Netflix has announced that all eight episodes of Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 will be available on January 12, 2023.

Revealed on its Tudum website, Netflix also shared another look of Season 2 with photos (below) of protagonists Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson), and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter) on their new adventure.

"The whole concept of Season 2 is that we take these three heroes who are in Scandinavia and blow them out of their comfort zones,” said show creator Jeb Stuart. "Season 2 for Harald and Leif is a road trip: It’s Thelma and Louise on the Dnieper River. The two of them will begin this incredible journey. Freydís has to go to Pomerania, which is a very difficult environment.

"Season 2 will show that sometimes when you hang out with the people that are just like you, eat like you, talk like you, you can still run into trouble. So you need to stir the pot, which I think is what the Vikings did," he continued. "So we put together this motley crew of Russian nobles, Muslim astronomers ,and con men, and they shove off from Novgorod."

Vikings: Valhalla's second season was announced back in March after Netflix turned its original 24-episode plan into three separate, eight-episode seasons. Season 1 premiered on the streaming service in February, and with Season 2 coming in January, it will likely be towards the start of 2024 that we see Season 3.

In our 7/10 review of Season 1, IGN said: "Vikings: Valhalla, set 100 years after Vikings, may miss out on some of the magic of the original series, but the might remains intact."

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

Warning: This article contains spoilers for God of War Ragnarok

Eagle-eyed players could potentially spot a major plot twist in God of War Ragnarok fairly early on.

The big, late-game plot twist in God of War Ragnarok is that Týr, the one you rescued early in the game, is not actually the Norse god of war but rather Odin in disguise. While the trickery was caught when Týr kept calling Atreus, Loki, the developers hid a tell the moment you meet him.

“I saw someone finally figure it out the other night,” Williams says about one early Odin tell which is hidden in the subtitles. “When Odin as Týr speaks, there’s no accent on the ‘Y’ in the subtitles.”

So in the subtitles, when Odin speaks it is simply “Tyr,” but when the real Tyr is found in the post-game it’s correctly spelled as “Týr.”

Williams revealed when the team first thought of the idea of having Odin disguise himself as Týr. “We were in a meeting one day, we were talking about the Týr prison and all that, and I said to the writers, I was like, ‘What if Týr’s Odin?’ And they were like, ‘What?’”

After the idea the writers left for a week to see if the plot twist could work and came back to Willaims. “They were like, ‘I think we can pull it off.’”

After that, the developers ran away with the idea to hide clues early on. “There’s so many little clues. You know the prison where you break [Odin/Tyr] out? If you go back in there, in that room, there’s like raven feathers in the corner. You can see it in the broom closet. Even just the stuff he says like he calls Freya ‘Frigg’ just like to dig the knife into her. When you go back it’s — you can see it all.”

The twist was a true gut punch, and even though the real Týr lives at the end, it just goes to show how Odin is a trickster as well as the Allfather. For more on God of War Ragnarok, check out IGN’s perfect score review and for the full interview check out the special episode of Beyond.

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

Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for God of War Ragnarok

According to God of War 2018’s director Cory Barlog, the sequel God of War Ragnarok needed to have these three things, without fail.

This article contains details from an interview in a special spoilercast episode of Beyond. Spoilers for the ending of God of War Ragnarok below.

In an interview with IGN on a Beyond spoilercast, God of War Ragnarok director Eric Williams shared that Barlog said three things “had to be done” for the sequel to not only work but conclude the Norse saga for Kratos.

“[Barlog] gave me three things that had to be done, and I said okay,” Williams recalled. “And I was like, ‘What are the three things?’ [and] he’s like, ‘Well, Ragnarok’s going to happen. The kid’s got to leave, and Brok’s going to die.”

Barlog then asked Williams if he knew why Brok had to die and Williams shared that this topic was discussed between the two of them previously some years ago. “He’s the family dog,” Williams responded.

Ragnarok happening, Atreus leaving, and Brok dying indeed all happen in the God of War reboot sequel, making for some of the most emotional moments in the game. According to Williams, these three things would ensure that Kratos’ Norse story could play out in two games instead of three.

According to Williams PlayStation “most definitely” wanted the studio to make a sequel but the team was debating whether it was going to be two or three games. Williams believed the story could be achieved in two games and Barlog agreed and was “adamant” that “two’s the way to go.”

And the team nailed it. IGN’s God of War Ragnarok review awarded the sequel a perfect score, calling it a blockbuster masterpiece. For more behind-the-scenes secrets with the game’s director check out IGN’s special episode of Beyond.

