The Next South Park Game Has Got a Very Interesting Choice of Developer
Question Games – which was founded in part by ex-BioShock developers who went on to create The Magic Circle and The Blackout Club – is working on a new South Park game.
As spotted by Eurogamer, Question has posted a job advert for a lead level designer to help make "a new video game set in the world of South Park." It's not clear if this is to assist on the South Park game previously announced to be in development at South Park Studios, or is a separate game entirely. We've contacted South Park Studios and Question for comment.
Question is an interesting match for the long-running comedy show – aside from its developers' history on beloved games including Thief, BioShock, and the most recent South Park RPGs, the studio's own Magic Circle was a satirical look inside the game development process. Given The Stick of Truth and The Fractured But Whole's own metatextual approach to gaming genres and comedy, it makes for a potentially very nice fit.
Question's own vision is to "draw on a long history of games with strong central narratives & diverse player-enabling systems with the goal of attempting to create new experiences in the same vein, but on a smaller scale."
The level designer role itself doesn't give too much about the game away, although there is mention of development using Unreal Engine, and multiplayer development experience is a requirement of the role. As you might expect, the game appears to be in development for PC and consoles.
South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker recently signed an enormous South Park deal that comprises 14 movies, multiple TV seasons, and a new game. Under the terms of that deal, the show will run until at least 2027, which will mark its 30th anniversary.
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
The Next South Park Game Has Got a Very Interesting Choice of Developer
Question Games – which was founded in part by ex-BioShock developers who went on to create The Magic Circle and The Blackout Club – is working on a new South Park game.
As spotted by Eurogamer, Question has posted a job advert for a lead level designer to help make "a new video game set in the world of South Park." It's not clear if this is to assist on the South Park game previously announced to be in development at South Park Studios, or is a separate game entirely. We've contacted South Park Studios and Question for comment.
Question is an interesting match for the long-running comedy show – aside from its developers' history on beloved games including Thief, BioShock, and the most recent South Park RPGs, the studio's own Magic Circle was a satirical look inside the game development process. Given The Stick of Truth and The Fractured But Whole's own metatextual approach to gaming genres and comedy, it makes for a potentially very nice fit.
Question's own vision is to "draw on a long history of games with strong central narratives & diverse player-enabling systems with the goal of attempting to create new experiences in the same vein, but on a smaller scale."
The level designer role itself doesn't give too much about the game away, although there is mention of development using Unreal Engine, and multiplayer development experience is a requirement of the role. As you might expect, the game appears to be in development for PC and consoles.
South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker recently signed an enormous South Park deal that comprises 14 movies, multiple TV seasons, and a new game. Under the terms of that deal, the show will run until at least 2027, which will mark its 30th anniversary.
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Battlefield 2042 Subreddit Could Be Locked for Toxicity
The moderation team behind Battlefield 2042's subreddit has warned fans that they will not hesitate to shut down the space for a period of time if the level of toxicity on the feed continues to mount. The announcement comes only a month after the r/Halo subreddit declared its own temporary lockdown following similar toxic behaviour from some members of its community.
As reported by PC Gamer, the warning from the r/Battlefield2042 moderation team seemingly comes after a wealth of angry responses were aimed in backlash to now-deleted tweets posted on Twitter by EA Global Comms Director Andy McNamara.
McNamara's tweets appear to have been made in response to the Battlefield community after it criticized DICE for a lack of communication and further improvements to the game throughout the latter part of December - during a period of vacation for a number of staff at the studio.
"Back to work today, check Reddit & Twitter and Battlefield fans are pissed we didn't do enough updates or communication over the holiday break," said McNamara. "Guys, people gotta rest. We have things in motion but we have to figure out what is possible [...] Let us get back from break and get back to work. Love you guys but these expectations are brutal. The things you want take time to scope, design, and execute."
Following McNamara's comments, the thread was posted on the Battlefield 2042 subreddit where anger toward the studio and its employees seemingly accelerated into insults from some parties. This then prompted the moderation team behind the subreddit to get involved, issuing a first warning to those about their actions in the forum.
McNamara has since removed his original tweets from Twitter, instead opting to apologise to fans for not making his message clear enough. This caused a renewed round of angry responses from some.
"The message was clear on launch," writes one fan. "Stop looking for sympathy and start providing solutions. Your idea of we need to work some of those things out shouldn't be hard being half of it was in former games. Keep my $100. Sure it's money lost. But it's $100 knowing to never touch BF again."
Friction between DICE and members of the Battlefield community has been on the rise since the launch of Battlefield 2042. Following a turbulent release riddled with bugs and glitches, as well as a number of overall changes to gameplay within the series, fans of the franchise have been largely critical of the game.
