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.

Thanks to books like The Nice House on the Lake and Something Is Killing the Children, James Tynion IV is widely regarded as one of the best horror comic book writers working today. Can Tynion work that same magic in the film medium? That's a question Tynion and his collaborators hope to answer with "Room Service."

"Room Service" is a short film Tynion is developing alongside fellow comic book superstars Elsa Charretier (November) and Pierrick Colinet (The Infinite Loop). The film introduces a fearsome, masked villain known only as The Caretaker, a ruthless facilitator who offers to help the struggling protagonist escape his financial woes and earn a little payback against those who use their wealth to live in consequence-free luxury. Not unlike Get Out, it's a disturbing horror film with a healthy dose of social commentary.

"Room Service" features a script by Tynion and storyboards by Charretier, while Tonči Zonjić (Skulldiggers) designed the distinctive Caretaker mask. Colinet will direct the film, which is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter. IGN can exclusively reveal that the film will also be accompanied by a prequel comic called Room Service: The Comic Book #1, which sheds more light on the mysterious Caretaker and the horrific services he offers to his obscenely wealthy clients.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive first look at the comic and several of Charretier's storyboards for the film:

"My favorite part of any project is when the art starts rolling in," Tynion IV tells IGN. "That's when all the raw ideas stop feeling as abstract and I start to be able to feel what the finished project is going to look like. Seeing the way Elsa and PK picked up on the key thematics of my script and brought them to life in the storyboards was thrilling. The whole project elevated by every little piece they brought to the table."

"James' story is an absolutely killer of a concept. It has punch, rhythm, brutality, gore, strong characters, everything he's known for and that you expect from great human-driven horror. PK is a very different kind of artist with different, more introspective and poetic sensibilities," Charretier says. "It was a complete surprise and joy to witness two visions combining into something entirely unique that could only be born out of these two creators collaborating and already translates at the storyboard stage.”

"We've chosen to make a twist on the typical horror movie antagonist," adds Colinet. "The Caretaker is not a ghoulish creature or a massacring maniac wielding weapons of torture. He's a man in a red suit, who does a job. He's cold but not aggressive. He's faceless but polished and polite. But he will make sure people hold up their end of the grizzly transaction they made no matter if they cry, beg or scream."

"I'm not much of a horror person, but this movie's scares are subtler and closer to Korean cinema of ever-mounting suspense and dread, which I'm a big fan of, so it was both exciting and a challenge to come up with a simple design that still captured all these feelings," Zonjić says of The Caretaker. "A mask tailored on Savile Row, just like the suit would be. Once we had the shape, making it deep red was the perfect last touch towards that place of "elegant dread" which I'm really looking forward to seeing on screen."

The Kickstarter campaign for "Room Service" is live until November 17. The base-level $20 pledge will earn backers digital copies of both the film itself and the script. Higher tiers will add various bonuses, including Kickstarter-exclusive posters by Charretier and The Department of Truth artist Martin Simmonds, a hardcover artbook featuring Charretier's storyboards and other concept art, an illustrated prose story by Tynion and Charretier and even original artwork.

Tynion has certainly been keeping busy since signing a lucrative exclusivity agreement with Substack. Earlier this year Tynion launched a new horror anthology called True Weird, as well as a new Sandman Universe comic focused on the nightmarish villain The Corinthian.

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

Thanks to books like The Nice House on the Lake and Something Is Killing the Children, James Tynion IV is widely regarded as one of the best horror comic book writers working today. Can Tynion work that same magic in the film medium? That's a question Tynion and his collaborators hope to answer with "Room Service."

"Room Service" is a short film Tynion is developing alongside fellow comic book superstars Elsa Charretier (November) and Pierrick Colinet (The Infinite Loop). The film introduces a fearsome, masked villain known only as The Caretaker, a ruthless facilitator who offers to help the struggling protagonist escape his financial woes and earn a little payback against those who use their wealth to live in consequence-free luxury. Not unlike Get Out, it's a disturbing horror film with a healthy dose of social commentary.

"Room Service" features a script by Tynion and storyboards by Charretier, while Tonči Zonjić (Skulldiggers) designed the distinctive Caretaker mask. Colinet will direct the film, which is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter. IGN can exclusively reveal that the film will also be accompanied by a prequel comic called Room Service: The Comic Book #1, which sheds more light on the mysterious Caretaker and the horrific services he offers to his obscenely wealthy clients.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive first look at the comic and several of Charretier's storyboards for the film:

"My favorite part of any project is when the art starts rolling in," Tynion IV tells IGN. "That's when all the raw ideas stop feeling as abstract and I start to be able to feel what the finished project is going to look like. Seeing the way Elsa and PK picked up on the key thematics of my script and brought them to life in the storyboards was thrilling. The whole project elevated by every little piece they brought to the table."

