Netflix has announced that Stranger Things season 4 will premiere on May 27. However, this fourth season is almost twice as long as previous seasons, and so will be split into two volumes, with the second batch of episodes being released five weeks later on July 1.

The news, announced on Netflix's website, comes accompanied by a letter from The Duffer Brothers, the creators of the show. As well as explaining that this fourth season has a runtime of almost double the previous seasons, the creative duo also revealed that Stranger Things will conclude with its fifth season.

"With nine scripts, over eight-hundred pages, almost two years of filming, thousands of visual effects shots, and a runtime nearly twice the length of any previous season, Stranger Things 4 was the most challenging season yet, but also the most rewarding one," said The Duffer Brothers.

"It's also the beginning of the end," they continued. "Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things. At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but -- as you'll soon see for yourselves -- we are now hurtling towards our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate season; season 5 will be the last."

At nine episodes, season 4 has a similar episode count to previous seasons of Stranger Things. It appears, then, that each episode may be feature-length in runtime to make the season as large as The Duffer Brothers claim.

As for the plot of season 4, Netflix offered this synopsis: It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn't made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, 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.

For more from Stranger Things, check out season 4's episode titles and the official map of Hawkins. And while season 5 may be the final one, there could be more Stranger Things in the form of spin-off shows.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Shudder has announced a release date and first trailer for its upcoming horror film, The Twin, which is set to release on the streaming platform on May 6, 2022. In addition to streaming on Shudder, The Twin will also be available in theaters (RLJE Films), as well as on Digital and OnDemand

IGN can exclusively reveal the terrifying new trailer for The Twin starring Teresa Palmer and Steven Cree in the video below, or at the top of the page:

Here's how Shudder describes The Twin: "Following the aftermath of a tragic accident that claimed the life of one of their twins, Rachel (Teresa Palmer, A Discovery of Witches, Warm Bodies) and husband Anthony (Steven Cree, A Discovery of Witches, Outlander) relocate to the other side of the world with their surviving son in the hopes of building a new life. What begins as a time of healing in the quiet Scandinavian countryside soon takes an ominous turn when Rachel begins to unravel the torturous truth about her son and confronts the malicious forces attempting to take a hold of him."

The Twin is directed by Taneli Mustonen (Reunion, Lake Bodom), and written by Aleksi Hyvärinen and Mustonen (Arrhythmia, Lake Bodom).

IGN also has the exclusive first look at some key art from The Twin, featuring Palmer's Rachel and Tristan Ruggeri's Elliot with the tagline, "Evil only a mother could love":

What did you think of the trailer? Let us know in the comments below. And for more on the world of streaming, check out the bonkers new trailer for The Boys Presents: Diabolical, Pedro Pascal's update on HBO's The Last of Us adaptation, and Umbrella Academy's Season 3 character posters.

David Griffin is the TV Streaming Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Shudder has announced a release date and first trailer for its upcoming horror film, The Twin, which is set to release on the streaming platform on May 6, 2022. In addition to streaming on Shudder, The Twin will also be available in theaters (RLJE Films), as well as on Digital and OnDemand

IGN can exclusively reveal the terrifying new trailer for The Twin starring Teresa Palmer and Steven Cree in the video below, or at the top of the page:

Here's how Shudder describes The Twin: "Following the aftermath of a tragic accident that claimed the life of one of their twins, Rachel (Teresa Palmer, A Discovery of Witches, Warm Bodies) and husband Anthony (Steven Cree, A Discovery of Witches, Outlander) relocate to the other side of the world with their surviving son in the hopes of building a new life. What begins as a time of healing in the quiet Scandinavian countryside soon takes an ominous turn when Rachel begins to unravel the torturous truth about her son and confronts the malicious forces attempting to take a hold of him."

The Twin is directed by Taneli Mustonen (Reunion, Lake Bodom), and written by Aleksi Hyvärinen and Mustonen (Arrhythmia, Lake Bodom).

