2023 is going to be a huge year for the Star Wars franchise, between the return of The Mandalorian, the debut of Star Wars: Ahsoka and the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi. Marvel Comics is cooking up some big plans for next year, and readers will get their first taste of what's to come in Star Wars: Revelations #1.

Revelations is a new standalone special written by Arrow's Marc Guggenheim and illustrated by Salvador Larroca, Pere Pérez, Emma Kubert, Justin Mason and Paul Fry. This issue aims to reveal future storylines for every ongoing Star Wars comic set in the post-Empire Strikes Back era, including Star Wars, Star Wars: Darth Vader, Star Wars: Bounty Hunters and Star Wars: Doctor Aphra. This issue will also help set the stage for the Hidden Empire crossover, which serves as the final part of the trilogy that began with 2021's War of the Bounty Hunters and the reveal that Han Solo's ex-girlfriend Qi'ra is now the leader of the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate. That story continued in the follow-up series Star Wars: Crimson Reign.

Star Wars: Revelations is dealing with a fairly controversial plot device in Star Wars circles - time travel. This story is framed from Darth Vader's point of view, as the Dark Lord of the Sith communes with the Eye of Webbish Bog on Mustafar and is given a shocking glimpse of the future. We wouldn't be surprised if Revelations draws parallels to Anakin Skywalker's earlier prophetic vision in Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Mortis Trilogy, or if that vision winds up playing a part in his turn back to the light during Return of the Jedi.

“Now, we all know that the Force can be used to glimpse the present, the past, and possible futures,” Guggenheim told StarWars.com. “Well, The Eye is going to show Vader all of the above, including moments that will be coming into play in 2023 all across the Star Wars line. It’s our clever way of giving readers a preview of what everyone has up their sleeves for next year, but this isn’t a 40-page movie trailer. It’s a real Star Wars story with Vader at the center.”

One of the big developments in this issue involves the introduction of a new villain named Ajax Sigma, a droid so deadly even Vader and Emperor Palpatine may have reason to be wary. Revelations will also shed more light on Qi'ra's ultimate plan of overthrowing Palpatine and destroying the Sith. Her old boss would be proud...

Star Wars: Revelations #1 will be released on November 23, 2022.

In other Star Wars in 2023 news, Hasbro is marking the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi by rereleasing six classic Kenner figures as part of the Star Wars Retro Collection.

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

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured a stunning view of the Pillars of Creation - an iconic stellar nursery in which new generations of stars are being created.

Located roughly 7,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Serpens, the Pillars of Creation form part of the vast Eagle Nebula. Spanning an impressive 4 - 5 light-years in diameter, the four distinct columns that make up the scene represent regions of active star formation.

In 1995 and 2014, the Hubble Space Telescope imaged the pillars in stunning detail in the visible part of the light spectrum. However, whilst these hauntingly beautiful shots are still magnificent in their own right, they pale in comparison to the new vista captured by the keen eyes of the JWST.

Webb’s new image was captured in the near-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum - a wavelength that is ordinarily invisible to the human eye - using the telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam).

One of the bonuses of capturing astrophotography at this wavelength is that infrared light is able to pass through the dense clouds of interstellar dust that cloak the nebula more easily than light travelling in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

In other words, by looking out specifically for near-infrared light, Webb is able to peer beneath the dusty veil that characterises the earlier Hubble images of the Pillars of Creation.

The sharp infrared view of the JWST reveals new detail in the cool dusty structure of the pillars. Wave-like patterns can be seen punctuating the columns where the outpouring of radiation from energetic young stars is at work shaping the surrounding matter. Hydrogen molecules that form in the chaotic environment can be seen glowing red.

Surrounding the pillars is a dazzling population of young, bright red stars, that shine against the ghostly blue backdrop of the interstellar medium.

Moving forward, astronomers will use observations from the Webb telescope to better define their star formation models and narrow down their understanding of the amount of material that remains in the nebula region from which new stellar bodies can be born.

Head over to IGN’s science page to catch up with more science news, and to see how a dedicated gamer recreated the Pillars of Creation and a range of other cosmic wonders in Minecraft.

