Monthly Archives: January 2022
Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific Season 2 Delayed
Activision has announced it is delaying the start of Season Two for Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific and Vanguard. The new multiplayer season will now begin two weeks later on February 14 instead of February 2.
In a blog post, Activision says that the additional time before the next season will allow the developers time to keep adding fixes to the different Call of Duty online games currently up and running, including 2021’s Vanguard and the ongoing Warzone battle royale.
“To date, we’ve deployed a number of updates, but more needs to be done,” Activision writes in its blog. “For this reason, we have decided to reschedule the start of Season Two across Warzone Pacific and Vanguard to February 14.”
The studio says that developers will use this time to “deliver updates, including optimizations to gameplay, game balancing (including weapon and equipment balancing), to fix game stability and bugs, and to ensure an overall level of polish to improve the experience for players across Vanguard, Warzone Pacific, Black Ops Cold War, and Modern Warfare.”
In particular, a focus will be made to improve the core gameplay loop and balance for Call of Duty across both consoles and PC.
Furthermore, the Call of Duty team says that going forwards there will be more updates regarding the state of Call of Duty online. Even with the blockbuster news of the Microsoft acquisition, “Studios remain focused on continuously improving” the Call of Duty experience.
Maintaining an online game, let alone four within the same series, is no small task. Other developers working on ongoing online multiplayer games like 343 are having difficulties as well, such as Halo Infinite’s issues with Big Team Battle.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.
Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific Season 2 Delayed
Activision has announced it is delaying the start of Season Two for Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific and Vanguard. The new multiplayer season will now begin two weeks later on February 14 instead of February 2.
In a blog post, Activision says that the additional time before the next season will allow the developers time to keep adding fixes to the different Call of Duty online games currently up and running, including 2021’s Vanguard and the ongoing Warzone battle royale.
“To date, we’ve deployed a number of updates, but more needs to be done,” Activision writes in its blog. “For this reason, we have decided to reschedule the start of Season Two across Warzone Pacific and Vanguard to February 14.”
The studio says that developers will use this time to “deliver updates, including optimizations to gameplay, game balancing (including weapon and equipment balancing), to fix game stability and bugs, and to ensure an overall level of polish to improve the experience for players across Vanguard, Warzone Pacific, Black Ops Cold War, and Modern Warfare.”
In particular, a focus will be made to improve the core gameplay loop and balance for Call of Duty across both consoles and PC.
Furthermore, the Call of Duty team says that going forwards there will be more updates regarding the state of Call of Duty online. Even with the blockbuster news of the Microsoft acquisition, “Studios remain focused on continuously improving” the Call of Duty experience.
Maintaining an online game, let alone four within the same series, is no small task. Other developers working on ongoing online multiplayer games like 343 are having difficulties as well, such as Halo Infinite’s issues with Big Team Battle.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.
Halo Infinite’s Big Team Battle Mode Still Broken Despite New Hotfix
Halo Infinite's Big Team Battle mode has been a sore point for fans for more than a month now. The matchmaking queues have had major issues, with larger parties having a tough time joining games since early December. Those who do make it are frequently disconnected.
Today's Halo Infinite hotfix was supposed to fix issues regarding Big Team Battle, but it hasn't completely solved them. 343 community director Brian Jarrard took to Twitter to say that there have been minor improvements, but acknowledged that overall matchmaking issues persist. The team is going to continue working on the problem until matchmaking is stable again.
To compensate players for their trouble, 343 Industries is offering five XP boosts and five Challenge Swaps to those who log in before February 16.
Well, damn... today's BTB hotfix does not appear to be the outcome we expected. There are minor improvements, but overall matchmaking issues are still occurring. Thanks to the folks who have been working hard and we're sorry this didn't quite get the job done. Work continues. https://t.co/lKiFibBDtT
— Brian Jarrard (@ske7ch) January 19, 2022
However, issues remain with the Big Team Battle Challenges, which may forces players to use their Challenge Swaps more quickly than usual. Jarrard responded to a user on Twitter who brought this point up, saying that because the matchmaking issues in Big Team Battle continue to occur, the team is investigating what to do about those types of challenges.
