The Star Wars Expanded Universe may be gone, but it's not completely forgotten. Hasbro has revealed a new lineup of Star Wars: The Black Series figures inspired by classic comic book storylines like Dark Empire and Heir to the Empire. There's even a Jaxxon figure. Officially dubbed "Star Wars: The Black Series Publishing Figures," this new line is part of Hasbro's larger promotion celebrating the 50th anniversary of Lucasfilm Ltd. The series includes Luke Skywalker from Heir to the Empire, Carnor Jax from Crimson Empire, a shirtless "Sith Apprentice" Darth Maul and Jaxxon from the original Marvel Comics Star Wars series. Check out the slideshow gallery below to get a closer look at all four figures: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-the-black-series-publishing-figures-revealed&captions=true"] Each of these four figures is priced at $24.99 and is slated for a Spring 2021 release. They're available to preorder through Hasbro Pulse and various other retailers. While not the first Expanded Universe characters to get new toys recently (Funko previously tackled Knights of the Old Republic villains Darth Revan and Darth Nihilus), this is the first time in many years we've seen Hasbro devote an entire wave of figures to the EU. Is this a sign of bigger things to come for this now-defunct Star Wars continuity? Let us know in the comments what other EU fan-favorites you'd like to see turned into Star Wars: The Black Series figures. For more on this classic Star Wars continuity, check out IGN's deep dive into how the Expanded Universe was born, and see why we think it's time Disney started telling new stories set in this "Legends" continuity. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/04/the-mandalorian-season-2-why-ahsoka-tano-is-hunting-grand-admiral-thrawn"] [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.

Disney has released a new poster for Loki, the Marvel Studios original series that is set to premiere on Disney+ on June 11, 2021. Revealed on Twitter, the poster features Tom Hiddleston's Loki in the TVA outfit we saw him in during Loki's first trailer. The TVA, or Time Variance Authority, is a group in Marvel Comics that governs the growing number of realities in the multiverse. The clock behind Loki in the poster hints at these multiple realities and his trademark smirk teases the trouble the god of mischief will undoubtedly get into. Marvel's Loki will have a connection to the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame and will see Hiddleston joined by Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, and Richard E. Grant. The series, which is reportedly already getting a second season, has a series director in Kate Herron and a head writer in Michael Waldron. Herron had previously revealed that Loki would be going to "an entirely new part of the MCU," and will seemingly find his way to various points throughout human history, influencing historical events in the way Loki specializes in. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/marvels-loki-official-trailer"] Following The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Marvel's Loki is the next big MCU series to land on Disney+, and will arrive in the same month as Black Widow is released in theaters. [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.

Disney has released a new poster for Loki, the Marvel Studios original series that is set to premiere on Disney+ on June 11, 2021. Revealed on Twitter, the poster features Tom Hiddleston's Loki in the TVA outfit we saw him in during Loki's first trailer. The TVA, or Time Variance Authority, is a group in Marvel Comics that governs the growing number of realities in the multiverse. The clock behind Loki in the poster hints at these multiple realities and his trademark smirk teases the trouble the god of mischief will undoubtedly get into. Marvel's Loki will have a connection to the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame and will see Hiddleston joined by Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, and Richard E. Grant. The series, which is reportedly already getting a second season, has a series director in Kate Herron and a head writer in Michael Waldron. Herron had previously revealed that Loki would be going to "an entirely new part of the MCU," and will seemingly find his way to various points throughout human history, influencing historical events in the way Loki specializes in. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/marvels-loki-official-trailer"] Following The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Marvel's Loki is the next big MCU series to land on Disney+, and will arrive in the same month as Black Widow is released in theaters. [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.

