Monthly Archives: May 2022

The Art of Horizon Forbidden West Revealed By Dark Horse Books

Dark Horse Books is adding another major franchise to its ever-growing library of video game art books. This time, Horizon Forbidden West is the subject of a lavish hardcover book that gives fans a much closer look behind the scenes.

First off, check out the stunning cover to The Art of Horizon Forbidden West below:

Like all of Dark Horse's past art books, The Art of Horizon Forbidden West features a healthy mix of concept art and interviews with the development team at Guerrilla Games. In total, the book clocks in at 200 pages.

The Art of Horizon Forbidden West is priced at $49.99. The book is scheduled to debut online and in bookstores on Tuesday, October 18 and in comic shops on Wednesday, October 19. Based on Dark Horse's past releases, there may also be a deluxe edition version of the hardcover, but the publisher has yet to announce one.

Previous Dark Horse art books include The Art of Halo Infinite, The Art of Deathloop and The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

Horizon Forbidden West debuted on the Playstation 4 and 5 in February 2022. IGN's Simon Cardy gave the long-awaited sequel a 9, writing, "A triumphant combination of enthralling combat, top-tier creature and character design, and a captivating open world, Horizon Forbidden West is an absolute blast and fantastic showcase for the power of the PS5. Although the return of a couple of familiar series trappings and a noticeable lack of freeform climbing never threatens to derail the enjoyment, it does leave it falling frustratingly short of something revolutionary."

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

The Art of Horizon Forbidden West Revealed By Dark Horse Books

Dark Horse Books is adding another major franchise to its ever-growing library of video game art books. This time, Horizon Forbidden West is the subject of a lavish hardcover book that gives fans a much closer look behind the scenes.

First off, check out the stunning cover to The Art of Horizon Forbidden West below:

Like all of Dark Horse's past art books, The Art of Horizon Forbidden West features a healthy mix of concept art and interviews with the development team at Guerrilla Games. In total, the book clocks in at 200 pages.

The Art of Horizon Forbidden West is priced at $49.99. The book is scheduled to debut online and in bookstores on Tuesday, October 18 and in comic shops on Wednesday, October 19. Based on Dark Horse's past releases, there may also be a deluxe edition version of the hardcover, but the publisher has yet to announce one.

Previous Dark Horse art books include The Art of Halo Infinite, The Art of Deathloop and The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

Horizon Forbidden West debuted on the Playstation 4 and 5 in February 2022. IGN's Simon Cardy gave the long-awaited sequel a 9, writing, "A triumphant combination of enthralling combat, top-tier creature and character design, and a captivating open world, Horizon Forbidden West is an absolute blast and fantastic showcase for the power of the PS5. Although the return of a couple of familiar series trappings and a noticeable lack of freeform climbing never threatens to derail the enjoyment, it does leave it falling frustratingly short of something revolutionary."

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Cyberpunk 2077 Expansion: Leak Points to Inaccessible Areas Being Opened

Warning: If you want to know knothing about potential details for Cyberpunk 2077's first expansion, turn back now.

It looks as though Cyberpunk 2077 is about to get a whole lot bigger after the game's 2023 expansion.

According to VGC details of the still-untitled expansion have been leaked online, pointing to inaccessible areas from the main game being opened up for the first time.

The Combat Zone, an area of the Pacifica region which was mentioned in the main game but remains locked, is said to be opened up in the new expansion. The zone was previously featured in the Cyberpunk 2077 art book. Additionally, the Sports Dome will finally be opened – another large, inaccessible area from the main game. It’s said that this area will house one of the new main missions from the expansion.

The leaked files have already circulated on social media, and also reveal some details about the new content of the expansion. The DLC will reportedly follow Songbird – a character previously datamined from the main game.

Although the leak appears to be incomplete, it’s said that the expansion will include several new side missions, as well as seven main missions. According to users who have seen the leaked files, the expansion will also include fixer quests, world stories, and new world encounters.

It’s also noted that there seems to be very little in the way of new dialogue from Johnny Silverhand, prompting speculation that there may have been an issue regarding Keanu Reeves’ availability when producing this expansion. Instead, there are several instances of other characters ‘silencing’ Johnny.

That said, the new expansion does include some changes to the game’s ending, with both V and Johnny Silverhand now referencing the events of the expansion if they're completed. The expansion is currently targeting a 2023 release date, with a large proportion of CD Projekt Red's developers working on it.

Meanwhile, a Cyberpunk 2077 artist has revealed why they used that infamous shade of yellow, while our team has dug up the best mods to make the game look incredible.

Want to find out more about Cyberpunk 2077? Check out our tips and tricks or some essential help, or our full walkthrough of the main jobs if you’re still getting stuck.

