NASA has intentionally crashed a 1,260 lb (570 kg) spacecraft into the surface of a wandering asteroid, in order to assess our ability to avoid a potentially devastating collision with Earth.

Since its birth some 4.5 billion years ago, Earth has been under constant bombardment from material left over from the creation of the solar system. Most of these pieces of interplanetary debris are so small that they are ripped apart upon colliding with Earth’s dense atmosphere.

However, once every few million years a monster asteroid large enough to survive atmospheric entry strikes our planet’s surface with cataclysmic force.

The most recent monster impact happened roughly 66 million years ago, when a 6 mile (10 km) wide asteroid collided with our planet, and gouged out a massive crater, the remains of which can still be found on the Yucatan Peninsula today.

A combination of the devastation wrought by the initial impact, and the environmental changes brought about by the resulting fallout, sounded the death knell for 75 percent of all animal life on Earth, and effectively ended the age of the dinosaurs.

It is completely possible that the impact of another enormous asteroid could doom the human race to extinction. However, unlike the dinosaurs, we may have the technological capabilities and the foresight needed to avert such a fate.

NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is the first step along the path to developing a planetary defence against colossal asteroids. Compared to Hollywood movies that deal with similar themes, the mission itself is relatively simplistic. There is a distinct lack of nuclear weapons, oversized drills, or Bruce Willis-es.

Instead, NASA has opted to command a solitary - and obviously uncrewed - probe to strike an asteroid head-on while travelling at 14,000 miles per hour in order to see how the impact would shift its orbit. The idea is that, if you detect a potentially dangerous asteroid early enough, then it’ll only take a small shunt to send it onto a safer path.

“Planetary Defense is a globally unifying effort that affects everyone living on Earth,” states Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, Thomas Zurbuchen. “Now we know we can aim a spacecraft with the precision needed to impact even a small body in space. Just a small change in its speed is all we need to make a significant difference in the path an asteroid travels.”

The target for the mission is the 530 ft (160 m)-wide asteroid/moonlet Dimorphos, which orbits a larger 2,560 ft (780 m) wide asteroid known as Didymos as it careens through the solar system.

NASA has been sure to stress that neither asteroid posed a threat to Earth either before, or after the test.

In the hours leading up to the impact, DART used sophisticated navigation software to interpret images captured by its onboard camera to autonomously guide itself in. During this time the doomed probe was able to capture detailed images of Dimorphos’ bleak, rubble strewn surface.

IMPACT SUCCESS! Watch from #DARTMIssion’s DRACO Camera, as the vending machine-sized spacecraft successfully collides with asteroid Dimorphos, which is the size of a football stadium and poses no threat to Earth. pic.twitter.com/7bXipPkjWD

— NASA (@NASA) September 26, 2022

Finally, on September 26, at 7:14pm Easter time, after years of development and 10 months navigating interplanetary space, mission handlers announced that DART had successfully impacted its target.

In the wake of the impact the asteroid pair were observed by a number of ground-based and orbital observatories - including the James Webb Space Telescope - which sought to ascertain how much the impact had changed Dimorphus' trajectory.

More specifically, the global scientific community wanted to know how the collision had altered the amount of time it takes the smaller asteroid to orbit its larger brother, and to observe the behavior of the material that was blasted from its surface.

The heavy-duty telescopes were aided in this task by a tiny Italian-made cubesat, which had hitched a ride with the DART mothership, and was deployed 15 days prior to the mission finale.

The sole purpose of the tiny satellite is to capture imagery of DART and the damage inflicted on the asteroid system from a different perspective. However, due to the diminutive size of its antenna it will take weeks to send the images back to Earth.

Computer modelling of the event projects that the impact will have reduced Dimorphus’ orbital period by roughly 10 minutes, or 1 percent. The in-depth observations will be compared to these models to refine them, and better scientists' understanding of asteroids.

Regardless of the final orbital shift, the DART mission can only be considered a success. It has demonstrated that an uncrewed probe can autonomously perform the calculations and trajectory corrections needed to successfully strike an asteroid, even when it is orbiting a larger body.

The asteroid duo is set to be the target of the European Space Agency’s Hera mission four years down the line in 2026, during which a mothership and cubesat will perform follow-up observations.

“This first-of-its-kind mission required incredible preparation and precision, and the team exceeded expectations on all counts,” comments Ralph Semmel, Director of Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland. “Beyond the truly exciting success of the technology demonstration, capabilities based on DART could one day be used to change the course of an asteroid to protect our planet and preserve life on Earth as we know it.”

