Update 10/10/2022: The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has approved Blizzard Albany's 21 quality assurance workers' request to vote to unionise.

As reported by The Washington Post, The NLRB found that the QA workers can earn up to $41,995 a year if they work full time with no weeks off - while other Blizzard Albany employees earn between $56,250 and $175,050 - and therefore dismissed Activision Blizzard's claim that the QA workers fell into the same general category as the rest of its employees.

"While we respect the NLRB process, we strongly disagree that a decision that could significantly impact the future of the entire Albany-based Diablo team should be made by just a handful of employees," said Activision Blizzard spokesman Rich George.

"Given our tightly integrated operations in Albany, all of our eligible non-supervisory employees there should have a voice and be allowed to vote, not just the approximately 20 quality assurance testers picked by the union."

We are thrilled to announce that the NLRB ruled in our favor to have an election of Albany QA testers at Blizzard. With 94% committed to winning the union, we look forward to counting ballots a month from today!#1u #UnionYes

— GWA Albany (@WeAreGWAAlbany) October 19, 2022

Original Story 07/20/2022: A group of quality assurance workers at Blizzard Albany, the Activision Blizzard developer previously named Vicarious Visions (known for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 and Skylanders), are working to unionise.

As reported by The Washington Post, the group of around 20 employees has filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and asked Activision Blizzard management to voluntarily recognise the union.

Today, we announce a new union at Activision Blizzard.

QA is currently an undervalued discipline in the games and software industries. We strive to
foster work environments where we are respected and compensated for our essential role in the
development process. 1/5

— GWA Albany (@WeAreGWAAlbany) July 19, 2022

Activision Blizzard has not confirmed whether it will or not, however, but said a decision will be announced formally and publicly to the NLRB. A spokesperson told The Washington Post that "we deeply respect the rights of all employees under the law to make their own decisions about whether or not to join a union."

The efforts of quality assurance workers at Raven Software - who formed Activision Blizzard's first union in January - encouraged the employees of Blizzard Albany to unionise themselves, as associate test analyst Amanda Laven said "it's been very, very helpful and inspiring" to see other employees show it's possible.

"Seeing their process, it’s been demystifying to see them do it first and have an idea of how things go and how the company might respond," she added. "We’ve already gotten to see some someone do it in our own company, and they’ve been very forthcoming with us talking to us about what things are like and what problems they encountered."

The unionisation effort has been growing through the games industry, seemingly slowly but surely. Quality assurance testers working on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf for external support company Keywords Studio also officially voted to unionise in June.

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

Don’t panic – The Callisto Protocol isn’t delayed. And it will be getting a 60fps mode, too.

Developers announced via Twitter that the upcoming game from Dead Space creator Glen Schofield is still on its way on December 2, 2022, despite a post from the Epic Games Store listing a release date of February 12, 2023 (as reported by TheGamer).

“We would love to inform you all that we will be shipping globally on December 2nd,” they confirmed. “And yes, we'll have a 60 FPS performance mode.”

We would love to inform you all that we will be shipping globally on December 2nd. And yes, we'll have a 60 FPS performance mode.

— The Callisto Protocol (@CallistoTheGame) October 18, 2022

Following confirmation that The Callisto Protocol is still launching in December, it’s likely that the Epic Games release date change was down to a simple error.

Still, it’s great to see the game’s developer put minds at ease so quickly, as well as confirming that the game will be getting a 60fps performance mode following recent backlash to Gotham Knights.

Just a couple of days ago, Gotham Knights announced it would only appear in 30fps on consoles.

“Due to the types of features we have in our game, like providing a fully untethered co-op experience in our highly detailed open-world, it's not as straightforward as lowering the resolution and getting a higher FPS,” said Gotham Knights executive producer Fleur Marty. “For this reason, our game does not have a performance/quality toggle option and will run at 30FPS on consoles.”

Fortunately, it looks as though The Callisto Protocol won’t be following suit.

It’s certainly good news for fans, who eagerly await what’s aiming to be the scariest next-gen survival horror game.

“I’m looking forward to really trying to make the scariest game on next-gen platforms [and PC],” said Schofield. “From what I hear — it’s hard to be the creative and talk nicely about it — but from what I hear… [Dead Space] was one of the scarier games of [its generation] and I want to do the same on next-gen, or what’s considered now the current-gen.”

Watching it all unfold in glorious silky-smooth 60fps will be even better.

