The first images from Yakuza 8 have appeared online, revealing that various characters will be returning from previous entry Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

As reported by Famitsu, a behind the scenes video from YouTuber and MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura gave a tour of developer Ryu Ga Gotoku's studio, alongside a brief look at Like a Dragon heroes Ichiban Kasuga, Koichi Adachi, and Yu Nanba in the new game (below).

Yakuza 8 will reportedly be set in a new town, and we also learned that Asakura himself would be appearing as a character in the game. Kasuga has also had somewhat of a makeover, seemingly now appearing with his hair tied back instead of in his iconic wild hairdo.

This is the first proper piece of information we've had about Yakuza 8, as it was only confirmed to be in development at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio in November 2021.

Studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama did confirm a little at the time, saying the new game would be a continuation of Like a Dragon's story set a few years later, so it makes sense that protagonist Kasuga, Adachi, and Nanba have appeared in this new footage.

We also know that Yakuza 8 will remain a turn-based RPG, after Like a Dragon made a switch to the genre after 7 action-based Yakuza games. In our 7/10 review, IGN said: "Yakuza: Like a Dragon takes some bold steps in a new direction for the series but neglects to maintain its balance."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

IGN and EE Full Fibre Broadband have collaborated to create the Last Player Standing gaming tournament with a £10,000 prize pool.

The tournament takes place in London on August 11 and will see 50 players, with 100 connected devices, compete across four rounds, each featuring a different game and genre, all powered by one EE Full Fibre Broadband connection. Any UK resident above the age of 18 can enter for a chance to participate, with the winner taking home £8,000, second place taking home £1,500, and third place taking home £500.

While the specific games are yet to be announced, the four genres are party, racing, first-person shooter, and fighting. Every player starts in the first round with a party game, with only the best going through to round two and so on.

Players can sign up here, and will be randomly selected, though it's worth noting that, if selected, each player will be responsible for making their own way to the tournament grounds in London, with the specific venue to be announced later.

Every player will be required to use a tournament-supplied laptop and Xbox controller in order to keep things fair, and the Last Player Standing tournament will be filmed, with the footage shared on IGN and EE Full Fibre Broadband's social media channels and websites. Anyone taking part must therefore confirm they're happy to appear in these videos.

Star Wars Hunters, the squad-based PvP shooter from Zynga coming to Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android, has been delayed to 2023.

Announced on the game's Twitter (below), Zynga didn't give a specific reason for the delay, simply saying Hunters was pushed back to "meet the high expectations we are setting for fans globally and ourselves as developers".

The development team is "working tirelessly to achieve our vision for Star Wars: Hunters," the post added. "We understand game delays are frustrating, however, our top priority is ensuring players will have the best possible experience in the arena."

Update on Star Wars: Hunters pic.twitter.com/F0ebimryVY

— Zynga Star Wars (@ZyngaStarWars) July 18, 2022

The game is already available to some players through a soft launch in select countries. The development team promised that this version would continue to be updated regularly until Hunters is fully released.

First announced in February 2021, the game was originally targeting a release date later that year before being delayed to 2022. Zynga released a cinematic and gameplay trailer later in the year showing off the playable characters but hasn't made many major announcements since.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

A new report has claimed that the fan campaign that helped bring about Zack Snyder’s re-cut of Justice League was partially fueled by fake social media accounts.

According to Rolling Stone, WarnerMedia commissioned two reports that looked at the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut social media campaign, and reportedly found that “at least 13 percent” of the accounts involved were fake. Twitter’s own estimates for fake accounts - as made very public amid its ongoing conversations with Elon Musk - sits at around five percent, making this a disproportionate number.

The reports were apparently commissioned following an Instagram post from user @daniras_ilust, which depicted the decapitated heads of Geoff Johns (producer on Justice League), Walter Hamada (DC Films president), and Toby Emmerich (former Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman). These three men were considered something akin to enemies of Zack Snyder by the movie's fans, and the image was rapidly shared online. Concerned about employee safety, WarnerMedia reportedly commissioned a third-party cybersecurity film to analyse the online behaviour around Justice League.

