A fired Nintendo contractor who filed an official complaint with the National Labor Relations Board has spoken out for the first time, revealing their name along with additional details about the incident that ultimately led to the complaint filed in April.

In an interview with Axios, former Nintendo QA tester Mackenzie Clifton alleged that they were dismissed after asking for Nintendo of America's view on the growing unionization trend within gaming during an online public meeting. They said they were rebuked for asking a "downer question" and fired a month later.

Nintendo's official reasoning was that Clifton had disclosed confidential information. The cited tweet, dated February 16, read, "[I]n today’s build someone somewhere must have deleted every other texture in the game bc everything is now red. Just like, pure red. it’s very silly.”

Cllifton says that the tweet is vague, arguing that it is "misdirection." However, Nintendo is also known for its strict social media policy, leading to many employees to stop posting entirely in order to avoid crossing what they perceive as an ill-defined line.

Clifton's contract was terminated in February, leading them to file the labor complaint that grabbed headlines throughout the industry. It was followed by more current and former employees of Nintendo coming forward to share their own experiences.

A report published by IGN earlier this year revealed growing discontentment within Nintendo of America over a perceived inability to gain full-time employment along with working conditions. Many Nintendo of America employees, particularly those in departments like QA, are contractors with limited benefits and privileges.

Clifton said things were "actually very good initially" at Nintendo of America, saying they earned a promotion and a raise. However, after not appearing in the credits of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, they say they experienced severe depression (they were later added to the credits after their departure). They say that they were also frustrated by being forced to take breaks during contract renewal periods — frustrations shared by other contract employees.

Following the complaint, an investigation and talks for a potential settlement followed. Clifton said that their condition was a signed apology from Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser, but that Nintendo countered with an offer to speak with the company's HR department, then a neutral letter of reference.

“I hope that sharing this story can get more and more people thinking about how the games industry works and how these companies, that everyone’s come to know and love as providers of fun entertainment, are so much more than that,” Clifton said.

IGN has reached out to Nintendo for comment and will update with any official statement.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Among the absolutely massive amount of explorable world and evergreen story content in Genshin Impact, one of the ways the open-world adventure keeps folks busy over time is through limited-time events that often cannot be accessed later if they are missed. But developer MiHoYo may be looking for a way for players to reexperience them after all.

While some events have come back around, such as Windtrace and Lost Riches, others with character development involved are either seemingly gone for good, or if they return, have story content changed between iterations to account for how the story has evolved since.

But in an interview with IGN, a MiHoYo spokesperson acknowledged the community's sadness at missing story events for characters like Albedo and Childe, as well as the desire for at least some sort of story recap option to catch up on critical information players may have missed without having to dive into a wiki.

With limited-time seasonal events, we want to show players how the world of Teyvat and each character have changed over time outside of the main storyline. Therefore, even if events return, such as the Golden Apple Archipelago in Version 2.8, there will be changes to the characters, stories, and gameplay of relevance. However, we are considering the issues you mentioned and may have new ideas in the future with the advancement of our technology and productivity.

MiHoYo has been working hard on pushing its technological advancements in several other areas, too, such as upcoming improved support for PS5 players using DualSense controllers. And MiHoYo confirmed that the announced Switch version is still in development, though it couldn't give further details. It's likely we'll see how the studio handles its various limited-time events shift over the years, especially as it pushes further into its ten-year roadmap, introduces more characters and continents, and gets increasingly far removed from its earliest story moments.

We also spoke to miHoYo about why the Dendro element took so long to add to the game. And for more, you can take a look at several upcoming new characters for 3.1 as well as our review of Genshin at launch.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

When Genshin Impact first launched, it included playable characters for six elements: Pyro (fire), Hydro (water), Anemo (wind), Electro (electricity), Cryo (ice), and Geo (earth). However, anyone paying attention at all to Genshin's lore. some of its monsters, or even its loading screen would have noticed that a seventh element was seemingly missing in action: Dendro, or nature.

For the first two major Genshin Impact chapters, Dendro remained elusive. But with 3.0 and the introduction of dendro-focused continent Sumeru, we're at last getting a taste of greenery. Bow users Collei and Tighnari kicked dendro off alongside the Traveler gaining a Dendro element through the Sumaru storyline — and more are on the way.

But why did it take so long for developer miHoYo to introduce Dendro, especially when all other elements were present from the start? What was it about Dendro that required a little more time in the veggie steamer?

In an interview with IGN, a Genshin Impact spokesperson shed a little bit of light on what, exactly, took Dendro so long to join its elemental brethren, as well as why its character rollout has been a bit slow:

The Dendro element is the last piece of the puzzle in the seven-element system. It is also the representative element of Sumeru, the nation of wisdom. Therefore, when we designed its elemental reaction mechanisms, we wanted it to be an element with more profound gameplay, one that enables multi-element reactions.

