Activision Blizzard chief compliance officer Frances Townsend, who was previously criticized for her actions following the news of the company's sexual harassment lawsuit, has stepped down from her role at the company and will now serve as an adviser to the board and to CEO Bobby Kotick.

As reported by Bloomberg, Townsend has chosen to step down prior to the $68.7 billion deal that, if it goes through, will see Microsoft acquire Activision Blizzard and its many iconic franchises, including Call of Duty, Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and more.

As previously mentioned, Townsend was criticized by Activision Blizzard employees and others for her actions following the public announcement of the lawsuit filed against Activision Blizzard over allegations of a "frat boy culture" and sexual harassment.

After the news of the lawsuit broke, Townsend called the allegations "distorted" and "false." While she said her statement was made "following "legal counsel's guidance on language, and that the end result no longer sounded much like her voice," she then would tweet a link to an article titled "The Problem With Whistleblowing" on her personal social media account. After these events, Townsend stepped down as an executive sponsor of the ABK Women's Network.

Prior to her decision to leave, Townsend also served as the executive vice president of corporate affairs for two years.

“Fran did a truly exceptional job—actually four jobs—with continuously increasing responsibilities and the most exemplary work ethic,” Kotick wrote in an email shared with Bloomberg News. “Fran also has done an extraordinary job enhancing the strong governance and compliance programs we have throughout the Company.”

Jen Brewer, Activision Blizzard's senior vice president of ethics and compliance, will fill Townsend's role alongside Luci Altman, the senior vice president of corporate governance.

Before Activision Blizzard, Townsend was a counter-terrorism adviser to U.S. President George W. Bush's White House and a general council for MacAndrews & Forbes.

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.

Activision Blizzard chief compliance officer Frances Townsend, who was previously criticized for her actions following the news of the company's sexual harassment lawsuit, has stepped down from her role at the company and will now serve as an adviser to the board and to CEO Bobby Kotick.

As reported by Bloomberg, Townsend has chosen to step down prior to the $68.7 billion deal that, if it goes through, will see Microsoft acquire Activision Blizzard and its many iconic franchises, including Call of Duty, Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and more.

As previously mentioned, Townsend was criticized by Activision Blizzard employees and others for her actions following the public announcement of the lawsuit filed against Activision Blizzard over allegations of a "frat boy culture" and sexual harassment.

After the news of the lawsuit broke, Townsend called the allegations "distorted" and "false." While she said her statement was made "following "legal counsel's guidance on language, and that the end result no longer sounded much like her voice," she then would tweet a link to an article titled "The Problem With Whistleblowing" on her personal social media account. After these events, Townsend stepped down as an executive sponsor of the ABK Women's Network.

Prior to her decision to leave, Townsend also served as the executive vice president of corporate affairs for two years.

“Fran did a truly exceptional job—actually four jobs—with continuously increasing responsibilities and the most exemplary work ethic,” Kotick wrote in an email shared with Bloomberg News. “Fran also has done an extraordinary job enhancing the strong governance and compliance programs we have throughout the Company.”

Jen Brewer, Activision Blizzard's senior vice president of ethics and compliance, will fill Townsend's role alongside Luci Altman, the senior vice president of corporate governance.

Before Activision Blizzard, Townsend was a counter-terrorism adviser to U.S. President George W. Bush's White House and a general council for MacAndrews & Forbes.

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.

For the second month in a row, Vampire Survivors has risen above the likes of Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered to become the most-played Steam Deck game in September 2022.

Valve shared the news on Twitter, confirming that Vampire Survivors, which is set to get its v1.0 update on October 20, was the most-played game in terms of total hours played. While we weren't given an exact number, we do know that it held off the behemoth that is Elden Ring to take the top spot.

Behind those two games, in order, were Stardew Valley, Cyberpunk 2077, Hades, No Man's Sky, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered, Cult of the Lamb, and Disney Dreamlight Valley.

When compared to August, some of the newcomers to the list include Cyberpunk 2077 and Disney Dreamlight Valley. Cyberpunk 2077 has seen a bit of a resurgence as of late following the release of Netflix's Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime, news of its first major expansion, and multiple updates that have been released for the game.

