Indiana Jones 5 director James Mangold didn't want to use any CGI during the filming of Indiana Jones 5, instead prioritising practical effects.

Speaking to Empire, Mangold explained that he shut down any notions of using volumes - studios that use advanced technology to create artificial backdrops - whenever it came up in production meetings. "If anyone in early meetings brought it up, I'd say, 'no volumes, please'," he said.

Production left the U.S. to shoot in the likes of Sicily, Morocco, and Glasgow as the team sought to create a completely authentic globe-trotting adventure that Indiana Jones films are known for, with scenes shot in crypts, bazaars, and even underwater.

Something brand new, however, is the use of helicopters in set pieces, joining horses, planes, trains, and automobiles. "Every type of vehicle, every country, we have scenes that are recreating really iconic, giant events," added producer Simon Emanuel.

Indiana Jones wrapped filming in February 2022 but won't be released until June 30 next year. Alongside Harrison Ford returning as the titular character (despite not finding a fifth entry necessary), Mads Mikkelsen and Phoebe Waller-Bridge are also starring in the fifth and final film.

Though details are still hazy around the film's plot, we know that at least some of it is set in the past as Ford is confirmed to undergo a de-aging for the opening sequence.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Indie hit Vampire Survivors is getting an update that adds a new character and stage.

After leaving Early Access with its recent 1.0 update, Vampire Survivors brings even more monster-themed mayhem with its 1.1 “Tiny” update.

The new patch launches today and adds a new stage, the Tiny Bridge, which sees your favorite survivors fighting for survival atop, well, a bridge. “Two bloodthirsty factions battle atop a bridge, and our heroes find themselves caught in the middle,” reads the announcement.

The stage is a lot more cramped than your usual Vampire Survivors stages, so watch out for those choke points.

Vampire Survivors is also adding a new secret character called Scorej-Oni. An ancient creature that sounds like it’s based on the Japanese Oni, it gets a hidden Lightning Ring every eight levels.

There’s also a new Seal Power Up that allows players to banish an item from level-up choices, or a pickup from light choices, presumably focussing your build on items you really need. Additionally, there are two new achievements, but you’ll have to dive in to find out what those are.

Patch 1.1 also includes some minor fixes, including improvements to the pause menu, loading times, and more.

Vampire Survivors recently added a dog that farts flowers as part of its continuous updates following the game’s viral success. It became the most-played game on Steam Deck in August and retained the title the following month. Vampire Survivors is now also available on Xbox Game Pass.

IGN’s review of Vampire Survivors gave it 7/10 and said: “It may look extremely basic, but if you give Vampire Survivors' clever one-stick shooter idea a chance to sink its teeth into you it might not let go for a while.”

Want to read more about Vampire Survivors? Check out the content that was added before Vampire Survivors left Early Access as well as the game’s official Xbox launch trailer.

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

Indie hit Vampire Survivors is getting an update that adds a new character and stage.

After leaving Early Access with its recent 1.0 update, Vampire Survivors brings even more monster-themed mayhem with its 1.1 “Tiny” update.

The new patch launches today and adds a new stage, the Tiny Bridge, which sees your favorite survivors fighting for survival atop, well, a bridge. “Two bloodthirsty factions battle atop a bridge, and our heroes find themselves caught in the middle,” reads the announcement.

The stage is a lot more cramped than your usual Vampire Survivors stages, so watch out for those choke points.

Vampire Survivors is also adding a new secret character called Scorej-Oni. An ancient creature that sounds like it’s based on the Japanese Oni, it gets a hidden Lightning Ring every eight levels.

There’s also a new Seal Power Up that allows players to banish an item from level-up choices, or a pickup from light choices, presumably focussing your build on items you really need. Additionally, there are two new achievements, but you’ll have to dive in to find out what those are.

Patch 1.1 also includes some minor fixes, including improvements to the pause menu, loading times, and more.

Vampire Survivors recently added a dog that farts flowers as part of its continuous updates following the game’s viral success. It became the most-played game on Steam Deck in August and retained the title the following month. Vampire Survivors is now also available on Xbox Game Pass.

