Hardcore Henry director Timur Bekmambetov is set to adapt Julian Terry's Animal Crossing horror short 'Don't Peek' into a full-length feature film. According to Deadline, Bekmambetov, who directed Wanted and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, will take the reins on the feature film adaptation of Don't Peek, which will see Majd Nassif serving as a producer under Bekmambetov's production banner Bazelevs. Creative executive Pavel Bozhkov is also onboard to oversee the project. Don't Peek made its official world premiere on March 15, the first day of SXSW Online, after a small team of people created the film using a Blackmagic pocket camera during quarantine last year. The story follows a young woman, played by Katie Cetta, who "discovers a frightening video game character intent on crossing into the real world." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/05/animal-crossing-new-horizons-exploring-march-trailer"] It's fair to say that after you've watched it, you may think twice about playing Animal Crossing late at night. However, if you're feeling brave enough, then you might want to turn your attention to New Horizons, a game that IGN called an "expanded, polished, next-generation reboot," where you can escape to a deserted island and explore, create, and customize your very own paradise. There's plenty to do in paradise but if you're stuck for ideas, then you may want to check whether you have collected all of K.K. Slider's songs or see how many Sanrio items you've spotted in the game. If the Sanrio collaboration isn't your thing, perhaps you'd like to take a look at the Mario-themed items that you can buy to possibly share your own Mushroom Kingdom creation with the community. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=animal-crossing-new-horizons-super-mario-items&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Xbox Series X's brilliant Auto HDR feature is coming to PC, and will improve the visual experience of over 1000 games. The news was revealed in a post on Microsoft's DirectX Developer Blog, which notes that the feature is initially available as part of the Windows Insider Program, which you can join here. On the Xbox Series X, Auto HDR improves the range of colours and luminance of backwards-compatible games, and it will function similarly on PC. Users with an HDR-compatible display will be able to improve the visual quality of games by toggling the feature in the Windows HD Color Settings, even if those games weren't designed with an HDR mode. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/xbox-series-x-review"] If you're still confused about the visual benefits of Auto HDR, there's a handy example in the blog post (below) which uses a luminance heatmap to show how HDR can bring out the detail in a scene from Gears 5. Essentially, it's like using an auto-filter on a picture you've taken on your phone. Older games will naturally benefit from this technology, and in many ways are being given a new lease on life thanks to it. [caption id="attachment_2488101" align="alignnone" width="1306"] Auto HDR heatmap image. (Source: Microsoft)[/caption] As Microsoft previews the feature, it is looking for feedback as it enables Auto HDR on more titles and optimizes performance. As for the performance hit of this new feature, Microsoft says that there will be a slight, but not certainly not intensive, effect. "While Auto HDR does take some GPU compute power to implement, we don’t expect it to significantly impact your gaming experience," the blog post reads. It's not the only Series X perk coming to PC – EA Play is becoming a part of Xbox Game Pass for PC as of today. Meanwhile, Series X users will soon be able to suspend games to improve download speeds. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Xbox Series X's brilliant Auto HDR feature is coming to PC, and will improve the visual experience of over 1000 games. The news was revealed in a post on Microsoft's DirectX Developer Blog, which notes that the feature is initially available as part of the Windows Insider Program, which you can join here. On the Xbox Series X, Auto HDR improves the range of colours and luminance of backwards-compatible games, and it will function similarly on PC. Users with an HDR-compatible display will be able to improve the visual quality of games by toggling the feature in the Windows HD Color Settings, even if those games weren't designed with an HDR mode. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/xbox-series-x-review"] If you're still confused about the visual benefits of Auto HDR, there's a handy example in the blog post (below) which uses a luminance heatmap to show how HDR can bring out the detail in a scene from Gears 5. Essentially, it's like using an auto-filter on a picture you've taken on your phone. Older games will naturally benefit from this technology, and in many ways are being given a new lease on life thanks to it. [caption id="attachment_2488101" align="alignnone" width="1306"] Auto HDR heatmap image. (Source: Microsoft)[/caption] As Microsoft previews the feature, it is looking for feedback as it enables Auto HDR on more titles and optimizes performance. As for the performance hit of this new feature, Microsoft says that there will be a slight, but not certainly not intensive, effect. "While Auto HDR does take some GPU compute power to implement, we don’t expect it to significantly impact your gaming experience," the blog post reads. It's not the only Series X perk coming to PC – EA Play is becoming a part of Xbox Game Pass for PC as of today. Meanwhile, Series X users will soon be able to suspend games to improve download speeds. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Super Nintendo World, the theme park area at Osaka's Universal Studios Japan that brings the world of Mario and friends to life, has finally opened to the public today. An opening ceremony was held in the Super Star Plaza, the entrance to the new area.

