Publisher and developer Level-5 appear to be ending operations in North America. There are currently no concrete plans to release any more games outside of Japan. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Level-5 International America and smaller spin-off studio Level-5 Abby began laying off the majority of its of employees sometime in the middle of 2019, although the exact number of employees is unknown. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ni-no-kuni-cross-worlds-screenshots&captions=true"] There is no indication as to why Level-5 is shutting down outside Japan, but employees from the Abby location were "given every indication" that the studio would be ceasing operations. Only a couple employees remained to maintain day-to-day operations while Level-5 focused its attention on the Japan office. Level-5 is known primarily for the Ni no Kuni series of games as well as the popular Yo-Kai Watch titles, both of which feature games as well as anime adaptations. Earlier this year Level-5 confirmed the third mainline installment of the Ni no Kuni series is currently in development with a tentative 2020 release date in Japan, although no updates have been given as to the status of development. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/26/ni-no-kuni-cross-worlds-15-minutes-of-gameplay-japanese-vo-tgs-2020] Additionally, a mobile spin-off of the Ni no Kuni series, titled Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds, was revealed recently during Tokyo Games Show. Gameplay shown during the presentation was later uploaded to YouTube along with English subtitles. No official announcement was made indicating it would be coming stateside, however. Netflix recently added a Ni no Kuni feature-length film to its catalog (stylized as NiNoKuni) featuring a new cast of characters and an original story. Yo-Kai Watch 4 was announced for Nintendo Switch in 2018 with a launch in Japan in late 2019. There are currently no plans to release the sequel outside of Japan at this time, although it's unlikely we'll see any of the recent on in-development titles localized now. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, and Review writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.

A Sonic the Hedgehog-inspired skin is coming to Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout later this week as part of the kickoff for Season 2. Starting on Wednesday, October 14, players will have a chance to spend their hard-earned crowns on a full Sonic the Hedgehog costume. It will cost 10 crowns to complete the set and you can check out the outfit below. Will the costume make you faster in Fall Guys? No, it’s cosmetic only. But if you wanted to see what it’s like to get beat in Fall Guys by a bean wearing a Sonic outfit, this is your chance. Fall Guys developers MediaTonic has collaborated with plenty of developers to bring themed-outfits to its popular battle royale. Last season saw a bunch of Valve and Devolver Digital-inspired outfits including Chell from Portal and Mask from Hotline Miami. Expect more outfits in Season 2, including a potential Ninja-inspired skin considering he won a charity auction Mediatonic hosted to choose a new collab-skin. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/05/fall-guys-season-2-exclusive-knight-fever-level-reveal"] Fall Guys Season 2 premiered last week, and the overall theme for the season is a bit Medieval. Check out IGN’s exclusive look into how one of the new stages, Knight Fever, was developed and our Fall Guys guide to see every new stage and level in Season 2. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

A Sonic the Hedgehog-inspired skin is coming to Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout later this week as part of the kickoff for Season 2. Starting on Wednesday, October 14, players will have a chance to spend their hard-earned crowns on a full Sonic the Hedgehog costume. It will cost 10 crowns to complete the set and you can check out the outfit below. Will the costume make you faster in Fall Guys? No, it’s cosmetic only. But if you wanted to see what it’s like to get beat in Fall Guys by a bean wearing a Sonic outfit, this is your chance. Fall Guys developers MediaTonic has collaborated with plenty of developers to bring themed-outfits to its popular battle royale. Last season saw a bunch of Valve and Devolver Digital-inspired outfits including Chell from Portal and Mask from Hotline Miami. Expect more outfits in Season 2, including a potential Ninja-inspired skin considering he won a charity auction Mediatonic hosted to choose a new collab-skin. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/05/fall-guys-season-2-exclusive-knight-fever-level-reveal"] Fall Guys Season 2 premiered last week, and the overall theme for the season is a bit Medieval. Check out IGN’s exclusive look into how one of the new stages, Knight Fever, was developed and our Fall Guys guide to see every new stage and level in Season 2. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Hunger Games movie producer Nina Jacobson has spoken about how the upcoming President Snow prequel will explore the evolution of Panem and its future leader. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly at New York Comic Con, the creative professionals behind the Hunger Games explained how the prequel movie will differ from the franchise's other big-screen adaptations. Jacobson noted, this time, the games will be viewed from an entirely new perspective in a completely different time period, which is "considerably less glitzy." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/11/23/ranking-the-hunger-games-movies"] "Well it is very early on, they do take place in very different times," Jacobson said. "This is the 10th Hunger Games as opposed to Catching Fire's 75th... I think that the Hunger Games are considerably less glitzy than they ultimately become. So I think there's a lot of fun in that and seeing what they used to be and that that will be interesting. "And I think that seeing a Capitol character with a point of view that takes you through a good part of the story is something we've never really done. We've had great Capitol characters, but we've only really ever seen them through the eyes our district protagonist, we've never really seen the world through the eyes of a Capitol character - especially Snow." David Levithan, publisher and editor of the Hunger Games books, referred to the evolution of Snow as "interesting," though he admitted that, for him, the "more interesting part was seeing the evolution of Panem." In this earlier time period, the Hunger Games were much more "rudimentary" and centered around a completely different District 12 tribute. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=jennifer-lawrence-cinemascores&captions=true"] "I've very excited about introducing Lucy," Jacobson said. "Lucy is a character who is much more aware of the power of her femininity. Katniss is much more quiet, a woman of few words. Lucy as a performer is a very different kind of character... Lucy is more mysterious because she is an entertainer. She is playing, in her own way, to the crowd." Lionsgate announced earlier this year that it was developing a feature film version of Suzanne Collins's prequel novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Francis Lawrence, who helmed Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1, and Mockingjay Part 2, is attached to direct the next picture from a screenplay by Oscar-winner Michael Arndt. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Hunger Games movie producer Nina Jacobson has spoken about how the upcoming President Snow prequel will explore the evolution of Panem and its future leader. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly at New York Comic Con, the creative professionals behind the Hunger Games explained how the prequel movie will differ from the franchise's other big-screen adaptations. Jacobson noted, this time, the games will be viewed from an entirely new perspective in a completely different time period, which is "considerably less glitzy." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/11/23/ranking-the-hunger-games-movies"] "Well it is very early on, they do take place in very different times," Jacobson said. "This is the 10th Hunger Games as opposed to Catching Fire's 75th... I think that the Hunger Games are considerably less glitzy than they ultimately become. So I think there's a lot of fun in that and seeing what they used to be and that that will be interesting. "And I think that seeing a Capitol character with a point of view that takes you through a good part of the story is something we've never really done. We've had great Capitol characters, but we've only really ever seen them through the eyes our district protagonist, we've never really seen the world through the eyes of a Capitol character - especially Snow." David Levithan, publisher and editor of the Hunger Games books, referred to the evolution of Snow as "interesting," though he admitted that, for him, the "more interesting part was seeing the evolution of Panem." In this earlier time period, the Hunger Games were much more "rudimentary" and centered around a completely different District 12 tribute. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=jennifer-lawrence-cinemascores&captions=true"] "I've very excited about introducing Lucy," Jacobson said. "Lucy is a character who is much more aware of the power of her femininity. Katniss is much more quiet, a woman of few words. Lucy as a performer is a very different kind of character... Lucy is more mysterious because she is an entertainer. She is playing, in her own way, to the crowd." Lionsgate announced earlier this year that it was developing a feature film version of Suzanne Collins's prequel novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Francis Lawrence, who helmed Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1, and Mockingjay Part 2, is attached to direct the next picture from a screenplay by Oscar-winner Michael Arndt. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Injustice: Gods Among Us writer Tom Taylor and Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures artist Jon Sommariva are teaming up for a YA graphic novel series called Neverlanders, which will reveal the dark, war-torn future of the Peter Pan universe. Neverlanders focuses on a group of runaway children who are whisked away to Neverland by the last surviving member of the Lost Boys. Since Peter Pan's disappearance, Neverland has become consumed by civil war. These new heroes will have to join forces with General Tinkerbell's fairy army to quell a pirate uprising and seek out the true heir to Pan himself. Check out a first look at the series and Sommariva's character designs in the slideshow gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=neverlanders-reveals-the-dark-future-of-the-peter-pan-universe&captions=true"] “A few years ago I was away in Fiji with my family, and I was supposed to not be working," said Taylor in a statement. "I didn’t even have my laptop with me. But one night, instead of sleeping, the idea of Neverlanders came to me. Over the next few hours, I filled a hotel notebook with the start of this story. Before I fell asleep, I’d already messaged Jon Sommariva with the idea, and the biggest twists and turns." Taylor continued, "Neverlanders is a story for now. It feels like the exact right time for an epic tale of young people fighting for their future and standing against short-sighted, greedy adults." Neverlanders is the best of both worlds," said Sommariva. "There is a familiarity to Neverland and its inhabitants, but we are also able to use that as a starting point to create a whole new set of characters and creatures along with our version of Neverland. I get to draw and reimagine mermaids, goblins, pirates, fairies and our version of the lost ones. It’s an artists dream playground." Neverlanders will be published through Random House Publishing's imprint Razorbill. Random House won exclusive English language rights to the first two Neverlanders graphic novels in an auction. The first volume is expected to be released in Summer 2022. Taylor is also the co-creator of The Deep, a science fiction graphic novel series that inspired the Netflix animated series of the same name. While it remains to be seen if Neverlanders will get an animated adaptation of its own, it certainly seems ripe for that treatment. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/11/how-does-netflix-choose-which-shows-to-cancel"] For now, fans can look for Taylor's work in Injustice Year Zero, a prequel set before the fateful day Superman killed the Joker, and superhero zombie comics like DCeased 2 and DCeased: Hope at World's End. And if you're hungry for more dark updates to popular fairy tales, why not check out the "Mad Max meets Wizard of Oz" series The O.Z.? [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.

