Pacific Rim: The Black's second and final season is coming to Netflix on April 19.

The streaming service and producer Legendary Television announced the release date today alongside a selection of new images from the new series which you can check out below.

Netflix didn't confirm the number of episodes in season two, though it will likely match the seven in season one which was released in March last year.

It did offer a plot synopsis, however, saying that the story is far from over. "Our brave siblings Taylor and Hayley still hope to reach the safety of Sydney aboard Atlas Destroyer, the scaled-down training Jaeger left behind when Australia was evacuated," it said.

"With teenage assassin Mei and the mysterious human/kaiju hybrid bOy joining Taylor and Hayley, this makeshift family must cross a dangerous territory controlled by the bloodthirsty cult Sisters of the Kaiju.

"These zealots, led by the enigmatic High Priestess, are convinced that bOy is their long-awaited Messiah and will stop at nothing to indoctrinate him into their dark circle – something Hayley would sacrifice everything to prevent."

Despite the Netflix show ending, fans looking for more Pacific Rim can find it in the standalone graphic novel that serves as a prequel to the series.

In our 7/10 review of the first season, IGN said: "Pacific Rim: The Black may take a few episodes to kick in fully, but once you wholly acclimate yourself to these visuals and this tone - which is a bit more emotionally catastrophic (and less popcorn-y) than the films - it's a rewarding continuation, and extrapolation, of the franchise."

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

CD Projekt Red has confirmed the medallion featured in its new Witcher game tease is from a new School of the Lynx, which will seemingly be invented for the new game.

Speaking to Eurogamer, the developer's global communication director Robert Malinowski confirmed that the medallion isn't from any currently canon witcher school. "Some mysteries should not be so mysterious", he said. "I can confirm that the medallion is, in fact, shaped after a lynx."

The previous game's protagonist, Geralt, is from the School of the Wolf, his witcher guild, and the other schools are the Cat, Griffin, Bear, Viper, Manticore, and Crane.

The School of the Lynx is therefore a brand new school that CD Projekt Red is creating for The Witcher 4 (for lack of an official name). This isn't particularly unusual in itself, as Andrzej Sapkowski's original book series only feature the Wolf, Cat, and Griffin schools, and CD Projekt has previously invented others.

While there's no official School of the Lynx in the books or games, a popular Witcher fan fiction features the guild in a story based on other existing Witcher characters Lambert and Keira Metz. There's no word on whether CD Projekt Red was influenced by any of these stories though, meaning the announcement of a brand new school essentially sends theorists back to step one.

The internet was sent into a frenzy when CD Projekt Red made the game announcement on March 21, with fans left debating whether Ciri might be the main character of the new game. The School of the Lynx confirmation doesn't dispel this idea, as while Ciri already wears a School of the Cat medallion one could, for obvious reasons, lead to the other.

Another theory, on the other hand, is now less likely. The teased medallion looked a like fan favourite character, Vesemir's medallion from Netflix's Witcher anime film: Nightmare of the Wolf, but now that it's confirmed not to be a wolf, there's little to suggest the new game will involve Vesemir, especially as he died during the course of the last game.

The new Witcher game was teased just a few hours after a fan potentially found The Witcher 3's final secret, but CD Projekt Red didn't say much else except that the game will run in Unreal Engine 5.

It's director, Jason Slama, commented that he won't allow crunch under his watch, addressing concerns that staff would be forced to work under tough conditions as they did with Cyberpunk 2077.

CD Projekt Red last released a mainline Witcher game with Wild Hunt's release in 2015, but has since released Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher Tales: Thronebreaker, and Gwent. IGN recently gave The Witcher 3 a top spot on our best open world games of all time and in our 9/10 review said "massive in size and meticulously detailed, The Witcher 3 ends Geralt's story on a high note."

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

CD Projekt Red has confirmed the medallion featured in its new Witcher game tease is from a new School of the Lynx, which will seemingly be invented for the new game.

