Monthly Archives: November 2021
Stranger Things: First Official Map of Hawkins Revealed
In celebration of Stranger Things Day, Netflix has released the first official map of Hawkins, Indiana, which was created by artist Kyle Lambert.
This map, which you can see below, gives fans their best look at a rough layout of Hawkins and a glimpse of many of the locations featured in the show and where they are relative to each other.
![](https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2021/11/06/1c7df778-185a-481d-9c30-f2a717c4643a-1636214546211.jpeg)
Not only do we get a look at Hawkins National Laboratory, Hawkins High School, the homes of the cast, Starcourt Mall, Hawkins Community Pool, and The Palace Arcade, we also see the monsters featured in the show and some of the other locations we've seen in the series, like Russia and Chicago, and places our characters will go in Season 4, like California.
Speaking of California, the Season 4 teaser trailer released for Stranger Things Day was focused on The Golden State as Eleven, Will and Jonathan find themselves living there and getting ready for a spring break that looks to not be as relaxing as one would hope.
This teaser follows another that was released during TUDUM: A Netflix Global Fan Event that focused on another location from Season 4 - the Creel House. This house was the home of Victor Creel, a man who became an inmate at Pennhurst Mental Hospital after committing a grisly murder in the 1950s.
For more on Stranger Things, check out the Magic: The Gathering cards based on Eleven and Hopper and the news that Stranger Things may set to get some spin-off shows in the future.
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.
Stranger Things Season 4 Teaser, Episode Titles, and Release Window Revealed
Update (11/6/21) - Netflix has also not only revealed the episode titles of the fourth season of Stranger Things, but it also confirmed that these new episodes will arrive in Summer 2022.
The episode titles, as shared by Netflix, are as follows;
- The Hellfire Club
- Vecna's Curse
- The Monster and the Superhero
- Dear Billy
- The Nina Project
- The Dive
- The Massacre at Hawkins Lab
- Papa
- The Piggyback
ST4 IS COMING pic.twitter.com/PVNWvXICBp
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) November 6, 2021
The original story follows.
Netflix has revealed a new look at the fourth season of Stranger Things in the form of a teaser that gives a glimpse of Eleven, Will, Jonathan, and Joyce's new life in California and the dangers of their upcoming spring break.
Revealed on Twitter, the teaser comes with the words, "we're gonna have the best spring break ever." Unfortunately, this doesn't appear to be the case.
we're gonna have the best spring break ever. pic.twitter.com/D6Xyx9VquE
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) November 6, 2021
As with the other seasons of Stranger Things, this new life in California is anything but normal. While the teaser begins with Eleven writing a letter to Mike that tells him how wonderful her first 185 days of living in California are, we quickly see it is quite the opposite.
As spring break approaches, it looks as though Eleven is still having trouble making friends and fitting in at school. On top of that, the teaser also shows off gunfights, a creepy doll, windows shattering, Eleven being held by two men in suits, an undergound base of some sort, explosions, and much more.
This teaser follows another that was released during TUDUM: A Netflix Global Fan Event that focused on another location from Season 4 - the Creel House. This house was the home of Victor Creel, a man who became an inmate at Pennhurst Mental Hospital after committing a grisly murder in the 1950s.
For more on Stranger Things, check out the Magic: The Gathering cards based on Eleven and Hopper and the news that Stranger Things may set to get some spin-off shows in the future.
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.
Stranger Things Season 4 Teaser Shows A Dangerous Spring Break in California
Netflix has revealed a new look at the fourth season of Stranger Things in the form of a teaser that gives a glimpse of Eleven, Will, Jonathan, and Joyce's new life in California and the dangers of their upcoming spring break.
Revealed on Twitter, the teaser comes with the words, "we're gonna have the best spring break ever." Unfortunately, this doesn't appear to be the case.
we're gonna have the best spring break ever. pic.twitter.com/D6Xyx9VquE
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) November 6, 2021
As with the other seasons of Stranger Things, this new life in California is anything but normal. While the teaser begins with Eleven writing a letter to Mike that tells him how wonderful her first 185 days of living in California are, we quickly see it is quite the opposite.