However, at the time of design, we were unable to come up with a mechanic that the development team found satisfying and innovative. As the development of the Sumeru area progressed, we had gathered more ideas and inspirations amidst constant polishing. We made a deeper connection between the Dendro element and Pyro/Hydro/Electro elements, so that the Elemental Reactions are not only reflected by characters, but also in the entire ecological environment of Sumeru.

For example, there are many plants and creatures with Dendro characteristics. Such plants and creatures have the potential of exhibiting polymorphic transformation that alters their appearances, functions, and even behavior, which is also the reason why we released the Dendro element along with its featured nation.

So for Dendro, it was largely a matter of miHoYo wanting multi-element interactions but struggling to come up with the right ones until Sumeru development prompted some inspiration.

The core concepts of the Dendro element have always been catalysis, wisdom, and life. However, the in-game presentation of its gameplay has gone through many iterations over time. We hope that the Dendro element can not only symbolize Sumeru's image of the nation of wisdom, but also have a system of elemental reactions that conforms to common sense and contains enough strategy and gameplay diversity to connect more elements together.

Sumeru, Dendro, and everything else we've seen in 3.0 come as part of an ongoing 10-year roadmap of content for Genshin Impact that began at its launch. MiHoYo told us that it has a "rather clear long-term plan in mind" that it can't share due to spoilers. But everything we know from Genshin's lore indicates we'll likely visit the respective continents of the all the elements we haven't been to yet (Cryo, Pyro, and Hydro). MiHoYo has affirmed that Dendro is the "last piece of the puzzle in the seven-element system" so we're unlikely to get any surprise new elements, but more dendro characters down the line are sure to add even more interesting elemental interactions.

We also spoke to miHoYo about its plans to bring back limited-time seasonal events that have already completed. And for more, you can take a look at several upcoming new characters for 3.1 as well as our review of Genshin at launch.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

McDonald's is making Happy Meals cool for all ages this October with a new menu item, and yes, the boxed meals come with toys.

The restaurant chain announced a partnership (via NPR) with Cactus Plant Flea Market for a new meal deal for the month of October. Cactus Plant Flea Market is a fashion label that focuses on creating original streetwear.

From October 3 to October 30, you can order the Cactus Plant Flea Market Meal Box, that comes with a meal and one of four toys: the Hamburglar, Birdie, Grimace, and Cactus Buddy.

You may recognize the first three names from Mickey D's classic stable of characters, while Cactus Buddy is the mascot for Cactus Plant Flea Market. The McDonald's characters look a little strange, though, with four eyes a piece. The meal comes packaged in a box designed with CPFM's style in mind.

Some CPFM x McDonald's merch will also be available as part of this new promotion beginning on October 3.

Some of McDonald's' other marketing ploys over the years have included the Rick and Morty sauce, and a fakeout of a 5G cell phone announcement. If you're lovin' all this McDonald's news, check out the leaked design for the McDonald's PS5 controller, or the huge lawsuit over the restaurant's broken ice cream machines.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Venom and Uncharted director Ruben Fleischer will helm Now You See Me 3. The upcoming film will continue the Now You See Me franchise, which stars Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, and Mark Ruffalo.

“There are three things in this world I absolutely love… Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and magic,” said Fleischer. “To have the chance to work with these two talented actors, as well as the rest of the incredible cast of the Now You See Me movies is a dream come true.”

Fleischer has worked with Eisenberg and Harrelson previously, on his debut movie Zombieland. Earning just $100 million at the box office, it was nevertheless considered a success – debuting at number 1 with the second-highest opening weekend for a zombie film since the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake.

Although Venom managed an impressive $856 million, it was received poorly.

The Marvel-adjacent superhero film holds a 30% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 362 reviews, so it’s safe to say that critics didn’t exactly love it. IGN’s own review said: “Tom Hardy’s committed performance can’t overcome a painful script and indecisive direction, resulting in a film with a personality that’s as split as its titular character. There are occasional moments of brilliance in the dynamic between Eddie and Venom that give a hint of what the film could have been in steadier hands, but ultimately, that only makes the finished product a more frustrating viewing experience.”

It's much the same for Uncharted, too – with 40% on Rotten Tomatoes and $401 million at the box office. Commercially successful? Sure… but not exactly well-received.

Nevertheless, Lionsgate president Nathan Kahane said Fleischer has a "special talent with character-driven blockbuster entertainment" in the release announcing the hiring.

