “They're like, 'You know, it's fine to have a few, but you take them every day [laughs]. How many socks do you need, 'cause we've been shooting for a year?’”

It’s unclear whether the bat-socks have any built-in bat-gadgets. A utility garter belt, perhaps? But one thing’s certain – if you get a pair of socks from Robert Pattinson for Christmas this year, you’ll know exactly where he got them.

Stealing socks isn’t the only unexpected thing Pattinson got up to on the set of The Batman after he admitted he spent a lot of time chilling in his bat-tent making ambient electronic music. “I’d be in the tent just making ambient electronic music in the suit, looking over the cowl,” he said.

As well as making music and pilfering socks, Pattinson also spent a long time working on his Bat-voice which he admitted wasn’t very good to start with.

“Everyone does this kind of gruff, gravelly thing,” he explained. “And I’m like, ‘I’m going to do the opposite — I’m gonna go really whispery.’ And I tried to do it for the first two weeks, and it just looked absolutely atrocious, and they told me to stop doing it.”

The Batman stars Robert Pattinson in the title role, but it’s more of a villain origin story than a Batman origin – firmly setting up The Riddler as a vigilante who takes inspiration from Batman’s own crime-fighting efforts.

We awarded the movie a full 10/10 review, saying "Matt Reeves’ violent, thrilling, darkly beautiful take on The Batman more than justifies its place in the franchise’s canon." If you've seen it, make sure to check out our deeply spoiler filled chat with Reeves about the movie's biggest spoiler.

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

A historic mill complex used as a filming location for Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey was engulfed in flames on Thursday afternoon, requiring 20 pumps to dampen down the blaze.

According to the BBC, more than 100 firefighters attended the incident at Dalton Mills in West Yorkshire, where they remained overnight to attend to any flare-ups at the site. One person on the scene described dealing with the blaze as "challenging," revealing that the building had "collapsed" internally, specifically the floor and the roof of the structure.

Despite the obvious dangers arising from such an incident, officials confirmed that there had been no injuries from the inferno that broke out at the former textile mill, though they had advised nearby residents to keep any doors and windows closed and to avoid travelling through the local area because of the plumes of smoke polluting the air.

More than 100 firefighters are tackling a blaze in a mill in Keighley.

Read more here: https://t.co/2Kn6Wpwvhy pic.twitter.com/eZ6MKBCG0W

— BBC Yorkshire (@BBCLookNorth) March 3, 2022

Film organization Screen Yorkshire said the Dalton Mills building, originally constructed in 1869, had become a popular filming location for various film and television productions over the years as the site offered a historical industrial backdrop as well as set build space, making it ideally suited to period dramas such as Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey.

Richard Knight, from Screen Yorkshire, described the fire as "a sad loss to the Yorkshire film-making landscape," as he affirmed the Victorian building's status as an "amazing location" that felt "like a destination in its own right," telling the BBC that it had "the kind of provenance and scale that could attract film-makers from far and wide."

The Dalton Mills blaze comes in the same week that Netflix's Lupin and The Crown made headlines for incidents that occurred on their sets. Lupin had $330K worth of equipment stolen by a gang of masked robbers, shortly after it was reported that The Crown set had been ransacked in a heist that saw thieves make off with more than $220K worth of props.

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

A historic mill complex used as a filming location for Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey was engulfed in flames on Thursday afternoon, requiring 20 pumps to dampen down the blaze.

According to the BBC, more than 100 firefighters attended the incident at Dalton Mills in West Yorkshire, where they remained overnight to attend to any flare-ups at the site. One person on the scene described dealing with the blaze as "challenging," revealing that the building had "collapsed" internally, specifically the floor and the roof of the structure.

Despite the obvious dangers arising from such an incident, officials confirmed that there had been no injuries from the inferno that broke out at the former textile mill, though they had advised nearby residents to keep any doors and windows closed and to avoid travelling through the local area because of the plumes of smoke polluting the air.

More than 100 firefighters are tackling a blaze in a mill in Keighley.

