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With the revival of the Lucasfilm Games banner earlier this week and multiple game announcements, including a Ubisoft-developed Star Wars one, the galaxy far, far away is broadening outside the walls of EA Studios. And while the announcement may not be surprising given the turbulent stewardship of Star Wars at EA, it’s still an exciting prospect – one filled with hope for the future of Star Wars games and the potential freedom Lucasfilm Games may now have.

In fact, Lucasfilm’s moves in the gaming space this week appear to be following in the footsteps of another Disney-owned entertainment – Marvel.

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There’s Been an Awakening

Lucasfilm Games revives the pre-LucasArts branding from the ‘80s, and evokes classic adventure games like Indiana Jones, Monkey Island, and Sam and Max. However, its name appears to be a nod to the past, not a return to it – Lucasfilm promises to be “the official identity for all gaming titles from Lucasfilm, a name that encompasses the company’s rich catalog of video games and its eye toward the future.”

The rebranding announcement preceded the, erm, massive news that Division 2 developer Massive is working on an open-world Star Wars game to be published by Ubisoft, billed as “the beginning of a long-term collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm Games,” as well as a new Indiana Jones adventure from Wolfenstein studio MachineGames and publisher Bethesda.

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Lucasfilm Games’ mission statement and announcements, at least for now, indicate that the company isn’t opening its own internal game development studio. Gaming has long been something Disney has endeavored to have more of an impact on, even if just a couple years ago then-CEO Bob Iger admitted Disney “just never managed to demonstrate much skill on the publishing side of games.” Despite holding the keys to an increasing number of the biggest properties in entertainment. This was perhaps most obvious when Disney Interactive Studios shuttered in 2016 alongside the end of support for Disney Infinity, which threw Star Wars, Marvel, and all things Disney into one toys-to-life toybox that never quite took off.

But while Disney’s gaming brand nursed its wounds, and Star Wars remained locked (outside of VR, mobile, and LEGO games) in the hands of EA, Marvel quietly rebuilt itself into a formidable force in gaming.

A Disney (Business) Crossover

So far, this roadmap has worked for fellow-Disney owned Marvel Games. In 2016, Marvel Games publicly became the stewards of the brand, having previously been hamstrung by an exclusive deal similar to EA and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars arrangement. Marvel and Activision had an agreement stemming back into the early 2000’s for exclusive rights to X-Men, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and Iron Man games. The partnership appeared to do so well in its earliest days, with hits like the Spider-Man 2 movie adaptation and the X-Men Legends line, that the two companies renewed the deal for Spidey and the mutants through 2017. But that partnership, as it continued on, resulted in underwhelming returns as the Spider-Man franchise lost its acclaim, and Marvel felt the pull of movie licensing for the MCU elsewhere. The relationship was eventually seemingly dissolved in 2014, but through the early 2010’s Marvel’s movie tie-ins led to a string of disappointing Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America games based on market needs rather than game ideas.

With its rebranding, Marvel Games made partnerships with different developers and publishers to produce a range of different games, unbeholden to any one exclusivity contract with a certain company or to satisfy tie-in needs for movies or TV. It’s partially why we can see an Insomniac-developed, PlayStation-exclusive Spider-Man series alongside a multi-platform Avengers series (that will also see Spider-Man… be PlayStation exclusive, but that’s another story entirely) released near to a Nintendo-exclusive Marvel Ultimate Alliance sequel.

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Sure, each one of them hasn’t been the runaway success that Marvel’s Spider-Man has been, but it’s clear that Marvel isn’t precluding developers from getting to play around with the heroes they want to develop games for, or the types of games those heroes can play around in. Camouflaj can develop an Iron Man VR game and Crystal Dynamics can still use Tony Stark as a playable character in Marvel’s Avengers. Entirely different games with entirely different visions can be produced under the Marvel Games name, without console or publisher agreements prohibiting a specific company from working with Marvel. Marvel has already worked with Telltale Games, Capcom, Crystal Dynamics, Insomniac, Camouflaj, and more.

