Indiana Jones' Ark Prop Estimated to be Worth up to $250,000

A prototype of the lost “Ark of the Covenant” from the first Indiana Jones film recently found itself on an episode of PBS’ long-running Antiques Roadshow, evidently escaping from its former confines in a secret government warehouse. The prop was professionally valued at anywhere from $80,000 to $250,000.

[caption id="attachment_2311604" align="alignnone" width="720"] Image Credit: PBS' Antiques Roadshow[/caption]

An unnamed man brought the Ark prop to the Antiques Roadshow, saying it previously belonged to his father, who he said was an employee for VFX studio Industrial Light & Magic, working on Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and even Star Trek. The owner said his father worked for ILM as a pyrotechnician.

The owner said his family stored blankets inside, though he did enjoy getting to tell friends he owned the Ark.

Appraiser James Supp rightly notes that the man’s version of the Ark is different from what audiences saw in the final version of Indiana Jones.

“I know that this was a prototype used to size the pyro,” the owner said. “I know that the Ark that they used was significantly smaller, the details are different. This is one of the prototypes, maybe the first prototype for pyro [effects].”

The infamous Ark of the Covenant was the magical item/MacGuffin that spurred Indiana Jones and his friends to adventure across Egypt, Nepal, and the Aegean Sea. Fabled to house the Ten Commandments, Nazi forces pursue the Ark in the film, believing it could grant them invincibility. Ultimately, the legends turn out to have a dark twist, with the angels of death emerging from the Ark to explode, liquefy, and generally murder every single Nazi in the vicinity.

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Supp points out that the prototype is definitely cobbled together from various junk and crafts you might find at any prop studio. The two winged angels on the top are made from trophies, the lid is made from a picture frame, and the seemingly ornate “carvings” on the side are just squiggles from a hot glue gun painted gold.

“That original prop is somewhere in the LucasFilm archives at Skywalker Ranch,” Supp said. “People who want to replicate props have scoured every scene to copy all the little details on it. This is the closest anybody in the private market can get to owning the Ark of the Covenant from Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

Supp said that while his conservative estimate would put the Ark prop between $80,000 to $120,000, he admits he could see the prop earning a price tag “in the quarter-million-dollar range.”

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If hearing all this news about a famous Indiana Jones prop has you excited for more adventures, you won’t have to wait too long. Indiana Jones 5 is currently in development. Here’s everything we know about Indiana Jones 5, including director options, cast and crew, release date, and more. Last we heard from Harrison Ford (who will be returning in his iconic role as Indy), filming begins shooting in April, although a recent director change may have shifted that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/golden idol for IGN.

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Fortnite: Where to Steal Security Plans From the Yacht, Shark, and Rig

The first of the Fortnite loyalty challenges require players to steal security plans and choose between Ghost and Shadow, here's some help.

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Red Dead Online Leap Day Challenges All Involve Jumping, or Getting Jumped

You’d be forgiven for forgetting that today, February 29, is Leap Day. You know, the day that comes about every four years because calendars and planetary rotations are weird. In any case, Red Dead Redemption 2 developer Rockstar Games definitely did not forget, and threw in a little treat for observant cowboys and cowgirls in the game’s online mode.

First spotted by Reddit user Moonshiner, a list of daily challenges popped up in Red Dead Online tasking players with, well, leaping a whole bunch on Leap Day.

Challenges include jumping from a horse onto a moving train, jumping from a horse onto a moving wagon, jumping from a horse onto...another horse, and jumping onto a horse from a height of at least three meters.

Nice one, Rockstar.

Reddit user jason21521 also pointed out that a daily challenge to "successfully fend off an ambush" could also count as "getting jumped." Bit of a leap itself, but we'll go with it. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/red-dead-redemption-2-online-recreated-in-dreams"]

If you want some assistance completing these challenges and others in Red Dead Online, check out our Red Dead Online wiki, where you’ll also find our huge interactive world map and more.

We’re pretty sure that Rockstar would prefer people to leap onto horses rather than leap into bed, given that a modder created a new version of the infamous Hot Coffee mod.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/cowpoke for IGN.

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Call of Duty Zombies Co-Creator Leaves Treyarch

After 13 years working on the Call of Duty Zombies mode, co-creator Jason Blundell has announced his departure from Treyarch. The Treyarch Twitter account posted a short statement from Blundell about his departure and thoughts looking back. "During my time at the studio, I've been privileged to work on a variety of projects, wearing many hats along the way, with my time on the Zombies team proving to be quite special," Blundell wrote. "Clearly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t personally thank the group that continues to make it all worth it: The Zombies community! Your passion, enthusiasm -- and frankly, your craziness -- has been a continued source of inspiration. The beauty of Zombies is that it has always been about the interaction between us as developers and one of the most passionate player communities on the planet. These are memories I will cherish for a lifetime."

We wish to thank Jason for his many contributions to Treyarch. We’ve enjoyed our journey together and wish him the very best going forward! pic.twitter.com/Tb8o36VWb2

— Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) February 28, 2020

Blundell first started at Treyarch back in 2006 as a producer on Call of Duty 3. Blundell's career spans across seven different Call of Duty games. His work on the Zombies mode in the Call of Duty franchise started immediately with Call of Duty: World at War. However, Blundell's Zombies' career truly took off in November 2016 when he became the co-studio head of Treyarch. It's unknown where Blundell is headed next and whether or not that includes game development. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-zombie-games-of-all-time&captions=true"] Take a look back at our Call of Duty coverage with Jason Blundell including the surprising rise of a Zombies mode, the introduction of a female protagonist, and if he can survive a real apocalypse. If you're keeping up with Modern Warfare, you can read the latest details we've learned about the game's supposed Battle Royale mode. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jeffrey Lerman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @Snakester95.

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James Gunn Wraps Suicide Squad Filming With Tribute to Deceased Dad

Filming on James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad has officially wrapped. Director Gunn celebrated the accomplishment by sharing a photo of the cast and crew, along with a heartfelt tribute to some loved ones of his.

“And that’s a wrap on #TheSuicideSquad,” Gunn wrote. “My father died two weeks before we started filming and my dog died two weeks before the end. It was a hard, hard time in my life and yet the most fulfilling time I’ve ever had making a movie. The professionalism, talent, compassion and kindness of this cast and crew inspired me every day. Thanks to everyone involved in this film, in every stage of development, in every department - I am grateful from the bottom of my heart for you all. You are why I make movies.”

Gunn’s Suicide Squad still has lots of time to bake before it’s ready for the filmgoing public, though. The Suicide Squad is scheduled to release on August 6, 2021. Margot Robbie (who can be seen front and center of the Instagram post) returns as Harley, alongside Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Idris Elba, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Guardians of the Galaxy star Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion, John Cena, Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who), Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, and SNL’s Pete Davidson, among others. Will Smith’s Deadshot reportedly won’t be returning due to scheduling conflicts. Gunn has previously teased that fans shouldn’t get too attached to the cast, indicating the film may have quite the body count.

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Producer Pete Safran has said the film is a “total reboot,” and not a sequel to David Ayers critically panned 2016 film.

While fans are no doubt happy to see Gunn lending his efforts to the DC cinematic universe, don’t get your hopes up for any James Gunn Superman movie. You might also be surprised to hear which screenplay Gunn says he’s enjoyed the most. Thankfully, we also have Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to look forward to, which Gunn was re-hired by Disney to direct. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN.