As spring break approaches, it looks as though Eleven is still having trouble making friends and fitting in at school. On top of that, the teaser also shows off gunfights, a creepy doll, windows shattering, Eleven being held by two men in suits, an undergound base of some sort, explosions, and much more.
This teaser follows another that was released during TUDUM: A Netflix Global Fan Event that focused on another location from Season 4 - the Creel House. This house was the home of Victor Creel, a man who became an inmate at Pennhurst Mental Hospital after committing a grisly murder in the 1950s.
For more on Stranger Things, check out the Magic: The Gathering cards based on Eleven and Hopper and the news that Stranger Things may set to get some spin-off shows in the future.
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.
Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker Expansion Delayed By Two Weeks, Launch Trailer Released
Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker has been delayed by two weeks and will now be released on December 7, 2021. To help with the wait, the team also released the expansion's launch trailer.
The news was announced by FF14's producer and director Naoki Yoshida, who wrote a letter to the fans explaining the decision and apologizing for the delay.
"There are several reasons for the postponement, but as I’m the one overseeing all aspects of the title as the head of the project, the responsibility falls solely on me," Yoshida wrote. "Allow me to convey my sincerest apologies to our players, our Warriors of Light around the world who have been looking so forward to the release of Endwalker. I am truly sorry."
As we previously mentioned, Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker will now launch on December 7, while the expansion's early access period will begin on December 3. There will also be two scheduled patches - Patch 6.01 and 6.05 - that will be released on December 21, 2021, and January 4, 2022, respectively.
Yoshida continued to say that the "biggest factor behind the release date change was my own selfishness as the game’s director." It all stemmed, according to him, from trying to balance the roles of producer and director.
"However, as we neared the end of development and I played through everything—from quests to battle content and the like—I just couldn’t contain my desire to further improve Endwalker’s quality, specifically because this expansion pack marks the first major culmination of events in FFXIV so far," Yoshida said. "Even as we look beyond Endwalker, the FFXIV story will continue for a long time and we hope to deliver many more enjoyable experiences in the game. However, it was precisely because Endwalker concludes the first major saga that I felt our team needed to push ourselves to the “limits” that I envisioned.
"As a result, we remained firmly resolved to adjust down to the smallest nuances and ensure our writing covers even the finest points of the vast and intricate story that has spanned these past 11 years since the original FFXIV to ensure that everyone can fully enjoy their adventure in Endwalker.
"Unfortunately, the consequence of this was that we ended up in a situation where we cut into the time required for final quality assurance checks due to this time spent on additional improvements."
As the launch day grew near, Yoshida realized that "there was a bigger risk of us reaching the release date without ensuring “stability” as one form of quality." It was this reason, and more, that led to the decision of a delay.
This will mark the first time Yoshida has ever delayed an annouced release date, although he did "once shift a release from Spring to early Summer." He also understands that many people made arrangements to take off work for the first day of Endwalker, and he humbly asks that everyone "forgive [him] for the decision [he's] made."
Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker will not only conclude the tale of Hydaelyn and Zodiark and bring to a close the story that began in A Realm Reborn, it will also feature two new jobs - one healer and one melee DPS - and will bring players to the moon.
For more on FF14, which recently surpassed 24 million players, check out why Endwalker's Stardew Valley-like mode sounds relaxing as heck and the changes the team has made to help ease server congestion.
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.
Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker Expansion Delayed By Two Weeks, Launch Trailer Released
Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker has been delayed by two weeks and will now be released on December 7, 2021. To help with the wait, the team also released the expansion's launch trailer.
The news was announced by FF14's producer and director Naoki Yoshida, who wrote a letter to the fans explaining the decision and apologizing for the delay.
"There are several reasons for the postponement, but as I’m the one overseeing all aspects of the title as the head of the project, the responsibility falls solely on me," Yoshida wrote. "Allow me to convey my sincerest apologies to our players, our Warriors of Light around the world who have been looking so forward to the release of Endwalker. I am truly sorry."
As we previously mentioned, Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker will now launch on December 7, while the expansion's early access period will begin on December 3. There will also be two scheduled patches - Patch 6.01 and 6.05 - that will be released on December 21, 2021, and January 4, 2022, respectively.
