Month: January 2020

WWE 2K20 has been overwhelmed with glitches and problems since its launch, and has generally looked pretty awful. Releasing a post-apocalyptic DLC pack in which society has crumbled feels on-the-nose in wake of the game’s issues, but the Wasteland Warriors DLC–which is available now–does just that.

This is part of the “WWE 2K20 Originals” series, which adds new scenarios and situations to the game. It features a new Showcase and four new Story Towers, as well as characters, two arenas, weapons, and commentary.

The new Showcase features Seth Rollins as Seth the Wanderer, who is invited to a wrestling tournament in a post-apocalyptic city. He soon finds himself needing to fight for his freedom, and has to battle Overlord (Samoa Joe) to prove his mastery of the harsh environment.

Here’s every fighter that comes with this DLC:

• Seth the Wanderer
• Overlord Samoa Joe
• Corbin the Gatekeeper
• Ali Fortune Fighter
• Grand Champion Batista
• Advocate Jack Gallagher
• Warrior Ruby Riott
• Raider Velveteen Dream

The pack is available for $15, or you can grab the Backstage Pass and get this and the two other upcoming packs for $30. The packs still to come are Southpaw Regional Wrestling and Empire of Tomorrow.

2K is working to patch WWE 2K20, although some work remains still to be done.

Sony has officially announced that it will not be attending E3 2020 (and not bringing its PlayStation 5, slotted for a fall 2020 released date) for the second year in a row. However, Sony has stated that it will be “participating in hundreds of consumer events across the globe.” What other events could these be? Let’s take a look.

Sony has attended the Taipei Game Show in the past and it will once again show off some of its newest titles from February 6 – 9. It has already announced most of what its showing, including Elden Ring, so it may be too soon for us to see anything PlayStation 5-related.

PAX East takes place from February 27 – March 1 and Sony usually has a presence there. February could be a good time to have the PlayStation 5 reveal event as the PlayStation 4 was unveiled in February of 2013, and PAX East could be a good event to at least show video or even have a console behind glass for the world to see.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/13/playstation-will-not-be-at-e3-2020-ign-now”]

PAX West usually runs near the end of August and, like PAX East, Sony has continued to show up to the Seattle event.

The Tokyo Game Show has always been a big event for Sony, and with it being held from September 24 – 27, it may potentially be a good spot to market to the Japanese audience before its Holiday release date.

Paris Games Week is another event Sony has a big history with. This year’s event is from October 23 – 27 and could also a good time to show off the PlayStation 5 before it’s released to the world.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=igns-top-25-playstation-4-games&captions=true”]

Now, Sony did mention “hundreds” of consumer events, so this could mean Sony is planning to host events itself throughout the year. Could we see the return of PlayStation Experience, which hasn’t seen a show since 2017? Will they take PlayStation buses or host other pop-up events in cities around the world? Only time will tell.

One thing is clear, Sony has a plan for PlayStation 5 and it doesn’t include E3, a show that was once the centerpiece of the year for all video games.

For more on PlayStation 5, check out its official logo, see our list of all confirmed PS5 games, and see our comparison of PlayStation 5 vs. Xbox Series X.

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=ps5-games-we-think-might-already-be-in-development&captions=true”]

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Fallout 76 is due to release its substantial Wastelanders expansion, which adds NPCs and more quests, in early 2020. The beleaguered multiplayer game will likely look a bit more like Fallout 4 after this update; if you’re a PC player who wants to get an early look and see if Wastelanders is going to improve the experience, you can register your interest to check it out early.

You can now register for the Fallout 76 Wastlanders Public Test Server, if you own the game on PC. Some folks will be invited into the PTS to test the update, but only if they register interest by 6pm ET on January 14. It’s not clear when the PTS will go live, or how long it’ll be available for.

Participants will be required to fill out an NDA, so they won’t be able to discuss or share their experiences outside of feedback they provide to Bethesda. This means that we likely won’t see major impressions of the DLC before it launches.

