Marvel Comics hasn't published an ongoing Punisher comic since 2019, which might seem strange given the character's ongoing popularity. Thankfully, that's going to change in 2022. Marvel is currently prepping what may well be the most dramatic revamp of the Punisher franchise since the extremely divisive Franken-Castle.

The latest volume of Punisher is a 13-issue, prestige format limited series that will explore both Frank Castle's bloody past and a very surprising status quo shift in the present. The series also boasts quite the impressive creative team, including writer Jason Aaron (The Avengers, The Mighty Thor), artists Jesús Saiz (Star Wars) and Paul Azaceta (Outcast by Kirkman & Azaceta) and colorist Dave Stewart. Saiz and Azaceta will collaborate on each issue, with Saiz handling the present-day portions of the story and Azaceta the flashbacks.

The status quo change in question involves Frank Castle taking control of the ninja cult known as The Hand and becoming "The King of Killers," a servant of The Beast. Along with that new job comes a brand new costume and an even bigger arsenal of weapons.

Why Frank makes that choice is unclear, but it seems to tie back to previously unrevealed secrets about his past. And as Marvel teases, this change is merely a prelude for something even bigger on the horizon. With any luck, the new series may redefine the Punisher franchise as dramatically as House of X and Powers of X did for the X-Men line line in 2019.

“A few years ago, Jason Aaron came into one of our creative summits with a pitch for Frank that made our collective jaws drop,” said Marvel Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski in a press release. “The story Jason is telling – a truly epic tale about darkness, violence, and choices – can only be told with the Punisher at its core. This series will build on Frank’s legacy while introducing us to a side of him we’ve never seen before, setting the stage for an evolution that we’ll find was inevitable.”

“After writing the Punisher over the years, I’ve always been fascinated by the character of Frank Castle. What moments made him the Punisher, even before that fateful day in the park? And how far will he go to win the war that has consumed his life? Spoiler: as far as it damn well takes,” said Aaron. “This story is the destined next step in the dark and tragic evolution of Frank Castle, from troubled kid to heroic soldier to revenge-driven vigilante…to the duly anointed King of Killers. Believe me when I say, I am as excited about this story as anything I’ve ever written for Marvel.”

Fans of Aaron's work will probably remember he previously collaborated with the late Steve Dillon on PunisherMAX from 2010 to 2012. However, that series was set in Marvel's MAX universe, whereas this Punisher comic is firmly set within the traditional Marvel Universe.

Look for The Punisher #1 to hit stores in March 2022. For now, let us know in the comments what you think of this new direction for Frank Castle and where you hope to see the character end up in 2023.

Be sure to check out IGN's ten nominees for the best comic book series or original graphic novel of 2021 and find out which one took home the award.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Marvel Comics hasn't published an ongoing Punisher comic since 2019, which might seem strange given the character's ongoing popularity. Thankfully, that's going to change in 2022. Marvel is currently prepping what may well be the most dramatic revamp of the Punisher franchise since the extremely divisive Franken-Castle.

The latest volume of Punisher is a 13-issue, prestige format limited series that will explore both Frank Castle's bloody past and a very surprising status quo shift in the present. The series also boasts quite the impressive creative team, including writer Jason Aaron (The Avengers, The Mighty Thor), artists Jesús Saiz (Star Wars) and Paul Azaceta (Outcast by Kirkman & Azaceta) and colorist Dave Stewart. Saiz and Azaceta will collaborate on each issue, with Saiz handling the present-day portions of the story and Azaceta the flashbacks.

The status quo change in question involves Frank Castle taking control of the ninja cult known as The Hand and becoming "The King of Killers," a servant of The Beast. Along with that new job comes a brand new costume and an even bigger arsenal of weapons.

Why Frank makes that choice is unclear, but it seems to tie back to previously unrevealed secrets about his past. And as Marvel teases, this change is merely a prelude for something even bigger on the horizon. With any luck, the new series may redefine the Punisher franchise as dramatically as House of X and Powers of X did for the X-Men line line in 2019.

