I’ve got quite the eclectic mix of bargains here today. The co-op afficionados are covered (Overcooked 2, Dead Island, Lego Harry Potter). Same deal with anybody looking to swap their current four walls with broader horizons (The Outer Worlds, Spidey Miles Morales, BioShock Infinite, AC Valhalla). Oh, and there’s also something for the rarer individual who just can’t get enough pandemic (66% off Plague Inc.). Sick game. Liked it more when it was less relatable.

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Adam’s an Aussie deals wrangler who spends too much of his income on the bargains he finds. You can occasionally find him @Grizwords.

Following his comments supporting the Texas anti-abortion law, Tripwire CEO John Gibson has stepped down from the company behind such games as Maneater and Chivalry 2.

Tripwire announced the news alongside confirming that co-founding member and current vice president Alan Wilson will now act as interim CEO. In its statement, Tripwire shared that Gibson’s views do not reflect the company as a whole and that “his comments disregarded the values of our whole team, our partners and much of our broader community.”

“The comments given by John Gibson are of his own opinion, and do not reflect those of Tripwire Interactive as a company,” Tripwire wrote. “His comments disregarded the values of our whole team, our partners and much of our broader community. Our leadership team at Tripwire are deeply sorry and are unified in our commitment to take swift action and to foster a more positive environment.

“Effective immediately, John Gibson has stepped down as CEO of Tripwire Interactive. Co-founding member and current Vice President, Alan Wilson, will take over as interim CEO. Alan has been with the company since its formation in 2005 and is an active lead in both the studio’s business and developmental affairs.

“Alan will work with the rest of the Tripwire leadership team to take steps with employees and partners to address their concerns including executing a company-wide town hall meeting and promoting open dialogue with Tripwire leadership and all employees. His understanding of both the company’s culture and the creative vision of our games will carry the team through this transition, with full support from the other Tripwire leaders.”

The previously mentioned comments from Gibson were Tweeted out on September 4, with the ex-CEO writing he was “proud of #USSupremeCourt affirming the Texas law banning abortion for babies with a heartbeat.”

“As an entertainer I don’t get political often,” Gibson continued. “Yet with so many vocal peers on the other side of the issue, I felt it was important to go on the record as a pro-life game developer.”

Following his Tweet, developers who have worked closely with Tripwire, including Shipwright Studios – who worked on both Maneater and Chivalry 2 – and Chivalry 2’s lead developer Torn Banner Studios, spoke up against Gibson’s statement. Shipwright Studios even went so far as to say it was canceling its existing contracts with Tripwire under the “current leadership structure.”

The anti-abortion law in question is one that the US Supreme Court recently refused to block and one that forbids the majority of abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. This includes those pregnancies that were from rape or incest. Furthermore, those who sue clinics that are performing abortions could be awarded $10,000 per illegal abortion if found guilty.

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

The Wire, Lovecraft Country, and Boardwalk Empire star Michael K. Williams has died at the age of 54.

As reported by New York Post, Williams was found in his Brooklyn penthouse today, September 6, and sources have said that “drug paraphernalia was found in the five-time Emmy nominee’s apartment, suggesting the acclaimed 54-year-old actor may have fatally OD’d, possibly from heroin or fentanyl.”

Happy Labor Day! Just because you’re on vacation from work doesn’t mean the deals are too. Score lowest prices ever on the AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro truly wireless earbuds. You probably won’t see prices like these again until Black Friday. In other deal news, score dumbbells for $1/lb, 50% off the Razer Seiren Emote USB micrphone, over $1000 off a Sony 65″ XBR “Master” series OLED TV, the Xbox Elite Series 2 wireless controller, and more.

Apple AirPods 2 for $99.99

Pick up a pair of Apple AirPods 2 wireless earbuds for the lowest price we’ve ever seen. These are the newer 2nd generation model. It includes a charging case that you plug in via USB Type-C. Honestly, the “wireless charging case” that you can upgrade to for an extra $50 is definitely not worth the price; very few people actually have an inductive charger, and the wireless charging rate is painfully slow.

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If you regret not picking the Airpods Pro up on Amazon Prime Day, here’s your chance to get it today at an even lower price. The AirPods Pro is considered one of the best noise-cancelling in-ear headphones you can get, especially for under $200. The noise cancellation is considered to be even better than the Bose Quietcomfort because of the natural noise isolating design of the in-ear earbuds. If isolation and sound quality are of utmost important to you, then it’s worth the $80 upgrade over the vanilla AirPods 2.