Rolling Stone reports that it has accessed the main report, from April 2021, which includes the following conclusion: “After researching online conversations about the Snyder Cut of the Justice League‘s release, specifically the hashtags ‘ReleaseTheSnyderCut’ and ‘RestoreTheSnyderVerse’ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, [the analysts] detected an increase in negative activity created by both real and fake authors. Additionally, three main leaders were identified within the authors scanned on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram — one leader on each platform. These leaders received the highest amount of engagement and have many followers, which gives them the ability to influence public opinion.”

Rolling Stone also conducted its own research, speaking to three cybersecurity and social media intelligence companies. Among them was Q5id, whose chief information officer and chief technology officer, Becky Wanta, said analysis shows that “there’s no question that bots were involved.”

Wanta noted that accounts involved with the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign “arrive at almost the same time in huge numbers”, and that the origins of many messages can often be traced to one or two sources. Should this be the case, then fake accounts may have helped amplify the message of fans pushing for a director’s cut of Justice League.

Not everyone Rolling Stone spoke to believes that fake accounts would have been the key factor in the success of the Snyder Cut campaign. “The bulk of this activity was made up of real and passionate users taking direction from influential figures in the pro-Snyder community,” said Avneesh Chandra, a data analyst at Graphika. “We regularly see these types of adversarial social media campaigns that are driven by real people coordinating online.”

While Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released back in 2021, the social campaign around it still continues to this day, having pivoted to campaigning for a restoration of the ‘SnyderVerse’ and installing Justice League producer Deborah Snyder, as head of DC’s film department.

The #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign inspired a whole book on the issue, and IGN's own feature explores the true story behind the Snyder Cut.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.

Netflix has revealed a release date, new trailer, and some key art for Tekken: Bloodline, its upcoming animated series based on the beloved fighting video game franchise.

The latest trailer for Tekken: Bloodline confirms that the animated series is poised to enter battle on Netflix on August 18. The two-minute teaser shows longtime Tekken fighter Jin Kazama in his early years as he seeks to avenge his mother's death, embarking on a heroic mission that ultimately leads him to The King of Iron Fist Tournament.

and here's the key art! who's hyped?? pic.twitter.com/gOTwyfwXAg

— Netflix Anime (@NetflixAnime) July 19, 2022

Alongside the trailer, Netflix released key art for the animated series that positions Kazama front and center, above the ring. He will be joined by several familiar faces from the Tekken franchise, including Heihachi Mishima, Kazuya Mishima, Leroy Smith, King, Jun Kazama, Paul Phoenix, and Ogre, among a fleet of other famous fighters.

Series creator Katsuhiro Harada shared a bit more about what fans can expect from the upcoming series, explaining that fans and newcomers alike will be able to learn more about "Jun Kazama's story, who is Jin Kazama's Mother, and what it was like for the two of them living in Yakushima," with scenes based on a story that was previously only written in text.

This isn't the first time that Tekken has explored other entertainment mediums, however. An anime Tekken film was released in 1998, a live-action film followed in 2009, and the CGI Tekken: Blood Vengeance film arrived in 2011. Tekken: Bloodline is just the latest addition to the ever-expanding fighting franchise, and joins a growing roster of video game adaptations.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

This story contains spoilers for Thor: Love and Thunder!

Thor: Love and Thunder star Brett Goldstein sent his parents to see the film… but didn’t tell them that he was in it as a post-credits surprise.

During an interview with Variety, the 42-year-old actor and comedian explained how he tried to trick his parents to go and see the Thor sequel. But it sounds as though it ultimately backfired.

“My mom and dad, I sent them a text and said ‘I’ve just seen Thor.’ I knew it’s not the kind of film they’d see. I said, ‘You should go see it. It’s funny.’”

“My mom is texting me all the way through the film giving me a running commentary,” he added. “I’m like, ‘Just watch the film!’ It gets to the end bit, where it shows Russell Crowe… My mom texts me ‘Russell Crowe’s in it again, he’s very funny.’ I go, ‘F***ing look up at the screen!’”

Goldstein appeared at the very end of the film in a post-credits scene.

Zeus (Russell Crowe) had been defeated by Thor (Chris Hemsworth) earlier in the film and turns to his son to get his revenge. That’s right – Goldstein stars as Hercules and, teasing an upcoming clash between himself and the God of Thunder, Goldstein responds “Yes, father.”

“I didn’t tell anyone because Marvel put a chip in my neck that said ‘If you talk about this you’re dead,’” joked Goldstein. But there was one friend he confided in – Ted Lasso co-star Hannah Waddingham.