"James' story is an absolutely killer of a concept. It has punch, rhythm, brutality, gore, strong characters, everything he's known for and that you expect from great human-driven horror. PK is a very different kind of artist with different, more introspective and poetic sensibilities," Charretier says. "It was a complete surprise and joy to witness two visions combining into something entirely unique that could only be born out of these two creators collaborating and already translates at the storyboard stage.”

"We've chosen to make a twist on the typical horror movie antagonist," adds Colinet. "The Caretaker is not a ghoulish creature or a massacring maniac wielding weapons of torture. He's a man in a red suit, who does a job. He's cold but not aggressive. He's faceless but polished and polite. But he will make sure people hold up their end of the grizzly transaction they made no matter if they cry, beg or scream."

"I'm not much of a horror person, but this movie's scares are subtler and closer to Korean cinema of ever-mounting suspense and dread, which I'm a big fan of, so it was both exciting and a challenge to come up with a simple design that still captured all these feelings," Zonjić says of The Caretaker. "A mask tailored on Savile Row, just like the suit would be. Once we had the shape, making it deep red was the perfect last touch towards that place of "elegant dread" which I'm really looking forward to seeing on screen."

The Kickstarter campaign for "Room Service" is live until November 17. The base-level $20 pledge will earn backers digital copies of both the film itself and the script. Higher tiers will add various bonuses, including Kickstarter-exclusive posters by Charretier and The Department of Truth artist Martin Simmonds, a hardcover artbook featuring Charretier's storyboards and other concept art, an illustrated prose story by Tynion and Charretier and even original artwork.

Tynion has certainly been keeping busy since signing a lucrative exclusivity agreement with Substack. Earlier this year Tynion launched a new horror anthology called True Weird, as well as a new Sandman Universe comic focused on the nightmarish villain The Corinthian.

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

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever writer and director Ryan Coogler has revealed how the film's script changed following the death of its star Chadwick Boseman - and what the movie would originally have centered on.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Coogler explained that Black Panther's sequel was originally a much more intimate, focused story on Boseman's T'Challa. Following his death in 2020, however, Marvel decided against recasting the character and Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole instead wrote a different script.

"The script we wrote before Chadwick passed was very much rooted in T’Challa’s perspective," Coogler said. "It was a massive movie but also simultaneously a character study that delved deeply into his psyche and situation."

The rewrite would take that original story, acknowedge T'Challa's death, and instead focus on a different - as yet unrevealed - character's point of view as they become a new Black Panther. “The Black Panther has existed in Wakanda for centuries, so the notion of someone else picking up the mantle didn’t seem inorganic,” said Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore. “But once that had to become a reality, then it was, ‘OK, what makes the most sense for the story? Who actually makes the most sense to take this thing on?’"

Though we still don't have a confirmed name for the new Black Panther hero, the film will focus on their journey as Wakanda comes under threat once again. It doesn't ignore T'Challa's (or Boseman's) death though, as Lupita Nyong’o - who plays Nakia - said the script was rewritten to reflect the mourning of both actor and character.

"Ryan wrote something that so honored the truth of what every one of us was feeling, those of us who knew Chadwick," she said. "He created something that could honour that and carry the story forward. By the end, I was weeping."

As for who's taking on the role of Black Panther, a trailer from earlier in October alongside some leaked LEGO sets all but confirm who it will be, though Marvel has yet to make it official and likely won't until the film premieres next month.

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

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever writer and director Ryan Coogler has revealed how the film's script changed following the death of its star Chadwick Boseman - and what the movie would originally have centered on.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Coogler explained that Black Panther's sequel was originally a much more intimate, focused story on Boseman's T'Challa. Following his death in 2020, however, Marvel decided against recasting the character and Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole instead wrote a different script.

"The script we wrote before Chadwick passed was very much rooted in T’Challa’s perspective," Coogler said. "It was a massive movie but also simultaneously a character study that delved deeply into his psyche and situation."

The rewrite would take that original story, acknowedge T'Challa's death, and instead focus on a different - as yet unrevealed - character's point of view as they become a new Black Panther. “The Black Panther has existed in Wakanda for centuries, so the notion of someone else picking up the mantle didn’t seem inorganic,” said Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore. “But once that had to become a reality, then it was, ‘OK, what makes the most sense for the story? Who actually makes the most sense to take this thing on?’"

Though we still don't have a confirmed name for the new Black Panther hero, the film will focus on their journey as Wakanda comes under threat once again. It doesn't ignore T'Challa's (or Boseman's) death though, as Lupita Nyong’o - who plays Nakia - said the script was rewritten to reflect the mourning of both actor and character.

"Ryan wrote something that so honored the truth of what every one of us was feeling, those of us who knew Chadwick," she said. "He created something that could honour that and carry the story forward. By the end, I was weeping."

