Sony has announced its decision to skip Gamescom 2022, adding PlayStation to the expanding list of publishers that won't be making an appearance at the popular annual convention in Cologne, Germany.

In a statement to German publication Games Wirtschaft, Sony revealed that it wouldn't be attending Gamescom this year, while also confirming that there wouldn't be any PlayStation-based announcements during Geoff Keighley's Opening Night Live livestream.

Though Gamescom long reigned as the world's most-attended games expo, it made the move to a streaming-based event in 2019. This year marks its return to a partially physical show, but it seems that many of gaming's biggest companies are choosing to pass up on the opportunity. Nintendo, Take-Two, and Activision Blizzard have already announced that they won't take part in the event, while the verdict is still out about Microsoft – though it's looking increasingly unlikely due to the company's limited first-party lineup for 2022.

Granted, news of Sony skipping Gamescom isn't entirely unexpected, as PlayStation has been known to skip many major game shows over the past few years as it has shifted its focus toward short-form State of Play streams, showcasing its newest partnerships and upcoming first-party games on its own time.

In its most recent State of Play, the company revealed the long-awaited Resident Evil 4 remake and new trailers for upcoming titles like Final Fantasy XVI and Street Fighter 6. With God of War Ragnarok still expected to launch this year, it's not unreasonable to expect Sony could hit us with another stream relatively soon.

Gamescom 2022 will run from August 24 - 28 at the Koelnmesse convention centre in Cologne, Germany.

Billy Givens is a freelance writer at IGN.

Nearly 40 years after its release, Kate Bush’s single “Running Up That Hill” saw an unexpected resurgence thanks to its prominent role in Stranger Things Season 4. After the single climbed to the top spot on U.K. charts and hit the top ten on U.S. charts, Bush is now opening up about her thoughts on the show.

This week, she spoke in a rare interview with BBC Radio 4’s Emma Barnett on Woman’s Hour, explaining how the song’s popularity shocked her.

"It’s such a great series, I thought that the track would get some attention,” Bush told BBC. "But I just never imagined that it would be anything like this. It’s so exciting. But it’s quite shocking really, isn’t it? I mean, the whole world’s gone mad."

Bush also spoke of her appreciation for the new generation of listeners who likely wouldn't have come across her music without watching the show.

"What’s really wonderful, I think, is this is a whole new audience who, in a lot of cases, have never heard of me and I love that," Bush continued. "The thought of all these really young people hearing the song for the first time and discovering it is… well, I think it’s very special."

We gave the first part of Stranger Things Season 4 an 8 thanks to its ambition. The show isn't done with Kate Bush's music, either — Netflix also teased the season finale, and the teaser is scored to an impressively dramatic remix of "Running Up That Hill."

Blogroll Image Credit: TV Times/Getty Images

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

Nearly 40 years after its release, Kate Bush’s single “Running Up That Hill” saw an unexpected resurgence thanks to its prominent role in Stranger Things Season 4. After the single climbed to the top spot on U.K. charts and hit the top ten on U.S. charts, Bush is now opening up about her thoughts on the show.

This week, she spoke in a rare interview with BBC Radio 4’s Emma Barnett on Woman’s Hour, explaining how the song’s popularity shocked her.

"It’s such a great series, I thought that the track would get some attention,” Bush told BBC. "But I just never imagined that it would be anything like this. It’s so exciting. But it’s quite shocking really, isn’t it? I mean, the whole world’s gone mad."

Bush also spoke of her appreciation for the new generation of listeners who likely wouldn't have come across her music without watching the show.

"What’s really wonderful, I think, is this is a whole new audience who, in a lot of cases, have never heard of me and I love that," Bush continued. "The thought of all these really young people hearing the song for the first time and discovering it is… well, I think it’s very special."

We gave the first part of Stranger Things Season 4 an 8 thanks to its ambition. The show isn't done with Kate Bush's music, either — Netflix also teased the season finale, and the teaser is scored to an impressively dramatic remix of "Running Up That Hill."