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PlatinumGames Expanded So It Doesn't Have to Turn Down 'Fun Projects'

Platinum Games, the Osaka-based studio behind Bayonetta and Vanquish, announced the creation of a new office in Tokyo that Platinum director Hideki Kamiya and COO Atsushi Inaba says will be staffed with “Crazy people who want to make games.” Currently, Platinum Games is sized at about 200 employees according to Inaba. The aim of the Tokyo studio is to bring aboard 100 more employees for a total of about 400. At the time of the studio’s announcement, Platinum said the Tokyo location would be working on different projects like live-service games. But in an interview with IGN Japan, Inaba says another reason for expansion is just to work on more games in general, whether they’re original projects or partner projects. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=project-gg-new-platinum-game-first-images&captions=true"] “First of all, we do not have enough staff at the moment. It’s a nice problem to have, but we get a lot of work offers from other publishers, for example something like Nier Automata where we can collaborate on the publisher’s IP, or to make original titles for a publisher, and we are limited to how many projects we can take on. So there are a lot of projects that we have to turn down, and I think it would be better to increase our capacity so we can work on more fun projects.” Platinum, aside from working on original games, frequently partners with publishers to work on their IP. Whether it’s with Square Enix on Nier: Automata, or Nintendo with Bayonetta 3 and Star Fox Zero. From what Inaba is saying, Platinum is quite the popular partner and there are probably numerous publisher projects the company had to turn down. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/26/project-gg-teaser-trailer"] But with a new Tokyo studio and an increased employee count, perhaps Platinum can work on even more projects going forward. The Tokyo studio was announced as part of a series of four announcements. Platinum already announced The Wonderful 101 Kickstarter, Project G.G., and the Tokyo studio. There’s still one announcement left and Kamiya says it’s the biggest one of them all.

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How Platinum Games' Project G.G. Builds Off of Viewtiful Joe, Wonderful 101

Platinum Games has officially announced Project G.G; or Project A Go-Go. According to studio director, Hideki Kamiya, Project G.G. is the first wholly-owned Platinum Games project, and while the studio says this new project will keep with the studio’s love of the action-genre, the game will also be broader in scope. “We have labelled it as being part of the Hideki Kamiya hero trilogy,” said Kamiya in an interview with IGN Japan. “The first two titles being Viewtiful Joe, which is a solo hero story, and The Wonderful 101, which is a story of a group of heroes. In Japan, the next type of hero would be the giant hero, and I’ve always wanted to make a game based on that idea.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/26/project-gg-teaser-trailer"] The giant hero and kaiju genre, or tokusatsu, is best known in the west from shows like Power Rangers. But while Kamiya says he’s inspired by the genre, Project G.G. isn’t a straight adaptation of it. “[I]t won’t be a very niche kind of game; giant hero stories are popular in Japan, with things like Ultraman, and the game will have that kind of flavor to it, but I don’t want to restrict myself to the Japanese hero genre,” Kamiya says. “So the setting will probably not be Japan, as that might be restrictive. But I haven’t decided yet.” Not much else is known about Project G.G. other than how Platinum is aiming to launch on every current console. “Basically we’d like to hit PS4, Xbox One, Switch and Steam, and then of course PS5 and Series X are coming soon. We don’t know exactly when this will come out, but we’d like to release it on whatever are the main platforms at that time,” Platinum Chief Creative Officer Atsushi Inaba said. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=project-gg-new-platinum-game-first-images&captions=true"] Even the release date isn’t concrete with Inaba and Kamiya both saying that while anything can happen in game development the studio wants to deliver Project G.G “as soon as we can.” In the meantime, Platinum Games still has one more announcement to make as part of its “Four” initiative which included The Wonderful 101 Kickstarter, Project G.G., and a brand new Tokyo-based studio. But IGN will be there to cover the big surprise when it’s announced.

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Fortnite: Where to Find All Shadow Safe House Locations

The second set of Brutus' Briefing challenges are live, here is where you can find all of the Fortnite safe house locations.

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Y: The Last Man FX Series Casts Ben Schnetzer as Yorick

Actor Ben Schnetzer has been cast for the role of Yorick Brown in the TV adaptation of Y: The Last Man, multiple outlets are reporting. Schnetzer will star in the long-gestating FX series alongside a cast that includes Diane Lane, Imogen Poots, Lashana Lynch, Juliana Canfield, Marin Ireland, and Amber Tamblyn. Previously, actor Barry Keoghan was set to play the role of Yorick and had been attached to the project since 2018, but left the series in early February. Currently, production is scheduled to begin sometime in April. The plot for the FX TV series follows the comic book Y: The Last Man, created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Pia Guerra. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=tv-shows-to-watch-in-2020&captions=true"] Character Yorick Brown is the last surviving male on Earth with his pet monkey, Ampersand, after a deadly plague. The DC Comics series follows their journey as they try to survive in this new world. The troubled development of Y: The Last Man as a TV series goes as far back as 2014. However, FX president John Landgraf, spoke last month about it progressing along in pre-production, following a showrunner change. “Eliza Clark is running that show with Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson. We’ve seen five or six scripts now. We haven’t scheduled it because it hasn’t gone into production yet. But it seems to be going well.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/10/14/fx-developing-y-the-last-man-tv-series-ign-news"] For more information about Y: The Last Man, now going by the name of Y, take a look at everything we know so far. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jeffrey Lerman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @Snakester95.

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Hawaii Five-0 Ending After 10 Seasons, No Season 11 on CBS

Hawaii Five-0 will come to an end after ten seasons on CBS. A two-hour series finale will take place on Friday, April 3. Deadline reports that a back injury from series star Alex O'Loughlin has caused trouble for the actor for years. The network explored going on without O'Loughlin by having his co-star, Scott Caan, continue the show with a new partner. With both stars' contracts up at the end of the season, the decision was made to end the series. "This show has been pretty much every waking moment for the last 10 years of my life,” said O’Loughlin in a statement. “Everywhere I go on this planet, in every language, I am McGarrett to all these people. What we’ve done, what we’ve accomplished, it’s extraordinary. I can’t really put words to express my level of gratitude. I’m just glad to have been a part of this, a part of history and I’m going to miss it. And to the fans, I don’t know how to thank you guys. Thank you for following us the way you have. I’m going to miss you. Aloha.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-tv-show-cancelled-or-announced-to-be-ending-in-2020&captions=true"] The show was developed by Peter M. Lenkov, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. It's a reboot of the Hawaii Five-0 series that ran on CBS from 1968 to 1980. The reboot has apparently been huge for CBS. Deadline reports that the show has been broadcast in over 200 countries and received $2 million per episode from a deal with TNT to re-air episodes for the show's first season. The show has also crossed over with fellow CBS shows NCIS: Los Angeles, MacGyver and Magnum P.I. over the years. “It’s never easy to say goodbye to a hit franchise that carried on the legacy of the original with such distinction while establishing its own signature style,” said Kelly Kahl, CBS Entertainment President, in a statement. “From episode one, Hawaii Five-0 has been a huge success for us. Thanks to the amazing talents of the producers, writers, cast, and crew, it has played a key role for a decade on our schedule and helped establish our powerhouse Friday night. We cannot be prouder of its quality, longevity and are thankful for the passionate fan-devotion it inspired.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/21/cbs-all-access-review-2019"] Hawaii Five-0 is the second ViacomCBS show to get the ax recently with Ray Donovan cancelled at Showtime. Here is IGN's list of every other TV show that announced its end so far in 2020. Hawaii Five-0 is currently available on CBS All-Access. IGN's review of CBS All-Access says there's some potentially great shows on the way but "the company still has a long way to go" before competing with Netflix and Disney. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

