Author: Trafficblast

Gamescom 2021 is officially upon on this week. While we don’t have the big in-person show floor experience this year, we can all watch the exciting trailers and gameplay footage from home. That’s right, just like E3 2021, Gamescom 2021 is an online-only event and we’ve got not only the complete schedule and a list of upcoming games you can expect, but biggest announcements revealed from the show so far. If there’s anything and everything you wanted to know about Gamescom 2021, you’ve come to the right place.

With big announcements like a brand new Saints Row game, release dates for big games like Halo Infinite and Horizon Zero Dawn: Forbidden West, and an XCOM-style Marvel game, Gamescom has been an exceedingly exciting show already. The action is only going to heat up as we go into day two. We expect to see new details on Dying Light 2 and plenty of indie games from the Awesome Indies show. Stay tuned for all the latest Gamescom news as we’ll be updating this page with all the live developments from the virtual game conference all this week.

When is Gamescom 2021?

Gamescom 2021 will take place from Wednesday, August 25 to Friday 27 August 27.

Gamescom 2021 Schedule

• Gamescom Day 2 – Thursday, August 26 at 10am – 4pm PT
• Dying 2 Know Gamescom Edition – Thursday, August 26 at 11:00am PT
• Awesome Indies – Thursday, August 26 at 11:30am – 1pm PT
• Future Games Show at Gamescom – Thursday, August 26 at 1PM PT
• Gamescom Day 3 – Friday, August 27 at 10am – 3pm PT
• Gamescom Wrap-up Show – Friday, August 27 at 2:30pm PT
• Xbox Stream – Tuesday, August 24 at 10am – 12pm PT
• Gamescom Day 1 – Wednesday, August 25 at 10:30am – 3pm PT
• Gamescom Opening Night Live! Pre-Show – Wednesday, August 25 at 10:30am PT
• Gamescom Opening Night Live Aftershow – Wednesday, August 25 at 1:00pm PT
• Gamescom: Opening Night Live – Wednesday, August 25 at 11am PT

How to watch Gamescom 2021?

Like last year Gamescom 2021 will be an online-only event. Gamescom was originally announced as a hybrid digital and physical event earlier in the year. However, the event organizer Koelnmesse later announced it would be all-digital after all. IGN will be carrying all of Gamescom so you can catch all the events, showcases, and announcements right on our homepage.

Here’s the full list of places you can watch the Gamescom 2021 Streams:

• IGN.com (homepage)
• IGN’s Twitter
• IGN’s Twitch Channel
• IGN’s YouTube Channel
• IGN’s iOS App
• IGN’s Android App
• IGN’s Xbox One App
• Roku
• IGN App for Android TV
• IGN App for Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• IGN1 on Samsung TV Plus
• Pluto TV

Biggest Gamescom 2021 Announcements So Far

Gamescom 2021 is currently underway and we’ve already received some exciting announcements from both Opening Night Live and the Gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream, and you can see all biggest reveals below. We will also be updating this section each day, to ensure you don’t miss a thing.

Halo Infinite Release Date Revealed Alongside New Multiplayer Trailer

Halo Infinite‘s campaign and multiplayer will officially be released on December 8, 2021. The release date was revealed alongside a multiplayer trailer focused on Commander Laurette Agryna, who will be one of the main characters featured in the first season of Halo Infinite’s multiplayer.

Alongside revealing the launch date, Microsoft also confirmed that there will be both a special Halo Infinite Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and a limited-edition Halo Infinite Xbox Series X that will be released in celebration of Halo’s 20th anniversary.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Firaxis’ Marvel XCOM Game, Officially Announced

Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a new strategy game from Firaxis Games that looks to be a superpowered version of the studio’s XCOM franchise. While the game will feature customizable superheroes, it will also feature iconic Marvel characters like Iron Man, Wolverine, Captain America, Captain Marvel, and more.

The game is set to be released in March 2022 and the first gameplay will be revealed on September 1, 2021.

