As Overwatch 2 prepares to go free-to-play, it will be introducing some major changes, including the removal of the loot boxes that were once a defining part of the original.

During today's Overwatch 2 reveal stream, Blizzard announced that the upcoming sequel will be following in the footsteps of many other modern online game and introducing a battle pass.

While Blizzard didn't offer many details, it did confirm that players will be able to unlock cosmetic items through both the battle pass and the in-game store. In addition, Overwatch 2 will feature weekly challenges in what Blizzard is calling "Competitive Play 2.0."

The introduction of a battle pass also means that Overwatch 2 will be doing away with an important part of its legacy: loot boxes.

"Along with the free-to-play change we're doing away with loot boxes entirely," lead hero designer Geoff Goodman said during the stream. "We have a new battle pass model coming in, and we have a store as well, so players have a lot more control over how they interact with the game and acquire new content."

The changes all tie into Overwatch 2's shift to a free-to-play model, joining Fortnite and many other modern shooters. In so doing, Blizzard is promising what it says is a robust roadmap with a regular cadence of content.

However it turns out, Overwatch 2 figures to be a departure in substance, even if in form it resembles the original. Players will get to see for themselves just how different it will be when Overwatch 2's beta commences June 28 ahead of its October 4 early access release.

In the meantime, check out the rest of our Overwatch 2 coverage as the Summer of Gaming continues.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Blizzard has promised that Overwatch 2 will deliver a new hero every 18 weeks (one for every two in-game seasons) – and the game will see two more unannounced heroes added this year, on top of those already announced.

Announced during today's Overwatch 2 reveal event, the game's new content roadmap introduces 9-week seasons of content, and lead hero designer Geoff Goodman says the team is looking at releasing a new hero "every other season" – so every 18 weeks.

If upkept, this would return Overwatch to its original cadence of hero releases, which delivered a new character to play as roughly every 18 weeks from release in 2016 up until August 2019. However, things dramatically slowed down after that point, with only one hero, Echo, added to the game between 2019 and the upcoming release of Overwatch 2 on October 4.

It looks like the start of the game will see a glut of new heroes. Season 1 (starting on October 4) will include 3 new heroes, comprising the previously announced Sojourn and Junker Queen, and a new, unannounced Support hero. Season 2 won't be taking a break, itself adding a new Tank hero on December 6. We don't know when those new characters will be revealed.

Lead character concept artist, Qiu Fang teased heroes even beyond that. "We're still working on new characters for the next year, year-and-a-half down the line as well. There's characters that folks have already seen glimpses of in the story, and there's also characters that you've never seen before, never heard about."

As you'd expect, Goodman is designing characters that fit the new, more aggressive playstyle Overwatch 2 is aiming for – and he confirms that they won't be focusing on shields, which are being somewhat phased out of the meta in the new game.

Overwatch 2's PvP segment will be released on October 4 as a free-to-play game, but you can sign up for a beta today.

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.

Blizzard has promised that Overwatch 2 will deliver a new hero every 18 weeks (one for every two in-game seasons) – and the game will see two more unannounced heroes added this year, on top of those already announced.

Announced during today's Overwatch 2 reveal event, the game's new content roadmap introduces 9-week seasons of content, and lead hero designer Geoff Goodman says the team is looking at releasing a new hero "every other season" – so every 18 weeks.

If upkept, this would return Overwatch to its original cadence of hero releases, which delivered a new character to play as roughly every 18 weeks from release in 2016 up until August 2019. However, things dramatically slowed down after that point, with only one hero, Echo, added to the game between 2019 and the upcoming release of Overwatch 2 on October 4.

It looks like the start of the game will see a glut of new heroes. Season 1 (starting on October 4) will include 3 new heroes, comprising the previously announced Sojourn and Junker Queen, and a new, unannounced Support hero. Season 2 won't be taking a break, itself adding a new Tank hero on December 6. We don't know when those new characters will be revealed.

Lead character concept artist, Qiu Fang teased heroes even beyond that. "We're still working on new characters for the next year, year-and-a-half down the line as well. There's characters that folks have already seen glimpses of in the story, and there's also characters that you've never seen before, never heard about."