Bethesda courted controversy in 2019 with Fallout 76’s Fallout 1st Subscription Service, which charges $100 a year for private server access within the game. Many Fallout fans are anticipating this DLC after the game’s disappointing launch–we gave the game a 4/10 in our review, and reviewer Edmond Tran said that “the lack of NPCs makes it difficult to become genuinely invested in the world.”

It turns out everyone’s current favourite space puppet, Baby Yoda or The Child from The Mandalorian, cost around $5 million to make.

According to Entertainment Weekly, actor Adam Pally, who cameos as a Bike Trooper in the Disney + series, found out the hard way how much the puppet costs.

Pally’s character has cause to punch the puppet in one scene and told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour that he was called out by his friend and series creator Jon Favreau.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/03/the-mandalorian-season-1-review”]

“I remember the first take that I did when I punched him,” Pally said. ” They called ‘Cut!’ and Jon, who was watching on a monitor in his office, he came down from this office and said, ‘I just want to let you know that this is the hero Yoda [the main prop used for close-ups] and it costs, like, $5 million. So while I want you to hit it, I just want you to know that.’ Because I think I took a big swing at it. And the next three takes I missed, because I was so nervous.”

According to Pally it seems the puppet may know exactly how much he’s worth, “I gotta tell you, the truth is that Baby Yoda is a bit of a diva,” Pally deadpanned. “He’s constantly vaping.”

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=an-adorable-gallery-of-baby-yoda&captions=true”]

For more on The Child, here’s Hasbro’s Baby Yoda toy line, a look at Baby Yoda in Sims 4, a Baby Yoda pie, and this super cute gallery of Baby Yoda pics.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Hope Corrigan is an Australian freelance writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

The Morbius trailer dropped today and keen-eyed fans have spotted a very specific Spider-Man Easter egg. The Easter egg appears in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment when Jared Leto’s Morbius is escaping from some kind of facility. In the shot, you can see an image of Spider-Man with the word “murderer” spray-painted over it.

Here’s why this shot has the internet buzzing. First, the presence of Spider-Man indicates that this film could be connected to previous Spider-Man films. Second, the word murderer signals that the film takes place after the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, which means this version of Spider-Man should be Tom Holland. However, the Spidey suit in question is not the one Tom Holland wears, but the one Tobey Maguire wore in his Spider-Man trilogy.

Third, this specific shot of Spider-Man actually comes from a loading screen from Sony’s PS4 game. So, is Sony just trolling here? Did they pull a random loading screen image from their game that just so happened to be of Toby Maguire? Are they trying to show that the Spider-Verse exists in Morbius, thus confirming that Sony’s ongoing Spider-Verse is connected to past iterations of Spider-Man? Without confirmation from Sony, we may never know the answer. However, social media has some brilliant reactions to this webbed mystery.

Social Media Reactions to Morbius’ Spider-Man Art

We’ve gathered a few Twitter reactions to the Spider-Man Easter egg, as well as a Reddit post discussing the implications.

And if we needed any further confirmation that this art is from the PS4 game, Bill Rosemann (head of creative at Marvel Games) tweeted this earlier today:

So, what is the truth? Does Morbius take place during the Toby Maguire/Sam Raimi Spider-Man universe? Does it take place during the Tom Holland timeline in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? If Michael Keaton’s appearance is a clue, then it’s possible this takes place in the MCU and that the PS4 game also exists in that universe. If that’s the case, that would be the most meta video game/film crossover in history. Or is it just a cute Easter egg that we should all stop thinking about so hard? (Pfft, are you new here?) Weigh in with your theories below!

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=morbius-trailer-58-images-from-the-jared-leto-marvel-movie&captions=true”]

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Lauren Gallaway is a Social Media Coordinator for IGN. Find her tweeting at @LaurenGallaway and streaming at Glimpse Entertainment on Twitch.

Update:

After Sony confirmed they wouldn’t be at E3 2020, IGN reached out to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) which runs E3 every year for a statement regarding Sony’s absence again at its key consumer trade show. While the ESA did not mention Sony by name in its statement, the organization says there will be new experiences, partners, and programming at this year’s event.