Saints Row Reboot Arriving in February 2022

A brand-new Saints Row will be released on February 25, 2022, for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC and the first trailer gives fans a look at the new city of Santo Ileso, which appears to take inspiration from the American Southwest. There are three main gangs in this new reboot of Saints Row and Opening Night Live also shared the first glimpse of gameplay footage.

Horizon Forbidden West Confirmed to Have a 2022 Release Date

Horizon Forbidden West has been delayed out of 2021, but Guerrilla Games revealed fans won’t have to wait too long as the game will be released on PS5 and PS4 on February 18, 2022.

Extended Look of Call of Duty: Vanguard Campaign Revealed

Opening Night Live gave us a brand-new look at Call of Duty: Vanguard’s campaign and Polina – one of its main characters.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Gets a New Gameplay Trailer and a Spring 2022 Release Window

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga got a brand-new gameplay trailer and a Spring 2022 release window. This follows the game’s delay from Spring 2021, and this extra time will surely give TT Games a chance to make a game worthy of that galaxy far, far away.

Death Stranding: Director’s Cut Shows Off Its New Items, Features, and Missions (Including a Jetpack)

Death Stranding: Director’s Cut will be released on September 24 and this latest trailer showed off some of the new items, features, and missions players can look forward to when they jump back into the game that was first released in 2019.

Forza Horizon 5 Begins With You Helidropping Into a Volcano

Forza Horizon 5’s showcase introduction was revealed at Gamescom 2021 and it all begins with players helidropping into the game’s Gran Caldera volcano with the 2021 Ford Bronco Badlands. The rest of the intro features other cars like the Mercedes AMG-1, a dust storm, a jungle filled with flamingos, and much more.

Dying Light 2 Gets a New Gameplay Trailer

2021, got a brand-new gameplay trailer that showcased a ton of in-game footage and first-person parkour action. We get a glimpse of some of the different factions players will be facing off against, a grappling hook that will help with traversing around the city, and a new move involving using enemies to help cushion your fall. You will be able to vault off enemies and use different attacks while protecting yourself from taking damage from a big fall.

Xbox Cloud Gaming Coming to Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One in Holiday 2021

Xbox Cloud Gaming will arrive on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox in Holiday 2021 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers and will allow for users to play 100+ games from the cloud on their consoles. Microsoft is also targeting to have these games reach 1080p/60 FPS.

April O’Neil is a Playable Character in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

The microphone-wielding journalist April O’Neil will be one of the playable characters in the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.

Amazon’s New World Open Beta Announced, Post-Launch Plans Teased

Amazon’s upcoming MMO New World will get an open beta from September 9-12 ahead of its September 28 release date.

Gamescom 2021 Full Schedule

So far Gamescom looks like a jampacked show with many game studios and publishers in attendance for its virtual gaming conference. On top of that, there’s a long list of indie studios including Akupara Games, Draw Distance, and Numskull Games just to name a few. Here’s a list of the big everything you’ll be able to see at the show so far.

Thursday August 26

10:00am PDT / 7:00pm CEST — Gamescom Studio

IGN’s cast of expert hosts bring you the best of what this year’s digital Gamescom has to offer. Gamescom Studio Live from LA offers first looks at gameplay, developer interviews, and expert analysis of the biggest news and events with access you won’t find anywhere else. This year’s coverage is hosted from IGN’s brand new state-of-the-art studio allowing for real time connections to developers, influencers, and fans.

• Vizor Games — Blood of Heroes Exclusive Trailer and Developer Interview
• Passion Republic Games – GigaBash Official Trailer

10:30am PDT / 7:30pm CEST

• Unannounced Developer Interview
• Unannounced Developer Interview

11:00am PDT / 8:00pm CEST

• Techland – Dying Light 2 Stay Human — Dying 2 Know Gamescom Edition

11:30am – 1pm PDT / 8:30pm CEST – 10:00pm CEST: Awesome Indies

Gamescom: Awesome Indies will focus on hotly awaited indie titles, hosted once again by IGN’s own Michael Swaim, who will present all the exclusive reveals, comedy bits, and other surprises direct from Venice Beach. Don’t miss all the fun featuring over 40 games from the indie scene, including:

Announcements and Reveals

• Big Sugar – Exclusive Unannounced Game Reveal
• Team17 – Exclusive Reveal
• Goblinz Studio – Exclusive Unannounced Game Reveal
• Batterystaple Games – Exclusive 30XX Reveal
• Digerati – Exclusive Unannounced Game Reveal
• Mechanistry – Exclusive Timberborn Reveal
• VestGames – Eville Showcase and Ghost Gameplay Reveal
• Goblinz Publishing – Exclusive Unannounced Game Reveal
• Gato Salvaje Studio – Exclusive The Waylanders Release Date Reveal
• Townscaper – Secret Townscaper Announcement

Deep Dives and Walkthroughs

• Hooded Horse and Stutter Fox Studios – Falling Frontier Exclusive Developer Overview
• Frontier Developments – FAR: Changing Tides Developer Deep Dive
• Soda Den & Crytivo – Roots of Pacha Gameplay Walkthrough

Trailer Premieres

• Draw Distance – Serial Cleaners Full Characters Reveal Trailer
• Modern Wolf – Cantata Exclusive Gameplay Trailer
• Whisper Interactive – Squadron 51 Official Trailer Reveal
• ZelArt and HypeTrain Digital – There is No Light Exclusive Release Trailer Reveal
• Catchweight Studio – CONSCRIPT Exclusive Extended Trailer
• Hatinh Interactive – Exclusive Tandem A Tale of Shadows Gamescom Trailer
• Whisper Interactive – tERRORbane Official Trailer Reveal
• You Suck at Parking – Exclusive Gameplay Trailer
• Klabater – The Amazing American Circus Exclusive Trailer
• Tentworks Interactive – City Block Builder Trailer
• Flazm and META Publishing – Time Loader Exclusive Trailer Reveal
• Rock&Bushes – Jupiter Moons: Mecha Gameplay Trailer
• Proxy Studios – ZEPHON Exclusive Teaser Trailer
• Serenity Forge – Gameplay Trailer for Arcadian Atlas
• Koch Media – Exclusive Dice Legacy Launch Trailer
• Redhill Games – Nine to Five Exclusive Announcement Trailer
• Eremite Games – Against the Storm Official Release Date Trailer
• Big Pants – Endlight Exclusive Trailer
• Goblinz Publishing – Diluvian Winds Gameplay Trailer
• Vixa Games – The Crackpet Show Gameplay Trailer
• eBrain Studio and Yooreka Studio – Loopmancer Gameplay Trailer

1:00pm PDT / 10:00pm CEST — Gamescom Studio

• OverBorder Studio and Team17 – Thymesia Exclusive Release Date Reveal
• Prehistoric Kingdom – Beta Announcement Trailer
• Elysium Game Studio – Exclusive Shadow of Conspiracy Section 2 Gameplay Reveal Trailer
• Pixile and Modus Games — Super Animal Royale Deep Dive
• Unannounced Game Developer Walkthrough

1:30pm PDT / 10:30pm CEST

• 505 Games and Kunos Simulazioni – Exclusive Reveal
• Koch Media – The Last Oricru World Premier Trailer
• Toukana Interactive and Dorfromantik – Exclusive Creative Mode Reveal
• Reply Game Studios and Modus Games – Soulstice Developer Interview

2:00pm PDT / 11:00pm CEST

• META Publishing and Owlcat Games – Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous Exclusive Trailer Reveal
• Toplitz Productions and Rendercube – Medieval Dynasty Developer Walkthrough
• OTA IMON Studios – Wolfstride Gameplay Walkthrough
• Creative Assembly – Mythos – A Total War Saga: Troy Trailer and Developer Interview

2:30pm PDT / 11:30pm CEST

• Weird Beluga Studio – Clid The Snail Release Trailer

3:30pm PDT / 12:30am CEST August 27th — Next-Gen Console Watch Live

Join Game Scoop!’s Daemon Hatfield, Beyond!’s Jonathon Dornbush, and Unlocked’s Ryan McCaffrey as they dive into all the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S announcements coming out of Gamescom 2021.

