The cutthroat competition, politics, and warfare in Frank Herbert's Dune novels are a natural fit for strategy games, and Northgard developers Shiro Games are looking to capitalize on that with their upcoming RTS/4X, Dune: Spice Wars. Releasing into early access next year, Spice Wars will have us using guile, military might, and careful management of resources to control Arrakis as a number of different factions representing the Great Houses and other important groups from the setting.

The action will take place on a circular map representing Arrakis' North pole, and we'll have the option to roll up a randomized version or use an "official" configuration that is very faithful to the description in the books. While the whole planet is, of course, a big desert, the devs have gone out of their way to make sure it doesn't all feel like a big, homogeneous sandbox. They even consulted a geologist to try and come up with enough visually and mechanically distinct types of arid terrain to keep things interesting.

Rocky areas are valuable as they offer some safety from the worms. Deep Deserts are the opposite: acting almost like seas in a Civilization game, simply venturing into them will be suicidally hazardous until you unlock later techs. All military units will be limited by supplies, which can drain very quickly in unforgiving environments. And of course, the worms are an ever-present threat, with all of your units generating vibrations that will attract them. When one shows up, your only option is usually to evacuate the area until it goes away.

Open House

Becoming the ruler of Dune can be accomplished in one of three ways: destroying all of your rivals outright, being declared Governor using political maneuvering, or achieving a score-based Hegemony victory, which can vary from faction to faction. The two factions that have been revealed so far are House Atreides and House Harkonnen, and true to their lore, the former has more options for diplomacy and indirect control while the latter is focused on brutal military domination.

House choice isn't the end of the story, either, as you'll also choose a small number of consulars for each new campaign. These sub-leaders are drawn from your faction's cast of characters and can further customize your playstyle. Lady Jessica is an adept politician, for instance, while Duncan Idaho will give benefits to your military.

Spice will of course be the main resource, and the primary way to get money. Its price will fluctuate over time, and you'll always have to decide how much to sell and how much to stockpile to take advantage of this. There won't be a full supply and demand system at launch, so you can't flood the market to suddenly deflate the price or hoard your stock to keep it high, but the developers are interested in looking into that kind of system more after the initial early access release. You'll also always owe a small spice tax to the Emperor, with dire consequences if you don't pay it.

GAMES OF SUCCESSION

The Emperor isn't the only political force in the galaxy, though, and interacting with the Landsraad, a ruling council of powerful houses, will also present its own challenges and opportunities. This is your principal link to the greater game taking place beyond Arrakis, where you can vote on resolutions to help yourself and/or hinder your enemies. If you play your cards right, you can clinch a win by being named Governor of Arrakis. And not all of the maneuvering happens out in the open.

Espionage will also be a major system, though you can choose to specialize in it heavily or barely touch it at all. The ideal Shiro sees for these shadow games is to reward players who can correctly predict what their enemies are going to do. For example, your agents could launch an operation to severely hinder an oncoming enemy army if you know the attack route they plan to follow. You should feel clever for reading the board and letting the enemy play into your hands like a chess master, not merely be rewarded for deploying spies out without a plan.

All the while, we'll run into side stories that can be anything from a one-off involving the recovery of a crashed ornithopter, or a multi-step event wrapped up in political subterfuge. The devs are striving for a balance between the natural storytelling that will arise from the AI Baron Harkonnen you're playing against, well… acting like Baron Harkonnen, and more handcrafted mini-stories like this. They mentioned Stellaris as a point of comparison, though each campaign should take only a few hours to finish as opposed to dozens.

We'll be able to pack our bags and head for Arrakis when Dune: Spice Wars hits early access some time in 2022.

Leana Hafer is a freelance writer for IGN

Nathan Drake strikes a familiar pose in a new Uncharted poster, which is reminiscent of the washed-out orange/beige colour palette of videogame sequel, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.

This new poster gives us another glimpse of Uncharted star Tom Holland as Nathan Drake – a young fortune hunter in search of the greatest reassure never found. Uncharted also brings back Victor “Sully” Sullivan (played by Mark Wahlberg), Drake’s friend and mentor who accompanies the young adventurer on his travels.

