Twitter is bracing for layoffs as Elon Musk reportedly plans to cut 5,500 jobs in a move that has some worried about the social media giant's ability to prevent security crises and control harmful content.

Musk told prospective investors that he planned to cut the jobs, amounting to nearly 75% of Twitter's workforce, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.

Edwin Chen, the company's former head of spam and health metrics, said this extent of cuts was "unimaginable" and would put users at risk of being hacked and exposed to offensive content.

"It would be a cascading effect, where you’d have services going down and the people remaining not having the institutional knowledge to get them back up," Chen said to the Post, "and being completely demoralized and wanting to leave themselves."

Cuts are expected regardless of Musk's purchasing of Twitter, as the documents also show that its management planned to reduce the payroll by around $800 million, alongside other cuts to Twitter's infrastructure such as the shutting down of data centres.

This was potentially why Twitter was so eager to receive Musk's offer in the first place, and also why it sued him once he tried to back out, eventually resulting in his purchasing of Twitter for $44 million. The deal is expected to close on October 28, and we'll only learn the extent of the cuts (and their impact on Twitter) afterwards.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Thumbnail image by PATRICK PLEUL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.

Everyone knows if you make eye contact with another Pokémon trainer, you must battle them. At least, that has been the rule for generations... until now. In Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, you’ll have to actively choose to talk to an NPC to battle them, and hear about how they like shorts because they’re comfy and easy to wear.

We had the chance to go hands-on with the upcoming Pokémon games (which we wrote about in our detailed Pokemon Scarlet and Violet hands-on preview) and in the session, learned more about some new mechanics, including the removal of mandatory trainer battles. To be clear, there may be areas where NPC battles are forced, but in general, that rule we’ve all grown accustomed to making memes about is no more in Scarlet and Violet.

When we first encountered an NPC in our hands-on session, the NPC did not initiate a battle or dialogue when we walked in front of them. The Nintendo rep specified that the icon above the trainer’s head signified they would battle us, but only if we initiated by talking to them first, and that's how it would be throughout the game.

This may seem like an astronomically small change, but it has big implications. Generally, a gauntlet of NPCs (and, in older games, random wild Pokémon encounters) increases the perceived difficulty of an area, forcing players to prepare for the slew of battles to come, or else retreat when their Pokémon became worse for wear.

Doing away with both mandatory trainer battles and random Pokémon encounters removes the barrier to exploration, which could well be seen as a positive among some fans.

Without the dread of repeated battles cluttering an otherwise enticing path, the world suddenly seems a lot more open and ripe for exploration. Considering Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the first truly open-world Pokemon games, removing mandatory trainer battles may be a way to ensure players can go where they want, when they want to.

What do you think? Should forced trainer battles remain a tradition, or do you like the idea of not having to battle every trainer you cross paths with?

For more on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, read about how some people think Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s latest new Pokemon is a Gold and Silver deep cut, and don’t miss the list of all new Pokemon revealed so far.

Casey DeFreitas is IGN's Deputy Editor of Guides as well as IGN's resident Pokémon master. Catch her on Twitter @ShinyCaseyD.

Bayonetta 3 voice actress Jennifer Hale has the developer’s “full support”, even while it thanks "contributors" to the series amid a debate about payment for game actors.

A statement from PlatinumGames via Twitter attempts to draw a line under the recent controversy, while also backing the new voice of Bayonetta.

“We at PlatinumGames offer our sincerest appreciation to everyone who has contributed to creating the Bayonetta series over the years, as well as the community that has served as its foundation,” it said. “We give our full support to Jennifer Hale as the new Bayonetta, and align with everything in her statement.”

A Message from PlatinumGames pic.twitter.com/5ym1JxtBBn

— PlatinumGames Inc. (@platinumgames) October 21, 2022

The controversy began when original voice actress Hellena Taylor hinted that she wouldn’t be back earlier in the year. Known as the voice of Bayonetta, Taylor was beloved by fans of the series, and when Jennifer Hale was cast in the role instead, the replacement wasn’t exactly met with enthusiasm.

“I understand the concerns some fans have about the voice change at this point in the series, but Jennifer’s performance was way beyond what we could have imagined,” said Platinum Games at the time. “I’m confident that her portrayal of Bayonetta will exceed our fans’ expectations.”

These concerns were amplified when Taylor claimed she was offered just $4000 to return, but this is where it all gets a bit messy.