In November, this was reflected in the title's Steam review score, which was inundated with negative reviews, and pushed it onto Steam 250's infamous Hall of Shame. Since then further tensions have grown between DICE and its community over perceived missing features and other factors such as a leaked Santa Claus-themed holiday skin.
While DICE has worked to improve the overall experience for players within Battlefield 2042, there has been genuine criticism and constructive feedback, but a rise in toxic behaviour from the game's fanbase has also been noted.
With tensions continuing to mount between community members and those at the studio, and toxicity continuing in community responses, this week the moderation team for Battlefield's subreddit issued its members a clear-cut ultimatum: ditch the insults, or else the forum could be placed into lockdown. A full statement from the team can be seen below.
The response from the moderation team resembles a similar tone made in a statement by the team behind the r/Halo subreddit last month, which issued a temporary lockdown after the team declared that "toxicity had reached a breaking point and was increasing exponentially." After explaining that behaviour on the sub had "made it impossible for people to have civil discussions", the Halo subreddit closed for a weekend in an attempt to allow tempers to dissipate and people to take a break.
While it's not yet clear whether the Battlefield 2042 subreddit will need to take similar action, here's to hoping that those involved in posting insults and targeted messages of harassment can heed the warning before it's too late.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Battlefield 2042 Subreddit Could Be Locked for Toxicity
The moderation team behind Battlefield 2042's subreddit has warned fans that they will not hesitate to shut down the space for a period of time if the level of toxicity on the feed continues to mount. The announcement comes only a month after the r/Halo subreddit declared its own temporary lockdown following similar toxic behaviour from some members of its community.
As reported by PC Gamer, the warning from the r/Battlefield2042 moderation team seemingly comes after a wealth of angry responses were aimed in backlash to now-deleted tweets posted on Twitter by EA Global Comms Director Andy McNamara.
McNamara's tweets appear to have been made in response to the Battlefield community after it criticized DICE for a lack of communication and further improvements to the game throughout the latter part of December - during a period of vacation for a number of staff at the studio.
"Back to work today, check Reddit & Twitter and Battlefield fans are pissed we didn't do enough updates or communication over the holiday break," said McNamara. "Guys, people gotta rest. We have things in motion but we have to figure out what is possible [...] Let us get back from break and get back to work. Love you guys but these expectations are brutal. The things you want take time to scope, design, and execute."
Following McNamara's comments, the thread was posted on the Battlefield 2042 subreddit where anger toward the studio and its employees seemingly accelerated into insults from some parties. This then prompted the moderation team behind the subreddit to get involved, issuing a first warning to those about their actions in the forum.
McNamara has since removed his original tweets from Twitter, instead opting to apologise to fans for not making his message clear enough. This caused a renewed round of angry responses from some.
"The message was clear on launch," writes one fan. "Stop looking for sympathy and start providing solutions. Your idea of we need to work some of those things out shouldn't be hard being half of it was in former games. Keep my $100. Sure it's money lost. But it's $100 knowing to never touch BF again."
Friction between DICE and members of the Battlefield community has been on the rise since the launch of Battlefield 2042. Following a turbulent release riddled with bugs and glitches, as well as a number of overall changes to gameplay within the series, fans of the franchise have been largely critical of the game.
In November, this was reflected in the title's Steam review score, which was inundated with negative reviews, and pushed it onto Steam 250's infamous Hall of Shame. Since then further tensions have grown between DICE and its community over perceived missing features and other factors such as a leaked Santa Claus-themed holiday skin.
While DICE has worked to improve the overall experience for players within Battlefield 2042, there has been genuine criticism and constructive feedback, but a rise in toxic behaviour from the game's fanbase has also been noted.
With tensions continuing to mount between community members and those at the studio, and toxicity continuing in community responses, this week the moderation team for Battlefield's subreddit issued its members a clear-cut ultimatum: ditch the insults, or else the forum could be placed into lockdown. A full statement from the team can be seen below.
The response from the moderation team resembles a similar tone made in a statement by the team behind the r/Halo subreddit last month, which issued a temporary lockdown after the team declared that "toxicity had reached a breaking point and was increasing exponentially." After explaining that behaviour on the sub had "made it impossible for people to have civil discussions", the Halo subreddit closed for a weekend in an attempt to allow tempers to dissipate and people to take a break.
While it's not yet clear whether the Battlefield 2042 subreddit will need to take similar action, here's to hoping that those involved in posting insults and targeted messages of harassment can heed the warning before it's too late.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
IGN UK Podcast #626: The Top 15 Things We Played and Watched Over Christmas
Cardy, Joe, and Dale are here to run through the five best things they each did over the Christmas break. We've got superheroes, detectives, murders, and metaverses among many other topics. The Endless Search also makes its glorious return as well as a borderline heated debate about what the best British crisp is.
