Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has lost another senior developer after its narrative lead Brian Mitsoda and creative director Ka'ai Cluney left the project earlier this year. In a statement issued to PC Gamer, Paradox Interactive noted that Bloodlines 2's senior narrative designer Cara Ellison has left developer Hardsuit Labs. "We can confirm that Cara Ellison has decided to leave Hardsuit Labs and is no longer working on Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. Cara brought fresh ideas to the project and many of her contributions will be present in the game launching next year. We thank her for her work on Bloodlines 2 and wish her the best in all of her future endeavors." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/08/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2-tremere-clan-trailer"] Many had surmised that Ellison had left the project after she removed references to Bloodlines 2 from her bio and announced on Twitter that she had started working for the Australian studio behind Armello, League of Geeks, as a senior narrative designer. It's not clear whether Ellison has simply completed her work on the project and is moving onto new games, but another major creative departure like this projects uncertainty around the project, especially in light of the way Mistoda and Cluney were unexpectedly dropped from Bloodlines 2 earlier this year. Shortly before the departures were announced, the game was also delayed into 2021. Hardsuit Labs and Paradox cited "the quality bar and ambitions we have set for ourselves" as reasons for the shift. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

The Batman, which stars Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight himself, is using virtual production techniques for select scenes, the same techniques that have been used for 2019's The Lion King and The Mandalorian. As reported by THR, Industrial Light & Magic's chief creative officer Rob Bredow revealed the news during this year's virtual VIEW visual effects and animation confab, and said the production team on The Batman had "pre-built practical sets in the UK and an LED wall was built around these sets to enable use of virtual production in those specific scenes." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-batman-trailer-dc-fandome-official-footage"] In season one of The Mandalorian, showrunner Jon Favreau worked with ILM to create an LED wall driven by the Unreal real-time game engine that allowed for real-time visual effects production as scenes were being filmed. ILM's StageCraft, a virtual production unit, is also being used for the production of Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder, and season two of The Mandalorian will feature even more complex virtual production techniques as the technology isn't quite as new as it was during the first season. Unfortunatly, it will be a bit of a wait until we see how virtual production has helped The Batman, as it was recently delayed to March 4, 2022. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-mandalorian-season-2&captions=true"] [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. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The Batman, which stars Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight himself, is using virtual production techniques for select scenes, the same techniques that have been used for 2019's The Lion King and The Mandalorian. As reported by THR, Industrial Light & Magic's chief creative officer Rob Bredow revealed the news during this year's virtual VIEW visual effects and animation confab, and said the production team on The Batman had "pre-built practical sets in the UK and an LED wall was built around these sets to enable use of virtual production in those specific scenes." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-batman-trailer-dc-fandome-official-footage"] In season one of The Mandalorian, showrunner Jon Favreau worked with ILM to create an LED wall driven by the Unreal real-time game engine that allowed for real-time visual effects production as scenes were being filmed. ILM's StageCraft, a virtual production unit, is also being used for the production of Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder, and season two of The Mandalorian will feature even more complex virtual production techniques as the technology isn't quite as new as it was during the first season. Unfortunatly, it will be a bit of a wait until we see how virtual production has helped The Batman, as it was recently delayed to March 4, 2022. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-mandalorian-season-2&captions=true"] [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. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

With the first season of HBO's Lovecraft Country coming to a close this past weekend, one of the biggest unanswered questions is whether or not the show will be returning for a second season. While nothing is confirmed, there are talks happening at HBO and, if it were to go forward, it would continue in the spirit of Matt Ruff's novel. In an interview with Lovecraft Country's showrunner Misha Green, Rolling Stone asked what the chances were that HBO would greenlight a second season. "We’re in talks with HBO," Green said. "I just finished the finishing touches of Season One three weeks ago. But I’m excited about exploring Season Two and what we have in mind. Nothing’s official." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/05/hbos-lovecraft-country-teaser-trailer"] Green also spoke to Deadline, and revealed a bit more of what she hopes a potential season 2 would look like. "Nothing is official yet, but I envision a second season that carries on the spirit of Matt Ruff’s novel by continuing to reclaim the genre storytelling space that people of color have typically been left out of." Lovecraft Country's first season ended with an episode called "Full Circle," and in our review, we said "Lovecraft Country has attempted numerous times to infuse its characteristic flavor of contemporary pulp with thematic profundity, and, in a number of those instances, has managed to succeed in its aspirations. These are the aspects the show will likely be best remembered for: its incisive themes, its stirring performances, and its bold narrative choices that deconstruct and juxtapose the conventions of pulp-horror with the real-life horrors of being black in America. These qualities are apparent and present throughout this season’s finale, but so are its faults." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=lovecraft-country-season-1-photos&captions=true"] [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. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