Currently, there's no timeline on when there will be additional fixes, but hopefully, it comes soon as the matchmaking issues started nearly a month ago. In the meantime, developer 343 Industries has also been focusing on reducing the cost of in-game items.
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey
Halo Infinite’s Big Team Battle Mode Still Broken Despite New Hotfix
Halo Infinite's Big Team Battle mode has been a sore point for fans for more than a month now. The matchmaking queues have had major issues, with larger parties have had a tough time joining games since early December. Those who do make it are frequently disconnected.
Today's Halo Infinite hotfix was supposed to fix issues regarding Big Team Battle, but it hasn't completely solved them. 343 community director Brian Jarrard took to Twitter to say that there have been minor improvements, but acknowledged that overall matchmaking issues persist. The team is going to continue working on the problem until matchmaking is stable again.
To compensate players for their trouble, 343 Industries is offering five XP boosts and five Challenge Swaps to those who log in before February 16.
Well, damn... today's BTB hotfix does not appear to be the outcome we expected. There are minor improvements, but overall matchmaking issues are still occurring. Thanks to the folks who have been working hard and we're sorry this didn't quite get the job done. Work continues. https://t.co/lKiFibBDtT
— Brian Jarrard (@ske7ch) January 19, 2022
However, issues remain with the Big Team Battle Challenges, which may forces players to use their Challenge Swaps more quickly than usual. Jarrard responded to a user on Twitter who brought this point up, saying that because the matchmaking issues in Big Team Battle continue to occur, the team is investigating what to do about those types of challenges.
Currently, there's no timeline on when there will be additional fixes, but hopefully, it comes soon as the matchmaking issues started nearly a month ago. In the meantime, developer 343 Industries has also been focusing on reducing the cost of in-game items.
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey
Shenmue Anime Gets February Release Date for Adult Swim and Crunchyroll
The Shenmue anime will premiere on Saturday, February 5 on both Adult Swim and Crunchyroll, with the two services splitting the dubbed and subbed versions of the show.
Shenmue the Animation is based on the popular Sega video game franchise and will be an adaptation of the events from the video game. Set in 1986, martial artist Ryo Hazuki trains under his father until one day a mysterious man murders him.
Now Ryo must travel from Yokosuka to Hong Kong to uncover the mystery of his father’s death.
Adult Swim will premiere an English dubbed version of the series while Crunchyroll will stream a subtitled version worldwide outside of Japan and China.
The voice cast includes Austin Tindle as Ryo Hazuki, Scott Gibs as Lan Di, Ryo’s father’s murderer, Natalie Rial as Shenhua a young girl from a rural village, and Cat Thomas as Nozomi Haraski, Ryo’s classmate and admirer.
Shenmue was created by famed game developer Yu Suzuki who envisioned a free-flowing cinematic game. The first Shenmue game was released in 1999 for the Sega Dreamcast to critical acclaim. A sequel was released in 2001.
After over a decade, a third Shenmue game was successfully crowdfunded and finally released in 2019. It was one of the fastest-funded video game projects ever to go up on Kickstarter. You can check out IGN’s review of Shenmue 3 here and how it feels like a game stuck in time.
Shenmue the Animation is directed by Chikara Sakurai who worked on the second season of One Punch Man, and with animation from Telecom Animation Film.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.
Shenmue Anime Gets February Release Date for Adult Swim and Crunchyroll
The Shenmue anime will premiere on Saturday, February 5 on both Adult Swim and Crunchyroll, with the two services splitting the dubbed and subbed versions of the show.
Shenmue the Animation is based on the popular Sega video game franchise and will be an adaptation of the events from the video game. Set in 1986, martial artist Ryo Hazuki trains under his father until one day a mysterious man murders him.
Now Ryo must travel from Yokosuka to Hong Kong to uncover the mystery of his father’s death.
Adult Swim will premiere an English dubbed version of the series while Crunchyroll will stream a subtitled version worldwide outside of Japan and China.
The voice cast includes Austin Tindle as Ryo Hazuki, Scott Gibs as Lan Di, Ryo’s father’s murderer, Natalie Rial as Shenhua a young girl from a rural village, and Cat Thomas as Nozomi Haraski, Ryo’s classmate and admirer.
