Bandcamp, an online music store and community, announced that it has been acquired by Fortnite creator Epic Games. The music company also confirmed that initiatives such as Bandcamp Fridays, where the platform waives its revenue share so artists receive all sales for a 24 hour period, and its online publication, Bandcamp Daily, will continue to operate as they currently are.

Bandcamp says that joining Epic Games will allow it to expand internationally and push forward development across the platform, including working on mobile apps and merch tools, as well as search and discovery features. Additionally, Epic Games notes that Bandcamp will contribute to its vision of a "creator marketplace ecosystem" for content, technology, games, art, and music.

Bandcamp is joining Epic Games! Read more here: https://t.co/dvLEhURZYG pic.twitter.com/4t1MRvugmG

— bandcamp (@Bandcamp) March 2, 2022

“Bandcamp’s mission is to help spread the healing power of music by building a community where artists thrive through the direct support of their fans,” said Bandcamp CEO Ethan Diamond in a statement. “In Epic, we’ve found a partner who believes as deeply as we do that the future of music, and art itself, depends on the creation of equitable and inclusive communities like the one our fans and artists have helped to build."

Steve Allison, Vice President and General Store Manager at Epic Games chimed in as well, saying, "Bandcamp has built an incredible community and business where up and coming artists can succeed thanks to the direct support of their fans, with one of the best revenue models and terms in music. This aligns closely with Epic’s approach to supporting creators across all media and enabling them to connect directly with their fans.”

This isn't the first time Epic Games purchased a music-based company. Back in November, Epic Games acquired Harmonix, a studio best known for titles such as Rock Band and Dance Central. Epic sought interest in Harmonix because it could help develop "musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite."

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

Apple's first event for 2022 has been announced and will be held on March 8th, the company announced today. As common with previous Apple hardware events, the company has included a tagline that reads "Peek Performance"

Peek performance. March 8th. See you there. #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/cEKMq7BuBh

— Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz) March 2, 2022

Apple may use this event to unveil a 2022 model refresh of the iPhone SE. Bloomberg reports that the 2022 iPhone SE will keep a design similar to that of its predecessor, which launched nearly two years ago, along with an improved camera, a faster processor, and 5G support. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also noted that the forthcoming event may reveal a model refresh for the iPad Air and Mac.

This marks the first Apple event for the year and the latest one the tech giant is holding following a hardware event last October, in which the company announced a third-generation of AirPods, unveiling new M1 systems on a chip, and most notably unveiling new 15 and 16-inch MacBook Pros.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Editor's Note: The war in Ukraine is an ongoing, painful and emotive topic. IGN urges community members to be respectful when engaging in conversation around this subject and does not endorse harassment of any kind.

EA is removing Russian teams from FIFA 22 and NHL 22, in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

In tweets posted simultaneously from the two games' accounts, EA Sports revealed that it would remove both national and club teams from both games.

The moves are designed to reflect the decisions of both football and hockey's real-life international federations, which have also dropped Russia from multiple competitions while the war is ongoing.

A statement from EA SPORTS FIFA: pic.twitter.com/v3pZvpblgS

— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) March 2, 2022

FIFA will remove the Russian national team and all Russian clubs from not just FIFA 22, but FIFA Online and FIFA Mobile. "We're also actively evaluating related changes to other areas of our games," the statement continues.

NHL will not just remove Russian teams, but Belarusian teams too, likely in connection with Belarus' tacit support for the Russian invasion. "We stand with the people of Ukraine and join the voices around the world calling for peace," ended that statement.

A statement from EA SPORTS NHL: pic.twitter.com/2uX4h55ok4

— EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) March 2, 2022

It's another example of the vocal support for Ukraine in the games industry, which has seen studios pledge support for charitable causes, mass fundraising from influencers, and much more. Ukraine today asked developers to go further and temporarily stop supporting games in Russia altogether.