As you'd expect, Goodman is designing characters that fit the new, more aggressive playstyle Overwatch 2 is aiming for – and he confirms that they won't be focusing on shields, which are being somewhat phased out of the meta in the new game.

Overwatch 2's PvP segment will be released on October 4 as a free-to-play game, but you can sign up for a beta today.

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.

Blizzard has revealed Overwatch 2's new content roadmap, revealing that the newly free-to-play game will start a new season every 9 weeks. As you'd expect, Battle Passes are being added to the game.

Revealed during today's Overwatch 2 reveal event, the roadmap shows that Season 1 of the game (beginning on the game's October 4 launch date) will include 3 new heroes – that's Sojourn, Junker Queen, and an unannounced support hero – 6 new maps, more than 30 new skins, a new game mode (the previously announced Push), a new Mythic skin (the new most rare cosmetic type), and a Battle Pass.

While we only got a glimpse of a work-in-progress Battle Pass, it seems they'll offer a familiar mix of free content and premium unlocks only gained by paying for the pass.

From what we can see, they'll include cosmetics and XP boosters, and will be made up of 100 levels to climb. We got no information on what they'll cost, and if the included content will be locked away after seasons end. With the addition of Battle Passes, Overwatch's loot boxes

Season 2 will begin on December 6, and feature a new, unannounced tank hero, a new map, 30 more skins, a new mythic skin, and another Battle Pass. In 2023, future seasons will include a mix of all the above, but will also include the rollout of the game's long-awaited PvE content, which will advance the story of the game.

The roadmap also sees Blizzard promise cross-progression across platforms. As you'd hope, Overwatch 1 content you've earned or paid for will also be available in Overwatch 2.

Before all of this, we'll get a chance to try out some Season 1 content when the game starts a beta on June 28. You can sign up for that from today.

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.

Blizzard has revealed Overwatch 2's new content roadmap, revealing that the newly free-to-play game will start a new season every 9 weeks. As you'd expect, Battle Passes are being added to the game.

Revealed during today's Overwatch 2 reveal event, the roadmap shows that Season 1 of the game (beginning on the game's October 4 launch date) will include 3 new heroes – that's Sojourn, Junker Queen, and an unannounced support hero – 6 new maps, more than 30 new skins, a new game mode (the previously announced Push), a new Mythic skin (the new most rare cosmetic type), and a Battle Pass.

While we only got a glimpse of a work-in-progress Battle Pass, it seems they'll offer a familiar mix of free content and premium unlocks only gained by paying for the pass.

From what we can see, they'll include cosmetics and XP boosters, and will be made up of 100 levels to climb. We got no information on what they'll cost, and if the included content will be locked away after seasons end. With the addition of Battle Passes, Overwatch's loot boxes

Season 2 will begin on December 6, and feature a new, unannounced tank hero, a new map, 30 more skins, a new mythic skin, and another Battle Pass. In 2023, future seasons will include a mix of all the above, but will also include the rollout of the game's long-awaited PvE content, which will advance the story of the game.

The roadmap also sees Blizzard promise cross-progression across platforms. As you'd hope, Overwatch 1 content you've earned or paid for will also be available in Overwatch 2.

Before all of this, we'll get a chance to try out some Season 1 content when the game starts a beta on June 28. You can sign up for that from today.

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.

When it comes to comic books with Hollywood star power, it's hard to top BOOM! Studios' BRZRKR, co-created by Keanu Reeves himself. But the publisher might just rival that book with its latest announcement, a new monthly horror comic written by none other than Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine.