Anthony Wood is a freelance science writer for IGN

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured a stunning view of the Pillars of Creation - an iconic stellar nursery in which new generations of stars are being created.

Located roughly 7,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Serpens, the Pillars of Creation form part of the vast Eagle Nebula. Spanning an impressive 4 - 5 light-years in diameter, the four distinct columns that make up the scene represent regions of active star formation.

In 1995 and 2014, the Hubble Space Telescope imaged the pillars in stunning detail in the visible part of the light spectrum. However, whilst these hauntingly beautiful shots are still magnificent in their own right, they pale in comparison to the new vista captured by the keen eyes of the JWST.

Webb’s new image was captured in the near-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum - a wavelength that is ordinarily invisible to the human eye - using the telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam).

One of the bonuses of capturing astrophotography at this wavelength is that infrared light is able to pass through the dense clouds of interstellar dust that cloak the nebula more easily than light travelling in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

In other words, by looking out specifically for near-infrared light, Webb is able to peer beneath the dusty veil that characterises the earlier Hubble images of the Pillars of Creation.

The sharp infrared view of the JWST reveals new detail in the cool dusty structure of the pillars. Wave-like patterns can be seen punctuating the columns where the outpouring of radiation from energetic young stars is at work shaping the surrounding matter. Hydrogen molecules that form in the chaotic environment can be seen glowing red.

Surrounding the pillars is a dazzling population of young, bright red stars, that shine against the ghostly blue backdrop of the interstellar medium.

Moving forward, astronomers will use observations from the Webb telescope to better define their star formation models and narrow down their understanding of the amount of material that remains in the nebula region from which new stellar bodies can be born.

Head over to IGN’s science page to catch up with more science news, and to see how a dedicated gamer recreated the Pillars of Creation and a range of other cosmic wonders in Minecraft.

Anthony Wood is a freelance science writer for IGN

Hey there, IGN Plus members!

We are dropping multiple game giveaways this month. For our next drop Tiny Troopers: Global Ops Game Designer Mattew Corrin jumped in to break down the history of the development into the game.

(IGN Plus Note: If you are an IGN Plus member you can grab a game key for Tiny Troopers: Global Ops here. Not a subscriber? Learn more and sign up by visiting our IGN Plus page)

A Quick history of Tiny Troopers By: Epiphany Games Designer, Mattew Corrin:

Originally, the Tiny Troopers franchise began as a mobile game, with the first
release on June 7th, 2012. As the brainchild of the multi-award winning Finish mobile studio, Kukouri Mobile Entertainment, both the top down squad based multidirectional shooter ‘Tiny
Troopers’ and ‘Tiny Troopers 2’ were immediate successes on Mobile, and later
on PC - managing to simultaneously provide bite sized arcade shooter action and
scratch that Cannon Fodder nostalgia itch for those of us old enough to get
misty eyed over names like Jools, Jobs and Stoo.

In 2014, Epiphany Games (that’s us!) joined the fray. Here,
we brought the updated version of the original two Tiny Troopers games combined
to the Xbox One platform which we now know as ‘Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops’, as
well as adding new content to the game known as the ‘Zombie Campaign DLC’.

Going Global
We felt that the gameplay of Tiny Troopers would be a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch platform, so we made that a part of our pitch. After a lot of designing, a lot of back and forth between Epiphany Games, publisher Wired Productions, and Kukouri, a deal was struck, so we set about creating our
sequel and homage to the original Tiny Troopers games.

The vision for Tiny Troopers: Global Ops from Epiphany Games and Wired stemmed from feeling that the

series truly deserved a sequel to Joint Ops; we wanted to bring Troopers to next gen consoles, while modernizing the gameplay for the current audience and sprinkling in a new big feature - co-operative multiplayer!

For this modernizing tribute, we knew that we had to keep the same excellent gameplay, a humorous take on war, while maintaining a serious undertone which was seen in the previous titles. One of the key challenges we faced was staying true to the original Tiny Troopers art and visual style, while adapting the game to the new visual tools and capabilities of current game engines.