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If you’ve been stockpiling exercise equipment to work out at home, you might have realized that the cost of weights adds up. You could be paying upwards of $2-$4 per pound of weights if you’ve been buying stuff at regular retail price. Deals like these aren’t flashy, but they’re very welcome. This 40-pound dumbbell costs only $41.10, that’s just over $1 per pound. The weights themselves are rubber encased to protect your floor, and the handle is ergonomically shapped and the chrome finshed ergo handles are textured for a better grip.

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Sony XBR-65A9G 65″ 4K OLED TV

This is one of the least expensive 65″ OLED TVs you can get right now. The A9G “Master” was Sony’s highest end OLED model in 2019. That doesn’t mean this TV is used; it’s brand new and it’s shipped and sold by Amazon (not a 3rd party vendor). In terms of image quality, it rivals the best OLED TVs of 2021. It also uses the easy to use Android smart TV interface and it’s compatible with Alexa and Apple TV.

Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller

This is the controller to get if you want the most precise and customizable Xbox controller on the market. This professional-grade controller features adjustable tension thumbsticks, shorter hair trigger locks, wraparound textured grips, interchangeable thumbsticks and paddle shapes, custom profiles saved on your controller itself, and included USB Type C cable with charging dock. It boasts up to 40 hours of battery life and is compatible with the Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, and PC.

Zelda & Loftwing amiibo

This amiibo is finally available on Amazon. It’s been sold out on Amazon for a while while occasionally coming back in stock at other vendors, but scalpers were selling this at way higher than MSRP. Let’s hope Amazon keeps it in stock for the long term. If you’ve been wanting this amiibo to round out your collection, better to get it now just in case.

Preorder the Middle Earth 6-Film Ultimate Collector’s Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital)

This impressive Middle Earth Collector’s Edition includes both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies over a whopping 31 discs. That’s because there are separate 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs for both the Theatrical Editions and the Extended Editions. You also get digital HD copies for free, and they are compatible with MoviesAnywhere so you can merge it into your digital library. As far as extras go, you get a Special Features Blu-ray disc, a 64-page booklet, and 7 travel poster art cards. All the discs are stored in collectible foil sleeves.

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Two developers associated with Tripwire Interactive have distanced themselves from the publisher after president John Gibson stated his positive views on Texas’ controversial new anti-abortion law. One developer has cancelled all of its contracts with the publisher as a result.

Gibson, Tripwire’s co-owner, tweeted that he was “proud” of the US Supreme Court for affirming the law before further going on to say that, while he “doesn’t get political often,” he felt that it was important to “go on the record as a pro-life game developer”.

Proud of #USSupremeCourt affirming the Texas law banning abortion for babies with a heartbeat. As an entertainer I don’t get political often. Yet with so many vocal peers on the other side of this issue, I felt it was important to go on the record as a pro-life game developer.

— John Gibson (@RammJaeger) September 4, 2021

Since then, developers that have worked alongside Tripwire on a number of titles have been quick to set out their own views on the president’s comments. Shipwright Studios, which contributed to both Maneater and Chivalry 2, laid out its response to Gibson in a statement, going as far as cancelling its contracts with the company.

“While your politics are your own, the moment you make them a matter of public discourse you entangle all of those working for you and with you,” Shipwright Studios said before going on to confirm that it would take actions to “begin the cancellation of [its] existing contracts [with Tripwire] effective immediately.”

pic.twitter.com/v1m8hzT77q

— Shipwright Studios (@shipwrightstdio) September 5, 2021

In addition to Shipwright, Chivalry 2 lead developer Torn Banner Studios also set out its contrasting views. A statement from the studio reads:

“We do not share the opinion expressed in a recent tweet by the president of Tripwire, publisher of Chivalry 2. This perspective is not shared by our team, nor is it reflected in the games we create. The statement stands in opposition to what we believe about women’s rights.” Unlike Shipwright Studios, Torn Banner Studios has not elaborated further as to whether this will affect its relationship with Tripwire going forward.

