David Gaider and the team at Summerfall Games are combining their love of narrative and music with Stray Gods, a roleplaying musical. But fans who are familiar with Gaider’s past work as lead writer on Dragon Age will find that Summerfall Games is pursuing a similar route for how their story unfolds, albeit much more musically.

Stray Gods is the first game from Summerfall Studios, an Australian-based team of veterans and rising stars across the industry. Stray Gods centers on Grace, a singer who inherits the powers of the Last Muse. The problem is that Grace now has to convince the other gods that she wasn’t responsible for the Muse’s death.

As a narrative RPG, players will not only make dialogue choices but lyrical ones as well. And considering Gaider was the lead writer on Dragon Age, fans of his work at BioWare will find similarities in Stray Gods.

“If someone has played the Dragon Age games, the dialogue part of the game is going to feel very familiar to them,” Gaider tells IGN in an interview. “It is playing the dialogue portion with the story and making choices during the dialogue, having traits that determine sometimes which options are available to you, and it changes the story. Lots of branching along the way, so yeah, it will feel quite familiar.”

Where Stray Gods charts its own path is the music which, along with Journey composer Austin Wintory and a team of lyricists, looks to bring narrative choices directly into a musical.

“The choice is in the music. That’s really the key to the entire project because we have about four hours total content of music that we’ve planned, but a player’s only going to hear a smaller portion of that,” Gaider says.

He explains that it’s similar to a Broadway musical where it’s not just about the beat or chorus line in the lyrics, but about the emotion and story conveyed during the song. “So you’re making choices as you go, and they’re timed so that you can maintain sort of the consistency and the flow of the song. And the choices you make determine how the song evolved. So it’s not just what the next lyrics are, the music itself actually changes.”

Along with Wintory, the music team includes Montaigne, Australia’s Eurovision representative for the last two years, as well as Scott Edgar, Steven Gates, and Simon Hall, a team of local lyricists based out of Melbourne.

Of course, a team working on a musical adventure will naturally have favorite musicals they can look towards. “One of my favorites is Into the Woods, and I know that is a reference we keep using,” says Gaider. “I also keep going to the Buffy musical [episode] as well, just because that is an example… of the musical numbers being diegetic, as in it’s a conceit as part of the story as well. Plus, it is actually a really good musical.”

Gaider and Summerfall Games co-founder Liam Esler also cite Hadestown, which coincidentally is a Broadway musical about Greek gods also. But Summerfall's team of veteran writers and musicians have a unique vision of their own with Stray Gods.

Check here for everything announced at this year's Humble Games Showcase.

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

Actor and comedian Jim Carrey is considering retiring after starring in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

During an interview with Access Hollywood (transcribed by Variety), the 60-year-old actor revealed that his latest movie, a sequel to family flick Sonic the Hedgehog, may be his last.

“Well, I’m retiring,” he said. “Yeah, probably. I’m being fairly serious. It depends. If the angels bring some sort of script that’s written in gold ink that says to me that it’s going to be really important for people to see, I might continue down the road, but I’m taking a break.”

Carrey shot to fame in 1994 with several breakout roles including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber. Since then, he’s carved out a career as the quintessential 90s rubber-faced funny man, following up his early successes with classics such as Liar Liar, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He even nabbed a villainous role as The Riddler in 1995 superhero film, Batman Forever, whose “unsanctioned buffoonery” saved the movie.

However, in later years he became known for his surprising depth. The leading role in Man on the Moon showcased what Carrey was capable of as he stepped into the shoes of legendary comedian, Andy Kaufman.

If he does retire, it would make Sonic the Hedgehog 2 his somewhat unlikely final film.

“I really like my quiet life and I really like putting paint on canvas,” he added. “I really love my spiritual life and I feel like — and this is something you might never hear another celebrity say as long as time exists — I have enough. I’ve done enough. I am enough.”

