Techland has revealed the first piece of concept art for its unannounced AAA open-world fantasy action RPG. Additionally, the development team has recently recruited talent that has previously worked at Arkane and CD Projekt Red.

The concept art features a man looking at some sort of ancient city surrounded by lush trees, pink vegetation, and waterfalls. Notably, the archetecture of this ruin isn't traditional medieval England in its aesthetic, so we may be in for something slightly left field for AAA fantasy.

For this new IP, the studio has employed narrative director Karolina Stachyra and narrative lead Arkadiusz Borowik, both of whom previously worked on The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

The rest of the team has similarly notable backgrounds. Recently recruited members include open world director Bartosz Ochman, who previously worked on Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3. Mario Maltezos, the project's creative director, has worked on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Mad Max, while lead game designer David McClure worked on Deathloop. Lead animator Kevin Quad worked on Horizon Zero Dawn and its DLC, and lead UI designer Marcin Surosz was a UI/UX designer at People Can Fly.

“We're very happy with what we have accomplished with the Dying Light franchise so far," explained Techland CEO Pawel Marchewka in a press release. "Moreover, our journey with Dying Light 2 Stay Human has only just begun as we plan to support this game for at least 5 years, with its scope and size matching, if not exceeding, what we have provided our community with during post-launch support for its predecessor."

"At the same time, our ambition is to introduce a brand new IP that is vastly different from what we have been doing for the past several years. We want to create a fully next-gen experience," he continued. "A new fantasy epic set in a sprawling open world, fueled by the skills and experience we have gained as a team over the years, infused with new ideas, passion, and creativity. While we cannot share more details about this project now, we're all truly invested in it and looking forward to showing it to gamers when the time is right."

Are you ready to begin a new, thrilling journey with Techland?
We are hiring for the unannounced AAA Open World Action-RPG in a fantasy setting!
Join us now! https://t.co/0yplHvELBW pic.twitter.com/MPZcv7p8iG

— Techland (@TechlandGames) May 17, 2022

Techland is currently hiring more developers to work on the unannounced fantasy game. This seems to be an ongoing trend of studios trying to court more talent by teasing high profile projects either on social media or showing them off within game showcases, as in the case of Ubisoft's Splinter Cell remake.

Techland are fresh off developing Dying Light 2, and while many of the development staff are remaining with the zombie open world to create post-release content, it seems clear that the studio is gearing up for production on their next (hopefully major) IP.

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

Techland has revealed the first piece of concept art for its unannounced AAA open-world fantasy action RPG. Additionally, the development team has recently recruited talent that has previously worked at Arkane and CD Projekt Red.

The concept art features a man looking at some sort of ancient city surrounded by lush trees, pink vegetation, and waterfalls. Notably, the archetecture of this ruin isn't traditional medieval England in its aesthetic, so we may be in for something slightly left field for AAA fantasy.

For this new IP, the studio has employed narrative director Karolina Stachyra and narrative lead Arkadiusz Borowik, both of whom previously worked on The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

The rest of the team has similarly notable backgrounds. Recently recruited members include open world director Bartosz Ochman, who previously worked on Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3. Mario Maltezos, the project's creative director, has worked on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Mad Max, while lead game designer David McClure worked on Deathloop. Lead animator Kevin Quad worked on Horizon Zero Dawn and its DLC, and lead UI designer Marcin Surosz was a UI/UX designer at People Can Fly.

“We're very happy with what we have accomplished with the Dying Light franchise so far," explained Techland CEO Pawel Marchewka in a press release. "Moreover, our journey with Dying Light 2 Stay Human has only just begun as we plan to support this game for at least 5 years, with its scope and size matching, if not exceeding, what we have provided our community with during post-launch support for its predecessor."

"At the same time, our ambition is to introduce a brand new IP that is vastly different from what we have been doing for the past several years. We want to create a fully next-gen experience," he continued. "A new fantasy epic set in a sprawling open world, fueled by the skills and experience we have gained as a team over the years, infused with new ideas, passion, and creativity. While we cannot share more details about this project now, we're all truly invested in it and looking forward to showing it to gamers when the time is right."