Keeping things centrally tied to a Marvel company has allowed for more experimentation and general variety than we might have seen had Marvel agreed to only let a single publisher or developer tackle certain Marvel characters. And that’s led to a dual benefit – when a partnership works, Marvel can continue working alongside a developer, and when a project doesn’t quite work out, Marvel isn’t locked in to only one deal with its vast wealth of memorable and beloved characters.

That’s of course the most exciting part about Lucasfilm Games being able to stretch beyond the EA-Disney deal. EA’s time with the Star Wars license has been, to put it politely, turbulent, remembered for publicly canceled, high-profile games like Amy Henig and Visceral’s Ragtag; years entirely absent of Star Wars games, and microtransaction debacles around the launch of Star Wars Battlefront II. Of course, not everything has been bad news, and EA turned the ship around in recent years – Battlefront II’s team continually added DLC, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order delivered the Jedi action-adventure game fans have wanted since, well, the partnership began, and Star Wars Squadrons proved smaller-scale projects could fit into the EA pipeline and offer entirely different wish-fulfillment out of the galaxy.

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But even though things have improved in the last couple of years, there’s no denying that Lucasfilm’s new direction gives us hope. A more free Lucasfilm Games could indeed mirror Marvel Games, and deals with Ubisoft and more could signal the start of a much more plentiful era of Star Wars gaming.

It’s also worth noting that with Marvel Games-published titles, there’s no single canon developers have to adhere to, comics, MCU, or otherwise. On the other hand, every piece of Disney-owned Star Wars property, including games, has to seemingly stay true to and fit within the canon of the Star Wars universe. It’s unclear whether that will continue to be the case with Lucasfilm Games, but it might mean we see fewer studios doubling up on characters or specific eras, and instead start branching out, making something like the newly launched The High Republic a perfect place to carve out new stories that wouldn’t contradict existing narratives.

What Does This Mean for EA and Star Wars

But does the Ubisoft deal signal that Lucasfilm Games is entirely moving on from EA-produced Star Wars games? No, and, thankfully, it could mean an even stronger partnership between Lucasfilm and EA.

Alongside the Ubi news, EA released a statement, saying “We are proud of our long-standing collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, which will continue for years to come. Our talented teams have created some of the most successful games in the history of the Star Wars franchise, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars: Battlefront, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and Star Wars: Squadrons. We love Star Wars and look forward to creating more exciting experiences for players to enjoy.”

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Removing the pressures of being the only Star Wars developers will let EA focus on what has worked for them so far. EA can work on a Battlefront III or a Jedi: Fallen Order 2 and not have to worry about it carrying the weight of an entire gaming universe of expectations.

Jedi: Fallen Order was in the top 10 best-selling games of 2019, and Squadrons apparently earned enough goodwill that the development team produced free DLC after launch, even though there were no intentions to keep making content after its debut. Some great games have come from EA’s partnership with Lucas, but it’s a partnership that is mired with the aforementioned cancellations, studio closures, and reshifting of projects. Freeing both companies from the pressure of the previous arrangement will likely lead to a better future for both, and, hopefully, for all Star Wars fans. And we’ve seen success like that come from Lucasfilm’s Star Wars gaming past when it could partner with a variety of companies. In the late ’90s early 2000’s, we saw such varied projects as the acclaimed Knights of the Old Republic series, Star Wars: Episode I – Racer, Republic Commando, and the Jedi Knight series. Sure, with every KOTOR there was also a Masters of Teras Kasi, but the sheer variety and freedom Lucasfilm had in licensing to so many developers just wasn’t possible under the recent EA deal.

More Than Just Laser Swords

Of course, Star Wars is, naturally front and center in the discussion of what Lucasfilm Games’ future will hold, but it’s worth noting that Lucasfilm has long produced non-Star Wars games, and some acclaimed ones at that. Lucasfilm Entertainment has also got a slew of other film and TV projects in the works, from Indiana Jones to Children of Blood and Bone to Willow, and the expectation should be the same on the gaming side.

We’re already seeing that play out – the first project announced under the new Lucasfilm Games is an Indiana Jones outing from Bethesda’s MachineGames. This partnership is important for a couple of reasons – as an opening statement, it makes clear Lucasfilm Games won’t just be about Star Wars games, and given the brand’s history, that’s a great thing. And second, MachineGames is a partner completely outside of recent Star Wars projects but is still a developer known for making acclaimed, mature games. It’s clearly an indicator that Lucasfilm has an eye on picking the right teams for the right projects.