A number of humanitarian aid organizations are currently accepting donations and support for their efforts to help Ukrainians impacted by the war. They include:

• Save the Children: On the ground right now providing humanitarian aid to children.
• UNICEF: Providing emergency supplies and safe water to communities, as well as care for children on the ground and who have been separated from families.
• Project HOPE: Sending medical supplies and providing health care for refugees.

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.

Paul Dano went to extreme lengths to capture the "almost maniacal detail" of The Riddler in Matt Reeves' The Batman, giving consideration to everything from costuming to conduct.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 37-year-old actor was committed to meticulously crafting his character for The Batman, tapping into both the physical and psychological workings of The Riddler. Dano was keen to align his thought process with the Prince of Puzzles and sometimes that also manifested in his vigilante aesthetic.

"The thoroughness of this person, the almost maniacal detail that he puts into plotting — I was like, 'OK, well, should I just shave all my body hair? So there's no evidence?'" Dano quizzed, considering how his Batman villain might have orchestrated the brutal murders terrorizing Gotham in the movie. "I'm going to wrap my head in Saran wrap."

So while Robert Pattinson was busy working on his Bat-voice, spending hours on set in the Bat-suit, Dano turned up on the first day of shooting with his head encased in plastic wrap. Reeves loved Dano's dedication to the character, however, he realized after three or four takes that it might not be something that the actor could endure throughout production.

"Paul takes off the mask, his head, his face is beet red," Reeves said, remarking on the level of intensity that Dano brought to his performance as The Riddler. "The heat can't escape. I was like, 'OK, all right, Paul, let's rethink this. You don't have to do this.' He goes, 'No, man, I told you that I wanted to do it. I'll do it.'"

Fortunately, the costume department made some modifications that made it easier to breathe inside Dano's Riddler get-up but that didn't stop the actor from obsessing over every last detail, including the glasses his character wears. He apparently tried on "hundreds of pairs" before settling on the clear plastic frames that he sports atop his mask.

Outside of his character's appearance, Dano also put the work in to capture the inner essence of The Riddler. In fact, Reeves estimates that it took in the region of 200 takes to shoot a scene in which The Riddler is talking to Batman via cellphone video, positioning Dano alone in a room with an iPhone to deliver variations of his character's madness.

"He goes, 'OK, let me try one where I'm off camera and I stick my head in,'" Reeves explained. "Let me try one where I'm already sitting there.' He's directing this one-person play on an iPhone. It was the giddiness that really got to me. Calling out the passing time, like he was a game show host. He was so inventive and creative. He's also very critical of himself."

The Batman is scheduled for theatrical release on March 4, 2022. The movie was originally intended to be released in the summer (as most Batman movies have traditionally been), but it was pushed back from its June 25, 2021 release date multiple times after the production was forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more on the forthcoming DC reboot movie, take a look at everything we know about The Batman, from plot details and casting information to how you can watch the film.

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

Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco has informed its Japanese staff that they will all receive a pay increase from this April. The average monthly salary will be increased by 50,000 yen.

Announced to staff on February 28, the publisher said in a press release (translated by IGN Japan) "Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. will increase the ratio of basic salary to annual income from April 2022, with the aim of improving working conditions by stabilizing employee income. We will introduce a new compensation system that raises the basic salary by an average of 50,000 yen per month for all employees. In addition, the starting salary will be raised from the previous 232,000 yen per month to 290,000 yen per month."

The press release outlines Bandai Namco's aim to "connect with fans" via its games. "In order to realize this vision, it is essential to promote the active participation of diverse human resources in multiple fields, which is why we have decided to make this revision."

The average boost for Japanese employees at Bandai Namco will be 50,000 yen, but the press release notes that those on the new graduate starting salary will see a 58,000 yen per month increase as their pay goes up to 290,000 yen. This salary includes a 10,000 yen allowance awarded for the "Entertainment Input Opportunity Provision System", a scheme recently introduced as part of Bandai Namco's "Activity Based Working" system. Alongside this input opportunity scheme, the system is designed to allow staff the ability to choose when and where they work depending on their project goals.