IGN also has the exclusive first look at some key art from The Twin, featuring Palmer's Rachel and Tristan Ruggeri's Elliot with the tagline, "Evil only a mother could love":

What did you think of the trailer? Let us know in the comments below. And for more on the world of streaming, check out the bonkers new trailer for The Boys Presents: Diabolical, Pedro Pascal's update on HBO's The Last of Us adaptation, and Umbrella Academy's Season 3 character posters.

David Griffin is the TV Streaming Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

A brand-new Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie poster is officially here, and it's a treat for longtime fans of the series.

IGN can exclusively reveal the new poster, which is evocative of classic genre films like Star Wars in the way that it matches its heroes with the movie's best action sequences. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and of course, Dr. Robotnik, are all present, as are the film's human heroes, played by James Marsden and Tika Sumpter.

Fans of the games will no doubt feel a bit of nostalgia looking at some of the images from the poster, which particularly draw on Sonic's 16-bit heritage. Tail's plane can be seen evading Robotnik's missiles, and Sonic and Knuckles are clearly clashing over a Chaos Emerald.

In general, the sequel seems like it will lean more into Sega's source material than the original released in 2020, which was a roadtrip film and sci-fi fish out of water comedy that just happened to include the blue hedgehog.

"Sonic’s first foray into live-action is a fast-paced joyride that’ll ring in entertainment for both fans and children," we said in our review of the first film.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has drawn attention for casting Idris Elba, who will play Sonic's sometimes-friend and sometimes-foe, Knuckles (who definitely won't be sexy). To capitalize on the excitement of the announcement, Sega is already planning a live-action series featuring Knuckles that will debut on Paramount Plus. A third movie is also in the works.

We'll be taking a deeper dive into Sonic 2 during IGN Fan Fest 2022, which will feature a panel discussion with some of the cast and crew. IGN Fan Fest 2022 is a one-day event that kicks off on February 19 at 11am PT / 2pm ET. You can find the full IGN Fan Fest 2022 schedule right here.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 debuts in theaters on April 8.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

A brand-new Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie poster is officially here, and it's a treat for longtime fans of the series.

IGN can exclusively reveal the new poster, which is evocative of classic genre films like Star Wars in the way that it matches its heroes with the movie's best action sequences. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and of course, Dr. Robotnik, are all present, as are the film's human heroes, played by James Marsden and Tika Sumpter.

Fans of the games will no doubt feel a bit of nostalgia looking at some of the images from the poster, which particularly draw on Sonic's 16-bit heritage. Tail's plane can be seen evading Robotnik's missiles, and Sonic and Knuckles are clearly clashing over a Chaos Emerald.

In general, the sequel seems like it will lean more into Sega's source material than the original released in 2020, which was a roadtrip film and sci-fi fish out of water comedy that just happened to include the blue hedgehog.

"Sonic’s first foray into live-action is a fast-paced joyride that’ll ring in entertainment for both fans and children," we said in our review of the first film.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has drawn attention for casting Idris Elba, who will play Sonic's sometimes-friend and sometimes-foe, Knuckles (who definitely won't be sexy). To capitalize on the excitement of the announcement, Sega is already planning a live-action series featuring Knuckles that will debut on Paramount Plus. A third movie is also in the works.

We'll be taking a deeper dive into Sonic 2 during IGN Fan Fest 2022, which will feature a panel discussion with some of the cast and crew. IGN Fan Fest 2022 is a one-day event that kicks off on February 19 at 11am PT / 2pm ET. You can find the full IGN Fan Fest 2022 schedule right here.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 debuts in theaters on April 8.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

EA has reportedly admitted that Battlefield 2042 "failed to meet the expectations of our players" in an internal meeting, and blamed the failure of the game on factors such as Halo Infinite's launch and the ongoing COVID pandemic.

According to a report by Xfire, EA held an internal company-wide meeting to discuss Battlefield 2042., where executives spent over 20 minutes examining what went wrong with the game's launch. Chief Studios Officer Laura Miele reportedly emphasized that it's important to acknowledge when the company has its misses, including Battlefield 2042.

One of the factors that Miele apparently mentioned was responsible for Battlefield 2042's problems is the Frostbite Engine, which had to go under a massive update. This update reportedly sucked up 18 months of development time. "All new tech, it was basically a new engine," the report quotes her as saying. "They went back. The Frostbite version they were on was so old they had to go back and update. So it was basically putting the game on a new engine."

Miele also apparently spoke about the work-from-home environment as a result of COVID-19 that impacted the development cycle midway through. She reportedly said "Add up all of this new innovation, all of this ambition for the new project, and then you add a global pandemic halfway into the project, where the game teams had to work from home, we ended up with more new variables in development than we have ever experienced before."

After the Battlefield beta last summer, players provided feedback on bugs and other areas of the game. While early impressions were positive, later mock reviews prior to launch revealed that the game had more bugs than expected.

However, the report says Miele claimed the surprise launch of Halo Infinite's multiplayer was a turning point, which came a mere four days earlier than Battlefield 2042's release on November 19. Compared to Halo Infinite, Battlefield 2042 wasn't as "polished", so EA reportedly believes players had a more favorable view of the former.

The Xfire report also states that Miele explained that player expectations have changed and it wasn't the right choice to retain the company's previous standards. Miele apparently admitted that EA didn't go wide enough with different player segments and didn't go deep enough with the game. The lack of features such as scoreboards and VOIP systems didn't help either.

At the end of the call, it was reportedly mentioned that Battlefield's development teams will be restructured and more streamlined.

The news surrounding Battlefield 2042 hasn't been great. EA already expressed that the game didn't meet their expectations, and both its scoreboard system and season one content have been delayed. Even players have signed a petition to get refunds.

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

EA has reportedly admitted that Battlefield 2042 "failed to meet the expectations of our players" in an internal meeting, and blamed the failure of the game on factors such as Halo Infinite's launch and the ongoing COVID pandemic.

According to a report by Xfire, EA held an internal company-wide meeting to discuss Battlefield 2042., where executives spent over 20 minutes examining what went wrong with the game's launch. Chief Studios Officer Laura Miele reportedly emphasized that it's important to acknowledge when the company has its misses, including Battlefield 2042.

One of the factors that Miele apparently mentioned was responsible for Battlefield 2042's problems is the Frostbite Engine, which had to go under a massive update. This update reportedly sucked up 18 months of development time. "All new tech, it was basically a new engine," the report quotes her as saying. "They went back. The Frostbite version they were on was so old they had to go back and update. So it was basically putting the game on a new engine."

Miele also apparently spoke about the work-from-home environment as a result of COVID-19 that impacted the development cycle midway through. She reportedly said "Add up all of this new innovation, all of this ambition for the new project, and then you add a global pandemic halfway into the project, where the game teams had to work from home, we ended up with more new variables in development than we have ever experienced before."

After the Battlefield beta last summer, players provided feedback on bugs and other areas of the game. While early impressions were positive, later mock reviews prior to launch revealed that the game had more bugs than expected.

However, the report says Miele claimed the surprise launch of Halo Infinite's multiplayer was a turning point, which came a mere four days earlier than Battlefield 2042's release on November 19. Compared to Halo Infinite, Battlefield 2042 wasn't as "polished", so EA reportedly believes players had a more favorable view of the former.

The Xfire report also states that Miele explained that player expectations have changed and it wasn't the right choice to retain the company's previous standards. Miele apparently admitted that EA didn't go wide enough with different player segments and didn't go deep enough with the game. The lack of features such as scoreboards and VOIP systems didn't help either.

At the end of the call, it was reportedly mentioned that Battlefield's development teams will be restructured and more streamlined.

The news surrounding Battlefield 2042 hasn't been great. EA already expressed that the game didn't meet their expectations, and both its scoreboard system and season one content have been delayed. Even players have signed a petition to get refunds.

