Dead Island 2 will feature breakable weapons, so you might want to stock up.

During an interview with VG247, developer Adam Duckett defended the game’s durability system.

“Ranged weapons have ammo, so melee weapons have degradation,” he stated. “We’re generous with it; we want players to explore the full arsenal of weapons – so we have so many great mods, and so many perks, and so many other things in this game that we want players to cycle through. It also helps that players can keep a wide variety of tools in their arsenal, so they’re never going to be without something they can use.”

Dead Island 2 is set to debut on February 3, 2023, and follows the highly successful Dead Island, this time seeing players fighting off a zombie apocalypse in the middle of Los Angeles. Whether you like it or not, durability is going to be a big factor.

“I think [weapon durability] helps fit with our tone a little bit, too,” added art director Adam Olson. “Because this is a game that just keeps going, this is a game that’s over-the-top – but we want to be grounded in reality. Having one foot in reality – and having weapons that break – helps us push other parts of the game into that over-the-top mentality.”

It’s often argued that controversial weapon durability systems add a level of realism to games. You can find these systems in the likes of Breath of the Wild, Yakuza, Far Cry, and even Minecraft. But many players are simply irritated by the constant need to attend to their weapons.

Dead Island 2's developers say that a weapon falling apart in your hands is part of the experience, and made clear that it's a very visual change too. The team says you can turn off the HUD and see how degraded the weapon is, in multiple stages.

Seeing the degradation of a weapon happen in front of you is a nice addition, and considering the survival-horror genre, it’s very fitting. In fact, it sounds as though it was a key consideration when designing the game.

“We want to make every hit feel like it connects with a zombie – so that you can see it on the zombie, and on your weapon,” said Duckett. “Weapon degradation and durability makes sense, from that point of view.”

Want to read more about Dead Island 2? Check out what you’ll get in each Dead Island 2 edition and get a glimpse of the game with our hands-on preview.

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

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are having more fun after the announcement that Wolverine will appear in Deadpool 3, this time teasing a very violent fight, and making clear 2017's Logan is a "totally separate thing".

Appearing in a video on Ryan Reynolds' Twitter feed (below), the pair promise "quick explainer video". It does indeed start by answering how Wolverine can appear after his death in Logan: "Logan takes place in 2029," says Reynolds "Totally separate thing. Logan died in Logan, not touching that."

However, after saying, "What actually happens in our film is these two f**king guys...", the audio fades out, 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go' begins playing, and we see the actors effectively mime plot points, including what seems to be a fight that sees Deadpool and Wolverine stabbing each other repeatedly.

Expect lip reading experts to have a field day with this one (but probably don't take too seriously what they're saying under the music).

Quick explainer video that tackles…
1) Timeline questions
2) Logan canon
3) MCU FAQ
4) Whether we can do this all day or not pic.twitter.com/50lBsfYS5p

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) September 28, 2022

The video ends with Jackman and Reynolds thanking the MCU, and Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, before showing us a set of pictures of the two together across the years, ending with a picture of them alongside director Shaun Levy.

Given that we knew Deadpool 3 will be R-rated, it's no huge surprise that we may be getting a violent fight between the two characters, but it's nice to know some of their classic comic book moments might be recreated.

Even with the Logan element cleared up, we still have several burning questions about Deadpool and Wolverine entering the MCU in the same movie, from whether this means the X-Men movie universe will be merged into the multiverse, where in the Phases this falls, and more. We'll find out when Deadpool 3 arrives in 2024.

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.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will balance that footstep audio before its official launch.

According to a post-beta statement from developer Infinity Ward, the upcoming Modern Warfare sequel will be getting a few tweaks before it launches.

“While sentiment around footstep audio was more positive in Beta Weekend Two, we have seen your continued feedback on the volume of footsteps and will continue to balance enemy/friendly footstep audio ahead of launch,” it confirmed.

Additionally, it looks as though enemy visibility will be balanced, too.

“Enemy visibility is something that came up throughout both weekends of our Beta,” said Infinity Ward. “While many of you remarked on the improvement in Weekend Two, we’ll look to tweak increased enemy visibility to allow for better visual tracking of opponents that is not solely the traditional nameplate.”

Quite what this means for the final game remains to be seen. But footstep audio and enemy visibility aren’t the only issues being addressed before the game debuts on October 28, 2022.

“Disbanding lobbies are another topic we addressed during Beta,” it said. “We feel this is an important feature and are actively looking for potential solutions for launch.”

