Warning: This article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home!

Spider-Man: No Way Home originally included some “big” Marvel characters.

During an interview with The Wrap, No Way Home co-screenwriter Chris McKenna revealed that some major Marvel characters were removed from the script.

“I don’t know if we’re allowed to, honestly, but there were big characters,” he said. “But almost too big, because it always became a balancing act of how do we tell not only a story with all these awesome villains that we know we want to bring into this movie, the classic ones, but also how do we make this still a Tom Holland/Peter Parker story so that he’s not completely overshadowed?”

McKenna stopped short of revealing which characters would have been in the movie. But it sounds as though removing them was a good idea. After all, Spider-Man: No Way Home isn’t exactly short on heroes and villains.

Starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, No Way Home brought the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), The Lizard (Rhys Ifans), Electro (Jamie Foxx), and Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) back to the big screen.

Alongside an appearance from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) any additional Marvel characters may have made the movie feel a lot more cluttered. It may even have shifted the focus away from Peter Parker.

“Because at the end of the day, it’s not going to be a great Spider-Man movie if you’re not telling an emotional Peter Parker story,” added McKenna. “We had these riches that we had to… This giant idea [with] all these great actors, but also we had to tell a story that felt like we were telling a personal story for our main character.”

The multiverse crossover in Spider-Man: No Way home featured some of Spider-Man’s greatest villains, as well as a long-rumoured return for both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as their own incarnations of the web-slinging superhero.

And while it was originally intended to be little more than a post-credit scene this complicated crossover proved to be a big hit with the fans, as No Way Home became Sony’s highest-grossing film of all time.

Spider-Man: No Way Home debuted in theaters on December 17, 2021.

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

STALKER 2 developer GSC Game World has taken the decision to delay the game until later this year.

As announced on Twitter, the developer has notified its fans that STALKER 2's new release date has been shifted back to December this year.

pic.twitter.com/E4bdKVmzxV

— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) January 12, 2022

"We have made a decision to postpone the release of STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl to December 8, 2022," reads a statement from the development team.

"These additional seven months of development are needed to fulfill our vision and achieve the desired state of the game. STALKER 2 is the biggest project in the history of GSC, and it requires thorough testing and polishing. We are convinced that development should take as long as necessary, especially in the case of such a project."

The delay to STALKER 2 will likely come as a disappointment to some fans, some of which have been anticipating the game's release for almost a decade now. STALKER 2 has seen a rather bizarre and tumultuous development cycle over the years, having been initially announced in 2010 only to then be cancelled just a year later. In 2012, reports then surfaced that the game was "currently in development" without a release date before news broke in 2018 that GSC was developing the sequel.

Elsewhere in the statement from GSC, the team notes that the decision to delay the game "has not been an easy one", but that it will hopefully allow them to deliver a game "that can live up to the expectations". The statement ends by explaining to fans that further information, updates, and showcases for the game will be coming in due course and that the team has an "exciting and important year ahead."

For more on STALKER 2, make sure to check out this article detailing how GSC Game World revoked a decision to incorporate NFTs into the game after fan feedback on the topic received notable backlash.

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

STALKER 2 developer GSC Game World has taken the decision to delay the game until later this year.

As announced on Twitter, the developer has notified its fans that STALKER 2's new release date has been shifted back to December this year.

pic.twitter.com/E4bdKVmzxV

— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) January 12, 2022

"We have made a decision to postpone the release of STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl to December 8, 2022," reads a statement from the development team.

"These additional seven months of development are needed to fulfill our vision and achieve the desired state of the game. STALKER 2 is the biggest project in the history of GSC, and it requires thorough testing and polishing. We are convinced that development should take as long as necessary, especially in the case of such a project."

The delay to STALKER 2 will likely come as a disappointment to some fans, some of which have been anticipating the game's release for almost a decade now. STALKER 2 has seen a rather bizarre and tumultuous development cycle over the years, having been initially announced in 2010 only to then be cancelled just a year later. In 2012, reports then surfaced that the game was "currently in development" without a release date before news broke in 2018 that GSC was developing the sequel.

Elsewhere in the statement from GSC, the team notes that the decision to delay the game "has not been an easy one", but that it will hopefully allow them to deliver a game "that can live up to the expectations". The statement ends by explaining to fans that further information, updates, and showcases for the game will be coming in due course and that the team has an "exciting and important year ahead."

For more on STALKER 2, make sure to check out this article detailing how GSC Game World revoked a decision to incorporate NFTs into the game after fan feedback on the topic received notable backlash.