“He said to me, ‘I’ve been offered this thing… Do you guys think I should do it?'” Waddingham explained. “I went, ‘Are you mental? Are you actually having a little bit of a moment? You’re seriously thinking that you might not play Hercules?’… Then he didn’t tell me he bloody did it! So everyone was like ‘Brett Goldstein! Brett Goldstein!’ And I was like, ‘You cheeky bastard.'”

Obviously, his cameo could mean a return for Hercules… but Goldstein is keeping quiet. “I truly, honestly — this isn’t me lying or being coy — I know nothing,” he said. “All I know is what I did that day and that’s it. That could be it. It was a fun three seconds.”

IGN’s own review called Thor: Love and Thunder “the MCU’s first romantic comedy, and it plays with those tropes in delightful ways. But while Thor and Jane’s relationship is handled well, Love and Thunder is less deft -- and a lot safer than you’d expect -- in pushing the greater MCU story forward. Christian Bale’s Gorr feels underutilized, and Tessa Thompson’s King Valkyrie takes a frustrating back seat, especially as the movie goes on. Taika Waititi’s signature humor and visual style persist from Ragnarok and are essential to buoying the movie through its cookie-cutter plot. With Hemsworth as enthusiastic an Asgardian as ever, Thor’s future with both love and thunder are bright.”

Thor: Love and Thunder stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, and Russel Crowe. Taika Waititi directed the film based on a script he co-wrote with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.

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

Steven Spielberg, arguably the most popular film director of all time, just made a music video using an iPhone.

The 75-year-old filmmaker made his music video debut last Sunday, shooting a three-minute music video for Marcus Mumford - in just one shot.

“On Sunday 3rd July in a high school gym in New York, Steven Spielberg directed his first music video, in one shot, on his phone,” Mumford wrote on Twitter. “[Actress and Spielberg's wife] Kate Capshaw was the almighty dolly grip.”

The video itself was for Mumford’s new single, Cannibal, and it’s available to watch right now. Cannibal is part of Mumford’s first, self-titled solo album.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by the support of the people around me to bring this music to you, and I cannot hope to express all of my gratitude,” he added. “When people get it, it blows my mind. Kate and Steven just got it, and I cannot thank them enough.”

The music video was directed by Spielberg, with Capshaw acting as Producer, Art Director and Dolly Grip. Kristie Macosko Krieger was producer and behind-the-scenes videographer, with Carey Mulligan as costumer and sound.

The video was performed by “Some Chancer Mug” – Mumford himself if you go by the video's parlance.

Considering Spielberg’s penchant for flashy effects and blockbuster editing, it’s a rather humble affair – a one-shot, three-minute long, black and white video of Mumford playing his new track to an empty room.

Obviously, it’s quite a coup for Mumford… but Spielberg won’t be stepping away from movies yet. His next film, The Fabelmans, is due to be released on November 23, 2022 – a semiautobiographical film that loosely tells the story of Spielberg’s own childhood.

The film will star Seth Rogen as Spielberg’s “favorite uncle” alongside Michelle Williams and Paul Dano, with fellow filmmaker David Lynch in a currently unknown role.

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

Australian soccer player Sam Kerr will be the first female athlete to grace an international FIFA cover after EA announced she will feature on FIFA 23's Ultimate Edition, alongside France's Kylian Mbappé.

The Chelsea forward will also be the sole star on the game's standard edition in her home country of Australia, as well as New Zealand - that cover will also be available as an Amazon exclusive internationally. Paris Saint-Germain star Mbappé will feature on the standard edition in other territories.

"It’s an honour and a dream come true to be on the cover of FIFA 23," said Kerr. "It’s been incredible to work with Kylian and the whole EA SPORTS team, and I can’t wait for fans to get their hands on a copy of the game."

Female athletes have previously only featured on regional editions of FIFA 16, when EA launched a competition that let fans decide which player would join Lionel Messi on the cover. Alex Morgan was voted as the U.S. star, Christine Sinclair was on Canada's cover, and Stephanie Catley appeared on the Australian.

Mbappé, who will feature on the cover for the third year in a row, also paid homage to the historic moment, saying "I’m even more excited to share a cover honouring women’s football with a great player like Sam Kerr".