Read more here: https://t.co/2Kn6Wpwvhy pic.twitter.com/eZ6MKBCG0W

— BBC Yorkshire (@BBCLookNorth) March 3, 2022

Film organization Screen Yorkshire said the Dalton Mills building, originally constructed in 1869, had become a popular filming location for various film and television productions over the years as the site offered a historical industrial backdrop as well as set build space, making it ideally suited to period dramas such as Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey.

Richard Knight, from Screen Yorkshire, described the fire as "a sad loss to the Yorkshire film-making landscape," as he affirmed the Victorian building's status as an "amazing location" that felt "like a destination in its own right," telling the BBC that it had "the kind of provenance and scale that could attract film-makers from far and wide."

The Dalton Mills blaze comes in the same week that Netflix's Lupin and The Crown made headlines for incidents that occurred on their sets. Lupin had $330K worth of equipment stolen by a gang of masked robbers, shortly after it was reported that The Crown set had been ransacked in a heist that saw thieves make off with more than $220K worth of props.

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

Warning: this article contains spoilers for the final act of The Batman.

The Batman director Matt Reeves has revealed that he shot fake scenes in order to protect a major reveal that occurs in the movie’s final act.

Back in August 2020, the YouTube description for the DC FanDome trailer for The Batman announced that actor Barry Keoghan would be playing GCPD officer Stanley Merkel. Later, leaked set photographs from the movie's set showed Keoghan seemingly dressed as a cop, suggesting he was indeed playing Merkel. But, with the release of The Batman, it was revealed that Keoghan is actually the latest actor to play the Joker.

When asked if Warner Bros. was doing everything to make it look as if Barry Keoghan was playing Stanley Merkel, director Matt Reeves told IGN: “Yes, that was the point.”

“When you're making a movie like this, you want it to be different, you want people to feel like they're having a special experience,” he continued. “And then for me, when you're going to the cinema you want some level of surprise. I think one of the things I was worried about was speculation while we were making the movie, that we would be exploring the character that we ended up exploring. So we started thinking what we could do to throw people off that scent. This idea of making him Stanley Merkel was exactly that, because the police force is actually a big part of the story so it seemed credible that we could be doing that.”

Unfortunately for Reeves, it wasn't long until rumours began to spread that Keoghan was actually the Joker. Keoghan's brother even confirmed the casting on social media months ahead of The Batman's release.

For more on The Batman’s Joker reveal, check out our interview with Reeves in which he reveals not only the inspiration for this version of the character, but that there are also deleted scenes featuring the Joker. We’ve also got a full ending explained feature that details all the final moments and questions you may have.

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

Warning: this article contains spoilers for the final act of The Batman.

The Batman director Matt Reeves has revealed that he shot fake scenes in order to protect a major reveal that occurs in the movie’s final act.

Back in August 2020, the YouTube description for the DC FanDome trailer for The Batman announced that actor Barry Keoghan would be playing GCPD officer Stanley Merkel. Later, leaked set photographs from the movie's set showed Keoghan seemingly dressed as a cop, suggesting he was indeed playing Merkel. But, with the release of The Batman, it was revealed that Keoghan is actually the latest actor to play the Joker.

When asked if Warner Bros. was doing everything to make it look as if Barry Keoghan was playing Stanley Merkel, director Matt Reeves told IGN: “Yes, that was the point.”

“When you're making a movie like this, you want it to be different, you want people to feel like they're having a special experience,” he continued. “And then for me, when you're going to the cinema you want some level of surprise. I think one of the things I was worried about was speculation while we were making the movie, that we would be exploring the character that we ended up exploring. So we started thinking what we could do to throw people off that scent. This idea of making him Stanley Merkel was exactly that, because the police force is actually a big part of the story so it seemed credible that we could be doing that.”

Unfortunately for Reeves, it wasn't long until rumours began to spread that Keoghan was actually the Joker. Keoghan's brother even confirmed the casting on social media months ahead of The Batman's release.

For more on The Batman’s clown prince of crime reveal, check out our interview with Reeves in which he reveals not only the inspiration for this version of the character, but that there are also deleted scenes featuring the Joker. We’ve also got a full ending explained feature that details all the final moments and questions you may have.