The number one and key feature added for Tiny Troopers: Global Ops was co-operative play, both online and couch co-op with cross-play available between consoles and PC for up to four players. Admittedly we did underestimate the challenges involved with making a game work within the multiplayer requirements for each individual platform, however we were determined not to budge on this being an important part of Global Ops identity, and something that gamers should be able to expect in multiplayer games in 2022! It took a lot of work, but I am sure the end result will be worth the hours it took to happen!

Overall we believe that we have created a sequel that has kept all of the elements that made the original ‘Tiny Troopers’ great, while adding new elements to bring the troopers up to speed with a modern audience - we can’t wait to see folks from the IGN beta take on our missions.

Oh! Don’t forget to share any feedback on Tiny Troopers: Global Op, on Twitter, the Official Discord and wishlist on Steam!

Not an IGN Plus member? What are you waiting for? In addition to supporting IGN, IGN Plus members get awesome perks including:

· Browse IGN.com ad-free -- no banner ads, no video ads

· Access to free indie games and exclusive betas and more

· Exclusive discounts at the IGN store

· And much more to come

Simply sign up today and come back here to grab your beta key. You can cancel with one click at any time.

The MIX are IGN Plus Developer Relations Managers. If you have requests please reach out to the team on Twitter.

Hey there, IGN Plus members!

We are dropping multiple game giveaways this month. For our next drop Tiny Troopers: Global Ops Game Designer Mattew Corrin jumped in to break down the history of the development into the game.

(IGN Plus Note: If you are an IGN Plus member you can grab a game key for Tiny Troopers: Global Ops here. Not a subscriber? Learn more and sign up by visiting our IGN Plus page)

A Quick history of Tiny Troopers By: Epiphany Games Designer, Mattew Corrin:

Originally, the Tiny Troopers franchise began as a mobile game, with the first
release on June 7th, 2012. As the brainchild of the multi-award winning Finish mobile studio, Kukouri Mobile Entertainment, both the top down squad based multidirectional shooter ‘Tiny
Troopers’ and ‘Tiny Troopers 2’ were immediate successes on Mobile, and later
on PC - managing to simultaneously provide bite sized arcade shooter action and
scratch that Cannon Fodder nostalgia itch for those of us old enough to get
misty eyed over names like Jools, Jobs and Stoo.

In 2014, Epiphany Games (that’s us!) joined the fray. Here,
we brought the updated version of the original two Tiny Troopers games combined
to the Xbox One platform which we now know as ‘Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops’, as
well as adding new content to the game known as the ‘Zombie Campaign DLC’.

Going Global
We felt that the gameplay of Tiny Troopers would be a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch platform, so we made that a part of our pitch. After a lot of designing, a lot of back and forth between Epiphany Games, publisher Wired Productions, and Kukouri, a deal was struck, so we set about creating our
sequel and homage to the original Tiny Troopers games.

The vision for Tiny Troopers: Global Ops from Epiphany Games and Wired stemmed from feeling that the

series truly deserved a sequel to Joint Ops; we wanted to bring Troopers to next gen consoles, while modernizing the gameplay for the current audience and sprinkling in a new big feature - co-operative multiplayer!

For this modernizing tribute, we knew that we had to keep the same excellent gameplay, a humorous take on war, while maintaining a serious undertone which was seen in the previous titles. One of the key challenges we faced was staying true to the original Tiny Troopers art and visual style, while adapting the game to the new visual tools and capabilities of current game engines.

The number one and key feature added for Tiny Troopers: Global Ops was co-operative play, both online and couch co-op with cross-play available between consoles and PC for up to four players. Admittedly we did underestimate the challenges involved with making a game work within the multiplayer requirements for each individual platform, however we were determined not to budge on this being an important part of Global Ops identity, and something that gamers should be able to expect in multiplayer games in 2022! It took a lot of work, but I am sure the end result will be worth the hours it took to happen!

Overall we believe that we have created a sequel that has kept all of the elements that made the original ‘Tiny Troopers’ great, while adding new elements to bring the troopers up to speed with a modern audience - we can’t wait to see folks from the IGN beta take on our missions.