Outriders developer People Can Fly has announced that it is parting ways with Take-Two, the publisher of its upcoming game codenamed Project Dagger.

In a statement published on its own website, People Can Fly revealed that it has received a letter from Take-Two detailing its “intent to terminate the development and publishing agreement by means of mutual understanding between the parties.”

The split will see People Can Fly retain the intellectual property rights to its game, and so it is free to either self-publish Project Dagger or seek a replacement publisher. The developer will, however, still have to pay back Take-Two for the money it provided to fund Project Dagger's costs. The details of this repayment have yet to be determined, and will be arranged depending on how the game is eventually published.

Project Dagger has been in development for two years at People Can Fly’s New York studio. Very little is known about it, aside from that it is a new action-adventure IP.

In a statement, People Can Fly CEO Sebastian Wojciechowski said: “I assume we will part on good terms, and I don’t see reasons why we couldn’t work with Take-Two on some other project in the future. We strongly believe in the Project Dagger’s potential and are now committed to continue its development within our self-publishing pipeline. The game is still in pre-production – our team is now focusing on closing combat and game loops and migrate from UE4 to UE5. I’m conscious that this decision will add investments on us, but self-publishing is part of our strategy. Of course, we are not ruling out working with a new publisher if this creates a compelling business opportunity.”

The statement also provides an overview of the developer’s numerous other in-production games. Project Gemini is being created in partnership with Square Enix, while Projects Bifrost and Victoria will both be self-published by People Can Fly. In earlier concept stages of development is Project Red. The developer is also working on two VR games; Green Hell VR, and a new project based on an existing People Can Fly IP. The company intends to release one game per year from 2024, either through a publisher or self-published.

Earlier this year People Can Fly released Outriders Worldslayer, an expansion to its 2021 third-person shooter. Outriders was its first new game since leaving Epic Games and returning to independant development. With the amount of games it has in development, it appears that it’s planning an ambitious future for itself.

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

Netflix has announced that it will be creating an internal game development studio in Helsinki, Finland. The studio will be led by Marko Lastikka, Zynga's vice president, as its director.

“This is another step in our vision to build a world-class games studio that will bring a variety of delightful and deeply engaging original games — with no ads and no in-app purchases — to our hundreds of millions of members around the world,” Netflix says in a statement on its website.

Netflix explains that Helsinki has some of the best game development talent in the world, and this will be the first studio that it builds from the ground up. The company also has another studio, Next Games, established in Helsinki as well.

“It’s still early days, and we have much more work to do to deliver a great games experience on Netflix,” the company continues. “Creating a game can take years, so I’m proud to see how we’re steadily building the foundation of our games studios in our first year, and look forward to sharing what we produce in the coming years.”

Netflix will now have four game development studios in total, including Night School Studio and Boss Fight Entertainment. Night School Studio’s Oxenfree has a Netflix edition on the platform available to play for subscribers now. Oxenfree II: Lost Signals was also delayed to 2023 in order to add more localizations.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey

BlazBlue series creator Toshimichi Mori has departed from Arc System Works after almost 20 years. He started working for the company in 2003.

“I have something to report to all of the users. I, Toshimichi Mori, have left Arc System works, the company I worked at for many years,” Mori says on Twitter (translated by Gematsu). “I first joined Arc System works after working on Guilty Gear X as an employee of PicPac, and I cherish many of the experiences I have had during my 20 years there, whether it was working for various fighting game titles, developing my own title BlazBlue, or connecting with many of our users.”

He continues, “I have nothing but gratitude towards the staff of Arc System Works and others who have worked with me, as well as all the users who supported us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will depart from Arc System Works. This may cause some feelings of anxiety, especially among fans of the BlazBlue series. For this, I sincerely apologize.”

ご報告です。 pic.twitter.com/wACWEOfxVh

— 森P (@zatuyoP) September 25, 2022

However, Mori also explains that he isn’t done with video games just yet. At the moment, he’s thinking of creating a game for BlazBlue fans in some sort of fashion, and he’s going to focus on that endeavor going forward.

Many veteran developers in the Japanese video game industry have moved on from places where they first established their names or have retired recently. Earlier this year, Yakuza series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi left SEGA to establish his own studio with NetEase. Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy producer Shinji Hashimoto left Square Enix back in May.