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GDC 2020 March Event Canceled Over Coronavirus Concerns

The Game Developers Conference is canceled, sources tell IGN, with the show's organizers now confirming it as a postponement to a later planned date. Two developers familiar with GDC's plans told IGN of a planned cancellation ahead of the official GDC announcement, which reads: "After close consultation with our partners in the game development industry and community around the world, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the Game Developers Conference this March. Having spent the past year preparing for the show with our advisory boards, speakers, exhibitors, and event partners, we're genuinely upset and disappointed not to be able to host you at this time." The official statement goes on to indicate that the organizers "fully intend to host a GDC event later in the summer," however it is unclear what the size or scope of that show is intended to be in comparison to the now cancelled one. "We will be working with our partners to finalize the details and will share more information about our plans in the coming weeks," the statement continued. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-the-big-games-coming-in-2020&captions=true"] In lieu of the event, GDC is offering any speakers who planned on giving their presentations at the show an opportunity to make those presentations available online through the GDC YouTube channel and a free portion of the GDC Vault. GDC is also planning to set up streams in order to still hold the Independent Games Festival and Game Developers Choice Awards shows during the originally scheduled week of GDC. Questions over the state of this year’s GDC began after major companies began announcing they’d be pulling out of the show over concerns about COVID-19. Big studios like PlayStation, Microsoft, Epic Games, Kojima Productions, Facebook, EA, and more have all announced that they would no longer be participating in this year’s event. This prompted attendees to wonder whether GDC would still be the convention they expected it to be, especially since one of the major benefits of attending is for developers to connect and learn from the major players. In Northern California, the state government announced that it was monitoring 8,400 people for COVID-19. Since GDC is hosted in San Francisco, California today’s news of canceling the show is a logical precaution. This is not the first game conference to be shut down by COVID-19 concerns as the Taipei Game Show in Taiwan was also canceled. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.

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Back to the Future Remake: Tom Holland Says There Have Been 'Conversations'

Tom Holland said that somebody has talked to him about a Back to the Future remake, but he ultimately feels it's unnecessary to make considering the original is "one of the most perfect films" ever made. Holland recently appeared on BBC Radio 1 and was talking about his new movie Onward and one of the movie's themes of being yourself and not fake. The interviewer brought up the viral deep fake of Holland and his Marvel co-star Robert Downey Jr. replacing Marty McFly and Doc Brown from Back to the Future. The interviewer asked Holland how quickly he would deny a Back to the Future remake if he was ever asked to do it. "I’d be lying if I said there hadn’t been conversations in the past about doing some sort of remake, but that film is the most perfect film — or one of the most perfect films, one that could never be made better," Holland told BBC Radio 1. "That said, if Downey and I could just shoot that one scene that they remade for fun — he could pay for it cause he’s got loads of money — I would do it for my fee and we could remake that scene. I think we owe it to deep fake because they did such a good job." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-summer-blockbusters-of-all-time&captions=true"] The director of the original film, Robert Zemeckis, told The Telegraph in 2015 that he would have to be dead for them to remake the original film. “That can’t happen until both Bob [Gale, the trilogy's co-writer,] and I are dead. And then I’m sure they’ll do it, unless there’s a way our estates can stop it." He continued, “I mean, to me, that’s outrageous. Especially since it’s a good movie. It’s like saying ‘Let’s remake Citizen Kane. Who are we going to get to play Kane?’ What folly, what insanity is that? Why would anyone do that?” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/06/30/director-says-no-back-to-the-future-remake-ign-news"] Back to the Future recently placed on IGN's best summer blockbusters of all time and IGN's top 25 sci-fi movies. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who will buy a DeLorean and drive it 88 miles per hour through the Universal backlot if they go forward with a remake of Back to the Future. Go play the Telltale game!

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X of Swords: Marvel's Next Major X-Men Crossover Revealed

Marvel Comics has been teasing the debut of a major new X-Men storyline that will kick off the second phase of writer Jonathan Hickman's multi-year X-Men saga. Now we know the name of that story - X of Swords. As revealed at the Marvel Comics: X-Men panel at C2E2, X of Swords is a crossover event that will link together all the ongoing X-Men titles. X of Swords begins in July, following a prelude tale in Marvel's Free Comic Book Day 2020 special. While Marvel isn't revealing much about the plot of this crossover, their press release does tease the story will begin "the next phase of Jonathan Hickman’s vision for mutantkind, which will affect the entire X-Men line." The "X" in the title is meant to be read as "Ten." As with 2019's Powers of X, we assume that title will make more sense after reading the crossover. The title is probably inspired by the tarot card Ten of Swords, which generally represents betrayal, rivalry and tragic endings. The new art shown during the panel suggests the crossover will also literally revolve around sword-wielding X-Men. [note - we'll update this article with new X of Swords art as it becomes available] [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=20-most-anticipated-comics-of-2020&captions=true"] What could X of Swords be about? Since the new mutant status quo was established, most of the X-books have focused on the growing pains facing the nation of Krakoa as it asserts its place on the world stage and various human enemies work to tear down what Moira MacTaggert, Professor Xavier and Magneto have built. Meanwhile, there have been increasing signs Xavier isn't in his right mind, while Mystique may be plotting to bring Krakoa burning down. X of Swords may build on any of those ongoing story threads as Krakoa faces a dire new threat. The emphasis on swords is certainly interesting in light of the recent X-Men #7. That issue revealed a grim ritual known as Crucible, where de-powered mutants have to fight Apocalypse in order to earn an honorable death and be reborn as full mutants again. Does the title also refer to the sword Apocalypse uses to kill these mutants? Are there ten resurrected mutants in particular who form the crux of this conflict? It's also worth remembering that the X-Men franchise features several noteworthy swords, including Magik's mystical Soulsword and Wolverine's healing factor-canceling Muramasa blade. Does the title imply there are ten swords of special significance to the mutant race? [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/09/marvels-x-men-now-have-a-bold-new-status-quo-ign-now"] No doubt Marvel will have more to reveal as we get closer to July. For now, check out our biggest questions about the new X-Men status quo, stay tuned to IGN for more big C2E2 announcements over the course of the weekend. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

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Netflix's The Witcher Has Found Its Vesemir

Netflix has announced that Killing Eve actor Kim Bodnia, will portray Vesemir in Season 2 of Netflix's The Witcher. "I am so thrilled to welcome Kim Bodnia to the cast of The Witcher," series showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich said. "I have admired his unique talents in shows like Killing Eve and The Bridge, and cannot wait for him to bring strength, tenacity, and warmth to the character of Vesemir, who is such an integral part of our upcoming season." To see Bodnia, and all of the other new and returning characters coming to The Witcher's second season, check out the gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-witcher-explaining-all-the-characters-and-who-plays-them&captions=true"] Here's how the streamer describes Vesemir in Season 2: "A charming relic of the witcher Golden Age, Vesemir is the oldest and most experienced witcher in our series, as well as a father figure to Geralt. As one of the survivors of The Massacre at Kaer Morhen, a haunting slaughter that nearly exterminated the Witchers, he is fiercely protective of the remaining few, who he sees as an endangered community who can find glory on 'the Path' to slaying monsters." Before Bodnia's casting announcement, there was a social media frenzy about the possibility of iconic Star Wars actor Mark Hamill portraying the elder Witcher. Back in January 2020, IGN spoke to Hissrich about Hamill's interest in the project and the fan reaction around it. "Mark has always been of interest to me and interest to the project," Hissrich told IGN. "We have not contacted his agent yet because we’re not casting the role quite yet, but that being said, I am loving what’s happening on the internet. And I’m loving all of the fan reaction to it. Obviously, we’ve seen what a huge fanbase The Witcher has, and to add that to a Star Wars fanbase... it makes my mind explode a little bit." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/18/how-much-does-the-witcher-know-about-the-witcher"] Season 2 of The Witcher will premiere in 2021, but if you want to see Bodnia sooner than that, be sure to check him out in Killing Eve and the upcoming Netflix fantasy series, The Letter for the King. What do you think of the casting? Let us know in the comments below. [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

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Simpsons Short Will Play in Front of Onward in Theaters

The Simpsons' social media pages announced a new Maggie short film, which will premiere in theaters with Pixar's Onward. The short is called Playdate with Destiny, and an image accompanying the social media post shows Maggie sitting next to another baby overlooking what appears to be the country of Greece, judging by the blue-domed architecture. "Maggie Simpson is speechless...," the caption reads. "Playdate with Destiny, a new Simpsons short film before Disney & Pixar’s Onward. Exclusively in theaters!"

