Update:

Sony shared a first look at some of the items that will be available as part of its free PlayStation Stars loyalty program, as well as a timeline for when you can try to collect them yourself.

Sony's Grace Chen said the program will begin rolling out in certain regions of Asia later this month. It will then launch in the Americas and Europe in the weeks that follow, but no specific timeline was given.

Alongside the new timeline, PlayStation revealed some of the first digital collectibles players will be able to earn through the program, including a PocketStation, Toro and Kuro, Polygon Man, and Punto from Ape Escape 2.

Check out the digital collectibles in the video below.

Original Story:

Sony has announced a new reward points programme called PlayStation Stars that will allow players to earn points with real cash value.

Announced on the PlayStation Blog, the loyalty programme will begin later this year (though Sony didn't say when exactly) and will be free to sign up to. Players will be able to complete objectives - with some as simple as playing a game once a month - to earn points that can be later redeemed on the PlayStation Store or for other rewards.

The catalogue of items " may include PSN wallet funds and select PlayStation Store products," and members of PlayStation Plus will also receive points for purchasing items on the store, similar to the My Nintendo programme on Switch.

Outside of PlayStation Store related rewards, users can also earn "digital collectibles" that are "digital representations of things PlayStation fans enjoy, including figurines of beloved and iconic characters from games and other forms of entertainment, as well as cherished devices that tap into Sony’s history of innovation."

Additionally, according to The Washington Post, the first player to get the Platinum trophy in certain games will receive an extra special award, which no one else can get. It's not clear exactly how this will work - there's mention of it being within a local time zone, so it could be a territory race for the Platinum rather than a global one - but PlayStation has promised it will crack down on any attempts to get the rewards through fraudulent means.

New collectibles will be added regularly, with Sony stating that some will be particularly rare and something for players to continuously work towards.

The programme will mark another upgrade to Sony's digital offerings as it recently introduced new PlayStation Plus tiers. While the basic tier is more or less the same as the previous PlayStation Plus, the middle and most expensive tiers offer hundreds of extra games in a service similar to Xbox Game Pass.

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

Rumbleverse, the Fortnite meets pro wrestling Battle Royale game, will be released next month on August 11, for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series, and PC through the Epic Games Store.

The free-to-play, 40-person Battle Royale will feature a battle pass too, but its Season 1 doesn't start until a week after launch on August 18. Iron Galaxy Studios has not announced pricing for the battle pass but, given that Fortnite's Epic Games is also publishing Rumbleverse, it will likely cost around $10 for the standard version.

A new trailer (below) was released alongside the release date announcement, showcasing some of the wackiest moments from Rumbleverse's network tests.

"Rumbleverse has been a passion project for us and a real testament to the skills and experience of our team,” said Iron Galaxy co-CEO Adam Boyes. "We can’t wait to see everyone pour into Grapital City and discover the singular joy of suplexing a friend off a skyscraper."

The game was first announced in December last year and was originally expected to be released in February. The studio later delayed the game indefinitely but eventually settled on this new August release date.

In our preview of the game, IGN said: "With a unique angle, a familiar but visually appealing cartoony art-style, and more wrasslin’ than you can shake a steel chair at, Rumbleverse seems primed to be a legitimate new contender in the competitive battle royale genre."

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

Tengen Uzui is now available in Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles as the first DLC fighter in the Character Pass.

Though Uzui is also available as a standalone purchase, publisher SEGA is putting the Character Pass on sale to celebrate the launch. A free DLC stage, the Entertainment District, is also being released today to celebrate Uzui coming to the game, referencing his introduction in the Demon Slayer anime. Those who purchase Uzui will also receive a set of profile photos and quotes.

Also being released across all platforms today is the Kimetsu Academy Summer Uniforms pack, which was previously only available on Nintendo Switch. Players on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and PC via Steam can now purchase the DLC outfits for $4.99.

As Uzui is just the first DLC character available in Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles, joined by six other characters released across five packs by the end of 2022. These include: Nezuko Kamado, (Advanced Demon Form), Tanjiro Kamado (Entertainment District), Zenitsu Agatsuma (Entertainment District), Inosuke Hashibira (Entertainment District), Daki, and Gyutaro.

The additional characters will help address a flaring issue in the game, as in our 7/10 review, IGN said: "Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles is a fighter that balances depth and accessibility well, but it’s hamstrung by an inconsistent story mode and a slim roster."