Shenmue was created by famed game developer Yu Suzuki who envisioned a free-flowing cinematic game. The first Shenmue game was released in 1999 for the Sega Dreamcast to critical acclaim. A sequel was released in 2001.
After over a decade, a third Shenmue game was successfully crowdfunded and finally released in 2019. It was one of the fastest-funded video game projects ever to go up on Kickstarter. You can check out IGN’s review of Shenmue 3 here and how it feels like a game stuck in time.
Shenmue the Animation is directed by Chikara Sakurai who worked on the second season of One Punch Man, and with animation from Telecom Animation Film.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.
DC Comics Will Kill the Justice League in April 2022
30 years after DC Comics made headlines by killing off Superman, they're poised to do it again. And this time they're taking out the entire Justice League for good measure.
As revealed by Entertainment Weekly, the current Justice League series will end with April's Justice League #75, which is written by Joshua Williamson and drawn by Rafa Sandoval There won't be an immediate replacement on the way, however, because most of the team will be killed in that story battling a team called the Dark Army. That finale is intended to serve as the foundation for an ongoing storyline that sees the DCU come to terms with the loss of so many beloved heroes.
This new storyline is intentionally designed to echo the infamous "Death of Superman" crossover from 1992, which culminated with the Man of Steel losing his life in a battle with Doomsday in Superman #75. Though Superman did eventually return to life, it was only after a prolonged absence and the rise of four temporary replacements in the follow-up crossover "Reign of the Supermen."
"I remember the experience of reading the build-up to 'The Death of Superman' and then waiting in the rain for my copy of issue #75." Williamson told EW. "I think one reason that story was so powerful was that after the 'Funeral for a Friend' story, there were no Superman comics for three months. That's part of what led us to make the decision that this is the last issue of Justice League. But then three months later, there's still not gonna be a Justice League comic. It's gonna be a while, and that's gonna be a major part of what the DCU looks like after this story: There is no Justice League."
Though Justice League #75 marks Williamson's first and, apparently, only issue of the series (current writer Brian Michael Bendis is leaving with March's Justice League #74), he confirmed this twist is part of a larger storyline that began in 2021's Infinite Frontier #0 and will continue to play out in many corners of the DCU going forward. Williamson is also currently writing the monthly Batman and Robin titles and co-writing Justice League Incarnate.
"Ever since Infinite Frontier #0, we've been building to this story," Williamson said. "Last year was a lot of fun and games, but when this story starts, it's the beginning of the third act. We're going to see things get darkest before the dawn. The Justice League gets called in to fight this Dark Army that's been building on the edge of the multiverse. They go up against this Dark Army and they lose."
Of the current Justice League roster - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern John Stewart, Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Black Canary and Zatanna - only one member will survive their battle with the Dark Army and bring news of this tragedy to Earth. Presumably, this will force a younger generation of heroes like Jon Kent, Yara Flor, Jace Fox and Naomi McDuffie to step up and fill the void left by their mentors. This would also seem to suggest a number of other ongoing DC books will either be canceled or revamped to feature new lead characters.
Be sure to check out our full breakdown of what's coming from DC in 2022. And let us know which Justice League member will survive the events of issue #75 by voting in the poll below:
DC Comics Will Kill the Justice League in April 2022
30 years after DC Comics made headlines by killing off Superman, they're poised to do it again. And this time they're taking out the entire Justice League for good measure.
As revealed by Entertainment Weekly, the current Justice League series will end with April's Justice League #75, which is written by Joshua Williamson and drawn by Rafa Sandoval There won't be an immediate replacement on the way, however, because most of the team will be killed in that story battling a team called the Dark Army. That finale is intended to serve as the foundation for an ongoing storyline that sees the DCU come to terms with the loss of so many beloved heroes.
This new storyline is intentionally designed to echo the infamous "Death of Superman" crossover from 1992, which culminated with the Man of Steel losing his life in a battle with Doomsday in Superman #75. Though Superman did eventually return to life, it was only after a prolonged absence and the rise of four temporary replacements in the follow-up crossover "Reign of the Supermen."