“A few years ago, Jason Aaron came into one of our creative summits with a pitch for Frank that made our collective jaws drop,” said Marvel Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski in a press release. “The story Jason is telling – a truly epic tale about darkness, violence, and choices – can only be told with the Punisher at its core. This series will build on Frank’s legacy while introducing us to a side of him we’ve never seen before, setting the stage for an evolution that we’ll find was inevitable.”

“After writing the Punisher over the years, I’ve always been fascinated by the character of Frank Castle. What moments made him the Punisher, even before that fateful day in the park? And how far will he go to win the war that has consumed his life? Spoiler: as far as it damn well takes,” said Aaron. “This story is the destined next step in the dark and tragic evolution of Frank Castle, from troubled kid to heroic soldier to revenge-driven vigilante…to the duly anointed King of Killers. Believe me when I say, I am as excited about this story as anything I’ve ever written for Marvel.”

Fans of Aaron's work will probably remember he previously collaborated with the late Steve Dillon on PunisherMAX from 2010 to 2012. However, that series was set in Marvel's MAX universe, whereas this Punisher comic is firmly set within the traditional Marvel Universe.

Look for The Punisher #1 to hit stores in March 2022. For now, let us know in the comments what you think of this new direction for Frank Castle and where you hope to see the character end up in 2023.

Be sure to check out IGN's ten nominees for the best comic book series or original graphic novel of 2021 and find out which one took home the award.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

The Witcher Season 3 is almost completely written, but the Netflix show is not going to be back in production anytime soon.

During an interview with TechRadar, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich revealed that The Witcher Season 3 is still in early development.

“Actually, this is our last week [December 3] in the writers’ room," she revealed. “We’re almost done with the scripting phase, and it’s amazing. I’m really thrilled with how the season is shaping up because it’s based on my favorite book in the saga, which is The Time of Contempt.”

Time of Contempt is the second novel in The Witcher saga by author Andrzej Sapkowski, focusing on the rising tension between the Northern Kingdoms and Nilfgaard as the two prepare for all-out war.

The Northern Kings are still conspiring with one another as they attempt to lure Nilfgaard into war. Meanwhile, Ciri is due to be enrolled at Aretuza in order to study magic, but soon comes into contact with some of the most powerful sorceresses on The Continent. With a brutal and bloody war looking inevitable, Ciri goes on the run with a group of bandits.

If you’re interested in the novels, we’ve worked out the perfect order to read them.

Don't expect the team to move straight into filming, though. Hissrich explained that the scripts have only just been written, and that the “creative process was only just starting”.

“I feel like Seasons 1 and 2 have been laying the playing field for everything huge that’s about to happen,” she added. “But the creative process is now really just starting. We have the scripts, and now we’ll bring directors on, the actors back in, and really start delving in deeper and reflecting back and making sure that it’s the perfect season.”

Season 2 of The Witcher is already going down well with fans, despite almost derailing Henry Cavill’s action career. But with a seven season plan, it looks as though Cavill and the rest of the cast are in it for the long haul.

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

The Witcher Season 3 is almost completely written, but the Netflix show is not going to be back in production anytime soon.

During an interview with TechRadar, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich revealed that The Witcher Season 3 is still in early development.

“Actually, this is our last week [December 3] in the writers’ room," she revealed. “We’re almost done with the scripting phase, and it’s amazing. I’m really thrilled with how the season is shaping up because it’s based on my favorite book in the saga, which is The Time of Contempt.”

Time of Contempt is the second novel in The Witcher saga by author Andrzej Sapkowski, focusing on the rising tension between the Northern Kingdoms and Nilfgaard as the two prepare for all-out war.

The Northern Kings are still conspiring with one another as they attempt to lure Nilfgaard into war. Meanwhile, Ciri is due to be enrolled at Aretuza in order to study magic, but soon comes into contact with some of the most powerful sorceresses on The Continent. With a brutal and bloody war looking inevitable, Ciri goes on the run with a group of bandits.

If you’re interested in the novels, we’ve worked out the perfect order to read them.

