Monthly Archives: February 2021
Everything You Need To Know to Watch BlizzCon 2021
Last year’s BlizzCon was postponed as the pandemic made it unsafe for Blizzard to hold its usual celebratory gathering at the Anaheim Convention Center. This month it returns, rebranded as BlizzConline, a completely digital event where fans can gather and celebrate their favorite games virtually. It’s also a momentous occasion – Blizzard will be celebrating its 30th anniversary – and if you don’t want to miss it, here’s everything you need to know to join in.
BlizzCon 2021 Dates and Time
BlizzCon 2021 (or BlizzConline) will take place on February 19 and 20. On the first day, the show lasts for about 4 hours, kicking off at 2pm PT/5pm ET/10pm GMT and ending around 6pm PT/9pm ET/2am GMT. On day two, the show starts earlier and lasts a smidge longer, picking back up at 12pm PT/3pm ET/8pm GMT and ending at 4:40pm PT/7:30pm ET/12:30am GMT.BlizzCon Start Times
Day One- 2pm PT
- 5pm ET
- 10pm GMT
- 12pm PT
- 3pm ET
- 8pm GMT
How to Watch BlizzCon 2021
Unlike prior BlizzCons, everyone will be able to watch this year's show from home for free. Yes, that means you don't need to purchase any tickets. We'll be hosting the BlizzConline stream here, the IGN homepage, and on all of our social channels, apps, and more. Here's the full list of places you can watch BlizzCon 2021 with us:- IGN.com (homepage)
- IGN's Facebook Channel
- IGN’s Twitter
- IGN's Twitch Channel
- IGN’s Youtube Channel
- IGN's TikTok
- IGN's iOS App
- IGN's Android App
- IGN's PlayStation 4 App
- IGN's Xbox One App
- Roku
- IGN App for Android TV
- IGN for Amazon Fire TV
- Apple TV
- IGN 1 on Samsung TV Plus
- Pluto TV
- Plex Live TV
BlizzCon 2021 Schedule
As usual, you can view the full BlizzConline schedule on the official website. The show is split up across six channels, each with a name based on the content that will be primarily shown there.- Blizzard: On the first day, this will mostly feature newsy panels regarding Blizzard’s main games. On the second day, a Critical Role Diablo campaign.
- World of Warcraft: Every World of Warcraft panel, including What’s Next, Deep Dive, Making of the Wandering Ancient Mount, Voices of the Afterlife, Q&A, The Evolution of Thrall, and Cooking Workshop.
- Hearthstone: Every Hearthstone panel, including Deep Dive, Battlegrounds Exhibition, Q&A, a Blizzard Art Studio on Reno Jackson, Streamer Showdown, and Bartender Bob’s Advice.
- Diablo: Every Diablo panel, including What’s Next, The Voice of Deckard Cain, Developer Roundtable, The Gothic World of Brom, Deep Dive, Q&A, and Artists at Work: Diablo Hive Mother Part 1 and Part 2.
- Overwatch: Every Overwatch panel, including Behind the Scenes of Overwatch 2, The Voices of Overwatch, Creating a Soundtrack, Overwatch League: Shock vs. The World, Community-Made Creations in the Workshop, Overwatch League: Crafts with Soe, and a Blizzard Art Studio on Roadhog.
- Strategy: Starts off as a channel for StarCraft Legends esports and then has a potpourri of panels including Where It All Started: Blizzard’s Early Years, Where It All Started: Blizzard’s Early Years, Artists at Work: CarBot Animation, a Blizzard Art Studio on Tracer followed up by another on Margrave Krexus.
BlizzCon 2021 Panels To Watch and What To Expect
If you’re looking to hear news about your favorite Blizzard games, you’ll definitely want to catch the following panels:- World of Warcraft: What’s Next
- Diablo: What’s Next
- Behind the Scenes of Overwatch 2
Absurdist Baseball Simulator Blaseball Returns Next Month
After a months-long hiatus, absurdist baseball simulator Blaseball is finally returning, with Season 12 beginning on Monday, March 1.