The 28-year-old is captain of the Australian national team and the all-time leading scorer in the United States' National Women's Soccer League. Kerr has also won seven Golden Boots and is the only female player to have claimed the award in three different leagues and three different continents.

FIFA 23 will be the final game in the franchise as EA and soccer's governing body ended their partnership in May 2022. The series will be rebranded as EA Sports FC but shouldn't change much gameplay wise, while FIFA is now seeking to create its own franchise.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

"Wacky monster fans unite!" Rob Zombie has announced that his movie reboot of The Munsters will premiere on Netflix this September.

The Munsters will be released by Universal 1440 Entertainment, which is the direct-to-video entertainment label of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, but rather than debuting on Universal's streaming service Peacock, Zombie has confirmed that the mansion at Mockingbird Lane will open its doors to Netflix subscribers this September.

"This fall we are gonna spook-out like it's 1964!" Zombie declared on his most recent Instagram post. "Yep, The Munsters and The Addams Family are returning to the boob tube at the same time courtesy of Netflix. It's been 58 years since this clash of the titans first happened. Perfect entertainment for your pumpkin carving party."

Zombie's Munsters reboot is debuting alongside Tim Burton's creepy and altogether kooky Addams Family spin-off Wednesday, which stars Jenna Ortega in the title role. This series was first announced in February last year, but Netflix has said very little since outside of the slow but sure revealings of cast members and a 30-second character teaser.

Meanwhile, The Munsters received its first full-length trailer last week. It arrived only a few days after the teaser and gave viewers the best look yet at Zombie's upcoming movie, which follows Sheri Moon Zombie's Lily, Jeff Daniel Phillips' Herman, and Daniel Roebuck's The Count on a "hauntingly hilarious trip from Transylvania to Hollywood."

They will be joined by Richard Brake as Transylvania's most popular Mad Scientist, Dr. Henry Augustus Wolfgang, Jorge Garcia as Floop, Sylvester McCoy as Igor, Catherine Schell as Zoya Krupp, and Cassandra Peterson as Barbara Carr, a pink plaid suit-wearing real estate agent who appears to be quite a contrast to her signature Elvira persona.

Rumors of The Munsters reboot were floating around for a while before confirmation arrived last year that Zombie would be making a modern adaptation of the TV classic. Ever since then, he has been sharing behind-the-scenes photos on social media, including costume concept designs for the main characters and a snap of the Mockingbird Lane mansion.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

"Wacky monster fans unite!" Rob Zombie has announced that his movie reboot of The Munsters will premiere on Netflix this September.

The Munsters will be released by Universal 1440 Entertainment, which is the direct-to-video entertainment label of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, but rather than debuting on Universal's streaming service Peacock, Zombie has confirmed that the mansion at Mockingbird Lane will open its doors to Netflix subscribers this September.

"This fall we are gonna spook-out like it's 1964!" Zombie declared on his most recent Instagram post. "Yep, The Munsters and The Addams Family are returning to the boob tube at the same time courtesy of Netflix. It's been 58 years since this clash of the titans first happened. Perfect entertainment for your pumpkin carving party."

Zombie's Munsters reboot is debuting alongside Tim Burton's creepy and altogether kooky Addams Family spin-off Wednesday, which stars Jenna Ortega in the title role. This series was first announced in February last year, but Netflix has said very little since outside of the slow but sure revealings of cast members and a 30-second character teaser.

Meanwhile, The Munsters received its first full-length trailer last week. It arrived only a few days after the teaser and gave viewers the best look yet at Zombie's upcoming movie, which follows Sheri Moon Zombie's Lily, Jeff Daniel Phillips' Herman, and Daniel Roebuck's The Count on a "hauntingly hilarious trip from Transylvania to Hollywood."

They will be joined by Richard Brake as Transylvania's most popular Mad Scientist, Dr. Henry Augustus Wolfgang, Jorge Garcia as Floop, Sylvester McCoy as Igor, Catherine Schell as Zoya Krupp, and Cassandra Peterson as Barbara Carr, a pink plaid suit-wearing real estate agent who appears to be quite a contrast to her signature Elvira persona.

Rumors of The Munsters reboot were floating around for a while before confirmation arrived last year that Zombie would be making a modern adaptation of the TV classic. Ever since then, he has been sharing behind-the-scenes photos on social media, including costume concept designs for the main characters and a snap of the Mockingbird Lane mansion.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.