John Carpenter’s The Thing headed back to theaters for the film’s 40th anniversary… but it didn’t exactly go smoothly.

According to Collider, the re-release earned an impressive $500,000 at the box office, putting it firmly in the top 10 for the weekend. However, the anniversary screening was plagued by problems.

Director Mick Garris headed out to see the film… and aired his frustration via Twitter.

“The film was shot in the 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio, but was shown in 1.85:1, literally cutting out a third of the film,” he said. “The picture was soft-focus, low-resolution, and the digital image was out of registration, so all objects were rimmed in red on one side, and blue on the other. Also, all movement all the way through the movie stuttered, like trying to watch Netflix with a really bad wifi signal.”

I just got back from seeing John Carpenter's masterpiece at the Fathom Events 40th anniversary screening at the Universal Citywalk AMC... and I will never EVER see a Fathom Event again, and I recommend that you avoid them like the plague. pic.twitter.com/FQbkp1OjV9

— Mick Garris & The Post Mortem Podcast (@MickGarrisPM) June 20, 2022

He wasn’t the only one outraged by the screenings, with John Carpenter himself calling the situation “distressing” and “horrible”.

“I'm happy that people want The Thing to be presented at a minimum — at a minimum, man — in the way we made it,” he told IndieWire. “I'm delighted by that."

Of course, the severe backlash prompted Fathom events to respond to complaints:

“Your patronage and trust are of utmost importance to us. We know you come to theaters expecting the very best experience possible and we pride ourselves in being the provider of that experience. We are aware that the recent showing of 'The Thing; wasn't shown in its original aspect ratio and the disappointment it caused. Wednesday's scheduled event will be shown in the proper aspect ratio, so you can see the film in theaters, as it was meant to be seen."

Unfortunately… Wednesday’s screenings weren’t exactly problem-free, either.

IGN’s own Tom Jorgensen attended the Wednesday screening, hoping to see The Thing in its original form. Unfortunately, the screening was completely canceled at the last minute.

“I just got out of the second scheduled screening, the one Fathom promised would go off without a hitch... and a half-hour after it was supposed to start, the manager walks in and tells us the screening is canceled,” he said.

It’s unclear whether Fathom events will take another run at the screening, but despite an impressive box office haul, The Thing has remained out of reach for many viewers.

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

Update 6/23 9:58 am PT: Yuji Naka has somewhat walked back his assertions that Michael Jackson is somehow involved with the music in Sonic 3. Despite longheld rumors, and a seeming confirmation that Jackson is at least somewhat involved in the confusing saga of Sonic 3's soundtrack, Naka clarified that his tweets were "misunderstood."

I feel like I'm being misunderstood a lot, probably because I don't speak English and I'm using a translation tool. Sorry.

— Yuji Naka / 中　裕司 (@nakayuji) June 23, 2022

"I feel like I'm being misunderstood a lot, probably because I don't speak English and I'm using a translation tool. Sorry," Naka writes.

This is in relation to an earlier Tweet where Naka seemingly connects Sonic 3's music with Michael Jackson through a tribute Sega Tweeted to the pop star. We will simply have to move this rumor back into the vaults of gaming history's greatest untold tales.

Original Story: Former Sega programmer Yuji Naka seems to have confirmed that Michael Jackson did indeed work on the original Sonic the Hedgehog 3 soundtrack, which could explain why it is no longer used in new re-releases of the game.

On Twitter, Yuji Naka reacted to the fact that Sonic 3's soundtrack in the Sonic Origins collection was changed. He then followed up with, "Oh my god, the music for Sonic 3 has changed, even though Sega Official uses Michael Jackson's music."

Naga then further clarifies that he's referring to a Sega's TikTok video where the company is using the star's song to celebrate Sonic's 31st birthday. However, this doesn't seem to negate his previous implication about Sonic 3's soundtrack.

Oh my god, the music for Sonic 3 has changed, even though SEGA Official uses Michael Jackson's music.

— Yuji Naka / 中　裕司 (@nakayuji) June 23, 2022

Earlier this week, Sonic social media manager Katie Chrzanowski confirmed that the original soundtrack for the game wouldn't be included in the new classic games collection. It's long been speculated that pop star Michael Jackson worked on the original soundtrack due to its similarities with his biggest songs like Smooth Criminal, Stranger in Moscow, and Jam.

