Hitman series developer IO Interactive has opened a new Barcelona studio, which will work on Hitman, Project 007, and "an unannounced new IP." Revealed in a blog post on the IOI website, IOI Barcelona will be the company’s third studio after IOI Copenhagen in Denmark and IOI Malmo in Sweden. IOI Barcelona will work on all of IOI’s ongoing projects. "All three of the IO Interactive studios are treated as Elite studios and will each make a significant impact to ongoing development and publishing efforts across all projects," reads a press release. The Spanish studio will be located in the centre of Barcelona, and hopes to establish a studio culture “that will attract top talent from around the world.“ The blog post also comments broadly on the studio’s future projects: “With more to come from the Hitman universe, developing and publishing the first James Bond origin story and a brand new IP in active development, the future for IO Interactive is as exciting as it has ever been.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/05/hitman-devs-james-bond-game-is-an-original-story-drawing-from-the-franchises-entire-history-ign-unfiltered"] It's another heartening moment for IO, which became a full indie studio in 2017 after splitting from Square Enix, while retaining the rights to its Hitman IP. Since then it's released Hitman 2 and 3, as well as announcing Project 007, a James Bond game with an original story. We've talked before about how Hitman 3 proves the studio is ready to tackle Bond. Here’s our review of IOI’s latest game Hitman 3, which we scored a 9, calling it ”rich, rewarding and highly replayable.” You can also check out this episode of Unfiltered in which Hitman studio boss Hakan Abrak talks about the future of Hitman and the studio’s work on James Bond. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Hitman series developer IO Interactive has opened a new Barcelona studio, which will work on Hitman, Project 007, and "an unannounced new IP." Revealed in a blog post on the IOI website, IOI Barcelona will be the company’s third studio after IOI Copenhagen in Denmark and IOI Malmo in Sweden. IOI Barcelona will work on all of IOI’s ongoing projects. "All three of the IO Interactive studios are treated as Elite studios and will each make a significant impact to ongoing development and publishing efforts across all projects," reads a press release. The Spanish studio will be located in the centre of Barcelona, and hopes to establish a studio culture “that will attract top talent from around the world.“ The blog post also comments broadly on the studio’s future projects: “With more to come from the Hitman universe, developing and publishing the first James Bond origin story and a brand new IP in active development, the future for IO Interactive is as exciting as it has ever been.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/05/hitman-devs-james-bond-game-is-an-original-story-drawing-from-the-franchises-entire-history-ign-unfiltered"] It's another heartening moment for IO, which became a full indie studio in 2017 after splitting from Square Enix, while retaining the rights to its Hitman IP. Since then it's released Hitman 2 and 3, as well as announcing Project 007, a James Bond game with an original story. We've talked before about how Hitman 3 proves the studio is ready to tackle Bond. Here’s our review of IOI’s latest game Hitman 3, which we scored a 9, calling it ”rich, rewarding and highly replayable.” You can also check out this episode of Unfiltered in which Hitman studio boss Hakan Abrak talks about the future of Hitman and the studio’s work on James Bond. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Just like WandaVision before it, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has dropped in a mid-credits scene after spending most of a season without them. Episode 5 of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, 'Truth' tucks a short but important scene after its illustrated credits, but before its extended credits. Make sure to stick around if you plan to see everything the penultimate installment of the show has to offer. It might presage even more credits action in next week's finale. After introducing mid-credits scenes in episode 7, WandaVision's finale episode included mid-credits and post-credits scenes – you can probably expect Falcon and Winter Soldier to repeat the trick itself, in classic MCU style. As for what this week's credits scene includes, read on for more details. Full spoilers follow for Episode 5 of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier! [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-wakandans-featurette"] Tying a bow on the events of 'Truth', the episode' mid-credits scene shows John Walker seemingly making good on his repeated assurance that he's still Captain America – no matter what the government says – by building his own shield. We see the now-renegade Cap welding and painting his new equipment, and seemingly using his own Medal of Valor as a template for the design. It's clear that we'll be seeing more of Walker next week, but it'll be interesting to see in what capacity that comes. Given his grudge against Sam and Bucky, there's little doubt he'll end up having a rematch with the pair, but it'll be interesting to see if his misguided attempts at taking up Steve Rogers' mantle lead him down a different path in the end. Clearly, there's still a lot to tie up in that final episode, and you better believe we've got theories about it. After all of this is over, it won't be too long until we're introduced to the Loki series – there's a lot to puzzle over there too, but Tom Hiddleston says the logo teases what the show is all about. [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.