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

PUBG: Battlegrounds' recent decision to make the game free-to-play is "in no way a response" to similar successful free-to-play shooters such as Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, and Apex Legends, who have all similarly adopted that model.

During an interview with GamesRadar, studio creative director Dave Curd discussed its move to a free-to-play structure on PC and consoles from today. "We came to the decision to make PUBG: Battlegrounds free to play because we feel that it is truly the right time," explained Curd.

"Our game is in a great place with eight maps, an engaged community, and our deep gun mechanics, so this is the natural next step and a great way to introduce more players to our universe. I know there are a lot of people who are interested in PUBG: Battlegrounds but have never gotten around to playing it for various reasons - now is the perfect moment to get started."

Elsewhere in the interview, Curd explained that the decision was "in no way a response" to other similar Battle Royale titles on the market. "They're all great games which specialize in their own unique strengths, just as we do. We develop our game independently of others and are excited to see what is to come," he said.

The PUBG Corporation announced that the game would be moving to a free-to-play model during a segment at The Game Awards last year. During the show, the developer revealed that PUBG would feature two tiers moving forward - a standard free-to-play account, which "offers access to most game features", and the studio's premium tier, Battlegrounds Plus. Players who have previously bought the game will automatically be made a part of Battlegrounds Plus, while those new to the series will need to pay $12.99 should they want the additional features that the mode has to offer.

The full list of Battlegrounds Plus benefits are:

• Bonus 1,300 G-COIN
• Survival Masters XP + 100 percent boost
• Career - Medal tab
• Ranked Mode
• Custom Match functionality
• In-Game items, including the Captain’s Camo set, which includes hat, camo mask and camo gloves

For more on PUBG: Battlegrounds, make sure to check out this video detailing 5 additional things to know about the game going free-to-play.

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

PUBG: Battlegrounds' recent decision to make the game free-to-play is "in no way a response" to similar successful free-to-play shooters such as Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, and Apex Legends, who have all similarly adopted that model.

During an interview with GamesRadar, studio creative director Dave Curd discussed its move to a free-to-play structure on PC and consoles from today. "We came to the decision to make PUBG: Battlegrounds free to play because we feel that it is truly the right time," explained Curd.

"Our game is in a great place with eight maps, an engaged community, and our deep gun mechanics, so this is the natural next step and a great way to introduce more players to our universe. I know there are a lot of people who are interested in PUBG: Battlegrounds but have never gotten around to playing it for various reasons - now is the perfect moment to get started."

Elsewhere in the interview, Curd explained that the decision was "in no way a response" to other similar Battle Royale titles on the market. "They're all great games which specialize in their own unique strengths, just as we do. We develop our game independently of others and are excited to see what is to come," he said.

The PUBG Corporation announced that the game would be moving to a free-to-play model during a segment at The Game Awards last year. During the show, the developer revealed that PUBG would feature two tiers moving forward - a standard free-to-play account, which "offers access to most game features", and the studio's premium tier, Battlegrounds Plus. Players who have previously bought the game will automatically be made a part of Battlegrounds Plus, while those new to the series will need to pay $12.99 should they want the additional features that the mode has to offer.

The full list of Battlegrounds Plus benefits are:

• Bonus 1,300 G-COIN
• Survival Masters XP + 100 percent boost
• Career - Medal tab
• Ranked Mode
• Custom Match functionality
• In-Game items, including the Captain’s Camo set, which includes hat, camo mask and camo gloves

For more on PUBG: Battlegrounds, make sure to check out this video detailing 5 additional things to know about the game going free-to-play.

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

Riot Games has promised to pay staff who decide to leave the company 25% of their base salary to "help transition to whatever is next". The policy comes amid Riot's new company plan that moves the company in an altered direction.

As detailed in a blog post by Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent, the company has outlined its plans for the next five years, both in terms of staffing structure and the content that it hopes to deliver fans. With the company set to move in a new direction, Riot has also stated that it will expand its "Queue Dodge" system for a brief period of time, meaning that any staff members who decide to leave the company in the wake of the announcement will be paid for the move.

"For a number of years, we’ve had a program in place called Queue Dodge," writes Laurent. "It’s a program that lets anyone opt out of Riot within their first six months and get paid part of their salary to help transition to whatever is next. No hard feelings."

"As we prepare for the next phase of growth, we’re opening Queue Dodge for a limited window for any Rioter, however long they’re been with us." Riot says that it wants staff choosing to stay at the company to be in line with its new strategic plan and ambitious goals, but that there will be no hard feelings to those who instead decide to look for work elsewhere.