Check out the full Uncharted poster below:

Aside from featuring the dynamic duo near a washed-up shipwreck, there’s little else we can learn from this new Uncharted poster.

Except that Wahlberg still doesn’t have Sully’s iconic moustache. For shame.

Alongside Holland and Wahlberg, the Uncharted cast includes Sophia Ali as fellow treasure hunter and love interest Chloe Frazer, Tati Gabrielle as Braddock, and Antonio Banderas as the film’s unnamed villain and ruthless competitor.

Directed by Ruben Fleischer, Uncharted is based on the popular PlayStation video game franchise, as well as a script by Rafe Judkins, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway. Uncharted takes place during Drake’s first ever treasure hinting adventure.

“In an action-adventure epic that spans the globe, [Drake and Sully] go in dangerous pursuit of ‘the greatest treasure never found’ while also tracking clues that may lead to Nathan’s long-lost brother,” reads a synopsis by Sony Pictures.

During a recent interview, Holland explained that filming Uncharted “broke” him.

“I never realized how lucky I am that Spider-Man wears a mask, because when he’s bouncing around and flying from buildings, that’s all CG. In Uncharted it’s just me in a henley and cargo pants,” he said. “That film absolutely broke me.”

A recent Uncharted trailer gave us a good look at Nate’s first big adventure, with young Drake meeting his new friend and mentor while working as a bartender. The trailer also included multiple references to the games, with fans eager to see more.

Uncharted will debut in theaters on February 18, 2022.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

New patents filed by Nintendo appear to hint at gameplay features for the upcoming sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

As spotted by GameReactor, Nintendo recently filed three new patents with the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) that appear to detail gameplay mechanics set to feature in Breath of the Wild’s sequel. These patents bare a number of similarities to gameplay mechanics seen in the game’s most recent E3 trailer.

Each of the patents listed with the WIPO comes paired with a diagram showing a character performing various actions that appear to match up with moves already showcased for the game.

The first patent, which is filed under item number 'US20210370179', is currently being unofficially referred to as ‘Free Falling’ by the Zelda community. The patent describes a move performed by the player character (Link) that will cause him to perform a “special action” while moving through the air and shooting an arrow toward an object. During the opening of the game’s E3 trailer, Link can be seen performing a similar fall through the air, which has led to speculation surrounding the move.

Nintendo’s second patent (US20210370175) similarly describes a mechanic performed by Link in the trailer; it details an action where the player is able to pass through solid objects positioned above them. About midway through the sequel’s teaser, Link does this as he pushes his way through a large rock overhang to reappear on the other side.

The final patent (US20210370178), which has been given the name 'Rewind' by members of the community, does exactly what its name suggests. The patent describes an ability to affect movement related parameters on objects in the game, so as to return such items to their previously recorded positions. Or, in simpler terms, you’ll be able to turn back time on an object so that it returns to the position it once was. Again, this mechanic seems to also feature in the game’s E3 trailer when Link reverses a spike-covered boulder in order to outsmart a number of enemies.

While the mechanics seem to match up alongside actions performed by Link in the trailer pretty closely, it’s important to note that Nintendo hasn’t publicly commented on their purpose. With Breath of the Wild's sequel set to launch sometime in next year, there’s likely to be some time yet before fans are able to jump into the game and see what the final product has in store.

For more on Breath of the Wild, make sure to check out this piece with a rundown of everything that’s happened in the story so far.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Zorro is returning to our screens as Disney reboots the world’s greatest swordsman with a brand-new TV show.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wilmer Valderrama will star as the iconic folk hero Zorro in the upcoming series.

“We’re reimagining this Disney classic as a compelling period piece, set in Pueblo de Los Angeles, but told in a very modern telenovela style — with richly drawn contemporary characters and relationships set against the action, drama, suspense and humor of the original, iconic Zorro,” said Disney Branded Television president Ayo Davis.