Want to get in touch? Why not let us know what the best Christmas present you received this year was. Feel free to sling us an email at ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.
IGN UK Podcast #626: The 15 Best Things We Played and Watched Over Christmas
IGN UK Podcast #626: The Top 15 Things We Played and Watched Over Christmas
Cardy, Joe, and Dale are here to run through the five best things they each did over the Christmas break. We've got superheroes, detectives, murders, and metaverses among many other topics. The Endless Search also makes its glorious return as well as a borderline heated debate about what the best British crisp is.
Want to get in touch? Why not let us know what the best Christmas present you received this year was. Feel free to sling us an email at ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.
IGN UK Podcast #626: The 15 Best Things We Played and Watched Over Christmas
Ben Affleck Confirms That The Flash Will Mark His Final Appearance as Batman
Justice League star Ben Affleck has confirmed that his appearance in The Flash will mark his final outing as DC’s Batman, and that it includes his favourite scenes playing the character.
During an interview with the Herald Sun, the 49-year-old Batman revealed that he won’t be playing the iconic superhero role for much longer.
Following a “very, very, very hard experience” filming Justice League with Joss Whedon, Affleck admits that the pressures of the role led to a relapse in drinking, which then led to him pulling out of his planned Batman solo movie. However, he also stated that doing reshoots for Zack Snyder’s Justice League as well as filming scenes for The Flash “put a really nice finish on my experience with that character”.
Ben Affleck has long been expected to appear as Batman in The Flash – the upcoming DC superhero movie expected to adapt the Flashpoint comic book series. It appears that making that final appearance was a lot of fun:
“I have never said this – this is hot off the presses – but maybe my favourite scenes in terms of Batman and the interpretation of Batman that I have done, were in the Flash movie,” he revealed. “I hope they maintain the integrity of what we did because I thought it was great and really interesting – different, but not in a way that is incongruent with the character.”
Of course, with production still ongoing, Affleck isn’t sure whether his favoured scenes will make the final movie, or what form they'll take. Nevertheless, he’s more than happy with his contribution.
“Who knows?” he added. “Maybe they will decide that it doesn’t work, but when I went and did it, it was really fun and really, really satisfying and encouraging and I thought, ‘Wow – I think I have finally figured it out’.”
The Flash will see Ezra Miller reprise his Justice League role as Barry Allen/The Flash, with Kiersey Clemons returning as Iris West. Sasha Calle will star as Supergirl, alongside both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton, playing their own versions of Batman. Michael Shannon and Antje Traue are also expected to reprise their Man of Steel roles as General Zod and Faora.
The Flash will debut in theaters on November 4, 2022.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Ben Affleck Confirms That The Flash Will Mark His Final Appearance as Batman
Justice League star Ben Affleck has confirmed that his appearance in The Flash will mark his final outing as DC’s Batman, and that it includes his favourite scenes playing the character.
During an interview with the Herald Sun, the 49-year-old Batman revealed that he won’t be playing the iconic superhero role for much longer.
Following a “very, very, very hard experience” filming Justice League with Joss Whedon, Affleck admits that the pressures of the role led to a relapse in drinking, which then led to him pulling out of his planned Batman solo movie. However, he also stated that doing reshoots for Zack Snyder’s Justice League as well as filming scenes for The Flash “put a really nice finish on my experience with that character”.
Ben Affleck has long been expected to appear as Batman in The Flash – the upcoming DC superhero movie expected to adapt the Flashpoint comic book series. It appears that making that final appearance was a lot of fun:
“I have never said this – this is hot off the presses – but maybe my favourite scenes in terms of Batman and the interpretation of Batman that I have done, were in the Flash movie,” he revealed. “I hope they maintain the integrity of what we did because I thought it was great and really interesting – different, but not in a way that is incongruent with the character.”
Of course, with production still ongoing, Affleck isn’t sure whether his favoured scenes will make the final movie, or what form they'll take. Nevertheless, he’s more than happy with his contribution.
“Who knows?” he added. “Maybe they will decide that it doesn’t work, but when I went and did it, it was really fun and really, really satisfying and encouraging and I thought, ‘Wow – I think I have finally figured it out’.”
The Flash will see Ezra Miller reprise his Justice League role as Barry Allen/The Flash, with Kiersey Clemons returning as Iris West. Sasha Calle will star as Supergirl, alongside both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton, playing their own versions of Batman. Michael Shannon and Antje Traue are also expected to reprise their Man of Steel roles as General Zod and Faora.