Maggie Simpson is speechless… Playdate with Destiny, a new Simpsons short film before Disney & Pixar’s Onward. Exclusively in theaters! #TheSimpsons pic.twitter.com/3090Zv8uYE

— The Simpsons (@TheSimpsons) February 28, 2020

This will be the third time the Simpsons have made it to the big screen. The Simpsons Movie made over half a billion dollars at the box office 13 years ago and another short film starring Maggie played in front of Ice Age 4 and some screenings of Life of Pi in 2012 and 2013. That short was called The Longest Daycare, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. It lost the Oscar to Disney's Paperman, which played in front of Wreck-It Ralph. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-top-30-simpsons-episodes&captions=true"] Assuming there won't be a Pixar short and a Simpsons short in front of Onward, this is the second Pixar movie in a row to not feature a Pixar-created short film in front of the movie. In Pixar's defense, new shorts from the company are uploaded almost every month on Disney+ under the Sparkshorts label. A Toy Story short film also recently premiered exclusively on the service. Does this mean that Pixar will only premiere new shorts on Disney+? Or is this just an extra bit of cross-company fun with Disney purchasing The Simpsons and the rest of 20th Century Fox for over $70 billion? Pixar will release another movie, Soul, in June, so fans won't have to wait long to find out. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/25/the-simpsons-hit-run-in-dreams"] The Simpsons have been in the news a couple of times over the past month. Apu's voice actor won't be playing the role after years of controversy and The Simpsons will feature an Avengers-satire on Sunday's episode where Bart threatens to spoil a big superhero movie after attending a preview event, which leads to studio executives trying to silence him. Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo and producer Kevin Feige will all voice characters for the episode. As for Onward, IGN praised the film in its review. IGN's critic said, "Pixar's Onward is enchanting; a sweet, heartwarming and fun-filled fantasy adventure tale featuring a solid voice cast." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who refuses to watch Simpsons on Disney+ until they fix that trash aspect ratio. Also, Disney+ needs to upload The Longest Daycare.

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Fans Find Hidden Teaser for Amnesia Developer's Next Game

The developer behind horror games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent and SOMA has a new teaser for its next game Frictional Games has led people on a scavenger hunt with their last few hidden videos, but the latest one shows something. It phases in and out of the darkness from the eyes of a character saying, "Don't lose it. No, no, come on. Need to find him. He must understand. I am Tasi. I am still Tasi." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/28/new-frictional-game-i-am-tasi-teaser"] The desert scene that appears for a matter of three seconds shows a few details worth analyzing. First, there's a sandstorm and what appears to be a cavern with a bright light coming out of it. It's not uncommon for Frictional Games to force players underground during brutal weather like in the Penumbra franchise. Also, the desert doesn't have much going on aside from a rock, a tree, and a few crystalline looking rocks. The odd cavern and crystals allude to it being another sci-fi game from the developer. The other main focus of the video is the short dialogue from what may be a protagonist named Tasi. Unfortunately, there isn't much to analyze. However, the character says they need to find "him" and that he needs to understand something. This leaves a lot of room for theories and guessing for sleuths in the community. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=25-scariest-games-of-this-generation&captions=true"] Frictional Games first teased this new project using an Alternate Reality Game (ARG). Eventually, this led to a website named "nextfrictionalgame.com" with a pulsating brain neuron that has since changed. The picture below now shows the fetus of a growing baby. [caption id="attachment_231108" align="alignnone" width="720"] Credit: Frictional Games[/caption] Within the last month, two other videos were uploaded by the developer, "Box 52, Tape 16" and "Box 7 Reel 2, Partial Success". Credit to the /r/gamedetectives subreddit for discovering the second video. It's only a matter of time until more people find secrets surrounding the Tasi teaser. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jeffrey Lerman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @Snakester95.

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EVE Fanfest Called Off Due to Coronavirus Fears

"We feel absolutely compelled to follow the most responsible course of action and prioritize the safety and well-being of our attendees, our staff and of course the general Icelandic public."

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Kojima Productions May Have Teased a Silent Hill Game in the Strangest Way

Kojima Productions may have just teased that it's working on a Silent Hill game in a very strange way. Or it might be trolling the internet. Or it might be a coincidence. Whatever it is, it's fun. On the Death Stranding studio's English language Twitter account, head of communications Aki Saito posted a picture of himself to jokingly prove he still worked at the company. He wrote: "Sorry to be silent everyone! I've been really busy lately.....I think i can say more soon about what we are going to....."

Sorry to be silent everyone! I've been really busy lately.....I think i can say more soon about what we are going to.....#KojimaProductions https://t.co/Vr0qPj3DwV pic.twitter.com/BiweDgGC4v

— Kojima Productions (@KojiPro2015_EN) February 28, 2020

That message, and that picture have sent internet detectives into overdrive. The subtle hint about talking more what the company's working on is one thing, then the use of the word "Silent". Getting even deeper, zooming into the picture reveals a notepad Saito's using that reads "Next week!". And, if you want to get really wild, the pencil he's written it with says "PYRAMID". Some have taken the use of 'silent' and 'pyramid' (Pyramid Head is the series' most notable antagonist) to mean the company is working on a Silent Hill game, and that it will be announced or teased next week. But, it must be stated clearly, this may be a joke from Kojima Productions, or a total coincidence. [caption id="attachment_2311088" align="alignnone" width="878"] A close-up of Aki Saito's hand, notepad and pencil. I can't believe this is work for me.[/caption] To the theory's credit, we did learn recently that Hideo Kojima has been working on a new concept, and has recently tweeted that he's watching scary movies to "make the scariest horror game". In a separate report, we recently learned that Konami may be working on a "soft reboot" of the Silent Hill series, with two new games apparently in the works. Infamously, Hideo Kojima was at one point working on a Silent Hill game, Silent Hills, which was cancelled by publisher Konami, and led to Kojima leaving the company, and taking much of his staff with him. He'd go onto use the touted star of Silent Hills, Norman Reedus, as the star of Death Stranding. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/09/18/silent-hills-concept-trailer-tgs-2014"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News, and his mind feels like it's spinning out of control. Follow him on Twitter.