Speaking to Eurogamer, the developer's global communication director Robert Malinowski confirmed that the medallion isn't from any currently canon witcher school. "Some mysteries should not be so mysterious", he said. "I can confirm that the medallion is, in fact, shaped after a lynx."

The previous game's protagonist, Geralt, is from the School of the Wolf, his witcher guild, and the other schools are the Cat, Griffin, Bear, Viper, Manticore, and Crane.

The School of the Lynx is therefore a brand new school that CD Projekt Red is creating for The Witcher 4 (for lack of an official name). This isn't particularly unusual in itself, as Andrzej Sapkowski's original book series only feature the Wolf, Cat, and Griffin schools, and CD Projekt has previously invented others.

While there's no official School of the Lynx in the books or games, a popular Witcher fan fiction features the guild in a story based on other existing Witcher characters Lambert and Keira Metz. There's no word on whether CD Projekt Red was influenced by any of these stories though, meaning the announcement of a brand new school essentially sends theorists back to step one.

The internet was sent into a frenzy when CD Projekt Red made the game announcement on March 21, with fans left debating whether Ciri might be the main character of the new game. The School of the Lynx confirmation doesn't dispel this idea, as while Ciri already wears a School of the Cat medallion one could, for obvious reasons, lead to the other.

Another theory, on the other hand, is now less likely. The teased medallion looked a like fan favourite character, Vesemir's medallion from Netflix's Witcher anime film: Nightmare of the Wolf, but now that it's confirmed not to be a wolf, there's little to suggest the new game will involve Vesemir, especially as he died during the course of the last game.

The new Witcher game was teased just a few hours after a fan potentially found The Witcher 3's final secret, but CD Projekt Red didn't say much else except that the game will run in Unreal Engine 5.

It's director, Jason Slama, commented that he won't allow crunch under his watch, addressing concerns that staff would be forced to work under tough conditions as they did with Cyberpunk 2077.

CD Projekt Red last released a mainline Witcher game with Wild Hunt's release in 2015, but has since released Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher Tales: Thronebreaker, and Gwent. IGN recently gave The Witcher 3 a top spot on our best open world games of all time and in our 9/10 review said "massive in size and meticulously detailed, The Witcher 3 ends Geralt's story on a high note."

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

The NFL has announced a VR football game set to release each year for Meta Quest and PlayStation VR.

The annual franchise is being made in partnership with StatusPRO, a sports technology company whose virtual and augmented reality products are used by actual NFL teams.

Unlike current football VR games such as 2MD: VR Football and The Patrick Mahomes Experience, which are more arcade than simulation, this new, fully licensed game promises a realistic experience that makes players feel like a professional NFL player.

Troy Jones, co-founder and CEO of StatusPRO said: "By partnering with the NFL, we will offer a new form of engagement between athletes and fans unlike anything in the marketplace. NFL football fans and gamers alike will be able to connect with the world of sports through authentic, immersive gaming products that democratize the experience of the professional athlete."

StatusPRO's other co-founder and president, Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins, added: "We keep the athlete first in everything we do, and as former football players it means even more to be able to recreate what it actually feels like to step out on the field. Through our proprietary technology at StatusPRO, we can deliver an immersive experience that helps NFL fans transform into pro athletes."

No release date or gameplay was revealed with the announcement, but considering that the NFL and StatusPRO didn't even real the game's name, it is likely a long way away.

Sony recently revealed what the PlayStation VR2 looks like, saying it was designed to make users almost forget they're using a headset. The Meta Quest, on the other hand, is likely better known by its previous title, the Oculus Quest, though its name was changed when Facebook initiated its rebrand last October.

The NFL and StatusPRO said this new VR game would compliment the current NFL experiences available on the market, such as EA's Madden NFL franchise.

In our review of the latest iteration, IGN said: "Madden NFL 22 takes a small and unimpressive first step into the Xbox Series X and PS5 generation, with even its better new ideas hobbled by poor execution."