CD Projekt recently revealed Cyberpunk 2077 had at least one million people playing the game during the week of September 22 and total sales of the game have surpassed 20 million. All of these details help reveal why it placed fourth on this Steam Deck list.

Disney Dreamlight Valley entered Early Access in September and has been fairly well received by critics and fans. In our 8/10 review, we said that it is "an awesome life simulator that flexes its iconic characters to riveting, satisfying effect." That Disney magic, alongside cross-progression support, helped it make the top 10 list of most-played Steam Deck games for the month.

For more, check out our list of the best Steam Deck games and our chat with Valve about the most burning questions we had about the Steam Deck seven months after its release.

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.

For the second month in a row, Vampire Survivors has risen above the likes of Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered to become the most-played Steam Deck game in September 2022.

Valve shared the news on Twitter, confirming that Vampire Survivors, which is set to get its v1.0 update on October 20, was the most-played game in terms of total hours played. While we weren't given an exact number, we do know that it held off the behemoth that is Elden Ring to take the top spot.

Behind those two games, in order, were Stardew Valley, Cyberpunk 2077, Hades, No Man's Sky, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered, Cult of the Lamb, and Disney Dreamlight Valley.

When compared to August, some of the newcomers to the list include Cyberpunk 2077 and Disney Dreamlight Valley. Cyberpunk 2077 has seen a bit of a resurgence as of late following the release of Netflix's Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime, news of its first major expansion, and multiple updates that have been released for the game.

CD Projekt recently revealed Cyberpunk 2077 had at least one million people playing the game during the week of September 22 and total sales of the game have surpassed 20 million. All of these details help reveal why it placed fourth on this Steam Deck list.

Disney Dreamlight Valley entered Early Access in September and has been fairly well received by critics and fans. In our 8/10 review, we said that it is "an awesome life simulator that flexes its iconic characters to riveting, satisfying effect." That Disney magic, alongside cross-progression support, helped it make the top 10 list of most-played Steam Deck games for the month.

For more, check out our list of the best Steam Deck games and our chat with Valve about the most burning questions we had about the Steam Deck seven months after its release.

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.

BioWare has shared several codex entries from the upcoming Dragon Age: Dreadwolf as part of its ongoing developer diaries for the next fantasy RPG.

In a new blog, Bioware has shared a few codex excerpts from the upcoming Dragon Age: Dreadwolf as well as an interview with two members of the game’s narrative team, narrative editor Ryan Cormier and senior writer Sylvia Feketekuty.

The first entry is about the Necropolis from an unnamed character’s diary. While the text cites Brother Genitivi from Dragon Age Origins and Nevarra from Dragon Age: Inquisition, the codex entry is meant to set the scene for what players might expect from the next Dragon Age.

We also get some insight into what the process is like for writing the next Dragon Age game. According to Feketekuty, “Dragon Age: Dreadwolf has been a balance of providing answers to long-standing questions for veteran fans while making a game that new players, or someone who only played [Inquisition] years ago, can also get into.”

Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will return to Thesdas where players will run into familiar friends and places.

While we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see more of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, the codex entries should paint some picture of what to expect from the game’s lore. These will be presented “in-world” through notes, letters, books in Dreadwolf to add layers to the RPG for players who want them.

There’s still no release date for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, but alongside the new Mass Effect, BioWare is returning to the two pillar franchises beloved by fans.

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

BioWare has shared several codex entries from the upcoming Dragon Age: Dreadwolf as part of its ongoing developer diaries for the next fantasy RPG.

In a new blog, Bioware has shared a few codex excerpts from the upcoming Dragon Age: Dreadwolf as well as an interview with two members of the game’s narrative team, narrative editor Ryan Cormier and senior writer Sylvia Feketekuty.

The first entry is about the Necropolis from an unnamed character’s diary. While the text cites Brother Genitivi from Dragon Age Origins and Nevarra from Dragon Age: Inquisition, the codex entry is meant to set the scene for what players might expect from the next Dragon Age.

We also get some insight into what the process is like for writing the next Dragon Age game. According to Feketekuty, “Dragon Age: Dreadwolf has been a balance of providing answers to long-standing questions for veteran fans while making a game that new players, or someone who only played [Inquisition] years ago, can also get into.”

Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will return to Thesdas where players will run into familiar friends and places.