Carrey’s certainly been slowing down of late. His role as Doctor Robotnik in the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie was his first major studio role since 2014’s Dumb and Dumber To.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 stars Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, Tika Sumpter, James Marsden, and Natasha Rothwell. Jeff Fowler directed the film with a script by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington.

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

Thumbnail image by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Actor and comedian Jim Carrey is considering retiring after starring in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

During an interview with Access Hollywood (transcribed by Variety), the 60-year-old actor revealed that his latest movie, a sequel to family flick Sonic the Hedgehog, may be his last.

“Well, I’m retiring,” he said. “Yeah, probably. I’m being fairly serious. It depends. If the angels bring some sort of script that’s written in gold ink that says to me that it’s going to be really important for people to see, I might continue down the road, but I’m taking a break.”

Carrey shot to fame in 1994 with several breakout roles including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber. Since then, he’s carved out a career as the quintessential 90s rubber-faced funny man, following up his early successes with classics such as Liar Liar, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. He even nabbed a villainous role as The Riddler in 1995 superhero film, Batman Forever, whose “unsanctioned buffoonery” saved the movie.

However, in later years he became known for his surprising depth. The leading role in Man on the Moon showcased what Carrey was capable of as he stepped into the shoes of legendary comedian, Andy Kaufman.

If he does retire, it would make Sonic the Hedgehog 2 his somewhat unlikely final film.

“I really like my quiet life and I really like putting paint on canvas,” he added. “I really love my spiritual life and I feel like — and this is something you might never hear another celebrity say as long as time exists — I have enough. I’ve done enough. I am enough.”

Carrey’s certainly been slowing down of late. His role as Doctor Robotnik in the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie was his first major studio role since 2014’s Dumb and Dumber To.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 stars Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, Tika Sumpter, James Marsden, and Natasha Rothwell. Jeff Fowler directed the film with a script by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington.

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

Thumbnail image by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Nintendo’s original HQ building in Kyoto has been renovated and reopened as a boutique hotel that preserves many of the building’s original features.

Hotel Marufukuro opened for business today, April 1, marking the first time this historic location has been open to the public – although we should note that it is not a museum, and is a fairly expensive hotel that will make it difficult for many game fans to stay the night. IGN Japan visited with camera in hand.

Before Nintendo was called Nintendo, it was the business of Fusajiro Yamauchi, who began making and selling Japanese playing cards called “hanafuda” in 1889. As his business grew, it moved into its first proper HQ in 1933, and later was named Marufuku Co, Ltd, which is where the hotel gets its name. The company later changed its name to Nintendo Playing Card Co., Ltd, and eventually vacated the building in 1959. It has remained standing ever since.

At Hotel Marufukuro, you can see many remnants of the original Nintendo HQ. The original Marufuku nameplate still remains on the top of the front of the building, written in stylised Japanese kanji characters, and can be seen stenciled on old supply crates along with the Japanese characters for “Nintendo”. Meanwhile, a plaque on the exterior wall remains untouched, reading “Nintendo Yamauchi” and listing the “trump cards and carta” that the company made at the time. The plaque is so old that the text reads from right to left, as Japanese used to be written.

The building is divided into four parts, named for the suits of a deck of cards. Spades is where Nintendo’s office functions were originally located; Hearts is the former residence of the Yamauchi family, who ran the business; Clubs is where the warehouse was located; and Diamonds is brand new wing that was added with the restoration, designed by world-famous architect Tadao Ando.

With the exception of the additional wing, the building has largely retained its original structure. Much of the exterior is just as it was in 1933, although the interior has been renovated. The freight elevator is no longer functional but has remained as decor. The chairs from the original conference room remain in what has now become a lounge, while the antique clock at the entrance is also period, which is why it does not tell the correct time. Some original doors and pieces of scratched wallpaper have been repurposed. The Japanese Suite is housed in the Yamauchi family’s original quarters, refurbished to conjure the style of the period, so guests can feel like the president of Nintendo.