Want to read more about The Callisto Protocol? Check out why The Callisto Protocol isn’t just Dead Space 4 as well as the achievement you can only get by dying a lot.

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

Don’t panic – The Callisto Protocol isn’t delayed. And it will be getting a 60fps mode, too.

Developers announced via Twitter that the upcoming game from Dead Space creator Glen Schofield is still on its way on December 2, 2022, despite a post from the Epic Games Store listing a release date of February 12, 2023 (as reported by TheGamer).

“We would love to inform you all that we will be shipping globally on December 2nd,” they confirmed. “And yes, we'll have a 60 FPS performance mode.”

We would love to inform you all that we will be shipping globally on December 2nd. And yes, we'll have a 60 FPS performance mode.

— The Callisto Protocol (@CallistoTheGame) October 18, 2022

Following confirmation that The Callisto Protocol is still launching in December, it’s likely that the Epic Games release date change was down to a simple error.

Still, it’s great to see the game’s developer put minds at ease so quickly, as well as confirming that the game will be getting a 60fps performance mode following recent backlash to Gotham Knights.

Just a couple of days ago, Gotham Knights announced it would only appear in 30fps on consoles.

“Due to the types of features we have in our game, like providing a fully untethered co-op experience in our highly detailed open-world, it's not as straightforward as lowering the resolution and getting a higher FPS,” said Gotham Knights executive producer Fleur Marty. “For this reason, our game does not have a performance/quality toggle option and will run at 30FPS on consoles.”

Fortunately, it looks as though The Callisto Protocol won’t be following suit.

It’s certainly good news for fans, who eagerly await what’s aiming to be the scariest next-gen survival horror game.

“I’m looking forward to really trying to make the scariest game on next-gen platforms [and PC],” said Schofield. “From what I hear — it’s hard to be the creative and talk nicely about it — but from what I hear… [Dead Space] was one of the scarier games of [its generation] and I want to do the same on next-gen, or what’s considered now the current-gen.”

Watching it all unfold in glorious silky-smooth 60fps will be even better.

Want to read more about The Callisto Protocol? Check out why The Callisto Protocol isn’t just Dead Space 4 as well as the achievement you can only get by dying a lot.

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

Netflix is continuing its expansion into gaming by opening a new development studio in Southern California.

According to TechCrunch, Netflix’s VP of gaming, Mike Verdu, said this new studio will include former Blizzard vice president and Overwatch boss Chako Sonny at the helm.

“He could have done anything, but he chose to come here,” said Verdu. “You don’t get people like that coming to your organization to build the next big thing in gaming unless there’s a sense that we’re really in it for the long haul and in it for the right reasons.”

The online streaming giant is looking to increase its foothold in gaming, and might even look to create its own cloud gaming service.

“It’s a value add,” said Verdu. “We’re not asking you to subscribe as a console replacement. It’s a completely different business model. The hope is over time that it just becomes this very natural way to play games wherever you are.”

Of course, Netflix wouldn’t be the first to try streaming video games. Google Stadia attempted just that, allowing users access to a library of video games without a PC or games console, using just the Stadia device and service. Unfortunately, it struggled to survive, and with dwindling numbers, Google announced it will shutter Google Stadia by January 2023.

But Netflix doesn’t believe Stadia itself failed, just its business model. “Stadia was a technical success,” said Verdu. “It was fun to play games on Stadia. It had some issues with the business model, sure.” Although Google Stadia used a dedicated controller, Verdu wouldn’t confirm whether or not this would be the case for Netflix’s own cloud gaming service.

While Netflix has been experimenting with gaming for some time, it seems that less than one percent of Netflix subscribers actually play their games.

There are currently 35 games available to download via Netflix, with another 55 currently on their way, including those based on original IPs such as Stranger Things, as well as licensed games, such as Spongebob Squarepants. What game Netflix’s new studio will produce first remains to be seen.

Want to read more about Netflix? Check out how Netflix aims to create the best gaming service in the industry and find out more about Netflix’s other new games studio in Finland.

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

Netflix is continuing its expansion into gaming by opening a new development studio in Southern California.

According to TechCrunch, Netflix’s VP of gaming, Mike Verdu, said this new studio will include former Blizzard vice president and Overwatch boss Chako Sonny at the helm.