In other Arc System Works news, Guilty Gear Xrd REV2 is getting rollback netcode on PC.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey

Marvel Studios looks to be changing quite a bit about Namor as the iconic hero makes his MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But one major detail isn't changing - Namor is still a mutant in the MCU.

Actor Tenoch Huerta confirmed that detail in an interview with Empire. This makes Namor one of the very first mutant characters to appear in an MCU project. That's fitting, as Namor is often described as "Marvel's first mutant" in the comics. Because his father is human and his mother Atlantean, Namor carries the mutant gene and possesses certain powers that set him apart from his fellow Atlanteans.

This reveal makes Namor the third major mutant character to appear in the MCU this year. Previously, Patrick Stewart reprised the role of Professor Xavier in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, while a major hero is apparently being reimagined as a mutant in the MCU.

Director Ryan Coogler also shed more light on his decision to make Namor the villain of his sequel, describing Namor as "a dream antagonist."

“The contrast between T’Challa and Namor – their characters, and their nations – just leaps off the page,” Coogler told Empire. “He’s a dream antagonist.”

In fact, Coogler originally planned on teasing Namor's debut in the first Black Panther. Marvel's Kevin Feige revealed that Coogler pitched a post-credits scene showing a series of wet footprints leading up to the Wakandan throne. Marvel ultimately wound up keeping Namor's appearance under wraps until Huerta's role was officially confirmed at Comic-Con.

In other Wakanda Forever news, Feige revealed it was "much too soon" after Chadwick Boseman's passing to consider recasting T'Challa in the sequel. Instead, the movie will address the tragic death of Boseman, tackling the theme of moving on in the face of insurmountable odds.

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

The late Alan Rickman was a major part of the Harry Potter films as the enigmatic Professor Snape, but there was a point where Rickman nearly quit the famous films. Published in The Guardian, extracts from Rickman’s diaries reveal that it wasn’t all fun and wizardry behind the scenes on Harry Potter. At least, not for Rickman.

“Talking to [agent] Paul Lyon-Maris about [Harry Potter] exit, which he thinks will happen,” he wrote on December 4, 2002. “But here we are in the project-collision area again. Reiterating no more HP. They don’t want to hear it.”

His comments came following Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002, which propelled the franchise to even dizzier heights following The Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001.

But this glimpse into Rickman’s experience with the franchise reveals major truths, including Rickman's admiration for series lead Daniel Radcliffe..

“[Daniel Radcliffe] is so concentrated now. Serious and focused – but with a sense of fun,” he wrote in May 2003 as they began filming Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. “I still don’t think he’s really an actor but he will undoubtedly direct/produce. And he has such quiet, dignified support from his parents. Nothing is pushed.”

Rickman also talked about the pressure faced by the film's directors, as well as what it was like to work with children who didn't always know their lines.

“The day got off to a fabulous start with the screen guillotining on to my head,” he wrote on July 30, 2003. “A sudden, swift blackout followed by day-long melancholy. Alfonso [Cuarón, director] was quietly ballistic with me. I love him too much to let it last too long so I wailed offset and we sorted it out. He’s under the usual HP pressure and even he starts rehearsing cameras before actors, and these kids need directing. They don’t know their lines and Emma [Watson]’s diction is this side of Albania at times. Plus my so-called rehearsal is with a stand-in who is French.”

By Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, disaster struck. Rickman was soon forced to confront health issues, having been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in 2005. But despite his own personal struggles, he decided to stick with Harry Potter.

Weeks after an operation to remove his prostate, he wrote: “Finally, yes to HP 5. The sensation is neither up nor down. The argument that wins is the one that says: ‘See it through. It’s your story.’”

Thankfully, Rickman continued to see out the entire franchise, appearing as Professor Snape throughout all eight main Harry Potter films. In 2007, he wrote about his character’s ending.

“… I have finished reading the last ‘Harry Potter’ book,” he wrote on July 27, 2007. “Snape dies heroically, Potter describes him to his children as one of the bravest men he ever knew and calls his son Albus Severus. This was a genuine rite of passage. One small piece of information from Jo Rowling seven years ago – Snape loved Lily – gave me a cliff edge to hang on to.”

Rickman died on January 14, 2016, at the age of 69.

Want to read more about Harry Potter? Get sorted into your Hogwarts house right now for Hogwarts Legacy and find out why the game won’t feature playable Quidditch.

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

The upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will take more of an ensemble cast approach compared to the other movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's catalog. This is because Marvel decided to not recast T’Challa after actor Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020.

