Infinity Ward has laid out some changes that have been made to Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 in response to feedback from the game’s beta ahead of its launch later this week.

In a post on the studio’s website, the team broke down several change categories, including audio, UI, and movement. Most of these changes came from feedback on the multiplayer, but will also be applicable to the story campaign, as well.

The full list of changes reads as follows:

Enemy Visibility

• We have added diamond icons above the heads of enemies. This should make it easier for players to clearly identify opponents in the game.
• Additionally, we’ve continued to tweak lighting and contrast for improved enemy visibility.

Audio

• We’ve shortened the overall range of footstep audio which will allow enemy players to get closer to targets before they are able to detect footsteps. We have also continued to tweak teammate footstep audio, which will now be quieter following feedback from the Beta.
• The in-world activation sound effect volume range for the Dead Silence field upgrade has been drastically decreased.

Third Person

• Following feedback from Beta, aiming down sights will now stay in third person POV for low-zoom optics. Only high-zoom optics (beginning with the ACOG and higher) and special optics such as Hybrids and Thermals will revert to first person POV. We believe this will enhance the third person experience while keeping the gameplay balanced. The feedback on this mode has been very positive, and we will continue to explore its use as a modifier.

Weapons

• We have continued to tweak weapons across the game following both feedback from Beta players and game data. Players can expect more specifics on weapon tuning as we continue to support post-launch.

UI

• We have been working hard on numerous updates to our UI that make accessing and customizing your loadout more seamless. We’ve made improvements to navigation of menus and will continue to optimize our UX.

Movement

• Slide, ledge hang, and dive have been further refined. We’ve also addressed some movement exploits following Beta.

Matchmaking

• We have implemented some changes that aim to reduce lobby disbandment between matches. We look forward to testing this at a large scale and getting feedback.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is coming to PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on Friday, October 28, though the campaign has been playable for those who pre-ordered the game digitally since October 20. For more on that, check out IGN's review of the campaign (or check out the video version below), in which it was described as "underwhelming and overly familiar."

Kenneth Shepard is a writer covering games, entertainment, and queerness all around the internet. Find him on Twitter at @shepardcdr, and listen to his biweekly video game retrospective podcast Normandy FM, which is currently covering Cyberpunk 2077.

Infinity Ward has laid out some changes that have been made to Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 in response to feedback from the game’s beta ahead of its launch later this week.

In a post on the studio’s website, the team broke down several change categories, including audio, UI, and movement. Most of these changes came from feedback on the multiplayer, but will also be applicable to the story campaign, as well.

The full list of changes reads as follows:

Enemy Visibility

• We have added diamond icons above the heads of enemies. This should make it easier for players to clearly identify opponents in the game.
• Additionally, we’ve continued to tweak lighting and contrast for improved enemy visibility.

Audio

• We’ve shortened the overall range of footstep audio which will allow enemy players to get closer to targets before they are able to detect footsteps. We have also continued to tweak teammate footstep audio, which will now be quieter following feedback from the Beta.
• The in-world activation sound effect volume range for the Dead Silence field upgrade has been drastically decreased.

Third Person

• Following feedback from Beta, aiming down sights will now stay in third person POV for low-zoom optics. Only high-zoom optics (beginning with the ACOG and higher) and special optics such as Hybrids and Thermals will revert to first person POV. We believe this will enhance the third person experience while keeping the gameplay balanced. The feedback on this mode has been very positive, and we will continue to explore its use as a modifier.

Weapons

• We have continued to tweak weapons across the game following both feedback from Beta players and game data. Players can expect more specifics on weapon tuning as we continue to support post-launch.

UI

• We have been working hard on numerous updates to our UI that make accessing and customizing your loadout more seamless. We’ve made improvements to navigation of menus and will continue to optimize our UX.

Movement

• Slide, ledge hang, and dive have been further refined. We’ve also addressed some movement exploits following Beta.

Matchmaking

• We have implemented some changes that aim to reduce lobby disbandment between matches. We look forward to testing this at a large scale and getting feedback.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is coming to PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on Friday, October 28, though the campaign has been playable for those who pre-ordered the game digitally since October 20. For more on that, check out IGN's review of the campaign (or check out the video version below), in which it was described as "underwhelming and overly familiar."

Kenneth Shepard is a writer covering games, entertainment, and queerness all around the internet. Find him on Twitter at @shepardcdr, and listen to his biweekly video game retrospective podcast Normandy FM, which is currently covering Cyberpunk 2077.

HBO Max's planned Green Lantern show is undergoing a creative change.

According to Variety, Greg Berlanti's Green Lantern series for HBO Max has lost its co-writer and showrunner Seth Grahame-Smith. Furthermore, the series will no longer focus on Green Lantern members Guy Gardner and Alan Scott and instead focus on John Stewart.