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

Cyberpunk 2077 Expansion: Leak Points to Inaccessible Areas Being Opened

Warning: If you want to know knothing about potential details for Cyberpunk 2077's first expansion, turn back now.

It looks as though Cyberpunk 2077 is about to get a whole lot bigger after the game's 2023 expansion.

According to VGC details of the still-untitled expansion have been leaked online, pointing to inaccessible areas from the main game being opened up for the first time.

The Combat Zone, an area of the Pacifica region which was mentioned in the main game but remains locked, is said to be opened up in the new expansion. The zone was previously featured in the Cyberpunk 2077 art book. Additionally, the Sports Dome will finally be opened – another large, inaccessible area from the main game. It’s said that this area will house one of the new main missions from the expansion.

The leaked files have already circulated on social media, and also reveal some details about the new content of the expansion. The DLC will reportedly follow Songbird – a character previously datamined from the main game.

Although the leak appears to be incomplete, it’s said that the expansion will include several new side missions, as well as seven main missions. According to users who have seen the leaked files, the expansion will also include fixer quests, world stories, and new world encounters.

It’s also noted that there seems to be very little in the way of new dialogue from Johnny Silverhand, prompting speculation that there may have been an issue regarding Keanu Reeves’ availability when producing this expansion. Instead, there are several instances of other characters ‘silencing’ Johnny.

That said, the new expansion does include some changes to the game’s ending, with both V and Johnny Silverhand now referencing the events of the expansion if they're completed. The expansion is currently targeting a 2023 release date, with a large proportion of CD Projekt Red's developers working on it.

Meanwhile, a Cyberpunk 2077 artist has revealed why they used that infamous shade of yellow, while our team has dug up the best mods to make the game look incredible.

Want to find out more about Cyberpunk 2077? Check out our tips and tricks or some essential help, or our full walkthrough of the main jobs if you’re still getting stuck.

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

Hayden Christensen Only Needed 6 Words to Send the Star Wars Celebration Crowd Wild

It's been no secret that Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen's return to Star Wars has been a popular point for fans, but with just a few words at yesterday's Star Wars Celebration, we saw quite how popular.

During an interview ahead of the premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan) and Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader) were regularly interrupted by an incredibly excited crowd. McGregor even revved them up himself. But the final part of the interview saw the biggest reaction of all.

Host Anthony Carboni asked if there was anything the pair wanted the fans to know before ther show begins. Referencing the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith line (which itself has become a meme), Chistensen simply replied, "This is where the fun begins." And the room went absolutely wild – as you can see in the tweet below:

It's been a clearly emotional return for McGregor and Christensen to their starring roles, not least because of the swing in feeling for their Star Wars movies. Critically panned at release, McGregor says there's now a "wave of positivity" around the prequel trilogy, and it was evident at the Star Wars fan event yesterday.

Obi-Wan's first two episodes premiered last night (among many other Star Wars announcements) and they aim to fill a gap in time between episodes 3 and 4 of Star Wars, showing new parts of the relationship between the two actors' characters. It's even been described as a "love story" between the former master and padawan.

Aside from Ob-Wan, the first day of Celebration also brought a trailer for upcoming show Andor, the first details about new show Skeleton Crew, an announcement that The Mandalorian will return in 2023, and even offered a glimpse at the next Indiana Jones movie.

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.

Hayden Christensen Only Needed 6 Words to Send the Star Wars Celebration Crowd Wild

It's been no secret that Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen's return to Star Wars has been a popular point for fans, but with just a few words at yesterday's Star Wars Celebration, we saw quite how popular.

During an interview ahead of the premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan) and Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader) were regularly interrupted by an incredibly excited crowd. McGregor even revved them up himself. But the final part of the interview saw the biggest reaction of all.

Host Anthony Carboni asked if there was anything the pair wanted the fans to know before ther show begins. Referencing the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith line (which itself has become a meme), Chistensen simply replied, "This is where the fun begins." And the room went absolutely wild – as you can see in the tweet below:

It's been a clearly emotional return for McGregor and Christensen to their starring roles, not least because of the swing in feeling for their Star Wars movies. Critically panned at release, McGregor says there's now a "wave of positivity" around the prequel trilogy, and it was evident at the Star Wars fan event yesterday.

Obi-Wan's first two episodes premiered last night (among many other Star Wars announcements) and they aim to fill a gap in time between episodes 3 and 4 of Star Wars, showing new parts of the relationship between the two actors' characters. It's even been described as a "love story" between the former master and padawan.

Aside from Ob-Wan, the first day of Celebration also brought a trailer for upcoming show Andor, the first details about new show Skeleton Crew, an announcement that The Mandalorian will return in 2023, and even offered a glimpse at the next Indiana Jones movie.

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.