Now, Marvel boss Kevin Feige is sharing more about what went into the discussions around Black Panther 2, saying it was simply too soon to place another actor in the role.

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

Coogler is the director and writer of Wakanda Forever, and has shared similar sentiments about Boseman's impact on the upcoming movie. Coogler said the movie will address the tragic death of Boseman, tackling the theme of moving on in the face of insurmountable odds.

Feige also said the pre-production conversations focused heavily on incorporating Boseman's legacy into the story.

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

Instead of one lead character, Wakanda Forever will focus on a larger cast, including Letitia Wright's Shuri, Angela Bassett's Queen Ramonda, Winston Duke's M'Baku, and Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to hit theaters on November 11, 2022. For more, check out our breakdown of the first Wakanda Forever trailer.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

E3 2023 has announced the dates of its return, June 13-16 – with separate days (and halls) for press and public.

Following three years of uncertainty, E3 is set to return in 2023 at the Los Angeles Convention Center for an in-person experience. Partnered digital events will precede the physical expo (beginning on June 11) but the legendary event will run from Tuesday, June 13 to Friday, June 16.

While recent E3s blended business and consumer sides of the industry into a single event, E3 2023 will separate them into two fairly distinct parts. Tuesday, June 13 to Thursday, June 15 will be dubbed E3 Business Days and will concentrate on industry professionals and gaming media.

Meanwhile, Thursday, June 15 and Friday, June 16 be known as E3 Gamer Days, offering an increased focus on consumers where they can "go hands-on with the future of gaming and connect with developers, content creators, media personalities, and more." Gamer Days will take place in a separate hall to Business Days.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is partnering with event production company ReedPop – which has been behind New York Comic Con, PAX, Star Wars Celebration, and more – clearly hoping to bring a much more focused and memorable E3 for businesses and fans alike.

"Our vision is to reunite the industry by re-establishing the traditional E3 week, bring back that spark, and restore E3's role as a truly magical global showcase event for game creators and consumers,” says Kyle Marsden-Kish, ReedPop's VP of gaming.

Despite once being the most well-known and adored yearly event in gaming, E3 has been a point of controversy and instability over the past few years. 2019's event saw over 2,000 attendees' personal information become accessible to the general public on the official ESA website, while the COVID-19 pandemic understandably closed down the show since 2020.

Though it returned in 2021 with a virtual event, a lack of cohesion and meager showings left much to be desired, and 2022's event was cancelled altogether. Luckily, it's sounding like E3 2023 could be a return to form for a beloved expo that was once so meaningful to millions of enthusiasts around the world.

Billy Givens is a freelancer at IGN with over a decade of experience writing gaming, film, and tech content. His work can also be found on GameSpot, USA Today, Digital Trends, Tom's Guide, and more. You'll find him blabbering on about video games and more on Twitter at @mektige.

Update: We've gotten a first full trailer for HBO's The Last of Us series:

Released as part of the Last of Us Day celebrations, the mostly wordless trailer gives us our first glimpses at live-action Clickers, the overgrown United States landscape, characters old and new, and even that iconic opening scene from the game.

Save who you can save. #TheLastOfUs is coming in 2023 to @hbomax. Follow @TheLastofUsHBO for the latest updates. pic.twitter.com/h8q77RLgdh

— HBO (@HBO) September 26, 2022

While we've seen a lot more of the show today, we still don't know a release date, with a mere '2023' still our only hint.

HBO has teased a new look at the upcoming series, The Last of Us, which feels likely to arrive today.

As part of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Day (previously known as Outbreak Day), it looks as though HBO will release a new glimpse at its upcoming video game adaptation starring Pedro Pascal's Joel, and Bella Ramsey's Ellie.

“The Last of Us Day is our way of celebrating the incredible The Last of Us community who bring so much positivity, kindness, and joy, not only to us at the studio but to each other,” said Naughty Dog. “For 2022, we have some surprises that we’re thrilled to share!”

Based on HBO's Twitter feed, it looks as though one of those surprises is a glimpse of the upcoming show. A short, five-second-long stinger reveals the iconic HBO logo along with the unmistakable sound of a clicker – the infamous enemies from the world of The Last of Us.