The ceremony featured a guest appearance from Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary Nintendo designer who created Mario, alongside USJ CEO J.L. Bonnier and life-size mascots of Mario and Luigi.

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“I am so pleased that we were able to open the world’s first fully realized Super Mario experience to coincide with the 35th anniversary of Super Mario,” said Miyamoto.

“I felt that if Nintendo was going to work together with Universal Creative, we ought to aim to do something the world has never seen before. With this as our motto, we have implemented the latest technology along with every ounce of the experience that Nintendo and Universal have accumulated until now, to deliver the true heart of Super Mario.”

He concluded, “when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, I hope people from all over the world will come to visit USJ.”

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Currently, Super Nintendo World features attractions based mostly on characters from the Super Mario and Mario Kart games, with easter eggs that nod to franchises such as Pikmin also to be found in the park. Bloomberg has previously quoted USJ that a Donkey Kong area would follow but USJ has not mentioned this elsewhere. That said, theme parks do tend to develop their attractions over time, and USJ has been especially aggressive in this regard, adding new permanent and temporary attractions on a regular basis. Future attractions featuring other Nintendo characters seems like a reasonable possibility.

When asked whether there are plans to add Nintendo characters from series other than the Mario games and their spinoffs, USJ CEO Bonnier said, “I can only really talk about what we have right now, but I will say that USJ and our parent company have a long-term plan” for Super Nintendo World.

スーパー・ニンテンドー・ワールドがグランドオープン！オープニングセレモニーにはマリオやルイージ、そしてマリオの生みの親宮本茂も登場！ pic.twitter.com/ZNpTDDRUIK

— IGN Japan (@IGNJapan) March 17, 2021

For more on Super Nintendo World, check out our gallery of photos from IGN Japan’s visit to the new park area, a gallery of over 150 photos of food and merch from the park, and how the development team used VR to create the Mario Kart ride.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, entry to Japan for foreign passport holders currently remains suspended until further notice. Super Nintendo World is scheduled to become part of other Universal Studios sites around the world, including Orlando, Hollywood, and Singapore, but the opening of the Orlando attraction has reportedly been delayed until 2025.

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Yukiyo Tan is an editor at IGN Japan.

BEYOND! On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano to dive into some recent PlayStation news and answer your questions. The duo jumps into the recent news that Jade Raymond is starting her own studio that is working in partnership with PlayStation, and how that approach mirrors recent PlayStation third-party exclusive plans. Especially in light of the Bethesda acquisition with Xbox, the show breaks down what we think of Sony's recent strategies on PlayStation exclusives, and where we expect the company to go. Additionally, we answer some viewer and listener questions, including plenty of discussion about whether Sony needs to create a Game Pass competitor, whether PlayStation Now could be that competitive service, and how Sony could be leveraging its games streaming service in a better way. Additionally, we talk about PlayStation exclusives you might have overlooked, Brian's continued experience with Yakuza and Jonathon's journey with Sekiro, plus much more. Watch the new episode above! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"]

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Podcast Beyond! is live every Wednesday. For more on PS5, check out our PS5 console review and our PS5 wiki guide for tips on how to best use your system. And for more Beyond, be sure to watch the first episode of our Bloodborne let's play! [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=6dd2b926-8863-4080-99b2-d08eb61f67f6"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Super Nintendo World is a theme park land celebrating video games, so it's probably not too much of a surprise that its designers recreated the entire park in VR, and created its centrepiece Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge ride as a playable, virtual attaction inside a game engine. But it is still very cool. Speaking during a press conference about the opening of Super Nintendo World Osaka today, Universal Creative executives were asked how the new park uses technology to take theme park design into a new age. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=60-photos-from-our-super-nintendo-world-visit&captions=true"] After they discussed more generally how technology could let the park evolve, global executive producer Tom Geraghty added a juicy detail: "We used the technology, also, in the design process. We built the entire land in VR and the design team could look around at a place and get sightlines and figure out where to move elements. "Mario Kart was built in a game engine, so while [senior vice president Thierry Coup] was back in the States he could actually drive Mario Kart in a game engine, and give us notes in Japan." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/18/super-nintendo-world-direct-presentation"] Given Universal and Nintendo want you to visit their parks sometime, I very much doubt we'll be getting a public release of that game version anytime soon - but it turns out it has other benefits beyond just being fun for its designers. Coup added that the game engine design means the ride can evolve over time more easily: "Because it's in a game engine, we can keep updating, upgrading, putting new characters [in], changing themes, changing actions on the fly. So if there's a special event, anything we want to release can be done overnight if we really wanted to. That makes it so much more flexible – it freshens up the experience. Every time you come back you could experience something new and exciting." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=super-nintendo-world-merch&captions=true"] That's primarily possible because, while Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge is a traditional track-based ride, it uses augmented reality along the way to conjure up enemies and scenery. These are presumably what could be upgraded or remixed on separate days. Super Nintendo World opens today in Osaka, Japan, with versions of the same park coming to Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Singapore and Epic Universe in Orlando (but that last one might not open until 2025). [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.