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

The latest trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been released and, alongside Galadriel and Elrond, it features a first look at characters from the island kingdom of Númenor, including Elendil, Pharazôn, Queen Regent Míriel, and Isildur, the man who would eventually cut the One Ring off of Sauron's finger.

The trailer begins by featuring the Two Trees of Valinor - which were destroyed before the time in the Second Age the series mainly takes place in - and we are then shown many of the locations that will be brought to life in The Rings of Power, including the Elven realms of Lindon and Eregion, the Dwarven realm Khazad-dûm, the Southlands, the Northernmost Wastes, the Sundering Seas, and the island kingdom of Númenór.

Speaking of Númenor, the kingdom whose rise and fall is one of the main events of the Second Age, many of its most high-profile citizens are shown for the first time, and Isildur may be the one more recognizable to fans.

In The Fellowship of the Ring, Isildur was said to be the one who cut the One Ring off of Sauron's hand, seemingly ending his reign of terror. However, his refusal to destroy the ring allowed Sauron's spirit to live in and later return in the Third Age.

Elendil was Isildur's father and, alongside helping establish Arnor and Gondor and becoming the first High King of Dúnedain, helped lead the battle against Sauron at the Siege of Barad-dûr. Pharazôn was the last king of Númenor who usurped the throne by marrying Míriel, who was the rightful Ruling Queen of Númenor. Without spoiling too much, Pharazôn has an important role to play in the Second Age.

A big part of the teaser sees Galadriel speaking to Elrond and claiming that the "enemy is still out there." Elrond attempts to have Galadriel stop this search, but she tells him that "you have not seen what I have seen."

In the two-minute, 30-second teaser we are also given further glimpses of "High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), the Harfoots Marigold Brandyfoot (Sara Zwangobani), Elanor ‘Nori’ Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh), Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards) and Sadoc Burrows (Sir Lenny Henry), The Stranger (Daniel Weyman), the Dwarves King Durin III (Peter Mullan) and Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur), Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), and Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova)."

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which is set thousands of years before the adventures of Frodo and the Fellowship, and its eight-part first season will begin on Friday, September 2, and new episodes will be released each week.

For more, read on as to why Gandalf (probably) isn't in this prequel series, our further look at who's who in The Rings of Power, and our exclusive look at the show's take on Middle-earth's orcs.

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.

Martin Lawrence has claimed Will Smith's Oscars slap won't kill the development of Bad Boys 4 despite the reported postponement of the project in the aftermath of the incident.

In an interview with Ebony magazine, Lawrence expressed his confidence that Bad Boys 4 will move forward, as he dismissed speculation that the franchise's fourth installment would be cancelled as a result of Smith's onstage altercation with Chris Rock at the Oscars. "We got one more at least," he asserted, implying that Bad Boys for Life will get a follow-up.

The buddy cop action-comedy franchise launched in 1995 with the first Bad Boys movie, which saw Lawrence and Smith team up in their respective roles as Detective Sergeant Marcus Miles Burnett and Detective Sergeant Mike Lowrey. The movie proved to be a commercial success and spawned a sequel in 2003 with the release of Bad Boys II.

"It was big," Lawrence said of the launch of the franchise. "For us to come together and prove that we can deliver, and we can pull people into the box office—that two Black stars, two sitcom stars, could make money at the box office [was huge]. I didn't go to college, so I felt TV was my college years. I felt with movies, I had graduated; it was just different."

25 years after the first Bad Boys proved that then-TV-stars Lawrence and Smith had big screen box office clout, the boys returned again for Bad Boys for Life. The long-gestating follow-up was well-received by fans and critics, with IGN's reviewer calling it an outrageous throwback threequel with great cast chemistry and plenty of all-out action.

The development of a fourth Bad Boys movie was confirmed in the same month that Bad Boys for Life arrived in theaters. The project was said to be making steady progress, with Smith having received 40 pages of the script. However, in April of this year, Bad Boys 4 reportedly came to a grinding halt to allow events to play out after the Oscars incident.

Smith made headlines in March when he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith's alopecia. Smith later apologized, calling his behavior "unacceptable and inexcusable." The actor also resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and received a 10-year ban from Academy events.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will be writing a new series about the life of the creator of the Ferrari supercar, which will air exclusively on Apple's streaming platform, Apple TV+, THR reports.

The show will be co-written by Italian director Stefano Sollima (Without Remorse, Sicario: Day of the Soldado), and is inspired by the best-selling biography Ferrari Rex by Luca Dal Monte. It'll focus on a particular five-year period in Ferrari's life.