Blaseball launched last summer as a free, online, browser-based baseball simulator where fans gamble fake money on the outcomes of games between teams such as the Kansas City Breath Mints and the Chicago Firefighters, then use their winnings to vote on rule changes for future games. The game achieved a level of cult popularity as rogue umpires began to incinerate favorite players, a giant peanut god descended and wreaked havoc, and fans across teams collaborated to fight it off in a climactic RPG-esque battle.
A total of 11 seasons -- with each season lasting a full week of 99 games and a weekend post-season -- played out last year before developers The Game Band put the game on a "Grand Siesta" to prepare future seasons. Now, the game is back with a number of new features, many of which appear to be geared toward making the game more accessible and easy-to-follow, especially for newcomers.
A new "Feed" is being added to help fans track recent events happening in Blaseball, which was previously challenging as many of the updates were shared primarily over the game's community Discord or Twitter. Blaseball will also now take place with an on-season of three weeks, followed by an off-season of two weeks, to give fans time to catch up between events.
Additionally, The Game Band has announced a few other features whose implications are not yet known (in keeping with Blaseball's mystery, of course). "Concessions" are being added, which seems to impact the voting system somehow. There will now be "mysterious weekly team tarot readings," a "Crabitat" added for the Baltimore Crabs (a team that "ascended" last year by winning three seasons, but hasn't been seen since), and "Wills," a new feature to help teams strategize and organize around getting the rule changes, buffs, and other voting outcomes they want.
Blaseball will kick off again on March 1, 2021, presumably returning to the same format of 99 games over Monday through Friday with new games starting every hour on the hour, a post-season on Saturday, and a "Slabbath" on Sunday in which votes are tallied and new rule changes take effect.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
A new "Feed" is being added to help fans track recent events happening in Blaseball, which was previously challenging as many of the updates were shared primarily over the game's community Discord or Twitter. Blaseball will also now take place with an on-season of three weeks, followed by an off-season of two weeks, to give fans time to catch up between events.
Additionally, The Game Band has announced a few other features whose implications are not yet known (in keeping with Blaseball's mystery, of course). "Concessions" are being added, which seems to impact the voting system somehow. There will now be "mysterious weekly team tarot readings," a "Crabitat" added for the Baltimore Crabs (a team that "ascended" last year by winning three seasons, but hasn't been seen since), and "Wills," a new feature to help teams strategize and organize around getting the rule changes, buffs, and other voting outcomes they want.
Blaseball will kick off again on March 1, 2021, presumably returning to the same format of 99 games over Monday through Friday with new games starting every hour on the hour, a post-season on Saturday, and a "Slabbath" on Sunday in which votes are tallied and new rule changes take effect.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.Absurdist Baseball Simulator Blaseball Returns Next Month
After a months-long hiatus, absurdist baseball simulator Blaseball is finally returning, with Season 12 beginning on Monday, March 1.
Blaseball launched last summer as a free, online, browser-based baseball simulator where fans gamble fake money on the outcomes of games between teams such as the Kansas City Breath Mints and the Chicago Firefighters, then use their winnings to vote on rule changes for future games. The game achieved a level of cult popularity as rogue umpires began to incinerate favorite players, a giant peanut god descended and wreaked havoc, and fans across teams collaborated to fight it off in a climactic RPG-esque battle.
A total of 11 seasons -- with each season lasting a full week of 99 games and a weekend post-season -- played out last year before developers The Game Band put the game on a "Grand Siesta" to prepare future seasons. Now, the game is back with a number of new features, many of which appear to be geared toward making the game more accessible and easy-to-follow, especially for newcomers.
A new "Feed" is being added to help fans track recent events happening in Blaseball, which was previously challenging as many of the updates were shared primarily over the game's community Discord or Twitter. Blaseball will also now take place with an on-season of three weeks, followed by an off-season of two weeks, to give fans time to catch up between events.
Additionally, The Game Band has announced a few other features whose implications are not yet known (in keeping with Blaseball's mystery, of course). "Concessions" are being added, which seems to impact the voting system somehow. There will now be "mysterious weekly team tarot readings," a "Crabitat" added for the Baltimore Crabs (a team that "ascended" last year by winning three seasons, but hasn't been seen since), and "Wills," a new feature to help teams strategize and organize around getting the rule changes, buffs, and other voting outcomes they want.