Texas new anti-abortion law, which was recently upheld by the US supreme court, amounts to a near-total ban on abortions in the state. The law forbids the majority of abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, including those resulting from incest or rape. Enforceable across Texas, the new law allows members of the public to sue clinics that breach the ruling and awards them $10,000 per illegal abortion if they are successful.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

The Jackass cast have endured a long list of gruelling injuries over the course of their careers, with the estimated total cost of their afflictions coming out at $24,263,000.

A new study, commissioned by Nova Legal Funding, has presented approximations for how much has been spent on each of the Jackass cast’s injuries, sustained before, during and in-between filming of all series and movies. Johnny Knoxville came out on top with an estimated medical bill of $8.66m, followed by Ehren McGhehey with $7.38m, and Steve-O with $5.82m.

Dave England was next on the “Jackass Injury Rich List” with an estimated injury tab of $1.65m, followed by Jason “Wee Man” Acuña who reportedly tallied up $675k in injuries, rounding out the top five injury-prone pranksters. Bam Margera wasn’t included in the study due to ongoing reports regarding his mental health, and his exclusion from Jackass Forever.

To create the list, Nova Legal Funding called upon their internal experts to assess each reported injury sustained by select members of the Jackass cast, to work out the average cost of their injuries. The accumulative total for all injuries came to an estimated $24,263,000, though this figure only accounts for the reported injuries sustained by the main Jackass crew.

The adventurous team have had to break out the bandages and grab the gauze for their on and off set stunts time and time again, with traumas spanning 28 broken bones, 36 head injuries, and one alligator related injury. Knoxville is said to have sustained 16 concussions in his life, including a brain haemorrhage in 2020 during filming for Jackass Forever.

McGhehey, who was the second Jackass member featured on the list of the cast’s most expensive injuries, has suffered three broken necks and nine knee surgeries, adding up to around $3.8m alone while Steve-O has fractured his skull, costing an estimated $1.75m in medical bills, and broken his teeth seven times, costing a further $350,000 to repair.

“We wanted to show how much these painful accidents cost in medical bills, so fans of the show can appreciate the financial and medical consequences of living such an adrenaline-fuelled life,” said Ron Sinai, founder and CEO of NLF, whose experts estimated the Jackass crew’s medical bills to be closer to $38m when taking all other factors into consideration.

Jackass began life as an MTV series that ran from 2000 to 2002 before migrating to the big screen for 2002’s Jackass: The Movie. It was followed by two sequels, Jackass 3D in 2010 and Jackass Number Two in 2006, as well as some direct-to-DVD specials, and the 2013 Oscar-nominated spin-off Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, released 11 years after the first movie.

Paramount announced in 2019 that a fourth Jackass installment was set for production, and scheduled Jackass Forever for March 5, 2021. However, the fourth entry in the extreme stunt franchise has been delayed multiple times, with the most recent calendar shift moving the slapstick reunion from its former October 22, 2021 release date to February 4, 2022.

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

Developer Bioware is reportedly considering a switch back to Unreal Engine for its next installment of the Mass Effect series, leaving EA’s Frostbite engine behind.

As reported by GamesBeat, series publisher EA recently published a listing on its website for a technical director to work on the Mass Effect franchise. In among a wealth of other requirements, the listing cites that experience with Unreal Engine 4 [and beyond] would be seen as an asset for potential candidates.

While this alone doesn’t confirm that the developer is definitely moving away from EA’s Frostbite engine – which was used to create Mass Effect: Andromeda – GamesBeat reports that multiple sources have said that this is because “everything is on the table when it comes to tech for a new Mass Effect”.

Mass Effect’s first three entries were all built using Unreal Engine 3. The studio made the switch away from Unreal Engine, which is owned and licensed out by Epic Games, to EA’s own Frostbite Engine for the 2017 launch of Mass Effect: Andromeda – its last standalone entry into the series.

The game launched to mixed reviews and many felt it lacked the brilliance of its predecessors – not to mention came with some awkward animations and visual bugs that fans weren’t used to. Whether a change in engine would provide the series with the lift that many fans will hope for remains to be seen. However, with Bioware reportedly considering its options carefully for Mass Effect 5, fans will feel optimistic about the series’ future.

Mass Effect 5 was originally announced in December during The Games Awards. The reveal provided little information about what can be expected from the game although Bioware had previously said that a veteran team was working on the series next chapter. Make sure to check out the title’s announcement trailer below.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.