Here’s the statement in full below:

“E3 is a signature event celebrating the video game industry and showcasing the people, brands and innovations redefining entertainment loved by billions of people around the world. E3 2020 will be an exciting, high-energy show featuring new experiences, partners, exhibitor spaces, activations, and programming that will entertain new and veteran attendees alike. Exhibitor interest in our new activations is gaining the attention of brands that view E3 as a key opportunity to connect with video game fans worldwide.”

Original story follows:

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Sony has announced that it will once again be skipping E3. This is the second year in a row the company has opted out of appearing at one of the biggest video game events of the year. It’s also particularly surprising given how Sony announced a holiday 2020 launch for the PlayStation 5.

E3 2020 will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 9 to June 11, but Sony will not be present at the show for the second year in a row. In a statement to IGN, Sony said:

“After thorough evaluation SIE has decided not to participate in E3 2020. We have great respect for the ESA as an organization, but we do not feel the vision of E3 2020 is the right venue for what we are focused on this year. We will build upon our global events strategy in 2020 by participating in hundreds of consumer events across the globe. Our focus is on making sure fans feel part of the PlayStation family and have access to play their favorite content. We have a fantastic line up of titles coming to PlayStation 4, and with the upcoming launch of PlayStation 5, we are truly looking forward to a year of celebration with our fans.”

Sony first skipped E3 in 2019. At the time, Sony issued a statement saying, “As the industry evolves, Sony Interactive Entertainment continues to look for inventive opportunities to engage the community.”

[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=igns-top-25-playstation-4-games&captions=true”]

In the past year, Sony has opted for a more direct approach to engaging with fans like the State of Play live streams. Similar to the Nintendo Direct, the State of Play is a live stream video that is published throughout the year with news and announcements for upcoming PlayStation games.

Sony will be attending other game shows this year, including the Taipei Game Show where the company is holding some kind of PlayStation fan experience. Sony used to hold a PlayStation fan convention called the PlayStation Experience but hasn’t hosted a convention in North America since 2017.

E3 is one of the largest video game trade shows of the year. Hosted by the ESA, E3 has recently allowed members of the public to attend the convention. Other companies like Activision and EA have also skipped E3, and Microsoft technically hosts an off-site presence at E3.

(via GamesIndustry.biz)

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.

Pokemon Go has introduced a new way to evolve some Pokemon. Just as in the mainline series, you can now evolve certain Pokemon by trading them to a friend. However, this works a little differently than it does in a traditional Pokemon game, so we’ve put together this explainer detailing how to evolve Pokemon through trading in Go.

How To Evolve Pokemon By Trading

In mainline Pokemon games, a handful of monsters can only be evolved by trading them to another player, but in Pokemon Go, these creatures could be evolved the same way as most other Pokemon: by feeding them a set amount of Candy. Now, however, there’s an alternate method of evolving them: if you receive an eligible Pokemon through a trade, its Candy requirement will be completely removed, essentially allowing you to evolve it for free.

While this new evolution method has only been recently added to Pokemon Go, it retroactively applies to past traded Pokemon. That means if you’ve previously received one of the eligible Pokemon through a trade, its Candy requirement to evolve will also be removed.

Which Pokemon Evolve By Trading?

The new trade evolution method applies to the same Pokemon that evolve by trading in the mainline games:

• Kadabra -> Alakazam
• Machoke -> Machamp
• Graveler -> Golem
• Alolan Graveler -> Alolan Golem
• Haunter -> Gengar
• Boldore -> Gigalith
• Gurdurr -> Conkeldurr
• Karrablast -> Escavalier
• Shelmet -> Accelgor

In the main series, a handful of other Pokemon–such as Scyther and Onix–also evolve by trading if they’re holding certain items, but their evolution method in Pokemon Go has not been changed, so you cannot trade for a Scyther and then evolve it into Scizor without spending any Candy; only the Pokemon listed above will have their Candy requirement removed if obtained through a trade.

Boldore, Gurdurr, Karrablast, and Shelmet are among the newest Gen 5 Pokemon to arrive in the game. However, a handful of other Gen 5 Pokemon can only evolve using a new item called the Unova Stone. You can read more about how to obtain one of those and which Pokemon it works on in our Unova Stone guide.