The team behind Justified is reportedly developing a new TV series that could bring back actor Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens. Variety reports that the series would be based on the book City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit. The show is reportedly in early development, and no deal has been reached with Olyphant. The character Raylan Givens is not the main star of the book City Primeval and doesn't appear to be in the book at all. However, City Primeval's author, Elmore Leonard, created the Raylan Givens character for other stories before the character appeared on Justified. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/20/why-timothy-olyphant-is-wearing-boba-fetts-armor-in-the-mandalorian-season-2-ign-now"] Justified featured U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, who is assigned to his hometown in Kentucky after a controversy cost Givens his last station in Florida. The City Primeval novel is about a different detective in Detroit, Michigan trying to take down a serial killer who keeps getting away with his crimes. Justified ran from 2010 to 2015 and featured Olyphant in every episode. The creator of Justified, Graham Yost, will executive produce City Primeval. The showrunners for City Primeval will be Michael Dinner and Dave Andron, who were executive producers and writers on Justified. Dinner will direct for the series as well. City Primeval is in development at FX, which is the same network that broadcast Justified. All episodes of Justified are currently available to stream on Hulu in the USA. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-tv-shows-of-the-decade-2010-2019&captions=true"] Olyphant recently showed up in the first episode of season 2 of The Mandalorian and acted alongside Chris Rock in Fargo season 4. Olyphant and Rock will next appear in David O. Russell's upcoming movie with Anya Taylor-Joy, Christian Bale, Mike Myers, and Margot Robbie. IGN revisited Justified as part of our Binge It! series. We said, "Justified boasts a spectacular roster of character actors as both allies and antagonists, and every season is buoyed by the strength of its villains." Justified also made our list of the best TV shows of the decade. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

To kick things off this month, Disney+ is releasing four more episodes of Marvel's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, including the Season 1 finale, which is set to debut on April 23. Be sure to check out our full Falcon and the Winter Soldier Season 1 release schedule so you don't miss a single episode. The streamer is also dropping plenty of Star Wars content this month, such as the entire run of Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars series, and Star Wars: Ewoks. Both animated series will be available to binge on Disney+ on April 2. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/16/marvels-the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-the-mantle-of-captain-america"] And just in time for Earth Day 2021, Disney+ will debut its Secrets of Whales documentary on April 22, which "plunges viewers deep within the epicenter of whale culture to experience the extraordinary communication skills and intricate social structures of five different whale species: orcas, humpbacks, belugas, narwhals, and sperm whales. Filmed over three years in 24 locations, throughout this epic journey, we learn that whales are far more complex and more like us than ever imagined," according to a synopsis from Disney. Check out the slideshow gallery below for a spotlight of some of the most notable April Disney+ releases, followed by the full list: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=disney-spotlight-april-2021&captions=true"]

Friday, April 2

• Disney Secrets of Sulphur Springs: No Time Like the Present (S1)
• Disney Walk the Prank (S1)
• Disney Walk the Prank (S2)
• Disney Walk the Prank (S3)
• Higglytown Heroes (S1)
• Higglytown Heroes (S2)
• The Island at the Top of the World
• Third Man on the Mountain
• The Last Ice
• Made in a Day (S1)
• Secrets of the Zoo (S4)
• Sharks of the Bermuda Triangle
• The Big Year
• Night at the Museum
• Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
• Caravan of Courage
• Ewoks: The Battle for Endor
• Star Wars: Clone Wars - Volume I
• Star Wars: Clone Wars - Volume II
• Star Wars: Ewoks (S1)
• Star Wars: Ewoks (S2)
• The Story of the Faithful Wookiee
• The Falcon and The Winter Soldier - Episode 103
• The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers Episode 102 "Dusters"

Friday, April 9

• Disney Future-Worm!
• Disney Kick Buttowki: Suburban Daredevil (S1)
• Disney Kick Buttowki: Suburban Daredevil (S2)
• Disney Secrets of Sulphur Springs: Time After Time (S1 Finale)
• Man of the House
• Mark Twain and Me
• Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale
• Cesar Millan: The Real Story
• The Falcon and The Winter Soldier - Episode 104
• The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers - Episode 103 “Breakaway”