Blaseball will kick off again on March 1, 2021, presumably returning to the same format of 99 games over Monday through Friday with new games starting every hour on the hour, a post-season on Saturday, and a "Slabbath" on Sunday in which votes are tallied and new rule changes take effect.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
A new "Feed" is being added to help fans track recent events happening in Blaseball, which was previously challenging as many of the updates were shared primarily over the game's community Discord or Twitter. Blaseball will also now take place with an on-season of three weeks, followed by an off-season of two weeks, to give fans time to catch up between events.
Additionally, The Game Band has announced a few other features whose implications are not yet known (in keeping with Blaseball's mystery, of course). "Concessions" are being added, which seems to impact the voting system somehow. There will now be "mysterious weekly team tarot readings," a "Crabitat" added for the Baltimore Crabs (a team that "ascended" last year by winning three seasons, but hasn't been seen since), and "Wills," a new feature to help teams strategize and organize around getting the rule changes, buffs, and other voting outcomes they want.
Blaseball will kick off again on March 1, 2021, presumably returning to the same format of 99 games over Monday through Friday with new games starting every hour on the hour, a post-season on Saturday, and a "Slabbath" on Sunday in which votes are tallied and new rule changes take effect.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.SXSW Gaming Awards 2021 Nominees Announced
IGN is happy to reveal the nominees for the eighth annual SXSW Gaming Awards, and announce that we're partnering with SXSW to bring you the show on Saturday, March 20. You can vote for your favourites now.
From 5pm Pacific / 7pm Central / 8pm Eastern on March 20, you'll be able to watch the show right here on IGN.com or our IGN Twitch channel, as well as SXSW Online and SXSW Gaming's Twitch.
43 nominees across 12 categories make up this year's line-up, including the likes of IGN game of the year Hades, Dreams, Ghost of Tsushima, Half-Life: Alyx, Cloudpunk, and many more. You can vote for your choices of winner right now on the SXSW website – winners will be chosen based on public votes, as well as SXSW staff and advisors' votes.
You can check out the full list of nominees below.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/17/hades-review"]
Video Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
- DOOM Eternal — id Software / Bethesda Softworks
- Ghost of Tsushima — Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Hades — Supergiant Games
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps — Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios
- The Last of Us Part II — Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Indie Game of the Year
Awarded to the indie game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
- Bugsnax — Young Horses
- Cloudpunk — Ion Lands
- Crown Trick — NExT Studios / Team17
- Deep Rock Galactic — Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
- Huntdown — Easy Trigger Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
- Ikenfell — Happy Ray Games / Humble Games
- Monster Sanctuary — Moi Rai Games / Team17
- Raji: An Ancient Epic — Nodding Heads Games / Super.com
- Risk of Rain 2 — Hopoo Games / Gearbox Publishing
- The Last Campfire — Hello Games
Tabletop Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.
- Calico — Flatout Games
- Fort — Leder Games
- Oceans — North Star Games
- The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine — KOSMOS
- The Search for Planet X — Renegade Game Studios / Foxtrot Games
VR Game of the Year
Awarded to the VR game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any VR platform.
- Down the Rabbit Hole — Cortopia Studios / Beyond Frames Entertainment
- Half-Life: Alyx — Valve
- Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
- Star Wars: Squadrons — Motive Studios / Electronic Arts
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners — Skydance Interactive
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award
Awarded to the game that best challenges the “norm” of everyday gaming and offers a culturally innovative view of a game world, character, or gameplay.
- Astro's Playroom — Team ASOBI! / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Dreams — Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- If Found… — Dreamfeel / Annapurna Interactive
- Tell Me Why — DONTNOD Entertainment / Xbox Game Studios
- The Last of Us Part II — Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Excellence in Animation, Art, & Visual Achievement
Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals, including animation effects and graphics.
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla — Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft
- Cloudpunk — Ion Lands
- Final Fantasy VII Remake — SQUARE ENIX
- Ghost of Tsushima — Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps — Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios
Excellence in Game Design
Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept, gameplay mechanics, and best execution.
- Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time — Toys for Bob / Activision
- Desperados III — Mimimi Games / THQ Nordic
- Hades — Supergiant Games
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps — Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios
- Watch Dogs: Legion — Ubisoft Toronto / Ubisoft
Excellence in Score
Awarded to the game that best exemplifies artistic excellence in musical score and how it progresses the narrative of the game.
