Call of Duty: Warzone players on PS4 won’t require an active PS Plus subscription to play the new battle royale. Those playing on Xbox One, however, will need to have a current Xbox Live Gold subscription to get involved. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/09/call-of-duty-warzone-official-trailer"] Activision confirmed the situation to IGN, explaining that PlayStation Plus is not required to download and play Warzone, although those who do have an active subscription will be able to download the exclusive Warzone Combat Pack for the PS Store. Full details on what the pack contains has yet to be revealed. The situation does not extend to Xbox players, though, as those on Microsoft’s platform will require an active Xbox Live Gold subscription and there is no Combat Pack equivalent. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=call-of-duty-warzone-screenshots&captions=true"] Warzone is the new Call of Duty battle royale based on Modern Warfare. Like Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode, it features a huge map made up of both classic COD multiplayer maps and original areas, and the gunplay and combat features from its ‘parent’ game. It’s free DLC for Modern Warfare, but also available as a standalone free-to-play game, too. It goes live for Modern Warfare players at 11am ET / 8am PT / 3pm UK, and is available standalone from 3pm ET / 12pm PT / 7pm UK today. For more, check out the news of Call of Duty: Warzone’s official reveal, and what was spotted in the early gameplay leak. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

Microsoft has announced a two-day slate of livestreams, billed as a replacement to its talks and panels at the now-postponed Game Developers Conference. One of those talks is titled 'Xbox Series X + Project xCloud = New Chapter in Gaming', leading to speculation that we could learn new details about the next-gen console. Titled Game Stack Live, the series of livestreams will air on Mixer across March 17-18, and will allow viewers to "learn about the latest cloud and game development technologies from Microsoft, go behind the scenes with the creators at Xbox Game Studios and the ID@Xbox program, and level up with deep technical talks and panel discussions led by industry leaders." 'Xbox Series X + Project xCloud = New Chapter in Gaming' will air on Wednesday, March 18 at 11.40am Pacific / 2.40pm Eastern / 6.40pm UK (that's March 19 at 5.40am AET). Microsoft hasn't specifically said the talk will include new information, but the interaction between Series X and xCloud (Microsoft's game streaming service) is still relatively unexplored. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/06/what-xboxs-12-teraflops-actually-do-next-gen-console-watch"] There's a lot more besides the Series X talk, too – talks will come from members of the teams behind Gears 5, Sea of Thieves, Wasteland, and more, and the final talk includes discussion of technical details we know are confirmed as Xbox Series X features. GDC talks are traditionally more developer focused, so all of them are likely to fall on the more technical side. You can see the full schedule (all timings in PT) below: Day 1 - March 17, 2020​

• 10:00 Welcome to Game Stack Live!​
• 10:25 How The Coalition built Gears 5 to be more accessible
• 10:45 Building accessibility into your game - the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines
• 11:00 Panel: The changing nature of today’s game industry
• 11:35 Panel: How to be intentionally inclusive in your game design
• 12:15 What is Microsoft Game Stack?
• 12:30 The Importance of LiveOps
• 1:00 Rare: Building Sea of Thieves with a LiveOps Mentality
• 1:35 What it means to run a game studio – a conversation with Turn 10
• 2:00 Maximizing impact and reach for your independent games with the ID@Xbox team​

Day 2 - March 18, 2020

• 10:00 Previously on Game Stack Live
• 10:15 How inXile used creative iteration to drive Wasteland's development
• 10:40 Panel: How online services are defining the next generation of game development
• 11:40 Xbox Series X + Project xCloud = New Chapter in Gaming
• 12:40 The spark of creativity that drives Double Fine
• 1:20 What’s new in DirectX: Raytracing, mesh shading, and more

We've learned quite a lot about Series X in the last few months, from how it looks, to how powerful it is, to one of its exclusives. Here's everything we know in one handy place.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News, and one thing is missing from all of this coverage, at least in his opinion – a next-gen Dynasty Warriors. Follow him on Twitter.