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While new franchises are always welcome (and needed), it isn’t surprising to see Lucasfilm jump into another of its beloved properties as one of its first game projects. Nostalgia, after all, is at the heart of much of Disney and its many subsidiaries’ success. Does that mean we’ll see the revival of other classic Lucasfilm or LucasArts franchises, like Monkey Island? Quite possibly. Might they always play second fiddle to Star Wars commercially? Sure, but Lucasfilm Games is a name that carries plenty of meaning for plenty of reasons, and it would be shocking if the compay didn’t attempt to revitalize all aspects of what made it, and subsequently LucasArts, such a beloved name in gaming for so long.

However it chooses to carry itself from here, we’ve already learned quite a lot about Lucasfilm Games’ intentions as a revived brand in gaming. It’s a company that’s more than just Star Wars – though also very, very much about Star Wars – and is aiming to take big swings with its biggest franchises. Will everything be a knockout success? Like with Marvel Games, possibly not, but also like its sister company, seeing Lucasfilm make these big bets for the future and learn from both its and Marvel’s past is enough to offer fans a renewed sense of something Star Wars is fundamentally built on – hope.

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Jonathon Dornbush is IGN’s Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. He is currently reading and loving Light of the Jedi. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

The version 1.1.0 patch for Immortals: Fenyx Rising will be going out this week, fixing multiple bugs and adding support for the upcoming DLC called A New God. The patch notes don’t give further details about the expansion.

The patch notes on the Ubisoft forums say that the patch will hit at 9 AM ET / 6 AM PT on Thursday, January 14. Those include a fix to a spoilery boss fight, and a few fixes to photo mode, among others. It also includes a few platform-specific issues, such as adding more haptic feedback on PS5, fixing save corruption on Xbox Series X, and aspect ratio, audio, and KBM bug fixes on PC.

Immortals: Fenyx Rising was released in December. In GameSpot’s Immortals Fenyx Rising review, critic Suriel Vazquez wrote, “But even as it lives in the shadow of better games, its puzzles, combat, and open-world loop come together often enough for me to not only see it through for a few dozen hours, but also want to keep filling out its almighty checklist, even if it led me by the nose most of the way through.”

If you’re just getting started on Immortals, check out some of our beginner tips and abilities to get first. Check out the full patch notes below.

Immortals: Fenyx Rising 1.1.0 Patch Notes

Highlights

• Added support for the upcoming DLC content “A New God”
• Multiple localization fixes.
• Various bug fixes and stability improvements.

Activities

• Fixed the issue when (REDACTED) stops fighting you in the Zeus Throne region main story fight.
• [Photomode] Fixed multiple issues when having more than 50 photos.
• [Photomode] Friend photos are now prioritized on the map and correctly identified.
• Fixed an issue where gameplay elements disappear after fast-traveling.
• Fixed an issue where the Fenyx would get stuck after fast-traveling.

Gameplay

• Fixed an issue when the player would get stuck behind an invisible wall after looting a chest In dungeons.
• Fixed an issue where customizing the “Dodge” action button would affect the “Sprint” action button and vice-versa on a controller.
• Adjusted the “Look, No Hands” obtention to be only in vaults as described.
• Fixed the “Galewind” bow behavior to fit its first perk description.

User Interface

• Visual Customization now stay applied when switching weapon or armor.

Graphics

• Guided arrow can now be seen from farther away.

System

• [XBOX Series X] Fixed a save game corruption over very long play sessions.
• [PC] Multi-monitors and special aspect ratio UI fixes.
• [PC] Resolved the audio cut-off when leaving a menu or entering a cutscene.
• [PC] Locked Target Switch now work when using the mouse and Keyboard control scheme.
• [PS5] Haptic Feedback added to various combat action.

The Mandalorian is playing a big role in Fortnite Season 5. He’s come to the battle royale as an NPC and attacks players who approach his ship on sight. Those who manage to kill him can pick up his mythic sniper rifle and jetpack–there is only one of each in every match. He’s come to be a thorn in the side of players all over the map.