"I remember the experience of reading the build-up to 'The Death of Superman' and then waiting in the rain for my copy of issue #75." Williamson told EW. "I think one reason that story was so powerful was that after the 'Funeral for a Friend' story, there were no Superman comics for three months. That's part of what led us to make the decision that this is the last issue of Justice League. But then three months later, there's still not gonna be a Justice League comic. It's gonna be a while, and that's gonna be a major part of what the DCU looks like after this story: There is no Justice League."
Though Justice League #75 marks Williamson's first and, apparently, only issue of the series (current writer Brian Michael Bendis is leaving with March's Justice League #74), he confirmed this twist is part of a larger storyline that began in 2021's Infinite Frontier #0 and will continue to play out in many corners of the DCU going forward. Williamson is also currently writing the monthly Batman and Robin titles and co-writing Justice League Incarnate.
"Ever since Infinite Frontier #0, we've been building to this story," Williamson said. "Last year was a lot of fun and games, but when this story starts, it's the beginning of the third act. We're going to see things get darkest before the dawn. The Justice League gets called in to fight this Dark Army that's been building on the edge of the multiverse. They go up against this Dark Army and they lose."
Of the current Justice League roster - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern John Stewart, Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Black Canary and Zatanna - only one member will survive their battle with the Dark Army and bring news of this tragedy to Earth. Presumably, this will force a younger generation of heroes like Jon Kent, Yara Flor, Jace Fox and Naomi McDuffie to step up and fill the void left by their mentors. This would also seem to suggest a number of other ongoing DC books will either be canceled or revamped to feature new lead characters.
Be sure to check out our full breakdown of what's coming from DC in 2022. And let us know which Justice League member will survive the events of issue #75 by voting in the poll below:
The Batman’s Robert Pattinson To Star in Sci-Fi Epic From Parasite Director
Robert Pattinson is reportedly teaming up with Bong Joon Ho for the Parasite director's next film, which Deadline reports will be based on an upcoming sci-fi novel titled Mickey7, with Bong set to write, direct, and produce the new adaptation.
Pattinson appears set to play Mickey7, an expendable colonist who is sent on suicidal missions that no one else will take. If Mickey7 dies, then a clone is generated with most of his memories intact. It sounds a bit like Hardspace: Shipbreaker, a unique physics sim with a similarly expendable blue-collar starship salvager that is currently in Early Access.
Mickey7 hasn't yet been published, but it's expected to early this year. As Deadline points out in its report, Bong Joon Ho's adaptation may well be a very different take on the novel's story.
Bong Joon Ho found international success with Parasite, a story of a poor Korean family who manage to work their way into the employ of a rich household, with horrifying results. In our review, we described Parasite as a "film that sneaks up on you," opening as a dark screwball comedy and graddually becoming a tragedy.
Parasite swept the Oscars in early 2020, and Bong has been weighing his next project ever since. Bong has previously worked on movies such as The Host, a film in which a fictional monster wreaks havoc on the people of Seoul.
As for Pattinson, he will soon star in The Batman, which is ramping up for a Spring release. It will be out on March 4.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN.
The Batman’s Robert Pattinson To Star in Sci-Fi Epic From Parasite Director
Robert Pattinson is reportedly teaming up with Bong Joon Ho for the Parasite director's next film, which Deadline reports will be based on an upcoming sci-fi novel titled Mickey7, with Bong set to write, direct, and produce the new adaptation.
Pattinson appears set to play Mickey7, an expendable colonist who is sent on suicidal missions that no one else will take. If Mickey7 dies, then a clone is generated with most of his memories intact. It sounds a bit like Hardspace: Shipbreaker, a unique physics sim with a similarly expendable blue-collar starship salvager that is currently in Early Access.
Mickey7 hasn't yet been published, but it's expected to early this year. As Deadline points out in its report, Bong Joon Ho's adaptation may well be a very different take on the novel's story.
Bong Joon Ho found international success with Parasite, a story of a poor Korean family who manage to work their way into the employ of a rich household, with horrifying results. In our review, we described Parasite as a "film that sneaks up on you," opening as a dark screwball comedy and graddually becoming a tragedy.
Parasite swept the Oscars in early 2020, and Bong has been weighing his next project ever since. Bong has previously worked on movies such as The Host, a film in which a fictional monster wreaks havoc on the people of Seoul.
As for Pattinson, he will soon star in The Batman, which is ramping up for a Spring release. It will be out on March 4.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN.