Monthly Archives: March 2020

UEFA Euro 2020 Delayed for a Year by Coronavirus

Euro 2020, the international football (or soccer, if you prefer) tournament due to take place from June 12 to July 12, has been delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Announced initially by the Norwegian Football Association and reported by The Guardian, the tournament - second only in national football prestige to the World Cup - will now seemingly take place from June 11 to July 11, 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/11/e3-officially-canceled-over-coronavirus-concerns-ign-news"] Played every four years between qualifying European national teams, the tournament has never been delayed out of its scheduled year since its inception in 1960. Euro 2020 was the first tournament scheduled to be played in countries across Europe, rather than in a set of host nations. It's not the first UEFA event postponed due to the current crisis - last week, the European football body suspended the Champions League, Europa League and Youth League. The entertainment industry is awash with problems right now - the MLB, NHL and NBA have all suspended or delayed their seasons, while theater chains close and film production halts. If you want to know how to stay safe and help others during the coronavirus outbreak, please see our guide. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

UEFA Euro 2020 Delayed for a Year by Coronavirus

Euro 2020, the international football (or soccer, if you prefer) tournament due to take place from June 12 to July 12, has been delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Announced initially by the Norwegian Football Association and reported by The Guardian, the tournament - second only in national football prestige to the World Cup - will now seemingly take place from June 11 to July 11, 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/11/e3-officially-canceled-over-coronavirus-concerns-ign-news"] Played every four years between qualifying European national teams, the tournament has never been delayed out of its scheduled year since its inception in 1960. Euro 2020 was the first tournament scheduled to be played in countries across Europe, rather than in a set of host nations. It's not the first UEFA event postponed due to the current crisis - last week, the European football body suspended the Champions League, Europa League and Youth League. The entertainment industry is awash with problems right now - the MLB, NHL and NBA have all suspended or delayed their seasons, while theater chains close and film production halts. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

PS5 News Coming Tomorrow

PlayStation 5 system architect Mark Cerny will reveal a "deep dive" into the PS5 tomorrow, March 18, at 9am Pacific / 12pm Eastern / 4pm UK (that's 3am AEDT on March 19). Announced on Twitter, it looks as though the news will come in the form of a video or livestream, released on the PlayStation blog. As recently as last week, we'd been saying that Sony's silence on PS5 had been deafening, and this should go some way towards solving that issue - although Sony hasn't confirmed exactly what will be discussed in tomorrow's showing. As per Nibel on Twitter, a now-removed tweet from PlayStation Japan indicated that this showing was originally part of Sony's GDC presentations, indicating that this is far more likely to be a technical showcase than an announcement of games, or potentially even a reveal of what the consumer version of the console looks like. Some of what we officially know about the console right now is that it's called PlayStation 5, it's scheduled for release during Holiday 2020, that it will feature a solid state drive to help ease loading times, will support ray tracing, and will be backwards compatible with PS4 games. There's more we've learned through less official means - patents have seemingly revealed the controller design, someone took pictures of what seems to be the devkit, and a leak may have shown off some of its specs early. [ignvideo url="https://uk.ign.com/videos/sonys-ps5-silence-is-deafening-next-gen-console-watch"] This news comes hot on the heels of Microsoft's reveal of the full Xbox Series X specs yesterday, which also showed off the console's size, and how its controller had changed. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News, and he still wants PS5 to be a projector stored in the toecap of some cool shoes. Follow him on Twitter.