Gran Turismo Movie: PlayStation Apparently Wants District 9 Director Onboard

PlayStation is reportedly eyeing District 9 director Neill Blomkamp to helm a Gran Turismo movie, which is said to be in the very early stages of development.

According to Deadline, Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions are re-teaming after the success of their most recent video-game-to-film collaboration Uncharted, which struck gold at the box office, to work on a new video game movie adaptation of Gran Turismo. The report claims that the two companies are considering Blomkamp to steer the project.

During an investor meeting on May 26, Sony apparently announced three major PlayStation franchises were getting TV adaptations with Horizon going to Netflix, God of War to Amazon, and Gran Turismo also in the works. However, Deadline claims the rumors of a Gran Turismo TV series are "not accurate," and the project is actually a game-to-film adaptation.

This isn't the first time the engines have been started on a Gran Turismo movie, as one such project was previously said to be in development in 2013. That film was set to be directed by Joseph Kosinski and would have centered around a gamer turned professional racer, whereas the plot for the newly-in-development Gran Turismo is being kept under the hood for now.

Blomkamp is perhaps best known as the co-writer and director of District 9, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. He went on to helm Elysium and Chappie after that, as well as several horror shorts under his Oats Studios banner. He also filmed an "under-the-radar" supernatural horror movie during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Gran Turismo franchise is a frontrunner in the racing game genre, having sold more than 85 million copies. The most recent addition, Gran Turismo 7, launched on PS5 and PS4 in March. IGN's review of the game recognized it as a "celebration" of the series with the best features, including "gorgeous graphics, a fantastic driving feel, and racing options galore."

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

Gran Turismo Movie: PlayStation Apparently Wants District 9 Director Onboard

PlayStation is reportedly eyeing District 9 director Neill Blomkamp to helm a Gran Turismo movie, which is said to be in the very early stages of development.

According to Deadline, Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions are re-teaming after the success of their most recent video-game-to-film collaboration Uncharted, which struck gold at the box office, to work on a new video game movie adaptation of Gran Turismo. The report claims that the two companies are considering Blomkamp to steer the project.

During an investor meeting on May 26, Sony apparently announced three major PlayStation franchises were getting TV adaptations with Horizon going to Netflix, God of War to Amazon, and Gran Turismo also in the works. However, Deadline claims the rumors of a Gran Turismo TV series are "not accurate," and the project is actually a game-to-film adaptation.

This isn't the first time the engines have been started on a Gran Turismo movie, as one such project was previously said to be in development in 2013. That film was set to be directed by Joseph Kosinski and would have centered around a gamer turned professional racer, whereas the plot for the newly-in-development Gran Turismo is being kept under the hood for now.

Blomkamp is perhaps best known as the co-writer and director of District 9, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. He went on to helm Elysium and Chappie after that, as well as several horror shorts under his Oats Studios banner. He also filmed an "under-the-radar" supernatural horror movie during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Gran Turismo franchise is a frontrunner in the racing game genre, having sold more than 85 million copies. The most recent addition, Gran Turismo 7, launched on PS5 and PS4 in March. IGN's review of the game recognized it as a "celebration" of the series with the best features, including "gorgeous graphics, a fantastic driving feel, and racing options galore."

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

Winnie the Pooh Horror Movie Director Teases the Plot: Pooh and Piglet Ate Eeyore

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey – the upcoming horror movie based on the out-of-copyright book characters – will see Winnie and Piglet on a murderous rampage after, well, eating Eeyore.

During an interview with Variety, director Rhys Frake-Waterfield discussed the plot of the upcoming horror adaptation, which has swept social media in the last few days. Blood and Honey features Pooh and Piglet as “the main villains… going on a rampage” after Christopher Robin abandons them to go to college.

“Christopher Robin is pulled away from them, and he’s not [given] them food, it’s made Pooh and Piglet’s life quite difficult,” he explained. “Because they’ve had to fend for themselves so much, they’ve essentially become feral. So, they’ve gone back to their animal roots. They’re no longer tame: they’re like a vicious bear and pig who want to go around and try and find prey.”

“When you try and do a film like this, and it’s a really wacky concept, it’s very easy to go down a route where nothing is scary and it’s just really ridiculous and really, like, stupid,” he said. “And we wanted to go between the two.”

Essentially, the film will balance horror and comedy, fully aware of its absurd premise. As an example, the director explained one of the film stills (in the gallery above) that shows the pair stalking a victim in a jacuzzi.

“She’s having a good time and then Pooh and Piglet appear behind her, chloroform her, take her out of the jacuzzi and then kind of drive a car over her head,” he revealed. “It’s scary but there’s also funny bits because there’s shots of Winnie the Pooh in a car and seeing him with his little ears behind the wheel and like slowly going over there [to kill her.]”