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

The NFL has announced a VR football game set to release each year for Meta Quest and PlayStation VR.

The annual franchise is being made in partnership with StatusPRO, a sports technology company whose virtual and augmented reality products are used by actual NFL teams.

Unlike current football VR games such as 2MD: VR Football and The Patrick Mahomes Experience, which are more arcade than simulation, this new, fully licensed game promises a realistic experience that makes players feel like a professional NFL player.

Troy Jones, co-founder and CEO of StatusPRO said: "By partnering with the NFL, we will offer a new form of engagement between athletes and fans unlike anything in the marketplace. NFL football fans and gamers alike will be able to connect with the world of sports through authentic, immersive gaming products that democratize the experience of the professional athlete."

StatusPRO's other co-founder and president, Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins, added: "We keep the athlete first in everything we do, and as former football players it means even more to be able to recreate what it actually feels like to step out on the field. Through our proprietary technology at StatusPRO, we can deliver an immersive experience that helps NFL fans transform into pro athletes."

No release date or gameplay was revealed with the announcement, but considering that the NFL and StatusPRO didn't even real the game's name, it is likely a long way away.

Sony recently revealed what the PlayStation VR2 looks like, saying it was designed to make users almost forget they're using a headset. The Meta Quest, on the other hand, is likely better known by its previous title, the Oculus Quest, though its name was changed when Facebook initiated its rebrand last October.

The NFL and StatusPRO said this new VR game would compliment the current NFL experiences available on the market, such as EA's Madden NFL franchise.

In our review of the latest iteration, IGN said: "Madden NFL 22 takes a small and unimpressive first step into the Xbox Series X and PS5 generation, with even its better new ideas hobbled by poor execution."

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

Years of potential Apex Legends content including nine new heroes has seemingly been leaked online.

As reported by Charlie INTEL, an anonymous Reddit user published a now-deleted file of Apex Legends content that included gameplay footage detailing a number of previously unseen heroes.

As publisher EA has yet to reveal or confirm any of the supposed leaks, all of the new characters and abilities must be taken with a pinch of salt, but Apex Legends does have an infamous leaking issue with dataminers often revealing new content ahead of official sources.

The 15 leaked videos showed off new maps for arena mode, weapons (including something called the Nemesis B-AR and the Fanatic energy pistol), and cosmetics, alongside actual gameplay of the new Legends in action. Those new playable characters have names and are listed as Caliber, Catalyst, Conduit, Jester, Newcastle, Phantom, Scryer, Uplink, and Vantage.

The new Legends can be seen in the roster screenshot (above) and all seem to have a full set of abilities. Newcastle was featured extensively in one video, who's described as a mobile defender that can create cover and revive teammates.

The footage even outlines his abilities: Retrieve the Wounded, which lets the player drag downed allies while you revive and protect them with a shield, Mobile Shield, a throwable drone that creates a moving energy shield, and his ultimate ability Castle Wall, where Newcastle leaps in the air, slamming down to create a fortified stronghold.

IGN has reached out to EA for comment on the supposed leaks but has not yet responded.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said: "Apex Legends' mix of exciting characters, excellent gunplay, and unmatched FPS movement keep it a consistently fresh thrill."

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

Years of potential Apex Legends content including nine new heroes has seemingly been leaked online.

As reported by Charlie INTEL, an anonymous Reddit user published a now-deleted file of Apex Legends content that included gameplay footage detailing a number of previously unseen heroes.

As publisher EA has yet to reveal or confirm any of the supposed leaks, all of the new characters and abilities must be taken with a pinch of salt, but Apex Legends does have an infamous leaking issue with dataminers often revealing new content ahead of official sources.

The 15 leaked videos showed off new maps for arena mode, weapons (including something called the Nemesis B-AR and the Fanatic energy pistol), and cosmetics, alongside actual gameplay of the new Legends in action. Those new playable characters have names and are listed as Caliber, Catalyst, Conduit, Jester, Newcastle, Phantom, Scryer, Uplink, and Vantage.