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Half-Life: Alyx: How Coronavirus Is Affecting Compatible VR Headsets

When it's released on March 23, Half-Life: Alyx will be a notable moment in the timeline of VR gaming – perhaps the medium's first true blockbuster. It's led to a rush of first-time VR buyers, eager to play the first full Half-Life game in 16 years. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 (a.k.a. Coronavirus) has led to production shortages of several of the compatible headsets you'll need to actually play it. With under a month until release, we looked into each of the major VR headset manufacturers – Oculus, HTC, and developer Valve itself – and what the status of their production is ahead of HL: Alyx's release date, to get a sense of which units may be available to buy if you don't already have one. Before we get going, of course there are more important things than games, and factory shutdowns have been a major means of protecting lives in the wake of a virus that has already killed thousands – these are necessary means, not inconveniences. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/25/how-coronavirus-is-impacting-the-games-industry"]

Valve Index

Valve's Index headset was already sold out practically worldwide following the announcement of Half-Life: Alyx, with Valve proactively working to supply more for those who hadn't secured a pre-order. In a statement, however, the developer confirmed that coronavirus-related factory shutdowns meant there would be "far fewer units" available on release than planned: "With Half-Life: Alyx coming March 23rd, we are working hard to meet demand for the Valve Index and want to reassure everyone that Index systems will be available for purchase prior to the game's launch. However, the global Coronavirus health crisis has impacted our production schedules so we will have far fewer units for sale during the coming months compared to the volumes we originally planned. Our entire team is working hard right now to maximize availability." It's unclear at time of writing how many will be made available at release, but it may well be that Index is in short supply, at best, come March 23.

Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S

Oculus Quest, considered a popular entry-level device for VR, is in a similar position. Facebook (which owns Oculus) has also announced that the standalone VR headset has been selling out in many regions, and remains unavailable to buy in the UK and US at time of writing. It too, has seen an impact on replenishing those stocks because of coronoavirus. A spokesperson told IGN, "like other companies we’re expecting some additional impact to our hardware production due to the Coronavirus. We’re taking precautions to ensure the safety of our employees, manufacturing partners and customers, and are monitoring the situation closely. We are working to restore availability as soon as possible.” Facebook wouldn't comment on the effect of production shutdowns on its other headset model, the Oculus Rift S but, given it too is made in China, it seems likely to have been hit by factory shutdowns as well. The Rift S is also currently unavailable to buy in the US or Australia, with no indication of when stock might be replenished. It remains to be seen how many units of either Oculus headset will be released in the next month but, again, it feels unlikely to meet demand.

HTC Vive

Of the three main manufacturers, HTC is the only company seemingly untouched by production problems, and its Vive headsets seem to be the surest bet for availability come launch day. In a statement to IGN, a spokesperson said, "As our Vive VR products are assembled and built in Taiwan, our supply chain has been relatively unaffected by COVID-19. In addition to having our Cosmos headset in stock, the newly announced Cosmos Elite began preorders on February 24 and will ship to those who preordered on or around the on-sale date of March 18 [...] We look forward to allowing customers to experience Half-Life: Alyx on our headsets as soon as it is released." Of course, Vive remains a relatively expensive way to play HL: Alyx – requiring a powerful PC as well as a headset that comes in at $499 USD / £499 / $939 AUD. However, with no production problems, it may be the easiest route to playing as Alyx on March 23. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/21/half-life-alyx-reveal-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

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Fortnite: Epic and Analyst Argue Over 'Dropping' Earnings

Epic Games and industry analyst SuperData are squaring off after a report claimed Fortnite's earnings had dropped to their lowest level since 2017. It began when SuperData put out a monthly games industry earnings report for January 2020. The report placed Fortnite as the 7th highest earner on console, but outside of the top 10 on PC and mobile, and summed up the game's performance by saying the game's "earnings continued their gradual decline and hit their lowest level since November 2017." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/fortnite-chapter-2-season-2-top-secret-launch-trailer"] Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, an Epic spokesperson subsequently called SuperData's reports "wildly inaccurate", although didn't go so far as to point specifically at this latest one: "SuperData does not and has not ever had access to Epic's Fortnite revenue data, and SuperData's reports do not accurately reflect Fortnite's performance. We are disappointed that SuperData has repeatedly published wildly inaccurate reports about Fortnite based on what we believe is questionable methodology. While we do not and have not publicly shared revenue numbers for Fortnite, we will say that SuperData's reports do not align with reality." This is particularly notable as it's become increasingly rare to see Epic reach out to press about Fortnite, particularly around the hugely successful battle royale's financial success. SuperData, however, has hit back. The analyst told GI.biz that it stands by the results, and saying it has "a proven methodology and validation process". Epic has yet to reply. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/fortnite-chapter-2-season-2-new-battlepass-and-map-changes"] It's an unusual squabble to see occur so publicly, and draws attention to how secretive the games industry – most particularly its top earners – tend to be about financial matters. Much of the analysis of in-game earnings tends to come from educated guesswork by analysts – and it remains to be seen how accurate SuperData is in this instance. Fortnite recently launched the second season of Chapter 2, and has added everything from Deadpool, to rickrolling, to mythic weapons. But is it all just a game? Ninja doesn't think so, and the Internet and lots and lots of opinions about that. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

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Westworld S3 Premiere Runtime Revealed Alongside Character Posters

HBO has revealed that Westworld Season 3's premiere episode will clock in at 1 hour and 8 minutes. The announcement, shared via TVWeb, was accompanied by six all-new character posters for the forthcoming season, featuring Evan Rachel Wood's Dolores, Aaron Paul's Caleb, Ed Harris' William, Jeffrey Wright's Bernard, Tessa Thompson's Charlotte, and Thandie Newton's Maeve. Check out the all-new character posters in our gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=westworld-season-3-character-posters&captions=true"] HBO Asia released the posters on Twitter, where the images were published in pairs alongside three separate taglines: "The real gods are coming" (Dolores and Caleb), "Welcome to the end of the game" (William and Bernard), and "You're not the only predator here" (Charlotte and Maeve). In 2018, Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy discussed how this newest season will be a "radical shift" from what came before, which certainly appears to be true from all of the promotional material that we've seen so far. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/21/how-leaving-westworld-changes-westworld-in-season-3-comic-con-2019"] The series' latest trailer revealed more about Aaron Paul's mysterious character Caleb, who is the most significant new addition to the cast. The recent footage indicated that he would be drawn into Dolores' war for freedom as she and her fellow androids venture outside of the titular theme park into the human world. In addition to Paul, new cast members this season include A Black Lady Sketch Show's Lena Waithe, Black Swan's Vincent Cassel, We Are Who We Are's Scott Mescudi, Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Marshawn Lynch, The Newsroom's John Gallagher Jr., Stumptown's Michael Ealy, and Sons of Anarchy's Tommy Flanagan. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=westworld-season-3-teaser-trailer-gallery&captions=true"] Westworld Season 3 is set to premiere on HBO on Sunday, March 15, 2020, at 9 pm ET/PT. For more on the hit sci-fi drama, read about the three secret trailers that diehard fans found ahead of the third season, check out Westworld Awakening - a VR game where you play as a self-aware host, and find out why the Man in Black's story is Westworld's greatest tragedy. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

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Monster Hunter Movie: Two Exclusive New Posters