“The Bayonetta franchise made an approximated $450 million, and that’s not including merchandise,” said Taylor. “As an actor, I trained for a total of seven and a half years – three years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art Lambda with voice coach Barbara Berkery, and four and a half years with the legendary Larry Moss in Los Angeles. And what did they think this was worth? What did they offer to pay me? The final offer to do the whole game as a buyout, flat rate, was $4,000 USD.”

Taylor then called on Bayonetta fans to boycott the game, and while Hale was unable to comment on the situation, she did issue a response:

“As a longtime member of the voice-acting community, I support every actor's right to be paid well and have advocated consistently for this for years,” she said, adding that she was “not at liberty to speak regarding this situation,” but that she hopes “everyone involved may resolve their differences in an amicable and respectful way.”

The situation gets even more convoluted as a report appears to confirm that Taylor was actually offered $15,000 for her return – a significant increase on her pay for Bayonetta 2. Despite this, Platinum Games is clearly trying to draw a line under it all and has called upon fans to not disrespect either Hale or “other contributors” to the series.

“We ask people to please refrain from any further comments that would disrespect Jennifer or any of the other contributors to the series,” they said.

Bayonetta 3 is due to be released on October 28, 2022.

Want to read more about Bayonetta? Check out our hands-on preview of Bayonetta 3 as well as what comes with each of Bayonetta 3’s different editions.

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

Bayonetta 3 voice actress Jennifer Hale has the developer’s “full support”, even while it thanks "contributors" to the series amid a debate about payment for game actors.

A statement from PlatinumGames via Twitter attempts to draw a line under the recent controversy, while also backing the new voice of Bayonetta.

“We at PlatinumGames offer our sincerest appreciation to everyone who has contributed to creating the Bayonetta series over the years, as well as the community that has served as its foundation,” it said. “We give our full support to Jennifer Hale as the new Bayonetta, and align with everything in her statement.”

A Message from PlatinumGames pic.twitter.com/5ym1JxtBBn

— PlatinumGames Inc. (@platinumgames) October 21, 2022

The controversy began when original voice actress Hellena Taylor hinted that she wouldn’t be back earlier in the year. Known as the voice of Bayonetta, Taylor was beloved by fans of the series, and when Jennifer Hale was cast in the role instead, the replacement wasn’t exactly met with enthusiasm.

“I understand the concerns some fans have about the voice change at this point in the series, but Jennifer’s performance was way beyond what we could have imagined,” said Platinum Games at the time. “I’m confident that her portrayal of Bayonetta will exceed our fans’ expectations.”

These concerns were amplified when Taylor claimed she was offered just $4000 to return, but this is where it all gets a bit messy.

“The Bayonetta franchise made an approximated $450 million, and that’s not including merchandise,” said Taylor. “As an actor, I trained for a total of seven and a half years – three years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art Lambda with voice coach Barbara Berkery, and four and a half years with the legendary Larry Moss in Los Angeles. And what did they think this was worth? What did they offer to pay me? The final offer to do the whole game as a buyout, flat rate, was $4,000 USD.”

Taylor then called on Bayonetta fans to boycott the game, and while Hale was unable to comment on the situation, she did issue a response:

“As a longtime member of the voice-acting community, I support every actor's right to be paid well and have advocated consistently for this for years,” she said, adding that she was “not at liberty to speak regarding this situation,” but that she hopes “everyone involved may resolve their differences in an amicable and respectful way.”

The situation gets even more convoluted as a report appears to confirm that Taylor was actually offered $15,000 for her return – a significant increase on her pay for Bayonetta 2. Despite this, Platinum Games is clearly trying to draw a line under it all and has called upon fans to not disrespect either Hale or “other contributors” to the series.

“We ask people to please refrain from any further comments that would disrespect Jennifer or any of the other contributors to the series,” they said.

Bayonetta 3 is due to be released on October 28, 2022.

Want to read more about Bayonetta? Check out our hands-on preview of Bayonetta 3 as well as what comes with each of Bayonetta 3’s different editions.

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

An improved frame rate on Pilotwings 64 is causing problems on Nintendo Switch.

The classic flight sim came to Nintendo Switch Online via the Expansion Pak earlier this month, boasting an improved frame rate compared to its original N64 release. Unfortunately, it’s making certain parts of the game unplayable.

“I thought I was doing something wrong or the buttons were mapped weirdly,” said IGN’s Peer Schneider who has been playing Pilotwings 64. “They have to patch it. It's just not fun this way.”