Friday, August 27

10:00am PDT / 7:00pm CEST — Game Scoop! Live

IGN’s Tina Amini, Kat Bailey, Samuel Claiborn, and host Daemon Hatfield give you the scoop on all the breaking news from Gamescom 2021!

11:00am PDT / 8:00pm CEST — Gamescom Studio

• Bloober Team and Koch Media – The Medium Exclusive PS5 Trailer
• Digital Cybercherries – Exclusive Hypercharge: Unboxed Campaign Teaser Reveal
• Digerati – Exclusive Severed Steel PC Release Date Announcement
• Code Three Fifty One – Project Haven Exclusive Gameplay Trailer
• Gamious – Lake Game Director Commentary

11:30am PDT / 8:30pm CEST

• Ratloop Games, Frontier Foundry, and Corey Kasperski – Lemnis Gate Exclusive Reveal and Gameplay Deep Dive
• Nekki – Spine Trailer Reveal
• 2P Games – DYING: 1983 Official Gameplay Trailer
• Dreamplant & All in! Games – Arboria Official Trailer
• One More Level and 505 Games – Exclusive Ghostrunner DLC Trailer
• The Farm 51 and All in! Games – Chernobylite “Tatyana Wedding Vows” Trailer

12:00pm PDT / 9:00pm CEST — Beyond! Live

IGN’s weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, will be covering some of the biggest reveals and deep dives from the show. PlayStation may not have its own showcase, and whether or not they make a surprise appearance throughout the show, host Jonathon Dornbush, Brian Altano, Lucy O’Brien, and Max Scoville will discuss any major third-party reveals of upcoming PS4 and PS5 games, our favorite games from the show, and more.

1:00pm / 10:00pm CEST — Gamescom Studio

• Lost Pilgrims Studio – Vagrus The Riven Realms Exclusive Trailer And Launch Date Reveal
• Freedom Games – Airborne Kingdom Exclusive Console Release Date Reveal
• ROTU Entertainment – Rhythm of the Universe: IONIA Exclusive Trailer, Release Date Reveal
• Foxy Voxel – Going Medieval Upcoming Features Exclusive Sneak Peek
• IllFonic – Arcadegeddon Gameplay Developer Walkthrough

1:30pm PDT / 10:30pm CEST

• Manticore Games – Core Exclusive Game Reveal and Gameplay Trailer
• Dark Deity – Exclusive Reveal Trailer
• Sindex – SciGirl: The Internship Gameplay Reveal
• Green Man Gaming Publishing and Erik Rempen – Exclusive Kainga: Seeds of Civilization Gameplay Walkthrough

2:00pm PDT / 11:00pm CEST

• Enlightened Robot Entertainment – Naser: Son of Man Trailer
• Headup Games – Headup Games Showcase
• 505 Games – Grow: Song of the Evertree First Look

2:30pm PDT / 11:30pm CEST — Gamescom Wrap-up Show

Join us as we look back at the biggest moments from Gamescom 2021! Covering our favorite announcements, trailers, gameplay, and developer deep dives while we wrap up another great year for the biggest games show in the world!

Wednesday, August 25

10:30am PDT / 7:30pm CEST — Gamescom Opening Night Live! Pre-Show

Be sure to tune in early to catch exciting reveals and teases before the big show kicks off!

11:00am PDT / 8:00pm CEST — Gamescom Opening Night Live

Geoff Keighley’s Opening Night Live is one of gaming’s biggest events of the year loaded with exclusive reveals of world class titles and IGN will be on hand directly after the showcase for a closer look at the biggest announcements and in-depth analysis of the best reveals of the night.

1:00pm PDT / 10:00pm CEST — Gamescom Opening Night Live Aftershow

Stick around after the show for the Gamescom ONL Aftershow so you don’t miss any of the exciting reveals, deeper dives, gameplay, and developer interviews covering the most exciting announcements from Opening Night Live.