Instead, the soundtrack in Sonic 3 for Origins was adapted from the 1993 prototype that was discovered in November 2019. Fans weren't really happy about the results.

Sonic Origins launches on June 23 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

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

Focus Enterainment and Asobo Studio have announced that A Plague Tale: Requiem will launch this October. The news accompanies a new, extended gameplay trailer that shows off over ten minutes from the ambitious sequel.

A Plague Tale: Requiem will be released on October 18. Taking place six months after the original game, the sequel follows Amicia and Hugo as they travel south in hope of discovering a mysterious island that could hold the key to saving Hugo from his illness. Much like A Plague Tale: Innocence, Requiem is a stealth adventure game with puzzles, but this time around combat plays a more prominent role in the experience.

Pre-orders are available now for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC versions, and a Collector's Edition complete with Hugo and Amecia statue, soundtrack on vinyl, lithograph pictures, feather brooch, and exclusive box art is also available.

We recently played a a few hours of the game, so be sure to read our Plague Tale: Requiem hands-on preview to see what we thought of the sequels improvements and new ideas. From what we can see in the new trailer, the addition of combat and more open environments does make it seem as if Asobo Studio is closing in on the kind of action-stealth gameplay seen in The Last of Us.

If you'd like to watch more from A Plague Tale, you could watch the Requiem reveal trailer, or just hang tight for the upcoming TV series.

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

Two Sony veterans have united to set up Liithos, a new AAA games studio. Liithos’ debut game will be Ashfall, which the studio describes as the “first true Web 3.0 AAA title for PC, console, and the Hedera network.” Yup, it’s another blockchain idea.

Liithos has been set up by Michael Mumbauer and John Garvin, two veteran PlayStation developers. Mumbauer was once head of PlayStation’s Visual Arts, where he worked on projects including Uncharted, The Last of Us, and Days Gone. He left Sony to become the founder of That’s No Moon, a role he left less than a year later.

Garvin, meanwhile, was creative director of Days Gone and Siphon Filter at Bend Studio. He, by his own admission, was fired from Bend for being “a disruptive personality”. In a talk with David Jaffe, Garvin said that he “had a few heated arguments” at the studio, and that he “sucked” at being a people person, a skill required in his position at the helm of a large team.

Ashfall is described as an open-world game set in a land ravaged by global warming, mysterious energy fields, and warring enclaves. It apparently starts as a narrative-driven single player game, but later evolves into a PvP and PvE game. Ashfall will also plug into the Hedera network, a blockchain system that will allow players to build, sell, and trade, with “exclusivity” being a focus. Such a word suggests that Ashfall’s scavenging and discovery elements result in NFTs. This comes despite the gaming community expressing overwhelming disdain for blockchain projects, so much so companies like Team 17 and GSC Game World have had to backpedal on NFT ideas.

Right now it’s impossible to tell what kind of studio and game these two personalities will produce, but it seems that Liithos is interested in not just the blockchain, but something called a “cinematic transmedia world.” It appears that Mumbauer and Garvin intend to work on more than just a video game, with the company announced as a “AAA Gaming and Entertainment Studio”.

“Michael and I have worked together creatively for almost two decades and this is our chance to create something really new and exciting. It’s like getting the band back together,” said Garvin in a press release. “Our goal is to create a truly next-gen, open world experience that engages with new technologies to allow user-generated content. As always, our focus is on creating beloved characters, captivating stories and evolutionary gameplay and a world worth exploring, not just in games, but other media as well.”

While Garvin has moved to set up this new studio, his Days Gone co-director, Jeff Ross, recently joined Crystal Dynamics as the studio’s new Design Director. It’s unclear if he’ll be working on the recently announced Tomb Raider game, or the Perfect Dark reboot that the studio is co-developing with Microsoft’s The Initiative.

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

Stranger Things already got pretty dark in Season 4, but the show's creators say it’s about to get even darker. During an interview with Empire Magazine, the Duffer Brothers said: “don’t say we didn’t warn you” about the upcoming season finale.

“I don’t really want to say, but I would be concerned about the characters going into Volume 2, for sure,” said Ross Duffer. “I hope that that is sort of the sense, because it is a darker season and the kids are no longer kids. And there’s sort of an ominous feeling that things might not go well. Now, whether they do or not, you’ll have to watch.”