Injustice: Gods Among Us writer Tom Taylor and Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures artist Jon Sommariva are teaming up for a YA graphic novel series called Neverlanders, which will reveal the dark, war-torn future of the Peter Pan universe. Neverlanders focuses on a group of runaway children who are whisked away to Neverland by the last surviving member of the Lost Boys. Since Peter Pan's disappearance, Neverland has become consumed by civil war. These new heroes will have to join forces with General Tinkerbell's fairy army to quell a pirate uprising and seek out the true heir to Pan himself. Check out a first look at the series and Sommariva's character designs in the slideshow gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=neverlanders-reveals-the-dark-future-of-the-peter-pan-universe&captions=true"] “A few years ago I was away in Fiji with my family, and I was supposed to not be working," said Taylor in a statement. "I didn’t even have my laptop with me. But one night, instead of sleeping, the idea of Neverlanders came to me. Over the next few hours, I filled a hotel notebook with the start of this story. Before I fell asleep, I’d already messaged Jon Sommariva with the idea, and the biggest twists and turns." Taylor continued, "Neverlanders is a story for now. It feels like the exact right time for an epic tale of young people fighting for their future and standing against short-sighted, greedy adults." Neverlanders is the best of both worlds," said Sommariva. "There is a familiarity to Neverland and its inhabitants, but we are also able to use that as a starting point to create a whole new set of characters and creatures along with our version of Neverland. I get to draw and reimagine mermaids, goblins, pirates, fairies and our version of the lost ones. It’s an artists dream playground." Neverlanders will be published through Random House Publishing's imprint Razorbill. Random House won exclusive English language rights to the first two Neverlanders graphic novels in an auction. The first volume is expected to be released in Summer 2022. Taylor is also the co-creator of The Deep, a science fiction graphic novel series that inspired the Netflix animated series of the same name. While it remains to be seen if Neverlanders will get an animated adaptation of its own, it certainly seems ripe for that treatment. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/11/how-does-netflix-choose-which-shows-to-cancel"] For now, fans can look for Taylor's work in Injustice Year Zero, a prequel set before the fateful day Superman killed the Joker, and superhero zombie comics like DCeased 2 and DCeased: Hope at World's End. And if you're hungry for more dark updates to popular fairy tales, why not check out the "Mad Max meets Wizard of Oz" series The O.Z.? [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.