Gamescom 2021 Predictions

While we know who will and won’t be at Gamescom, what these companies actually have planned remains a mystery though. That said, we can take an educated guess on what Xbox, Bethesda, and the other attendees might announce based on what they revealed at E3 and any outstanding games we’ve yet to see.

Xbox

Even though we just got two Xbox keynotes at E3, Microsoft still has plenty left to show us with its Gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream on August 24 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST or August 25 at 3am AEST. Even a new trailer for the cadre of new games coming to Xbox this and next year would easily fill up a two-hour showcase. We may see more footage of Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5. But what we’d really like to see is more of Contraband and A Plague Tale Reqieum since both games were just revealed with teasers at E3. Also be sure to check out our how to watch the Gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream guide for even more details on the upcoming show.

Sony

Sony was notably absent from Gamescom’s attendee list so we doubt there will be a PlayStation livestream as an official part of Gamescom. However, Sony could surprise us with a State of Play event ahead of the European games conference. Just days before E3 started, Sony dropped extended gameplay of Horizon: Forbidden West. We’ve got our fingers crossed to see something from God of War Ragnarok, Lost Judgement, or an entirely new property for PlayStation. At the very least, Geoff Keighley confirmed in a tweet that we will see extended gameplay of Death Stranding Director’s Cut during Opening Night Live.

Nintendo

Nintendo wasn’t part of last year’s Gamescom’s lineup and it doesn’t seem like it’ll be showing up this year’s either as it has not appeared on the event list of attendees. It’s a real shame since we were hoping to see more of Metroid Dread and Breath of the Wild sequel. We’ve got our fingers crossed that the company still announces a surprise Nintendo Direct.

Bethesda

Besthesda is basically an extension of Xbox’s own official game studios and it has a huge collection of upcoming games we’re hoping to see again at Gamescom. The last Xbox and Bethesda showcase kicked off with a Starfield teaser trailer, that may have also included an Elder Scrolls 6 easter egg, and we’re hoping to see more footage of the game soon. Redfall, the co-op vampire hunting game, could be another Bethesda game will see at Gamescom, too.

Ubisoft

Ubisoft is one of the major game publishers that have announced its Gamescom attendance. We’re likely to see some Far Cry 6 gameplay and hopefully more details about the game’s DLC that will let you play as the series’ villains. Hopefully, there will also be more footage of the upcoming Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, the Avatar game we never thought we’d see.

Future Games Show at Gamescom

Future’s self-titled gaming show from the GamesRadar staff is making its Gamescom debut. The show promises over 40 games from companies like Team17, Koch Media, Tripwire Interactive, and Frontier Developments. It’ll also be co-hosted by the voice actors who played Lady Dimitrescu and the Duke, Maggie Robertson and Aaron LePlante, respectively. The Future Games Show will air on Thursday, August 26 at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm BST or August 27 at 6am AEST.

Konami

Konami has been relatively absent in the video game world for the last few years, but now the publisher is teasing some new announcements for Gamescom 2021. So far Konami has promised new announcements for its recently announced eFootball, the free-to-play football simulation platform, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, which the company calls the most complete Yu-Gi-Oh! game yet.

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Kevin Lee is IGN’s SEO Updates Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam

We won’t bury the lede: The Optoma HD39HDR is one of the brightest projectors that you can buy for under $1000. But that isn’t all this intriguing new product is capable of. While it does have a few puzzling omissions that are hard to overlook, the HD39HDR features remarkably low input lag and incredibly handy installation features for a price that makes it hard to beat. For anyone searching for an HD projector that works well in virtually every environment without breaking the bank, the HD39HDR gets darn close to being a dream come true.

Specifications

• Resolution: 1080p
• Brightness: 4500 ANSI Lumens
• Contrast Ratio: 50,000:1
• Input Lag: 8.4ms@120Hz
• Resolution support: accepts up to 4K (3840 x 2160) input
• Connections: one HDMI 2.0 input, one HDMI 1.4a input, one VGA output, one VGA input, one 3.5mm audio input, one 3.5mm audio output

Optoma HD39HDR – Design and Features

The HD39HDR adheres to what’s considered to be conventional projector dimensions at this point, with the benefit of being fairly lightweight at just under eight pounds. Essentially, if you wanted to move this projector around the house, or maybe into the backyard for a summer movie night, you won’t break a sweat doing so. The remote follows a similarly minimalistic approach, though this compact controller fits most buttons that the average projector user would need into its design. From dedicated buttons for each individual source to manual keystone correction buttons, it’s a handy remote to have by your side as you adjust settings with the HD39HDR.