“He could have done anything, but he chose to come here,” said Verdu. “You don’t get people like that coming to your organization to build the next big thing in gaming unless there’s a sense that we’re really in it for the long haul and in it for the right reasons.”

The online streaming giant is looking to increase its foothold in gaming, and might even look to create its own cloud gaming service.

“It’s a value add,” said Verdu. “We’re not asking you to subscribe as a console replacement. It’s a completely different business model. The hope is over time that it just becomes this very natural way to play games wherever you are.”

Of course, Netflix wouldn’t be the first to try streaming video games. Google Stadia attempted just that, allowing users access to a library of video games without a PC or games console, using just the Stadia device and service. Unfortunately, it struggled to survive, and with dwindling numbers, Google announced it will shutter Google Stadia by January 2023.

But Netflix doesn’t believe Stadia itself failed, just its business model. “Stadia was a technical success,” said Verdu. “It was fun to play games on Stadia. It had some issues with the business model, sure.” Although Google Stadia used a dedicated controller, Verdu wouldn’t confirm whether or not this would be the case for Netflix’s own cloud gaming service.

While Netflix has been experimenting with gaming for some time, it seems that less than one percent of Netflix subscribers actually play their games.

There are currently 35 games available to download via Netflix, with another 55 currently on their way, including those based on original IPs such as Stranger Things, as well as licensed games, such as Spongebob Squarepants. What game Netflix’s new studio will produce first remains to be seen.

Want to read more about Netflix? Check out how Netflix aims to create the best gaming service in the industry and find out more about Netflix’s other new games studio in Finland.

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

You’ve heard the rumors – Sacha Baron Cohen has been tipped for a role in Ironheart.

According to Deadline, the British actor could be boarding the upcoming Marvel project as a long-awaited villain – none other than Mephisto.

“A source close to the production confirmed to Deadline that there has been talk on the set about Cohen being part of Ironheart, likely playing Mephisto,” they confirmed.

Mephisto first appeared in the comic books in Silver Surfer #3 in 1968 and has been long-awaited by comic books fans eager to see him on the big screen.

One of Marvel’s more supernatural villains, Mephisto seems like an odd fit for Ironheart. After all, he more traditionally tussles with the likes of Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange, and Scarlet Witch, and was a major player in creating Wanda’s children, Tommy and Billy. At least, in the comic books.

Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, a genius inventor, and creator of an advanced, Iron Man-like suit of armor. The cast also includes Anthony Ramos, Manny Montana, Shakira Barrera, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Shea Couleé, and Zoe Terakes.

Of course, Ironheart is only the beginning.

Much like other Marvel characters, Mephisto is expected to appear in numerous projects – not just Ironheart. One possible candidate is the upcoming WandaVision spin-off, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, after Mephisto’s presence was teased in the recent Disney+ show.

Rumors of Cohen’s MCU role first began to spread on social media several days ago, with notable comic book movie accounts discussing his possible casting as Mephisto.

Cohen is perhaps most famous for Borat – the fictional Kazakhstan journalist who Cohen has brought to the bring scene to critical acclaim in both Borat and Borat 2.

He also recently starred in The Trial of the Chicago 7 and is set to star in the upcoming Apple+ series, Disclaimer.

Want to read more about Ironheart? Check out the entire cast of Ironheart (so far) and find out whether Ironheart will be the MCU’s new Iron Man.

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

You’ve heard the rumors – Sacha Baron Cohen has been tipped for a role in Ironheart.

According to Deadline, the British actor could be boarding the upcoming Marvel project as a long-awaited villain – none other than Mephisto.

“A source close to the production confirmed to Deadline that there has been talk on the set about Cohen being part of Ironheart, likely playing Mephisto,” they confirmed.

Mephisto first appeared in the comic books in Silver Surfer #3 in 1968 and has been long-awaited by comic books fans eager to see him on the big screen.

One of Marvel’s more supernatural villains, Mephisto seems like an odd fit for Ironheart. After all, he more traditionally tussles with the likes of Ghost Rider, Doctor Strange, and Scarlet Witch, and was a major player in creating Wanda’s children, Tommy and Billy. At least, in the comic books.

Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, a genius inventor, and creator of an advanced, Iron Man-like suit of armor. The cast also includes Anthony Ramos, Manny Montana, Shakira Barrera, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Shea Couleé, and Zoe Terakes.

Of course, Ironheart is only the beginning.