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

This article contains late-game spoilers for God of War Ragnarok.

In the final third of God of War Ragnarok you obtain the Draupnir Spear, the third and final weapon in Kratos’ Norse adventure arsenal. Creating a new weapon for Kratos was naturally a major task for the development team at Santa Monica Studio, and game director Eric Williams has revealed just how the spear became a reality, what ideas were cut, and why they didn’t just let players wield Thor’s hammer.

Talking to IGN’s Beyond podcast, Williams said “When we started early on, in I would say the fall of 2018, people were pitching everything [for a new weapon]. Obviously Mjölnir was on the table, but I really wanted to go back and show who [Kratos] really was, and if he was going to lead these people to this war, I wanted to see that guy, the guy we never really get to see.

“We saw a little bit of it in Ghost of Sparta,” he explained. “The Spartans bring him his weapons. They bring him the arms of a Spartan with his spear and his shield, and you get to see that general a little bit, but we wanted to see that in the Norse mythology [setting].”

So Ragnarok sees Kratos get a Norse-variant of the iconic Spartan weapon. But the physical form of a God of War weapon is just the start. Like the Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos, the Draupnir Spear has a fully developed gameplay style and upgrade tree. All of that started with a phrase that would shape the team’s goals for the weapon.

“We kind of have these little phrases for the weapons internally for how we bake all the ideas in. And the axe [...] was like this ‘frozen lumberjack’. And then the blades have always in this been this ‘ballet of fire’. And so for the spear, coming up with that, I challenged [combat designer Mihir Sheth]. I was like, ‘Hey, come up with the phrase that people can get behind this.’ And he had this idea, he was like, ‘It's just beat the door down.’ And that's what he wanted out of that spear. It wasn't just this pokey thing that thrusted, it was this thing that just literally smashed your face in. And [Kratos] does that, when you start hitting the R1 and he starts stabbing, but then he starts coming with the blunt side and just everything crushes. And then when you detonate it and you see all those rocks explode.”

That design philosophy tied into William’s desire for a weapon that would demonstrate Kratos’ credentials as a leader. “It just had this violence to it, but it was through this kind of very forceful, Kratos imposing his will as a general with a thinking mindset. Because you can't just go berserk with that weapon. You have to think about what you're doing. It has precision. It has a tight area of hit. There's so many things that are put into it from both the storytelling and the combat that we wanted to be folded in where you kind of can't tell the difference.”

In the story, the spear is forged using Draupnir, a ring from Norse mythology that is able to replicate itself. But the decision to have a spear that can replicate itself actually came before the team settled on using Draupnir as the weapon’s base.

“I started to think about, well, if we want to have infinite spears, we have to come up with some way to do this,” recalled Williams. “We can't just gamify it. We want it to be part of the lore. And we were talking about Draupnir and we were like, ‘Oh, well, it does duplicate.’ And then it was just one of those peanut butter chocolate moments in my head where I was like, ‘Hey, what about this?’ And they're like, ‘Are you serious? You think we could pull that off?’”

While the Draupnir Spear has many abilities, one particular skill had to be cut. “We even had a crazier thing,” Williams revealed. “I had the wind element early on where when you would detonate it, it would shatter into a bunch of rings and it would leave shrapnel on the ground. And then if you were able to use the wind, it would pick that up and you would get this kind of shotgun pelting effect. But it just became too much, where the player was just overwhelmed with too many things to worry about. So we ended up pulling that idea back.”

As previously mentioned, one of the early ideas for Kratos’ third weapon was Mjölnir, Thor’s iconic hammer. But Williams was against the idea, and wanted something significantly more surprising.

“The axe was made to be the counter to [Mjölnir],” he explained. “It's almost like the good and evil weapon. So [Kratos] wields the weapon for just. Thor wields the weapon for tearing down the giants and things like that. So we didn't think fitting [Mjölnir] into Kratos would work very well.”

“I'll also be completely honest, I'll tell you what I told the team, [...] to me it was too easy. It was expected. It's what people, they could understand it. They could think about it. It wasn't going to surprise. But the weapon that was going to surprise was the weapon that we gave him.

By creating a new weapon forged specifically for Kratos and his end-of-everything campaign, the narrative team at Santa Monica Studio were able to weave together a story that made the weapon immensely personal to Kratos. It’s something that would have been impossible with Mjölnir.