As a result, the two actors cast as Garnder and Scott, Finn Wittrock and Jeremy Irvine respectively, have left the show.

Green Lantern was announced as a straight-to-series 10-episode series for HBO Max with Grahame-Smith attached. The series promised to show the adventures of "a multitude of Lanterns," including Gardner, Scott, Jessica Cruz, and Simon Baz, with a particular focus on the first two.

Grahame-Smith's exit from Green Lantern marks his second departure from a DC project. He was the one-time director attached to The Flash, which ended up cycling through numerous directors before landing on IT director Andy Muschietti.

While it's not canceled, the creative shift will likely mean the Green Lantern series will now be further out from release. It's also unknown if the show will become one of the shows under James Gunn and Peter Safran who are set to lead DC Studios for Warner Bros. Discovery.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

HBO Max's planned Green Lantern show is undergoing a creative change.

According to Variety, Greg Berlanti's Green Lantern series for HBO Max has lost its co-writer and showrunner Seth Grahame-Smith. Furthermore, the series will no longer focus on Green Lantern members Guy Gardner and Alan Scott and instead focus on John Stewart.

As a result, the two actors cast as Garnder and Scott, Finn Wittrock and Jeremy Irvine respectively, have left the show.

Green Lantern was announced as a straight-to-series 10-episode series for HBO Max with Grahame-Smith attached. The series promised to show the adventures of "a multitude of Lanterns," including Gardner, Scott, Jessica Cruz, and Simon Baz, with a particular focus on the first two.

Grahame-Smith's exit from Green Lantern marks his second departure from a DC project. He was the one-time director attached to The Flash, which ended up cycling through numerous directors before landing on IT director Andy Muschietti.

While it's not canceled, the creative shift will likely mean the Green Lantern series will now be further out from release. It's also unknown if the show will become one of the shows under James Gunn and Peter Safran who are set to lead DC Studios for Warner Bros. Discovery.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Rihanna marks her return to music with a single for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever this Friday, October 28, and the track will serve as a special tribute to the first film’s late star, Chadwick Boseman.

Lift Me Up is Rihanna’s first musical debut since 2016, and is described as “a tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman.” The song — written with Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, producer Ludwig Göransson, and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler — will be released on Rihanna’s Westbury Road label in partnership with Roc Nation, Def Jam Recordings, and Hollywood Records.

lift me up
10.28.22 pic.twitter.com/hIvhUQP8Bj

— Rihanna (@rihanna) October 26, 2022

While there’s no full version of the track available for now, Rihanna shared a brief clip of Lift Me Up on Twitter. It’s a soft, somber hum only a few seconds long, and reminiscent of some of the more poignant melodies used in trailers prior.

In August 2020, Chadwick Boseman died at the age of 43 from cancer. Boseman starred in the original film as Black Panther (T’Challa) and planned to return as the superhero in Black Panther 2. Before his death, Coogler said the sequel was “very much rooted in T’Challa’s perspective,” but was rewritten to honor Boseman and his role.

The Lift Me Up announcement confirms speculation from earlier this month when New York Times journalist Kyle Buchanan shared rumors of Rihanna’s involvement with the soundtrack and also noted her contribution was for the end-credits song.

Lift Me Up will be available this Friday with options to pre-save on Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will release in theaters on November 10, 2022. In the lead-up to the film’s debut, Marvel Entertainment has also shared other details, like the official plot summary, and a featurette with the cast explaining the film’s emotional ties.

Andrea Shearon is a freelance news writer at IGN covering games and entertainment. Find her on Twitter (@Maajora) chatting about FFXIV and other RPGs.

Rihanna marks her return to music with a single for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever this Friday, October 28, and the track will serve as a special tribute to the first film’s late star, Chadwick Boseman.

Lift Me Up is Rihanna’s first musical debut since 2016, and is described as “a tribute to the extraordinary life and legacy of Chadwick Boseman.” The song — written with Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, producer Ludwig Göransson, and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler — will be released on Rihanna’s Westbury Road label in partnership with Roc Nation, Def Jam Recordings, and Hollywood Records.

lift me up
10.28.22 pic.twitter.com/hIvhUQP8Bj

— Rihanna (@rihanna) October 26, 2022

While there’s no full version of the track available for now, Rihanna shared a brief clip of Lift Me Up on Twitter. It’s a soft, somber hum only a few seconds long, and reminiscent of some of the more poignant melodies used in trailers prior.