Friday, April 16

• Treasure Buddies
• White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf
• National Geographic: Earth Moods Volume I
• Primal Survivor (S5)
• The Kid Who Would Be King
• RIO
• Big Shot - Premiere Episode 101 "Pilot"
• Earth Moods - Premiere
• The Falcon and The Winter Soldier - Episode 105
• The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers - Episode 104 “Hockey Moms”

Thursday, April 22 - Earth Day

• Secrets of the Whales - Premiere

Friday, April 23

• Disney Junior Puppy Dog Pals (S3)
• Disney Liv and Maddie (S1)
• Disney Liv and Maddie (S2)
• Disney Liv and Maddie (S3)
• Disney Liv and Maddie: Cali Style (S4)
• Disney My Music Story: Sukimaswitch
• Being the Queen
• Baby’s Day Out
• The Falcon and The Winter Solider - Finale
• The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers - Episode 105 “Cherry Picker”
• Big Shot - Episode 102 "The Marvyn Korn Effect"

Friday, April 30

• Adventures in Wonderland
• Disney Ducktales (S3)
• Disney Junior Mira
• Oklahoma!
• Marvel Studios: Assembled - The Making of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier
• The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers - Episode 106 “Spirit of the Ducks”
• Big Shot - Episode 103 “TCKS”

[poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

An Hourman movie is reportedly in development with a writing team already at work on the script. Deadline reports that Gavin James and Neil Widener are writing the Hourman movie. The two are also reportedly writing a sequel to San Andreas starring Dwayne Johnson under the production company Chernin Entertainment. Chernin is also reportedly developing the Hourman movie, which Deadline says is their first DC Comics project. An Hourman TV series was in development at The CW in 2013. CW President Mark Pedowitz told IGN in 2014 that scripts for an Hourman show were being written, but the show never materialized. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=who-are-the-justice-society-of-america&captions=true"] Hourman would eventually appear as part of the Justice Society of America in the CW series, Legends of Tomorrow played by Patrick J. Adams and in the Stargirl series played by Lou Ferrigno, Jr. and Cameron Gellman. Hourman first appeared in 1940 in Adventure Comics #48 by writer Ken Fitch and artist Bernard Baily. The original comic featured a scientist named Rex Tyler who develops a vitamin that provides superhuman strength for one hour. The scientist decides to use the vitamin to fight crime as the superhero Hourman. The Superhero will appear in the upcoming animated movie, Justice Society: World War II voiced by Matthew Mercer. The movie will be released digitally on April 27 followed by a 4K Blu-ray release on May 11. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/27/justice-society-world-war-ii-exclusive-clip-wonder-woman-vs-the-nazis-ign-fan-fest-2021"] DC Films is planning on releasing up to four big movies a year in theaters starting in 2022 and two smaller movies a year for streaming on HBO Max. We know a Blue Beetle movie directed by Angel Manuel Soto is officially on the way, and a Superman movie will be written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and produced by J.J. Abrams. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who is preparing for a four-hour binge at 3 AM when Justice League drops tonight.

Techland has released a new video with updates about Dying Light 2's development, and it includes a new snippet of gameplay and the reveal that the studio is aiming to release the game this year. Word on Dying Light 2's release has been quiet since the game was indefinitely delayed back in 2020, but the video published today by Techland ends with a 2021 splash card. As for when the game might release this year, there's no other, specific info at this time. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/17/dying-light-2-2021-development-update"] "This is a huge and complex project and we needed time to make sure it will live up to our vision," a developer in the video says. "All of us here are putting our hearts into delivering a game that you will keep playing for months. We will be ready to start talking about Dying Light 2 very, very soon." Dying Light 2 lead designer, Tymon Smektala, said in the video that the team at Techland "needs your trust and support as this is what motivates us, especially now when the circumstances are hard for everyone." He said the team is proud to have such a devoted fan base, no matter how they express their feelings — this is an allusion to the beginning of the video where the team reads some angry-sounding tweets from fans directed at them — and he asks for fans to be patient for "just a bit longer." The video then cuts to about 30 seconds of gameplay, as seen above, before it fades to a 2021 splash screen, which seems to suggest Techland is aiming to release Dying Light 2 this year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/09/dying-light-2-gameplay-trailer-e3-2019"] This video comes just weeks after reports came out that the development of Dying Light 2 was hindered by alleged studio turbulence, including a reported bullish, autocratic tier of upper management that has led to numerous staff members walking away from the project and the studio. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.