Don't expect the team to move straight into filming, though. Hissrich explained that the scripts have only just been written, and that the “creative process was only just starting”.

“I feel like Seasons 1 and 2 have been laying the playing field for everything huge that’s about to happen,” she added. “But the creative process is now really just starting. We have the scripts, and now we’ll bring directors on, the actors back in, and really start delving in deeper and reflecting back and making sure that it’s the perfect season.”

Season 2 of The Witcher is already going down well with fans, despite almost derailing Henry Cavill’s action career. But with a seven season plan, it looks as though Cavill and the rest of the cast are in it for the long haul.

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

Spider-Man: No Way Home producer Amy Pascal has admitted that she didn't initially like the suggestion of having Peter Parker join the MCU, and even "threw a sandwich" at Marvel's Kevin Feige over the idea.

During an interview with The New York Times, the Spider-Man: No Way Home producer revealed that she had called Feige for help after The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but ended up lobbing a sandwich at the Marvel boss after he suggested the best solution was to introduce Spidey to his MCU.

“I called Kevin and said, ‘Help.’ And then he came over to my office for lunch and said, ‘I know how to help you.’ And then I threw a sandwich at him.”

“She said ‘I really want you to help on this next movie. We have these great ideas for the next one. It’s amazing stuff’,” added Feige. “And I said, ‘I’m not good at that — giving advice and leaving. The only way I know how to help is if we just make the movie for you’.”

Understandably, Pascal wasn’t so keen on that idea, and threw a sandwich at him in protest. “It was a pretty low-key sandwich,” said Feige. “I don’t remember what kind. But, yes, she did not like that suggestion.”

After the critical hammering The Amazing Spider-Man 2 suffered, it’s no surprise that Sony turned to Marvel for help. At the time, it felt as though Sony didn’t know what to do with its webslinger. Thankfully, Marvel had the answer - and Pascal came round to idea when Feige gave her a more plot-filled pitch involving Iron Man.

“Kevin called me and came over to the house and said, ‘I have an idea. What if Tony Stark makes Peter’s suit?’” said Pascal.

“As soon as he said that, I understood the possibilities of what we could do together,” she added. “To have Iron Man and Spidey in the same world, one rooted more in technological innovation — the new suit — and less in medical experimentation, which is where we were confined before, felt so much more modern.”

The end result was an appearance in Captain America: Civil War, followed by Spider-Man Homecoming, which itself set the stage for a new Spider-Man trilogy, including Far From Home and the recently-released No Way Home. “It has taken a lot of work,” she added. “But just look at the results. Pretty fantastic, right?”

In the same interview, Feige and Pascal revealed that a fourth Tom Holland Spider-Man movie may already be in development.

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

Spider-Man: No Way Home producer Amy Pascal has admitted that she didn't initially like the suggestion of having Peter Parker join the MCU, and even "threw a sandwich" at Marvel's Kevin Feige over the idea.

During an interview with The New York Times, the Spider-Man: No Way Home producer revealed that she had called Feige for help after The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but ended up lobbing a sandwich at the Marvel boss after he suggested the best solution was to introduce Spidey to his MCU.

“I called Kevin and said, ‘Help.’ And then he came over to my office for lunch and said, ‘I know how to help you.’ And then I threw a sandwich at him.”

“She said ‘I really want you to help on this next movie. We have these great ideas for the next one. It’s amazing stuff’,” added Feige. “And I said, ‘I’m not good at that — giving advice and leaving. The only way I know how to help is if we just make the movie for you’.”

Understandably, Pascal wasn’t so keen on that idea, and threw a sandwich at him in protest. “It was a pretty low-key sandwich,” said Feige. “I don’t remember what kind. But, yes, she did not like that suggestion.”

After the critical hammering The Amazing Spider-Man 2 suffered, it’s no surprise that Sony turned to Marvel for help. At the time, it felt as though Sony didn’t know what to do with its webslinger. Thankfully, Marvel had the answer - and Pascal came round to idea when Feige gave her a more plot-filled pitch involving Iron Man.