It wasn't suppose to happen like this. Disney was originally slated to open Mulan in theaters on March 27 -- the film was tracking to have the biggest domestic opening of 2020 -- before the studio postponed it to July 24 and then August 21 before they finally decided to forego a theatrical release entirely in favor of a debut on Disney+ on September 4 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Back in March, those invited to cover the film's L.A. press junket were allowed to share their reactions on social media to having seen director Niki Caro's loose reimagining of the 1998 animated classic. At the time, we rounded up those generally positive social media reactions to this new Mulan, which you can find below (this article was originally published March 9). Little did anyone realize at the time that these lucky members of the press corps would have an experience -- seeing Mulan on the big screen in a theater full of people -- that many around the world will now probably never have. Let's look back at what the media had to say about Mulan all those ages ago, back in March ... [poilib element="accentDivider"] Members of the press were able to attend early screenings of Disney's remake of Mulan, and first impressions are overly positive. Many claim that while there is a bit changed from 1998's Mulan, it more than makes up for it and may even be the best live-action adaptation of a Disney classic yet. Many claim it doesn't even matter that this one isn't a musical. Mulan has great action scenes, a more mature tone, and is "surprisingly sexy for a Disney movie." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/02/mulan-official-final-trailer"] Here's our roundup of the first social reactions to Mulan ahead of its theatrical release on March 27, 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Fandango's Erik Davis said Mulan is "exciting, vibrant, emotional, and different from the animated version." Geekbomb's Maude Garrett loved the film, saying the "costumes & fighting/stunts were incredible." Insider's Kirsten Acuna thought Mulan was "absolutely fantastic," and that it "doesn't even matter that it's not a musical." Yahoo's Kevin Polowy has seen Mulan twice already and thinks it is "easily Disney's best live action reboot." Mashable's Angie J. Han says Mulan is the best Disney live-action remake since Cinderella. Mashable's Alison Foreman said that even though Mulan "leaves a lot behind," it "offers much more in its absence." Slashfilm's Peter Sciretta was not a huge fan of the original, so he was "very surprised" at home much he liked the remake. The Movie Couple's Wendy Lee Szany praised Mulan's cast and said there are "lots of little moments" that will make fans of the original happy. The Geekly Show's Tessa Smith called Mulan "absolutely magical." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who can't wait and is so excited he just can't hide it. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The Guardians of the Galaxy might be joining the fourth Thor movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, according to Groot voice actor Vin Diesel. "I am waiting and excited for my friend James Gunn to knock this next one out of the park," Diesel told Comicbook.com in a recent interview. "He took The Suicide Squad so he's about to embark on it. Thor will also, the director talked to me about Thor will incorporate some of the Guardians of the Galaxy." The last we saw of Thor, it seemed that his next departure would be by way of the Guardians of the Galaxy, with speculation that he would appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Guardian star Chris Pratt said there's no definitive yes or no to that speculation during IGN's red carpet event for Pixar's Onward, but it would seem that this Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy team-up might be happening in Love and Thunder. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/24/thor-can-love-and-thunder-redeem-jane-foster-the-way-ragnarok-did-thor"] Diesel seemingly recognized that this information wasn't yet known during the interview. "That'll be very interesting, nobody knows, maybe I shouldn't have said anything," Diesel said, as neither Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi nor Guardians director James Gunn have yet to confirm this information. If Diesel is right, Love and Thunder director and writer Taika Waititi will be seeing Diesel and the other Guardians this August when Thor 4's production begins in Australia. Love and Thunder is set prior to the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, director James Gunn confirmed last year, but he didn't say whether Thor will be in the movie. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=thor-love-and-thunder-6-characters-christian-bale-could-play&captions=true"] Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy interacting on screen in an upcoming MCU movie wouldn't be surprising considering where we last saw these characters, but we do wonder how the two will interact under the direction of Waititi. We do, however,  know that Love and Thunder will be "bigger and louder and more bombastic," according to Waititi. Christian Bale reportedly will be the villain Thor and possibly the Guardians face off against in Love and Thunder when the film is released on November 5, 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.   

Dominique “SonicFox” McLean won first prize at the Mortal Kombat Final Kombat 2020 tournament and managed to get out an endorsement to democratic primary candidate Bernie Sanders.

SonicFox really just won the Mortal Kombat world championship, came out in fursuit wrapped in the trans flag, grabbed the mic and said "Vote Bernie" Legendary shit pic.twitter.com/Vu63DuWfXo