The Monster Hunter movie has two new teaser posters, and we can exclusively reveal them on IGN. The posters show stars Tony Jaa and Milla Jovovich respectively, each holding weaponry drawn from the game series. Jaa, who plays The Hunter, is holding the Great Hunter's Bow, Jovovich (playing Lieutenant Artemis) totes a Great Sword, the Giant Jawblade. The desert setting they're in is based on the look of Monster Hunter World's Wildspire Wastes area. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=monster-hunter-movie-2-new-posters&captions=true"] If you want one for yourself, and you find yourself in Boston, MA, both posters will be given out in miniature form at the Monster Hunter Festa event taking place at PAX East on Saturday, February 29. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, Event Horizon), the movie will alter the normal Monster Hunter storyline somewhat for the big screen. Artemis and her unit of elite soldiers are transported from our world to one filled with monsters (largely drawn from the games), and need to partner with The Hunter to survive and find a way home. Anderson has previously stated that all of Artemis' costumes, weapons and equipment are based directly on the games - currently everything we've seen hews closest to Monster Hunter World (not a surprise, given that game's huge success). We've already put together a list of 12 details Monster Hunter fans will recognise based on what we've seen of the film. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-video-game-movie-in-development-almost&captions=true"] The film will be rated PG-13, and arrives on September 4. It's far from the only movie based on a video game in development right now - we've got a huge list of projects in the works. It's no surprise, given the fact that game movies are increasingly big business, and might actually be, you know, not terrible these days. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

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Riot's Unrevealed FPS Seems to Be Called Valorant

League of Legends developer Riot Games is working on an FPS codenamed Project A - but recent details suggest it will be titled Valorant. Now, a new screenshot of the game, and several of its characters, appears to have leaked. Earlier this week, RespawnFirst pointed to a trademark for Valorant filed by Riot, as well as a Twitter account created at around the same time as the trademark, @PlayValorant. The account is followed by multiple pro gamers and FPS streamers despite being a next-to empty page. Yesterday, a Project A fan account also posted what appears to be a leaked screenshot of the game featuring a character select screen for a character called Sage:

Most parts of this #ProjectA screenshot have been shared on various pages, here is the the full image in the highest resolution we could find! L: Three character names [Brimstone; Sage; Viper], type [support; defense; offense?] B: Chat and avatars R: Sage‘s ability descriptions pic.twitter.com/3B24nEZQCC

— ValorantTheGame - #ProjectA News & Leaks (@ValorantTheGame) February 27, 2020

That screenshot, if legitimate, also appears to confrim characters called Viper and Brimstone, alongside a number of character portraits. This design for Sage appears to match up with previously-shown Project A footage (below) of a character that uses a green orb to summon walls and resurrect teammates. Sage's abilities shown in the image match with that footage, and place her as functioning something like Overwatch's Mercy and Moira characters. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/16/riot-games-project-a-announcement-trailer"] Riot announced Project A – a PC hero shooter unconnected to the universe of League of Legends - at the end of last year. The game will be set on a near-future Earth, and will take the form of a 5v5 shooter with a search-and-destroy mode. Former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro HenryG said it felt most similar to CS:GO in action. It's not the only secretive game in development at Riot (which, for many years, only worked on League of Legends) – a long-rumoured fighting game, Project L is also in the works, alongside several others. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=riot-games-competitive-pc-shooter-codenamed-project-a-screenshots&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

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Nintendo's PAX East Animal Crossing Booth Is Amazing, Adorable

It's PAX East time again, and while some big names pulled out over coronavirus concerns, there's still an overwhelming number of games and sites to take in. Probably the most popular, based on early observations, is Nintendo's incredible Animal Crossing booth. Take a look at the PAX East Animal Crossing booth in the gallery below, although photos don't really do it justice: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=pax-east-nintendo-animal-crossing-booth&captions=true"] Not only is the booth a faithful recreation of the world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there are chances to get your photo take with Isabelle or Tom Nook, as well as other parts of the Animal Crossing experience, like fishing and bug catching. Yesterday, PAX East's first day, had both the line for game demos and the line for photos closed due to overwhelming demand from those in attendance. It's easily the most popular booth at PAX East so far, but today is only the second day. Gearbox had its main theater panel yesterday, showing off the new DLC Love, Guns and Tentacles, as well as a surprise appearance by Borderlands movie director Eli Roth, who said he dreams of casting real-life Borderlands cosplayers as psychos in the movie, and then killing them gruesomely (for the movie).  

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Parasite Storyboards Set to Be Released as a Graphic Novel

Bong Joon-ho's Parasite storyboards are set to be transformed into a 304-page graphic novel, released by Grand Central Publishing on May 19, two days ahead of the one-year anniversary of the film's premiere at Cannes. Grand Central, who acquired the North American rights to the literary work, which has previously been published in South Korea, describes the book as "a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the making of one of the best films in years and a brand-new way to experience a global phenomenon." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/14/parasite-official-trailer"] The pages of the graphic novel will be filled with Bong's hand-drawn illustrations from the pre-production stage, coupled with dialogue, camera directions, and staging notes, which will be translated from Korean to English for the upcoming release. "Director Bong’s illustrations share the illuminating power of his writing and directing, making the Parasite graphic novel a gorgeous, riveting read and fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse at the making of one of the best films of the year," senior editor Wes Miller said in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter. The book is also set to include a foreword written by the director, as well as early concept drawings and photos from the set, to take the reader even deeper into the vision that gave rise to the historic Oscar-winner. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=oscar-record-holders&captions=true"] Parasite made history at the Oscars this year, as it became the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture. The film also picked up awards for Best International Feature and Best Original Screenplay, while Bong became the first South Korean filmmaker to win Best Director. With armfuls of trophies, Bong tied with Walt Disney for the most Oscar wins in one night. In our review of Parasite, we commended Bong for crafting "a stellar dark comedy about class warfare", saying he is "a virtuoso director at the very top of his game." IGN also named Parasite the best movie of 2019 and one of the best movies of the past decade. Amid the critical acclaim, Bong announced that he is turning Parasite into an HBO limited series. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

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Black Desert Online Is Free on Steam if You Grab It This Weekend

Black Desert Online, the hugely popular MMO known for its incredibly detailed character creator, is free to download and keep on Steam this weekend. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/18/black-desert-online-guardian-trailer"] Black Desert Online is currently reduced by 100% on its Steam store page, with the deal ending on March 2 at 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm UK. Rather than being a temporary free trial weekend like many games hold on Stream, if you claim Black Desert Online over the weekend then it is yours to keep forever, free of charge. The free weekend also coincides with developer Pear Abyss launching the beta of its new battle royale game, Shadow Arena, which is set in the Black Desert Online universe. The Shadow Arena beta runs from February 27 to March 8, although you’ll need to register to take part. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-most-addictive-online-games&captions=true"] If you’re going to grab it this weekend (it is free, after all) then you may want to check out our Black Desert Online tips to help get you started in this action MMORPG. And if you want to know more about its sandboxy activities, then check our our Black Desert Online review. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter. 

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Greninja Voted Most Popular Pokemon by Players

After tallying "millions" of votes from around the world, Greninja has been named 2020's Pokemon of the Year. The final evolution of Pokemon X and Y water-type starter Froakie, Greninja earned over 140,000 votes, topping second-place finisher Lucario by 38,000, according to The Pokemon Company. Mimikyu, Charizard, and Umbreon rounded out the top five. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/27/pokemon-sword-and-pokemon-shield-zarude-the-rogue-monkey-trailer"] Aside from its recognition as a Stage 2 starter Pokemon, Greninja is a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and is featured prominently in the Pokemon XY anime as Ash's main companion in the Kalos region. The top vote-getters from each region are as follows:

• Kanto – Charizard
• Johto – Umbreon
• Hoenn – Rayquaza
• Sinnoh – Lucario
• Unova – Chandelure
• Kalos – Greninja
• Alola – Mimikyu
• Galar – Dragapult

Other notable Pokemon in the overall top 30 include Bulbasaur (13), Pikachu (19), Eevee (20), and Blaziken (29). The announcement comes on National Pokemon Day, which also featured the reveal of Zarude, a new mythical Pokemon for Sword and Shield. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=3ab83d7e-1eda-46e6-a32f-1cd32e0c9ecc"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN. 