“Ruben has proven time and again that he has a special talent with character-driven blockbuster entertainment,” said Lionsgate president Nathan Kahane. “He delivers big excitement while ultimately keeping the focus on the characters audiences care about. We feel like we’ve assembled a dream team to get this movie off the ground. For everyone we’ve kept in suspense, the wait is almost over.”

That certainly sounds as though we’ll be getting more details soon… and perhaps we’ll find out whether Ruffalo will be back as Dylan Rhodes after the events of Now You See Me 2.

“I am a lifelong fan of heist movies,” added Fleischer. “I love getting drawn in by the twists and the mystery where nothing is what it seems. And that’s even more true when the thieves are magicians – the opportunities are endless. Eric was able to unlock a fresh and exciting way into a new movie and fun new characters, so I’m excited to dig in even further.”

IGN’s Now You See Me review gave it 6.3/10 and said: “Now You See Me seemed so promising, but it squanders its cool cast and nifty premise on smarmy, shallow characters and a flimsy, nonsensical plot.”

Fleischer will oversee a new draft of the film’s screenplay by Seth Grahame-Smith, while an earlier draft was written by Eric Warren Singer. Bobby Cohen and Alex Kurtzman will produce the film with Meredith Wieck and Chisom Ude overseeing the project for Lionsgate.

Want to read more about Now You See Me? See where it sits among the biggest summer blockbuster flops and check out our review of Now You See Me 2.

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

Marvel's Armor Wars series for Disney+ is being turned into a full-length feature film, THR reports.

Armor Wars' creators were reportedly informed of the change today. The series was still early in development, with no directors and a 2023 start date for production. The change was reportedly undertaken in order to tell the story "the right way," sources told THR.

Little is known about the the upcoming MCU series, in which Don Cheadle is set to reprise his role as Colonel James Rhodes, better-known as War Machine. First announced back in 2020, Armor Wars is based on a seven-issue Iron Man story arc written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton.

The original story was focused around the idea of various armor suits falling into the wrong hands. The series was set to address the aftermath of Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame.

Armor Wars was a no-show at Comic-Con, leading to writer Yassir Lester assuring fans that it wasn't canceled. Lester will remain onboard as the lead writer as the series transitions to a movie.

The Armor Wars movie does not yet have a release date. It will presumably be set during the recently-announced Phase 6, but Marvel has not yet listed a time period for the film.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

The version of Joker from Batman: The Animated Series, voiced by Mark Hamill, might make its way into MultiVersus, Warner Bros’ crossover fighting game. A new datamine reveals voiced lines of the character.

Originally posted by Twitter user Laisul, audio of the Joker’s lines was posted and they sound very similar to Hamill’s portrayal of the character from Batman: The Animated Series. In context, the script also sounds like something you’d hear in a fighting game as well, such as “Points to the blue bozos!” and “That’s a point for the red rejects!” This most likely references MultiVersus’s tag team structure where opposing sides are colored red and blue.

Joker Announcer Pack voicelines#MultiVersus pic.twitter.com/BWH43CRp0l

— Laisul (@LaisulMV) September 27, 2022

Back in March, there was a datamine that revealed some of the potential characters that could be joining MultVersus, including Samurai Jack, Ben 10, and Joker. LeBron James was on the list too, and he officially joined the game back in July. Other characters from that leaked list like Rick and Morty, as well as Gizmo, have all been confirmed for the game too. With the new voice lines dug up, this means that Mark Hamill’s Joker has a real possibility of making it into MultiVersus.

MultiVersus is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. In IGN’s MultiVersus review, we said, “MultiVersus may not be a must-play at social gatherings, but its refreshing team-based battles make it a great platform fighter online.”

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

The latest World of Warcraft expansion, Dragonflight, launches on November 28.

Activision Blizzard announced today that World of Warcraft Dragonflight will be available from 3 pm PT on November 28… and it comes with lots of new content.

“Dragonflight was crafted with our incredible community in mind and with the desire to return to what we all love most dearly: the splendor of Azeroth and its characters, with our players cast as heroes,” said World of Warcraft executive producer Holly Longdale. “We invite everyone into this new adventure where we will bask in the landscape of dragons, become a part of their ancient legacy, and watch the secrets of this land unfold together.”

World of Warcraft Dragonflight will launch with 8 new dungeons as well as four new zones – the Dragon Isles – each themed around the ancient dragon aspects.

“As the Dragon Isles awaken, so too do long-forgotten secrets, and players will traverse land and sky as they explore what the Dragon Isles has to offer,” said the official press release.