In August 2020, Chadwick Boseman died at the age of 43 from cancer. Boseman starred in the original film as Black Panther (T’Challa) and planned to return as the superhero in Black Panther 2. Before his death, Coogler said the sequel was “very much rooted in T’Challa’s perspective,” but was rewritten to honor Boseman and his role.

The Lift Me Up announcement confirms speculation from earlier this month when New York Times journalist Kyle Buchanan shared rumors of Rihanna’s involvement with the soundtrack and also noted her contribution was for the end-credits song.

Lift Me Up will be available this Friday with options to pre-save on Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will release in theaters on November 10, 2022. In the lead-up to the film’s debut, Marvel Entertainment has also shared other details, like the official plot summary, and a featurette with the cast explaining the film’s emotional ties.

Andrea Shearon is a freelance news writer at IGN covering games and entertainment. Find her on Twitter (@Maajora) chatting about FFXIV and other RPGs.

Despite George R.R. Martin's involvement with Elden Ring, the author revealed he has not played FromSoftware's latest epic for himself. Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which was spotted by GamesRadar, Martin explained why.

"I have not played it because people seem to want this Winds of Winters book," Martin said. "And I have, unfortunately, a totally addictive personality. I did play video games a long, long time ago. I played games like Railroad Tycoon, and Master of Orion, and Homeworld and I would get sucked into it, and weeks, months would go by and I'd be sitting there in my red flannel bathrobe just like, 'one more game, one more game,' and [finally I went], 'I can't, I gotta go cold turkey on this, this is gonna kill me here.'"

Martin went on to praise the team at FromSoftware, calling Elden Ring "the most beautiful game I have ever seen. It's really amazing, and amazingly detailed, and the people who play it love it and I'm very gratified to have been a part of it."

In the same interview with Colbert, Martin said that The Winds of Winter could be over 1500 pages long, and that he's about three quarters of the way done writing it. The penultimate entry of A Song of Ice and Fire is certainly keeping Martin very busy, along with other projects like HBO's House of the Dragon.

Martin's involvement with Elden Ring was announced back at E3 2019, alongside the game's reveal. He was key to the foundation of the story, the game's bosses, and much of the overall worldbuilding. Because so much of his work was one at the conceptual level, Martin's involvement with the project was actually completed years ago. Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki said he placed some restraints on Martin's contributions, ensuring that the story always served the player experience.

And even though the writer hasn't sat down to play Elden Ring, he's seemed very happy with the experience overall. When the game was released, Martin said he was very happy with the reviews. He has also previously called the opportunity to work on Elden Ring "too exciting to refuse".

Both FromSoftware and Martin should be very happy with how Elden Ring turned out. The game has dominated the conversation in 2022, earning a perfect score in our review, smashing sales milestones, and setting internet records.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Despite George R.R. Martin's involvement with Elden Ring, the author revealed he has not played FromSoftware's latest epic for himself. Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which was spotted by GamesRadar, Martin explained why.

"I have not played it because people seem to want this Winds of Winters book," Martin said. "And I have, unfortunately, a totally addictive personality. I did play video games a long, long time ago. I played games like Railroad Tycoon, and Master of Orion, and Homeworld and I would get sucked into it, and weeks, months would go by and I'd be sitting there in my red flannel bathrobe just like, 'one more game, one more game,' and [finally I went], 'I can't, I gotta go cold turkey on this, this is gonna kill me here.'"

Martin went on to praise the team at FromSoftware, calling Elden Ring "the most beautiful game I have ever seen. It's really amazing, and amazingly detailed, and the people who play it love it and I'm very gratified to have been a part of it."

In the same interview with Colbert, Martin said that The Winds of Winter could be over 1500 pages long, and that he's about three quarters of the way done writing it. The penultimate entry of A Song of Ice and Fire is certainly keeping Martin very busy, along with other projects like HBO's House of the Dragon.

Martin's involvement with Elden Ring was announced back at E3 2019, alongside the game's reveal. He was key to the foundation of the story, the game's bosses, and much of the overall worldbuilding. Because so much of his work was one at the conceptual level, Martin's involvement with the project was actually completed years ago. Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki said he placed some restraints on Martin's contributions, ensuring that the story always served the player experience.

And even though the writer hasn't sat down to play Elden Ring, he's seemed very happy with the experience overall. When the game was released, Martin said he was very happy with the reviews. He has also previously called the opportunity to work on Elden Ring "too exciting to refuse".

Both FromSoftware and Martin should be very happy with how Elden Ring turned out. The game has dominated the conversation in 2022, earning a perfect score in our review, smashing sales milestones, and setting internet records.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Facebook and Quest company Meta is currently getting raked over the coals by investors, due to yet another quarter of massive losses in its VR and metaverse division.