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My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising Tops Wednesday Domestic Box Office

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising came out on top of the domestic box office Wednesday, opening with $1.7 million from 1275 theaters, according to early morning estimates (via Deadline). Heroes Rising's $1.7 million put it above Disney's Call of the Wild, which came in second place Wednesday with $1.5 million, and Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog, which earned $1.1 million the same day, according to Deadline. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-5-best-new-heroes-in-my-hero-academia-season-4-so-far&captions=true"] Wednesday, Feb. 27, was also Heroes Rising's first day in theaters so its earnings are at $1.7 million. That's less than Funimation's other hit anime movie, Dragon Ball Z Super: Broly, which brought in over $7 million on its first day, but $1.7 million is nothing to scoff at. That tracks higher than the first My Hero Academia movie released in theaters, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, which earned roughly $2 million in its first two days at the box office. Two Heroes only opened at 500 theaters though whereas Heroes Rising nearly tripled the amount of U.S. theaters for its theater release. We thought Two Heroes was good, giving it a 7.7 out of 10. We thought Heroes Rising was even better and gave it an 8 out of 10. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/30/my-hero-academia-castlevania-showrunner-wants-to-make-live-action-adaptation"] Heroes Rising comes off the momentum of the latest My Hero Academia season, which is still ongoing with episode 19 being the latest to drop. We imagine this movie will bring more eyes to the upcoming My Hero Academia game, My Hero One's Justice 2. If you haven't seen that game in action, you can check out some of our gameplay from a Deku vs Overhaul fight. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN who's trying really hard to catch up on My Hero Academia so he can catch Heroes Rising out while it's in theaters. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

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Jungle Cruise Boat Sinks at Disney World

The Jungle Cruise tour at Disney World can get a little wet, but for some passengers today, it went underwater. Unlucky passengers earlier today at Disney World in Orlando clung to their boat as it began taking on water. A few guests tweeted about the boat sinking as it was happening.

PHOTOS: Images Surface of Guests Clinging to Sinking Jungle Cruise Boat at the Magic Kingdomhttps://t.co/WyMYJ9vDS3 pic.twitter.com/WutkMd59SL

— WDW News Today (@WDWNT) February 27, 2020

Disney confirmed to BuzzFeed News that it immediately called the Reedy Creek Fire Department to help passengers. The boat was then towed away after everyone was safely evacuated. The sunken boat only interrupted the attraction for 105 minutes according to an unofficial Twitter account. Despite the incident, the Jungle Cruise ride reopened for guests looking to get right back into the water.

Our boat on the jungle cruise sank today. Fun times! #wdw pic.twitter.com/jCxjIOzu9Z

— Matthew Vince (@synewaves) February 27, 2020

If you're worried about your Jungle Cruise trip going a similar route, watch the upcoming movie instead. The trailer below provides a look at the movie coming on July 24, 2020, casting actors Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, among others. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/11/disneys-jungle-cruise-official-trailer"] Take a look at our 2020 movie box office predictions and see our estimate for the Jungle Cruise movie. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jeffrey Lerman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @Snakester95. Header Image Credit: WDW News Today

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The Mandalorian Season 2: James Mangold, Robert Rodriguez to Direct Parts, Bryce Dallas to Return

James Mangold and Robert Rodriguez will reportedly direct parts of Season 2 of The Mandalorian alongside Bryce Dallas Howard, who is returning to the series after directing an episode in season 1. Black Series Rebels (via StarWarsNewsNet) report that both Mangold and Rodriguez have contributed in the directorial effort of Season 2 of the hit Disney Plus show. Whether this means episodes or just sequences of scenes is currently unconfirmed, although Black Series Rebel seems to think the latter. We also don't know if Mangold and Rodriguez's names are attached together because they helmed an episode or sequence together or separately. Season 1 of The Mandalorian had different directors direct different episodes, so having multiple director names attached to the season is not surprising. We'll likely learn more info closer to the release of Season 2 this October when it drops on Disney Plus. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/08/could-the-mandalorian-catch-darth-vader"] Black Series Rebels also shared that Howard is returning to direct an episode. Howard previously directed Episode 4: Sanctuary on Season 1 of The Mandalorian last year. We thought that episode was good, giving it a 7.5 out of 10. Rodriguez's latest directorial credit came by way of Alita: Battle Angel, although he's known for other movies like Sin City and its sequel, the Spy Kids movies and From Dusk Till Dawn. Mangold directed Logan in 2017 and his latest movie, Ford v Ferrari, just won some awards at the Oscars. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=an-adorable-gallery-of-baby-yoda&captions=true"] We're excited for The Mandalorian Season 2 because it means more Baby Yoda, and because we thought the first season was great. We also can't wait to find out what happens next after that ending. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN who is excited to see Baby Yoda on his tv screen once more. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.  

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Borderlands Director Wants to Put Fans in the Movie... and Kill Them

Borderlands is being adapted into a live-action movie, and director Eli Roth wants to pay tribute to hardcore cosplayers by killing them. No, not literally. Roth briefly appeared onstage at Gearbox's PAX East panel to voice his excitement for the project and for the fan community, calling it "a mad, insane family." Roth then noted a desire to honor the community by selecting a handful of cosplayers to appear as extras in the film, where their characters can then be killed off in suitably Borderlands-esque ways. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/20/borderlands-movie-in-production-directed-by-eli-roth-ign-news"] It's not clear how exactly these cosplayers will be chosen. Gearbox or Lionsgate may announce some sort of formal contest, or the filmmakers may simply reach out to individual cosplayers on a case-by-case basis. Either way, it sounds like fans interested in appearing the movie would do well to start prepping their costumes before major conventions like E3 and Comic-Con and getting their Instagram accounts up to date. As revealed earlier in February, Gearbox is partnering with Lionsgate for a live-action Borderlands movie, with Roth directing, Avi and Ari Arad producing and Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin penning the screenplay. No cast or release date have been revealed yet, and based on Roth's comments at the PAX East panel, it sounds like the project is still very much in the early stages. Gearbox co-founder Randy Pitchford did note that the recently released Sonic the Hedgehog is a sign video game adaptations may finally be living up to their potential after years of critical and commercial misfires. Find put what IGN's staff thought of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-video-game-movie-in-development-almost&captions=true"] For on what to expect from the Borderlands movie and other high profile projects, here's a breakdown of every video game movie currently in development. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

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Borderlands 3: Guns, Love, and Tentacles DLC Revealed