Much like other Marvel characters, Mephisto is expected to appear in numerous projects – not just Ironheart. One possible candidate is the upcoming WandaVision spin-off, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, after Mephisto’s presence was teased in the recent Disney+ show.

Rumors of Cohen’s MCU role first began to spread on social media several days ago, with notable comic book movie accounts discussing his possible casting as Mephisto.

Cohen is perhaps most famous for Borat – the fictional Kazakhstan journalist who Cohen has brought to the bring scene to critical acclaim in both Borat and Borat 2.

He also recently starred in The Trial of the Chicago 7 and is set to star in the upcoming Apple+ series, Disclaimer.

Want to read more about Ironheart? Check out the entire cast of Ironheart (so far) and find out whether Ironheart will be the MCU’s new Iron Man.

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

Marilee Heyer helped design Princess Leia’s iconic bikini in Return of the Jedi… but she’s still fighting for recognition 40 years later.

During an interview with SFGate, the artist and illustrator explained her struggle for recognition after being left out of numerous books and exhibits about the legendary costume.

“I would like to be remembered if this is my legacy,” she explained. “If this is what I’m most noted for, I want to make sure I’m getting credited when I’m no longer around. I view my artwork like my children. You have to be able to send them out and give them the tools they need to fight.”

Heyer was hired back in 1981 as an illustrator – essentially bringing Princess Leia design concepts to life during Return of the Jedi’s early production.

It was a three-week freelance job that earned her a place in the galaxy far, far away. “My first meeting, [director Richard Marquand] asked me to get him a cup of coffee,” she revealed. “I was the only woman in the room.”

Nevertheless, her work was crucially important: “There wasn’t any other work that showed her as a pretty woman,” she explained.

Heyer’s designs came at a crucial point in development when Leia was shifting into a new era.

“At the time, the focus was moving the Leia character into a different moment in her life,” Heyer said. “It was going beyond the cinnamon buns or the white robes. She needed a forest look as an infantry person, the woodsy look at the end with her hair down and crimped, and — you know — the slave girl in bondage.”

Although many of her Princess Leia designs failed to make the film’s final cut, her work has since been chronicled in production books and exhibits, often without crediting her. One major example of this is The Art of Return of the Jedi – a book published by Ballantine Books containing much of the film’s production design.

There, on the pages, were Heyer’s designs… attributed to someone else – hairstylist Paul LeBlanc.

“[Paul] was incredible to work with, and I think his career speaks for itself,” she said. “But he didn’t have the ability to sketch out what he needed to, to convince George. That’s, I guess, where I came in.”

LeBlanc originally provided Heyer with rudimentary sketches to show how the hairstyle should inform Princess Leia’s overall look. However, it was her sketches that convinced George Lucas to rethink Leia’s design.

Despite this, she often goes uncredited, despite her work appearing in numerous books as well as an exhibit at the Smithsonian.

And that book she appeared in? Lucasfilm did apologize for the oversight.

“I just wanted to say how badly I feel that I gave the wrong credit to Ballantine for your illustrations, especially since they are the prettiest illustrations that have been done of her,” said Lucasfilm archivist Kathy Wippert in a letter to Heyer. “I really thought I had everyone credited and credited correctly. Please accept my apology. It was totally my fault. It should be taken care of in the next pictures. Thanks, Kathy.”

The 1997 reprint of the book properly attributes Heyer and her work.

More recently, Heyer saw her original Princess Leia designs show up in comic book form, on a variant cover for Star Wars Age of Republic Princess Leia # 1.

Although she knows there’s no money involved, Heyer last year hired an attorney in an attempt to force Disney to attribute her work properly. “There were no royalties,” she revealed. “I know that for sure.”

All she wants is proper attribution – for her legacy to continue for years to come.

Want to read more about Star Wars? Check out how Andor teases a major Star Wars villain as well as Christian Bale’s stormtrooper aspirations.

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

Marilee Heyer helped design Princess Leia’s iconic bikini in Return of the Jedi… but she’s still fighting for recognition 40 years later.

During an interview with SFGate, the artist and illustrator explained her struggle for recognition after being left out of numerous books and exhibits about the legendary costume.

“I would like to be remembered if this is my legacy,” she explained. “If this is what I’m most noted for, I want to make sure I’m getting credited when I’m no longer around. I view my artwork like my children. You have to be able to send them out and give them the tools they need to fight.”