Many old Nintendo hanafuda cards that were made in the building have been framed and displayed, while classic Nintendo hardware such as the NES and GameCube (which were created long after Nintendo vacated the building) have been turned into artful ornaments.

Rooms at Hotel Marufukuro start at around 108,000 yen (about $880) per night. Accommodation plans are all-inclusive, meaning guests get gourmet meals, use of the bar, local-brewed beer and more included in the price. Currently entry to the building is only available for guests, but in future, the restaurant housed in the original warehouse wing will be opened for non-guests.

For further information, visit https://marufukuro.com/en/

Daniel Robson is Chief Editor of IGN Japan, and you can find him on Twitter here. Younasi is a freelance writer for IGN Japan.

Nintendo’s original HQ building in Kyoto has been renovated and reopened as a boutique hotel that preserves many of the building’s original features.

Hotel Marufukuro opened for business today, April 1, marking the first time this historic location has been open to the public – although we should note that it is not a museum, and is a fairly expensive hotel that will make it difficult for many game fans to stay the night. IGN Japan visited with camera in hand.

Before Nintendo was called Nintendo, it was the business of Fusajiro Yamauchi, who began making and selling Japanese playing cards called “hanafuda” in 1889. As his business grew, it moved into its first proper HQ in 1933, and later was named Marufuku Co, Ltd, which is where the hotel gets its name. The company later changed its name to Nintendo Playing Card Co., Ltd, and eventually vacated the building in 1959. It has remained standing ever since.

At Hotel Marufukuro, you can see many remnants of the original Nintendo HQ. The original Marufuku nameplate still remains on the top of the front of the building, written in stylised Japanese kanji characters, and can be seen stenciled on old supply crates along with the Japanese characters for “Nintendo”. Meanwhile, a plaque on the exterior wall remains untouched, reading “Nintendo Yamauchi” and listing the “trump cards and carta” that the company made at the time. The plaque is so old that the text reads from right to left, as Japanese used to be written.

The building is divided into four parts, named for the suits of a deck of cards. Spades is where Nintendo’s office functions were originally located; Hearts is the former residence of the Yamauchi family, who ran the business; Clubs is where the warehouse was located; and Diamonds is brand new wing that was added with the restoration, designed by world-famous architect Tadao Ando.

With the exception of the additional wing, the building has largely retained its original structure. Much of the exterior is just as it was in 1933, although the interior has been renovated. The freight elevator is no longer functional but has remained as decor. The chairs from the original conference room remain in what has now become a lounge, while the antique clock at the entrance is also period, which is why it does not tell the correct time. Some original doors and pieces of scratched wallpaper have been repurposed. The Japanese Suite is housed in the Yamauchi family’s original quarters, refurbished to conjure the style of the period, so guests can feel like the president of Nintendo.

Many old Nintendo hanafuda cards that were made in the building have been framed and displayed, while classic Nintendo hardware such as the NES and GameCube (which were created long after Nintendo vacated the building) have been turned into artful ornaments.

Rooms at Hotel Marufukuro start at around 108,000 yen (about $880) per night. Accommodation plans are all-inclusive, meaning guests get gourmet meals, use of the bar, local-brewed beer and more included in the price. Currently entry to the building is only available for guests, but in future, the restaurant housed in the original warehouse wing will be opened for non-guests.

For further information, visit https://marufukuro.com/en/

Daniel Robson is Chief Editor of IGN Japan, and you can find him on Twitter here. Younasi is a freelance writer for IGN Japan.

Bernie Sanders and three other U.S. senators have raised concerns about Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

“We are deeply concerned about consolidation in the tech industry and its impact on workers," Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker and Sheldon Whitehouse wrote, per the Wall Street Journal.

According to a letter sent to the FTC (which you can see in the tweet below), the senators are worried that the acquisition could cause issues experienced by Activision Blizzard employees to be forgotten, or made harder to solve.