On the subject of getting set up, Optoma makes it easy to dial in the most proportionate image possible for your specific space. With options like keystone correction, 1.3x zoom and image shifting capabilities, I was able to match the image nicely with my 120-inch screen without having to place the projector in a precise position in the room. Plus, the HD39HDR has a wall color adjustment that lets you select the color that you’re projecting onto, with options including blackboard, light yellow, light green, light blue, pink, and gray. You can also opt to not choose a wall color at all, which seemed to work the best for the screen I was using to test the projector.

As simple as the HD39HDR is to set up and begin using, it does suffer from an apparent lack of features and a somewhat disappointing lineup of available connections. There’s no WiFi or streaming capabilities built into the HD39HDR – something that competitors like BenQ built into their new gaming projector, the X1300i – meaning you will need to connect your own console or streaming device to access your favorite content. To be fair, streaming sticks are ridiculously cheap these days, and the vast majority of them have faster, more competent operating systems than almost any built-in streaming platform on a projector. It is, however, nice to have an alternative should an external source not be available for whatever reason.

The HD39HDR has two HDMI ports, though the fact that one is HDMI 2.0 and the other is HDMI 1.4 is a small letdown since the latter only supports 4K video frame rates up to 30hz. More unsettling is the collection of audio connections, which is glaringly missing a digital optical output. HDMI may be the easier way to go for audio needs these days, but the digital optical port was always a solid backup, especially for setups that feature older home theater systems or soundbars. The supplied 3.5mm input and output will technically get the job done, but they are far less versatile connections overall than the trusty optical port.

Optoma HD39HDR – Performance

Brightness is the name of the game with the HD39HDR, and boy does it bring it. With 4500 lumens of brightness, it is capable of producing a clear, detailed image regardless of what kind of light it may be competing with in your viewing space. From the middle of the day with sunlight infiltrating my office to late at night watching movies in a darkened room, the HD39HDR consistently delivered an impressively clear, visible image. It can get a little carried away at times, with display modes like Presentation and Bright tending to wash out the colors displayed in the image. But for the most part, the brightness of this projector is a huge asset that sets it apart from others in its price range.

The HD39HDR is a 1080p projector, though it can accept a 4K input and is HDR-10 compatible. While we’d love to get a true 4K projector at this price (maybe one day!), the HD39HDR still produces a solid image given the tools it has to work with. The projector has a 6-segment color wheel (RYGCWB), and it has plenty of opportunities to prove its capabilities while watching HDR content like Netflix’s Life In Color, narrated by none other than David Attenborough. It may not have the color accuracy or magnificent contrast that an OLED panel would offer, but scenes like a sprawling shot through the rainforests of New Guinea were surprisingly vibrant.

Though the HD39HDR’s input lag is on par with more expensive options like the BenQ x1300i (8.4ms@120Hz compared to 8.33ms@120Hz), it’s pretty clear that it wasn’t built to primarily operate as a gaming projector. Make no mistake, you’ll still achieve wonderfully smooth gameplay with input lag that low. But compared to something like the X1300i, which had a trio of gaming modes that adjusted the image to meet the needs of certain types of gameplay, the HD39HDR is a bit less accommodating. Aside from its Enhanced Gaming Mode, the HD39HDR feels more like a balanced projector that handles movies and gaming equally well. Depending on how your usage breaks down, that may or may not be an issue.

Despite the comparative lack of gaming-specific modes, the HD39HDR does give you plenty of ways to play with the picture it’s producing. There’s more standard options like brightness, contrast, and sharpness. And there’s more intricate color settings like color temperature, color matching and RGB gain/bias. Personally, I made a few tweaks to the picture here and there, but was mostly satisfied with the default settings that the HD39HDR came out of the box with. If you’re inclined to dig deep into the image settings, though, Optoma supplied nearly all of the tools to do so.