Season 4 of Stranger Things has certainly leaned into the show’s horror roots. Now that Will Byers, Mike Wheeler, and the rest of the gang are growing up, the hit Netflix show has begun channeling ‘80s horror classics such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, and Hellraiser. But going into the season finale, it sounds as though nobody is safe.

Of course, the Duffer Brothers have teased a sticky ending for some of our favorite Stranger Things characters already, with hints that their plans to take on Vecna may not work out as they plan.

“One of our favorite things in horror films is seeing our protagonists be proactive,” said Ross. “You know in The Lost Boys when they decide to go after the vampires? It’s fun to see people come up with a plan and try to outsmart the villain. That’s what Volume 2 is about. But of course, not everything goes to plan…”

If the recent trailer is anything to go by, it looks as though Stranger Things Season 4 is heading for quite the explosive ending… and at least one death.

“You can expect from volume two, we’ve got some deaths coming,” said Will Byers himself, Noah Schnapp, in an interview on The Tonight Show. But who it will be remains to be seen.

Want to find out more about Stranger Things 4 Volume Two? Check out these first-look images of the upcoming finale, and find out the truth about the show’s new big bad, Vecna.

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

It seems The Last Podcast on the Left has found success in making the jump to the comic book medium, because Z2 is releasing a second volume of The Last Comic Book On the Left in 2022.

As with the first volume, The Last Comic Book on the Left Vol. 2 will be curated by podcast hosts Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, and Ben Kissel. The book boasts new horror tales from a number of creators, including many returning favorites from Vol. 1 like James Tynion IV, Rick Veitch, Logan Faerber and Tyler Boss.

Also like with Vol. 1, Z2 will be offering a deluxe edition hardcover version that includes a set of art prints depicting the cryptids and other kooky characters featured within these stories. IGN can exclusively debut David Mack's cover art for the deluxe edition below:

"Our insatiable hunger for ink and blood couldn't be sustained with one volume," said Parks in Z2's press release.

"We needed to see more Detective Popcorn. We craved more Well Actually Killer, let alone debuts from Gef the Talking Mongoose and Philip K. Dick android. This volume delivers of all of this and more in an avalanche of paneled goodness," said Zebrowski.

The Last Comic Book on the Left Vol. 2 is slated for release in Fall 2022.

The original story is below:

Clocking in at nearly 500 episodes and counting, it's safe to say The Last Podcast On the Left is one of the most successful horror podcasts ever. Now the series is expanding into an entirely new medium, as hosts Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski and Ben Kissel spearhead a graphic novel series dubbed The Last Comic Book On the Left.

Where The Last Podcast On the Left takes a humorous approach to true crime cases and horror topics like ghosts, cryptids, serial killers and UFOs, The Last Comic Book On the Left is intended as a tribute to classic horror anthologies like Creepy, Eerie and Tales From the Crypt. The series will feature a number of different but interconnected horror tales from horror comics veterans like James Tynion IV (Something Is Killing the Children) and Rick Veitch (Swamp Thing).

The Last Comic Book On the Left will be published as a series of full-length graphic novels through Z2 Comics. The creative lineup for Vol. 1 includes:

• James Tynion IV (The Department of Truth, Something Is Killing the Children)
• Rick Veitch (Swamp Thing, Miracleman)
• Bob Fingerman (Minimum Wage, Beg the Question)
• Tyler Boss (4 Kids Walk Into a Bank, What’s the Furthest Place From Here?)
• Ryan Cady (Machine Gun Kelly’s Hotel Diablo, Sublime: $5 at the Door)
• Eliot Rahal (Machine Gun Kelly’s Hotel Diablo, the upcoming Cheech and Chong's Chronicles: The Graphic Novel)
• Morgan Beem (Swamp Thing: Twin Branches, The Family Trade)
• Noah Van Sciver (Grateful Dead Origins, the upcoming Cheech and Chong's Chronicles: The Graphic Novel)
• Logan Faerber ('Namwolf, The Woods)

In addition to those stories, Vol. 1 will include a tale written by Parks and Zebrowski and illustrated by John McCrea (Hitman). Eric Powell (The Goon), Martin Morazzo (Ice Cream Man) and Bob Fingerman provide cover art for Vol. 1. A deluxe edition version of the graphic novel will also include a series of cryptid-themed art prints.