Valderrama will become the next Don Diego de la Vega – otherwise known as the swashbuckling, masked vigilante, Zorro. And it sounds as though he has a rather personal connection to the role.

“Growing up, Zorro was the one character that made me, as a Latino, feel like I could be a hero,” he said. “As an adult and a storyteller, I have a responsibility in the stories that I help bring to life. To partner with Gary and Disney to bring Zorro back into the family after 60 years, and be a part of the legacy for other children to know they too can be the heroes of their own stories, is a dream come true.”

Gary Marsh is on board as executive producer along with John Gertzof Zorro Productions, which owns the rights to the legendary swordsman.

“Wilmer shares our commitment to reflect the interesting and rich diversity of the human experience,” said Davis. “We look forward to delivering a culturally relevant and entertaining story with definitional characters that will connect with our viewers for generations to come.”

Valderrama recently voiced Agustin in Disney’s Encanto as well as minor character Gaxton in the magical animated comedy, Onward. He has also appeared on NCIS and Grey’s Anatomy.

Zorro has already appeared on the big screen numerous times – most recently with The Mask of Zorro (1998) and The Legend of Zorro (2005), both starring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

There’s also a separate reimaging currently in the works, with Alex Rivera planning a modern-day retelling of the pulp legend, turning Zorro into a hacker.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl developer GSC Game World has announced that its upcoming sequel will be supported by a range of linked NFTs when it launches in 2022. While details surrounding the majority of these have yet to be shared yet, the studio has revealed information about one specific NFT which will come will allow the owner to become the “first-ever metahuman” (AKA an NPC in the game).

As detailed in a report by The Verge, GSC Game World has announced the STALKER Metaverse, will “use blockchain technology to let the community own a piece of STALKER 2.”

While the developer has stated that it will be creating a number of NFTs linked to the game, The Verge's report focuses on a particular token will allow its final owner the opportunity to become an NPC within the game, something that GSC refers to as a “metahuman”.

In order to bring the idea to life, the studio has partnered with NFT marketplace DMarket. An auction for the NFT will take place in January 2022, with the winning bidder being offered the prize of digital NPC recreation. As NFTs allow their owners to hold digital proof of ownership over an item, the winning bidder doesn’t necessarily need to be the person who claims the token’s metahuman prize. Instead, the studio has stated that the winning bidder will be able to sell the token to another user after the auction closes, should they wish. There will be a specific claim date, though, so it would need to be sold before then.

Whether or not it is the auction winner or another buyer who ends up undergoing their very own digital transformation, the process appears to be relatively straightforward - that is, unless you don’t live anywhere near CSC Game World’s studios.

“The idea of the related NFT is to give the right to recreate its owner’s identity within the game through one of the NPCs,” explained GSC Game World CEO Evgeniy Grygorovych in an email to The Verge. “The person will need to come to our studio for a detailed scanning procedure and after that, we will have everything to make this person appear in the game world as one of the characters.”

STALKER 2 isn’t the only game of late to have announced its ties to the blockchain. In a recent reveal, Peter Molyneux stated that his next game, Legacy, will be a play-to-earn blockchain-powered business sim that includes NFTs. As well as featuring “Land NFTs”, which can be bought in order to become business associates within the game, Legacy will also feature its very own cryptocurrency known as LegacyCoin.

As more and more games appear to be testing the waters with links to the crypto market, there has been notable pushback from those with concerns about the blockchain’s effect on the environment as well as platforms such as Steam, who announced that they were banning blockchain games that issue NFTs or cryptocurrency back in October.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

The contents of Magic: The Gathering's Secret Lair crossover with Netflix’s Arcane were technically revealed a couple of weeks ago, but we’ve got an exclusive look at the final two “hidden” cards that have yet to be shown off.

The Arcane Secret Lair is spread across two drops, one that features seven reskinned reprints of existing cards and the other with one of each basic land card, all of which use scenes from the TV show itself for their art. Each drop will also include one hidden card not listed in its contents: Gromp for the reprinted card drop and Summoner’s Rift for the land drop, which are reskinned versions of Spore Frog and Command Tower, respectively.