Optoma says it built a 10-watt speaker into the HD39HDR, and to its credit, it can get fairly loud if you need it to. But the sound is unavoidably hollow which, while not unexpected from a tiny speaker crammed into a projector, doesn’t exactly fill the room with the cinematic sound that such a large image begs for. As with almost every projector, I’d suggest investing in an external audio setup and only using the built-in speaker if absolutely necessary. Your movie nights and gaming sessions will be much more enjoyable because of it.

Gearbox has announced a new Montréal-based studio that will add 250 jobs to Quebec’s technology sector as it works on further Borderlands content and brand new games.

The new studio is being co-led by industry veterans, Sebastien Caisse and Pierre-Andre Dery. The latter spoke about the exciting new opportunity for Gearbox in a press release, saying, “Building on Gearbox’s long history of creative freedom, we are excited to assemble a new development team to work on the Borderlands franchise and create new IPs in Montréal.”

Whilst details surrounding a new IP from the studio have not yet been confirmed, Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford spoke about the company’s desire to add further talent to its existing IPs through the new studio. “The Gearbox Entertainment Company is ambitiously looking both internationally and domestically to grow our creative engine and meet the incredible demand our customers have for talent-crafted experiences with our intellectual property,” said Pitchford.

“Following our successful experience establishing Gearbox Studio Quebec, our investment in a new studio in Montreal creates an exciting new prospect for Montréal-based talent – whether they wish to work on existing Gearbox franchises or help with the creation of new, original ideas.”

While the Montréal-based studio sets to work on further Borderlands content, multiple senior members from the Borderlands 3 development team recently left Gearbox to work on a new project together. Senior producer Christopher Brock, lead mission designer Keith Schuler and art director Scott Kester amongst a number of other Gearbox members are amongst those said to have departed the studios.

Despite a lack of details surrounding future Borderlands game content, the franchise’s movie adaptation finished shooting in June. Details surrounding the film, which will star Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart, have since surfaced including a first look at its take on Claptrap and how its depiction of Krieg will differ slightly from the character’s video game counterpart. For more on the upcoming Borderlands movie, make sure to check out our dedicated page for the film.

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

Lilly Wachowski, the co-director of the original Matrix trilogy, has clarified why she didn’t return to helm the newest entry in the franchise.

Speaking at Showtime’s TCA panel on Wednesday, per The Wrap, Wachowski addressed her lack of involvement in The Matrix Resurrections, explaining that she found the idea of “going backwards” in her career “expressly unappealing” and that she struggled to find the motivation to return to the franchise following some major shifts in her personal life.

“I didn’t want to have gone through my transition and gone through this massive upheaval in my life, the sense of loss from my mom and dad, to want to go back to something that I had done before and sort of walk over old paths that I had walked in, felt emotionally unfulfilling and really the opposite,” Wachowski explained. “Like I was going to go back and live in these old shoes in a way. And I didn’t want to do that.”

Wachowski last worked on a movie with her sister, Lana, who is solo directing the fourth Matrix entry, on Jupiter Ascending in 2015. She admitted that she had felt “completely exhausted” from working back-to-back on Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending and then moving immediately on to the first season of the Netflix series Sense8.

“My world was like falling apart, to some extent, even while I was like, you know, cracking out of my egg. So I needed this time away from this industry,” she said. “I needed to, like, reconnect to myself as an artist. And I did that by going back to school and painting and stuff. And I made that decision. So I started painting that summer with my mom and then Lana got the call from Netflix that they wanted to order up another season. And I said, ‘I can’t do it.'”

Warner Bros. debuted the first official footage of the fourth entry in The Matrix series during its CinemaCon presentation on Tuesday. The studio also officially confirmed that the title of the long-awaited sequel is The Matrix Resurrections. For more about the upcoming sequel, here’s a rundown of everything else that we know about the first Matrix film since 2003.

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