The Flash will debut in theaters on November 4, 2022.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Andrew Garfield Would Return to Play Spider-Man Again ‘If It Felt Right’
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home!
After appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it looks as though Andrew Garfield would return to the role of Spider-Man once more, but only "if it felt right".
During an interview with Variety, the 38-year-old former Spider-Man revealed that he would consider returning to the iconic Marvel role under the right circumstances.
“I mean, yes, definitely open to something if it felt right,” he said. “Peter and Spider-Man, those characters are all about service, to the greater good and the many. He’s a working-class boy from Queens that knows struggle and loss and is deeply empathetic. I would try to borrow Peter Parker’s ethical framework in that, if there was an opportunity to step back in and tell more of that story, I would have to feel very sure and certain in myself.”
Andrew Garfield first suited up as our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man back in 2012, with his most recent stint as a cameo appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Now, after finally getting what they wanted in No Way Home, fans want to see even more of his webslinger back on the big screen.
Recently, the hashtag #MakeTASM3 (as in, 'Make The Amazing Spider-Man 3') began trending on Twitter, with fans eager to see Garfield finish off his own Spider-Man trilogy. But with the multi-dimensional crossover in No Way Home originally planned as a post-credit scene, would Marvel be interested in putting resources into a franchise that has long been killed off? Of course, Sony has its own, somewhat separate universe of Spider-Man villains, so there's always a chance of a Garfield Spidey appearing there.
Whether he returns again or not, Garfield seems thrilled that he was able to return to play the character at all in the era of the MCU.
"I am so grateful," he told Variety. "I’m just really, really grateful that I got to tie up some loose ends for the Peter that I was playing. I love that character and I’m grateful that I got to work with these incredible actors, this incredible director, and Marvel in conjunction with Sony. It was joyful, and a feeling of closure for me. There was so many unanswered questions for my Peter, where we left it. I got to step back in and get some healing for him. And also really supporting [Holland’s] Peter, and honoring his character completing that trilogy, not distracting or detracting from it."
It’s no secret that Spider-Man: No Way Home is now Sony’s highest-grossing film of all time, having scored a massive $257 million opening weekend. It’s these kinds of numbers that may well convince Marvel and Sony that additional Spider-Man movies have legs. Whether or not that means Andrew Garfield will return, however, remains to be seen.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Andrew Garfield Would Return to Play Spider-Man Again ‘If It Felt Right’
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home!
After appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it looks as though Andrew Garfield would return to the role of Spider-Man once more, but only "if it felt right".
During an interview with Variety, the 38-year-old former Spider-Man revealed that he would consider returning to the iconic Marvel role under the right circumstances.
“I mean, yes, definitely open to something if it felt right,” he said. “Peter and Spider-Man, those characters are all about service, to the greater good and the many. He’s a working-class boy from Queens that knows struggle and loss and is deeply empathetic. I would try to borrow Peter Parker’s ethical framework in that, if there was an opportunity to step back in and tell more of that story, I would have to feel very sure and certain in myself.”
Andrew Garfield first suited up as our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man back in 2012, with his most recent stint as a cameo appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Now, after finally getting what they wanted in No Way Home, fans want to see even more of his webslinger back on the big screen.
Recently, the hashtag #MakeTASM3 (as in, 'Make The Amazing Spider-Man 3') began trending on Twitter, with fans eager to see Garfield finish off his own Spider-Man trilogy. But with the multi-dimensional crossover in No Way Home originally planned as a post-credit scene, would Marvel be interested in putting resources into a franchise that has long been killed off? Of course, Sony has its own, somewhat separate universe of Spider-Man villains, so there's always a chance of a Garfield Spidey appearing there.
Whether he returns again or not, Garfield seems thrilled that he was able to return to play the character at all in the era of the MCU.
"I am so grateful," he told Variety. "I’m just really, really grateful that I got to tie up some loose ends for the Peter that I was playing. I love that character and I’m grateful that I got to work with these incredible actors, this incredible director, and Marvel in conjunction with Sony. It was joyful, and a feeling of closure for me. There was so many unanswered questions for my Peter, where we left it. I got to step back in and get some healing for him. And also really supporting [Holland’s] Peter, and honoring his character completing that trilogy, not distracting or detracting from it."
It’s no secret that Spider-Man: No Way Home is now Sony’s highest-grossing film of all time, having scored a massive $257 million opening weekend. It’s these kinds of numbers that may well convince Marvel and Sony that additional Spider-Man movies have legs. Whether or not that means Andrew Garfield will return, however, remains to be seen.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.