PS5 News Coming Tomorrow

PlayStation 5 system architect Mark Cerny will reveal a "deep dive" into the PS5 tomorrow, March 18, at 9am Pacific / 12pm Eastern / 4pm UK (that's 3am AEDT on March 19). Announced on Twitter, it looks as though the news will come in the form of a video or livestream, released on the PlayStation blog. As recently as last week, we'd been saying that Sony's silence on PS5 had been deafening, and this should go some way towards solving that issue - although Sony hasn't confirmed exactly what will be discussed in tomorrow's showing. As per Nibel on Twitter, a now-removed tweet from PlayStation Japan indicated that this showing was originally part of Sony's GDC presentations, indicating that this is far more likely to be a technical showcase than an announcement of games, or potentially even a reveal of what the consumer version of the console looks like. Some of what we officially know about the console right now is that it's called PlayStation 5, it's scheduled for release during Holiday 2020, that it will feature a solid state drive to help ease loading times, will support ray tracing, and will be backwards compatible with PS4 games. There's more we've learned through less official means - patents have seemingly revealed the controller design, someone took pictures of what seems to be the devkit, and a leak may have shown off some of its specs early. [ignvideo url="https://uk.ign.com/videos/sonys-ps5-silence-is-deafening-next-gen-console-watch"] This news comes hot on the heels of Microsoft's reveal of the full Xbox Series X specs yesterday, which also showed off the console's size, and how its controller had changed. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News, and he still wants PS5 to be a projector stored in the toecap of some cool shoes. Follow him on Twitter.

Animal Crossing-Loving Grandma Seems to Be a New Horizons Character Now

It appears that a new villager in Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been named after a real-life grandmother who became famous after her grandson made a video showing off her 3,500+ hour Animal Crossing: New Leaf save game. As noted by Animal Crossing World on Twitter, the new wolf villager in New Horizons has been revealed to be called Audie. The 88-year old Animal Crossing fan is called Audrey, but her in-game Mayor persona is known as Audie. While there has been no official confirmation from Nintendo, it does appear to be a hat-tip towards one of Animal Crossing’s most dedicated fans. Audrey will, naturally, be joining in the fun when New Horizons launches. Last year her grandson Paul tweeted that she has now got a Nintendo Switch and is ready to play. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/animal-crossing-new-horizons-direct-2202020"] For more, check out our Animal Crossing: New Horizons review, as well as our list of every villager we’ve seen so far, including Audie. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter.

Avatar Sequels Filming Indefinitely Delayed Due to Coronavirus

Production on James Cameron's Avatar sequels has been halted in New Zealand due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. Speaking to The New Zealand Herald, producer Jon Landau confirmed that the crew had postponed production ahead of a block of shoots in Wellington's Stone Street Studios, scheduled for April, while Wellington-based VFX company Weta Digital continues to work on the sequels amid the current hiatus. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/08/10/james-cameron-on-why-avatar-sequels-spirituality-is-essential"] "We've delayed it. We had plans to come down Friday night with a group of people and start back up and we made the decision to hold off and continue working here [Los Angeles], and come down there a little bit later than we'd planned," Landau told the outlet. "We're in the midst of a global crisis and this is not about the film industry. I think everybody needs to do now whatever we can do, as we say here, to flatten the [coronavirus] curve." Landau explained that he couldn't give a timeframe for when filming in New Zealand would resume, but confirmed that he and Cameron would be reassessing the production schedule on a daily basis "because that's how quickly things change." "We try and monitor all this and look at things and think about what is in the best interest of our crew. I call it our Avatar family. That is really paramount to us above anything," he said, adding how it had now become a priority to get "as many minutes" of VFX work sent across to Weta Digital to enable the team to progress with their digital effects tasks while the main production is paused. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"] Disney is expected to release a new Avatar movie every other year between December 2021 and December 2027, all of which will continue the story of Jake Sully, the Na'vi and the other heroes of Pandora. While the Avatar sequels are put on hold and join a growing list of TV and movie productions on hiatus, there are a number of important things that you can do to help, and stay safe, during the Coronavirus pandemic. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Fast & Furious Crossroads Launch ‘Uncertain’ in Wake of F9 Film Delay

Slightly Mad Studios’ Fast & Furious Crossroads may not launch in May 2020 as originally planned, Codemasters has revealed in a note to investors, via GamesRadar. Citing the fact that Universal Pictures has delayed the release of F9 until April 2021 (11 months later than originally scheduled), Codemasters has admitted “[t]iming for the launch of [Fast & Furious Crossroads] is now uncertain.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/13/fast-furious-crossroads-reveal-trailer"] “Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe is working closely with our partners at Universal Games and Digital Platforms regarding the F9 film’s newly announced theatrical release date of April 2021,” continues the Codemasters statement. “While not directly tied to the film, news and updates pertaining to the Fast & Furious Crossroads game will be shared once they become available.” “The development team at Slightly Mad Studios and Codemasters will continue to finalise the Game as planned.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=screens-fast-and-furious-crossroads&captions=true"] Fast & Furious Crossroads was announced during The Game Awards in December 2019 by franchise stars Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, who will also be playing their Fast characters Dom and Letty in the game itself. The project was first hinted at back in 2017. Fast & Furious Crossroads and Project CARS developer Slightly Mad Studios was acquired by Codemasters in November 2019. While the spread of covid-19 has resulted in a huge number of release delays and stalled productions, more importantly there are number of things you can do to stay safe during this pandemic. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter every few days @MrLukeReilly.