The series in question is Stuff of Nightmares, Stine's first original horror comic book series. This four-issue limited series sees Stine lending his own take on various iconic monsters from folklore and pop culture, with the first issue featuring a new spin on the tragedy of Frankenstein. The creative team also includes artist A.L. Kaplan and colorist Roman Titov.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for a look at the covers and several pages of interior art for Stuff of Nightmares #1:

Tonally, Stuff of Nightmares is anything but kid-friendly, with BOOM! describing the series as more akin to Stine's Fear Street novels than his Goosebumps series. Here's the official description for the series:

In the premiere of Stine’s reanimated reimagining, the monster you encounter isn’t the one you thought it’d be—you might be familiar with the classic tale of a mad scientist hell-bent on creating life, but what these two demented brothers have created is something else entirely! Get ready for a darker, more gruesome, and even more terrifying series for horror fans who are ready to face their fears in … STUFF OF NIGHTMARES!

“AT LAST I'm free to let my most horrific fantasies out! Hey, kids-- stay away from STUFF OF NIGHTMARES,” said Stine in Boom's press release. “It's my first horror comic book work for grownups. Ghastly, gory, and I hope, good stomach-churning fun!”

"As a lifelong fan of horror, and especially R.L. Stine, it's been an exciting experience to work with him on this dark and twisted series about the monsters that fuel our nightmares,” said Kaplan. “It was thrilling to get a chance to bring the truly macabre and creepy elements of the characters that Stine created onto the page so I hope readers get just as many chills down their spine as I did when they read this series for the very first time!"

Stuff of Nightmares #1 is set for release in September 2022.

Stine's Fear Street books recently spawned a trilogy of horror movies on Netflix. Check out IGN's full breakdown of the Fear Street Trilogy ending and learn more about director Leigh Janiak's plans to build an MCU-style shared universe.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

When it comes to comic books with Hollywood star power, it's hard to top BOOM! Studios' BRZRKR, co-created by Keanu Reeves himself. But the publisher might just rival that book with its latest announcement, a new monthly horror comic written by none other than Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine.

The series in question is Stuff of Nightmares, Stine's first original horror comic book series. This four-issue limited series sees Stine lending his own take on various iconic monsters from folklore and pop culture, with the first issue featuring a new spin on the tragedy of Frankenstein. The creative team also includes artist A.L. Kaplan and colorist Roman Titov.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for a look at the covers and several pages of interior art for Stuff of Nightmares #1:

Tonally, Stuff of Nightmares is anything but kid-friendly, with BOOM! describing the series as more akin to Stine's Fear Street novels than his Goosebumps series. Here's the official description for the series:

In the premiere of Stine’s reanimated reimagining, the monster you encounter isn’t the one you thought it’d be—you might be familiar with the classic tale of a mad scientist hell-bent on creating life, but what these two demented brothers have created is something else entirely! Get ready for a darker, more gruesome, and even more terrifying series for horror fans who are ready to face their fears in … STUFF OF NIGHTMARES!

“AT LAST I'm free to let my most horrific fantasies out! Hey, kids-- stay away from STUFF OF NIGHTMARES,” said Stine in Boom's press release. “It's my first horror comic book work for grownups. Ghastly, gory, and I hope, good stomach-churning fun!”

"As a lifelong fan of horror, and especially R.L. Stine, it's been an exciting experience to work with him on this dark and twisted series about the monsters that fuel our nightmares,” said Kaplan. “It was thrilling to get a chance to bring the truly macabre and creepy elements of the characters that Stine created onto the page so I hope readers get just as many chills down their spine as I did when they read this series for the very first time!"

Stuff of Nightmares #1 is set for release in September 2022.

Stine's Fear Street books recently spawned a trilogy of horror movies on Netflix. Check out IGN's full breakdown of the Fear Street Trilogy ending and learn more about director Leigh Janiak's plans to build an MCU-style shared universe.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Gravity Falls turns 10 this week, and creator Alex Hirsch has been sharing some behind-the-scenes looks into the show’s process to celebrate the show. As a final bonus, he gave fans a look into Disney’s painstaking censorship process (and his witty responses).

In a thread of Tweets today, Hirsch shared videos and screenshots documenting some of the Disney Standards and Practices department's comments. Disney is seen asking Hirsch to revise words like “poopface,” “jeez,” and “Lucifer.” However, each time, Hirsch defends his choices.