The director revealed that other characters, such as Tigger, would not appear in the movie. Essentially, it’s down to the copyright – Tigger, among others, is still under copyright, and so is not in the public domain. Eeyore could be in the movie, but it turns out we'll simply be seeing the donkey's tombstone, as his former friends ate him. Yep.

Frake-Waterfield promises there’s no way Disney fans will confuse this production for anything Disney could or would make: “No one is going to mistake this [for Disney],” he said. “When you see the cover for this and you see the trailers and the stills and all that, there’s no way anyone is going to think this is a child’s version of it.”

Further avoiding copyright issues, the team had to ensure that even Pooh and Piglet are only based on the 1926 version of Winnie the Pooh in Milne’s stories. After all, Disney still retains the rights to its own interpretations of the characters.

“We’ve tried to be extremely careful,” he explained. “We knew there was this line between that, and we knew what their copyright was and what they’ve done. So, we did as much as we could to make sure [the film] was only based on the 1926 version of it.” That’s why Pooh is wearing a lumberjack suit while Piglet is clad in black.

Although Frake-Waterfield wouldn’t divulge the film’s budget, he says we shouldn’t expect a Hollywood-level production. Still, it’s an intriguing concept no matter the budget, and it's sure to find fans who can’t wait to see what Pooh and Piglet get up to without restraint.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey stars Craig David-Dowsett as Winnie, with Chris Cordell as Piglet alongside Gillian Broderick, Amber Doig-Thorne, Maria Taylor, and Danielle Ronald.

Rhys Frake-Waterfield both wrote and directed the movie, based on the classic children’s books by A.A. Milne.

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

Winnie the Pooh Horror Movie Director Teases the Plot: Pooh and Piglet Ate Eeyore

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey – the upcoming horror movie based on the out-of-copyright book characters – will see Winnie and Piglet on a murderous rampage after, well, eating Eeyore.

During an interview with Variety, director Rhys Frake-Waterfield discussed the plot of the upcoming horror adaptation, which has swept social media in the last few days. Blood and Honey features Pooh and Piglet as “the main villains… going on a rampage” after Christopher Robin abandons them to go to college.

“Christopher Robin is pulled away from them, and he’s not [given] them food, it’s made Pooh and Piglet’s life quite difficult,” he explained. “Because they’ve had to fend for themselves so much, they’ve essentially become feral. So, they’ve gone back to their animal roots. They’re no longer tame: they’re like a vicious bear and pig who want to go around and try and find prey.”

“When you try and do a film like this, and it’s a really wacky concept, it’s very easy to go down a route where nothing is scary and it’s just really ridiculous and really, like, stupid,” he said. “And we wanted to go between the two.”

Essentially, the film will balance horror and comedy, fully aware of its absurd premise. As an example, the director explained one of the film stills (in the gallery above) that shows the pair stalking a victim in a jacuzzi.

“She’s having a good time and then Pooh and Piglet appear behind her, chloroform her, take her out of the jacuzzi and then kind of drive a car over her head,” he revealed. “It’s scary but there’s also funny bits because there’s shots of Winnie the Pooh in a car and seeing him with his little ears behind the wheel and like slowly going over there [to kill her.]”

The director revealed that other characters, such as Tigger, would not appear in the movie. Essentially, it’s down to the copyright – Tigger, among others, is still under copyright, and so is not in the public domain. Eeyore could be in the movie, but it turns out we'll simply be seeing the donkey's tombstone, as his former friends ate him. Yep.

Frake-Waterfield promises there’s no way Disney fans will confuse this production for anything Disney could or would make: “No one is going to mistake this [for Disney],” he said. “When you see the cover for this and you see the trailers and the stills and all that, there’s no way anyone is going to think this is a child’s version of it.”

Further avoiding copyright issues, the team had to ensure that even Pooh and Piglet are only based on the 1926 version of Winnie the Pooh in Milne’s stories. After all, Disney still retains the rights to its own interpretations of the characters.

“We’ve tried to be extremely careful,” he explained. “We knew there was this line between that, and we knew what their copyright was and what they’ve done. So, we did as much as we could to make sure [the film] was only based on the 1926 version of it.” That’s why Pooh is wearing a lumberjack suit while Piglet is clad in black.

Although Frake-Waterfield wouldn’t divulge the film’s budget, he says we shouldn’t expect a Hollywood-level production. Still, it’s an intriguing concept no matter the budget, and it's sure to find fans who can’t wait to see what Pooh and Piglet get up to without restraint.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey stars Craig David-Dowsett as Winnie, with Chris Cordell as Piglet alongside Gillian Broderick, Amber Doig-Thorne, Maria Taylor, and Danielle Ronald.

Rhys Frake-Waterfield both wrote and directed the movie, based on the classic children’s books by A.A. Milne.

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