Yoshida continued to say that the "biggest factor behind the release date change was my own selfishness as the game’s director." It all stemmed, according to him, from trying to balance the roles of producer and director.
"However, as we neared the end of development and I played through everything—from quests to battle content and the like—I just couldn’t contain my desire to further improve Endwalker’s quality, specifically because this expansion pack marks the first major culmination of events in FFXIV so far," Yoshida said. "Even as we look beyond Endwalker, the FFXIV story will continue for a long time and we hope to deliver many more enjoyable experiences in the game. However, it was precisely because Endwalker concludes the first major saga that I felt our team needed to push ourselves to the “limits” that I envisioned.
"As a result, we remained firmly resolved to adjust down to the smallest nuances and ensure our writing covers even the finest points of the vast and intricate story that has spanned these past 11 years since the original FFXIV to ensure that everyone can fully enjoy their adventure in Endwalker.
"Unfortunately, the consequence of this was that we ended up in a situation where we cut into the time required for final quality assurance checks due to this time spent on additional improvements."
As the launch day grew near, Yoshida realized that "there was a bigger risk of us reaching the release date without ensuring “stability” as one form of quality." It was this reason, and more, that led to the decision of a delay.
This will mark the first time Yoshida has ever delayed an annouced release date, although he did "once shift a release from Spring to early Summer." He also understands that many people made arrangements to take off work for the first day of Endwalker, and he humbly asks that everyone "forgive [him] for the decision [he's] made."
Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker will not only conclude the tale of Hydaelyn and Zodiark and bring to a close the story that began in A Realm Reborn, it will also feature two new jobs - one healer and one melee DPS - and will bring players to the moon.
For more on FF14, which recently surpassed 24 million players, check out why Endwalker's Stardew Valley-like mode sounds relaxing as heck and the changes the team has made to help ease server congestion.
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.
Mighty Ducks Season 2 Won’t Include Emilio Estevez
The Don't Bothers have lost their assistant coach. Deadline reports that actor Emilio Estevez is not returning to the Mighty Ducks: Game Changes series on Disney Plus, where he played the iconic underdog hockey coach Gordon Bombay.
ABC and Estevez reportedly came to an impasse regarding COVID-19 vaccination requirements for all production members. After weeks of fruitless negotiation, ABC decided not to renew Estevez for season two of the Mighty Ducks: Game Changers series. Sources close to Estevez indicated that creative differences may have also played a role in the actor's exit from the show.
Estevez and his reps reportedly declined to provide assurances to ABC that the actor would comply with the production's vaccination requirements. Disney TV Studios is requiring many of its various series production crews to be vaccinated, including actors and anyone who comes into contact with production members. The vaccination requirement was included in the most recent return-to-work agreement made between studios and unions.
ABC will adjust season two's script to work around Estevez's absence, Deadline says. Estevez reprised his role as coach Gordon Bombay in the pseudo-sequel to the Mighty Ducks film trilogy. The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers saw the titular youth hockey team rise to all-star status, becoming the very win-at-all-costs machine they had previously competed against. Bombay, now the owner of a rundown ice rink, is reinspired to coach when he meets Lauren Graham's Alex Morrow and her team of young misfits, the Don't Bothers. The finale of season 1 indicated that Estevez and Graham's characters could become romantically entangled, but Estevez's absence likely rules out that possibility out now.
Estevez previously starred as coach Bombay in all three Mighty Ducks films from 1992 to 1996. The films themselves were critically panned to varying degrees, but nevertheless developed a loyal fan following for its feel-good story and characters.
Production on season two is scheduled to start in early 2022. Meanwhile, vaccination requirements are becoming more common in Hollywood productions. Netflix implemented a vaccination requirement for all of its U.S. shows in July, with a few exceptions for medical, age, or religious reasons.
Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/jab enthusiast for IGN.
Mighty Ducks Season 2 Won’t Include Emilio Estevez
The Don't Bothers have lost their assistant coach. Deadline reports that actor Emilio Estevez is not returning to the Mighty Ducks: Game Changes series on Disney Plus, where he played the iconic underdog hockey coach Gordon Bombay.
