A Marvel Zombies board game surpassed $2.5 million dollars on Kickstarter just two hours after it launched on the crowdfunding platform.

Marvel Zombies: A Zombicide Game, which is being produced by CMON and Spin Master Games, launched on the platform yesterday and has already garnered a huge amount of backing from fans. After just two hours on the website, the game had eclipsed the $2.5 million mark and has continued to gain further support in the hours since.

Upon launch, Marvel Zombies will be a cooperative board game for 1 to 6 players based on the core mechanics of the Zombicide series, in which players have to fight (or eat) their way through New York City. Players will need to work together against a simple AI system that levels up as you do in order to complete objectives and various missions on maps using a modular tile system. According to the Kickstarter campaign, gameplay is suitable for players aged 14+, and a standard session should take roughly an hour.

Heroes, we have just reached our 2nd MILLION (wow!), and with that released our first Stretch Goals: Luke Cage joins the fray as both a zombie AND a hero! Let's see what we will unlock next: https://t.co/UDoTN0dz6A pic.twitter.com/VAS6hwTiXF

— CMON (@CMONGames) January 18, 2022

Having initially set out a crowdfunding goal of $500,000 dollars, at the time of writing the project has amassed almost seven times that value as it closes in on the $3.5 million mark with fifteen days of the campaign still left on the clock.

Throughout the Kickstarter, those funding the campaign have three main pledge options that they can buy into. The base option or Undead Pledge starts at $130, which is followed by the Resistance Pledge at $240, and finally a Galactus Pledge for those who want to purchase the game in its most complete form at $410.

Those buying into the game's Undead Pledge will gain access to zombie mode, where you'll play as a number of undead Marvel heroes (including the likes of Captain America, Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Hulk, and Deadpool) and co-operate with other players to complete objectives, feed off innocent bystanders and fight off living superheroes.

Make way for this cold-blooded hero: the Winter Soldier joins the fight! https://t.co/KUzNrpUGvF pic.twitter.com/R5WSYxrwCc

— CMON (@CMONGames) January 19, 2022

The game's Resistance Pledge includes its original Zombies Mode as well as an X-Men Hero mode. Throughout this take on the game, you'll play as a number of living X-Men mutants (Storm, Mystique, Magneto, Colossus, Wolverine, and Rogue) as you look to save bystanders from harm and fight off waves of undead mutants and zombie heroes.

The two different versions of the game each bring with them a number of unique bystanders including but not limited to Aunt May, Pepper Potts, J. Jonah Jameson, and many more. Fans looking to get the absolute most out of their experience can also opt to fund the game's Galactus Pledge tier, which as well as including the two previously mentioned versions of the game also comes with a huge Galactus game piece and additional ways to play.

As Marvel Zombies continues to gather funding from fans on Kickstarter, the team has also released a number of additional heroes as stretch goals including Luke Cage, Beast, and The Winter Soldier. With plenty of time still remaining before the campaign concludes, it's almost certain that a range of additional heroes (and their undead counterparts) are still set to join the fight.

In other similar news, why not check out this article detailing how an Avatar Legends RPG tabletop game became the biggest ever tabletop RPG to launch on Kickstarter last August.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

A Marvel Zombies board game surpassed $2.5 million dollars on Kickstarter just two hours after it launched on the crowdfunding platform.

Marvel Zombies: A Zombicide Game, which is being produced by CMON and Spin Master Games, launched on the platform yesterday and has already garnered a huge amount of backing from fans. After just two hours on the website, the game had eclipsed the $2.5 million mark and has continued to gain further support in the hours since.

Upon launch, Marvel Zombies will be a cooperative board game for 1 to 6 players based on the core mechanics of the Zombicide series, in which players have to fight (or eat) their way through New York City. Players will need to work together against a simple AI system that levels up as you do in order to complete objectives and various missions on maps using a modular tile system. According to the Kickstarter campaign, gameplay is suitable for players aged 14+, and a standard session should take roughly an hour.