Birds of Prey Coming to VOD Early Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

UPDATE! Warner Bros. Home Entertainment officially announced the early digital release of Birds of Prey on Tuesday. On March 24, Birds of Prey and the Fabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn will be available to own in high definition and standard definition from select digital retailers including Amazon, FandangoNOW, iTunes, PlayStation, Vudu, Xbox and others. On April 7, Birds of Prey will be made available digitally on Video On Demand services from cable and satellite providers, and on select gaming consoles. Birds of Prey and the Fabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn features the following special features:
  • Birds Eye View Mode
  • Birds of Prey: Birds of a Feather
  • Grime and Crime
  • Wild Nerds
  • Romanesque
  • Sanity is Sooo Last Season
  • A Love/Skate Relationship
  • Gag Reel
Our original report follows. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Warner Bros. will release Birds of Prey to digital storefronts earlier than expected, according to Variety. It will be available from March 24 at an expected price of USD $20. Variety reports it will also be available to rent in April. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/05/birds-of-prey-review] The news comes as cinemas begin to close around the world and the entertainment industry continues to wrestle with the ramifications of the global covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. The decision from Warner Bros. to bump up Birds of Prey’s home release follows word from Universal Studios that several of its films that are currently in the middle of their theatrical runs would become available digitally as early as Friday, March 20. Earlier today Birds of Prey director Cathy Yan claimed via Twitter she would not be opposed to the idea of making Birds of Prey available on VOD faster than intended. cathy yanIGN’s review of Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) called the film “an anarchic glitterbomb of lunacy that boasts some of the most inventive fight sequences ever seen in a comic book movie”, although it was not able to soar as high at the box office as any previous DCEU film. While the spread of covid-19 has resulted in a huge number of release delays and stalled productions, more importantly there are number of things you can do to stay safe during this pandemic. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter every few days @MrLukeReilly.

How to Help, and Stay Safe, During the Coronavirus Pandemic

While many of us are working from home, staying home from school, and hunkering down, there will be lots of time to play games, read comics, and stream TV and movies. But between these distractions, we hope you all stay safe and, if you can, help others.

Staying Safe

The CDC guidelines on how to protect yourselves and others can be found here. These include what you’ve probably heard already: The rest of CDC’s guidelines page is helpful, with good tips even if you don’t live in the US, so please check it out.

How to Help

Even if we’re being told to maintain safe distances from one another, we can still find creative ways to help each other out -- and to help out those in need. https://www.feedingamerica.org/ Feeding America has a great tool that lets you look up local food banks and donate to them. With runs on food in stores despite supply not being curbed in any way, the most vulnerable will need access to food. https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/ According to the CDC, “Older adults and people who have severe underlying chronic medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.” Meals on Wheels delivers food to vulnerable seniors in local communities. Meal deliveries can help sustain the CDC recommended social isolation guidelines.

Local Help and Safety

Finally, do a search locally for how you can help. Local papers have great lists of local places in need. Check out these lists of places to help for New York residents and Boston residents, for example. Many local food producers and restaurants are open (and also in need of your support), so get food delivered, if need be, or practice the safe behavior above when venturing out your local restaurants and grocers. Here are some of the latest local guidelines for staying safe and healthy in populous US regions; your region is likely just a search away. For international readers, please also search for local ways to stay safe. For English language readers worldwide, here are some helpful links: We plan to bring you our regular coverage of podcasts, shows, guides, and news about all of the stuff you can play and watch at home. That means we’ll be taking some steps to protect ourselves -- like working from home, instead of from our offices and studios. You can expect our shows and other videos to look a little different as we shift to remote dial-ins and streaming. Stay safe.