"I am thrilled to be telling such an evocative story about this legendary man and his iconic brand," said Knight in a statement. "Enzo Ferrari’s utterly extraordinary life was defined by his dramatic personal and professional journey, and Ferrari is a celebration of an incredibly complex and fascinating human being."

A log line for the show was provided, and it seems to be more of a high-stakes period drama, focused on the hardships faced by Ferrari in his pursuit of automobile eminence.

"Five years. Five drivers. Five deaths. One trial. In the name of passion, in the pursuit of pure speed. At the center of it all a titanic man, complex and multifaceted, who dedicated his genius to the mission of building the fastest racing car in history."

It continues: "Enzo Ferrari: his name became a boast, an aspiration, and ultimately legend. But there was a trail of tragedy and torment along the way. Between 1956 and 1961, deeply wounded by the tragic death of his firstborn son Dino and by what he considered a betrayal by his lead driver Juan Manuel Fangio, Enzo Ferrari rebuilds his racing team from scratch, selecting five promising rising stars of motor racing to fight for victory."

Since its initial air date, Peaky Blinders has been a smashing success, holding a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and making Cillian Murphy (Inception, Batman Begins) a household name.

Though an official release date is yet to come, we do know that this will be one of two pieces developed by Apple about the life of the car manufacturer — with Michael Mann now directing a feature film (also titled Ferrari) that stars Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, and Shailene Woodley.

Diego Ramos Bechara is a Freelance Writer for IGN, and he's a fan of all things Star Wars, Rockstar, Naughty Dog and Batman.

You can follow him on Twitter @DRamosBechara.

The Iron Throne was always meant to be enormous. In the original books it was described towering over the room "like a great beast."

"It's put together by blacksmiths not by craftsmen and experts in furniture manufacturing. You have to walk the iron steps, and when a king sits on it he's like 10 feet above everybody else ... He's in this raised position looking down on everyone," author George R.R. Martin said in 2014.

French artist Marc Simonetti was apparently the closest anyone ever came to matching Martin's vision for the Iron Throne, with his painting ultimately appearing in The World of Ice and Fire.

House of the Dragon's showrunners have taken Martin's feedback into account in redesigning the Iron Throne, using an estimated 2,500 swords in the show's version of the throne, including some that are real (and quite dangerous).

"Literally we had to put [up] fences when we first built it," co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik told EW in a new interview. "Some of them are real swords. It is as dangerous as it is [described] in the books."

The newly-remade Iron Throne apparently has Martin's blessing, which should please fans of the books looking for a greater sense of authenticity in the prequel series.

EW breaks down 9 exclusive photos from HBO's 'House of the Dragon.' https://t.co/lIdxqXQeOv

— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) July 13, 2022

In a minor but amusing detail, the swords in the new Iron Throne apparently include props used in other fantasy shows including Netflix's The Witcher and the Warcraft movie. Ultimately, there weren't enough swords to go around, which is why the House of the Dragon showrunners had to borrow some from other shows.

It's possible to glimpse the new Iron Throne in the background of one of the photos released earlier today. The new images were revealed in tandem with a host of fresh details about how the showrunners want to make a more diverse Westeros.

House of the Dragon is currently on track to release on August 21, with plenty more shows in production on top of that, including a sequel starring Jon Snow.

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.

Konami is preparing to reinstate the Metal Gear games it temporarily removed from sale as the series celebrates its 35th anniversary.

As reported by VGC, Konami's Japanese Twitter account posted to commemorate the anniversary and announced that fans, seemingly soon, will once again be able to play the temporarily suspended entries.

"The Metal Gear series, released on July 13, 1987, celebrated its 35th anniversary today," it said. "We are preparing to resume sales of titles that have been temporarily suspended."

This could refer to the versions of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 that were removed from digital storefronts last November following license renewal issues.

1987年7月13日に発売された『METAL GEAR』シリーズは、本日35周年を迎えました。
一時販売を停止しておりますタイトルにおいて、販売再開のための準備を進めております。　#METALGEAR #MG35th pic.twitter.com/X7RL5du2qE

— メタルギア公式 (METAL GEAR) (@metalgear_jp) July 13, 2022

Konami said at the time: "We are currently working on renewing the licenses for select historical archive footage used in-game, therefore, we have made the temporary decision to begin suspending the sale of Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, and all products that include these games from digital storefronts globally starting from November 8, 2021."