Nier: Automata received a notably poor reception when it arrived on PC in 2019, due to a port with enough problems that fans stepped in to fix some themselves. A new Xbox Game Pass PC port appears to be an entirely new version, with many of those issues fixed - but fans are upset that those improvements seem to have bypassed Steam. Nier: Automata arrived on Xbox Game Pass today, and PC fans quickly discovered that the Windows Store version of the game is an updated Become As Gods edition, rather than the 'vanilla' Steam release. IGN tested both versions and discovered that, unlike the Steam version, the Windows 10 edition boots to a Borderless Windowed mode, doesn't stretch its image, and is noticeably sharper (image comparison below). [widget path="global/page/imagecomparison" parameters="comparisons=%7B%22comparisons%22%3A%5B%7B%22caption%22%3A%22%22%2C%22images%22%3A%5B%7B%22id%22%3A%2260537850e4b0539dd111eed8%22%2C%22label%22%3A%22Nier%3A%20Automata%20-%20Steam%22%7D%2C%7B%22id%22%3A%2260537810e4b07e1466dfb07e%22%2C%22label%22%3A%22Nier%3A%20Automata%20-%20Xbox%20Game%20Pass%22%7D%5D%7D%5D%7D"] Polish porting specialist QLOC has since revealed that it helped adjust the Xbox game for its newer PC release, and explained that it's added a borderless video setting, FidelityFX options, HDR and 4K UI textures. The game does still cap at 60 FPS, which was a common complaint about the original Steam release, and we've not yet been able to test extensively to rule out any performance issues. The question remaining is whether those that already paid for the game on Steam will see any of the same improvements – and many fans are vocally unhappy at the unexpected new release. "Soooo... they left the steam version broken and made a new port? Why?" wrote Pancracio17 on ResetEra. "RIP my Steam version," wrote neoak. "BRB downloading Game Pass version to 100% like the XBO version." On QLOC's Facebook page, others implored the port studio to improve the Steam version (although that is almost certainly out of the developer's hands). "Will these new updates come to the Steam version too?", wrote CJ Melendez. "Fans have had to use mods to get the PC working correctly for years. It would be unfair to fix those issues for the Windows Store version only." We asked publisher Square Enix about whether the new upgrades will be released for Steam players at some point, but received no comment. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/03/06/nier-automata-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Nier: Automata received a notably poor reception when it arrived on PC in 2019, due to a port with enough problems that fans stepped in to fix some themselves. A new Xbox Game Pass PC port appears to be an entirely new version, with many of those issues fixed - but fans are upset that those improvements seem to have bypassed Steam. Nier: Automata arrived on Xbox Game Pass today, and PC fans quickly discovered that the Windows Store version of the game is an updated Become As Gods edition, rather than the 'vanilla' Steam release. IGN tested both versions and discovered that, unlike the Steam version, the Windows 10 edition boots to a Borderless Windowed mode, doesn't stretch its image, and is noticeably sharper (image comparison below). [widget path="global/page/imagecomparison" parameters="comparisons=%7B%22comparisons%22%3A%5B%7B%22caption%22%3A%22%22%2C%22images%22%3A%5B%7B%22id%22%3A%2260537850e4b0539dd111eed8%22%2C%22label%22%3A%22Nier%3A%20Automata%20-%20Steam%22%7D%2C%7B%22id%22%3A%2260537810e4b07e1466dfb07e%22%2C%22label%22%3A%22Nier%3A%20Automata%20-%20Xbox%20Game%20Pass%22%7D%5D%7D%5D%7D"] Polish porting specialist QLOC has since revealed that it helped adjust the Xbox game for its newer PC release, and explained that it's added a borderless video setting, FidelityFX options, HDR and 4K UI textures. The game does still cap at 60 FPS, which was a common complaint about the original Steam release, and we've not yet been able to test extensively to rule out any performance issues. The question remaining is whether those that already paid for the game on Steam will see any of the same improvements – and many fans are vocally unhappy at the unexpected new release. "Soooo... they left the steam version broken and made a new port? Why?" wrote Pancracio17 on ResetEra. "RIP my Steam version," wrote neoak. "BRB downloading Game Pass version to 100% like the XBO version." On QLOC's Facebook page, others implored the port studio to improve the Steam version (although that is almost certainly out of the developer's hands). "Will these new updates come to the Steam version too?", wrote CJ Melendez. "Fans have had to use mods to get the PC working correctly for years. It would be unfair to fix those issues for the Windows Store version only." We asked publisher Square Enix about whether the new upgrades will be released for Steam players at some point, but received no comment. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/03/06/nier-automata-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Today, Square Enix is launching its new digital showcase dedicated to bringing fans the latest news, announcements, updates, and previews of its games. Officially named Square Enix Presents, this new event will take the form of a series that Square Enix intends to host regularly, much like Nintendo Direct, Inside Xbox, and Sony State of Play. IGN is carrying the stream and as usual, this watch guide will provide you with everything you need to know to watch the show, including when it starts, a list of places you can watch it with us, and what you can expect to see at the show. Make sure to keep an eye out for our Square Enix Presents news roundup, which will include all of the announcements and reveals from the show. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/18/square-enix-presents-livestream-spring-2021"]

Square Enix Presents Date and Start Time

The first-ever Square Enix Presents event will take place on March 18, 2021. The stream is scheduled to start at 10am PST/1pm EST/6pm BST and will be about 40 minutes long.