"Workers at Activision Blizzard, following years of rampant sexual misconduct and discrimination and unfair labor practices, have led calls for greater transparency and accountability in the gaming industry, and we are deeply concerned that this acquisition could further disenfranchise these workers and prevent their voices from being heard," the senators' letter reads.

"As this proposed deal moves forward in the review process, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should assess whether the ways in which these companies have failed to protect the rights and dignity of their workers are driven by monopsony power or amount to anticompetitive harms in our labor market, and if so, if the merger will exacerbate these problems."

Here's the letter pic.twitter.com/EaKtBTvUIg

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) March 31, 2022

Activision Blizzard has been the subject of numerous accusations of sexual harassment and a ‘frat boy culture’.

The company recently settled one of the several ongoing lawsuits, creating an $18 million fund to compensate eligible claimants, as well as to continue enhancing policies, practices, and training to prevent harassment and discrimination in the workplace, not to mention engaging a third-party equal employment opportunity consultant approved by the EEOC.

A spokesperson for Activision Blizzard issued the following statement regarding the senators’ letter to Windows Central:

“The company is committed to a safe and equitable working environment for all employees and has invested significant resources to ensure we’re creating a model for the industry. The transaction between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard will not interrupt any of the actions the Activision Blizzard’s leadership team has implemented throughout 2021 and is continuing to implement in 2022 with regards to improving our workplace. Activision Blizzard’s leadership team has discussed the company’s goals at length with Microsoft, and Microsoft has reviewed the renewed culture commitment and actions Activision Blizzard have done so far, and the efforts they've undertaken. Microsoft is supportive of the goals and the work being done. This is a compelling transaction for all stakeholders, including employees.”

The senators are also reportedly concerned that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick could dodge accountability following the ongoing scandal, and could be eligible for a massive payout if he improves the company’s culture in the wake of these accusations.

"This lack of accountability, despite shareholders, employees, and the public calling for Kotick to be held responsible for the culture he created, would be an unacceptable result of the proposed Microsoft acquisition."

It’s been reported that Kotick will leave the company once the Microsoft acquisition is finalized.

"No additional special compensation arrangements for Mr. Kotick were entered into in connection with the transaction,” confirmed Activision Blizzard. “Mr. Kotick's base salary has been reduced to California's minimum annual salary (which is approximately $62,500 for 2022), and he will not be awarded any bonuses or equity grants until the Workplace Responsibility Committee of the Activision Blizzard Board of Directors has determined that Activision Blizzard has made appropriate progress toward achievement of the transformational gender-related goals and other commitments described in such announcement.”

Microsoft is planning to pay $68.7 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard, and while large mergers are subject to scrutiny from the FTC due to antitrust concerns, this additional scrutiny from US senators is a bit of a fly in the ointment.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella believes the acquisition will still be approved: “Even post-this acquisition, we will be number three with sort of low teens [market] share, where even the highest player is also [in the] teens [for market] share. It shows how fragmented content creation platforms are. And so, that’s the fundamental category. Yes, we will be a big player in what is a highly fragmented place.”

If you want to find out more about the Activision Blizzard lawsuit, check out our timeline of everything that’s happened so far.

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

Bernie Sanders and three other U.S. senators have raised concerns about Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

“We are deeply concerned about consolidation in the tech industry and its impact on workers," Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker and Sheldon Whitehouse wrote, per the Wall Street Journal.

According to a letter sent to the FTC (which you can see in the tweet below), the senators are worried that the acquisition could cause issues experienced by Activision Blizzard employees to be forgotten, or made harder to solve.

"Workers at Activision Blizzard, following years of rampant sexual misconduct and discrimination and unfair labor practices, have led calls for greater transparency and accountability in the gaming industry, and we are deeply concerned that this acquisition could further disenfranchise these workers and prevent their voices from being heard," the senators' letter reads.

"As this proposed deal moves forward in the review process, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should assess whether the ways in which these companies have failed to protect the rights and dignity of their workers are driven by monopsony power or amount to anticompetitive harms in our labor market, and if so, if the merger will exacerbate these problems."

Here's the letter pic.twitter.com/EaKtBTvUIg

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) March 31, 2022

Activision Blizzard has been the subject of numerous accusations of sexual harassment and a ‘frat boy culture’.

The company recently settled one of the several ongoing lawsuits, creating an $18 million fund to compensate eligible claimants, as well as to continue enhancing policies, practices, and training to prevent harassment and discrimination in the workplace, not to mention engaging a third-party equal employment opportunity consultant approved by the EEOC.

A spokesperson for Activision Blizzard issued the following statement regarding the senators’ letter to Windows Central:

“The company is committed to a safe and equitable working environment for all employees and has invested significant resources to ensure we’re creating a model for the industry. The transaction between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard will not interrupt any of the actions the Activision Blizzard’s leadership team has implemented throughout 2021 and is continuing to implement in 2022 with regards to improving our workplace. Activision Blizzard’s leadership team has discussed the company’s goals at length with Microsoft, and Microsoft has reviewed the renewed culture commitment and actions Activision Blizzard have done so far, and the efforts they've undertaken. Microsoft is supportive of the goals and the work being done. This is a compelling transaction for all stakeholders, including employees.”

The senators are also reportedly concerned that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick could dodge accountability following the ongoing scandal, and could be eligible for a massive payout if he improves the company’s culture in the wake of these accusations.

"This lack of accountability, despite shareholders, employees, and the public calling for Kotick to be held responsible for the culture he created, would be an unacceptable result of the proposed Microsoft acquisition."

It’s been reported that Kotick will leave the company once the Microsoft acquisition is finalized.

"No additional special compensation arrangements for Mr. Kotick were entered into in connection with the transaction,” confirmed Activision Blizzard. “Mr. Kotick's base salary has been reduced to California's minimum annual salary (which is approximately $62,500 for 2022), and he will not be awarded any bonuses or equity grants until the Workplace Responsibility Committee of the Activision Blizzard Board of Directors has determined that Activision Blizzard has made appropriate progress toward achievement of the transformational gender-related goals and other commitments described in such announcement.”

Microsoft is planning to pay $68.7 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard, and while large mergers are subject to scrutiny from the FTC due to antitrust concerns, this additional scrutiny from US senators is a bit of a fly in the ointment.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella believes the acquisition will still be approved: “Even post-this acquisition, we will be number three with sort of low teens [market] share, where even the highest player is also [in the] teens [for market] share. It shows how fragmented content creation platforms are. And so, that’s the fundamental category. Yes, we will be a big player in what is a highly fragmented place.”

If you want to find out more about the Activision Blizzard lawsuit, check out our timeline of everything that’s happened so far.

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

Paramount+ has released the Halo series premiere on YouTube, making the first episode available for free to US viewers for a limited time.

The first episode of Halo, titled "Contact," premiered on Paramount Plus' YouTube channel on March 31 and has attracted 56,828 views to date (at the time of writing). GamesRadar notes the first episode will be available on the platform up until April 7, but will only be accessible to US viewers as it's region-locked to the territories where Paramount+ is available.

The Halo TV series launched on Paramount+ on March 24, with Pablo Schreiber starring as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, Jen Taylor as the voice of AI Cortana, and Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, with threats looming from many of the Covenant enemies, including the Elites (Sangheili), Brutes (Jiralhanae), Jackals (Kig-Yar), and more.

Several deals are available that allow people to stream Halo (and all the other content) on Paramount+ either for free for an extended period of time, or at a discount such as 12 months for the price of 7. Xbox has also announced that Game Pass Ultimate members can get a free month of Paramount+ by accessing their Perks and redeeming the offer.

The second episode of season one of Halo, titled "Unbound," arrived on Paramount+ on March 31. The first season encompasses nine episodes, with each episode costing upwards of $10 million to make. Further episodes of Halo will arrive in weekly installments every Thursday, leading right the way up to the season finale on May 19.

Halo dramatizes an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant, weaving deeply-drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future. Paramount is clearly very pleased with that vision, as the series received a second season renewal before the first season premiered.

IGN scored the Halo series premiere a 7 out of 10, noting that the first episode struggled to "capture the dynamic action of the games," but "gets enough else right in its first outing to make up for that shortcoming." The review praises the show's "willingness to move its story in dramatically different directions" to build "a compelling narrative that forges its own path."

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

Paramount+ has released the Halo series premiere on YouTube, making the first episode available for free to US viewers for a limited time.

The first episode of Halo, titled "Contact," premiered on Paramount Plus' YouTube channel on March 31 and has attracted 56,828 views to date (at the time of writing). GamesRadar notes the first episode will be available on the platform up until April 7, but will only be accessible to US viewers as it's region-locked to the territories where Paramount+ is available.

The Halo TV series launched on Paramount+ on March 24, with Pablo Schreiber starring as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, Jen Taylor as the voice of AI Cortana, and Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, with threats looming from many of the Covenant enemies, including the Elites (Sangheili), Brutes (Jiralhanae), Jackals (Kig-Yar), and more.

Several deals are available that allow people to stream Halo (and all the other content) on Paramount+ either for free for an extended period of time, or at a discount such as 12 months for the price of 7. Xbox has also announced that Game Pass Ultimate members can get a free month of Paramount+ by accessing their Perks and redeeming the offer.

The second episode of season one of Halo, titled "Unbound," arrived on Paramount+ on March 31. The first season encompasses nine episodes, with each episode costing upwards of $10 million to make. Further episodes of Halo will arrive in weekly installments every Thursday, leading right the way up to the season finale on May 19.

Halo dramatizes an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant, weaving deeply-drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future. Paramount is clearly very pleased with that vision, as the series received a second season renewal before the first season premiered.

IGN scored the Halo series premiere a 7 out of 10, noting that the first episode struggled to "capture the dynamic action of the games," but "gets enough else right in its first outing to make up for that shortcoming." The review praises the show's "willingness to move its story in dramatically different directions" to build "a compelling narrative that forges its own path."

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

Apple TV+ has experienced a surge in viewership and a slew of new customers on its platform following CODA's Best Picture win at the Oscars 2022.

Late front-runner CODA won Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards, marking the first time a film released by a streaming service has won in that highly coveted category. The historic win captured the attention of audiences who flocked to Apple TV+ to stream the Oscar-winning film, as the platform noted a significant increase in viewers and viewership.

According to Variety, CODA helped to boost the number of new viewers to the Apple TV Plus streaming service by 25% and also pushed viewing of the film up by more than 300% compared to the prior week. However, it's unclear what these percentages actually equate to in numbers as Apple hasn't previously disclosed data on subscribers and streaming time.

While Apple TV+ boasts a solid slate of movies and multiple award-winning series, it's unknown whether the streaming service's latest batch of customers will retain their subscription for a longer period of time or whether they will cancel shortly after watching CODA, as the outlet notes that Apple TV+ free trials are available before paying $4.99/month.

CODA stars Emilia Jones as Ruby, the titular child of deaf adults (CODA) and the only hearing member of a deaf family, who are struggling with their fishing business. Ruby discovers that she has a gift for singing and soon finds herself drawn to her duet partner, however, she is torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents.

CODA won all of the awards for which it was nominated at the Oscars as Troy Kotsur picked up the statuette for Best Supporting Actor and Sian Heder won for Best Adapted Screenplay alongside its Best Picture win. The film also won the SAG Award for Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture and picked up two awards at the BAFTAs, amongst many other accolades.

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