Heroes, we have just reached our 2nd MILLION (wow!), and with that released our first Stretch Goals: Luke Cage joins the fray as both a zombie AND a hero! Let's see what we will unlock next: https://t.co/UDoTN0dz6A pic.twitter.com/VAS6hwTiXF

— CMON (@CMONGames) January 18, 2022

Having initially set out a crowdfunding goal of $500,000 dollars, at the time of writing the project has amassed almost seven times that value as it closes in on the $3.5 million mark with fifteen days of the campaign still left on the clock.

Throughout the Kickstarter, those funding the campaign have three main pledge options that they can buy into. The base option or Undead Pledge starts at $130, which is followed by the Resistance Pledge at $240, and finally a Galactus Pledge for those who want to purchase the game in its most complete form at $410.

Those buying into the game's Undead Pledge will gain access to zombie mode, where you'll play as a number of undead Marvel heroes (including the likes of Captain America, Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Hulk, and Deadpool) and co-operate with other players to complete objectives, feed off innocent bystanders and fight off living superheroes.

Make way for this cold-blooded hero: the Winter Soldier joins the fight! https://t.co/KUzNrpUGvF pic.twitter.com/R5WSYxrwCc

— CMON (@CMONGames) January 19, 2022

The game's Resistance Pledge includes its original Zombies Mode as well as an X-Men Hero mode. Throughout this take on the game, you'll play as a number of living X-Men mutants (Storm, Mystique, Magneto, Colossus, Wolverine, and Rogue) as you look to save bystanders from harm and fight off waves of undead mutants and zombie heroes.

The two different versions of the game each bring with them a number of unique bystanders including but not limited to Aunt May, Pepper Potts, J. Jonah Jameson, and many more. Fans looking to get the absolute most out of their experience can also opt to fund the game's Galactus Pledge tier, which as well as including the two previously mentioned versions of the game also comes with a huge Galactus game piece and additional ways to play.

As Marvel Zombies continues to gather funding from fans on Kickstarter, the team has also released a number of additional heroes as stretch goals including Luke Cage, Beast, and The Winter Soldier. With plenty of time still remaining before the campaign concludes, it's almost certain that a range of additional heroes (and their undead counterparts) are still set to join the fight.

In other similar news, why not check out this article detailing how an Avatar Legends RPG tabletop game became the biggest ever tabletop RPG to launch on Kickstarter last August.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

A group of Firaxis Games veterans has announced a brand new Maryland-based studio called Bit Reactor which will be focused on turn-based strategy games.

Bit Reactor will be headed up by former Firaxis art director Greg Foertsch, who worked with Firaxis for over 20 years on games including XCOM: Enemy Unknown, XCOM 2, Civilization 3, and Civilization 4. Other members of the studio include former lead developers and creatives who also worked on the XCOM franchise.

The studio will focus on turn-based strategy games, with Foertsch saying that the genre has been "greatly overlooked" amid the current new generation of technology and that tactics games have "an enormous amount of room for innovation." Multiple unannounced games are currently in the works.

Whatever Bit Reactor is working on, we can only hope it's as solid as XCOM 2, which we found to be a brilliant new spin on great tactical combat in our 2016 review. We were also pretty big fans of Civilization 6, with its impressively robust features right at launch as well as its new ideas establishing a separate identity from previous Civilization games.

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

A group of Firaxis Games veterans has announced a brand new Maryland-based studio called Bit Reactor which will be focused on turn-based strategy games.

Bit Reactor will be headed up by former Firaxis art director Greg Foertsch, who worked with Firaxis for over 20 years on games including XCOM: Enemy Unknown, XCOM 2, Civilization 3, and Civilization 4. Other members of the studio include former lead developers and creatives who also worked on the XCOM franchise.

The studio will focus on turn-based strategy games, with Foertsch saying that the genre has been "greatly overlooked" amid the current new generation of technology and that tactics games have "an enormous amount of room for innovation." Multiple unannounced games are currently in the works.

Whatever Bit Reactor is working on, we can only hope it's as solid as XCOM 2, which we found to be a brilliant new spin on great tactical combat in our 2016 review. We were also pretty big fans of Civilization 6, with its impressively robust features right at launch as well as its new ideas establishing a separate identity from previous Civilization games.