- Cyberpunk 2077 — CD Projekt Red / CD Projekt
- DOOM Eternal — id Software / Bethesda Softworks
- Final Fantasy VII Remake — SQUARE ENIX
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps — Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios
- Trials of Mana — Xeen / SQUARE ENIX
Excellence in Multiplayer
Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.
- Deep Rock Galactic — Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
- Huntdown — Easy Trigger Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
- Risk of Rain 2 — Hopoo Games, Gearbox Publishing
- Star Wars: Squadrons — Motive Studios / Electronic Arts
- VALORANT — Riot Games
Excellence in Narrative
Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.
- Ghost of Tsushima — Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Hades — Supergiant Games
- Immortals Fenyx Rising — Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft
- Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales — Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- The Last of Us Part II — Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Excellence in Audio Design
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.
- Bugsnax — Young Horses
- DOOM Eternal — id Software / Bethesda Softworks
- Observer: System Redux — Bloober Team
- Star Wars: Squadrons — Motive Studios / Electronic Arts
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 — Vicarious Visions / Activision
Excellence in Technical Achievement
Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming furthest or most effectively.
- Astro's Playroom — Team ASOBI! / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Dreams — Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Genshin Impact — miHoYo
- Ghost of Tsushima — Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Microsoft Flight Simulator — Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios
SXSW Gaming Awards 2021 Nominees Announced
IGN is happy to reveal the nominees for the eighth annual SXSW Gaming Awards, and announce that we're partnering with SXSW to bring you the show on Saturday, March 20. You can vote for your favourites now.
From 5pm Pacific / 7pm Central / 8pm Eastern on March 20, you'll be able to watch the show right here on IGN.com or our IGN Twitch channel, as well as SXSW Online and SXSW Gaming's Twitch.
43 nominees across 12 categories make up this year's line-up, including the likes of IGN game of the year Hades, Dreams, Ghost of Tsushima, Half-Life: Alyx, Cloudpunk, and many more. You can vote for your choices of winner right now on the SXSW website – winners will be chosen based on public votes, as well as SXSW staff and advisors' votes.
You can check out the full list of nominees below.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/17/hades-review"]
Video Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
- DOOM Eternal — id Software / Bethesda Softworks
- Ghost of Tsushima — Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Hades — Supergiant Games
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps — Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios
- The Last of Us Part II — Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Indie Game of the Year
Awarded to the indie game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres.
- Bugsnax — Young Horses
- Cloudpunk — Ion Lands
- Crown Trick — NExT Studios / Team17
- Deep Rock Galactic — Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
- Huntdown — Easy Trigger Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
- Ikenfell — Happy Ray Games / Humble Games
- Monster Sanctuary — Moi Rai Games / Team17
- Raji: An Ancient Epic — Nodding Heads Games / Super.com
- Risk of Rain 2 — Hopoo Games / Gearbox Publishing
- The Last Campfire — Hello Games
Tabletop Game of the Year
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and ingenuity of any tabletop game in any genre.
- Calico — Flatout Games
- Fort — Leder Games
- Oceans — North Star Games
- The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine — KOSMOS
- The Search for Planet X — Renegade Game Studios / Foxtrot Games
VR Game of the Year
Awarded to the VR game that exemplifies overall excellence in gameplay and design across any VR platform.
- Down the Rabbit Hole — Cortopia Studios / Beyond Frames Entertainment
- Half-Life: Alyx — Valve
- Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond — Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
- Star Wars: Squadrons — Motive Studios / Electronic Arts
- The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners — Skydance Interactive
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award
Awarded to the game that best challenges the “norm” of everyday gaming and offers a culturally innovative view of a game world, character, or gameplay.
- Astro's Playroom — Team ASOBI! / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Dreams — Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- If Found… — Dreamfeel / Annapurna Interactive
- Tell Me Why — DONTNOD Entertainment / Xbox Game Studios
- The Last of Us Part II — Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Excellence in Animation, Art, & Visual Achievement
Awarded to the game with the most well-designed and stunning visuals, including animation effects and graphics.