Are you ready to begin a new, thrilling journey with Techland?
We are hiring for the unannounced AAA Open World Action-RPG in a fantasy setting!
Join us now! https://t.co/0yplHvELBW pic.twitter.com/MPZcv7p8iG

— Techland (@TechlandGames) May 17, 2022

Techland is currently hiring more developers to work on the unannounced fantasy game. This seems to be an ongoing trend of studios trying to court more talent by teasing high profile projects either on social media or showing them off within game showcases, as in the case of Ubisoft's Splinter Cell remake.

Techland are fresh off developing Dying Light 2, and while many of the development staff are remaining with the zombie open world to create post-release content, it seems clear that the studio is gearing up for production on their next (hopefully major) IP.

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

Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy has addressed the reason for the hiatus in the Star Wars film slate, explaining that there has been a shift in their storytelling approach.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Kennedy opened up about the master plan for the Star Wars franchise as she admitted Lucasfilm is navigating a new path after regrouping and mapping out the future. It seems the pivot towards television has influenced their film projects, as Kennedy hinted that trilogies may no longer be the best way to structure their stories.

"I do think a little bit of fun has gone out of making these gigantic movies. The business, the stakes, everything that's been infused in the last 10 years or so. There's a kind of spontaneity and good time that we have to be careful to preserve," Kennedy explained. "We all recognized, every single one of us, that this was a new chapter for the company and that we needed to all work together to create the architecture for where we were going."

Kennedy said the team reassessed the situation and now has "a road map" for the future. That road map includes Taika Waititi's Star Wars movie, which is reportedly pegged to arrive on the big screen before Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron, considering that one was delayed indefinitely. Both projects are expected to be standalone films rather than part of a series.

"I hesitate to use the word trilogies anymore because Star Wars is much more about persistent storytelling," Kennedy said, even though, at one time, a trilogy from Rian Johnson was on the horizon. Kennedy suggested this project has now been put on the back-burner due to other commitments that the filmmaker has on his plate with Netflix.

Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were also down for a Star Wars trilogy, but that was cancelled after the duo departed the project, citing their historic deal with Netflix. A separate Star Wars project from Marvel's Kevin Feige also isn't set in stone despite a promising update last year. "I would love to see what movie he might come up with," Kennedy said. "But right now, there isn't anything specifically."

There is, however, a fleet of hotly-anticipated Disney+ shows coming from the galaxy far, far away, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, which will premiere its first two episodes on May 27, plus Season 3 of The Mandalorian, Andor with Diego Luna, and the upcoming Ahsoka series. Spider-Man's Jon Watts is also reportedly working on a Star Wars coming-of-age series.

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

Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy has addressed the reason for the hiatus in the Star Wars film slate, explaining that there has been a shift in their storytelling approach.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Kennedy opened up about the master plan for the Star Wars franchise as she admitted Lucasfilm is navigating a new path after regrouping and mapping out the future. It seems the pivot towards television has influenced their film projects, as Kennedy hinted that trilogies may no longer be the best way to structure their stories.

"I do think a little bit of fun has gone out of making these gigantic movies. The business, the stakes, everything that's been infused in the last 10 years or so. There's a kind of spontaneity and good time that we have to be careful to preserve," Kennedy explained. "We all recognized, every single one of us, that this was a new chapter for the company and that we needed to all work together to create the architecture for where we were going."

Kennedy said the team reassessed the situation and now has "a road map" for the future. That road map includes Taika Waititi's Star Wars movie, which is reportedly pegged to arrive on the big screen before Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron, considering that one was delayed indefinitely. Both projects are expected to be standalone films rather than part of a series.

"I hesitate to use the word trilogies anymore because Star Wars is much more about persistent storytelling," Kennedy said, even though, at one time, a trilogy from Rian Johnson was on the horizon. Kennedy suggested this project has now been put on the back-burner due to other commitments that the filmmaker has on his plate with Netflix.

Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were also down for a Star Wars trilogy, but that was cancelled after the duo departed the project, citing their historic deal with Netflix. A separate Star Wars project from Marvel's Kevin Feige also isn't set in stone despite a promising update last year. "I would love to see what movie he might come up with," Kennedy said. "But right now, there isn't anything specifically."

There is, however, a fleet of hotly-anticipated Disney+ shows coming from the galaxy far, far away, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, which will premiere its first two episodes on May 27, plus Season 3 of The Mandalorian, Andor with Diego Luna, and the upcoming Ahsoka series. Spider-Man's Jon Watts is also reportedly working on a Star Wars coming-of-age series.