IGN’s review of Vampire Survivors gave it 7/10 and said: “It may look extremely basic, but if you give Vampire Survivors' clever one-stick shooter idea a chance to sink its teeth into you it might not let go for a while.”

Want to read more about Vampire Survivors? Check out the content that was added before Vampire Survivors left Early Access as well as the game’s official Xbox launch trailer.

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

Sony has now included EA's Battlefield franchise in its arguments against Xbox's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, saying the shooter can't keep up with Call of Duty.

As reported by PC Gamer, Sony said in its response to the UK government's investigation into the merger that Call of Duty has found unparalleled success that no other shooter can compete, even Battlefield.

"Call of Duty is not replicable," it said. "Call of Duty is too entrenched for any rival, no matter how well equipped, to catch up. It has been the top-selling game for almost every year in the last decade and, in the first-person shooter genre, it is overwhelmingly the top-selling game.

"Other publishers do not have the resources or expertise to match its success," Sony continued. "To give a concrete example, Electronic Arts – one of the largest third-party developers after Activision – has tried for many years to produce a rival to Call of Duty with its Battlefield series.

"Despite the similarities between Call of Duty and Battlefield – and despite EA’s track record in developing other successful AAA franchises (such as FIFA, Mass Effect, Need for Speed, and Star Wars: Battlefront) – the Battlefield franchise cannot keep up. As of August 2021, more than 400 million Call of Duty games has been sold, while Battlefield has sold just 88.7 million copies."

EA's most recent entry, Battlefield 2042, has had a particularly rocky first year on the market, with the publisher itself admitting that it didn't meet expectations. Several updates and fixes were delayed and developer DICE was even forced to remake its maps after saying it understood the "walking simulator" complaints.

Call of Duty's latest, on the other hand, had the biggest opening weekend in franchise history, breaking multiple sales records and earning $1 billion in its first ten days on sale.

The franchise has always been released on both Xbox and PlayStation, but Sony is currently arguing that there’s nothing stopping Microsoft from making the franchise an Xbox exclusive despite its promises not to.

Although the Activision deal has been approved in some markets, the UK government's Competition and Markets Authority is currently scrutinizing the deal due to anti-competition concerns.

EA, on the other hand, sees the Microsoft deal as a huge opportunity. "Being platform-agnostic and completely cross-platform with Battlefield I think is a tremendous opportunity," said EA CEO Andrew Wilson at the time.

Want to read more about Call of Duty? Check out the Warzone 2.0 glitch that’s locking players out as well as what’s coming to Call of Duty in 2023.

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

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly "likely" to file an antitrust lawsuit to block the $68.7 billion deal that would see Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard.

As reported by Politico, this news comes by the way of "three people with knowledge of the matter," and they stress this lawsuit is "not guaranteed."

The FTC's four commissioners haven't taken the time to vote out a complaint or even meet with the lawyers from Microsoft and Activision, but the FTC staff reviewing the deal are "skeptical of the companies' arguments."

As for where the deal stands, much of the "heavy lifting" has been completed, including depositions of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. This means a decision on a potential antitrust lawsuit could arrive as soon as December.

The main crux of the problem, according to the FTC, is some worry this deal will give "Microsoft an unfair boost in the video game market."

Sony has, obviously, been one of the biggest opponents against the deal, and the question of where Call of Duty will appear has been one of the hottest topics. Despite Xbox head Phil Spencer stating Call of Duty will continue to ship on PlayStation "as long as there's a PlayStation to ship to," there are still concerns with what other issues this deal may create.

Sony has previously said that Microsoft is a "Tech Titan buying up irreplaceable content at incontestable prices ($68.7 billion) to tip competition to itself."

There are concerns beyond Call of Duty, however, as there is worry what future mega-hit titles will do to tip the scales if they are locked behind one platform.