Infinity Ward also stated that it's “very happy” with the results of weapon tuning during the first open beta weekend, but further changes are still coming.

It’s likely that we’ll get to see some of these balance changes in action before the game launches, as part of Modern Warfare 2’s additional upcoming beta weekends. But we’ll have to wait and see.

Alongside Modern Warfare 2 there are plenty of changes coming to Warzone, too. In fact, it’s said to be putting a twist on the formula, with a new map and PvE faction.

Want to read more about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2? Check out our Modern Ware 2 Beta Review in Progress as well as Modern Warfare 2’s launch details explained.

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

New Overwatch 2 players won’t be able to use classic Overwatch heroes straight away.

A new blog post over at the Overwatch website has revealed that new players will need to grind out around 100 matches to unlock the complete roster of original Overwatch 1 characters.

“New players begin with access to a limited set of game modes, heroes, and some other restrictions to onboard them more gradually,” they revealed. “The first phase of our new [First Time User Experience] rapidly unlocks all the game modes and the ability to chat in-game, and the second phase unlocks all the original Overwatch heroes over the course of approximately 100 matches.”

The idea behind the move is to prevent overwhelming new players with too much to learn. Considering each hero has a unique set of abilities and counters, this is certainly an understandable and structured way to get into the game.

“This focused experience eases new players into the world of Overwatch by teaching them about different modes, rules, and other high-level aspects of the game in an approachable way.,” they said.

Importantly, these restrictions won’t be in place if you’re in a group, so new players can still team up with their friends and try out heroes (and game modes) they don’t have yet. “Competitive is the exception to this rule because new players must complete a specific challenge to access this game mode.”

While this move could be seen as controversial, it looks as though the Overwatch community is pretty pleased with the change.

“100 games for 32 heroes, that's roughly a new hero to try out every 3 matches,” said one Overwatch Reddit user. “That sounds like a good way to keep players in that 'just one more game' mindset.”

“It's about as close to a practical ‘Tutorial Mode’ I think devs can get in an FPS,” said another. “I’m certainly not complaining. If this includes matching new players in separate server instances with other new players, all the better. It will definitely keep new players from getting immediately ROASTED by better players and by match chat which will probably create a higher retention rate of new players which is what Blizz is going to be wanting to bolster with it being a F2P model.”

As well as easing new players into the game in an organic way, fans are also pleased that the change will potentially reduce the number of smurfs and hackers.

Want to read more about Overwatch 2? Check out Overwatch 2’s new Portugal map and find out how to merge your Overwatch account ready for cross-progression.

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

FIFA 23 lets you turn off commentary criticizing your play, so you don’t have to hear how you're letting the side down.

According to Eurogamer, this new feature is live right now after FIFA 23 early access launched a day early on EA Play.

Just hop into the settings and check the box marked “Disable Critical Commentary” to make sure you only get the nicest pep talks from the likes of Derek Rae, Stewart Robson, and Alex Scott. Get in!

Checking this box means you won’t get any commentary that’s critical of how you play, so no more comments about your shoddy defense, for starters. However, you will still get the regular comments they say throughout a match.

It’s likely that this feature made it into the game simply to make for a more positive experience for some players. But it’s also pretty useful if your children play the game, too. After all, it can be a bit daunting when you pick up the pad for the first time, and that could be made even worse if Stewart Robson is giving you a grilling over your sub-par performance.

But the feature may still need some work… During tests, Eurogamer found that disabling critical commentary during a FIFA Ultimate Team Division Rivals match did absolutely nothing. “Robson still tore into my finishing and had some choice words for poor Mason Mount,” said Eurogamer.

Still, it sounds like a useful edition for the more sensitive players when it works.

FIFA 23 will officially launch on September 30, but EA Play players and those who pre-ordered with early access can jump on and give it a whirl right now.

Want to read more about FIFA 23? Check out Ted Lasso’s addition to FIFA 23 and find out how the game leaked a month early for some players.

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

Marvel’s upcoming Blade reboot has just lost its director, Bassam Tariq.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 35-year-old filmmaker has exited the upcoming Blade reboot – a report which was confirmed by Marvel itself.

“Due to continued shifts in our production schedule, Bassam is no longer moving forward as director of Blade but will remain an executive producer on the film,” Marvel said in a statement to THR. “We appreciate Bassam’s talent and all the work he’s done getting Blade to where it is.”