“Kevin called me and came over to the house and said, ‘I have an idea. What if Tony Stark makes Peter’s suit?’” said Pascal.

“As soon as he said that, I understood the possibilities of what we could do together,” she added. “To have Iron Man and Spidey in the same world, one rooted more in technological innovation — the new suit — and less in medical experimentation, which is where we were confined before, felt so much more modern.”

The end result was an appearance in Captain America: Civil War, followed by Spider-Man Homecoming, which itself set the stage for a new Spider-Man trilogy, including Far From Home and the recently-released No Way Home. “It has taken a lot of work,” she added. “But just look at the results. Pretty fantastic, right?”

In the same interview, Feige and Pascal revealed that a fourth Tom Holland Spider-Man movie may already be in development.

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

Nintendo says it's expecting to see server issues over the Christmas weekend, particularly with regard to creating Nintendo Accounts.

In a tweet on its Japanese customer service account, the company (per Google Translate) wrote:

"This weekend, access will be concentrated on the server of #Nintendo Account, and it is expected that Nintendo Account will not be created immediately. If you are planning to use the Nintendo Switch family for the first time, we recommend that you create it in advance."

Currently, Nintendo is only addressing possible issues with account creation, and advising those buying Switches for the first time to create Nintendo Accounts ahead of the weekend, when many will be opening up Switches on Christmas Day.

It's worth pointing out that server overloads seemingly caused more serious issues last year, with the entire Nintendo eShop going down on Christmas Day, meaning games couldn't be purchased or downloaded.

While Nintendo isn't specifcially pointing to a repeat of that problem this year, it may be worth bearing that in mind. If you've bought a Switch for someone else this Christmas, it might be worth creating an account and downloading games in advance, just in case.

We've contacted Nintendo for comment on the tweet, and will update with any statement.

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.

Nintendo says it's expecting to see server issues over the Christmas weekend, particularly with regard to creating Nintendo Accounts.

In a tweet on its Japanese customer service account, the company (per Google Translate) wrote:

"This weekend, access will be concentrated on the server of #Nintendo Account, and it is expected that Nintendo Account will not be created immediately. If you are planning to use the Nintendo Switch family for the first time, we recommend that you create it in advance."

Currently, Nintendo is only addressing possible issues with account creation, and advising those buying Switches for the first time to create Nintendo Accounts ahead of the weekend, when many will be opening up Switches on Christmas Day.

It's worth pointing out that server overloads seemingly caused more serious issues last year, with the entire Nintendo eShop going down on Christmas Day, meaning games couldn't be purchased or downloaded.

While Nintendo isn't specifcially pointing to a repeat of that problem this year, it may be worth bearing that in mind. If you've bought a Switch for someone else this Christmas, it might be worth creating an account and downloading games in advance, just in case.

We've contacted Nintendo for comment on the tweet, and will update with any statement.

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.

Supergiant Games' Hades has made history as it has officially become the first video game to win a Hugo Award.

The Hugo Awards were first presented in 1953 and honor the best works in science fiction and fantasy. Up until 2021, video games and their stories have not been under consideration, but that has now changed.

While this is exciting, it's important to note that the "Best Video Game" category was a special category added only for 2021. However, the committee of WSFS Business Meeting has "been studying the possibility of adding such a category for several years now." Despite it being a special category, Hades' win is still treated the same as those in permanent categories.

To win the prestigious award, Hades had to best Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Spiritfarer, Final Fantasy VII Remake, The Last of Us: Part II, and Blaseball.

Supergiant Games' writer and creative director Greg Kasavin took to Twitter to share some words on behalf of the whole team, saying what an honor it is to win video games' first Hugo Award.

Wish I could have attended the #HugoAwards in person. I wasn't able to make an acceptance speech there on behalf of the team though did have a few words here. I'm grateful that the awards are recognizing work in this category, much less the work we did! pic.twitter.com/S9bfSp1i8H

— Greg Kasavin (@kasavin) December 19, 2021

"We are incredibly honored to be the first-ever recipient of a Hugo award in the category of best video game," Kasavin said "We, myself included, grew up experiencing these classic works of science fiction and fantasy, from Ursula K. Le Guin to Philip K. Dick, what have you. That’s when we first came across the Hugo Awards name, of course, as kids.