You can click through the gallery above to see both the two hidden cards and the rest of the cards in each Arcane drop.

Unlike the other cards in the Arcane Secret Lair, these two hidden cards don’t actually depict moments taken directly from the Netflix show and don’t use stills from it for their art. Instead, both Gromp and Summoner’s Rift are subjects taken more from League of Legends as a game, with their cards even using existing key art from that instead.

Hidden cards are nothing new for Secret Lairs, with most drops including one of some kind or another, but they aren’t always necessarily a custom card paired with the theme of the drop like these are. For example, the one from the Stranger Things crossover earlier this year depicts Hawkins National Laboratory, but other drops might simply contain an unrelated card with a special art treatment.

The Arcane drops are available for pre-order in both foil and non-foil versions on the Secret Lair website until December 23. The show itself has had success of its own lately too, with IGN’s Arcane Season 1 review getting a 10. On top of that, it also won our award for the best animated TV series of 2021 and earned a nomination for the best TV show of 2021 overall.

This is far from the last licensed crossover developer Wizards of the Coast has planned for Magic: The Gathering too, with Secret Lairs for Street Fighter and Fortnite already announced for 2022. I recently spoke to folk across the Magic community about these crossover initiatives as well, and found many players are split on what they could mean for the future of the nearly 30-year-old game.

A character beloved by Marvel fans has arrived in the final moments of Hawkeye's most recent episode. Their addition pushes the show in a new direction, and could well have long-term consequences for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This article contains spoilers for Hawkeye Episode 5, 'Ronin' If you haven't seen the episode, turn back now!

The last scene of Hawkeye episode 5 reveals that Wilson Fisk, AKA the Kingpin of crime, is the shadowy bad guy in charge of the Tracksuit Mafia. Not only that, but he's being played by Vincent D'Onofrio, who portrayed the character in Netflix's Daredevil show.

At this point, it's not clear if D'Onofrio is the exact same Kingpin as seen in Daredevil, or another version of the character. However, his costume in the show replicates the white jacket worn in Daredevil, and so its seems like he could be one and the same.

All of Netflix's Marvel shows took place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but were informally kept MCU adjacent. While events from The Avengers would influence those shows (particularly the Battle of New York, which was often referenced), the Netflix shows did not crossover with the MCU movies. With the cancellation of all of the Netflix shows and the start of 'true' MCU TV shows on Disney+, many wondered if the likes of Daredevil and Jessica Jones were still considered canon. D'Onofrio's return as Kingpin, however, suggests the Netflix shows are still relevant to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Further backing this up, MCU boss Kevin Feige has said that should Daredevil return to screens, he would be played by Charlie Cox, who starred opposite D'Onofrio in the Netflix show.

Hawkeye seems to promise a clash between Clint Barton and Wilson Fisk in its finale next week, which would be the first major crossover between a Netflix character and one from the MCU movies. Could this be the start of those Netflix characters finally finding their way into the mainstream MCU? Only time will tell.

For more, check out our Hawkeye episode 5 review, and how the show is giving Black Widow the eulogy she deserved.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

343 Industries has once again tweaked Halo Infinite's battle pass challenges in order to further improve the game's multiplayer progression. Changes include adjustments to the weighting of individual challenges, a number of mode/activity-specific challenges removed entirely, and a collection of new challenges and playlists.

As per a blog post on Halo Waypoint, 343 has announced that it has added a collection of brand new challenge types that players will be able to complete across a span of new playlists; Team Slayer, Free-for-All, Tactical Slayer (SWAT), and Fiesta. The new challenge types are:

• Personal Score – Accumulate personal score in the specified playlist to complete
• Kills – Earn the required # of kills in a specific playlist
• Double Kills – Earn double kills in a specific playlist
• Complete Games – Play and complete games in a specific playlist
• Win – Win games in a specific playlist

"We understand the inability to pick a specific mode to coincide with a specific challenge can be frustrating," acknowledged 343. "Today’s changes should help reduce some of that friction in the near term as longer-term work continues."