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

Xbox has revealed its second wave of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in May. We've already seen Trek to Yomi, NHL 22, and Loot River come to Game Pass in the first half of the month, and now games such as Sniper Elite 5, Vampire Survivors, Jurassic World Evolution 2, Pacman Museum+, and more are coming to the Game Pass over the next couple of weeks.

More games are expected to hit the service soon, including Assassin's Creed Origins, but with it confirmed to be not turning up in May, you should probably expect it in June instead. For now, here's everything so far coming to Game Pass this month. (ICYMI, Sony has also announced some of the games coming to the new PS Plus as well)

Sniper Elite 5 is On Game Pass from May 26

The award winning shooter series is returning with Sniper Elite 5, and it'll be available on day one of release on Xbox Game Pass for console and PC users. Experience sniping and tactical third-person combat with a wild x-ray kill-cam that can still produce some stunning cinematic shots.

Everything Coming to Xbox Game Pass in May 2022

• Loot River — Available Now
• Citizen Sleeper (Console, PC, Cloud) — Available Now
• Trek to Yomi (Console, PC, Cloud) — Available Now
• Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition (Console, PC, Cloud) — Available Now
• Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising (Console, PC, Cloud) — Available Now
• This War Of Mine: Final Cut (Console, PC, Cloud) — Available Now
• NHL 22 (EA Play) (Console) — Available Now
• Her Story (PC) ID@Xbox — Available Now
• Jurassic World Evolution 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC) — Available Now
• Little Witch in the Woods (Game Preview) (Console and PC) ID@Xbox — Available Now
• Skate (Cloud) EA Play — Available Now
• Umurangi Generation Special Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox — Available Now
• Farming Simulator 22 (Cloud, Console, and PC) — May 19
• Vampire Survivors (PC) ID@Xbox — May 19
• Floppy Knights (Console, PC) — May 24
• Hardspace: Shipbreaker (PC) — May 24
• Sniper Elite 5 (Console, PC) — May 26
• Pac-Man Museum+ (Console, PC) — May 27
• Cricket 22 (PC) ID@Xbox — May 27

Jurassic World Evolution 2 is Now on Xbox Game Pass

"While it lacks the customization and management depth of Frontier's other recent, excellent park-builders, Planet Coaster and Planet Zoo, getting to see these prehistoric beasts at eye-level from one of those stylish ‘90s tour Jeeps has never looked more enticing." - IGN reviewed Jurassic World: Evolution 2 last year and gave it a 7/10.

Vampire Survivors is Coming to Xbox Game Pass on May 19

Don't underestimate this game just because of its graphics, it's an addictive and wild ride that can create some serious gaming chaos once you get into the later stages of a session.

Everything Leaving Xbox Game Pass This Month

Here's everything Xbox has confirmed is leaving Xbox Game Pass in May. This includes Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition which will depart the service on May 10. Notable games also leaving the service at the end of the month include Resident Evil 7, NHL 20, and Superhot. See all the other games departing Game Pass below.

Leaving May 10

• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition (Cloud and Console)

Leaving May 15

• Enter The Gungeon (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (Console and PC)
• Remnant: From the Ashes (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Steep (Cloud and Console)
• The Catch: Carp and Coarse (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Wild at Heart (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Leaving May 31

• EA Sports NHL 20 (Console)
• Farming Simulator 19 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Knockout City (Console and PC) EA Play
• Resident Evil 7 Biohazard (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Spellforce 3: Soul Harvest (PC)
• Superhot Mind Control Delete (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Yes Your Grace (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Best Game Pass Deal Right Now: 2-Years of Game Pass Ultimate for $135 (Save $224)

First up, your Game Pass subscription must not currently be active - I repeat, you must not have an active Game Pass for this to work. Once you're confident, proceed to the next step.

Next, you need to invest in up to 3-years worth of Xbox Live Gold. You can easily buy 12-month Xbox Live Gold codes from Amazon or other retailers, costing $60/£50 depending on your region.

I Recommend Stacking 2-Years of Xbox Live Gold

The maximum amount of stacking for Gold subscriptions is 36-months (costing $180), any more than that will be lost. So, to keep things safe for those who currently have a Gold membership, I recommend sticking to just 2-years' worth (costing $120/£100).

Now, here's the fun part. Once you've redeemed these codes and stacked your Xbox Live Gold membership up to your liking, you can then convert this time to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at a 1:1 ratio.