Just like WandaVision before it, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has dropped in a mid-credits scene after spending most of a season without them. Episode 5 of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, 'Truth' tucks a short but important scene after its illustrated credits, but before its extended credits. Make sure to stick around if you plan to see everything the penultimate installment of the show has to offer. It might presage even more credits action in next week's finale. After introducing mid-credits scenes in episode 7, WandaVision's finale episode included mid-credits and post-credits scenes – you can probably expect Falcon and Winter Soldier to repeat the trick itself, in classic MCU style. As for what this week's credits scene includes, read on for more details. Full spoilers follow for Episode 5 of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier! [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-wakandans-featurette"] Tying a bow on the events of 'Truth', the episode' mid-credits scene shows John Walker seemingly making good on his repeated assurance that he's still Captain America – no matter what the government says – by building his own shield. We see the now-renegade Cap welding and painting his new equipment, and seemingly using his own Medal of Valor as a template for the design. It's clear that we'll be seeing more of Walker next week, but it'll be interesting to see in what capacity that comes. Given his grudge against Sam and Bucky, there's little doubt he'll end up having a rematch with the pair, but it'll be interesting to see if his misguided attempts at taking up Steve Rogers' mantle lead him down a different path in the end. Clearly, there's still a lot to tie up in that final episode, and you better believe we've got theories about it. After all of this is over, it won't be too long until we're introduced to the Loki series – there's a lot to puzzle over there too, but Tom Hiddleston says the logo teases what the show is all about. [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.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Marvel's The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 5, 'Truth,' now available to stream on Disney+. [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Falcon and The Winter Soldier's surprise cameo in episode 5 was reportedly slated to first appear in Marvel's Black Widow movie. The penultimate installment of the MCU's latest Disney+ series was tipped to feature a surprising cameo and the episode delivered big on that promise with the arrival of a mysterious new villain, who conveniently showed up moments after John Walker was stripped of his Captain America title for brutally attacking one of the Flag-Smashers in broad daylight. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/10/falcon-and-winter-soldier-episode-4-the-real-reason-why-captain-america-is-a-bad-guy-now-mcu-canon-fodder"] Following his discharge from service, Walker is approached by a woman who introduces herself as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The quippy character is played by none other than Emmy award-winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus who effortlessly adopts her new villainous persona as she offers to help Walker out with his current predicament. If the arrival of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine seemed a little bit out of the blue, Vanity Fair may have a potential reason for that as sources close to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier reportedly revealed that "Louis-Dreyfus was slated to first appear in the Black Widow film which, in a pre-Covid world, was scheduled to debut in theaters May 1, 2020." It's interesting to note that Louis-Dreyfus perhaps should have made her MCU debut before The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, as it means that we potentially could have had more insight about the character prior to her meeting with Walker. It also signals that Marvel is potentially setting the star up for an ongoing role in the MCU, or at least Phase 4. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] For those unfamiliar with the character, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is most commonly associated with the S.H.I.E.L.D organization, having made her debut in "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." in Strange Tales #159. In the comics, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine quickly becomes a love interest for Nick Fury, though she's eventually unveiled as a Russian sleeper agent who takes on the mantle of Madame Hydra. After The Falcon and The Winter Soldier draws to a close next week, it sounds like we might be seeing Louis-Dreyfus again in Scarlet Johansson's long-delayed solo Black Widow movie, which is coming to theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 9. Before that, however, we'll see Tom Hiddleston return as the God of Mischief for Loki, the MCU's third TV show on Disney+. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Marvel's The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 5, 'Truth,' now available to stream on Disney+. [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Falcon and The Winter Soldier's surprise cameo in episode 5 was reportedly slated to first appear in Marvel's Black Widow movie. The penultimate installment of the MCU's latest Disney+ series was tipped to feature a surprising cameo and the episode delivered big on that promise with the arrival of a mysterious new villain, who conveniently showed up moments after John Walker was stripped of his Captain America title for brutally attacking one of the Flag-Smashers in broad daylight. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/10/falcon-and-winter-soldier-episode-4-the-real-reason-why-captain-america-is-a-bad-guy-now-mcu-canon-fodder"] Following his discharge from service, Walker is approached by a woman who introduces herself as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The quippy character is played by none other than Emmy award-winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus who effortlessly adopts her new villainous persona as she offers to help Walker out with his current predicament. If the arrival of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine seemed a little bit out of the blue, Vanity Fair may have a potential reason for that as sources close to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier reportedly revealed that "Louis-Dreyfus was slated to first appear in the Black Widow film which, in a pre-Covid world, was scheduled to debut in theaters May 1, 2020." It's interesting to note that Louis-Dreyfus perhaps should have made her MCU debut before The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, as it means that we potentially could have had more insight about the character prior to her meeting with Walker. It also signals that Marvel is potentially setting the star up for an ongoing role in the MCU, or at least Phase 4. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] For those unfamiliar with the character, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is most commonly associated with the S.H.I.E.L.D organization, having made her debut in "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." in Strange Tales #159. In the comics, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine quickly becomes a love interest for Nick Fury, though she's eventually unveiled as a Russian sleeper agent who takes on the mantle of Madame Hydra. After The Falcon and The Winter Soldier draws to a close next week, it sounds like we might be seeing Louis-Dreyfus again in Scarlet Johansson's long-delayed solo Black Widow movie, which is coming to theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 9. Before that, however, we'll see Tom Hiddleston return as the God of Mischief for Loki, the MCU's third TV show on Disney+. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Tingle seems to love the ocean. How else to explain his steady presence in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, where the peculiar sprite continually pops up to aid (or hamper) Link's quest with items like the Tingle Tuner? Heck, he even has his very own island. In today's sprawling interview with IGN, which you should absolutely go read, outgoing developer Takaya Imamura explained Tingle's outsized presence in Wind Waker. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2013/09/17/the-legend-of-zelda-wind-waker-hd-video-review"] "I was helping out on The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker when it was still in its planning phase, but at the same time I was working on Star Fox Adventures with Rare, and I ended up having to focus on the latter," Imamura explained, laughing. "So If you ever wondered why Tingle appears so often in Wind Waker, now you know why." Tingle had already appeared in Majora's Mask and Oracle of Ages, but his stint in Wind Waker seemed to cement him in Zelda lore. He went on to appear in several more games, including Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland for the Nintendo, which never made it to North America. Imamura was Tingle's main creator, and it's become a big part of his legacy. Indeed, when Imamura announced his retirement earlier this year, many sites referred to him as "Tingle's Creator" first despite having a large hand on games ranging from Star Fox 64 to F-Zero GX. Tingle himself remains a fairly divisive figure among North American fandom. Here at IGN, we hated him enough that we ran a "Die, Tingle, Die! Die!" campaign back in 2004. In Japan, though, he is said to have garnered a cult following, with Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland producer Kensuke Tanabe expressing interest in one day making another Tingle game. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-zelda-review-score&captions=true"] "I know that people cannot stand Tingle. But to me, that challenge is: Could I take this character that is so reviled in the West and just [do] a complete turnaround and make him a beloved, fun character? The idea of that really just gets me going. I know we have made a Tingle game in the past, but maybe at some point down the road," Tanabe told GamesBeat in 2013. Tingle's most recent appearance was in Hyrule Warriors, where he appeared in the Majora's Mask DLC pack. His costume was also available via DLC in Breath of the Wild. As for Imamura, he's now departed the company where he spent more than 30 years working alongside giants like Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata. He is now a professor at the International Professional University of Technology in Osaka, where he is teaching CG animation and video game development and is currently working on a manga. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Kat Bailey is a Senior Editor at IGN. She really has nothing against Tingle.

Tingle seems to love the ocean. How else to explain his steady presence in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, where the peculiar sprite continually pops up to aid (or hamper) Link's quest with items like the Tingle Tuner? Heck, he even has his very own island. In today's sprawling interview with IGN, which you should absolutely go read, outgoing developer Takaya Imamura explained Tingle's outsized presence in Wind Waker. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2013/09/17/the-legend-of-zelda-wind-waker-hd-video-review"] "I was helping out on The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker when it was still in its planning phase, but at the same time I was working on Star Fox Adventures with Rare, and I ended up having to focus on the latter," Imamura explained, laughing. "So If you ever wondered why Tingle appears so often in Wind Waker, now you know why." Tingle had already appeared in Majora's Mask and Oracle of Ages, but his stint in Wind Waker seemed to cement him in Zelda lore. He went on to appear in several more games, including Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland for the Nintendo, which never made it to North America. Imamura was Tingle's main creator, and it's become a big part of his legacy. Indeed, when Imamura announced his retirement earlier this year, many sites referred to him as "Tingle's Creator" first despite having a large hand on games ranging from Star Fox 64 to F-Zero GX. Tingle himself remains a fairly divisive figure among North American fandom. Here at IGN, we hated him enough that we ran a "Die, Tingle, Die! Die!" campaign back in 2004. In Japan, though, he is said to have garnered a cult following, with Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland producer Kensuke Tanabe expressing interest in one day making another Tingle game. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-zelda-review-score&captions=true"] "I know that people cannot stand Tingle. But to me, that challenge is: Could I take this character that is so reviled in the West and just [do] a complete turnaround and make him a beloved, fun character? The idea of that really just gets me going. I know we have made a Tingle game in the past, but maybe at some point down the road," Tanabe told GamesBeat in 2013. Tingle's most recent appearance was in Hyrule Warriors, where he appeared in the Majora's Mask DLC pack. His costume was also available via DLC in Breath of the Wild. As for Imamura, he's now departed the company where he spent more than 30 years working alongside giants like Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata. He is now a professor at the International Professional University of Technology in Osaka, where he is teaching CG animation and video game development and is currently working on a manga. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Kat Bailey is a Senior Editor at IGN. She really has nothing against Tingle.