The bounty hunter originally spawned close to the Razor Crest crash landing site near the center of the map, where he guards a piece of Beskar that players needed to collect. A recent update gave the bot multiple spawn locations–some players have found him swimming in rivers, fighting the IO Guards, and sneaking up on them with his signature thermal rifle. He’s left his ship behind.

“This dude legit showed up at Pleasant Park and steamrolled the IO Guards there,” said Redditor unlocked_. “I didn’t know he could move that far until now. I was so confused.”

NPC bosses came to Fortnite earlier in Chapter 2 and the feature was expanded in Season 4. Iron Man, Wolverine, and Dr. Doom were all NPCs at various named locations, guarding special mythical weapons and other rare items. The Marauders, a group of low-powered bots, used to roam the map wreaking havoc in much earlier seasons. None of these bots have been much of a challenge in direct one-on-one fights–but they can ruin your day given the opportunity.

“Be careful with Mando,” said Redditor S3BAXTIAN0. “If you get far away from him he will snipe you and you will regret being born.” The Mandalorian is easy to handle up close if you move around him rapidly, but his computer-controlled thermal rifle can hit you from hundreds of meters out. He has eliminated some players before they’ve even landed.

Adding recognizable, AI-controlled characters to the map is an interesting way to throw a wrench into normal battle royale action. The Mandalorian will often crash a fight, helping one side come out on top by distracting the other team. Epic Games has tried to encourage encounters like that by including all sorts of bots in the battle royale.

Star Wars is one of the anchors of Season 5. He roams the map, there are Beskar Quests that need to be completed to unlock pieces of his armor, and Grogu is the final piece of unlockable gear in the battle pass. It’s almost as if we’re playing in another licensed season with how big of a role the bounty hunter is playing.

UFC 257 is nearly here. The pay-per-view MMA matchup is scheduled for Saturday, January 23 at 10 p.m. ET, with the prelims starting at 8 p.m. ET and the early prelims beginning at 6:15 p.m. ET. The main event promises to be an exciting one, with Dustin Poirier squaring off against UFC Featherweight and Lightweight champion Conor McGregor. The PPV event is available on ESPN+, but new subscribers can score a great deal on a bundle that includes access to the PPV and a year’s subscription to ESPN+. Here are the details.

UFC 257: How to Watch

The only way to watch UFC 257 is on ESPN+, the exclusive home for all UFC pay-per-views. That means you need an ESPN+ subscription, and you’ll need to pay the standard $69.99 price to view the PPV event. However, if you’re not an ESPN+ member, you can get a pretty great deal.

Save 30% on UFC 257 and a Year of ESPN+

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If you’re new to ESPN+, you can get a fantastic deal that saves you $40. You can get UFC 257 and one year of ESPN+ for $89.98. Note that your ESPN+ subscription renews automatically at $59.99 per year unless you turn off auto-renew.

It really is a great deal. If you were to buy the two items separately, it would cost $129.98. That means you save $40 by taking advantage of this special promotion. Not bad. Not bad at all.

UFC 257: Full Event Details

The main event of UFC 257 will actually be the second time Poirier and McGregor have faced off in the octagon. The first time they fought was at UFC 178 in 2014. McGregor won that bout with a TKO in the first round.

As for the other fights, here’s what’s scheduled (though as usual, they’re subject to change).

UFC 257 FIGHT CARD

• Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
• Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler
• Jessica Eye vs. Joanne Calderwood
• Nik Lentz vs. Movsar Evloev
• Marina Rodriguez vs. Amanda Ribas
• Brad Tavares vs. Antonio Carlos Junior
• Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Marcin Proachnio
• Matt Frevola vs. Ottman Azaitar
• Andrew Sanchez vs. Andre Muniz

Get the ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney+ Bundle

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Alternately, you can subscribe to the Disney+ bundle for $12.99 per month and buy the UFC pay-per-view separately. The Disney+ bundle comes with three streaming service subscriptions: Disney+, ESPN+, and the ad-supported version of Hulu. It’s a great deal in its own right, but if you go this route you will have to purchase UFC 257 separately.