A new Star Wars book has filled in some of the missing pieces from Supreme Leader Snoke's backstory, including details about his origins and lineage. Twitter user Old Man Blinks shared a few notable pages from The Star Wars Book, written by Cole Horton, Pablo Hidalgo, and Dan Zehr, including a Holocron file and detailed character profile for Snoke, which describes the First Order's mysterious leader as a bioengineered entity known as a "strandcast." [caption id="attachment_2421447" align="alignnone" width="768"] Image credit: DK Publishing[/caption] "Though a Force user of impressive power, he denies any Sith lineage," the text reads. "In fact, only scant details exist regarding his origins. It's possible Snoke himself may not know his true nature. Snoke is a strandcast — an artificial genetic construct concocted by the resurrected Darth Sidious to be his proxy in power. Snoke has free will, but his actions and goals are orchestrated by Sidious." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/12/15/star-wars-we-need-to-talk-about-snoke"] The Rise of Skywalker introduced several new planets to the Star Wars galaxy, but Exegol was easily the most significant. Palpatine retreated to Exegol after his defeat at the Battle of Endor and began preparing for his final revenge. He orchestrated the rise of the First Order, creating Snoke as a vessel through which he could plot against the New Republic and turn Ben Solo to the Dark Side. The ninth film in the Star Wars saga confirmed that Emperor Palpatine had manufactured Snoke and puppeteered him from afar. We even got a glimpse of the laboratory buried deep within the Sith sanctuary on Exegol, which housed "other Snoke bodies, resting in nutrient fluid." However, this new book extract clears up some fan theories about Snoke and his purpose in the franchise. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"] The lack of an explanation about where Snoke originated from and how he ascended to power became one of the Star Wars fandom's biggest questions after The Force Awakens was released, and it continued to be a cornerstone of some of the backlash that The Last Jedi received. Fortunately, various books and supplementary material have helped to shed light on one of the galaxy's greatest mysteries. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

A new Star Wars book has filled in some of the missing pieces from Supreme Leader Snoke's backstory, including details about his origins and lineage. Twitter user Old Man Blinks shared a few notable pages from The Star Wars Book, written by Cole Horton, Pablo Hidalgo, and Dan Zehr, including a Holocron file and detailed character profile for Snoke, which describes the First Order's mysterious leader as a bioengineered entity known as a "strandcast." [caption id="attachment_2421447" align="alignnone" width="768"] Image credit: DK Publishing[/caption] "Though a Force user of impressive power, he denies any Sith lineage," the text reads. "In fact, only scant details exist regarding his origins. It's possible Snoke himself may not know his true nature. Snoke is a strandcast — an artificial genetic construct concocted by the resurrected Darth Sidious to be his proxy in power. Snoke has free will, but his actions and goals are orchestrated by Sidious." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/12/15/star-wars-we-need-to-talk-about-snoke"] The Rise of Skywalker introduced several new planets to the Star Wars galaxy, but Exegol was easily the most significant. Palpatine retreated to Exegol after his defeat at the Battle of Endor and began preparing for his final revenge. He orchestrated the rise of the First Order, creating Snoke as a vessel through which he could plot against the New Republic and turn Ben Solo to the Dark Side. The ninth film in the Star Wars saga confirmed that Emperor Palpatine had manufactured Snoke and puppeteered him from afar. We even got a glimpse of the laboratory buried deep within the Sith sanctuary on Exegol, which housed "other Snoke bodies, resting in nutrient fluid." However, this new book clears up some fan theories about Snoke and his purpose in the franchise. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"] The lack of an explanation about where Snoke originated from and how he ascended to power became one of the Star Wars fandom's biggest questions after The Force Awakens was released, and it continued to be a cornerstone of some of the backlash that The Last Jedi received. Fortunately, various books and supplementary material have helped to shed light on one of the galaxy's greatest mysteries. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Developer MiHoYo will add a new region to Genshin Impact in December. This will be the second of three planned updates, with the roadmap planning an update every six weeks. Announced on the official Genshin Impact blog, MiHoYo revealed that the game's third region, Dragonspire, will be added in late December, with an estimated arrival date of December 23. Dragonspire will be accompanied by a "related event". Before that, Version 1.1 will add the Unreconciled Stars event, and is expected to arrive on November 11. Following both of these is Version 1.3, which will arrive in February 2021 and add the Lantern Rite event. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/28/genshin-impact-launch-trailer"] "In future versions, we will combine the unique cultural and calendarial features of in-game regions with dates in the real world to host unique events in Mondstadt and Liyue," explained MiHoYo. Ludi Harpastum and the Windbloom Festival will take place in the game's first region, Mondstadt, while Lantern Rite and the Moonchase Festival will take place in the second region, Liyue. No details have yet to be provided as to what in-game activities will be available during these festivals. Alongside this six-week-interval roadmap, MiHoYo has also stated that it has intentions for new Genshin Impact characters and a next-generation console version. Genshin Impact has been a huge success, with Niko Partners senior analyst Daniel Ahmad noting that the Chinese RPG has made over $100m in under two weeks, which he believes makes it the most successful Chinese original IP. Previously Ahmad had spoken to us when Genshin Impact pulled in $50m in its first four days, with 17 million downloads on mobile alone. If you're part of Genshin Impact's huge player base, check out our guide on how to raise your adventure rank, how to use cross-save, and our interactive treasure map. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.