Blogroll Image Credit: TV Times/Getty Images

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

Continuing the recent trend of props auctioning at huge prices, a model X-Wing used in Star Wars: A New Hope has sold at auction for $2.3 million.

The model, which was seen on screen in the very first Star Wars movie, was up for sale in a Prop Store auction on Monday, with an estimate between $500,000 and $1 million.

The screen-matched Red Leader X-Wing miniature was originally created by Industrial Light & Magic especially for the movie and fetched a staggering $2,375,000 according to the auction house.

This particular X-Wing was flown by Red Leader Garven Dreis (Drewe Henley) in the movie and featured heavily in the film’s final battle sequence when the Rebels attack the Death Star.

But while screen-used props aren’t exactly rare, this one is – most of the X-Wings from A New Hope were destroyed using pyrotechnics while filming that climactic battle.

This particular X-Wing is one of only a handful left.

“The X-wing fighter model presented here was originally built as the Red Leader (Red One) pyro model,” explains the item listing. “Red Leader's pyro shot in the film features an explosion on the back of an engine, but the ship itself remained completely intact (Red Leader then meets his end by crashing into the Death Star surface, in a shot that was an explosion only, with no ship model.)”

The shot of Red Leader’s engine explosion is documented extensively in behind-the-scenes footage, showing that the original model remained intact.

The origins of the model were then confirmed using extensive screen-matching.

“In comparing the pyro Red Leader model to the hero Red Leader model, several specific details make it clear that it is the Red Leader pyro model on screen. Two production photos showing different sides of the pyro Red Leader model show exact matches to numerous details with this specific X-wing model, confirming it is the original Red Leader pyro model.”

This particular X-Wing model is believed to be the only X-Wing that is owned by a private collector, making it extremely sought after among those who can afford the $2.3 million price tag.

The only surviving hero models are thought to still be owned by George Lucas himself.

“Included with the lot is an authentic giclee print showing this model in the ILM workshop photograph taken by Chris Casady, rotoscope and animation design animator on the film, during his time on the film in early 1977. The period image shows the model in great detail and is signed by photographer Casady.”

The model itself is said to be well-preserved and in excellent condition. Considering the call-backs to the original trilogy in the recent Obi-Wan series, perhaps Disney could borrow it from its new owner.

At least, if Season 2 eventually gets the go-ahead.

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

Continuing the recent trend of props auctioning at huge prices, a model X-Wing used in Star Wars: A New Hope has sold at auction for $2.3 million.

The model, which was seen on screen in the very first Star Wars movie, was up for sale in a Prop Store auction on Monday, with an estimate between $500,000 and $1 million.

The screen-matched Red Leader X-Wing miniature was originally created by Industrial Light & Magic especially for the movie and fetched a staggering $2,375,000 according to the auction house.

This particular X-Wing was flown by Red Leader Garven Dreis (Drewe Henley) in the movie and featured heavily in the film’s final battle sequence when the Rebels attack the Death Star.

But while screen-used props aren’t exactly rare, this one is – most of the X-Wings from A New Hope were destroyed using pyrotechnics while filming that climactic battle.

This particular X-Wing is one of only a handful left.

“The X-wing fighter model presented here was originally built as the Red Leader (Red One) pyro model,” explains the item listing. “Red Leader's pyro shot in the film features an explosion on the back of an engine, but the ship itself remained completely intact (Red Leader then meets his end by crashing into the Death Star surface, in a shot that was an explosion only, with no ship model.)”

The shot of Red Leader’s engine explosion is documented extensively in behind-the-scenes footage, showing that the original model remained intact.

The origins of the model were then confirmed using extensive screen-matching.

“In comparing the pyro Red Leader model to the hero Red Leader model, several specific details make it clear that it is the Red Leader pyro model on screen. Two production photos showing different sides of the pyro Red Leader model show exact matches to numerous details with this specific X-wing model, confirming it is the original Red Leader pyro model.”

This particular X-Wing model is believed to be the only X-Wing that is owned by a private collector, making it extremely sought after among those who can afford the $2.3 million price tag.

The only surviving hero models are thought to still be owned by George Lucas himself.