Head to the Xbox Live Gold upgrade page and proceed to convert the time you've paid for directly into Game Pass Ultimate. If you've never used the upgrade feature before, this will cost $1/£1 (total cost coming to $121/£101). If you have used this before, it will instead cost you $14.99/£10.99 to upgrade.

Overall, at most, you'll be paying only $135 for 2-years of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (instead of $359). If you manage to pull off a 3-year conversion, at most you'll be paying $195 instead (instead of $539). Now that's a big discount. Once you're done, just make sure you turn off auto renewal as well.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

With InterPop having just wrapped up their "Zeroth Hour" crossover, the publisher is ready to reveal the next addition to the growing Emergents Universe line. The Rejects is the company's latest ongoing series, and it's one heavily inspired by the golden age of Chris Claremont's Uncanny X-Men and New Mutants titles.

The Rejects is co-written by Alex Segura (Secret Identity) and Chantelle Aimée Osman, a crime novel editor making her comic book writing debut. The series is drawn by Blue Beetle artist Adrián Gutiérrez.

Get a closer look at the new series in the slideshow gallery below:

The foundation for The Rejects was previously laid in books like the Emergents Presents anthology series and #ZoeMG. Led by Kindler, a teenage superhuman with the power of flight, the team is meant to offer a safe haven for any Emergents struggling to fit into normal society. However, as the series opens, Kindler's vision will be challenged when #ZoeMG's evil twin Makeshift takes over the team. Are we seeing the origins of a brand new Professor X/Magneto-style rivalry?

“The Rejects has been a blast to work with and I'm so excited to collaborate with Chantelle, Adrián, and the entire team” said Segura in InterPop's press release. “I've always wanted to write a teen superhero book, especially one focusing on a group of outcasts, in the vein of the early X-Men and New Mutants. While firmly entrenched in the Culverton and Emergents world, The Rejects will also throw some fun curveballs at readers.”

The Rejects #1 will debut in digital form on July 6. The series will temporarily take the place of #ZoeMG, which is going on hiatus following the conclusion of its first season. Thanks to InterPop's unique, digital-focused business model, all six issues of #ZoeMG are now available to read for free on the company's website (along with various other Emergents Universe titles).

In other comic book news, Marvel is teasing the epic conclusion of the Spider-Verse saga, and Batman: Damned artist Lee Bermejo is returning to Gotham City for a noir mystery called Batman: Dear Detective.

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

With InterPop Comics having just wrapped up their "Zeroth Hour" crossover, the publisher is ready to reveal the next addition to the growing Emergents Universe line. The Rejects is the company's latest ongoing series, and it's one heavily inspired by the golden age of Chris Claremont's Uncanny X-Men and New Mutants titles.

The Rejects is co-written by Alex Segura (Secret Identity) and Chantelle Aimée Osman, a crime novel editor making her comic book writing debut. The series is drawn by Blue Beetle artist Adrián Gutiérrez.

Get a closer look at the new series in the slideshow gallery below:

The foundation for The Rejects was previously laid in books like the Emergents Presents anthology series and #ZoeMG. Led by Kindler, a teenage superhuman with the power of flight, the team is meant to offer a safe haven for any Emergents struggling to fit into normal society. However, as the series opens, Kindler's vision will be challenged when #ZoeMG's evil twin Makeshift takes over the team. Are we seeing the origins of a brand new Professor X/Magneto-style rivalry?

“The Rejects has been a blast to work with and I'm so excited to collaborate with Chantelle, Adrián, and the entire team” said Segura in InterPop's press release. “I've always wanted to write a teen superhero book, especially one focusing on a group of outcasts, in the vein of the early X-Men and New Mutants. While firmly entrenched in the Culverton and Emergents world, The Rejects will also throw some fun curveballs at readers.”

The Rejects #1 will debut in digital form on July 6. The series will temporarily take the place of #ZoeMG, which is going on hiatus following the conclusion of its first season. Thanks to InterPop's unique, digital-focused business model, all six issues of #ZoeMG are now available to read for free on the company's website (along with various other Emergent Universe titles).

In other comic book news, Marvel is teasing the epic conclusion of the Spider-Verse saga, and Batman: Damned artist Lee Bermejo is returning to Gotham City for a noir mystery called Batman: Dear Detective.

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 PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of multiplayer survival game Scavengers have been cancelled as developer Midwinter Entertainment has been sold by parent company Improbable.