The company's quarterly earnings revealed that its Reality Labs division — which covers its VR and XR efforts as well as metaverse endeavors — saw $3.7 billion in losses from operations. But while this was an exceptionally large loss for the division, it's coming off a long history of losses going back quarter after quarter. That same division has seen losses of $9.4 billion so far this year, compared to $6.9 billion in the same period last year.

Notably, though, this doesn't seem to be directly tied to a massive drop in revenue. Overall company revenue was $29 billion for the quarter, down only 4% year over year. But revenue for the Reality Labs segment alone was only $285 million, meaning Facebook's "Family of Apps" division (which deals with Facebook, Snapchat, and the like) largely carried the company. Put simply, Meta's VR and metaverse eforts are bringing in very little money compared to how much money Meta is spending on them.

And it's prepared to spend even more. Alongside its announcement of a new consumer Meta Quest headset for next year and expenditures related to that, Meta said it expected the division's operating losses to grow "significantly".

"Infrastructure-related" expenses are also expected to play an even bigger role.

Meta doesn't have a lot of good answers

For right now, it doesn't sound like Meta has a lot of good answers for shareholders upset at the big spending, either. In its earnings outlook, Meta said it had "increased scrutiny on all areas of operating expenses," but said that scrutiny would take time to actually have an impact on the numbers. Given some of the language used in the earnings, it's sounding more and more like this may mean layoffs.

And on the earnings call, multiple shareholders brought up the spending issue, only to be repeatedly reassured that Meta was confident its investments would eventually pay off — though perhaps not for a while, as leadership indicated its metaverse efforts may take some time to bring returns.

It wasn't that long ago that the very idea of the Metaverse was under fire from all sides as Meta announced its premium headset, the Meta Quest Pro, at a hefty $1499.99 price tag. At the same time, Zuckerberg and Meta were being readily mocked by the internet due to the ridiculous visuals of its employee metaverse, Horizon Worlds, which apparently none of its employees actually enjoy using. And just this morning, Xbox boss Phil Spencer called current ideations of the metaverse a "poorly-built video game", saying that "building a metaverse that's like a living room is not how I want to spend my time."

Meta stock is currently seeing the impact of the earnings call. At the time this piece was written, it had dropped 19% in after-hours trading to $105.30 — a price lower than any the company has seen this year.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Facebook and Quest company Meta is currently getting raked over the coals by investors, due to yet another quarter of massive losses in its VR and metaverse division.

The company's quarterly earnings revealed that its Reality Labs division — which covers its VR and XR efforts as well as metaverse endeavors — saw $3.7 billion in losses from operations. But while this was an exceptionally large loss for the division, it's coming off a long history of losses going back quarter after quarter. That same division has seen losses of $9.4 billion so far this year, compared to $6.9 billion in the same period last year.

Notably, though, this doesn't seem to be directly tied to a massive drop in revenue. Overall company revenue was $29 billion for the quarter, down only 4% year over year. But revenue for the Reality Labs segment alone was only $285 million, meaning Facebook's "Family of Apps" division (which deals with Facebook, Snapchat, and the like) largely carried the company. Put simply, Meta's VR and metaverse eforts are bringing in very little money compared to how much money Meta is spending on them.

And it's prepared to spend even more. Alongside its announcement of a new consumer Meta Quest headset for next year and expenditures related to that, Meta said it expected the division's operating losses to grow "significantly".

"Infrastructure-related" expenses are also expected to play an even bigger role.

Meta doesn't have a lot of good answers

For right now, it doesn't sound like Meta has a lot of good answers for shareholders upset at the big spending, either. In its earnings outlook, Meta said it had "increased scrutiny on all areas of operating expenses," but said that scrutiny would take time to actually have an impact on the numbers. Given some of the language used in the earnings, it's sounding more and more like this may mean layoffs.

And on the earnings call, multiple shareholders brought up the spending issue, only to be repeatedly reassured that Meta was confident its investments would eventually pay off — though perhaps not for a while, as leadership indicated its metaverse efforts may take some time to bring returns.

It wasn't that long ago that the very idea of the Metaverse was under fire from all sides as Meta announced its premium headset, the Meta Quest Pro, at a hefty $1499.99 price tag. At the same time, Zuckerberg and Meta were being readily mocked by the internet due to the ridiculous visuals of its employee metaverse, Horizon Worlds, which apparently none of its employees actually enjoy using. And just this morning, Xbox boss Phil Spencer called current ideations of the metaverse a "poorly-built video game", saying that "building a metaverse that's like a living room is not how I want to spend my time."

Meta stock is currently seeing the impact of the earnings call. At the time this piece was written, it had dropped 19% in after-hours trading to $105.30 — a price lower than any the company has seen this year.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.