How to Watch Square Enix Presents March 2021

IGN plans to carry the Square Enix Presents stream which means we'll have it available on a variety of platforms. Here’s the full list of places you can watch the Square Enix event with us:

• IGN.com (homepage)
• IGN's Facebook Channel
• IGN’s Twitter
• IGN's Twitch Channel
• IGN’s Youtube Channel
• 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

What Games to Expect at Square Enix Presents March 2021

The event will be hosted by well-known Dungeon Master of Critical Role, Matthew Mercer. As for the content, Square Enix hasn’t been shy about teasing what games it plans to include in the show. The lineup includes Outriders, Marvel’s Avengers, Tomb Raider 25th Anniversary, Just Cause Mobile, Balan Wonderworld, and new Square Enix Montreal games. The headliner, however, is a world premiere of a new and upcoming Life is Strange game, which Square Enix has confirmed will have “a brand new cast, power, and story.” In our coverage of the Square Enix Presents announcement, we pointed out that it falls just two weeks shy of the Outriders release date (April 1). It also airs on the same day Marvel Avengers comes to the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and launches Hawkeye DLC. We could hear more about both of these events at the show. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/16/marvels-avengers-operation-hawkeye-future-imperfect-trailer"] As for Balan Wonderworld, it’s due to launch this month on March 26 so it’s possible we’ll hear some news related to that. Square Enix recently published a blog post announcing Balan Wonderworld will have a day one patch that adjusts camera movement, controls, and balances difficulty. It also revealed a little bit about the game’s first three worlds. There will be some mobile game news based on the inclusion of Just Cause Mobile and “new Square Enix Montreal games." If you’re unfamiliar, Square Enix Montreal is the mobile game developer behind Lara Croft Go, Deux Ex Go, Hitman Sniper, and more. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-tomb-raider-review-ever&captions=true"] Last but certainly not least, is the Tomb Raider 25th Anniversary, which Square Enix previously launched a dedicated site for and revealed would be getting a year long celebration with various looks back at some Tomb Raider games. It’s possible we’ll hear more about what Square Enix has in store for that, as well. Those are only the game Square Enix has teased. It's very possible we'll get some surprises, too! [poilib element="accentDivider"] Felicia Miranda is SEO Editor at IGN. You can find her gushing about Final Fantasy games at @FeliciaVagabond on Twitter.

ID@Xbox, Microsoft's indie games wing, is teaming up with Twitch to host its first Indie Showcase on March 26. Xbox is promising over 100 games at the event including new debut trailers and gameplay for titles like STALKER 2, Second Extinction, and more. The ID@Xbox Indie Showcase will premiere on Friday, March 26 at 9 am PT/12 pm ET and will be hosted exclusively on Twitch. Xbox is promising over 100 games total from indie developers worldwide, including from well-known developers like Devolver Digital, DrinkBox, Curve Digital, and more. Over 25 game reveals and gameplay trailers will also be at the event, though Xbox only names a handful like STALKER 2, Second Extinction, The Ascent, The Wild at Heart, Voidtrain, and Exo One. Though Xbox's promo image includes games like 12 Minutes. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/07/second-extinction-announcement-trailer"] This is an indie-focused event, and while some notable titles like STALKER 2 will be present, there will not likely be any reveals from Xbox Game Studios or the newly-acquired Bethesda here. Xbox confirmed there will be a summer event that will have more news from Bethesda, so hold tight. ID@Xbox is responsible for bringing some of Xbox's more beloved indie and AA titles to the platform including games like Outlast, Superhot, and Warframe. And with titles like STALKER 2 announced to be at the show, there could be some big surprises still. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is News Editor at IGN.

Alongside revealing that Scarlet Nexus will be released on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC on June 25, 2021, Bandai Namco has announced that there is currently a Scarlet Nexus anime in development as well. Bandai Namco shared a trailer focused on Kasane Randall with this news, which gives another glimpse at one of the two playable characters in Scarlet Nexus. As previously revealed, Kasane and the other protagonist, Yuito Sumeragi, will each have their own campaign that will let players experience the story from two different points of view. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/18/scarlet-nexus-kasane-trailer"] Kasane is a "mysterious scout whose power and skill has gained notoriety among the OSF," while Yuito is "an energetic recruit from a prestigious political family." The Scarlet Nexus anime is set to release worldwide this summer, and will feature both Yuito and Kasane. The series is being produced by Sunrise Inc. and will be broadcast in the US on Funimation. "Link your minds, unlock the future. In 2020 of the solar calendar, grotesque organisms called Others have begun eating people," The official description reads. "To take down this new enemy, the Other Suppression Force is formed. Saved by this elite team as a child, psychokinetic Yuito enlists, bravely withstanding the training. On the other hand, prodigy Kasane was scouted for her abilities. But Kasane’s dreams tell her strange things, dragging the two into an unavoidable fate." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/18/scarlet-nexus-anime-announcement-teaser-trailer"] For more on Scarlet Nexus, check out our first-look preview and and how the game looks to use RPG elements alongside action. [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.