The full list of games removed is as follows:

• Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty HD Edition on PS3 and PS Vita
• Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater HD Edition on PS3 and PS Vita
• Metal Gear Solid HD Edition on PS3
• Metal Gear Solid HD Collection on PS Vita and PS Now
• Metal Gear Solid HD Edition: 2 & 3 on Xbox 360
• Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D on Nintendo 3DS
• Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance on GOG.com
• Metal Gear Solid 2 HD for SHIELD TV on Nvidia Shield
• Metal Gear Solid 3 HD for SHIELD TV on Nvidia Shield

The original Metal Gear was released for the MSX and was the now-famed Hideo Kojima's first game. It featured series staple Solid Snake as he attempted to destroy the original Metal Gear, a nuclear-missile launching mech.

It received a sequel in 1990 called Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, but the franchise would soon go quiet until Metal Gear Solid was released in 1998 for the original PlayStation, shaping what would become one of the most iconic franchise's in video games that ended with 2015's Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (not including the poorly received spin-off, Metal Gear Survive).

For those who are managing their backlog or want to create a game plan of what Metal Gear games to go back to and play next, we have assembled a complete Playlist of all the Metal Gear games that can be sorted, ranked, and customized with your play status.

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

Evil Dead: The Game has received an Army of Darkness update, featuring a new map, more weapons, premium cosmetics, and a single-player Exploration mode.

Evil Dead fans will have a lot of groovy fun with the Army of Darkness update, as it comes with an all-new map featuring several iconic locations from Sam Raimi's 1992 comedy-horror threequel. Those landmarks include the medieval setting of Castle Kandar, the Windmill, the Arthurian Outpost, Fort Gort, and the Castle Kandar Keep.

The trailer for the Army of Darkness update gives players a teaser of what they can expect when entering battle with the skeletal deadites lurking in these new hotspots. Players will be able to hone their slaying skills with two new weapons: the almighty Mace and the Explosive Crossbow, which is said to produce a blast that is "worth the wait."

Exploration mode allows players to freely roam the vast locations in Evil Dead: The Game entirely on their own, and they can do so in style by purchasing Ash Williams' S-Mart Employee Outfit or Gallant Knight Outfit. There's also a Medieval Bundle featuring Henry the Red's Scottish Vibe Outfit, Lord Arthur's Battle Prep Outfit, and a Gilded Attire costume pack.

The new map, weapons, and single-player exploration mode are free as part of the Army of Darkness update that is available to all owners of Evil Dead: The Game while Ash's two alternative outfits can be picked up for $2.99 each and the Medieval Bundle can be purchased for $7.99 – unless you're a Season Pass 1 owner, in which case the bundle will be free.

Evil Dead: The Game is available on PC via the Epic Games Store, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and Xbox One. Its Deluxe Edition includes the Season Pass 1, which features The Classics bundle, the Army of Darkness Medieval bundle, and two upcoming DLC packs. Evil Dead: The Game has also been announced for future release on Nintendo Switch.

IGN awarded Evil Dead: The Game an 8 out of 10, calling it "an asymmetric multiplayer game of cat and mouse that’s compelling and exhilarating, despite being rough around the edges - much like the horror/comedies that inspired it." It features both co-op and PvP gameplay alongside the return of Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Tainted Grail, the board game that burst onto the scene as 2018's biggest Kickstarter campaign, is now aiming even higher. Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is a first-person, open-world RPG that aims to release into Steam Early Access in Q4 2022. Get a look at the tone and vibe of the game in the new cinematic trailer at the top of this page.

Polish fantasy writer Krzysztof Piskorski created Tainted Grail, which took its first stab at video game success with 2020's Tainted Grail: Conquest, a deck-building roguelike. The Awaken Realms development team describes the world of Tainted Grail as a "gritty, unique retelling of Arthurian legends — an epic dark fantasy setting in which humans arrived at the island of Avalon in search of paradise, only to find a hellish land tainted by the Wyrdness — a mysterious force warping the reality."

The Fall of Avalon promises a dark storyline, ample player freedom, complex quests, player choices that are "respected," and plenty of monsters to slay.

More concrete gameplay features on tap include a unique magic system, multiple crafting systems, skill-based combat with the usual and welcome fantasy trifecta of melee weapons, ranged weapons, and magic, as well as memorable and plentiful NPCs. Wishlist Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon on Steam.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.