“The way the story's told on how he gets it, who he is… if you think about his weapons, they've been bestowed upon him,” Williams explained. “The blades, they're pulled out of the river of lava and dropped into his hands. The axe is bestowed to him by his wife. So when that spear is made, it's for him. It has his blood in it, you know what I mean? They prick it and his whole history. If you watch that scene specifically, the blood comes out as the Omega first, which is that old version of him. But the thing that really cements it is the symbol of Sparta, that he is that just general that's going to take care of business.”

“We put a lot of thought into that, and I challenged the team too,” he added. “I said, ‘Hey, we want to make the best stick ever, that all spears will be judged against.’ And I'll be honest, I think I'd put ours up against any I've seen in a video game.”

For more from God of War Ragnarok, see how Thor's actor took inspiration from a Marvel character, and that Ragnarok makes PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale canon. Developer Santa Monica Studio also has "a lot of different things" in the works, so is more God of War on the way?

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains major spoilers for God of War Ragnarok

If you've reached the point where you meet Heimdall in God of War Ragnarok, you'll know that he's kind of insufferable. Even God of War Ragnarok director Eric Williams thinks so, calling the Norse God of Foresight a "d*ck."

Speaking with IGN's Podcast Beyond for a special spoilercast interview of God of War Ragnarok, Williams explained the decision to make Heimdall so annoying. According to Williams, it started with his power, which is to be able to anticipate an opponent's every move.

"So we try to look at all these gods where they have these abilities, but they're not always good. You know what I mean? And I don't mean that in a sense of their nature. The ability's not always a good thing," Williams explains.

He points to Baldur, better-known as The Stranger in the original 2018 release, noting that the pair are similar. In God of War, Baldur is invulnerable to all threats thanks to a spell from his mother Freya, but it also means that he can't feel anything.

"Imagine what that would do to you as a person if you can't feel anything at all. It's going to drive you crazy at some point. You're going to be a little messed up," Williams explains. "So we were like, 'Well, if you could always see what people's intentions are, what would that do to you?' And he's just like, you can't be around people," He's like, 'Everybody's gross. They always want something or there's a reason behind it.' So he's just kind of shut off."

Nobody liked Heimdall, but that was a good thing

In God of War Ragnarok, Heimdall is one of Kratos' major opponents. The actual Heimdall from Norse mythology isn't quite as awful as his counterpart — Williams calls the game's characterization a "creative decision," though he also notes that the actual religion has been "pushed through the ringer so many different times."

"We put the God of War paint on it. The one thing that I did take is, I read this one time somewhere, is he had gold teeth. And I was like, 'Oh, that's even make him more obnoxious,' so we'll get him gold teeth," Williams says. "And yeah, we just wanted him to be the... What do we say? We wanted him to have the most punchable face."

Heimdall is played by Scott Porter, who Williams says "absolutely crushed that character." According to Williams, Porter wondered why Heimdall wasn't being promoted in the run-up to God of War's release, but the development team held him back because they wanted the character to be a surprise.

"We had seen the playtest feedback, and everything you guys are saying echoed across like 20 playtests. And I'd send [Porter] the little quips, and he'd be like, 'But do they like him?' And I was like, 'No, but that's a good thing,'" Williams says.

The actual fight with Heimdall — hailed as among the best in the game — proved quite challenging for Sony Santa Monica.

"That fight is a hard fight. How do you make a fight where you can't hit a guy. These are those kind of challenges we like to take on," Williams says. "And Adam Oliver, the main combat designer on that, he was new to the studio, never built a boss fight before, so it was a big challenge for him, and he struggled for a bit but he stayed after it. And I think it's one of those... you won't forget that fight."

He points to the moment when Kratos finally hits Heimdall, noting that he clips him with Draupnir — the ring that serves as the source for the spear that enables Kratos to finally get past Heimdall's foresight. "It's just those little touches for us that are special."

'A d*ck at his core'

Ultimately, while Williams is sympathetic to Heimdall's struggles, he also feels that he's a "d*ck at his core."

"[I]t's that part piled on top of it that, and that's why when he is looking at the kid for the first time and he starts saying wild stuff like, 'I see cities burn because of you,' it's like he's not making that up. He really sees this in him," Williams says. "And so we were like, 'Okay, if you take that, then there's almost a reasoning behind it.' It doesn't excuse it, but you could almost go, 'Well, if I could, yeah, I wouldn't want to be around people either, because people are going to kind of suck sometimes.' Not always, but they do. And so we wanted to give them these kind of dualities to their abilities that also kind of make their personalities the way they are."