Oh! Don’t forget to share any feedback on Tiny Troopers: Global Op, on Twitter, the Official Discord and wishlist on Steam!

Not an IGN Plus member? What are you waiting for? In addition to supporting IGN, IGN Plus members get awesome perks including:

· Browse IGN.com ad-free -- no banner ads, no video ads

· Access to free indie games and exclusive betas and more

· Exclusive discounts at the IGN store

· And much more to come

Simply sign up today and come back here to grab your beta key. You can cancel with one click at any time.

The MIX are IGN Plus Developer Relations Managers. If you have requests please reach out to the team on Twitter.

It looks like Overwatch 2 players have found new, hidden areas in old maps which may hint at future content in the hero shooter’s pipeline.

Players, such as TikTok user @lowendwibs, have found inaccessible sections in established maps that have been added in Overwatch 2. As of this writing, this includes King’s Row, Havana, and Rialto, all of which now have new, unused areas on the map that you can't reach through normal gameplay.

However, if you play a match on any of these maps and watch the replay, you can move the camera around freely as you spectate. IGN has verified in-game that doing so will allow you to find and explore unused sections of the map added in Overwatch 2.

These new additions could point to a few things: they could be part of Overwatch 2’s new story content that will start rolling out next year, which will include revamped versions of PvP maps. It could also be part of altered maps Blizzard discussed during its Blizzcon 2021 presentation as part of Hero Missions, a new mode that was teased but has yet to be implemented into the live game.

King’s Row was used as an example during the showcase, which will have the payload on the escort section go down a different path than it does in a standard match. So, it looks like Rialto and Havana could be seeing a remixed payload path in a future update. Whether that be for the narrative segments or the Hero Missions.

Notably, King’s Row and Rialto were previously used as part of the original Overwatch’s PvE mode during the Archives event, which included new areas of the map opening up alongside new objectives.

This has led some fans to dismiss these findings as part of the previous event. However, IGN compared these new areas to the ones shown in the Archives event and confirmed they’re not the same sections. As @lowendwibs points out, the Rialto segment from the Archives event isn’t present at all in Overwatch 2’s PvP map, and King’s Row didn’t include a new pathway when it was redone for the Archives event.

Overwatch 2’s PvP content is playable now as a free-to-play game on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch, and will act as a platform for future updates. For more on the sequel, its changes to 5v5 format, and its monetization as it pivoted to free-to-play, check out IGN’s review.

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

It looks like Overwatch 2 players have found new, hidden areas in old maps which may hint at future content in the hero shooter’s pipeline.

Players, such as TikTok user @lowendwibs, have found inaccessible sections in established maps that have been added in Overwatch 2. As of this writing, this includes King’s Row, Havana, and Rialto, all of which now have new, unused areas on the map that you can't reach through normal gameplay.

However, if you play a match on any of these maps and watch the replay, you can move the camera around freely as you spectate. IGN has verified in-game that doing so will allow you to find and explore unused sections of the map added in Overwatch 2.

These new additions could point to a few things: they could be part of Overwatch 2’s new story content that will start rolling out next year, which will include revamped versions of PvP maps. It could also be part of altered maps Blizzard discussed during its Blizzcon 2021 presentation as part of Hero Missions, a new mode that was teased but has yet to be implemented into the live game.

King’s Row was used as an example during the showcase, which will have the payload on the escort section go down a different path than it does in a standard match. So, it looks like Rialto and Havana could be seeing a remixed payload path in a future update. Whether that be for the narrative segments or the Hero Missions.

Notably, King’s Row and Rialto were previously used as part of the original Overwatch’s PvE mode during the Archives event, which included new areas of the map opening up alongside new objectives.

This has led some fans to dismiss these findings as part of the previous event. However, IGN compared these new areas to the ones shown in the Archives event and confirmed they’re not the same sections. As @lowendwibs points out, the Rialto segment from the Archives event isn’t present at all in Overwatch 2’s PvP map, and King’s Row didn’t include a new pathway when it was redone for the Archives event.