“Included with the lot is an authentic giclee print showing this model in the ILM workshop photograph taken by Chris Casady, rotoscope and animation design animator on the film, during his time on the film in early 1977. The period image shows the model in great detail and is signed by photographer Casady.”

The model itself is said to be well-preserved and in excellent condition. Considering the call-backs to the original trilogy in the recent Obi-Wan series, perhaps Disney could borrow it from its new owner.

At least, if Season 2 eventually gets the go-ahead.

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

Christian Bale has revealed that he worked on a Kate Bush-inspired dance scene for Thor: Love and Thunder, but it didn't end up in the movie.

Bale will be making his MCU debut as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder, and he recently sat down with Total Film to talk about some of the influences behind his terrifying villain. According to Bale, director Taika Waititi had a vision for his character, and that vision originally included a Kate Bush dance break — but it didn't make it into the final cut.

"There's obviously sort of a Nosferatu slight attitude. Taika and I wanted to do a whole dance, which we didn't get to do, but we had all this sort of Kate Bush stuff that we worked at," Bale said. "But I think he just realised he was never going to be allowed to put that in the final film."

The inclusion of Kate Bush's music in the film would have been timely, as her back catalogue has recently skyrocketed in popularity again due to her 1985 song 'Running Up That Hill' featuring in a pivotal scene during the fourth season of Netflix's Stranger Things.

There was, however, another musical influence that helped Bale to get into the mindset of his character. "I would say that the most common thing I was staring at was the Aphex Twin video of 'Come To Daddy,'" Bale added. "But I don't even know if that will be in the final film."

Waititi previously praised Bale's portrayal of Gorr the God Butcher in the upcoming Thor movie, claiming he is probably the MCU's best villain yet. It's a bold statement considering Gorr is a relatively recent addition to Thor's rogues gallery, having made his first comic book appearance in 2012's Thor: God of Thunder #1 by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic.

Marvel recently released a teaser trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder, which offered us a glimpse at some of the humor that we can expect from the movie even with the threat of vengeance looming in the air. You'll have the chance to see how it all plays out when the movie hits theaters on July 8, 2022, so be sure to snap up your tickets soon!

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

Christian Bale has revealed that he worked on a Kate Bush-inspired dance scene for Thor: Love and Thunder, but it didn't end up in the movie.

Bale will be making his MCU debut as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder, and he recently sat down with Total Film to talk about some of the influences behind his terrifying villain. According to Bale, director Taika Waititi had a vision for his character, and that vision originally included a Kate Bush dance break — but it didn't make it into the final cut.

"There's obviously sort of a Nosferatu slight attitude. Taika and I wanted to do a whole dance, which we didn't get to do, but we had all this sort of Kate Bush stuff that we worked at," Bale said. "But I think he just realised he was never going to be allowed to put that in the final film."

The inclusion of Kate Bush's music in the film would have been timely, as her back catalogue has recently skyrocketed in popularity again due to her 1985 song 'Running Up That Hill' featuring in a pivotal scene during the fourth season of Netflix's Stranger Things.

There was, however, another musical influence that helped Bale to get into the mindset of his character. "I would say that the most common thing I was staring at was the Aphex Twin video of 'Come To Daddy,'" Bale added. "But I don't even know if that will be in the final film."

Waititi previously praised Bale's portrayal of Gorr the God Butcher in the upcoming Thor movie, claiming he is probably the MCU's best villain yet. It's a bold statement considering Gorr is a relatively recent addition to Thor's rogues gallery, having made his first comic book appearance in 2012's Thor: God of Thunder #1 by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic.

Marvel recently released a teaser trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder, which offered us a glimpse at some of the humor that we can expect from the movie even with the threat of vengeance looming in the air. You'll have the chance to see how it all plays out when the movie hits theaters on July 8, 2022, so be sure to snap up your tickets soon!

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

Sega and Creative Assembly have announced Hyenas, a PvEvP shooter from the team behind Alien: Isolation and Halo Wars 2.