The announcement follows a strong release for Elden Ring, which launched to fantastic reviews and keeps getting bigger on Steam. The publisher has had to apologise for performance issues, but that doesn't appear to have severely dented the reputation of what many are calling one of the best games of all time.

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

Elden Ring is already being played by a Twitch chat, as players continue to seek the wackiest ways to play developer FromSoftware's latest.

Twitch streamer Bruce Greene put his chat to work when he stepped away from his computer in a stream to support charities helping Ukrainian civilians and refugees.

The Twitch chat took control of his Elden Ring gameplay as Greene slept (in a tent with a bonfire) by spamming chat-based commands to move forward, back, roll, use items, and so on, in a trend that gained prominence in 2014 with Twitch Plays Pokémon.

I've figured out a way to play Elden Ring FOREVER

- I play during the day

- Twitch Chat plays while I sleep and work out

- I'm sleeping in a tent with a bonfire

50% of proceeds go to Ukraine (UNICEF and Red Cross) pic.twitter.com/1xXyaebEmo

— Bruce Greene (@brucegreene) February 28, 2022

The results were naturally chaotic, and resulted in death after death, but the chat was eventually able to move around with a bit of consistency. However, don't expect the triumphs of a Twitch plays Pokémon with this – with a bigger world, more commands, and more difficulty, just getting to new areas was the real victory here.

It's not the only weird way players are opting to experience Elden Ring, as one player defeated a boss using the Nintendo Switch Ring Fit Controller.

Elden Ring continues to take the gaming sphere by storm after becoming one of the best reviewed games in modern history, and has even extended outside of games (in an equally odd way) with Trolli making an Elden Ring candy.

In our 10/10 review, IGN said: "Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path."

To make those choices with the best available information, check out our guide that features everything you could ever hope to know about Elden Ring, including collectible locations, boss strategies, and more.

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

Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg seemingly had a big hand in the upcoming Halo TV series.

During an interview with Total Film, producer Darryl Frank revealed exactly how far-reaching Spielberg’s influence was on the upcoming Halo series.

"We treated it as though it was a legacy project of Steven’s,” he explained. “He godfathered it in terms of reading every script, helping choose showrunners, writers, director, cast, production design, and visual effects; every aspect of it, he looked at.”

Spielberg’s interest in Halo goes back a long way. After all, he was expected to produce the now-defunct Halo movie. Now, Spielberg’s Amblin Television production company is helping bring the TV series to our screens.

However, it seems he’s had a much greater hand in the show than we thought. It’s unclear whether Spielberg affected many changes to the script, direction, or production design, but the fact that he’s involved at all is likely a good sign.

Known for his love of sci-fi (and a string of successful sci-fi blockbusters) Spielberg feels like a perfect creative influence for the project.

Based on the hit videogame series, Halo is a long-awaited adaptation. Although plot details are firmly under wraps, it’s expected to be deeply entrenched in the war between humanity and the Covenant, with the eponymous Halo ringworlds playing an important role.

However, showrunner Steven Kane insists that you don’t have to be a gamer to appreciate the show.

“If you’re absolutely new to the game or don’t know anything about it, it’s still a great story,” he said. “It’s a great war story and a love story. It’s a story of intrigue and a story of characters who are just reaching for something, and they’re all yearning for something that’s just beyond their grasp.”

Pablo Schreiber will star as Master Chief with voice actress Jen Taylor returning to the role of Cortana. They’re joined by Bokeem Woodbine as Soren-006, Bentley Kalu as Vannak-134, Natasha Culzac as Rix-028, and Danny Sapani as Captain Jacob Keyes.

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

As Elden Ring continues to prove itself a cultural phenomenon, it's now extended beyond the gaming sphere into the world of candy.

Trolli has created its own range of official Elden Ring gummies called Sweet Peachie Elden Rings, though unfortunately they're incredibly limited and not actually for sale.

In a tweet, below, Trolli Candy joked: "We have searched The Lands Between with our delicious sour gummi bodies and have found these Sweet Peachie Elden Rings.

"For the sake of all the Tarnished, we will devour them with great speed!"