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

The House of the Dead: Remake is coming to Nintendo Switch on April 7.

The remake of the 1998 light gun shooter was announced for Switch on April 14 last year, meaning developer MegaPixel Studio will deliver it exactly 51 weeks later. The game had originally been announced for a 2021 release but went silent for a time, before reappearing today.

The House of the Dead: Remake promises updated graphics, controls, and gameplay, plus multiple endings, solo and two-player modes, and new characters. The trailer (below) features most of these changes, showcasing a series of gameplay clips from different levels.

Forever Entertainment has previously confirmed that a remake of House of the Dead 2 is on the way and will likely release more information about it following the first remake's launch.

MegaPixel previously worked on a different kind of shooter remake in Panzer Dragoon: Remake. In our 6/10 review, IGN said it's "a neat little arcade shooter that keeps things exciting for an hour or two. It’s just enough to make me wish that the developers had gone a little farther and built this remake up with more levels or, maybe, gambled on a fully modernized take on the original’s simple concept."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

The House of the Dead: Remake is coming to Nintendo Switch on April 7.

The remake of the 1998 light gun shooter was announced for Switch on April 14 last year, meaning developer MegaPixel Studio will deliver it exactly 51 weeks later. The game had originally been announced for a 2021 release but went silent for a time, before reappearing today.

The House of the Dead: Remake promises updated graphics, controls, and gameplay, plus multiple endings, solo and two-player modes, and new characters. The trailer (below) features most of these changes, showcasing a series of gameplay clips from different levels.

Forever Entertainment has previously confirmed that a remake of House of the Dead 2 is on the way and will likely release more information about it following the first remake's launch.

MegaPixel previously worked on a different kind of shooter remake in Panzer Dragoon: Remake. In our 6/10 review, IGN said it's "a neat little arcade shooter that keeps things exciting for an hour or two. It’s just enough to make me wish that the developers had gone a little farther and built this remake up with more levels or, maybe, gambled on a fully modernized take on the original’s simple concept."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

Activision Blizzard claims that its violation of a California law that requires the company to have at least three women on its board of directors by the end of 2021 is due to complications with its upcoming acquisition by Microsoft, despite having three years to comply with the law.

First noticed by Axios, Activision Blizzard's annual report for 2021 includes an acknowledgment that it failed to comply with a California law that requires companies headquartered in the state with at least six members on their board of directors to include at least three women on their boards by the end of 2021. The company currently has two women on a board of ten.

Activision Blizzard attributes its failure to appoint a third woman to its board to its upcoming planned acquisition by Microsoft, which doesn't close until 2023.

"To meet this requirement and improve the diversity of our Board of Directors, the Company retained a search firm and began interviewing potential additional female directors in 2021. However, since the Company’s current directors would cease to continue to serve on our Board of Directors upon consummation of our proposed transaction with Microsoft, we were unable to conclude the process in 2021. We will be continuing our efforts to appoint a new female director."

Notably, however, Activision Blizzard has known it would need to comply with this law for some time. The law went into effect on January 1, 2019, at which time Activision Blizzard had two women on its ten-person board of directors: Reveta Bowers and Elaine Wynn. Wynn departed the board in 2020, at which time the company almost immediately appointed another woman, Dawn Ostroff, to replace her. The company has not appointed any other board members since Bowers' appointment in 2018.

Talks between Activision Blizzard and Microsoft began in mid-November 2021 — just three days after a Wall Street Journal report revealed that CEO Bobby Kotick knew about the sexual assault and misconduct allegations happening at the company, but did not disclose them to the board of directors.

The California law in question has resulted in a dramatic increase in women appointed to board seats in the state. In the two years before the law's enaction, only 208 women were newly appointed to board seats in California. In the two years after, 739 were appointed, and in the first quarter of 2021, women filled 45% of California board appointments.

This news comes while Activision Blizzard remains embroiled in a lawsuit from the state of California alleging the company fostered a "frat boy" culture in which women who worked there were subject to harassment, unequal pay, and a toxic working environment.

Activision Blizzard declined to comment further.