— BedWords (@snacklesbian) March 9, 2020

McLean wore their SonicFox fursuit and a transgender pride flag during their trophy acceptance, which came with a large commemorative hammer because this is Mortal Kombat. While they were unable to offer a full acceptance speech, McLean was able to get the mic briefly to tell the audience at home to ‘Vote Bernie.’ [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-mortal-kombat-game-review&captions=true"] The 2020 Final Kombat tournament was not held in front of a live audience due to coronavirus concerns. The open qualifiers meant to be held a week before Final Kombat was also canceled, with the spot being awarded to Zoulfikar ‘Kombat’ Dayekh. SonicFox was able to win using their Injustice 2 and Mortal Kombat 11 main, Joker, and earned a $40,000 prize. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/01/17/mortal-kombat-11-gameplay-reveal"] McLean, who identifies as non-binary, is a proud proponent of LGBTQ+ rights and has used their platform to show support for the community. During the 2018 Game Awards after winning Esports Player of the Year, McLean said on stage, “I’m gay, black, a furry — pretty much everything a Republican hates.” They’re also now world champion of both NetherRealm’s fighting games, Mortal Kombat 11 and Injustice 2. Meanwhile, Mortal Kombat 11 finally revealed its latest guest character, Spawn, which you can check out here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter. Photo credit: Robert Paul, NetherRealm Studios

Season 4 of Netflix's Stranger Things will be bigger than its previous seasons, according to Netflix Vice President of Physical Production Momita SenGupta (via Deadline). SenGupta and another Netflix physical production vice president, Patty Whitcher, sat down for a fireside chat with Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr., and SenGupta teased some of what Stranger Things fans can expect in the upcoming season. "Season 4 is bigger, bolder and more intricate than ever," SenGupta said. "So this is the first time the show will be traveling beyond Atlanta." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=stranger-things-season-3s-80s-references-a-side-by-side-comparison&captions=true"] The first three seasons of Stranger Things were shot in Atlanta, but portions of Season 4 were shot in New Mexico, Deadline reports. According to Deadline, Netflix purchased Albuquerque Studios in New Mexico in 2018, committing to spend more than $1 billion on production on Netflix movies and shows there over the next decade. The company has already spent over $150 million, Deadline reports, and has employed 2000 vendors alongside 1600 cast and crew members. What the new shooting location for Stranger Things means is still to be seen. SenGupta wouldn't share if any of Stranger Things' Jim Hopper's Russian-set scenes were shot in the state. "If I told you that, I would be disappearing into the Witness Protection Program," SenGupta said. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/08/14/15-even-stranger-things-to-check-out-after-stranger-things"] She did share, however, that Netflix's new facilities in New Mexico "lent themselves to the story" being told in Season 4. A release date for Season 4 of Stranger Things is currently unknown, but we have some theories on when the show will return. In the meantime, read up on some of the big surprises teased for Season 4, and then check out the first episode's title. Check out some Stranger Things cast bloopers and funny moments while you're at it too. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=stranger-things-11-amazing-times-eleven-used-her-powers&captions=true"] If you can't get enough Stranger Things while waiting for Season 4, check out Nancy Wheeler and Steve Harrington in Dead by Daylight. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBland is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé has joined the GameStop board of directors, the retail company announced today. Fils-Aimé, along with two more new board members, was brought on to help guide the company back to profitability. “The board refreshment and governance enhancements announced today represent an important milestone in GameStop’s transformation as we continue to evolve the company’s business strategy for long-term success,” said GameStop chief executive George Sherman in a statement. In a tweet announcing the news Fils-Aimé said, "The gaming industry needs a healthy and vibrant @GameStop. I look forward to being a part of @gamestopcorp Board and helping to make this happen." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=gamestop-experimental-stores&captions=true"] Fils-Aimé was added along with veteran retail business executive Bill Simon and PetSmart CEO J.K. Symancyk as part of the reshuffle. “We are pleased to welcome Reggie, Bill, and J.K. to the board,” says Sherman. “They are each highly qualified and bring significant, relevant experience to our turnaround,” Sherman added. “We look forward to immediately benefitting from their expertise and perspectives as we navigate the evolving gaming and retail environments, execute on our strategic initiatives and prepare the Company to maximize value-creation associated with the next generation of console launches later this year.” Reggie Fils-Aimé served as president of Nintendo of America from 2006 to 2019, overseeing successful hardware launches such the Nintendo Wii, 3DS, and Nintendo Switch, as well as some disappointments like the Wii U. Fils-Aimé retired in April 2019. GameStop has posted quarterly losses since the growth of digital game sales and online retailers like Amazon. Since the end of 2019, GameStop has been experimenting with creating experiential stores across Tulsa, Oklahoma. Bringing aboard veteran businessmen like Fils-Aimé appears to be another decision to try and save the business which previously failed to find a buyer in 2018. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.