We have searched The Lands Between with our delicious sour gummi bodies and have found these Sweet Peachie Elden Rings.

For the sake of all the Tarnished, we will devour them with great speed! #ELDENRING @ELDENRING pic.twitter.com/Caz3nVNO8P

— Trolli Candy (@Trolli_USA) March 1, 2022

Sadly, Trolli made clear to one fan that the Rings are not for sale – and they seem to have been created purely to send to influencers and notable figures in the game industry. Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley clearly liked them, tweeting, "CAN YOU SEND SOME MORE?".

Elden Ring is undeniably the hottest topic in gaming at the moment after it launched last week and became one of the best-reviewed games in modern history, alongside the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Grand Theft Auto V, and Metroid Prime.

In our 10/10 review, IGN said: "Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path."

To make those choices with the best available information, check out our guide that features everything you could ever hope to know about Elden Ring, including collectible locations, boss strategies, and more.

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

Ghostwire: Tokyo – Prelude has been released on PlayStation 4 and 5, a visual novel prequel that focuses on one of the game's main characters, KK, six months before the events of the main game.

KK is the voice inside protagonist Akito's head in Ghostwire, but in Prelude he's a normal human detective investigating a series of urban legends come to life.

Announced on the PlayStation Blog, Prelude has been designed to give players a taste of Ghostwire's world ahead of the main game's release date of March 25.

Scenario writer Takahiro Kaji said: "There’s a different, kind of more relaxed atmosphere in the visual novel. KK is a veteran, accustomed to the situation, working within his realm of expertise and there’s good teamwork with Rinko’s group.

"By understanding KK a little better through Ghostwire: Tokyo – Prelude, the player would be able to gain more perspective and see another side to KK’s dialogue in Ghostwire: Tokyo.

The visual novel is seemingly meant to be played multiple times, as the blog states that players will encounter new elements of the story with each playthrough.

Prelude and the main Ghostwire are both set in a Tokyo where supernatural creatures from Japanese mythology make their way into the real world.

While the visual novel is purely story driven, Ghostwire: Tokyo is a first person action game where the player fights these mythical beasts in their mission to save the city from a supernatural occurrence called The Vanishing, where 99% of the population disappeared.

You can read more about how Ghostwire: Tokyo actually works here, or check out IGN's first preview of the game for our thoughts on the game ahead of its release. Perhaps the most important detail, however, is that Shiba Inu dogs are key to finding all of the game's collectibles.

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

Editor's Note: The war in Ukraine is an ongoing, painful and emotive topic. IGN urges community members to be respectful when engaging in conversation around this subject and does not endorse harassment of any kind.

Ukraine's deputy prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov has called on "all game development companies and esports platforms" to temporarily stop support for Russia and Belarus, and directed an open letter to Xbox and PlayStation in particular.

On his Twitter account, Fedorov tagged Xbox and PlayStation, writing: "You are definitely aware of what is happening in Ukraine right now. Russia declare war not for Ukraine but for all civilized world. If you support human values, you should live [sic] the Russian market!"

The open letter calls for companies to "temporarily block all Russian and Belarusian accounts, temporarily stop the participation of Russian and Belarusian teams and gamers in all international esports events and cancel all international events holding on the territory of Russia and Belarus." While not explicitly mentioned, Fedorov has likely included Belarus in the request because of its tacit support of Russia's invasion.

@Xbox @PlayStation

You are definitely aware of what is happening in Ukraine right now. Russia declare war not for Ukraine but for all civilized world. If you support human values, you should live the Russian market! pic.twitter.com/tnQr13BsSv

— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) March 2, 2022

Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many parts of the games industry have thrown their support behind Ukraine, including a number of fundraising efforts for humanitarian organizations.

However, while we've seen platformer Little Orpheus delayed due to its Soviet-related storyline, we've not yet heard about unrelated games being pulled from release in Russia. That stands in contrast to the film industry, which has seen Disney, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros. pull movies from release in the country.

We've contacted Microsoft, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Nintendo for comment on the open letter.

You can read Federov's letter in full below:

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.