Where to Watch ESPN+

ESPN+ is available pretty much anywhere. You can find the app on many smart TVs, as well as iOS and android devices, Roku, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, as well Oculus. There’s a good chance you have at least one of those things lying around somewhere.

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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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Indiana Jones is back, in video game form! I know, I know, we can’t believe it either. Helmed by MachineGames (Wolfenstein: The New Order) and the newly reformed Lucasfilm Games, an untitled Indiana Jones project is officially in the works.

The game was announced on January 12 via a short teaser from Bethesda, where it was also revealed that Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard would serve as an executive producer on this exciting new adventure. In an interview with Wired, Lucasfilm’s VP of franchise content and strategy James Waugh said that the game was a “passion project” for Howard. “He came in with a point of view and a story that he really believes in”.

That is the extent of our official knowledge about this game, but, like any good Indiana Jones mystery, there is always more to the story. As part of the game’s announcement blog, the copy notes that while few details have been revealed so far, the cryptic teaser “may hold some clues.”

We’ve been poring over the short trailer with a fine-tooth comb, and sure enough, there are a lot of small details that you might have missed. Let’s talk about the most interesting finds.

Some of the game takes place in October 1937

I downloaded the trailer in HD and have been looking for clues.

It looks like the @machinegames Indiana Jones project is set in Vatican City in October 1937, at least for some part of it. You can see the Sistine Chapel on the map. pic.twitter.com/yCYnsXWRNj

— Jordan Oloman (@JordanOloman) January 12, 2021

The main thing we can spot in the trailer is Indy’s passport and his travel ticket. The ticket mentions that he is embarking on an “Overnight Service to Rome” on October 21, 1937. The passport’s entry fields suggest that he is heading there under the guise of a “Research/Education” trip, connected to his day job teaching Archaeology at Marshall College (we can see a coffee mug with the ‘MC’ symbol on his desk). However, we can also assume from the fact that he’s taking his whip and his gun that this vacation won’t be strictly academic.

Indiana Jones is going to Vatican City

Another concrete detail from the trailer is a gigantic map of Vatican City, the independent city-state of the Holy See. Indy appears to be studying this area thoroughly, marking areas of interest like the Belvedere Courtyard, which also happens to be the site of the Vatican Apostolic Library. The Vat is positively littered with historic texts and artefacts, which would be of prime interest to our myth-hunting protagonist.

Indy has also put a question mark on the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of then-pope Pius XI, and the location of the famous window where he delivers blessings. Not quite sure what his intentions are there, but an audience with the head of the Catholic Church may be out of the question. We can also see some arrows pointing west from St. Peter’s Square, which suggests that this may be Indy’s intended entry point. Not exactly subtle!

The Typewritten Note

Looks like Indy is leaving a message for someone – “i will be arriving in Rome” pic.twitter.com/jaoQebK6ZI

— Jordan Oloman (@JordanOloman) January 12, 2021

Blink and you’ll miss it, but some of the writing on the ‘MachineGames’ branded typewriter is legible. It looks like Indy has a contact within the Vatican. Here’s what we’ve got so far:

“Father X”

“Let me start…thank you for taking your time to help me … with this written request… I will be arriving in Rome… I have been informed that your contact will be waiting”

We’d need a higher-quality trailer than the compressed Twitter video that we’re working with to snag the whole thing. We enquired with Bethesda about this but they weren’t able to supply a direct-feed due to an agreement with Lucasfilm. Until then, if you have any ideas, feel free to share them in the comments below.

Get ready to punch some fascists

To quote the inimitable Indiana Jones… “Nazis. I hate these guys.” A 1930s setting for the game puts us in the thick of The Third Reich and Adolf Hitler’s dictatorship. Benito Mussolini is also in Rome at this point overseeing Fascist Italy, just prior to the World War 2 Axis powers formally consolidating under the Pact of Steel in 1939. Due to the focus on Vatican City, the game could also touch on the Nazi persecution of the Catholic Church during this period.

Given Indy’s proclivity for anti-fascism, it would make sense that we’d be fighting Nazis and fascists while decoding myths and retrieving artefacts. It’s also a very familiar subject for MachineGames, who has spent the last decade working on Wolfenstein games.