ABC and Estevez reportedly came to an impasse regarding COVID-19 vaccination requirements for all production members. After weeks of fruitless negotiation, ABC decided not to renew Estevez for season two of the Mighty Ducks: Game Changers series. Sources close to Estevez indicated that creative differences may have also played a role in the actor's exit from the show.
Estevez and his reps reportedly declined to provide assurances to ABC that the actor would comply with the production's vaccination requirements. Disney TV Studios is requiring many of its various series production crews to be vaccinated, including actors and anyone who comes into contact with production members. The vaccination requirement was included in the most recent return-to-work agreement made between studios and unions.
ABC will adjust season two's script to work around Estevez's absence, Deadline says. Estevez reprised his role as coach Gordon Bombay in the pseudo-sequel to the Mighty Ducks film trilogy. The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers saw the titular youth hockey team rise to all-star status, becoming the very win-at-all-costs machine they had previously competed against. Bombay, now the owner of a rundown ice rink, is reinspired to coach when he meets Lauren Graham's Alex Morrow and her team of young misfits, the Don't Bothers. The finale of season 1 indicated that Estevez and Graham's characters could become romantically entangled, but Estevez's absence likely rules out that possibility out now.
Estevez previously starred as coach Bombay in all three Mighty Ducks films from 1992 to 1996. The films themselves were critically panned to varying degrees, but nevertheless developed a loyal fan following for its feel-good story and characters.
Production on season two is scheduled to start in early 2022. Meanwhile, vaccination requirements are becoming more common in Hollywood productions. Netflix implemented a vaccination requirement for all of its U.S. shows in July, with a few exceptions for medical, age, or religious reasons.
Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/jab enthusiast for IGN.
Kumail Nanjiani Has Both an Xbox Series X and PS5 and Takes Them With Him When He Travels
When he's not busy getting absurdly ripped and starring in movies, Marvel's Eternals actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani is a capital "G" gamer. In an interview with IGN, Nanjiani discussed how he spends his minimal free time between projects and press interviews playing games on his PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) plays many video games and loves bringing his PS5 and Xbox Series X with him when he travels for work! #Eternals pic.twitter.com/gspLBTiQvr
— IGN (@IGN) November 5, 2021
What's at the top of Nanjiani's to-play list? The actor is currently working his way through Deathloop, the time-looping immersive sim/FPS from the creators of Dishonored and Prey.
"I'm savoring it," Nanjiani said. "I haven't beaten it yet but I think I'm getting closer. I'm traveling for press and I'm like 'I need to beat this game in the next two days.'"
Nanjiani also brings his PS5 or his Xbox Series X with him while he travels for film roles. During quarantine, Nanjiani said he played Gears of War's horde mode every Wednesday with friends, and that Death Stranding and Red Dead Redemption 2 were his primary games throughout filming of Eternals.
Video games have been a sizeable part of Nanjiani's identity as a comedian and actor, which makes plenty of sense when you remember he has a starring role on HBO's Silicon Valley and earned a computer science degree in college. In his 2013 Comedy Central special, Nanjiani discussed a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer level based on the Pakistani city of Karachi, his hometown. He also pointed out how the game's level designers used the Arabic language on street signs, rather than the actual language of Pakistan, which is Urdu.
In past interviews with other outlets, Nanjiani has discussed how he and his father would buy bootleg copies of Commodore 64 games from people who advertised in a local paper. He's also discussed writing video game fanfiction as a kid after playing through Golden Axe on the Sega Genesis. He's occasionally voiced video game characters, like the salarian Jarun Tann in Mass Effect: Andromeda or a minor character in Telltale's The Walking Dead's season two.
You can see Nanjiani embrace his own inner hero in Marvel's Eternals, where he plays Eternal-turned-Bollywood star Kingo Sunen. You can see a breakdown of every Eternals character, their origins, and powers here or see what the ending of Eternals means for the future of the MCU.
(Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/wouldn't mind playing a few rounds of COD with Mr. Nanjiani.