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

King of the Hill is set to make a comeback, 25 years after Fox launched the original animated sitcom and introduced us to Hank and the gang.

You may want to meet us in the alley because the word on the street is that King of the Hill is being revived. According to The Hollywood Reporter, original series creators Greg Daniels and Mike Judge have reunited to form their own animation company called Bandera Entertainment that has more than a dozen animated series in various stages of development.

Daniels and Judge haven't shared any official details about the return of King of the Hill, other than to say that something is in the works. Other projects at Bandera include Netflix's newly ordered Bad Crimes, starring Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus, and Freeform's previously announced Praise Petey, headlined by Schitt's Creek vet Annie Murphy.

"We were very excited to go into different tones and different styles and try to expand the animation art form," Daniels said of Bandera's animation slate. "We're in a golden age for content, right? That's animation, too. That was one of the things we were talking about in founding the company: 'Let's push animation into all these different genres.'"

King of the Hill aired for 13 seasons on Fox between 1997 and 2009, making it one of the most successful animated sitcoms to debut in the wake of The Simpsons. The series follows the mundane day-to-day struggles of Hank Hill, his family, and the many other eccentric personalities in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas, the heartland of America.

Writer Brent Forrester previously teased the possibility of a King of the Hill revival in March last year when he revealed that both Daniels and Judge were locked in "hot negotiations" to revive the popular Fox series, which would see Hank Hill and his family drawn back to life at a time when the "characters have all aged 15 years" following the events of the series finale.

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

King of the Hill is set to make a comeback, 25 years after Fox launched the original animated sitcom and introduced us to Hank and the gang.

You may want to meet us in the alley because the word on the street is that King of the Hill is being revived. According to The Hollywood Reporter, original series creators Greg Daniels and Mike Judge have reunited to form their own animation company called Bandera Entertainment that has more than a dozen animated series in various stages of development.

Daniels and Judge haven't shared any official details about the return of King of the Hill, other than to say that something is in the works. Other projects at Bandera include Netflix's newly ordered Bad Crimes, starring Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus, and Freeform's previously announced Praise Petey, headlined by Schitt's Creek vet Annie Murphy.

"We were very excited to go into different tones and different styles and try to expand the animation art form," Daniels said of Bandera's animation slate. "We're in a golden age for content, right? That's animation, too. That was one of the things we were talking about in founding the company: 'Let's push animation into all these different genres.'"

King of the Hill aired for 13 seasons on Fox between 1997 and 2009, making it one of the most successful animated sitcoms to debut in the wake of The Simpsons. The series follows the mundane day-to-day struggles of Hank Hill, his family, and the many other eccentric personalities in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas, the heartland of America.

Writer Brent Forrester previously teased the possibility of a King of the Hill revival in March last year when he revealed that both Daniels and Judge were locked in "hot negotiations" to revive the popular Fox series, which would see Hank Hill and his family drawn back to life at a time when the "characters have all aged 15 years" following the events of the series finale.

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

Marvel's Moon Knight has unmasked several members of its cast, starring alongside Oscar Isaac's titular MCU character.

Moon Knight tells the story of Marc Spector, a former soldier of fortune, whose encounter with an Egyptian god of vengeance and moon deity, Khonshu, leads to his transformation into a costumed vigilante. He will find himself facing off against a gauntlet of threats, including Ethan Hawke's flowy-haired cult leader who is said to be inspired by David Koresh.

Keep reading for a rundown of who else is appearing in Moon Knight — and don't forget to bookmark the page, as we'll be updating this article with all-new casting announcements.

Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector/Moon Knight

Oscar Isaac will lead the cast of Marvel's Moon Knight, playing the show's eponymous vigilante, suffering from a dissociative identity disorder. The first full trailer shows Isaac at war with his various personalities, including that of Steven Grant, who puts in an appearance as "a mild-mannered gift-shop employee," rather than the millionaire playboy of the comics.

Curiously, the Moon Knight trailer and synopsis features zero references to Jake Lockley, who happens to be one of Marc Spector's other aliases in the comics. Fans are now wondering whether the titular mercenary's moustached alter-ego will be making an appearance in the series or whether he has been erased from the storyline altogether.

Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow

Ethan Hawke decided to make the jump to the MCU last year when he signed on to play the main villain of the Moon Knight series. Hawke has notoriously stayed away from comic book movies and mainstream Hollywood franchises, however, Isaac managed to get him on board for the MCU miniseries by simply asking him if he wanted to join in on the action.

For a long time, it was unknown which villain Hawke would portray, but the closed captions on Moon Knight's YouTube trailer via the Marvel Entertainment page revealed him to be Arthur Harrow, a character who only appeared in one comic - Moon Knight Vol. 2 #2 - and was a mad scientist working on stopping pain in the human body by using human subjects.

May Calamawy

According to The Hollywood Reporter, May Calamawy joined the cast of Marvel's Moon Knight in an undisclosed role. Calamawy is best known for playing Dena Hassan in Hulu's Ramy, and she has now reportedly nabbed another key role on the small screen. It's possible that she'll star as Isaac's love interest Marlene Alraune in Moon Knight but we'll have to wait and see.

Gaspard Ulliel as Anton Mogart/Midnight Man

ScreenRant previously reported that a listing on Gaspard Ulliel's talent agency page showed the actor as taking on the role of Anton Mogart aka Midnight Man in Moon Knight, but Marvel has yet to confirm Ulliel's involvement. Moon Knight appears to have been wiped from Ulliel's portfolio since the initial report, though he is listed on the show's IMDB cast page.

Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter

Emily VanCamp is heavily rumored to be reprising her role as Sharon Carter in Marvel's Moon Knight series following her stint in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The speculation, fuelled by a report from The Ronin, suggests VanCamp will be making a return to the MCU's Phase 4 in Moon Knight, though it's unknown if she would be taking on a brief cameo or a larger role.

Keep checking back here for all the latest casting updates for Marvel's Moon Knight.

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

Nintendo has revealed that the N64 classic Banjo-Kazooie will be available to all Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members on January 20, 2022.

Nintendo shared the news in a tweet that features gameplay from the beloved platformer that was released in 1998 and stars a bear and a bird that are trying to stop an evil witch named Gruntilda.

Embark on a wild quest with an unlikely pair! The adventures of Banjo and Kazooie begin here!

Banjo-Kazooie is coming to #NintendoSwitch for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members on 1/20! #Nintendo64 pic.twitter.com/R349r8gbvD

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 19, 2022

While Rare worked closely with Nintendo for years, Microsoft acquired the company in 2002 and still owns the rights to Banjo-Kazooie to this day. Rare Studio head Craig Duncan expressed his excitement over the collaboration between the two companies, saying in a Tweet that it's "always a pleasure to work with our good friends at Nintendo, I’m a big fan of #NintendoSwitchOnline and it’s really important to preserve classic games for future generations to play."

This isn't the first time Banjo-Kazooie have appeared on Switch as the pair joined Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in 2019. In our review of the duo character, we said, "Banjo and Kazooie feel right at home in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, though their moveset isn't quite up to the level of their look and sound."

Banjo-Kazooie made it all the way to the fourth spot on our list of the best N64 games of all time with the help of Mumbjo Jumbo, the iconic golden puzzle pieces called Jiggies, hidden Jinjos, and so much more.

In our original review of Banjo-Kazooie, IGN's Peer Schneider said "This is the best 3D platformer I have ever played, and a more than worthy successor to Super Mario 64. From the beginning to the surprise
ending, everything about this game screams quality."

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The Microsoft Activision Blizzard acquisition will bring together one of the game industry’s big-three companies, with one of the industry’s leading game developers. As Xbox continues its strategy of major acquisitions, will the Activision Blizzard purchase run afoul of antitrust laws? A legal expert says not likely at this stage.

Remember how Xbox successfully acquired Bethesda without running into complications with antitrust laws? This is because it was a form of vertical integration where a distributor of content, like Xbox, purchased a content producer, like Bethesda.

David Hoppe, a Managing Partner at the San Francisco-based Media and Tech law firm Gamma Law says Xbox’s acquisition of Activision runs on the same principle.