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla — Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft
- Cloudpunk — Ion Lands
- Final Fantasy VII Remake — SQUARE ENIX
- Ghost of Tsushima — Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps — Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios
Excellence in Game Design
Awarded to the game with the best overall design concept, gameplay mechanics, and best execution.
- Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time — Toys for Bob / Activision
- Desperados III — Mimimi Games / THQ Nordic
- Hades — Supergiant Games
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps — Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios
- Watch Dogs: Legion — Ubisoft Toronto / Ubisoft
Excellence in Score
Awarded to the game that best exemplifies artistic excellence in musical score and how it progresses the narrative of the game.
- Cyberpunk 2077 — CD Projekt Red / CD Projekt
- DOOM Eternal — id Software / Bethesda Softworks
- Final Fantasy VII Remake — SQUARE ENIX
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps — Moon Studios / Xbox Game Studios
- Trials of Mana — Xeen / SQUARE ENIX
Excellence in Multiplayer
Awarded to the game with the best player-to-player interaction experience.
- Deep Rock Galactic — Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
- Huntdown — Easy Trigger Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
- Risk of Rain 2 — Hopoo Games, Gearbox Publishing
- Star Wars: Squadrons — Motive Studios / Electronic Arts
- VALORANT — Riot Games
Excellence in Narrative
Awarded to the game with the best storyline and dialogue.
- Ghost of Tsushima — Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Hades — Supergiant Games
- Immortals Fenyx Rising — Ubisoft Quebec / Ubisoft
- Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales — Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- The Last of Us Part II — Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment
Excellence in Audio Design
Awarded to the game with the most outstanding and impactful sound effects.
- Bugsnax — Young Horses
- DOOM Eternal — id Software / Bethesda Softworks
- Observer: System Redux — Bloober Team
- Star Wars: Squadrons — Motive Studios / Electronic Arts
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 — Vicarious Visions / Activision
Excellence in Technical Achievement
Awarded to the game that pushed the capabilities of technology and programming furthest or most effectively.
- Astro's Playroom — Team ASOBI! / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Dreams — Media Molecule / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Genshin Impact — miHoYo
- Ghost of Tsushima — Sucker Punch Productions / Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Microsoft Flight Simulator — Asobo Studio / Xbox Game Studios
Reggie Fils-Aimé Says the Nintendo Switch’s Success Made it ‘Easy’ for Him to Retire
Former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé has said he instinctively knew the Nintendo Switch would be a success, and that his confidence in the hybrid console made it easier for him to retire.
In a wide-ranging interview with Gamertag Radio's Danny Peña, which you can listen to in the tweet below, Fils-Aimé explained why he intuitively knew that the Switch would capture the hearts and minds of gamers across the globe. It was this feeling, Fils-Aimé said, that allowed him to call time on his 16-year career with Nintendo, which he had been giving serious thought to since the passing of Satoru Iwata in 2015.
"It's not a surprise," Fils-Aimé said. "And, candidly, knowing that it was going to be successful is what helped make my retirement decision easy, because I knew the company was going to be in great shape for at least a few years."
Nintendo recently revealed that the Switch had surpassed the lifetime sales of its 3DS handheld device, with 79.87m units sold worldwide. Discussing why he thought the Nintendo Switch was so popular among gamers, Fils-Aimé explained that the hybrid system "met a fundamental consumer desire" that games companies had been trying to crack for years. "The system was solving for a key player complaint," Fils-Aimé said. "And that complaint is, 'I’m having fun, I’m playing my game, and now I need to stop because I got to go to work or school, and I can’t take my game with me. I can’t continue playing that game.' So Switch, with the opportunity to play on that big screen TV, then take it out of the dock and go play in handheld mode, it met a fundamental consumer desire. That was the triggering moment." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/15/nintendo-switch-treat-yourself-to-nintendo-switch-trailer"] Elaborating on why he thought the Nintendo Switch would be such a special console, Fils-Aimé described the moment that he was presented with a prototype by the late Iwata-san, and likened the experience to two other Nintendo projects that made him feel excited for the future of the company. "The first time I saw the Nintendo DS, the hair on the back of my neck stood up," he said. "The team was demoing an early, early prototype of what would become Nintendogs. Immediately I saw the potential. The first time I picked up a Wii Remote and played a rudimentary experience that would become Wii Sports, I knew it was gonna be magical. The day that I sat with Mr. Iwata and held a prototype Switch and we talked about the concept, I knew it was going to be magical." Fils-Aimé retired as president of Nintendo of America in 2019, and left behind a transformative legacy for the company. We spoke to him ahead of him receiving the New York Game Awards' Andrew Yoon Legend Award about a career of making people smile. In other Nintendo news, a new 50-minute Direct presentation has been announced for February 17, which will focus on upcoming and already released titles. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Tom Power is a UK-based freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter. Thumbnail credit: Neilson Barnard/Getty ImagesThe 16th anniversary special episode of @gamertagradio is live! Episode 1103: A talk with @Reggie. #PodcastExclusive
Audio: https://t.co/Q7R8bAgH6b Video: https://t.co/PXAhWzRRy1 pic.twitter.com/I4x1rIrgOq — Danny Peña (@godfree) February 15, 2021
Reggie Fils-Aimé Says the Nintendo Switch’s Success Made it ‘Easy’ for Him to Retire
Former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé has said he instinctively knew the Nintendo Switch would be a success, and that his confidence in the hybrid console made it easier for him to retire.