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

John Cena has joined the cast of Coyote vs Acme, an upcoming live-action/CG animation hybrid film that will center around the classic Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cena has closed a deal to enter the wacky and wonderful world of the Looney Tunes to portray one of the primary antagonists in Warner Bros. upcoming feature Coyote vs Acme, which is said to be based on a New Yorker humor article of the same name, written by Ian Frazier and first published in 1990.

The film will tell the story of a down-on-his-luck attorney who takes on Wile E. Coyote as a client in a lawsuit against the Acme Corporation over its many defective products, only to discover that the boss of his former law firm is representing Acme. Cena will play the Acme lawyer in the Looney Tunes movie, which is due to enter production in New Mexico this March.

Coyote vs Acme will be directed by Dave Green (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Out of the Shadows, Earth to Echo) from a script penned by Samy Burch. Chris DeFaria and James Gunn are both attached as producers on the project, which reunites Gunn with Cena after working together on The Suicide Squad and HBO Max's new Peacemaker spinoff series.

The pair are certainly being kept busy as it was recently announced that Peacemaker will be returning for a second season following the show's breakout success on HBO Max, which has quietly seen it become one of the most-watched shows of 2022. Gunn will write and direct all of the episodes in Season 2, with Cena set to reprise the role of Christopher Smith.

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

John Cena has joined the cast of Coyote vs Acme, an upcoming live-action/CG animation hybrid film that will center around the classic Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cena has closed a deal to enter the wacky and wonderful world of the Looney Tunes to portray one of the primary antagonists in Warner Bros. upcoming feature Coyote vs Acme, which is said to be based on a New Yorker humor article of the same name, written by Ian Frazier and first published in 1990.

The film will tell the story of a down-on-his-luck attorney who takes on Wile E. Coyote as a client in a lawsuit against the Acme Corporation over its many defective products, only to discover that the boss of his former law firm is representing Acme. Cena will play the Acme lawyer in the Looney Tunes movie, which is due to enter production in New Mexico this March.

Coyote vs Acme will be directed by Dave Green (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Out of the Shadows, Earth to Echo) from a script penned by Samy Burch. Chris DeFaria and James Gunn are both attached as producers on the project, which reunites Gunn with Cena after working together on The Suicide Squad and HBO Max's new Peacemaker spinoff series.

The pair are certainly being kept busy as it was recently announced that Peacemaker will be returning for a second season following the show's breakout success on HBO Max, which has quietly seen it become one of the most-watched shows of 2022. Gunn will write and direct all of the episodes in Season 2, with Cena set to reprise the role of Christopher Smith.

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

Alongside its headless schoolgirls, savage demons, and various other ghouls and goblins, Ghostwire: Tokyo also features pettable Shiba Inus. It appears they're intended to do more than look cute, however, as developer Tango Gameworks has revealed they actually play a part in completing Ghostwire's side activities.

The game's official Twitter account posted (below) a short clip of protagonist Akito speaking to a Shiba and revealed the dogs are actually key to unlocking some collectibles in the game.

Take care of dogs around the city by feeding them, and they'll reward you with Meika—or even lead you to hidden collectibles. pic.twitter.com/RqRRa8mMMj

— Ghostwire: Tokyo (@playGhostwire) February 16, 2022

The player can collect dog food throughout Ghostwire's spooky version of Tokyo and feed it to magical, glowing Shibas. Akito will then proceed to engage the Shiba in conversation before it runs off and digs up Meika (presumably the game's currency) or leads the player to hidden collectibles.

One Twitter user asked the question on all of our minds, 'Can you pet the dog?', and the official Ghostwire account responded with a resounding yes: "You can pet all the dogs".

Ghostwire: Tokyo will launch on March 25 for PlayStation 5 and PC and its story sees Akito wake up after the Vanishing where 99% of Tokyo's population disappears. The city is instead filled with supernatural creatures and it's the player's job to save it.

IGN said in its preview for the game that, "with its mythic scope, open-world flourishes, and an arsenal of neat level design tricks, Ghostwire: Tokyo appears on the cusp of something special."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.