#TLOUDay pic.twitter.com/V6aDsHM3Dh

— HBO (@HBO) September 26, 2022

Tweeted out with the hashtag #TLOUDAY, it looks as though the video will give The Last of Us fans even more reason to celebrate. Exactly what we’ll get remains unclear – the video itself doesn’t give anything away. Still, it seems like the perfect time to unveil a little more of the upcoming TV adaptation.

“We’re so humbled to celebrate The Last of Us community annually with #TLOUDay,” said Naughty Dog. “To the edge of the universe and back – with all the gratitude and thanks to our incredible community – endure and survive.”

Again, there’s no mention of the upcoming HBO series, but if there’s not a new glimpse at Joel and Ellie in action by the end of the day, you can throw us to the clickers.

Of course, this won’t be the first time we’ve seen the upcoming show after HBO released a first look at The Last of Us just last month.

Alongside Joel and Ellie, the short teaser gives us a glimpse at Joel's daughter Sarah (Nico Parker), fellow survivor Bill (Nick Offerman), a clicker (or the remains of one) stuck in a wall, and potentially Frank (Murray Bartlett).

What we’ll see today remains firmly under wraps… but it sounds as though the zombies are coming.

Want to read more about The Last of Us? Check out who’s been cast as Henry and Sam, as well as our first look at Joel and Ellie in the new show.

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

A fan has just finished a colossal project inside Super Mario Maker 2 – spending seven years (across both Mario Maker games) creating an entire Mario game, which they've dubbed Super Mario Bros. 5.

On Twitter (below), Metroid Mike 64 wrote, "I’ve finally finished creating my Super World in Mario Maker 2 and have unofficially named it Super Mario Bros 5. I’ve been working towards this moment since 2015, trying to create a classic Mario game that plays as if Nintendo created it themselves."

I’ve finally finished creating my Super World in Mario Maker 2 and have unofficially named it Super Mario Bros 5. I’ve been working towards this moment since 2015, trying to create a classic Mario game that plays as if Nintendo created it themselves. pic.twitter.com/eUNvHQysVq

— Metroid Mike 64 (@MetroidMike64) September 25, 2022

If those dates don't quite add up for you, it's because Metroid Mike 64 says he's been planning to do this since the first Mario Maker game arrived in 2015. When the sequel came out for Switch, he says he studied his creations and "painstakingly imported them block-for-block" from the first game to the second.

The key was the addition of the World Maker update for Mario Maker 2, allowing players to stitch multiple levels together into full games, with proper World Maps. Metroid Mike 64 used it to bring together 40 courses spread across 8 worlds, separated into three styles – "24 courses from Super Mario World, 14 from SMB3 and 2 courses from SMB."

The unofficial Super Mario Bros. 5 is a love letter to the NES and SNES era of Mario games, and includes some of their hallmarks with new touches: the 7 Koopalings are end-of-world bosses, there are branching world maps, puzzle courses are included, and more. The gameplay is described as "classic Mario", without the troll levels or higely difficult skill challenges that dominate a lot of Mario Maker's user catalogue.

Ultimately, Metroid Mike 64 says he's been trying "provide you with something Nintendo should’ve done already, make a full Mario game within Super Mario Maker 2, that’s fun as heck!" You can play through his work by typing in the Mario Maker 2 ID, 0G9-XN4-FNF.

Unique course design like this airship course that’s made to look like a tank. This is Wendy’s Battletank of Doom. pic.twitter.com/lYQPKBaLNY

— Metroid Mike 64 (@MetroidMike64) September 25, 2022

The response has been incredibly positive, with Metroid Mike 64's announcement garnering almost 4,000 retweets and more than 25,000 likes at time of writing. On Twitter, Klein Felt wrote, "Played through a bunch of it yesterday and am blown away. This is the classic Mario sequel you have been waiting for." Benzuko said, "The attention to detail and satisfying risk/reward gameplay is brilliant. Fire it up and get involved."

Many have pointed out the oddity of a fan having to take the creation of a new 2D Mario game into their own hands. The last new, mainline 2D Mario game came in 2012 with New Super Mario Bros. U, and while 2019's Mario Maker 2 did have an excellent Story Mode, it was built more to showcase the flexibility of the tools than to provide a new, classic Mario game. The Switch has seen New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, but we've yet to hear word of a brand new 2D Mario from Nintendo itself.

This is, of course, testament to how flexible and impressive Mario Maker 2 is – which is why we awarded it a 9.5/10 review, calling it "the most accessible game design tool ever created," and saying "it's astonishing how incredibly well it's all held together in one cohesive package."

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.