The specific requirements and corresponding XP rewarded for completing one of the game's new challenge types will vary depending on the rarity of the challenge (i.e. Normal, Heroic, or Legendary).

In addition to this, some mode and activity-specific challenges have been either removed entirely, had their requirements lowered, or had their weight reduced. The weekly Ultimate Challenge should also now be easier to complete, having had its overall requirements lowered. 343 has also increased the overall weighting of "General" challenges within the game to help speed up progression.

343 elaborated further on some of the broader changes that it is currently working on. Additional factors that will affect progression such as changes to performance-based XP, per-match XP, and other "additional progression vectors" are in the works. However, the studio stated that these would take time to develop and implement properly into Infinite.

The latest change from the studio marks Halo Infinite's third overall progression update since launch. Following on from the negative feedback received over the game's recent Fracture: Tenrai event, 343 Industries has also confirmed that there will be further changes to event challenges moving forward.

"Player's gave feedback that it was difficult to progress Event Challenges due to them getting 'stuck' behind Weekly Challenges and/or not having enough to tackle during the event week," 343 stated.

"Going forward, and when Fracture: Tenrai returns, Event Challenges will come in more frequently, removing gaps where a player would previously be stuck waiting. And, while Events will often still have a finite limit to the number of challenges available in a given week – meaning it will take playing across a few weeks to fully complete – the maximum will increase to provide more buffer and let highly engaged players progress a bit faster."

For more on Halo Infinite, make sure to check out this piece detailing the save-wiping glitch that appears to be affecting some players in the game.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Sadako Yamamura, better-known as that very creepy girl from Ringu, is invading Dead by Deadlight as part of the franchise's later horror collaboration.

Announced earlier today, the new collaboration will be based on Koji Suzuki's novel and the original film adaptation. It will "merge the eerie and melancholic world of Ringu, with the twisted fantasy of Dead by Daylight."

Ringu joins a lengthy run of collaborations that includes Halloween, Left 4 Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Resident Evil, and Hellraiser. They feature both heroes and villains from their respective franchises, each with their own unique powers.

Ringu was originally a novel released in 1991, with the film adaptation appearing in Japanese theaters in 1998. It became an instant classic, and was later imported for American audiences as The Ring.

Today, Sadako is a classic horror character on the level of Leatherface or Michael Myers (both of whom have also been in Dead by Daylight). This is far from Sadako's first promotional collaboration, at various points throwing the first pitch at a Japanese baseball game and serving up fast food.

Dead by Daylight's Ringu collaboration kicks off in March 2022. You can read our Dead by Daylight review here, where we call it the best asymmetrical horror game around.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN

It seems Fast & Furious 10 will be stuck in the slow lane just a little bit longer, as Universal has pushed back the film's release date one month, from April 7, 2023, to May 19, 2023.

Variety reports the film's old slot in April will go to an untitled animated film coming from the studio behind Shrek. The move to May puts Fast 10 right at the start of the summer blockbuster movie season.

This isn't the movie's first delay. Fast 10 was originally supposed to come out this year but was pushed back after F9 was delayed to this past summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fast 10 will serve as the first half of a two-part finale for the Fast and Furious franchise. The movie will bring back many members of the family, including Vin Diesel's Dom, Michelle Rodriguez's Letty, Sung Kang's Han, and others. Justin Lin will return to the director's chair, after previously working on Fast 3 through 6, and F9.

Another storyline surrounding Fast 10 is the ongoing feud between Diesel and Dwayne Johnson, who plays enemy-turned-friend Luke Hobbs in the Fast movies. In the latest development, Diesel took to Instagram to tell The Rock that he "must show up" for Fast 10 and that he wants Johnson to "rise to the occasion and fulfill your destiny."

This came after Johnson confirmed that he would not return for Fast 10 or 11, and would instead focus on the spinoff series, Hobbs & Shaw.

We thought the last entry, F9, was great, saying, "F9 proudly pitches audiences into the shotgun seat on one more absolutely wild ride packed with thrills, laughs, and—in the end—a heartwarming message about family," in our F9 review.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.