Heyer was hired back in 1981 as an illustrator – essentially bringing Princess Leia design concepts to life during Return of the Jedi’s early production.

It was a three-week freelance job that earned her a place in the galaxy far, far away. “My first meeting, [director Richard Marquand] asked me to get him a cup of coffee,” she revealed. “I was the only woman in the room.”

Nevertheless, her work was crucially important: “There wasn’t any other work that showed her as a pretty woman,” she explained.

Heyer’s designs came at a crucial point in development when Leia was shifting into a new era.

“At the time, the focus was moving the Leia character into a different moment in her life,” Heyer said. “It was going beyond the cinnamon buns or the white robes. She needed a forest look as an infantry person, the woodsy look at the end with her hair down and crimped, and — you know — the slave girl in bondage.”

Although many of her Princess Leia designs failed to make the film’s final cut, her work has since been chronicled in production books and exhibits, often without crediting her. One major example of this is The Art of Return of the Jedi – a book published by Ballantine Books containing much of the film’s production design.

There, on the pages, were Heyer’s designs… attributed to someone else – hairstylist Paul LeBlanc.

“[Paul] was incredible to work with, and I think his career speaks for itself,” she said. “But he didn’t have the ability to sketch out what he needed to, to convince George. That’s, I guess, where I came in.”

LeBlanc originally provided Heyer with rudimentary sketches to show how the hairstyle should inform Princess Leia’s overall look. However, it was her sketches that convinced George Lucas to rethink Leia’s design.

Despite this, she often goes uncredited, despite her work appearing in numerous books as well as an exhibit at the Smithsonian.

And that book she appeared in? Lucasfilm did apologize for the oversight.

“I just wanted to say how badly I feel that I gave the wrong credit to Ballantine for your illustrations, especially since they are the prettiest illustrations that have been done of her,” said Lucasfilm archivist Kathy Wippert in a letter to Heyer. “I really thought I had everyone credited and credited correctly. Please accept my apology. It was totally my fault. It should be taken care of in the next pictures. Thanks, Kathy.”

The 1997 reprint of the book properly attributes Heyer and her work.

More recently, Heyer saw her original Princess Leia designs show up in comic book form, on a variant cover for Star Wars Age of Republic Princess Leia # 1.

Although she knows there’s no money involved, Heyer last year hired an attorney in an attempt to force Disney to attribute her work properly. “There were no royalties,” she revealed. “I know that for sure.”

All she wants is proper attribution – for her legacy to continue for years to come.

Want to read more about Star Wars? Check out how Andor teases a major Star Wars villain as well as Christian Bale’s stormtrooper aspirations.

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

From Jack Nicholson to Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix, plenty of actors have taken up the role of Joker in DC's various Batman films. Now, Barry Keoghan — who appeared as the Clown Prince of Crime in Matt Reeves' The Batman — has shared why it's difficult to play the character.

“It's very intimidating [playing the Joker]," Keoghan told Collider. "Heath Ledger was the best for me. So you have a lot of people to draw from and that. But again, you bring your version to it. That's what I do with any character I play, is no one has seen my version of it."

But while Keoghan names the bar he is compared against, he also relished the challenge of the role. "And again, going back to it, I don't want to be like so-and-so, and follow that method and that method. I want to do me. I want to bring my version, because I feel that is new in a way, and unique, that when you bring your version no one has seen it. And that may make people relate to it. So it was intimidating, but I was excited for it.”

It makes sense that Keoghan pointed to Ledger's iconic version of Joker, as The Dark Knight still marks the character's peak for many Batman fans. The actor was famous for his commitment to the role, and his performance eventually earned a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Ledger's Joker won IGN's Batman villain face-off earlier this year, proving the performance's staying power nearly a decade-and-a-half later.

While Keoghan hasn't been invited back for The Batman 2 just yet, the actor said he'll jump at the opportunity if he gets the call. And, The Batman director Matt Reeves has considered doing a project in the "Arkham space" featuring Keoghan.

Keoghan briefly appeared in The Batman, showing up at the end after The Riddler is locked up in Arkham Asylum. The Riddler meets Keoghan's Joker, who is in a neighboring cell. There is also a deleted scene featuring Joker, in which Batman goes to his nemesis for assistance in the Riddler investigation.

For more, check out Keoghan's audition for The Riddler that's been on the internet for years. Or, check out every DC movie and series affected by the Warner Bros, Discovery merger.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.