In a wide-ranging interview with Gamertag Radio's Danny Peña, which you can listen to in the tweet below, Fils-Aimé explained why he intuitively knew that the Switch would capture the hearts and minds of gamers across the globe. It was this feeling, Fils-Aimé said, that allowed him to call time on his 16-year career with Nintendo, which he had been giving serious thought to since the passing of Satoru Iwata in 2015.
"It's not a surprise," Fils-Aimé said. "And, candidly, knowing that it was going to be successful is what helped make my retirement decision easy, because I knew the company was going to be in great shape for at least a few years."
Nintendo recently revealed that the Switch had surpassed the lifetime sales of its 3DS handheld device, with 79.87m units sold worldwide. Discussing why he thought the Nintendo Switch was so popular among gamers, Fils-Aimé explained that the hybrid system "met a fundamental consumer desire" that games companies had been trying to crack for years. "The system was solving for a key player complaint," Fils-Aimé said. "And that complaint is, 'I’m having fun, I’m playing my game, and now I need to stop because I got to go to work or school, and I can’t take my game with me. I can’t continue playing that game.' So Switch, with the opportunity to play on that big screen TV, then take it out of the dock and go play in handheld mode, it met a fundamental consumer desire. That was the triggering moment." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/15/nintendo-switch-treat-yourself-to-nintendo-switch-trailer"] Elaborating on why he thought the Nintendo Switch would be such a special console, Fils-Aimé described the moment that he was presented with a prototype by the late Iwata-san, and likened the experience to two other Nintendo projects that made him feel excited for the future of the company. "The first time I saw the Nintendo DS, the hair on the back of my neck stood up," he said. "The team was demoing an early, early prototype of what would become Nintendogs. Immediately I saw the potential. The first time I picked up a Wii Remote and played a rudimentary experience that would become Wii Sports, I knew it was gonna be magical. The day that I sat with Mr. Iwata and held a prototype Switch and we talked about the concept, I knew it was going to be magical." Fils-Aimé retired as president of Nintendo of America in 2019, and left behind a transformative legacy for the company. We spoke to him ahead of him receiving the New York Game Awards' Andrew Yoon Legend Award about a career of making people smile. In other Nintendo news, a new 50-minute Direct presentation has been announced for February 17, which will focus on upcoming and already released titles. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Tom Power is a UK-based freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter. Thumbnail credit: Neilson Barnard/Getty ImagesThe 16th anniversary special episode of @gamertagradio is live! Episode 1103: A talk with @Reggie. #PodcastExclusive
Audio: https://t.co/Q7R8bAgH6b Video: https://t.co/PXAhWzRRy1 pic.twitter.com/I4x1rIrgOq — Danny Peña (@godfree) February 15, 2021
New Xbox Wireless Headset Announced
Microsoft has announced the Xbox Wireless Headset, a new headset for Xbox consoles including the new Series X and S.
The black-and-green over-ear headset has a retractable microphone, PU leather earcups, and a metal inner headband. The edges of the earcups are rubberised rotary dials, used to adjust the volume and game/chat audio balance. The overall aesthetic has been designed to be “intentionally understated” to allow it to blend into its surroundings alongside the Xbox Series X/S console.