Dragonflight also unlocks the Drachtyr race – a draconic race that can switch between humanoid and dragon forms at will. They also come with a unique Evoker class which can specialize in ranged damage-dealing or aiding their allies as a healer by harnessing the mystical gifts of dragonkind.

The Drachtyr will become playable in a pre-expansion patch to those who pre-ordered Dragonflight.

There’s also the all-new skill-based Dragonriding – allowing players to soar through the skies on the back of a Dragon Isles Drake. The drakes themselves come in millions of different combinations, so it should be easy to make your new companion your own.

World of Warcraft Dragonflight also introduces the new talent system as well as an updated professions system.

Of the new dungeons, four of these can be tackled with friends as you journey towards level 70. The remaining four will unlock once you’ve reached the new level cap, and the first Dragonflight raid will become available on December 18.

Dragonflight is available to pe-purchase as a base edition ($49.99), a Heroic edition ($69.99), and an Epic edition ($89.99). Each edition includes one or more digital items to help celebrate the launch:

• Base: Includes Drakks pet.
• Heroic: Includes Drakks pet, the new Murkastrasza pet, a Dragonflight-level character boost (level 60), and a new Tangled Dreamweaver flying mount.
• Epic: Includes all Base and Heroic items as well as the Timewalker’s Hearthstone effect, the Diadem of the Spell-keeper head-slot transmog, the Wings of Awakening back-slot transmog in five color variants, and 30 days of game time.

You can also enjoy the Winds of Wisdom +50% experience buff beginning the week of October 4.

Want to read more about World of Warcraft? Check out our Dragonflight preview as well as a breakdown of the new expansion by World of Warcraft developers.

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

Saudi Arabia is investing around $13 billion to purchase a “leading game publisher”.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (via Axios), the country is gearing up to invest $37.8 billion in gaming as part of its controversial push to expand the country’s role in the industry.

“Savvy Games Group is one part of our ambitious strategy aiming to make Saudi Arabia the ultimate global hub for the games and esports sector by 2030,” said Crown Prince His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. “We are harnessing the untapped potential across the esports and games sector to diversify our economy, drive innovation in the sector, and further scale the entertainment and esports competition offerings across the Kingdom.”

Savvy Games Group is owned and operated by the Saudi Arabian government and seeks to expand its reach by paying $13 billion “for the acquisition and development of a leading game publisher to become a strategic development partner.”

Which one they have in their sights remains to be seen.

Aside from purchasing an existing games company, the Saudi government has also put aside another $18 billion for minority investments. Additionally, they’re aiming to create 250 game companies and 39,000 jobs.

Back in January, two of the world’s biggest esports companies, ESL and FACEIT, were acquired by Savvy Games Group as part of the country’s efforts. Just a few months later, the company bought a $1 billion share of the games publishing company, Embracer Group.

Clearly, Savvy Games Group isn’t messing around.

Savvy Games Group will also invest $4.8 billion into “mature industry partners” who are expected to add value to the company’s existing portfolio. A further $481 million is earmarked for investment in “industry disruptors to grow early-stage games”.

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia purchased 5.01 percent of Nintendo via its Public Investment Fund, which has also purchased stock in Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, and Take-Two.

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

A new Planet of the Apes film is on its way – Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

The upcoming Planet of the Apes sequel will star The Witcher actress Freya Allen and Owen Teague as the film’s lead ape.

Along with the upcoming film’s title and initial cast, it looks as though 20th Century Fox has also unveiled our first look at the film:

Production is said to be starting soon with director Wes Ball. Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Patrick Aison will write the script.

“Planet of the Apes is one of the most iconic and storied science fiction franchises in film history, as well as being an indelible part of our studio’s legacy,” said 20th Century Studios president, Steve Asbell. “With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, we are privileged to continue the series’ tradition of imaginative, thought-provoking cinema, and can’t wait to share Wes’ extraordinary vision for this new chapter with audiences in 2024.”

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set many years after War for the Planet of the Apes – the final film of the franchise’s previous trilogy. Throughout this trilogy, actor Andy Serkis performed motion capture for Caesar – the now-iconic ape leader.

Unfortunately, there are no other details about the film’s plot at this time, and it’s unknown whether Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will directly connect to Caesar and his apes.

Freya Allen is perhaps best known for her breakout role as Ciri opposite Henry Cavill in The Witcher. Meanwhile, Owen Teague is known for the role of Harold Lauder in the CBS miniseries, The Stand.

Joe Hartwick Jr, Jaffa, Silver, and Jason Reed are producing, with Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping executive producing.

Want to read more about the Planet of the Apes? Check out our list of the 25 best sci-fi movies of all time, as well as details of Marvel’s upcoming Planet of the Apes comic book series.

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