Although most of the game is unaffected, problems arise during the Birdman bonus stage. Usually a relaxing tour of the island, allowing players to take pictures and soak up the atmosphere, the Birdman stage is renowned for its calm, laid-back gameplay. The player suits up with a large set of wings, hitting the A button occasionally to keep the Birdman in the air.

Unfortunately, the timing of these flaps was originally tied to the game’s framerate, so you can see where this is going. The Nintendo Switch Online version of Pilotwings 64 requires manic button-mashing just to keep the Birdman airborne, transforming the previously relaxing stage into a stressful feat of endurance.

Dakko Dakko developer Rhod Broadbent has taken to Twitter to highlight the change.

I did the science: N64 (red) vs Switch (grey) #Pilotwings64. New version has indeed lost its chill.

The flap timing seems tied to framerate (common back then), and hasn't been adjusted for much higher FPS NSO version. https://t.co/wpy6au9yQP pic.twitter.com/Bvt9Awij0Y

— Rhod Broadbent (@sdrhod) October 20, 2022

According to Broadbent, tying the wing flaps to the game’s frame rate was a common technique when the original N64 version was created.

Speaking with VGC, he explained in more detail, positing that Pilotwings 64 counts the frames that elapse after each button press and that flapping faster leads to harder flaps. Since the game now runs at 60fps, the number of frames between each button push is greater, leading the game to think more time has elapsed between them, and in turn, making the flaps weaker.

The level can still be played, especially if alternating between the A and B buttons to flap… but it’s not quite the same, sedate experience as the original. Hopefully, Nintendo will address this in an update.

Want to read more about Pilotwings? Check out our top 125 Nintendo games of all time as well as our history of flight simulators.

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

An improved frame rate on Pilotwings 64 is causing problems on Nintendo Switch.

The classic flight sim came to Nintendo Switch Online via the Expansion Pak earlier this month, boasting an improved frame rate compared to its original N64 release. Unfortunately, it’s making certain parts of the game unplayable.

“I thought I was doing something wrong or the buttons were mapped weirdly,” said IGN’s Peer Schneider who has been playing Pilotwings 64. “They have to patch it. It's just not fun this way.”

Although most of the game is unaffected, problems arise during the Birdman bonus stage. Usually a relaxing tour of the island, allowing players to take pictures and soak up the atmosphere, the Birdman stage is renowned for its calm, laid-back gameplay. The player suits up with a large set of wings, hitting the A button occasionally to keep the Birdman in the air.

Unfortunately, the timing of these flaps was originally tied to the game’s framerate, so you can see where this is going. The Nintendo Switch Online version of Pilotwings 64 requires manic button-mashing just to keep the Birdman airborne, transforming the previously relaxing stage into a stressful feat of endurance.

Dakko Dakko developer Rhod Broadbent has taken to Twitter to highlight the change.

I did the science: N64 (red) vs Switch (grey) #Pilotwings64. New version has indeed lost its chill.

The flap timing seems tied to framerate (common back then), and hasn't been adjusted for much higher FPS NSO version. https://t.co/wpy6au9yQP pic.twitter.com/Bvt9Awij0Y

— Rhod Broadbent (@sdrhod) October 20, 2022

According to Broadbent, tying the wing flaps to the game’s frame rate was a common technique when the original N64 version was created.

Speaking with VGC, he explained in more detail, positing that Pilotwings 64 counts the frames that elapse after each button press and that flapping faster leads to harder flaps. Since the game now runs at 60fps, the number of frames between each button push is greater, leading the game to think more time has elapsed between them, and in turn, making the flaps weaker.

The level can still be played, especially if alternating between the A and B buttons to flap… but it’s not quite the same, sedate experience as the original. Hopefully, Nintendo will address this in an update.

Want to read more about Pilotwings? Check out our top 125 Nintendo games of all time as well as our history of flight simulators.

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

There's more than meets the eye (and ear) to the already ominous Silent Hill: Townfall trailer, as NoCode and Annapurna have hidden a secret message within its audio.

Following a tease from co-producer NoCode's creative director Jon McKellan that the trailer includes some secrets, Reddit user MilkmanEX extracted its audio and converted it to an MP3. When viewing the audio's spectrogram, at around 52 seconds in, the secret message appears.

IGN has verified its existence ourselves, and the message reads: "Whatever heart this town had has now stopped". While we still know practically nothing about Townfall, and aren't expecting any new information until 2023, the message likely alludes to the game's premise.