While we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see more of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, the codex entries should paint some picture of what to expect from the game’s lore. These will be presented “in-world” through notes, letters, books in Dreadwolf to add layers to the RPG for players who want them.

There’s still no release date for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, but alongside the new Mass Effect, BioWare is returning to the two pillar franchises beloved by fans.

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

Christian Bale still wants to be in Star Wars, even if it means being a rank-and-file stormtrooper.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the former Batman star revealed that he would still love to head to the galaxy far, far away… and he has a very specific role in mind.

“All I ever wanted in Star Wars was to be in a Star Wars outfit and hit my head on a door or something as I walked through,” he said. “The real nerds who watched Star Wars way too many times always knew about that one scene where the Stormtrooper hits his head on the door as he comes through. I wanted to be that guy. That was it.”

It’s not exactly a starring role, but I get the feeling it wouldn’t be out of the question. After all, 007 actor Daniel Craig made his Star Wars debut as a First Order stormtrooper in The Force Awakens.

And it’s nice to know that Bale is a bit of a Star Wars fan, too.

After all, he knows all about the infamous moment when a stormtrooper bumped his head in Star Wars: A New Hope.

Bale recently appeared in Thor: Love and Thunder as the comic book villain, Gorr the God Butcher, and with a history at Marvel/Disney, it’s not out of the question that he might know someone who can help him don a stormtrooper uniform.

“But look, if I’m fortunate enough to be more than that, oh man, yeah,” he said. “What a delight that would be. I’ve still got the figures from when I was little. I also know Kathy Kennedy very well because she was working with Spielberg when I did Empire of the Sun, and now, she runs the Star Wars universe.”

Will the former Batman get the chance to join the Empire? For now, we’ll have to wait and see.

Want to read more about Star Wars? Check out the Force Unleashed Easter egg in Andor and learn about the divided factions of the Rebel Alliance.

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

Christian Bale still wants to be in Star Wars, even if it means being a rank-and-file stormtrooper.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the former Batman star revealed that he would still love to head to the galaxy far, far away… and he has a very specific role in mind.

“All I ever wanted in Star Wars was to be in a Star Wars outfit and hit my head on a door or something as I walked through,” he said. “The real nerds who watched Star Wars way too many times always knew about that one scene where the Stormtrooper hits his head on the door as he comes through. I wanted to be that guy. That was it.”

It’s not exactly a starring role, but I get the feeling it wouldn’t be out of the question. After all, 007 actor Daniel Craig made his Star Wars debut as a First Order stormtrooper in The Force Awakens.

And it’s nice to know that Bale is a bit of a Star Wars fan, too.

After all, he knows all about the infamous moment when a stormtrooper bumped his head in Star Wars: A New Hope.

Bale recently appeared in Thor: Love and Thunder as the comic book villain, Gorr the God Butcher, and with a history at Marvel/Disney, it’s not out of the question that he might know someone who can help him don a stormtrooper uniform.

“But look, if I’m fortunate enough to be more than that, oh man, yeah,” he said. “What a delight that would be. I’ve still got the figures from when I was little. I also know Kathy Kennedy very well because she was working with Spielberg when I did Empire of the Sun, and now, she runs the Star Wars universe.”

Will the former Batman get the chance to join the Empire? For now, we’ll have to wait and see.

Want to read more about Star Wars? Check out the Force Unleashed Easter egg in Andor and learn about the divided factions of the Rebel Alliance.

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

Ubisoft, Bungie, and others are working on letting players transfer Google Stadia saves.

After the unexpected shutdown of Google Stadia, developers from across the industry are trying to help players by allowing them to transfer game saves to other platforms.

“While Stadia will shut down on January 18, 2023, we're happy to share that we're working to bring the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect,” said Ubisoft. “We'll have more to share regarding specific details as well as the impact for Ubisoft+ subscribers at a later date.”

While Stadia will shut down on January 18, 2023, we're happy to share that we're working to bring the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect. We'll have more to share regarding specific details as well as the impact for Ubisoft+ subscribers at a later date.

— Ubisoft Support (@UbisoftSupport) September 30, 2022

Google Stadia unexpectedly announced yesterday that it’s shutting down on January 18, 2023. Additionally, Google will be refunding all hardware and game purchases made through the service.