Borderlands 3's second DLC expansion will be called Guns, Love, and Tentacles: The Marriage of Wainwright & Hammerlock, and it'll arrive on March 26. Shortly before that, the game will be released for Steam on March 13. March 26 will see Guns, Love, and Tentacles arrive, which Gearbox describes as the story of "a surprisingly dangerous engagement party" for Sir Alistair Hammerlock and Wainwright Jakobs on the ice planet of Xylourgos. The expansion will take you to an eerie town, Cursehaven, situated under the carcass of Vault Monster, have you fighting occultists, and see the return of Borderlands 2's Gaige (and her robot, Deathtrap) as an NPC. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/27/borderlands-3-dlc-guns-love-and-tentacles-official-reveal-trailer"] The expansion will also add new legendary items, Class Mods and cosmetic items. Apparently, it's going to "put the love back in Lovecraft", which will either be delightful, or disgusting, or an eldritch, unknowable combination of both. Gearbox also shared a sneak peek of the third DLC expansion, coming this summer, with just two words serving as hints: "outlaws" and "dinosaurs" - you can see a piece of concept art in the slideshow at the bottom of this story. It seems there's some connection to Borderlands 3's Saurians, but there's not much more we know than that right now. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=borderlands-3-guns-love-and-tentacles-dlc-screenshots&captions=true"] We also saw a content roadmap of free updates and events coming soon. in April, we'll get Mayhem 2.0, described as an overhaul to Borderlands 3's endgame by changing how Mayhem modifiers work. According to Nicholson, we'll also be getting a Big head mode as part of that, which is always exciting. After that, there's a new event, Revenge of the Cartels, in which you track down tracking and killing cartel operatives for event-specific rewards. Anthony Nicholson, senior project producer at Gearbox, told us Revenger of the Cartels would be closest in style to the Bloody Harvest Halloween event, adding a new map, new missions, and event-specific weapons, all themed along a Borderlands take on an '80s Miami Vice-type style. In May, we'll get a follow-up to Takedown at the Maliwan Blacksite, this time called Guardian Takedown. Described as the most challenging content in the game, this endgame mission will be set around the mysterious Eridians, and offer new bosses, gear, and cosmetics. It will scale in difficulty based on your party, but features a True Takedown Mode, which allows a single player to take on the mission at the hardest possible difficulty. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=borderlands-3-2020-content-images&captions=true"] Making the announcement onstage at PAX East, Gearbox announced that the Steam version would feature crossplay with the Epic Games Store release, with additional features - such as being able to mail weapons between versions - will be added in the weeks after launch. Nicholson confirmed to IGN that there are no plans for PC-console crossplay at the moment. It's been a busy time for Borderlands recently - alongside all of these announcements, we also learned that horror director Eli Roth is helming a Borderlands move. We awarded Borderlands 3 a 9/10 review, saying it "sticks to its guns and outdoes itself with an amazing arsenal of weapons, humor, and missions." We weren't quite as impressed by its first expansion, Moxxi's Heist of the Handsom Jackpot, giving it a 7/10 and explaining that it "starts off a little bumpy, but when it goes all-in, it hits the jackpot." [poilib element="accentDivider"]

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Borderlands 3 Steam March Release Date Announced, Cross-Play With Epic Games Store

Gearbox kicked off its PAX East panel by announcing the Steam release date for Borderlands 3 and it’s only a few weeks away. Borderlands 3 will hit Steam on March 13, 2020, and what’s more, it will feature cross-play between Steam and Epic Games Store. Borderlands 3 was released last year exclusively on the Epic Games Store for PC. Although it was only a limited-time exclusivity, it was one of the first major titles to launch first on the Epic Games Store. But now Gearbox’s latest Borderlands game is coming to Steam. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/14/borderlands-3-the-borderlands-are-yours-trailer"] Thanks to cross-play, there’s no need to worry about online co-op if your friends ended up waiting for the six months to get Borderlands 3 on Steam. An updated SHiFT system will let you manage your friend list regardless of the platform. Not every cross-play feature will be available on March 13. According to Gearbox, weapon mailing won’t be available on day one and will instead be rolling out over the following weeks. With today’s release date announcement, Borderlands 3 will be available on both major PC digital platforms soon. Check out IGN’s Borderlands 3 review here, our Borderlands 3 wiki for walkthroughs and tips, and our livestream of the Gearbox Panel live from PAX East. Also, check back on IGN for all the latest news from PAX East. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

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Microsoft and Epic Games Latest Game Companies to Drop Out of GDC

Microsoft Game Stack has also announced that due to concerns over COVID-19, better known as the novel coronavirus, it will be dropping out of the 2020 Game Developers Conference (GDC). “After a close review of guidance by global health authorities and out of an abundance of caution, we’ve made the difficult decision to withdraw from participating at Game Developers Conference 2020 in San Francisco,” the company wrote in an official blog post. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-the-big-games-coming-in-2020&captions=true"] Instead, Microsoft Game Stack will host a series of digital-only events from March 16th to 18th which will cover a majority of the planned GDC sessions it was originally set to host. This includes panels on the cloud, the evolution of game development, and a behind-the-scenes look at the development of Microsoft titles like Minecraft and Gears of War. Other than panels Microsoft announced other events that have been thrown into uncertainty including the annual ID @ Xbox event showcasing indie games, and a Games Showcase. IGN has reached out to Microsoft to find out whether these events will still be hosted at GDC. Microsoft Game Stack is the latest developer to drop out of GDC following companies like PlayStation, Facebook Oculus, Kojima Productions, EA, Unity, and Epic Games which also made the announcement today. Meanwhile, GDC organizers say that they “are confident that Game Developers Conference will follow int he footsteps of other large and successful international events taking place at the Moscone Center,” and have not announced plans to cancel the event. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

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Get an Exclusive Look at Amazon's Trippy New Sci-Fi Series

If you're looking for another cerebral sci-fi drama to binge, Amazon's upcoming series should make it onto your watchlist. IGN can reveal the release date and first look at Tales From the Loop, based on the art of Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag which inspired the tabletop RPG of the same name. Tales From the Loop will premiere April 3 on Amazon Prime Video worldwide, created by Nathaniel Halpern and executive produced by The Batman's Matt Reeves. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/27/tales-from-the-loop-official-trailer"] According to Amazon, Tales from the Loop explores the town and people who live above “The Loop” a machine built to unlock and explore the mysteries of the universe – making things possible that were previously relegated only to science fiction. In this fantastical mysterious town poignant human tales are told that bare universal emotional experiences while drawing on the intrigue of genre storytelling. The show stars Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Town), Paul Schneider (Parks and Recreation), Daniel Zolghadri (Eighth Grade), Duncan Joiner (Waco) and Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes, Game of Thrones) We've also got a look at the key art for the series, designed by Stålenhag, which you can see in the slideshow below. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=amazons-tales-from-the-loop&captions=true"]

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GTA Online: Grab Two New Vehicles, Jump Into Open Wheel Racing Today

Starting today in Grand Theft Auto Online, you can participate in Open Wheel Racing, acquire new upgrades and customization options, and more.

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Get a First Look at Future Man's Wild Final Season

Josh Hutcherson, Eliza Coupe, and Derek Wilson are back for more time-travel shenanigans in the third and final season of Hulu's Future Man, and you won't have to wait too long to see how their timeline-hopping saga ends. IGN can exclusively reveal that Future Man's Season 3 release date is set for April 3, and we've got the first teaser trailer for Josh, Tiger, and Wolf's last hurrah, which you can watch above or embedded in the player below. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/27/future-man-season-3-exclusive-teaser-trailer"] In Season 3 of Future Man, convicted of time crimes and sentenced to death by entertainment, Josh (Hutcherson), Tiger (Coupe), and Wolf (Wilson) become fugitives, on the run through time, trying desperately to evade capture while attempting to clear their names and fix the big mess of history they've made along the way. As shown in the teaser trailer, their unlikely journey will take them to new time periods, where they'll cross paths with some of history's most famous figures, including Abraham Lincoln and Gandhi, in addition to executive producer Seth Rogen, reprising his Season 2 role as the deliciously sadistic Susan. What do you think of the teaser trailer for Future Man Season 3? Share your thoughts in the comments, and for more from Hulu, check out our review of High Fidelity, plus learn how to add an ad-free Hulu subscription to a Disney+ bundle. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=abraham-lincolns-craziest-movie-and-tv-show-appearances&captions=true"]

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