Set in a future where billionaires have colonized Mars and made Earth inhospitable, Hyenas is a fast-paced multiplayer FPS that casts players as anti-hero pirates stealing from the mega-rich. Each match hosts 15 players split up into five teams of three, and those teams compete to steal treasures from a spaceship and escape with the biggest pile of loot. It sounds a little like Hunt: Showdown, but with the slick and speedy sensibilities of Apex Legends.

Further complicating things are an AI-controlled security force that defends the vaults containing the treasures you seek; known as the MFPF (or ‘murphs’), these guards will fight anyone trying to steal from the billionaires.

“These ships aren’t defenseless,” explained creative director Charlie Bewsher in a chat with IGN. “They’re full of security, sensors, switches, interactive systems, and gadgets. It’s a great environment for this competitive game to take place in.”

Since the maps are set on freighter ships traveling between Earth and Mars, there’s also zero gravity to contend with. Certain segments of the maps will have no gravity whatsoever, allowing you to float around and use 3D space in new ways. Other locations, such as individual rooms and corridors, also have on/off switches for zero-g. Characters have maglock boots to help overcome any gravity issues, should zooming around freestyle not be your preferred method of travel.

With numerous corridors, vaults, rooms, and hangar spaces, each Hyena map is pretty large. Creative Assembly says to expect something larger than a regular PvP deathmatch map, but something that’s not quite as large as a battle royale map. Despite that, the team has been inspired by the kind of gameplay seen in games like Fortnite and Warzone.

“We didn’t want to make a battle royale, but we wanted to take that idea of creating this unpredictable, chaotic space where players would find this new gameplay, find new tactics, and ultimately find new player stories,” said Bewsher.

Each match is set aboard a freighter spaceship that ferries items from the remains of Earth up to Mars. But those items, now traded for massive cash by billionaires, are perhaps not what you’re expecting. In Hyenas' world, pop-culture artifacts from Earth’s past are the new diamonds, and so you’ll be stealing anything from Rubik's cubes and Sony Walkman tape decks to Sonic statues and green army men. Bewsher even says that you could end up looting the first album you ever bought, and promises you’ll see lots of different pop culture IPs represented in the game.

The cinematic reveal trailer shows off a freighter piled high with New York-themed memorabilia, including everything from subway cars to the Statue of Liberty itself. Hyenas definitely doesn’t take itself seriously, and its colorful comic book-style art reflects that.

Creative Assembly has not yet detailed all the playable characters, but notes that they each fall into one of three categories: engage, evade, and exploit. Engage characters are action-focused, while evade heroes are focused on nimble movement and occasionally stealth. Exploit characters, meanwhile, are the hackers and support characters.

As part of the announcement stream on IGN, Creative Assembly namechecked a few of Hyenas’ heroes. The Pro is a classic-style bank robber with a shotgun, deployable turret, and a President Nixon mask. Commander Wright is an astronaut with a foam gun that can quickly create barricades, cover, and climbing platforms. Doc Hotfix is a gamer who believes he’s a character in a game, and thus offers some fourth wall-breaking commentary. A few other characters can be seen in the trailer, but they have yet to be detailed.

No release date for Hyenas has been announced so far, but a playable alpha is planned and can be signed up for at playhyenas.com. When Hyenas does finally release, it will be available on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

For more from IGN’s Summer of Gaming, check out our schedule which rounds up all the highlights from every gaming event held this June.

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

Sega and Creative Assembly have announced Hyenas, a PvEvP shooter from the team behind Alien: Isolation and Halo Wars 2.

Set in a future where billionaires have colonized Mars and made Earth inhospitable, Hyenas is a fast-paced multiplayer FPS that casts players as anti-hero pirates stealing from the mega-rich. Each match hosts 15 players split up into five teams of three, and those teams compete to steal treasures from a spaceship and escape with the biggest pile of loot. It sounds a little like Hunt: Showdown, but with the slick and speedy sensibilities of Apex Legends.

Further complicating things are an AI-controlled security force that defends the vaults containing the treasures you seek; known as the MFPF (or ‘murphs’), these guards will fight anyone trying to steal from the billionaires.