“We're grateful to the dedicated Stadia players that have been with us from the start,” said Google. “We will be refunding all Stadia hardware purchases made through the Google Store, and all game and add-on content purchases made through the Stadia Store.”

The video game streaming service didn’t exactly prove popular among gamers, but with players putting in hundreds or even thousands of hours into their favorite games on the platform, developers are keen not to leave them hung out to dry.

“We just learned about Stadia shutting down and have begun conversations about next steps for our players,” said Destiny 2 developers, Bungie. “We will announce and send out information regarding Destiny 2 Stadia accounts once we have a plan of action.”

Bungie has "begun conversations about next steps" for #Destiny2 players on Google Stadia. Stay tuned for more updates. pic.twitter.com/3f8aGgtQOM

— Destiny Bulletin (@DestinyBulletn) September 29, 2022

Hitman developer IO Interactive is also working on a solution for its players.

“To all our HITMAN fans on Google Stadia,” they said. “We hear you - we are looking into ways for you to continue your HITMAN experience on other platforms.”

To all our HITMAN fans on Google Stadia.

We hear you - we are looking into ways for you to continue your HITMAN experience on other platforms. pic.twitter.com/7VZsDQAMkC

— IO Interactive (@IOInteractive) September 30, 2022

The quick response of developers to this unexpected issue sure is commendable, but will likely mean additional development time to implement a solution. Whether or not this has a knock-on effect on any of their upcoming updates or DLCs remains to be seen.

Still, it’s a lovely response that might just help Stadia players not lose countless hours of playtime in their favorite games.

Want to read more about Google Stadia? Check out Google’s test, launching streaming games direct from the search results, and find out how much Google paid to get Red Redemption 2 on the Stadia.

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

Ubisoft, Bungie, and others are working on letting players transfer Google Stadia saves.

After the unexpected shutdown of Google Stadia, developers from across the industry are trying to help players by allowing them to transfer game saves to other platforms.

“While Stadia will shut down on January 18, 2023, we're happy to share that we're working to bring the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect,” said Ubisoft. “We'll have more to share regarding specific details as well as the impact for Ubisoft+ subscribers at a later date.”

While Stadia will shut down on January 18, 2023, we're happy to share that we're working to bring the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect. We'll have more to share regarding specific details as well as the impact for Ubisoft+ subscribers at a later date.

— Ubisoft Support (@UbisoftSupport) September 30, 2022

Google Stadia unexpectedly announced yesterday that it’s shutting down on January 18, 2023. Additionally, Google will be refunding all hardware and game purchases made through the service.

“We're grateful to the dedicated Stadia players that have been with us from the start,” said Google. “We will be refunding all Stadia hardware purchases made through the Google Store, and all game and add-on content purchases made through the Stadia Store.”

The video game streaming service didn’t exactly prove popular among gamers, but with players putting in hundreds or even thousands of hours into their favorite games on the platform, developers are keen not to leave them hung out to dry.

“We just learned about Stadia shutting down and have begun conversations about next steps for our players,” said Destiny 2 developers, Bungie. “We will announce and send out information regarding Destiny 2 Stadia accounts once we have a plan of action.”

Bungie has "begun conversations about next steps" for #Destiny2 players on Google Stadia. Stay tuned for more updates. pic.twitter.com/3f8aGgtQOM

— Destiny Bulletin (@DestinyBulletn) September 29, 2022

Hitman developer IO Interactive is also working on a solution for its players.

“To all our HITMAN fans on Google Stadia,” they said. “We hear you - we are looking into ways for you to continue your HITMAN experience on other platforms.”

To all our HITMAN fans on Google Stadia.

We hear you - we are looking into ways for you to continue your HITMAN experience on other platforms. pic.twitter.com/7VZsDQAMkC

— IO Interactive (@IOInteractive) September 30, 2022

The quick response of developers to this unexpected issue sure is commendable, but will likely mean additional development time to implement a solution. Whether or not this has a knock-on effect on any of their upcoming updates or DLCs remains to be seen.

Still, it’s a lovely response that might just help Stadia players not lose countless hours of playtime in their favorite games.

Want to read more about Google Stadia? Check out Google’s test, launching streaming games direct from the search results, and find out how much Google paid to get Red Redemption 2 on the Stadia.

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