We discussed plenty more of God of War Ragnarok's story during our wide-ranging interview with Williams, including the big Tyr twist; the full story behind Ragnarok's newest weapon, and the three things that it needed according to Cory Barlog.

You can also read our review, where we described Sony Santa Monica's recently-released sequel as an "almighty achievement."

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.

Nintendo has announced that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass Wave 3 will bring eight new tracks to the game on December 7.

Revealed in a new trailer (below), Nintendo shared the release date alongside confirmation of which tracks would join the previously announced Merry Mountain from Mario Kart Tour and Peach Gardens from Mario Kart DS in the Rock and Moon cups.

Also included in Wave 3 is Maple Treeway from Mario Kart Wii, Rainbow Road and Rock Rock Mountain from Mario Kart 7, Boo Lake from Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and Berlin Byways and London Loop also from Mario Kart Tour.

The eight tracks will only be available as part of the $24.99 Booster Course Pass and not as an individual add-on, though purchasing the DLC also grants users to the 16 previously released courses and another 24 in 2023.

The Booster Course DLC kicked off in March with Wave 1 bringing Paris Promenade, Toad Circuit, Choco Mountain, Coconut Mall, Tokyo Blur, Shroom Ridge, Sky Garden, and Ninja Hideaway to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Wave 2, which was released in July, saw Sky-High Sundae, Kalimari Desert, Mario Circuit 3, Mushroom Gorge, Sydney Sprint, Waluigi Pinball, Snow Land, and New York Minute added. When all six waves have been released at the end of 2023, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will have over half of the courses ever released.

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

Assassin's Creed Valhalla will get its final DLC - The Last Chapter - on December 6, but it will unfortunately not be getting the "highly requested" New Game+ feature.

Ubisoft shared the news in a blog, and it revealed The Last Chapter will wrap up "two amazing years of launch suport." The Last Chapter will arrive alongside Title Update 1.6.2, and it will serve as a "touching and intimate conclusion to Eivor's saga" and will "tie up some of the storylines developed throughout the game and offer closure to your time among the Raven Clan."

Those who wish to see the end of Eivor's story will need to complete a few things, and the full list is as follows;

• Complete the main storyline by pledging to all territories of England
• Complete the mythical story arcs of Asgard and Jotunheim
• Upgrade your settlement to level 5 and construct the Jomsviking barracks
• Kill all targets of the Order of the Ancients and unveil its leader

Ubisoft also confirmed it will no longer be running time-limited festival events in Ravensthorpe. However, all rewards from past festivals will be avaialble at Merchants after the quest The FIrst Night of Samhain is completed. There will also be brand-new rewards as a "thank you for your continued support."

As for New Game+, which Ubisoft acknowledged was a "highly requested feature," it will not be added to the game.

"Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has been built as a unique Assassin’s Creed experience, one that is very different from its predecessors in its structure, offering new ways of engaging with the world and its characters," Ubisoft wrote. "When investigating the implementation of New Game+, we realized that the depth of the game gave us limited options to make replayability unique and rewarding."

While New Game+ won't be coming, there will be a few new additions before Ubisoft shifts its Assassin's Creed focus to future titles, including an option to keep your hood up at any time. There will also be a few more surprises, but Ubisoft is saving those for its "final farewell."

As the sun sets at Valhalla, another sun is rising for Assassin's Creed Infinity, a new platform and hub for future Assassin's Creed games. Ubisoft has revealed that the first two games that will be part of Infinity will include one that follows the life of a Shinobi in feudal Japan and another helmed by Watch Dogs: Legion director Clint Hocking that looks to have something to do with witchcraft.

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.

The Walt Disney Co. is experiencing a major and very unexpected corporate shake-up, as current CEO Bob Chapek is stepping down from his position and being replaced by his predecessor, Bob Iger.

The news was revealed by Disney's board of directors on Sunday. This change takes effect immediately, as Iger returns to a role he only vacated in 2020. Iger's new contract will see him serve as CEO for the next two years.

“We thank Bob Chapek for his service to Disney over his long career, including navigating the company through the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic,” said Chairman of the Board Susan Arnold in a statement. “The Board has concluded that as Disney embarks on an increasingly complex period of industry transformation, Bob Iger is uniquely situated to lead the Company through this pivotal period.”

