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.

Netflix has released a batch of first-look photos for Stranger Things 4, teasing a much darker season for Eleven, Mike, and the rest of the crew.

The streaming service gave fans "a taste of the eggo" with a selection of photos from the next installment of Stranger Things, showing some familiar faces as well as a few newcomers. Season 4 will find these characters scattered across the globe, from snowy Russia to sunny California and also the creepy Creel House, which serves as a backdrop for several snaps.

Season 4, Volume 1 picks up six months after the events of Season 3 and the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. The group is separated for the first time when "a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down."

The Duffer brothers recently reflected on how the series has evolved since the first season hit screens in 2016, noting that the show's earliest episodes evoked the otherworldly encounter stories of Steven Spielberg before moving into the more overt horror vibes and conspiracy elements of John Carpenter to deliver a much darker tone for Season 4.

"When we pitched it to Netflix all those years ago, we pitched it as the kids are... The Goonies in E.T.," Ross explained on a forthcoming episode of Present Company With Krista Smith. "That's their storyline. And the adults are in Jaws and Close Encounters and then the teens are in Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween. But, this year, we don't have the kids. We can't do The Goonies anymore. And so, suddenly, we're leaning much harder into that horror movie territory that we love. It was fun to make that change."

The penultimate season of Stranger Things is expected to be "bigger, bolder, and more intricate" than previous installments, and will have plenty of surprises in store. As such, the fourth chapter will be split into two parts, with Volume 1 making its debut on Netflix on May 27, and Volume 2 releasing five weeks later on July 1 to complete the nine-episode season.

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

Netflix has released a batch of first-look photos for Stranger Things 4, teasing a much darker season for Eleven, Mike, and the rest of the crew.

The streaming service gave fans "a taste of the eggo" with a selection of photos from the next installment of Stranger Things, showing some familiar faces as well as a few newcomers. Season 4 will find these characters scattered across the globe, from snowy Russia to sunny California and also the creepy Creel House, which serves as a backdrop for several snaps.

Season 4, Volume 1 picks up six months after the events of Season 3 and the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. The group is separated for the first time when "a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down."

The Duffer brothers recently reflected on how the series has evolved since the first season hit screens in 2016, noting that the show's earliest episodes evoked the otherworldly encounter stories of Steven Spielberg before moving into the more overt horror vibes and conspiracy elements of John Carpenter to deliver a much darker tone for Season 4.

"When we pitched it to Netflix all those years ago, we pitched it as the kids are... The Goonies in E.T.," Ross explained on a forthcoming episode of Present Company With Krista Smith. "That's their storyline. And the adults are in Jaws and Close Encounters and then the teens are in Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween. But, this year, we don't have the kids. We can't do The Goonies anymore. And so, suddenly, we're leaning much harder into that horror movie territory that we love. It was fun to make that change."

The penultimate season of Stranger Things is expected to be "bigger, bolder, and more intricate" than previous installments, and will have plenty of surprises in store. As such, the fourth chapter will be split into two parts, with Volume 1 making its debut on Netflix on May 27, and Volume 2 releasing five weeks later on July 1 to complete the nine-episode season.

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

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has officially been delayed to Spring 2023, confirming previous reports.

Creative director Sefton Hill tweeted to confirm what we'd already heard, but added a Spring release window to narrow down when we'll finally get to see the co-op action game's long-awaited release.

"I know a delay is frustrating," Hill wrote, "but that time is going into making the best game we can. I look forward to bringing the chaos to Metropolis together. Thanks for your patience."

We've made the difficult decision to delay Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League to Spring 2023. I know a delay is frustrating but that time is going into making the best game we can. I look forward to bringing the chaos to Metropolis together. Thanks for your patience. pic.twitter.com/VOSwTM6Zak

— Sefton Hill (@Seftonhill) March 23, 2022

The delay will mean that the Suicide Squad game will likely arrive almost eight years after Rocksteady's last major console game, Batman: Arkham Knight, and seven after its last game overall, Batman: Arkham VR. It's a major slowdown in releases for Rocksteady, which made and released the entire mainline Arkham series within 8 years (having started working on Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2007).

After years of leaks and rumours, Rocksteady announced it was working on a Suicide Squad game in 2020. Set in the Arkham game universe, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be an open world co-op action game that allows up to four players to play as Harley Quinn, King Shark, Deadshot, and Captain Boomerang. The assembled supervillains will be sent to Metropolis to take down what appear to be corrupted versions of Superman, The Flash, and more classic DC heroes.

Originally, the game was set for a 2022 release, but a Bloomberg report earlier this year pointed to a delay. No reason has been given for the pushback, but publisher Warner Bros. Interactive already has LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Hogwarts Legacy, and Gotham Knights scheduled for release this year, after all three were delayed themselves.

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.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has officially been delayed to Spring 2023, confirming previous reports.