Overwatch 2’s PvP content is playable now as a free-to-play game on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch, and will act as a platform for future updates. For more on the sequel, its changes to 5v5 format, and its monetization as it pivoted to free-to-play, check out IGN’s review.

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

The developers at Infinity Ward apparently already have a good idea for where they’d take a potential Call of Duty spinoff.

In an interview with IGN, Infinity Ward narrative director Jeffrey Negus and Modern Warfare 2 head writer Brian Bloom revealed their idea for a Call of Duty one-off, and it’d focus on a popular character from the series.

“Yeah, I’m going to say it. Ghost’s origin story,” Bloom says. According to both him and Negus, the two want to do a game starring Simon “Ghost” Riley, the British special forces and main character of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

“There are others who would like to do that too,” Bloom continues. “And we think that would be really interesting. And again, that’s kind of where this interview started, that there’s something about that character that’s iconic, but the mask and some of those more superficial elements, as we’ve attempted to build them out here in our current release, where did some of those things come from? And exploring that, and looking at that would be something I think the audience would love, and we would love to get into.”

Negus adds that the team cares deeply about Ghost and that the team constantly thinks about story ideas for Ghost. “It’s hard for us not to jam on like, ‘Man, wouldn’t that be cool?’”.

Ghost will be a primary character in Modern Warfare 2 and is featured in the box art. The game is a sequel to the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot and is set to follow the same special forces team as they take on the drug cartel known as Las Almas.

You can check out IGN’s full interview with Infinity Ward and be sure to check out IGN for our full coverage of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

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

The developers at Infinity Ward apparently already have a good idea for where they’d take a potential Call of Duty spinoff.

In an interview with IGN, Infinity Ward narrative director Jeffrey Negus and Modern Warfare 2 head writer Brian Bloom revealed their idea for a Call of Duty one-off, and it’d focus on a popular character from the series.

“Yeah, I’m going to say it. Ghost’s origin story,” Bloom says. According to both him and Negus, the two want to do a game starring Simon “Ghost” Riley, the British special forces and main character of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

“There are others who would like to do that too,” Bloom continues. “And we think that would be really interesting. And again, that’s kind of where this interview started, that there’s something about that character that’s iconic, but the mask and some of those more superficial elements, as we’ve attempted to build them out here in our current release, where did some of those things come from? And exploring that, and looking at that would be something I think the audience would love, and we would love to get into.”

Negus adds that the team cares deeply about Ghost and that the team constantly thinks about story ideas for Ghost. “It’s hard for us not to jam on like, ‘Man, wouldn’t that be cool?’”.

Ghost will be a primary character in Modern Warfare 2 and is featured in the box art. The game is a sequel to the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot and is set to follow the same special forces team as they take on the drug cartel known as Las Almas.

You can check out IGN’s full interview with Infinity Ward and be sure to check out IGN for our full coverage of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

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

The UK government has opened itself up to the public's opinion on Xbox's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, as it prepares to enter the final stages of its investigation into the proposed buyout.

As reported by GI.biz, the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) has now published its Issues Statement of the ongoing investigation, meaning any third party - including members of the public - are free to share their views. Those looking to submit their opinions can do so until October 28.

This stage of the process comes after the CMA has completed the first two phases of its investigation into Xbox's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. It began looking into the deal in July to find out if Microsoft owning the companies behind Call of Duty, Overwatch, and more could harm competition and consumers.

The process will then continue as the CMA considers the submitted evidence before publishing its provisional findings ahead of its final report, though this could still be months away.

Responding to concerns raised earlier in October, Microsoft essentially said that PlayStation is too big to fail even if it did acquire these games. "The suggestion that the incumbent market leader, with clear and enduring market power, could be foreclosed by the third largest provider as a result of losing access to one title is not credible," it said.

Microsoft's $68.7 billion deal has been scrutinised elsewhere as well, including by various U.S. senators, the city of New York, and the U.S. Justice Department, though Xbox boss Phil Spencer said he feels good about its progress.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.