The story takes place between Raiders and The Last Crusade, “at the height” of Jones’ career

In regards to the movies, this timeframe means we’re in between Raiders of the Lost Ark (1936) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1938). Jones has retrieved the golden idol from Peru and has been to Egypt to thwart the Nazis. As a result, The Ark of the Covenant is now in storage, and the US government is aware of Jones’ activities, having just paid him for retrieving it.

We can see a dossier with redacted strings on his desk in the trailer, so this operation may also be a collaboration with the government. The site mentions that the game takes place “at the height of the career of the famed adventurer”, so this all makes sense.

We may also visit Egypt, Peru and Mesopotamia

Stepping away from Italy for a moment, there are a number of references to other locations that Indy could be headed to in this new adventure. The first thing we see in the trailer is a stack of books. None of the author names leads to anything on Google (except for Todd Howard, of course) but the subject matter is interesting.

The ‘Myths That Made Us’ book at the front there has a tagline on the spine, which says “Vol. 1 Mesopotamia”. Mesopotamia was quite a large region in Western Asia, encompassing Babylon, Palmyra as well as parts of modern Syria, Turkey and Iraq. One of the most famous Mesopotamian myths is the Epic of Gilgamesh, which happens to be one of the oldest surviving examples of ancient literature. Indy could very well be hunting for artefacts or tablets relating to this myth, or perhaps the mystery has something to do with The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the ancient wonders of the world.

The books note that Indy is also studying Ancient Circles and Forbidden Stones. The tagline on the Forbidden Stones book reads “A treatise on corrupted jewels and the essence of ancient curses,” which provides some further detail on what Indy might be looking for in Mesopotamia.

Then in the bottom left corner, we can see a tiny note written by Indy, which says “Pyramids Giza Necropolis,” referring to the Giza complex of pyramids in Cairo, the last remaining ancient wonder of the world. The yellow pages north of this note offer a sketch of the Peruvian “Forbidden Idol” retrieved in Raiders and a drawing of a Ziggurat, a common structure found in ancient Mesopotamia. Indy has written “Ziggurat Clue?” nearby, so he’s definitely studying it. Whether he will visit any of these places in the game is still up in the air, but it’s good food for thought regardless.

Untitled Indiana Jones Project Platforms and Release Date

Beyond all of the easter eggs we’ve found in the trailer, those excited for the game may be wondering about what platforms it will land on in the future. Given that Microsoft has acquired Bethesda (and by proxy, MachineGames) we can assume that it will land on PC and Xbox consoles. Whether it will be exclusive to those platforms is another question entirely.

As for a potential release date, the teaser suggests the game is early in development. MachineGames tweeted shortly after the announcement, noting that the studio is hiring, so the team is growing and gearing up to deliver on this ambitious project, a “completely original story” within the Indiana Jones IP.

The only other thing we have to go off is the upcoming Indiana Jones 5 movie, which is set for a July 2022 release and will start shooting in Spring of 2021. Again, we have no idea, but the game may want to complement the film’s release.

Beyond that, there’s really nothing more that we can glean from the 30-second trailer Bethesda stealth-dropped on us. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as more information arrives.

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Samsung has become Twitch’s exclusive mobile partner in North America and will partner with the streaming platform on a variety of mobile gaming events (via Deadline).

The companies plan to collaborate on Twitch Rivals Mobile Challenges–events where streamers will play popular mobile games–and Mobile Mondays, a reoccurring tournament that will hand out cash prizes to participants. There will also be perks for Galaxy and Twitch users, but what exactly they are is still currently unknown.

A third event type, Mobile Gaming Heroes, will apparently “unveil the next generation of mobile gaming heroes.” These individuals will “produce original content, host exclusive streams and participate in select events.” Obviously, all events will feature Samsung’s lineup of Galaxy 5G-enabled mobile gaming devices.

“Samsung’s industry-leading mobile gaming devices will allow gamers to not only stream their favorite Twitch Rivals content, but also fully engage in the unparalleled chat and interactivity that feeds the Twitch community,” Twitch’s Global Head of Sponsorship Sales Lou Garate said in a press release. “As livestreaming and esports continue to grow exponentially, we look forward to working with Samsung to help the engaged and dedicated gaming audience access their Twitch Rivals content wherever and whenever they want it.”