“We are excited to expand our comic bloodlust with Z2 and The Last Comic On the Left,” Zebrowski said in Z2's press release. “We get to see many of our more ‘colorful’ ideas receive the evil MAD Magazine treatment. Z2 works with some of the most talented artists and creators in the comic business and it’s a privilege to be in their talented hands.”

"When I first got turned onto The Last Podcast On The Left a couple years ago, I was immediately hooked. As a lifelong weirdo with an obsession for crime, paranormal, and the occult, I learned to stifle talking about it in mixed company—listening to this podcast about the strange was an instant release valve,” Z2 Comics Publisher Josh Frankel said. “To be able to work with the guys to bring their comedic vision to life, as well as to do so in a format that pays homage to some of the greatest publications of all time, is insane to me."

The Last Comic Book On the Left Vol. 1 is currently available to preorder through Z2 Comics and is slated for release in Spring 2022.

The Last Podcast On the Left isn't the only podcast making the jump to other media. Critical Role is currently in development as an animated series at Amazon called The Legend of Vox Machina: Critical Role, and the series also getting an officially licensed D&D book called Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep.

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

Filmmaker Taika Waititi has admitted that the What We Do in the Shadows crew pilfered timber from the set of Peter Jackson's second Hobbit film after it had wrapped production.

Appearing on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Wednesday, Waititi shared a behind-the-scenes secret from the 2014 film What We Do in the Shadows, which he co-wrote, co-directed, and starred in with Jemaine Clement. He revealed that the crew used dismantled green screen from The Hobbit set to build the house in the low-budget vampire movie.

"When I did What We Do in the Shadows, when Jemaine and I were shooting that, we didn't have much money to do that film, and The Hobbit had just wrapped," he said. "So our production designer... in the dead of night, took his crew to The Hobbit studios and stole all of the dismantled, broken-down green screens and took all of the timber, and we built a house.

"The house in What We Do in the Shadows is built out of The Hobbit's green screen," Waititi reiterated. "And I have never talked to Peter Jackson about this. I don't know if he knows. I like telling it at parties, that story, but I don't know if he actually knows."

What We Do in the Shadows was filmed on a budget of $1.6 million while the production budget for the second instalment in The Hobbit trilogy - the 2013 fantasy adventure The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - was upwards of $225 million, meaning there was a lot more money available to Jackson and his crew for each phase of the filmmaking process.

What We Do in the Shadows spawned a television series of the same name that follows a group of centuries-old vampires as they struggle with their mundane modern lives. The series premiered on FX in 2019 and has scored multiple season renewals since, with the fourth season set to premiere on July 12. It's then set to return for two more seasons on FX.

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

Gorō Taniguchi’s One Piece Film: Red is coming to theaters this Fall, and will be distributed by well-known anime service, Crunchyroll.

The upcoming anime, based on the One Piece manga series, will debut in theatres later this fall, around the same time as the 23rd anniversary of the One Piece saga. Crunchyroll has agreed to distribute the movie theatrically across the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, in both dubbed and subtitle variants.

“We’re excited to bring One Piece Film Red to theaters around the world this fall,” said Masayuki Endo, President, and CEO of Toei Animation Inc. “This new film from creator Eiichiro Oda will truly captivate fans in a thrilling new adventure with the Straws Hats that features the debut of Uta – a mysterious new character in the world of One Piece.”

The mysterious Uta is described as the world’s favorite diva, now performing for the first time in public. Her voice is said to be “otherworldly” with the island venue filled with fans and Star Hats from across the world.

But her diva personality hides the secret of her true identity. Uta is actually the daughter of Shanks – the legendary pirate and major player in the One Piece saga. Standing shoulder to shoulder with her father, Uta lifts the curtain on her mysterious identity, but it seems that’s only the beginning.

“One Piece has been a cornerstone on Crunchyroll, delighting fans around the world. We’re thrilled to bring audiences the next adventure in this global franchise, and the adventure with a new stand-alone story in theaters,” said Crunchyroll’s senior vice president of global commerce, Mitchel Berger.