Netflix has announced that its space-faring series, Lost in Space, will return for a third and final season in 2021. "The Robinson Family’s epic space journey towards Alpha Centauri will conclude," Netflix said via a press release. The streamer also revealed that Lost in Space showrunner Zack Estrin has agreed to a multi-year deal to produce more original series exclusively at Netflix. And according to Estrin, Lost in Space is ending on its own terms when Season 3 concludes, rather than being cancelled. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=lost-in-space-season-2-gallery&captions=true"] "From the beginning, we've always viewed this particular story of The Robinsons as a trilogy," Estrin explained. "A three-part epic family adventure with a clear beginning, middle, and end. It's also worth noting that, with what these characters go through just trying to survive each episode — if anyone deserves to catch their breath before their next mission -- it’s Will, Penny, Judy, Maureen, John, Don West, Dr. Smith... and The Robot. And, of course, Debbie the Chicken. So while this chapter of Lost In Space is coming to a rousing conclusion, I’m excited about continuing to explore new stories with my friends at Netflix, and for all of the incredible possibilities that lie ahead.” If you need a refresher, be sure to check out our review of Lost in Space Season 2, and find out what's coming to Netflix in March 2020. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/28/new-to-netflix-for-march-2020"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

DC Comics has finally announced a release date for the long-awaited Batman: Three Jokers, along with new details about how the series connects to one of the most iconic Batman stories of all time. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, writer Geoff Johns and artist Jason Fabok reveal they've completed work on Three Jokers. The first issue is scheduled for release on Wednesday, June 17. By the time Batman: Three Jokers #1 hits stores, it'll have been over four years since Johns and Fabok first teased the Three Jokers storyline in 2016's Justice League #50, and over two years since Three Jokers was officially announced. Justice League #50 revealed there have actually been three distinct versions of Joker over the years, ostensibly explaining why Batman has had such a hard time uncovering his true identity. DC has also released new cover art spotlighting each Joker in turn, with the three villains acting out the Three Wise Monkeys maxim: "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." You can see those covers and more new art in the gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=batman-faces-the-deadly-mystery-of-the-three-jokers&captions=true"] According to Johns, the three Jokers featured in this story will be based on the original incarnation of the character introduced in 1940's Batman #1 and the versions seen in 1988's Batman: A Death in the Family and Batman: The Killing Joke. The latter two stories dealt with Joker murdering Jason Todd and paralyzing Barbara Gordon, respectively, so it's fitting that both characters will accompany Batman in his latest Joker-related investigation. “It goes back to the beginning when Batman first encountered the Joker, but it’s also The Killing Joke and A Death in the Family that speak to the book and that we’re building off emotionally,” Johns told EW. “Barbara and Jason have gone through so much, as has Bruce, and it’s really focused on healing, on scars and wounds and what that does to somebody. If you suffer some trauma, you don’t just get over with it and move on with your life, it changes who you are. Sometimes it changes you for the better, sometimes it changes you for the worse. You can heal right, and you can heal wrong. That’s really what the book’s about: Healing right, healing wrong, and surviving.” The Killing Joke will have an especially profound influence on this new series. Not only will Three Jokers build on one of the greatest tragedies to befall the Batman family, the book will pay visual tribute to Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's iconic tale. Fabok compares his work to the way Doomsday Clock replicated the language and imagery of Watchmen, saying, "I consciously infused a lot of that Brian Bolland, even the way he would tell stories through his panels. The Killing Joke has sat next to my desk for the last two years. I've been constantly referencing it, and even following a lot of the rules of how he laid out his panels in that book. I really want it to feel like it could be a spiritual sequel, at least artistically.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/09/27/the-many-origins-of-the-joker"] Fabok also reiterated that he and Johns are well aware of how long fans have been waiting for Three Jokers and are hoping to deliver a comic that lives up to the hype. The good news is that since Fabok has finished drawing all three issues, the series should have no problem remaining on schedule. Update - we've been able to confirm with DC that the series will ship monthly, with Three Jokers #2 arriving in July and Three Jokers #3 in August. "I see fans on Twitter and I know they’re getting impatient, they want this book to come out," Fabok said. "Geoff and I have come to realize that everything will happen within its time. Because it’s taken so long, we’ve actually made this story better. Everything’s come together so naturally, we’re so pumped up and so confident in this story." Are you still excited for Three Jokers after four years? Let us know in the comments below. Then find out about Joker War, a story DC is billing as the final showdown between Batman and Joker, and see IGN's most anticipated comics of 2020. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.