As reported by Eurogamer, Midwinter has been sold to Dead by Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive for an unknown amount, with the most of the studio now working on a new project.

The PC version of Scavengers is unaffected as only a small portion of the development team is required to maintain it, though the game is still in Early Access on Steam and has only had a few hundred players since November last year according to Steam DB.

Improbable CEO Herman Narula told Eurogamer that the publisher sold Midwinter as it's now switched focus to metaverse development, but Midwinter appears happy with the sale as studio head Mary Olson said her studio and Behaviour share very similar values and development philosophies.

"We are thrilled to join and learn from a team with proven success across a broad spectrum of IP, while in turn leveraging the strong foundation, culture, and team we've built at Midwinter to expand Behaviour's portfolio," she said.

The console versions of Scavengers already seemed fairly forgotten, as the game's official website still has them pegged for a late 2021 release date.

Scavengers was first announced in 2018 from former Halo developers from 343 Industries and released several demos and tests for the game before it finally launched in Early Access last May.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Lionsgate has announced that it has cast Tom Blyth as a young Coriolanus Snow in its prequel to The Hunger Games; The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

The film is early in production, but Tom Blyth, the lead in Epix's Billy the Kid television series and the 2021 film Benediction, has been cast as the young man who will become the brutal and conniving President, who was portrayed by Donald Sutherland in the previous films.

“Tom Blyth is an explosive rising talent whose mesmerizing and charismatic presence makes him an exciting actor and perfect for this leading role,” said Erin Westerman, President of Production, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group.

It's been seven years since Katniss Everdeen put an arrow in the tyrannical regime of the Capitol in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part Two. But rather than continue that tale, Lionsgate's upcoming movie is an adaptation of the prequel novel from author Suzanne Collins. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes jumps back a few years to tell the story of Coriolanus Snow and his rise to power.

Snow is only one-half of the main characters in the prequel. The 18-year-old heir of a dying family of elites is tasked with being the mentor of Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from District 12 who has to participate in the 10th Hunger Games. When Lucy sings in defiance during the reaping ceremonies, Snow sees a potential vector to power. The production has yet to find its Lucy.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be directed by Francis Lawrence, who previously directed Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part One, and Mockingjay Part Two. The film will be produced by Nina Jacobson and Bard Simpson, with Tim Palen and author Suzanne Collins as executive producers. The current screenplay was written by Michael Leslie, who previously scripted Macbeth and Assassin's Creed, both of which starred Michael Fassbender.

Jacobson has previously mentioned how the prequel will differ from the original Hunger Games trilogy. "Well it is very early on, they do take place in very different times," Jacobson said. "This is the 10th Hunger Games as opposed to Catching Fire's 75th. I think that the Hunger Games are considerably less glitzy than they ultimately become. And I think that seeing a Capitol character with a point of view that takes you through a good part of the story is something we've never really done."

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be released in theaters on November 17, 2023.

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

Amber Heard says she lost job opportunities after her split with Johnny Depp, and that her role as Mera in the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was significantly diminished after Depp's alleged "smear campaign".

As reported by EW, the actress said she almost lost her role in the DCEU's Justice League during her third day of testimony in the ongoing defamation trial between Depp and Heard

"I had to fight really hard to keep my career after I got my [restraining order against Depp]," Heard testified. "I lost opportunities. I got dropped from jobs and campaigns. I fought to keep my job and the biggest movie opportunity I had to date [with] Justice League with the option to [star in] Aquaman. I had to fight really hard to stay in Justice League because that was the time of the divorce."

Heard said her contract with DC and Warner Bros. is a three-film option, which will end up including Justice League, Aquaman, and Aquaman 2. Heard also described how her role was pared down in Aquaman 2.

"I was given a script and then given new versions of the script that had taken away scenes that had action in it, that depicted my character and another character, without giving any spoiler aways, two characters fighting with one another, and they basically took a bunch out of my role," Heard testified. "They just removed a bunch out."

Heard plays the character Mera, a princess from the underwater kingdom of Xebel, and Aquaman's future wife and Queen in the comics. Heard has played Mera in the first Aquaman movie as well as in Justice League, and will reprise her role for the Aquaman sequel,

After a delay pushed the sequel out of its December 2022 release window, Aquaman 2 is now set to hit theaters on March 17, 2023.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.