Creative director Sefton Hill tweeted to confirm what we'd already heard, but added a Spring release window to narrow down when we'll finally get to see the co-op action game's long-awaited release.

"I know a delay is frustrating," Hill wrote, "but that time is going into making the best game we can. I look forward to bringing the chaos to Metropolis together. Thanks for your patience."

We've made the difficult decision to delay Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League to Spring 2023. I know a delay is frustrating but that time is going into making the best game we can. I look forward to bringing the chaos to Metropolis together. Thanks for your patience. pic.twitter.com/VOSwTM6Zak

— Sefton Hill (@Seftonhill) March 23, 2022

The delay will mean that the Suicide Squad game will likely arrive almost eight years after Rocksteady's last major console game, Batman: Arkham Knight, and seven after its last game overall, Batman: Arkham VR. It's a major slowdown in releases for Rocksteady, which made and released the entire mainline Arkham series within 8 years (having started working on Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2007).

After years of leaks and rumours, Rocksteady announced it was working on a Suicide Squad game in 2020. Set in the Arkham game universe, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be an open world co-op action game that allows up to four players to play as Harley Quinn, King Shark, Deadshot, and Captain Boomerang. The assembled supervillains will be sent to Metropolis to take down what appear to be corrupted versions of Superman, The Flash, and more classic DC heroes.

Originally, the game was set for a 2022 release, but a Bloomberg report earlier this year pointed to a delay. No reason has been given for the pushback, but publisher Warner Bros. Interactive already has LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Hogwarts Legacy, and Gotham Knights scheduled for release this year, after all three were delayed themselves.

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.

Microsoft has confirmed it was hacked by the same group that recently targeted Nvidia and Samsung.

Hacker group LAPSUS$ – branded DEV-0537 in Microsoft's blog post outlining the attack – stole and released part of the source code for Bing, Bing Maps, and Microsoft Cortana.

No customer code or data was involved in the attack, Microsoft said, and the tech giant will continue to monitor LAPSUS$ activity and implement protection for its customers.

Its security teams launched a full-scale investigation in recent weeks after LAPSUS$ began targeting other major tech firms and announcing its actions on social media.

A single account was compromised however, which allowed the group to steal the data, but Microsoft said it was able to stop the attack mid-operation and limit broader impact.

The objective of LAPSUS$, said Microsoft, was "to gain elevated access through stolen credentials that enable data theft and destructive attacks against a targeted organization, often resulting in extortion. Tactics and objectives indicate this is a cybercriminal actor motivated by theft and destruction."

The hacker group's recent attack on Nvidia claimed one terabyte of data, including files detailing the tech company's hardware and software. As reported by IGN's sister-site PCMag, LAPSUS$ later launched an attack on Samsung that saw it allegedly publish what it called "confidential Samsung source code".

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

Microsoft has confirmed it was hacked by the same group that recently targeted Nvidia and Samsung.

Hacker group LAPSUS$ – branded DEV-0537 in Microsoft's blog post outlining the attack – stole and released part of the source code for Bing, Bing Maps, and Microsoft Cortana.

No customer code or data was involved in the attack, Microsoft said, and the tech giant will continue to monitor LAPSUS$ activity and implement protection for its customers.

Its security teams launched a full-scale investigation in recent weeks after LAPSUS$ began targeting other major tech firms and announcing its actions on social media.

A single account was compromised however, which allowed the group to steal the data, but Microsoft said it was able to stop the attack mid-operation and limit broader impact.

The objective of LAPSUS$, said Microsoft, was "to gain elevated access through stolen credentials that enable data theft and destructive attacks against a targeted organization, often resulting in extortion. Tactics and objectives indicate this is a cybercriminal actor motivated by theft and destruction."

The hacker group's recent attack on Nvidia claimed one terabyte of data, including files detailing the tech company's hardware and software. As reported by IGN's sister-site PCMag, LAPSUS$ later launched an attack on Samsung that saw it allegedly publish what it called "confidential Samsung source code".

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

Nicolas Cage has admitted that he starred in dozens of straight-to-VOD movies to pay off his debts, but he maintains that he genuinely cared about every role he signed up for.

In a new interview with GQ, Cage cleared up a common "misconception" about the reason why he's accepted so many VOD movie roles over the past decade, explaining that he used the money from those jobs to help stabilize his fractious financial situation but that he never "phoned in" a performance, as he gave each role careful consideration before accepting it.

"When I was doing four movies a year, back to back to back, I still had to find something in them to be able to give it my all," Cage said. "They didn't work, all of them. Some of them were terrific, like Mandy, but some of them didn't work. But I never phoned it in. So if there was a misconception, it was that. That I was just doing it and not caring. I was caring."