“The acquisition is another example of so-called ‘vertical integration’ in the video game industry — a console manufacturer (distributor) acquiring a game developer (producer). Of course, this is the largest such deal in games industry history, but U.S. courts have historically been unwilling to apply restrictive antitrust principles to vertical transactions,” Hoppe says.

Indeed historically the Justice Department has not had issues with console exclusivities, which is a likely outcome of the Xbox-Activision deal.

While there is a chance the deal could be viewed as a “horizontal” acquisition — where two direct competitors are merged — given that Xbox is also a game developer. Hoppe says, "it is difficult to apply legal competition principles when the ‘products’ are creative works like video games, each one of which is arguably unique and therefore not in direct competition."

While convergence in the industry means all entertainment options compete with each other in some way, Hoppe explains that “It would be quite ridiculous at this point to try to make an antitrust case on the basis that the acquisition will result in less consumer choice in the shooter games product category, for example.”

In fact, Xbox’s lack of presence in the mobile games space is one of the reasons Activision offered when it discussed the strategic benefits of Xbox acquiring Activision, which includes mobile developer King.

Despite the legal pathway for such a deal to go through, Hoppe does say consolidation at this scale could be bad for the industry and that at this time the clear winners are “likely to be Activision executives, who benefit from a major diversion of attention from a huge, potentially existential crisis, and undoubtedly have the assurance of rich exit packages at the appropriate time.”

The Xbox Activision Blizzard acquisition is set to finalize by June 2023. As we head towards this date, various agencies will announce whether they’ll clear the way for such a deal to proceed. Until then check out IGN’s full coverage of events so far, including reactions across the games industry, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick’s reasonings for the sale, and how this sets the stage for a new kind of content war.

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

Earlier today, Microsoft announced plans to buy Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 billion, putting huge franchises like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and more under Xbox's umbrella. While we've already seen how the video game industry is reacting to the huge acquisition, you can now take a look at how Microsoft and Activision Blizzard leaders broke the news to their staff members.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, whose future with the company is still unclear at the moment, shared an email with all Activision Blizzard employees, saying Microsoft was the clear choice to partner with.

"In considering possible partners, all roads ultimately lead to Microsoft," Kotick wrote. "Like us, they have been making games for a long time. Microsoft has already distributed games to hundreds of millions of the world’s computers and computing devices and has technologies and innovation that will support the next generation of games."

Activision Blizzard has been under fire for months due to serious allegations of harassment and misconduct, with Kotick at the center of many of the headlines. Kotick told employees Microsoft will help improve Activision Blizzard's culture.

"Microsoft also will support our journey to further strengthen our culture," Kotick wrote. "Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, has been a passionate advocate for caring as the currency of leadership. Inspiring people through empathy is a powerful motivator, and one we embrace as we renew our resolve – and in the work we are now doing – to set a new standard for a welcoming and inclusive workplace culture."

The ABK Worker's Alliance has already responded to the news, saying the acquisition, "does not change the goals" of the organization working for workplace improvements and employee rights.

And, speaking of Nadella, MSPU posted the email penned by the Microsoft CEO, sent to all employees regarding the acquisition. In addition to celebrating the acquisition, Nadella also announced a new title for Xbox head Phil Spencer.

"Effective today, Phil Spencer will become CEO, Microsoft Gaming," Nadella wrote. "When the acquisition closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil. We look forward to extending our journey to create a more diverse and inclusive culture to our new colleagues at Activision Blizzard, and ensuring all our employees can do what they love, while thriving in a safe and welcoming environment — one where everyone feels empowered to do their best work."

Spencer also shared his own words with Microsoft employees, calling the agreement, "a milestone for our company, our business, and our industry. Spencer also somewhat addressed Microsoft's efforts to create inclusive environments at all of its studios.

"Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players," Spencer wrote. "We deeply value individual studio cultures. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. We’re looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard."

You can read the full statements from Kotick, Spencer, and Nadella, as the industry continues to digest this significant announcement. And, read up on how this transaction compares to other media mega deals over the last few years.

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