Kumail Nanjiani Has Both an Xbox Series X and PS5 and Takes Them With Him When He Travels
When he's not busy getting absurdly ripped and starring in movies, Marvel's Eternals actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani is a capital "G" gamer. In an interview with IGN, Nanjiani discussed how he spends his minimal free time between projects and press interviews playing games on his PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) plays many video games and loves bringing his PS5 and Xbox Series X with him when he travels for work! #Eternals pic.twitter.com/gspLBTiQvr
— IGN (@IGN) November 5, 2021
What's at the top of Nanjiani's to-play list? The actor is currently working his way through Deathloop, the time-looping immersive sim/FPS from the creators of Dishonored and Prey.
"I'm savoring it," Nanjiani said. "I haven't beaten it yet but I think I'm getting closer. I'm traveling for press and I'm like 'I need to beat this game in the next two days.'"
Nanjiani also brings his PS5 or his Xbox Series X with him while he travels for film roles. During quarantine, Nanjiani said he played Gears of War's horde mode every Wednesday with friends, and that Death Stranding and Red Dead Redemption 2 were his primary games throughout filming of Eternals.
Video games have been a sizeable part of Nanjiani's identity as a comedian and actor, which makes plenty of sense when you remember he has a starring role on HBO's Silicon Valley and earned a computer science degree in college. In his 2013 Comedy Central special, Nanjiani discussed a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer level based on the Pakistani city of Karachi, his hometown. He also pointed out how the game's level designers used the Arabic language on street signs, rather than the actual language of Pakistan, which is Urdu.
In past interviews with other outlets, Nanjiani has discussed how he and his father would buy bootleg copies of Commodore 64 games from people who advertised in a local paper. He's also discussed writing video game fanfiction as a kid after playing through Golden Axe on the Sega Genesis. He's occasionally voiced video game characters, like the salarian Jarun Tann in Mass Effect: Andromeda or a minor character in Telltale's The Walking Dead's season two.
You can see Nanjiani embrace his own inner hero in Marvel's Eternals, where he plays Eternal-turned-Bollywood star Kingo Sunen. You can see a breakdown of every Eternals character, their origins, and powers here or see what the ending of Eternals means for the future of the MCU.
(Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/wouldn't mind playing a few rounds of COD with Mr. Nanjiani.
Animal Crossing Happy Home Paradise DLC Players Warned Of Remodel Bug
"Don't remodel your neighbors' houses when the airport is open" sounds like one of those bizarre, antiquated laws that was put on the books for a very specific reason a hundred years ago and was then forgotten about, but right now it's a very real rule you should follow in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
A tweet from the official Nintendo UK account warns players not to go to resident services and request to model a neighbor's home while the airport gates are open, lest they experience unintended "gameplay bugs." The same tweet was made by the official Nintendo of Australia and New Zealand account, though notably Nintendo of America hasn't said anything about it yet.
#AnimalCrossingNewHorizons players who own the Happy Home Paradise DLC may experience gameplay bugs if they visit Resident Services and ask to remodel a resident’s home while the gates at their airport are open. [1/3]
— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) November 5, 2021
You're still good to remodel neighbor's homes, just close those airport gates first. Nintendo says if you do make this error and encounter bugs, you can simply end the play session and relaunch the game without losing data or having any other issues. A patch is on the way later this month that will prevent this from happening entirely.
It's not clear exactly what gameplay bugs are being referred to here, but it's probably best to be safe and just avoid the airport unless your island is just how you want it. Generally, having the airport open in Animal Crossing: New Horizons prohibits you from doing certain activities, like using Island Designer to change the terrain, sending mail, or buying items via Nook Shopping. And if a visitor is actually on your island, you can't change the decor in the area they're in. So it makes some sense that there might be an issue with completely changing a neighbor's house while your game is connected online.
The ability to remodel your neighbor's homes appeared in game just today with Animal Crossing's Happy Home Paradise DLC. If you've purchased the DLC, we have guides on how to unlock the new content and all the new activities you can do, alongside our general guide to everything else in the free portion of the Animal Crossing 2.0 update that dropped earlier this week.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.