In one instance, Disney asked Hirsch to remove a pipe from a horse’s mouth in a movie poster, and Hirsch amusingly fought back by saying “Why? Is the concern that we’ll influence horses to smoke pipes?”

Hirsch even brought his trouble with S&P into the show by adding the text "not S&P approved" to a poster in the show that referenced a game of spin the bottle, which Disney wasn't a fan of.

One last treat. Ever curious about the fights I had with the censors on Gravity Falls? I probably shouldn't share this buttttt here are some REAL NOTES from DISNEY S&P and my REAL REPLIES. You are not prepared #10YearsOfGravityFalls pic.twitter.com/EioKU8gIJJ

— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) June 16, 2022

Hirsch also shared an especially long back-and-forth over a single three-second clip of the show, which Disney deemed offensive due to its potential to create “unsavory rhymes.”

All of this… pic.twitter.com/sbawkoVu2x

— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) June 16, 2022

Despite all of Disney’s (attempted) censorship, we deemed Gravity Falls one of the best cartoon series for adults. While Gravity Falls ended after two seasons, fans can look forward to seeing more of Hirsch’s work in the future, as the creator signed a deal with Netflix back in 2018.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

Gravity Falls turns 10 this week, and creator Alex Hirsch has been sharing some behind-the-scenes looks into the show’s process to celebrate the show. As a final bonus, he gave fans a look into Disney’s painstaking censorship process (and his witty responses).

In a thread of Tweets today, Hirsch shared videos and screenshots documenting some of the Disney Standards and Practices department's comments. Disney is seen asking Hirsch to revise words like “poopface,” “jeez,” and “Lucifer.” However, each time, Hirsch defends his choices.

In one instance, Disney asked Hirsch to remove a pipe from a horse’s mouth in a movie poster, and Hirsch amusingly fought back by saying “Why? Is the concern that we’ll influence horses to smoke pipes?”

Hirsch even brought his trouble with S&P into the show by adding the text "not S&P approved" to a poster in the show that referenced a game of spin the bottle, which Disney wasn't a fan of.

One last treat. Ever curious about the fights I had with the censors on Gravity Falls? I probably shouldn't share this buttttt here are some REAL NOTES from DISNEY S&P and my REAL REPLIES. You are not prepared #10YearsOfGravityFalls pic.twitter.com/EioKU8gIJJ

— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) June 16, 2022

Hirsch also shared an especially long back-and-forth over a single three-second clip of the show, which Disney deemed offensive due to its potential to create “unsavory rhymes.”

All of this… pic.twitter.com/sbawkoVu2x

— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) June 16, 2022

Despite all of Disney’s (attempted) censorship, we deemed Gravity Falls one of the best cartoon series for adults. While Gravity Falls ended after two seasons, fans can look forward to seeing more of Hirsch’s work in the future, as the creator signed a deal with Netflix back in 2018.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

While Elden Ring doesn't include intrinsic difficulty settings, players looking for (much) more of a challenge can now turn every enemy in the game into Malenia, Blade of Miquella thanks to a new mod.

As spotted by PCGamesN, YouTube user Bushy used thefifthmatt's Elden Ring enemy randomiser mod to fill The Lands Between with the infamous boss. Bushy somehow still managed to beat the game in around eight hours, despite coming up against up to five Malenias at once in some areas, a highlight reel of which can be watched on his YouTube channel.

Malenia has emerged as the toughest boss in Elden Ring since it was released in February, with all sorts of storylines emerging from the fight. Developer FromSoftware didn't help the situation by removing a popular way to defeat her and a glitch made her ridiculously overpowered. Another mod has even pitted Malenia against every other boss in the game (and it didn't end well for most of them).

To balance the universe, however, a hero emerged to put Malenia in her place. Elden Ring's first legendary player, Let me Solo Her, would appear in players' games to take Malenia down single handedly, and has now done so more than 1,000 times.

In our 10/10 review of the game, IGN said: "Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path."

To make those choices with the best available information, check out our guide that features everything you could ever hope to know about Elden Ring, including collectible locations, boss strategies, and more.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.