This news comes just days after Chapek notified company executives of a new series of cost-cutting measures, including layoffs, targeted hiring freezes and travel limits. Disney's recent quarterly earnings report showed troubling signs for the company, including a loss of nearly $1.5 billion in the streaming division, causing the company's stock price to drop to a two-year low.

"I am fully aware this will be a difficult process for many of you and your teams," Chapek said. "We are going to have to make tough and uncomfortable decisions. But that is just what leadership requires, and I thank you in advance for stepping up during this important time. Our company has weathered many challenges during our 100-year history, and I have no doubt we will achieve our goals and create a more nimble company better suited to the environment of tomorrow.”

Iger previously served as CEO of The Walt Disney Co. from 2005 to 2020. During his tenure, Iger oversaw a period of huge expansion for the company, including the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox, as well as the launch of the Disney+ streaming service. Chapek previously served as head of Parks, Experiences, and Products and as Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts before being promoted to CEO in February 2020.

Chapek's brief time on the job has been marked by various pandemic-related challenges and a fair degree of turmoil, beginning with a major falling-out between Iger and Chapek. Chapek also drew criticism for his handling of the pay dispute between the studio and Black Widow Scarlett Johansson, as well as his initial response to Florida's controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill.

“I am extremely optimistic for the future of this great company and thrilled to be asked by the Board to return as its CEO,” Iger said in a statement. “Disney and its incomparable brands and franchises hold a special place in the hearts of so many people around the globe—most especially in the hearts of our employees, whose dedication to this company and its mission is an inspiration. I am deeply honored to be asked to again lead this remarkable team, with a clear mission focused on creative excellence to inspire generations through unrivaled, bold storytelling.”

It's clear the Disney board hopes to return to the stability and growth marked by Iger's previous tenure as CEO. However, the company continues to face major economic headwinds and cutthroat competition in the streaming marketplace, so it remains to be seen if Chapek's second stint will prove as successful.

Do you think Disney's board made the right call? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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

Jason David Frank, the actor best known for donning the Green and White Ranger personas as Tommy Oliver in the original run of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, has died at the age of 49.

As reported by TMZ, Frank's representative, Justine Hunt, confirmed he died in Texas.

"Please respect the privacy of his family and friends during this horrible time as we come to terms with the loss of such a wonderful human being," Hunt said. "He loved his family, friends and fans very much. He will truly be missed."

Frank was there for the first season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1993 and began his tenure as the Green Ranger, who was working against the heroes and for the evil alien sorceress Rita Repulsa. He would eventually become a hero himself, and would even become the White Ranger and the new leader of the team.

Frank was only supposed to be on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for 14 episodes, but he was brought back due to the popularity of the character. He would become a staple in the franchise, and would also appear in Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers DinoThunder, and more.

While he was cast in a few other movies and shows, he became a professional fighter from 2008-2010 as he was an expert in a handful of martial arts styles. He even created his own style of American Karate called Toso Kune Do and was inducted to the World Karate Union Hall of Fame in 2003.

Jason David Frank is survived by his four children.

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

Ryan Reynolds has revealed that he, along with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, wrote a "full Deadpool Christmas movie" that has yet to be made.

As reported by THR, Reynolds was speaking to Big Issue about his new Christmas movie with Will Ferrell called Spirited and he shared some extra holiday cheer by teasing that a completed screenplay of a Deadpool Christmas movie exists. Unfortunately, it got "lost in the shuffle" when Disney acquired Fox.

"I would love to see a song-and-dance number in a Deadpool movie,” Reynolds said. “Four years ago, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and I wrote a Christmas movie starring Deadpool. But it got lost in the shuffle of Disney acquiring Fox and it never got made.

"Maybe one day we’ll get to make that movie. It’s not a musical, but it’s a full Deadpool Christmas movie. So one day.”

While it wasn't a Christmas movie, Once Upon a Deadpool did feature a holiday theme. For those unfamiliar, Once Upon a Deadpool is a PG-13 version of Deadpool 2 that sees Deadpool narrating the story of the sequel to a kidnapped Fred Savage.

Savage is tied to a bed in a room that is a replica of his character's bedroom from The Princess Bride, complete with Christmas-themed items. As the movie progresses, Savage interjects with objections about the story.

While it may be some time until we see this fabled Deadpool Christmas movie, we will be treated to a Deadpool 3 on September 6, 2024, that is set to star Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool alongside Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.

For more, check out our six biggest burning questions about the upcoming team-up and why we think Wolverine is long overdue for a yellow costume.

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.