As for who's taking on the role of Black Panther, a trailer from earlier in October alongside some leaked LEGO sets all but confirm who it will be, though Marvel has yet to make it official and likely won't until the film premieres next month.

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

Square Enix has debuted two new Final Fantasy 16 characters that are both connected to pretty significant summons (known in this game as Eikons).

Revealed in a blog post that accompanied a new trailer (below), Square Enix introduced Dion Lesage as Dominant (a summon host) of Bahamut and Barnabas Thatmr, Dominant of Odin.

Dion is the crown prince of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, one of Final Fantasy 16's six realms, and is also the leader of the Dragoons, its noblest order of knights. Combining his own abilities with the power of Bahamut, Dion is a lethal force in battle and is beloved by his people.

This might not be the case throughout all of the game, however, as Square Enix alludes to a darker turn of events. "Shadows are gathering in the Empire," it said, "and they may be enough to quell Bahamut’s light."

Another ruler, Barnabas controls the Kingdom of Waloed but didn't start in as high and mighty position as Dion. He "arrived on the shores of Ash as a wanderer with not land or title of his own. It was his skill with a blade that won him a kingdom," Square Enix said.

Barnabas used the power of Odin to conquer the entire Eastern continent for himself, and despite now having a colossal army to do his bidding, he still wants to be at the heart of battle.

Square Enix is in the habit of introducing new characters alongside each trailer for Final Fantasy 16, unveiling Kupka and Harman (Dominants of Titan and Garuda respectively) back in June.

The latest trailer shed more light on the game's overall story, seemingly centred around the land of Valisthea as its crystals slowly fade. It also shows off the aforementioned kingdoms in detail, including the Holy Empire of Sanbreque and Kingdom of Waloed.

Final Fantasy 16 is now playable from start to finish but Square Enix's all-star development team are taking until summer next year to get everything right. We're slowly but surely learning more about it, however, including its non-open world map, how summons work, and the name of its most popular puppy character.

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

Square Enix has debuted two new Final Fantasy 16 characters that are both connected to pretty significant summons (known in this game as Eikons).

Revealed in a blog post that accompanied a new trailer (below), Square Enix introduced Dion Lesage as Dominant (a summon host) of Bahamut and Barnabas Thatmr, Dominant of Odin.

Dion is the crown prince of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, one of Final Fantasy 16's six realms, and is also the leader of the Dragoons, its noblest order of knights. Combining his own abilities with the power of Bahamut, Dion is a lethal force in battle and is beloved by his people.

This might not be the case throughout all of the game, however, as Square Enix alludes to a darker turn of events. "Shadows are gathering in the Empire," it said, "and they may be enough to quell Bahamut’s light."

Another ruler, Barnabas controls the Kingdom of Waloed but didn't start in as high and mighty position as Dion. He "arrived on the shores of Ash as a wanderer with not land or title of his own. It was his skill with a blade that won him a kingdom," Square Enix said.

Barnabas used the power of Odin to conquer the entire Eastern continent for himself, and despite now having a colossal army to do his bidding, he still wants to be at the heart of battle.

Square Enix is in the habit of introducing new characters alongside each trailer for Final Fantasy 16, unveiling Kupka and Harman (Dominants of Titan and Garuda respectively) back in June.

The latest trailer shed more light on the game's overall story, seemingly centred around the land of Valisthea as its crystals slowly fade. It also shows off the aforementioned kingdoms in detail, including the Holy Empire of Sanbreque and Kingdom of Waloed.

Final Fantasy 16 is now playable from start to finish but Square Enix's all-star development team are taking until summer next year to get everything right. We're slowly but surely learning more about it, however, including its non-open world map, how summons work, and the name of its most popular puppy character.

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

Fallout: London won’t feature a ghoul-ified Queen Elizabeth after all.

The ambitious Fallout 4 mod builds a whole new part of the Fallout universe by recreating a post-apocalyptic London. However, in a new development update, creator Dean Carter confirmed that it’s removing the planned characters based on Queen Elizabeth and King Charles.

“We have always maintained that if she was to pass away before the mod was complete we would change it,” said Carter (via The Verge). “Do not expect them in there. There’s no point asking in the comments. There’s no point moaning. It’s the official stance of the mod, and it will not change.”

Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, and Fallout: London soon announced via Twitter that the planned character would be removed.

“Fallout: London will honor our previous statement; That in the event of Her Majesty’s death, our feature for her within the mod will be removed and any previously drawn-up plans or artwork are now considered null and void.”

Earlier concept art shows both Queen Elizabeth and King Charles depicted as ‘ghouls’ – Fallout’s take on zombies, who are essentially humans mutated when the nuclear bombs dropped across the world on October 23, 2077.