The new Legends can be seen in the roster screenshot (above) and all seem to have a full set of abilities. Newcastle was featured extensively in one video, who's described as a mobile defender that can create cover and revive teammates.

The footage even outlines his abilities: Retrieve the Wounded, which lets the player drag downed allies while you revive and protect them with a shield, Mobile Shield, a throwable drone that creates a moving energy shield, and his ultimate ability Castle Wall, where Newcastle leaps in the air, slamming down to create a fortified stronghold.

IGN has reached out to EA for comment on the supposed leaks but has not yet responded.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said: "Apex Legends' mix of exciting characters, excellent gunplay, and unmatched FPS movement keep it a consistently fresh thrill."

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

Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play Johnny Carson in a new biopic.

According to Deadline, the 41-year-old actor, known for his roles in Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, has signed up for a new series exploring the life of the legendary American TV personality, Johnny Carson.

King of Late Night will follow the life and career of the late-night TV star who made history with The Tonight Show.

The legendary TV host came from humble beginnings in local radio and television before landing the now-iconic NBC show, The Tonight Show, in 1962. By the ‘70s, his stint on the show turned him into an American icon.

He went on to host The Tonight Show for thirty years, until 1992.

Carson became famous for his nightly television appearance, taking a casual approach to interviewing his guests as well as delighting audiences with his American charm and quick wit. The show was also responsible for launching numerous comedy careers, including Tim Allen, Drew Carrey, Robin Williams, Roseanne Barr, Ellen DeGeneres, and Don Rickles.

He was also known for cracking jokes at the expense of celebrities and became involved in a few controversies throughout his time on the show.

Perry Mason actor Raymond Burr was angered by Carson’s persistent fat jokes about him, and even Mister Rogers once became a target of the late-night host’s send-ups.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt will star as Carson, with other cast members yet to be announced.

King of Late Night was written by Deadwood creator David Milch and will be directed by Jay Roach. The show has been in the works for around five years, however, there’s still no date set for its initial broadcast.

Gordon-Levitt will also star in Disney’s upcoming live-action Pinocchio as the voice of Jiminy Cricket, alongside Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Pinocchio, and Tom Hanks as Gepetto.

Earlier this year, The Tonight Show regular Louie Anderson passed away at the age of 68.

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

Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play Johnny Carson in a new biopic.

According to Deadline, the 41-year-old actor, known for his roles in Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, has signed up for a new series exploring the life of the legendary American TV personality, Johnny Carson.

King of Late Night will follow the life and career of the late-night TV star who made history with The Tonight Show.

The legendary TV host came from humble beginnings in local radio and television before landing the now-iconic NBC show, The Tonight Show, in 1962. By the ‘70s, his stint on the show turned him into an American icon.

He went on to host The Tonight Show for thirty years, until 1992.

Carson became famous for his nightly television appearance, taking a casual approach to interviewing his guests as well as delighting audiences with his American charm and quick wit. The show was also responsible for launching numerous comedy careers, including Tim Allen, Drew Carrey, Robin Williams, Roseanne Barr, Ellen DeGeneres, and Don Rickles.

He was also known for cracking jokes at the expense of celebrities and became involved in a few controversies throughout his time on the show.

Perry Mason actor Raymond Burr was angered by Carson’s persistent fat jokes about him, and even Mister Rogers once became a target of the late-night host’s send-ups.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt will star as Carson, with other cast members yet to be announced.

King of Late Night was written by Deadwood creator David Milch and will be directed by Jay Roach. The show has been in the works for around five years, however, there’s still no date set for its initial broadcast.

Gordon-Levitt will also star in Disney’s upcoming live-action Pinocchio as the voice of Jiminy Cricket, alongside Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Pinocchio, and Tom Hanks as Gepetto.

Earlier this year, The Tonight Show regular Louie Anderson passed away at the age of 68.