Blade was already in production with Tariq at the helm and was due to begin shooting in November.

The upcoming Marvel film stars Mahershala Ali as everyone’s favorite daywalker, Blade, alongside Delroy Lindo as well as Krypton star, Aaron Pierre.

News of Tariq’s exit comes just months after news broke that the director had boarded the project. It’s unclear how Tariq’s exit will impact the production of the upcoming Marvel vampire movie, but it’s likely to see production pushed back for a while as Marvel hunts for a new director.

“It’s been an honor working with the wonderful folks at Marvel,” said Tariq in a separate statement to THR. “We were able to put together a killer cast and crew. Eager to see where the next director takes the film.”

As it stands, Blade has already seen its production shift around several times, with THR sources confirming that the project has undergone several rounds of rewrites. Moon Knight writer Beau de Mayo is the project’s current writer.

However, sources also confirm that Marvel is already searching for its new director.

Blade is easily one of Marvel’s most anticipated upcoming projects, stepping into a darker corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside the likes of Werewolf by Night as well as the recent Doctor Strange sequel and WandaVision TV show.

The film also has many fans eagerly waiting – including John Wick director, Chad Stahelski, who has previously expressed interest in helming the project.

“After John Wick 3, [Kevin Feige] was nice enough to carve out a big chunk of time and have a nice talk,” he revealed. “And he actually asked me, 'What could we ever do?' I was like, 'Look, I'm not going to lie to you. I don't know if I fit that kind of studio mold, but Blade would be the one interesting thing I'd like to do.’”

Whoever takes over Blade at this point will need to hit the ground running. After all, the film is expected to debut on November 3, 2023. But if you ask me, it’s likely we’ll see that date moved back to accommodate the new director. After all, Tariq had been working on the project since the summer of 2021.

Want to read more about Blade? Check out the 15 best R-rated comic book movies as well as the Eternals post-credit scene explained.

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

PUBG creator Brendan Greene has revealed his next game – a blockchain-powered metaverse title.

During an interview with Hit Points, the 45-year-old game developer revealed that Artemis, his next game, will feature NFTs, the metaverse, and blockchain.

“[Artemis] will be a platform that we participate in the maintenance of, maybe,” he explained. “But it’s something that anyone can plug into, and everyone can host a bit of themselves.”

Artemis will reportedly let players make anything they like as part of a large, open world. But now, it looks as though the project will incorporate blockchain.

"I was fascinated with this idea of digital spaces, places where there are no real rules but a set of systems that you can use,” explained Greene. “That fascinated me, and still does. I never considered just walking away.”

Blockchain is often pitched as a way for players to contribute to a game’s development, but many developers have come out against the technology with the likes of Minecraft outright banning the use of NFTs or blockchain.

Greene insists that Artemis is not about making money. “The only way this exists is if it’s made for everyone, and it’s not made for money,” he said. However, he also confirmed that players will be able to “extract value” from their creations by selling in-game items to other players.

Despite the skepticism, Greene says he’ll continue regardless.

“I’m just going to do what I’m going to do,” he said. “But it doesn’t matter if it’s called the metaverse. I don’t care what people want to call it.”

Of course, Greene won’t be the first developer to get into the metaverse. Bandai Namco recently revealed it’s spent a massive $130 million on an upcoming metaverse project. Not to mention Epic Games and LEGO working together on a child-safe metaverse project.

Quite how the Artemis metaverse will take shape remains to be seen. But the addition of NFTs and blockchain sure isn’t going to win over the critics.

Want to read more about the metaverse? Find out what the metaverse means for gamers as well as what the Epic Games metaverse is all about.

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

Netflix’s Grendel series has been canceled but could be picked up elsewhere.

According to Deadline, the Dark Horse comic book adaptation, about a masked vigilante named Grendel, has been canned by the online streaming service.

Announced back in 2021, Grendel had been picked up by Netflix for an eight-episode series, but now the project has been pulled, despite the fact that it was midway through production.

“This business, man,” said comic book writer Jay Faerber via Twitter. “They were in the middle of shooting their first season and Netflix just... changed their minds. Nothing had even aired yet.”

This business, man... They were in the middle of shooting their first season and Netflix just... changed their minds. Nothing had even aired yet. https://t.co/KZqJfNO7Ax

— Jay Faerber (@JayFaerber) September 27, 2022

Grendel stars Abubakr Ali in the leading role – the first male Muslim actor to portray a series lead in a comic book adaptation. It tells the story of Hunter Rose (Ali), a gifted fencer, writer, and assassin, who’s looking to avenge the death of a lost love. He goes to war with the entire New York criminal underworld, only to realize… why beat them when you can join them?