The Queen featured the monarch in one of her classic suit and hat combos, flanked by ravenous, ghoulish corgis. Meanwhile, King Charles was featured wearing either a top hat or a crown, with a disheveled morning suit completing his look. Considering the Queen’s recent death, it’s obvious why this might be considered inappropriate.

Although both these characters won’t appear, it looks as though the Fallout: London team is planning a replacement. However, at the moment, they were unable to provide specifics, telling fans to “wait and see”.

Fallout: London is expected to release sometime in 2023 and has been met with a lot of enthusiasm from both fans and Bethesda, who have since hired members of the Fallout: London team.

Unfortunately, Fallout 5 is still years away, with plans to release it sometime after Elder Scrolls VI. Want to read more about Fallout? Check out the impressive Fallout: London trailer as well as the first details from the upcoming Fallout TV show.

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

Fallout: London won’t feature a ghoul-ified Queen Elizabeth after all.

The ambitious Fallout 4 mod builds a whole new part of the Fallout universe by recreating a post-apocalyptic London. However, in a new development update, creator Dean Carter confirmed that it’s removing the planned characters based on Queen Elizabeth and King Charles.

“We have always maintained that if she was to pass away before the mod was complete we would change it,” said Carter (via The Verge). “Do not expect them in there. There’s no point asking in the comments. There’s no point moaning. It’s the official stance of the mod, and it will not change.”

Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, and Fallout: London soon announced via Twitter that the planned character would be removed.

“Fallout: London will honor our previous statement; That in the event of Her Majesty’s death, our feature for her within the mod will be removed and any previously drawn-up plans or artwork are now considered null and void.”

Earlier concept art shows both Queen Elizabeth and King Charles depicted as ‘ghouls’ – Fallout’s take on zombies, who are essentially humans mutated when the nuclear bombs dropped across the world on October 23, 2077.

The Queen featured the monarch in one of her classic suit and hat combos, flanked by ravenous, ghoulish corgis. Meanwhile, King Charles was featured wearing either a top hat or a crown, with a disheveled morning suit completing his look. Considering the Queen’s recent death, it’s obvious why this might be considered inappropriate.

Although both these characters won’t appear, it looks as though the Fallout: London team is planning a replacement. However, at the moment, they were unable to provide specifics, telling fans to “wait and see”.

Fallout: London is expected to release sometime in 2023 and has been met with a lot of enthusiasm from both fans and Bethesda, who have since hired members of the Fallout: London team.

Unfortunately, Fallout 5 is still years away, with plans to release it sometime after Elder Scrolls VI. Want to read more about Fallout? Check out the impressive Fallout: London trailer as well as the first details from the upcoming Fallout TV show.

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

Scientists have detected a phenomenally powerful outburst of cosmic radiation - known as a gamma-ray burst - which likely occured when an enormous star died and transformed into an all-consuming black hole.

Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are among the most energetic cosmic explosions to light up the cosmos since the Big Bang event that is thought to have created it. Astronomers believe that the majority of GRBs take place when a truly massive star collapses inward at the end of its life, having run out of the materials needed to maintain the nuclear fusion reaction at its core.

This spectacular implosion heralds the birth of a black hole, during which the newly formed singularity blasts out jets of gamma radiation that, travelling at close to the speed of light, can shine a million trillion times (yes, a million trillion) brighter than the Sun. An outpouring of X-ray radiation is also released as the fast moving jets collide with the clouds of gas cast off by the dead star.

On Sunday, October 9, detectors aboard NASA’s fleet of orbital spacecraft were triggered when a powerful wave of gamma rays and X-rays flooded through the solar system, signalling the occurrence of an extraordinarily powerful gamma-ray burst.

Following the initial detection of the event - which has been designated GRB 221009A - astronomers across the globe raced to train a multitude of the world's most powerful telescopes on the aftermath of the explosion. A range of orbital spacecraft also joined the effort, including NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.

Together, the keen robotic eyes were able to capture the evolving light signature of the explosion over optical, infrared, gamma, and X-ray wavelengths. The signal originated roughly 2.4 billion light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Sagitta, and lasted for a few hundred seconds. According to these early observations, GRB 221009A is the brightest GRB to ever be recorded since the advent of modern science, potentially by as much as a factor of 10.

“Given that most other long GRBs result from a massive star collapsing, we have every reason to believe that we will find direct evidence of a supernova,” explains Ph.D. student Jillian Rastinejad of Northwestern University, Illinois, who helped image the event. “But that will take more work and time to confirm, and the universe could always surprise us.”

However, there is a clock on the scientific community’s observations of GRB 221009A - as in a little over a month the gamma-ray source will be temporarily shrouded by the glare from our Sun.

When it becomes visible once more early next year, astronomers will get back to work unravelling the secrets as to how such a powerful explosion of light came to be.

Stay tuned to IGN’s science page to keep up to date with the weird world of science.

Anthony Wood is a freelance science writer for IGN