"To have earned this distinction all this time later, especially alongside such an incredible slate of nominees, games of all shapes and sizes, from teams big and small, it really means the world. Video game storytelling has come a long way over the years, and games are really unique as a medium in that they’re interactive and you can really inhabit one of these fantastical worlds and see as it reacts to your every move.

"At Supergiant, we’ve tried to marry the traditions of fantasy and science fiction and literature with that unique interactive component and create these worlds that feel as though they are alive as you navigate through them. We’re so grateful that our work on Hades has stood out in that way and we hope that the Hugo Awards continue to recognize the amazing work being done in this space."

In closing, Kasavin thanked the rest of his team and their families alongside thanking the “Greek gods themselves, above and below, for inspiring people like us for several thousands of years now, and may they long continue to do so.”

A Hugo Award is just another trophy to add to the case for Hades, as it has also taken home the honor of winning IGN's Game of the Year 2020, nine awards at the inaugural Global Game Industry Awards, and best game at the GDC Choice Awards 2021, BAFTA Games Awards 2021, SXSW Gaming Awards 2021, Gayming Awards 2021, D.I.C.E. Awards 2021, and more.

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.

Supergiant Games' Hades has made history as it has officially become the first video game to win a Hugo Award.

The Hugo Awards were first presented in 1953 and honor the best works in science fiction and fantasy. Up until 2021, video games and their stories have not been under consideration, but that has now changed.

While this is exciting, it's important to note that the "Best Video Game" category was a special category added only for 2021. However, the committee of WSFS Business Meeting has "been studying the possibility of adding such a category for several years now." Despite it being a special category, Hades' win is still treated the same as those in permanent categories.

To win the prestigious award, Hades had to best Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Spiritfarer, Final Fantasy VII Remake, The Last of Us: Part II, and Blaseball.

Supergiant Games' writer and creative director Greg Kasavin took to Twitter to share some words on behalf of the whole team, saying what an honor it is to win video games' first Hugo Award.

Wish I could have attended the #HugoAwards in person. I wasn't able to make an acceptance speech there on behalf of the team though did have a few words here. I'm grateful that the awards are recognizing work in this category, much less the work we did! pic.twitter.com/S9bfSp1i8H

— Greg Kasavin (@kasavin) December 19, 2021

"We are incredibly honored to be the first-ever recipient of a Hugo award in the category of best video game," Kasavin said "We, myself included, grew up experiencing these classic works of science fiction and fantasy, from Ursula K. Le Guin to Philip K. Dick, what have you. That’s when we first came across the Hugo Awards name, of course, as kids.

"To have earned this distinction all this time later, especially alongside such an incredible slate of nominees, games of all shapes and sizes, from teams big and small, it really means the world. Video game storytelling has come a long way over the years, and games are really unique as a medium in that they’re interactive and you can really inhabit one of these fantastical worlds and see as it reacts to your every move.

"At Supergiant, we’ve tried to marry the traditions of fantasy and science fiction and literature with that unique interactive component and create these worlds that feel as though they are alive as you navigate through them. We’re so grateful that our work on Hades has stood out in that way and we hope that the Hugo Awards continue to recognize the amazing work being done in this space."

In closing, Kasavin thanked the rest of his team and their families alongside thanking the “Greek gods themselves, above and below, for inspiring people like us for several thousands of years now, and may they long continue to do so.”

A Hugo Award is just another trophy to add to the case for Hades, as it has also taken home the honor of winning IGN's Game of the Year 2020, nine awards at the inaugural Global Game Industry Awards, and best game at the GDC Choice Awards 2021, BAFTA Games Awards 2021, SXSW Gaming Awards 2021, Gayming Awards 2021, D.I.C.E. Awards 2021, and more.

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.