With the first season of HBO's Lovecraft Country coming to a close this past weekend, one of the biggest unanswered questions is whether or not the show will be returning for a second season. While nothing is confirmed, there are talks happening at HBO and, if it were to go forward, it would continue in the spirit of Matt Ruff's novel. In an interview with Lovecraft Country's showrunner Misha Green, Rolling Stone asked what the chances were that HBO would greenlight a second season. "We’re in talks with HBO," Green said. "I just finished the finishing touches of Season One three weeks ago. But I’m excited about exploring Season Two and what we have in mind. Nothing’s official." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/05/hbos-lovecraft-country-teaser-trailer"] Green also spoke to Deadline, and revealed a bit more of what she hopes a potential season 2 would look like. "Nothing is official yet, but I envision a second season that carries on the spirit of Matt Ruff’s novel by continuing to reclaim the genre storytelling space that people of color have typically been left out of." Lovecraft Country's first season ended with an episode called "Full Circle," and in our review, we said "Lovecraft Country has attempted numerous times to infuse its characteristic flavor of contemporary pulp with thematic profundity, and, in a number of those instances, has managed to succeed in its aspirations. These are the aspects the show will likely be best remembered for: its incisive themes, its stirring performances, and its bold narrative choices that deconstruct and juxtapose the conventions of pulp-horror with the real-life horrors of being black in America. These qualities are apparent and present throughout this season’s finale, but so are its faults." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=lovecraft-country-season-1-photos&captions=true"] [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. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Borat, who is claiming to be "Kazakhstan's biggest gamer," will be going live on Twitch to face off against DrLupo in a "battle for global supremacy." Announced on Twitter by Twitch, this epic battle will take place on Twitch.TV/DrLupo on October 20 at 3pm PT/6pm ET/11pm BST, although it is yet unclear as to what games will be played. This event will take place a few days before The Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan makes its way to Amazon Prime on October 23. This new Borat film was announced only earlier this month, after much speculation that Sacha Baron Cohen was planning to release his follow-up to 2006's Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan ahead of the US election in an attempt to reach younger voters. This new Borat movie was said to have been filmed internationally, with those involved in the production saying that Cohen had "risked his life multiple times to shoot the scenes in this film," and he even required a bulletproof vest in some locations. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/01/borat-2-official-trailer"] [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. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Borat, who is claiming to be "Kazakhstan's biggest gamer," will be going live on Twitch to face off against DrLupo in a "battle for global supremacy." Announced on Twitter by Twitch, this epic battle will take place on Twitch.TV/DrLupo on October 20 at 3pm PT/6pm ET/11pm BST, although it is yet unclear as to what games will be played. This event will take place a few days before The Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan makes its way to Amazon Prime on October 23. This new Borat film was announced only earlier this month, after much speculation that Sacha Baron Cohen was planning to release his follow-up to 2006's Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan ahead of the US election in an attempt to reach younger voters. This new Borat movie was said to have been filmed internationally, with those involved in the production saying that Cohen had "risked his life multiple times to shoot the scenes in this film," and he even required a bulletproof vest in some locations. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/01/borat-2-official-trailer"] [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. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Sony has released a new, static Black Lives Matter theme for free to all PS4 owners who want to support the movement. The theme features a black and yellow colorway and features a raised fist and the words Black Lives Matter written off to the side. It's available for free right now on the PlayStation Store. [caption id="attachment_2426236" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Credit: Sony[/caption] Sony and PlayStation have both shown support for Black Lives Matter in the past. PlayStation postponed its PS5 event last June in solidarity, and the Sony Twitter account posted a statement of solidarity back in May 2020. Microsoft and Xbox, along with companies like EA, Activision Blizzard, Nintendo, Rockstar, Bethesda, and more have also posted statements in support of Black Lives Matter following the death of George Floyd. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.