Takaya Imamura, the now-retired Nintendo artist and designer who helped create The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask and characters like Captain Falcon and Fox McCloud, has said that while F-Zero isn't dead, it is a series that is "hard to bring back" without a "grand idea." Imamura spoke to IGN about his 30-year career at Nintendo, and he revealed that he considers F-Zero GX to be "the ultimate F-Zero." However, 2003's F-Zero GX is 18 years old and is the last console F-Zero game to be released. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2011/04/14/f-zero-gx-gameplay"] While many Nintendo franchises have lived on with new entries, F-Zero has been quiet for nearly two decades, although it wasn't for lack of trying. “Of course, I’ve thought about it many times, but without a grand new idea, it’s hard to bring it back,” Imamura says. Despite that, Imamura reassures us that the F-Zero series isn't dead, even with him no longer being at Nintendo. Imamura also delved deep into the development of F-Zero GX, which took inspiration from Daytona USA and was developed by SEGA's Amusement Vision alongside Nintendo. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-top-25-switch-games-fall-2020-update&captions=true"] “I think it started with [Amusement Vision's] Toshihiro Nagoshi proposing the project to Miyamoto,” says Imamura. “I really liked Daytona USA (which Nagoshi produced), so I was honored to work with him. We had an arcade system board called Triforce which was based on the GameCube’s architecture, so when Nagoshi proposed doing an arcade version of F-Zero, I was really happy, as I had always been a fan of arcade games. “Back then, Nagoshi was the top of Amusement Vision, a subsidiary studio of Sega. I don’t think many people outside the company were ever allowed inside the actual development offices. Companies don’t usually let people inside their development offices, but they showed me the arcade cabinets they were working on, which has become a special memory for me,” recalls Imamura. “Nagoshi had a professional darts machine in his office, which I thought was very stylish. In those days, Nagoshi still had long hair, but he was already quite imposing.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/08/22/f-zero-ign-plays"] While he discussed F-Zero, our interview with Imamura also touches upon his work on The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Star Fox 64, how he got into the video game industry, and much more. [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.

Takaya Imamura, the now-retired Nintendo artist and designer who helped create The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask and characters like Captain Falcon and Fox McCloud, has said that while F-Zero isn't dead, it is a series that is "hard to bring back" without a "grand idea." Imamura spoke to IGN about his 30-year career at Nintendo, and he revealed that he considers F-Zero GX to be "the ultimate F-Zero." However, 2003's F-Zero GX is 18 years old and is the last console F-Zero game to be released. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2011/04/14/f-zero-gx-gameplay"] While many Nintendo franchises have lived on with new entries, F-Zero has been quiet for nearly two decades, although it wasn't for lack of trying. “Of course, I’ve thought about it many times, but without a grand new idea, it’s hard to bring it back,” Imamura says. Despite that, Imamura reassures us that the F-Zero series isn't dead, even with him no longer being at Nintendo. Imamura also delved deep into the development of F-Zero GX, which took inspiration from Daytona USA and was developed by SEGA's Amusement Vision alongside Nintendo. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-top-25-switch-games-fall-2020-update&captions=true"] “I think it started with [Amusement Vision's] Toshihiro Nagoshi proposing the project to Miyamoto,” says Imamura. “I really liked Daytona USA (which Nagoshi produced), so I was honored to work with him. We had an arcade system board called Triforce which was based on the GameCube’s architecture, so when Nagoshi proposed doing an arcade version of F-Zero, I was really happy, as I had always been a fan of arcade games. “Back then, Nagoshi was the top of Amusement Vision, a subsidiary studio of Sega. I don’t think many people outside the company were ever allowed inside the actual development offices. Companies don’t usually let people inside their development offices, but they showed me the arcade cabinets they were working on, which has become a special memory for me,” recalls Imamura. “Nagoshi had a professional darts machine in his office, which I thought was very stylish. In those days, Nagoshi still had long hair, but he was already quite imposing.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/08/22/f-zero-ign-plays"] While he discussed F-Zero, our interview with Imamura also touches upon his work on The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Star Fox 64, how he got into the video game industry, and much more. [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.