Here’s the official synopsis: “Uta —the most beloved singer in the world. Renowned for concealing her own identity when performing, her voice has come to be described as ‘otherworldly.’ Now, for the first time ever, Uta will herself to the world at a live concert. As the venue fills with all kinds of Uta fans —excited pirates, the Navy watching closely, and the Straw Hats led by Luffy who simply came to enjoy her sonorous performance —the voice that the whole world has been waiting for is about to resound. The story begins with the shocking fact that she is Shanks' daughter.”

More details about One Piece Film: Red will be revealed at Anime Expo on July 2 in Los Angeles.

Want to find out more about the One Piece film series? Check out who’s in the upcoming One Piece Netflix show, and get a behind-the-scenes look at its incredible sets.

Editors note: this story originally incorrectly stated that One Piece Film: Red would be available on Crunchyroll's streaming service at launch. IGN apologises and regrets this error.

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

It’s official – Overwatch 2 will fully replace the original Overwatch at launch. During a Reddit AMA, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller confirmed that the upcoming Overwatch sequel will replace the original live service when the game launches in October.

“When OW2 launches on Oct 4th it will be a replacement for the current Live Service,” he confirmed. In other words, the original Overwatch will no longer be playable once the new game releases. Instead, players who try to play Overwatch will be prompted to update to Overwatch 2. Blizzard is pursuing this model in order to retain a unified playerbase.

When the sequel was originally announced back in August last year, Blizzard claimed that Overwatch and Overwatch 2 players would be able to play side-by-side when playing the same game modes.

The original plan allowed Overwatch players to play on the brand-new Overwatch 2 maps and as the new heroes. Then-game director Jeff Kaplan said it was a “shared multiplayer environment where no one gets left behind.” In other words, multiplayer PvP would have been possible across the two titles.

Now, it looks as though Overwatch will, in fact, be left behind. Overwatch will essentially roll right into Overwatch 2, which was already planned to retain old legacy content while adding new maps and systems. The fact that Overwatch 2 will be free-to-play means this should be an easy enough transition, since no players need to pay for the new game.

But this change means it looks as though 6v6 Overwatch is a thing of the past, as Overwatch 2 uses a 5v5 model. In fact, it's likely that the transition from 6v6 to 5v5 is the thing that made the two versions of the game incompatible.

“We’re using the term Early Access to indicate that this is just the start of many new things coming to the game,” said Overwatch 2's director, Aaron Keller, on Reddit. “We’re launching with new heroes, maps, and features, but there are even more of these coming seasonally – every 9 weeks. We recently released a roadmap detailing some of this content, with a new hero coming in Seasons 1 and 2, and a new map in Season 2. Additionally, larger pieces of the game that have always been a part of the vision for OW2 will be released to the game as part of the live service, including the launch of the PvE Campaign next year.”

Elsewhere, Blizzard recently clarified what will happen to your unopened loot boxes, while the game’s official reveal event unveiled some brand new details.

Need some help with Overwatch while you’re still able to play it? Check out our guide to the tips, tricks, and secrets of Overwatch, and learn which characters counter each other to power up your games.

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

Hello Games has announced that its long-running space exploration game, No Man’s Sky, will release on Nintendo Switch this October.

Landing October 7, the Switch version of No Man’s Sky will come complete with all 20 updates that have transformed the game since its original PS4 and PC release back in 2016. This version is released in collaboration with Bandai Namco, and will be available both digitally and physically.

“No Man’s Sky on this tiny portable device feels both completely natural and also totally improbable at the same time,” said creative director Sean Murray in a press release. “This has been a real moonshot for our small team. No Man’s Sky is built around procedural generation, which means the console generates everything you see. This makes it so much harder to bring our game to something like the Switch, but I think this team never seems happier than when they are trying to do near-impossible things.

“I honestly feel the No Man’s Sky community has become one of the most welcoming in all of gaming, and it blows my mind just judging from Reddit alone that it’s also one of the largest. For many it is their “forever game”, with over half a billion hours played, across millions of players. We look forward to inviting over 100m Switch owners to join us on our journey.”

The Switch won’t be the only console getting a fresh version of No Man’s Sky on October 7. That same day sees the launch of the physical, boxed copies of No Man’s Sky’s PS5 remastered edition. Containing all 20 updates, this version is the first time a boxed copy of No Man’s Sky has been made available since the 2019 version that came with the Beyond update.

As for what's next for No Man's Sky, you'll need to watch out for its upcoming PSVR2 version.

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