The company's temporary Queue Dodge system will give those who want to leave 25% of their base salary with 3 months of COBRA benefits where applicable. Riot has also confirmed that those who opt to leave the company will receive their full bonuses, regardless of if they exit before the usual date they're paid out (late March in most offices).

Riot's new mission, says Laurent in the blog post, is to be "the most player-focused game company in the world," something that the CEO says isn't currently true but that the company is aspiring to work toward in the future.

"We'll always make games. But we also increasingly think that's an outdated way to categorise us," Laurent adds. "We don't want to be defined by the things we make, we want to be defined by the people we make them for. Put differently, we prefer to think of ourselves not as a games company but as a gamer's company."

Laurent's comments seemingly illustrate what appears to be the company attempting to turn a new page in its fifteen-year history. Last month, Riot Games agreed to pay a $100 million dollar settlement as part of a gender discrimination case that was brought against the company in 2018. Within the post, the CEO acknowledged the controversy that has surrounded the studio, stating that it would take the lessons that it has learned into the future.

"As we shared with Rioters, three years ago, Riot was at the heart of what became a reckoning in our industry," Laurent writes. "We've come a very long way since then-in our workplace, our processes, and our leadership-and we'll continue that work every day."

"While we're proud of how far we've come since 2018, it's important that we also take responsibility for our past. Given the ambitious goals we have for the future and the tens of millions of dollars we'd spend each year on lawyers to help resolve these cases - money we'd rather pay to the women in the class and to invest in Riot's future - it became clear during these past several months that the best outcome for everyone would be to come to a final resolution."

"To be clear, we aren't asking anyone to forget about this chapter and move on. On the contrary, the lessons we've learned together over the last few years will be a crucial part of the Riot Games origin story."

As Riot looks ahead toward 2022, Laurent signed off the post by thanking the staff members, sponsors, and players who have taken the company to where it is today. With that in mind, the CEO finished by stating that he hopes everyone involved with the comapny can join him in "believing the possibilities for the future are endless."

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

Riot Games has promised to pay staff who decide to leave the company 25% of their base salary to "help transition to whatever is next". The policy comes amid Riot's new company plan that moves the company in an altered direction.

As detailed in a blog post by Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent, the company has outlined its plans for the next five years, both in terms of staffing structure and the content that it hopes to deliver fans. With the company set to move in a new direction, Riot has also stated that it will expand its "Queue Dodge" system for a brief period of time, meaning that any staff members who decide to leave the company in the wake of the announcement will be paid for the move.

"For a number of years, we’ve had a program in place called Queue Dodge," writes Laurent. "It’s a program that lets anyone opt out of Riot within their first six months and get paid part of their salary to help transition to whatever is next. No hard feelings."

"As we prepare for the next phase of growth, we’re opening Queue Dodge for a limited window for any Rioter, however long they’re been with us." Riot says that it wants staff choosing to stay at the company to be in line with its new strategic plan and ambitious goals, but that there will be no hard feelings to those who instead decide to look for work elsewhere.

The company's temporary Queue Dodge system will give those who want to leave 25% of their base salary with 3 months of COBRA benefits where applicable. Riot has also confirmed that those who opt to leave the company will receive their full bonuses, regardless of if they exit before the usual date they're paid out (late March in most offices).

Riot's new mission, says Laurent in the blog post, is to be "the most player-focused game company in the world," something that the CEO says isn't currently true but that the company is aspiring to work toward in the future.

"We'll always make games. But we also increasingly think that's an outdated way to categorise us," Laurent adds. "We don't want to be defined by the things we make, we want to be defined by the people we make them for. Put differently, we prefer to think of ourselves not as a games company but as a gamer's company."

Laurent's comments seemingly illustrate what appears to be the company attempting to turn a new page in its fifteen-year history. Last month, Riot Games agreed to pay a $100 million dollar settlement as part of a gender discrimination case that was brought against the company in 2018. Within the post, the CEO acknowledged the controversy that has surrounded the studio, stating that it would take the lessons that it has learned into the future.

"As we shared with Rioters, three years ago, Riot was at the heart of what became a reckoning in our industry," Laurent writes. "We've come a very long way since then-in our workplace, our processes, and our leadership-and we'll continue that work every day."

"While we're proud of how far we've come since 2018, it's important that we also take responsibility for our past. Given the ambitious goals we have for the future and the tens of millions of dollars we'd spend each year on lawyers to help resolve these cases - money we'd rather pay to the women in the class and to invest in Riot's future - it became clear during these past several months that the best outcome for everyone would be to come to a final resolution."

"To be clear, we aren't asking anyone to forget about this chapter and move on. On the contrary, the lessons we've learned together over the last few years will be a crucial part of the Riot Games origin story."