The article notes that Cage blew through his $150 million fortune and spiralled into debt. He reportedly owed the IRS around $14 million and other creditors millions more, while also juggling the costs of caring for his elderly mother, so when traditional studio movie offers came to a halt, he sought an alternative that would keep him from filing for bankruptcy.

"The phone stopped ringing. It was like, 'What do you mean we're not doing National Treasure 3? It's been 14 years. Why not?'" he said before going on to consider how some of his other theatrical movies had performed around that time. "Well, Sorcerer's Apprentice didn't work, and Ghost Rider didn't really sell tickets. And Drive Angry, that just came and went.'"

Cage has spoken in the past about never phoning in performances, including to IGN during an interview for the movie Prisoners of the Ghostland.

GQ also confirmed that Cage "finished paying off all his debts" about a year and a half ago, ahead of appearing in his next film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, playing a fictionalised version of himself — someone trying to balance family life and a career while simultaneously finding himself caught in the crossfire of a Mexican cartel leader and the CIA.

The film is set to be released on April 22 following its world premiere at SXSW 2022. Cage attended the event and gave some thought to future film roles, considering that he never plans on retiring from acting. He revealed that he would like to play DC supervillain Egghead and he has a "concept" in mind for the character if Warner Bros. is willing to listen.

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

Nicolas Cage has admitted that he starred in dozens of straight-to-VOD movies to pay off his debts, but he maintains that he genuinely cared about every role he signed up for.

In a new interview with GQ, Cage cleared up a common "misconception" about the reason why he's accepted so many VOD movie roles over the past decade, explaining that he used the money from those jobs to help stabilize his fractious financial situation but that he never "phoned in" a performance, as he gave each role careful consideration before accepting it.

"When I was doing four movies a year, back to back to back, I still had to find something in them to be able to give it my all," Cage said. "They didn't work, all of them. Some of them were terrific, like Mandy, but some of them didn't work. But I never phoned it in. So if there was a misconception, it was that. That I was just doing it and not caring. I was caring."

The article notes that Cage blew through his $150 million fortune and spiralled into debt. He reportedly owed the IRS around $14 million and other creditors millions more, while also juggling the costs of caring for his elderly mother, so when traditional studio movie offers came to a halt, he sought an alternative that would keep him from filing for bankruptcy.

"The phone stopped ringing. It was like, 'What do you mean we're not doing National Treasure 3? It's been 14 years. Why not?'" he said before going on to consider how some of his other theatrical movies had performed around that time. "Well, Sorcerer's Apprentice didn't work, and Ghost Rider didn't really sell tickets. And Drive Angry, that just came and went.'"

GQ confirmed that Cage "finished paying off all his debts" about a year and a half ago, ahead of appearing in his next film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, playing a fictionalised version of himself — someone trying to balance family life and a career while simultaneously finding himself caught in the crossfire of a Mexican cartel leader and the CIA.

The film is set to be released on April 22 following its world premiere at SXSW 2022. Cage attended the event and gave some thought to future film roles, considering that he never plans on retiring from acting. He revealed that he would like to play DC supervillain Egghead and he has a "concept" in mind for the character if Warner Bros. is willing to listen.

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

Elden Ring's latest patch has fixed a handful of issues, including a glitch that allowed invaders to crash the host's game.

Invaders on PC could force the host to teleport to a different area of the map, resulting in the game crashing or players being stuck in an infinite falling animation.

Developer FromSoftware has fixed the issue in the new patch 1.03.2, which is available to download now on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series, and Steam.

The patch also addressed a bug that stopped some players progressing in Nepheli Loux's quest, alongside fixes for the Endure Ash of War and traversal point near Bestial Sanctum.

The full patch notes can be seen below:

• Fixed a bug that sometime prevented players from advancing NPC Nepheli Loux’s questline
• Fixed a bug that causes the playable character to die when trying to descend from a spot near Bestial Sanctum
• Fixed a bug that prevented Ash of War, Endure from taking effect
• Fixed a bug in multiplayer that allowed players to teleport others to incorrect map coordinates

While FromSoftware has fixed one multiplayer issue, an infamous hacker is still able to invade and softban players, as he's been doing since Dark Souls 3. The developer has released several other patches, however, and announced server maintenance for PlayStation and Steam on March 23.

Despite Elden Ring being released almost a month ago to incredible success in the U.S. and Europe, players are still finding new secrets including a hidden wall that only disperses after 50 hits.

It proved somewhat of a cultural phenomenon, producing several wacky stories such as players discovering a pair of fancy underwear hidden in the game. The game's speedrun record is also being broken over and over, an infamous hacker is hunting down innocent players, Bandai Namco has made an insane advert, and it even has its own candy.

In our 10/10 review, IGN said: "Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path."

To make those choices with the best available information, check out our full guide that features everything you could ever hope to know about Elden Ring, including collectible locations, boss strategies, and more.

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