Google is also said to be against the deal, claiming Microsoft has "purposely degraded the quality of its Game Pass subscription service when used with Google’s Chrome operating system." If the deal were to go through, it believes it would "further [Microsoft's] incentive to do so."

Microsoft has disputed many of these claims and acknowledges that, even after the deal closes, it would still be in third place.

"We’ll still trail Sony and Tencent in the market after the deal closes, and together Activision and Xbox will benefit gamers and developers and make the industry more competitive," Microsoft spokesperson David Cuddy said.

Alongside the FTC, regulators in Europe and the UK have also launched in-depth probes, meaning the deal likely won't close until the Spring at the earliest. Microsoft and Activision have until July 2023 to close the deal or they will have to renegotiate the agreement.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Not only has Pokemon Scarlet and Violet sold an impressive 10 million combined units within the first three days of launch, they also account for "the highest global sales level for any software on any Nintendo platform" within that time frame.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launched globally on November 18, 2022, and these sales figures from Nintendo include both packaged and downloadable versions.

The newest entries in the legendary Pokemon franchise mark the second outing of the mainline franchise following Pokemon Sword and Shield. For comparison, Sword and Shield sold over six million units in their first week, which was a record for the fastest-selling Switch title at the time.

The Switch has seen plenty of Pokemon titles since 2017, including Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

These sales numbers were reached despite some glaring technical issues plaguing Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. That being said, the game surrounding these bugs appears to be something special.

In our Pokemon Scarlet and Violet review in progress, we said, "After a few years of experimentation on the Switch, Game Freak has finally stumbled upon an open world formula that successfully reinvents how Pokémon is played, while remaining true to the nostalgic childhood vision of exploration, adventure, and cute monster collecting."

"It is, in almost every way, the transformation I’ve been waiting for – but the grievously poor performance that has come along with it significantly mars this otherwise exciting design evolution."

For more, check out our full Pokemon Scarlet and Violet wiki, which includes all the details on the new starters, version differences and exclusives, the new pokemon, our full walkthrough, and things to do first.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

As Microsoft seeks to finalize its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the UK government is moving forward with its investigation into the deal. In a statement highlighting concerns over industry competition, Sony published its own observations regarding the deal—which include some interesting Game Pass numbers.

Sony's official response outlines, as spotted by @EvernbornSaga, the company's concern over Microsoft's "ability and incentive to lessen current and future competition in multi-game subscription services" noted in the CMA's (Competition and Markets Authority) decision to refer.

As part of Sony's observation, published back in October, it claims:

"Game Pass leads PlayStation Plus significantly. Microsoft already has a substantial lead in multi-game subscription services. Game Pass has 29 million subscribers to Xbox Game Pass Console and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and is expected to grow substantially in the future. The multi-game subscription tiers of PlayStation Plus considerably lag, with fewer than [redacted] the number of subscribers."

Sony's "29 million subscribers" claim regarding Xbox Game Pass doesn't seem to match Microsoft's previous reports. On Twitter, games industry analyst @DomsPlaying notes that 29 million Game Pass subscribers are higher than Microsoft's last update earlier this year of 25 million subscribers.

Sony cites market data and analytics firm Ampere Analysis, and the PlayStation company's language indicates Microsoft has already hit that subscriber milestone with Game Pass. However, Ampere Analysis games researcher Piers Harding-Rolls noted this isn't the firm's current number, unless it's a forecast. The reference comes from Harding-Rolls' GDC talk on the future of streaming services.

The 29 million is not our current number (unless a forecast!). I think the citation is related to Microsoft’s dominance of the multi-game subscription market

In my GDC talk I showed this chart, which is what is being referenced https://t.co/ebXkPyJrNI pic.twitter.com/FJO5oi0qRj

— Piers Harding-Rolls (@PiersHR) November 23, 2022

Sony's response notes several points from the CMA's original statement, including worries that Activision's content will be limited to Game Pass only—a situation that would not have happened had Microsoft not pursued its acquisition. In October, Microsoft responded to the UK agency's criticisms, claiming it has a “number of significant disadvantages” compared to competitors like Sony.

The UK government began its probe earlier this year and later asked for public opinion on the Xbox-Activision deal. Around the world, other regulators have started investigations over the same concerns around competition within the games industry. The European Commission recently issued a statement regarding its probe, while the US Justice Department is looking into three investors over insider trading.

Andrea Shearon is a freelance contributor for IGN covering games and entertainment. She's worn several hats over her seven-year career in the games industry, with bylines over at Fanbyte, USA Today's FTW, TheGamer, VG247, and RPG Site. Find her on Twitter (@Maajora) or the Materia Possessions podcast chatting about FFXIV, RPGs, and any series involving giant robots.

Peacock's Twisted Metal series is shaping up to be a post-apocalyptic mash-up of fun.

The series, a live-action adaptation of the classic PlayStation video game, was announced in 2019, and some inside looks to the final product are finally here. Carter Swan, a Senior Producer at Playstation Studios, spoke to IGN about how the show looks to represent the games as best they can.

"You gotta have the cars, you’ve gotta have the post-apocalyptic setting," Swan said. "There's a lot of characters that we thought were great. Obviously, Sweet Tooth has been announced and I think will be a very iconic character in the show. He’s being voiced by Will Arnett, played by the wrestler Samoa Joe, who did an unbelievable job. When you think of that game, the first thing that kind of pops into my head is the ice cream truck, that’s the piece that’s been marketed all these years."

In fact, back in late August, the show wrapped production and celebrated with, of course, some Sweet Tooth ice cream. The series is created by Deadpool scribes Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese and stars Anthony Mackie as an amnesiac, post-apocalyptic outsider tasked with delivering a mysterious package across the wasteland.

"The creators of the show, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, Rhett is a huge, massive fan of the game," Swan explained. "So, really trying to take those elements from like those things that they do, and that time, and that style. They're able to kind of take these violent, ridiculous things and make them fun. Zombieland’s a good barometer if you look at what happens in that movie as to what we could do. Their whole thing is you can have fun in the most apocalypse."

The appreciation for the games amongst the crew doesn't stop with Reese and Wernick, though.

"Michael Jonathan Smith's our showrunner, who's one of the big writers on Cobra Kai, and he was a massive fan of the game and wanted to make it fun, even when it's dark," Swan said. "But, it does have moments of stakes where bad things happen, and you do feel emotional about it… but the game is just such balls-out fun and craziness, so we’re trying as best we can to capture all that.

"It was an important game to me because I absolutely love that franchise. When it was out, I used to play it at my friend's apartment up in their game loft and pass out at night, playing it like every night, every time a new one came out. So again, trying to build towards storylines down the road…"

Due to the simplistic plot and apocalyptic nature of the show, fans thought the series may resemble the classic Mad Max series from George Miller. According to Swan, the show changed its approach early on.

"We all thought having a battle royale in Season 1. It's fun, but it's hard to get to know the characters, and it's hard to get to know the world's story if you're bound to one place," he said. "Thunderdome’s the third movie in [the Mad Max] franchise after they’d thoroughly established what's happening. So you want take time to build this world, build these characters."

He continued: "I can't wait for people to see Anthony Mackie in the show, he’s playing John Doe. It's such a different character for him, along the lines of those fun, irreverent, never-take-anything-seriously characters that Wernick and Reese do so well."

The Twisted Metal series is one of many new video game adaptations from Playstation as the company looks to surge into the movie and television business. The studio is also behind a Ghost of Tsushima film adaptation with John Wick creator Chad Stahelski on board. An HBO series adaptation of The Last of Us starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey is set to hit television screens in mid-January, as well.

Carson Burton is a freelance news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter at @carsonsburton.

Accessory maker Shargeek recently launched an Indiegogo to fund its latest device — a charging brick shaped like a retro Apple computer with a functional display.

The Retro 67 is a compact charging brick similar to the classic Apple computer and the Retro 35, which Shargeek released earlier this year. The big difference between the Retro 35 and Retro 67 is the latter offers 67 watts of power instead of 35W in the Retro 35. Additionally, the Retro 67 has three ports on the device instead of one.

The biggest change found in the Retro 67, however, is the display., While the Retro 35 offers a display that lights up in four different colors that indicate how fast your device is charging, the Retro 67's display will show you a real-time display of power the brick is outputting.

Of course, if you use more than one of the ports, those devices will have to share 67 watts of power. Shargeek created a chart, which you can see below, to show the power distribution if you decide to charge multiple devices with the brick.

By default, the Retro 67 has prongs for US sockets, but Shargeek is making adapters compatible with Australian, EU, and UK sockets. The project has already reached its funding goal, but you can back the project as the crowdfunding campaign is slated to close on January 22, with shipping slated to begin in March.

Keep in mind, of course, that this is a crowdfunding campaign, so the usual proceed with caution before backing a crowdfunded campaign applies here. However, it is also important to note that this is not Shargeek's first outing with crowdfunding its products, as the company previously released the Storm 2 and Storm 2 Slim power banks, along with the aforementioned Retro 35 charging brick.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

CD Projekt Red has finally shared gameplay footage of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions, also revealing every upgrade coming to the next-gen version of the 2015 RPG.

Revealed during a CD Projekt Red Twitch livestream, a handful of developers outlined the upgraded visuals, brand new quests, cross-progression, and more that's coming to The Witcher 3 when the update is released on December 14.

CD Projekt Red confirmed that graphics settings will be added to console, letting players choose between 30 frames per second with ray tracing or 60 frames per second without. This will be available on all next-gen consoles including Xbox Series S.

The DLC based on The Witcher Netflix series has also been expanded into its own quest, which rewards the player with the previously announced armour based on Henry Cavill's version of Geralt. An alternative outfit has also been added for Dandelion, making him look like the Netflix series' Jaskier.

Multiple quality-of-life-improvements

CD Projekt Red has also announced that cross-progression is coming to The Witcher 3 next-gen version, meaning players will be able to share their save between PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC.

Haptic feedback has been added to the PS5 version of the game, vibrating the controller in different ways when players clash swords with enemies or cast magic signs.

Speaking of, quality-of-life improvements have also been made regarding magic wielding. The left bumper activation to switch between different signs can now be changed, so when players hold the button down the face buttons change to represent each one. Though slightly more advanced, this addition is intended to let players remain immersed in combat without having to enter a menu.

Other quality-of-life improvements include changes to the map, as a new filter setting cleans up all the pesky question marks that fill each of The Witcher 3's worlds. This is also intended to add more immersion to the game as players can encounter different events more naturally instead of treating them as a checklist.

The mini-map has been made more dynamic as well as it and on-screen objectives will now disappear as players explore the world on horseback or fight in combat. It can be brought up again with a single button press, however, keeping Geralt from getting lost as he explores The Continent.

Some minor accessibility features have been added too, including the ability to change the left-stick to auto sprint (instead of it being a face button prompt) and more subtitle settings.

CD Projekt Red has also addressed a number of quest bugs and performance issues alongside improving various models of foliage and other background features.

For PC, the next-gen update adds ray tracing alongside more extensive customisation options and a new photo mode. A new camera angle is also being added for more dramatic and cinematic gameplay. The optional camera sits a little closer to Geralt and off to one side, somewhat akin to The Witcher 3's original reveal trailer.

The Witcher 3 next-gen update release is happening soon

The next-gen update was originally expected to be released last year before being delayed twice, with third party studio Saber Interactive originally developing the new version. CD Projekt Red took over itself in April 2022, though persisted that the game was "not in development hell".

A Q4 date was set back in May but many were still worried given the two previous delays, not to mention the impending end of the year, but CD Projekt Red will seemingly meet its target having announced the December date earlier in November.

In our 9/10 review of the original release, IGN said: "Massive in size, and meticulously detailed, The Witcher 3 ends Geralt's story on a high note," and it also won our Game of the Year.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.