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

Most gaming fans know of Microsoft as the home of Xbox – a console developer not too dissimilar from Nintendo and Sony. But behind the scenes Microsoft is widening its mission, aiming to support developers large and small – even if they’re developing for other platforms.

Microsoft announced today that it will be releasing a new development program aimed at smaller developers. Called ID@Azure – a nod toward the ID@Xbox program that is designed to get independent games on the platform – Microsoft hopes the new program will do its part to make game development accessible even to creators with limited resources.

ID@Azure has been available in a closed preview since last year, offering participating creators access to a virtual machine – a cloud-connected computer preloaded with critical programs that can also serve as a development environment – as well as educational resources and support teams from Microsoft. Microsoft says this will save creators the time and hassle of acquiring the necessary programs and equipment, allowing them to get started making games faster. What’s more, the tools work across all platforms, which is in line with Microsoft’s vision of a console-agnostic future.

Sarah Bond, Corporate Vice President, Game Creator Experience and Ecosystem at Xbox, is one of the program’s chief architects. Bond points to the games industry’s exponential growth over the past decade, which she says is at odds with game development’s lack of accessibility.

“Every other form of media has gone to a place where anyone can make a YouTube video. You could make your own TikTok, right? Gaming isn't there yet. It's getting there, you're seeing aspects of it, but it's not there yet,” Bond says. “So we’re investing in the tools, the services, the training, and the access to make it possible for anyone who does want to create a gaming experience.”

Bond sees it as imperative for Microsoft to support smaller developers wherever possible, providing expertise in managing cloud tools while also aiding in the shift toward remote work. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, she sees it as an opportunity to empower creators who might otherwise be excluded from the games industry due to the historically high barrier to entry.

“One of the things that I came to understand when I joined the gaming industry was how so much of game development was actually located largely in Western Europe, North America and East Asia. Not all of it, but the vast majority of it,” Bond says. "And what that ultimately means is that the nature of the stories and the perspectives shared is going to represent its creators. They might pull in other perspectives, but it's always easiest to tell your own story from your own perspective.

“So to me one of the powers of the ID@Azure program is it continues to build on multiple investments that we've made to make it easier for anyone to access a set of tools and make a game. If anyone can do it, you're just going to bring in more developers. And I love that. It specifically addresses the needs of people who are more likely to be starting out because they're the ones that are most likely to need that help.”

Microsoft has invested heavily in cloud technology in recent years, which has driven everything from Rainbow Six Siege to Fall Guys. Xbox Cloud Gaming is one of the most visible results of Microsoft’s investment, but the cloud drives many other backend elements as well. While Bond wasn’t able to quantify its growth with a hard number, she said its rise is one reason that she feels it’s important to provide developers with an understanding of the technology at hand.

“ID@Azure is a great way for indies to get started with cloud services and the team has been very helpful and responsive to my questions. Using Azure has allowed me to write server code that scales as needed, and the costs scale as well so I only pay for what I’m using,” Super Retro Maker developer Dan Ericson says.

ID@Azure speaks to the influence that Microsoft exercises on the game industry even beyond traditional consoles. Microsoft’s cloud technology impacts everything from matchmaking to in-game economies, and Microsoft’s development tools mean that many creators are part of the company’s ecosystem from the very beginning, even if they never release a game on an Xbox platform.

It also addresses some of the pressing problems facing developers of all sizes in 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a greater emphasis on remote work, which Azure’s virtual machine attempts to address, and ready access to development tools makes it easier for potentially talented developers to break into the games industry. Most importantly, it’s one big more step toward what Microsoft sees as a future where games can be played on virtually any device, which Bond says is “closer than we think.”

“What we've really been seeing over the past five years in particular is that the idea of a gaming experience with the devices at the center of the experience… it's really going away, and it's really about the player being at the center of the experience,” Bond says. “And it shows Xbox’s dedication, what it’s really about: ‘How do we bring the joy of gaming to everyone, everywhere?’"

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.