The series was secured by Netflix as part of its first look series with Dark Horse.

However, this isn’t necessarily the end of the road for Grendel. Now that Netflix has pulled the plug on the project, producers are free to shop the series elsewhere, so we could eventually find that the masked vigilante has simply found a different home.

Additionally, the decision to cancel Grendel apparently came after the bulk of filming was already complete, so streamers and networks might be keen to pick up a series with only minimal work left to do.

Despite Grendel’s cancellation, the relationship between Dark Horse and Netflix remains strong. After all, they recently renewed The Umbrella Academy for a fourth season – another Dark Hose adaptation brought to the screen by Netflix.

Will Grendel ever see the light of day? For now, we’ll have to wait and see.

Want to read more about Netflix? Check out the new Netflix game studio as well as everything announced at Netflix’s Tudum 2022.

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

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the longest Phase 4 movie… by far.

According to a new listing at Cineplex, the upcoming Marvel movie clocks in at 2 hours 41 minutes – that makes it the longest Phase 4 movie as well as the longest non-Avengers film in the whole MCU.

The record is currently held by Eternals which comes in at 2 hours and 36 minutes… but the Black Panther sequel beats it by a full five minutes.

Although Marvel is yet to confirm the official runtime, it does make sense.

For one thing, the death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman leaves a lot to clear up in the film’s opening act… and with plenty of new story in the recent Wakanda Forever teaser trailer, it looks like there’s plenty of justification for a pretty hefty runtime.

“It just felt like it was much too soon to recast,” said Marvel boss, Kevin Feige. “Stan Lee always said that Marvel represents the world outside your window. And we had talked about how, as extraordinary and fantastical as our characters and stories are, there’s a relatable and human element to everything we do. The world is still processing the loss of Chad. And Ryan [Coogler] poured that into the story.”

Director Ryan Coogler has revealed that Wakanda Forever will tackle the passing of the original Black Panther and the theme of moving on in the face of insurmountable odds.

“The conversations were entirely about, yes, ‘What do we do next?’” Feige said. “And how could the legacy of Chadwick – and what he had done to help Wakanda and the Black Panther become these incredible, aspirational, iconic ideas – continue? That’s what it was all about.”

These are obviously big questions, that won’t be wrapped up with a limited runtime. Not to mention the fact that Wakanda Forever won’t have one lead character.

Instead, the film will focus on a larger cast, including Letitia Wright's Shuri, Angela Bassett's Queen Ramonda, Winston Duke's M'Baku, and Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to debut on November 11, 2022.

Want to read more about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever? Check out the major Namor theory that’s been confirmed, as well as how the original pitch made it through to the final film.

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

Deadpool will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe on September 6, 2024, and star Ryan Reynolds is teasing a long-awaited meeting with his old friend Wolverine.

In a surprise teaser posted on Ryan Reynold's personal Twitter account, the actor is shown seated on a sofa telling fans he was "extremely sad" about missing D23 where there was no Deadpool 3 announcement.

Reynolds then shares a workout montage before talking about a potential story idea the writers had for Deadpool 3. He then asks Hugh Jackman if he wants to play Wolverine again, to which Jackman appears briefly and says "sure."

Click over to see our biggest burning questions about Deadpool 3 and Wolverine's return.

Hard keeping my mouth sewn shut about this one. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/OdV7JmAkEu

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) September 27, 2022

Jackman last played Wolverine in 2017's Logan directed by James Mangold. At the time, Jackman publicly stated Logan would be his last film as Wolverine. Even after Disney officialy acquired the rights to the X-Men again, Jackman talked about his excitement for new actors to pick up the claws.

However, a Jackman and Reynolds team-up has also been something both actors have wanted for a long time. Especially as a way to make up for their first meeting in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. And if Reynolds could reboot Deadpool, why not reboot his relationship with Jackman's Wolverine too?

The pair did briefly appear together in the credits of Deadpool 2, though that was more of a fun joke than proper crossover.

The idea that Jackman could reprise the role of Wolverine is deeply exciting. Jackman has played Wolverine across nine films, and his sendoff in Logan was as close to perfect as can be. But to see Jackman and Reynolds together at last (again) will be a second closure for fans.

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