As Riot looks ahead toward 2022, Laurent signed off the post by thanking the staff members, sponsors, and players who have taken the company to where it is today. With that in mind, the CEO finished by stating that he hopes everyone involved with the comapny can join him in "believing the possibilities for the future are endless."

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

The Batman has received its official MPA rating, and it looks as though it’s not quite as hardcore as we were led to believe.

According to its most recent bulletin, The Batman has been rated PG-13 by the Classification and Rating Administration.

The film has been “Rated PG-13 for strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material.”

Despite rumours that The Batman would be an R-rated superhero movie, this doesn’t come as a huge surprise. After all, Warner Bros. will want as many people as possible to be able to see the movie – especially during the box office drought of the ongoing pandemic.

The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as a younger version of Bruce Wayne, delving into the early days of Batman’s vigilante career, and will also act as a Catwoman origin story.

And while the recent trailer gives us a far grittier impression of the Dark Knight, it looks as though the struggling hero won’t be going as far as we thought in his pursuit of justice.

Still, there’s a lot that filmmakers can get away with in a PG-13 movie. After all, the darkest of Batman movies to date, The Dark Knight, was also given a PG-13 certificate. But those of us expecting Batman to get his hands a bit dirtier this time around might be disappointed. Especially after the R-rated Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, was received so well.

Robert Pattinson takes the leading role in The Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot, and Paul Dano as The Riddler.

The film is directed by Matt Reeves and is based on a screenplay by Reeves, and Peter Craig. Walter Hamada is listed as executive producer alongside Simon Emanuel, Chantal Nong, and Michael E. Uslan. Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark and Toby Hefferman are on board to produce.

The Batman is set to debut in theaters on March 4, 2022. For more, check out Jim Carrey in The Batman trailer (yes, it somehow works) and the streaming date for The Batman on HBO Max.

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

The Batman has received its official MPA rating, and it looks as though it’s not quite as hardcore as we were led to believe.

According to its most recent bulletin, The Batman has been rated PG-13 by the Classification and Rating Administration.

The film has been “Rated PG-13 for strong violent and disturbing content, drug content, strong language, and some suggestive material.”

Despite rumours that The Batman would be an R-rated superhero movie, this doesn’t come as a huge surprise. After all, Warner Bros. will want as many people as possible to be able to see the movie – especially during the box office drought of the ongoing pandemic.

The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as a younger version of Bruce Wayne, delving into the early days of Batman’s vigilante career, and will also act as a Catwoman origin story.

And while the recent trailer gives us a far grittier impression of the Dark Knight, it looks as though the struggling hero won’t be going as far as we thought in his pursuit of justice.

Still, there’s a lot that filmmakers can get away with in a PG-13 movie. After all, the darkest of Batman movies to date, The Dark Knight, was also given a PG-13 certificate. But those of us expecting Batman to get his hands a bit dirtier this time around might be disappointed. Especially after the R-rated Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, was received so well.

Robert Pattinson takes the leading role in The Batman alongside Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot, and Paul Dano as The Riddler.

The film is directed by Matt Reeves and is based on a screenplay by Reeves, and Peter Craig. Walter Hamada is listed as executive producer alongside Simon Emanuel, Chantal Nong, and Michael E. Uslan. Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark and Toby Hefferman are on board to produce.

The Batman is set to debut in theaters on March 4, 2022. For more, check out Jim Carrey in The Batman trailer (yes, it somehow works) and the streaming date for The Batman on HBO Max.

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

A new trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land has revealed a March release date, as well as support for co-op play.

The Kirby and the Forgotten Land release date is March 25, 2022, and it will celebrate 30 years of the Kirby series. The trailer also shows off co-op in action, as well as a variety of Kirby's copy abilities.

Showcased in the video is the new Drill and Ranger copy abilities. The Drill copy ability allows Kirby to submerge into the ground and attack enemies from below. The Ranger, meanwhile, is a long-range ability that allows you to attack faraway enemies.

Should you wish to go into the Forgotten Land with a buddy, a co-op partner can play as Bandana Waddle Dee. Nintendo notes that co-op is single system multiplayer only, and so must be played in 'couch co-op' rather than online.

The open-world design of Kirby and the Forgotten Land includes a central hub, known as Waddle Dee Town. As you rescue more Waddle Dees during your adventure, the town will develop more and more, with new shops opening up and the ability to play games with the townsfolk. As an example, you'll be able to help out in the Waddle Dee Café by preparing customer orders to keep them satisfied.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is available to pre-order now. For more, check out what to expect from Nintendo in 2022, and the five Switch games we're most excited for.

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