At $99.99, it will retail at a similar price point to many gaming-focused headsets, and is the same price as Sony’s equivalent Pulse 3D headset for PlayStation 5. Similar to the PS5, the Xbox Series X/S has dedicated custom audio hardware to allow for spatial audio over headphones. The new Xbox Wireless Headset supports Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos, and DTS Headphone: X, the trio of 3D audio systems available on Xbox.
While the headset comes in the wake of the Xbox Series X/S, it is compatible across all of Microsoft’s supported devices, and so will work with Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, too. The headset uses the Xbox Wireless technology system to connect to Xbox consoles without needing a dongle, and can pair with a phone or PC over Bluetooth.
The headset can also simultaneously pair with a phone and a console. This, for example, will allow you to play games on your Xbox while chatting to friends on Discord using the same headset, which is perfect for cross-platform play.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/16/xbox-wireless-headset-launch-trailer"]
On the microphone side, the headset uses dual beamforming microphone elements to pick up your voice rather than surrounding and background noise. Voice isolation tuning also helps you fine tune how much ambient noise the microphone picks up. There’s also an optional auto-mute function that turns your microphone off when you are not speaking. Active and mute states are indicated with an LED light.
The Xbox Wireless Headset will be available from March 16 in “most” markets, with pre-orders available from the Microsoft Store and some other retailers, such as Amazon, today.
For more from Xbox, check out the latest episode of our dedicated Xbox show, Unlocked.
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Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.
At $99.99, it will retail at a similar price point to many gaming-focused headsets, and is the same price as Sony’s equivalent Pulse 3D headset for PlayStation 5. Similar to the PS5, the Xbox Series X/S has dedicated custom audio hardware to allow for spatial audio over headphones. The new Xbox Wireless Headset supports Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos, and DTS Headphone: X, the trio of 3D audio systems available on Xbox.
While the headset comes in the wake of the Xbox Series X/S, it is compatible across all of Microsoft’s supported devices, and so will work with Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, too. The headset uses the Xbox Wireless technology system to connect to Xbox consoles without needing a dongle, and can pair with a phone or PC over Bluetooth.
The headset can also simultaneously pair with a phone and a console. This, for example, will allow you to play games on your Xbox while chatting to friends on Discord using the same headset, which is perfect for cross-platform play.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/16/xbox-wireless-headset-launch-trailer"]
On the microphone side, the headset uses dual beamforming microphone elements to pick up your voice rather than surrounding and background noise. Voice isolation tuning also helps you fine tune how much ambient noise the microphone picks up. There’s also an optional auto-mute function that turns your microphone off when you are not speaking. Active and mute states are indicated with an LED light.
The Xbox Wireless Headset will be available from March 16 in “most” markets, with pre-orders available from the Microsoft Store and some other retailers, such as Amazon, today.
For more from Xbox, check out the latest episode of our dedicated Xbox show, Unlocked.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. New Xbox Wireless Headset Announced
Microsoft has announced the Xbox Wireless Headset, a new headset for Xbox consoles including the new Series X and S.
The black-and-green over-ear headset has a retractable microphone, PU leather earcups, and a metal inner headband. The edges of the earcups are rubberised rotary dials, used to adjust the volume and game/chat audio balance. The overall aesthetic has been designed to be “intentionally understated” to allow it to blend into its surroundings alongside the Xbox Series X/S console.
At $99.99, it will retail at a similar price point to many gaming-focused headsets, and is the same price as Sony’s equivalent Pulse 3D headset for PlayStation 5. Similar to the PS5, the Xbox Series X/S has dedicated custom audio hardware to allow for spatial audio over headphones. The new Xbox Wireless Headset supports Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos, and DTS Headphone: X, the trio of 3D audio systems available on Xbox.
While the headset comes in the wake of the Xbox Series X/S, it is compatible across all of Microsoft’s supported devices, and so will work with Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, too. The headset uses the Xbox Wireless technology system to connect to Xbox consoles without needing a dongle, and can pair with a phone or PC over Bluetooth.