The Reddit post's comment section has already exploded with theories, with fans generally thinking that the player will be called to this town to save whatever may be left, or at least figure out what went wrong.

The tone of the secret message matches the creepy trailer that Konami released during its Silent Hill Transmission showcase. In it, unsettling scenes of black and white (and bright red at the end) ocean waves flick back and forward with a slowly zooming shot of a pocket CRTV that emits a voice asking why the listener is there.

Fans will likely continue digging into the trailer for more secrets, so we'll just have to wait and see what else comes from it as await more official updates from co-producers Annapurna Interactive and NoCode Studios.

Silent Hill 2 Remake was also announced at Konami's showcase alongside two further spin-offs (Silent Hill: Ascension and Silent Hill f), and a new movie.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

There's more than meets the eye (and ear) to the already ominous Silent Hill: Townfall trailer, as NoCode and Annapurna have hidden a secret message within its audio.

Following a tease from co-producer NoCode's creative director Jon McKellan that the trailer includes some secrets, Reddit user MilkmanEX extracted its audio and converted it to an MP3. When viewing the audio's spectrogram, at around 52 seconds in, the secret message appears.

IGN has verified its existence ourselves, and the message reads: "Whatever heart this town had has now stopped". While we still know practically nothing about Townfall, and aren't expecting any new information until 2023, the message likely alludes to the game's premise.

The Reddit post's comment section has already exploded with theories, with fans generally thinking that the player will be called to this town to save whatever may be left, or at least figure out what went wrong.

The tone of the secret message matches the creepy trailer that Konami released during its Silent Hill Transmission showcase. In it, unsettling scenes of black and white (and bright red at the end) ocean waves flick back and forward with a slowly zooming shot of a pocket CRTV that emits a voice asking why the listener is there.

Fans will likely continue digging into the trailer for more secrets, so we'll just have to wait and see what else comes from it as await more official updates from co-producers Annapurna Interactive and NoCode Studios.

Silent Hill 2 Remake was also announced at Konami's showcase alongside two further spin-offs (Silent Hill: Ascension and Silent Hill f), and a new movie.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Valve has released a new Steam Deck Beta update that allows users to skip the device's opening movie and get straight to playing games.

Detailed in a blog post on Steam, the update is only available if Steam Deck users have opted into its Beta and Preview channels, meaning the features are still being tested but will likely be made widely available soon.

For those taking part, however, pressing the B button during the opening movie will now skip straight to the Steam Deck's main menu, shaving vital seconds from the boot time (or 90 minutes for the user who set Shrek to play as their opening movie, below).

The update also added auto-correct for Store and Library search results, support for the Games to Play Together feature, the option to add custom menu icons, and a menu option to view the components in the Steam Deck.

Various quality of life changes were also made, as Valve improved responsiveness to changes in the local network connection, removed the "Connecting to Steam..." delay when loading an offline game, and improved support for third-party PlayStation controllers.

A handful of bug fixes were made too, including an issue where audio would play quietly even when the volume was set to high and a crash caused by the performance graph being enabled with some languages.

The Steam Deck got off to a slow but steady start when it launched in February but has since picked up the pace after Valve committed to improving its production of the device, and customers can now simply buy a Steam Deck without having to join a waiting list.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Valve has released a new Steam Deck Beta update that allows users to skip the device's opening movie and get straight to playing games.

Detailed in a blog post on Steam, the update is only available if Steam Deck users have opted into its Beta and Preview channels, meaning the features are still being tested but will likely be made widely available soon.

For those taking part, however, pressing the B button during the opening movie will now skip straight to the Steam Deck's main menu, shaving vital seconds from the boot time (or 90 minutes for the user who set Shrek to play as their opening movie, below).

The update also added auto-correct for Store and Library search results, support for the Games to Play Together feature, the option to add custom menu icons, and a menu option to view the components in the Steam Deck.

Various quality of life changes were also made, as Valve improved responsiveness to changes in the local network connection, removed the "Connecting to Steam..." delay when loading an offline game, and improved support for third-party PlayStation controllers.

A handful of bug fixes were made too, including an issue where audio would play quietly even when the volume was set to high and a crash caused by the performance graph being enabled with some languages.

The Steam Deck got off to a slow but steady start when it launched in February but has since picked up the pace after Valve committed to improving its production of the device, and customers can now simply buy a Steam Deck without having to join a waiting list.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.