“These ships aren’t defenseless,” explained creative director Charlie Bewsher in a chat with IGN. “They’re full of security, sensors, switches, interactive systems, and gadgets. It’s a great environment for this competitive game to take place in.”

Since the maps are set on freighter ships traveling between Earth and Mars, there’s also zero gravity to contend with. Certain segments of the maps will have no gravity whatsoever, allowing you to float around and use 3D space in new ways. Other locations, such as individual rooms and corridors, also have on/off switches for zero-g. Characters have maglock boots to help overcome any gravity issues, should zooming around freestyle not be your preferred method of travel.

With numerous corridors, vaults, rooms, and hangar spaces, each Hyena map is pretty large. Creative Assembly says to expect something larger than a regular PvP deathmatch map, but something that’s not quite as large as a battle royale map. Despite that, the team has been inspired by the kind of gameplay seen in games like Fortnite and Warzone.

“We didn’t want to make a battle royale, but we wanted to take that idea of creating this unpredictable, chaotic space where players would find this new gameplay, find new tactics, and ultimately find new player stories,” said Bewsher.

Each match is set aboard a freighter spaceship that ferries items from the remains of Earth up to Mars. But those items, now traded for massive cash by billionaires, are perhaps not what you’re expecting. In Hyenas' world, pop-culture artifacts from Earth’s past are the new diamonds, and so you’ll be stealing anything from Rubik's cubes and Sony Walkman tape decks to Sonic statues and green army men. Bewsher even says that you could end up looting the first album you ever bought, and promises you’ll see lots of different pop culture IPs represented in the game.

The cinematic reveal trailer shows off a freighter piled high with New York-themed memorabilia, including everything from subway cars to the Statue of Liberty itself. Hyenas definitely doesn’t take itself seriously, and its colorful comic book-style art reflects that.

Creative Assembly has not yet detailed all the playable characters, but notes that they each fall into one of three categories: engage, evade, and exploit. Engage characters are action-focused, while evade heroes are focused on nimble movement and occasionally stealth. Exploit characters, meanwhile, are the hackers and support characters.

As part of the announcement stream on IGN, Creative Assembly namechecked a few of Hyenas’ heroes. The Pro is a classic-style bank robber with a shotgun, deployable turret, and a President Nixon mask. Commander Wright is an astronaut with a foam gun that can quickly create barricades, cover, and climbing platforms. Doc Hotfix is a gamer who believes he’s a character in a game, and thus offers some fourth wall-breaking commentary. A few other characters can be seen in the trailer, but they have yet to be detailed.

No release date for Hyenas has been announced so far, but a playable alpha is planned and can be signed up for at playhyenas.com. When Hyenas does finally release, it will be available on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

For more from IGN’s Summer of Gaming, check out our schedule which rounds up all the highlights from every gaming event held this June.

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

Nintendo and Monolith Soft have announced an Expansion Pass for Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which will add a variety of new quests, characters, and storylines to the game over the course of 2022 and 2023.

Revealed as part of today’s Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct, the Expansion Pass will cost $29.99 / £26.99 and will be available alongside the main game when it launches on July 29.

The pass itself is broken down into four pieces, with the first release happening on the day Xenoblade Chronicles 3 launches, and the final piece dropping before the end of 2023.

First up, coming at launch on July 29, the Expansion Pass will grant a variety of unnamed “helpful items” and colour variants for your characters’ outfits.

The second drop will add a new Hero character and quests, a new Challenge Battle, and new outfits. This is promised to arrive sometime before the end of 2022, but Nintendo has yet to provide a release window. A third drop, once again adding a new Hero character and quests, Challenge Battle, and new outfits, will be released before April 30, 2023.

The final drop, which will arrive no later than December 31, 2023, will add a brand new story scenario to the game. That’s a full storyline, rather than the odd few quests, and so will presumably add a big chunk of new narrative to the game.

These individual waves of DLC will not be available separately, so players will need to buy the entire Expansion Pass should they wish to get any of the additions.

For more, check out everything we learned from the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct, including the story’s main characters, the cool Interlink mechanic, and how battle works.

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