The headset can also simultaneously pair with a phone and a console. This, for example, will allow you to play games on your Xbox while chatting to friends on Discord using the same headset, which is perfect for cross-platform play.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/16/xbox-wireless-headset-launch-trailer"]
On the microphone side, the headset uses dual beamforming microphone elements to pick up your voice rather than surrounding and background noise. Voice isolation tuning also helps you fine tune how much ambient noise the microphone picks up. There’s also an optional auto-mute function that turns your microphone off when you are not speaking. Active and mute states are indicated with an LED light.
The Xbox Wireless Headset will be available from March 16 in “most” markets, with pre-orders available from the Microsoft Store and some other retailers today.
For more from Xbox, check out the latest episode of our dedicated Xbox show, Unlocked.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.
At $99.99, it will retail at a similar price point to many gaming-focused headsets, and is the same price as Sony’s equivalent Pulse 3D headset for PlayStation 5. Similar to the PS5, the Xbox Series X/S has dedicated custom audio hardware to allow for spatial audio over headphones. The new Xbox Wireless Headset supports Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos, and DTS Headphone: X, the trio of 3D audio systems available on Xbox.
While the headset comes in the wake of the Xbox Series X/S, it is compatible across all of Microsoft’s supported devices, and so will work with Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, too. The headset uses the Xbox Wireless technology system to connect to Xbox consoles without needing a dongle, and can pair with a phone or PC over Bluetooth.
The headset can also simultaneously pair with a phone and a console. This, for example, will allow you to play games on your Xbox while chatting to friends on Discord using the same headset, which is perfect for cross-platform play.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/16/xbox-wireless-headset-launch-trailer"]
On the microphone side, the headset uses dual beamforming microphone elements to pick up your voice rather than surrounding and background noise. Voice isolation tuning also helps you fine tune how much ambient noise the microphone picks up. There’s also an optional auto-mute function that turns your microphone off when you are not speaking. Active and mute states are indicated with an LED light.
The Xbox Wireless Headset will be available from March 16 in “most” markets, with pre-orders available from the Microsoft Store and some other retailers today.
For more from Xbox, check out the latest episode of our dedicated Xbox show, Unlocked.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. Assembled: Marvel Studios Announces New Documentary Series for Disney+
Marvel Studios has announced Assembled, a new documentary series of specials that will start streaming exclusively on Disney+ from March.
The studio revealed that Assembled will take viewers "behind-the-scenes of the shows and movies of the MCU, following the filmmakers, cast and crew, and Marvel heroes every step of the way," with the first episode in the series, "The Making of WandaVision," set to premiere on the platform on March 12, 2021 — one week after the final episode of WandaVision on March 5.
Each episode will drop on the streamer shortly after the related theatrical releases and series completions have arrived on the big screen or small screen. Viewers will glimpse exclusive on-set footage of the likes of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, while Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner will appear on the series to detail the genesis of the Black Widow movie, and upcoming Hawkeye series. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/12/wandavision-episode-6-review"] The first episode of the series, Assembled: The Making of WandaVision, will pull back the curtain on the groundbreaking MCU sitcom, offering fans fresh insight into the production's concept and sitcom influences, filmmaking methods, and the "challenges and ultimate rewards" of performing an entire episode in front of a live studio audience. Series stars Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff) and Paul Bettany (Vision) will be joined by newcomers to the MCU, such as Teyonah Parris (Monica Rambeau) and Kathryn Hahn (Agnes), along with returning favorites like Kat Dennings (Darcy Lewis) and Randall Park (Jimmy Woo) to provide an immersive and in-depth examination of the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=wandavision-all-the-marvel-and-tv-easter-eggs-in-every-episode&captions=true"] There should be plenty to unpack in the first Assembled special as WandaVision has a habit of leaving viewers with more questions than answers, paving the way for numerous theories and discussions. With that being the case, IGN's staff recently gathered around the digital campfire to thrash out the major theories, questions, and speculation surrounding the show after Episode 6 left us with a lot to dissect. Want to know more? Read IGN's review of Season 1, Episode 6. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.Marvel Studios' ASSEMBLED, a new documentary series of specials, goes behind the scenes of the shows and movies of the MCU. The first special, ASSEMBLED: The Making of @WandaVision, is streaming March 12 on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/fM6TxF0VuW
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) February 16, 2021