The partnership between Samsung and Twitch makes sense. Twitch’s audience has grown significantly during the pandemic, and Samsung wants to tap into this burgeoning viewership. The press release also suggests that the company hopes the Galaxy’s shiny and new 5G feature will draw mobile gamers who want low latency and smooth multiplayer experiences.

The real-world NHL season begins on Wednesday, January 13, and to celebrate the occasion, EA Sports has released the results of its annual simulation to predict which team will win the Stanley Cup.

According to the results of the NHL 21 simulation, the Colorado Avalanche will win the Stanley Cup this year, defeating the defending champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in 7 games. In the real world, the Avalanche have not won the title since the 2000-2001 season.

The simulation also predicted that Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs will be the NHL’s top goal-scorer for the season, racking up 39 goals. Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, meanwhile, will be the league’s top points-scorer with 83, according to the prediction.

During the playoffs, Nathan MacKinnon of the Avalanche will have a particularly strong showing, picking up 18 goals and 22 assists in 35 games to win the Conn Smyth trophy for being the MVP of the playoffs.

Head to EA’s website to see a full breakdown of the NHL 21 season predictions.

NHL 21 released in October 2020 for PS4 and Xbox One. EA did not release a bespoke version of the sports game for PS5 and Xbox Series X, but it is playable on those machines with some improvements. The franchise’s first outing for PS5 and Xbox Series X is expected to be NHL 22, which should release in or around September 2021.

NHL 21 Predictions For 2021-2022 Season

Top 10 Goal Scorers

1. Auston Matthews – 39 goals
2. Alexander Ovechkin – 38 goals
3. Leon Draisaitl – 36 goals
4. Mika Zibanejad – 35 goals
5. Nathan MacKinnon -35 goals
6. Jack Eichel – 33 goals
7. Steven Stamkos – 33 goals
8. Connor McDavid – 33 goals
9. Elias Pettersson – 31 goals
10. Patrick Kane – 30 goals

Top 10 Point Scorers

1. Connor McDavid – 83 points
2. Nathan MacKinnon – 82 points
3. Auston Matthews – 80 points
4. Jack Eichel – 78 points
5. Leon Draisaitl – 77 points
6. Elias Pettersson – 75 points
7. Andrei Svechnikov – 75 points
8. Alexander Ovechkin – 74 points
9. Artemi Panarin – 74 points
10. Mika Zibanejad – 72 points

According to the Nielsen SVOD Content Ratings service, The Office was the most streamed show in the United States in 2020 with over 57 billion minutes watched.

As reported by Variety, The Office was far-and-away the most watched show, with Grey’s Anatomy taking second place with 39.4 billion minutes watched and Criminal Minds placing third with 34.4 billion minutes watched.

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The Nielsen SVOD Content Ratings service measure Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Disney Plus, and Netflix accounted for the top 10 acquired series streamed. Disney+’s The Mandalorian was the only non-Netflix show to make it to the top 10 original series streamed.

Speaking of original series, Netflix’s Ozark took the number one spot with 30.4 billion minutes streamed, followed by Lucifer and The Crown.

Disney+ claimed seven of the top 10 spots in the streaming movies category, with Frozen 2 taking first place with 14.9 billion minutes watched, Moana taking second with 10.5 billion minutes watched, and The Secret Life of Pets taking third with 9.1 billion minutes watched.

It’s important to note that the Nielsen estimates are estimated solely on viewing on connected TVs, and does not take into account mobile devices and computers. The full list of top streaming series and movies is as follows;

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Top Streaming Content of 2020: Acquired Series

1. The Office (Netflix) – 57.1 billion minutes watched
2. Grey’s Anatomy (Netflix) – 39.4 billion minutes watched
3. Criminal Minds (Netflix) – 35.4 billion minutes watched
4. NCIS (Netflix) – 28.1 billion minutes watched
5. Schitt’s Creek (Netflix) – 23.7 billion minutes watched
6. Supernatural (Netflix) – 20.3 billion minutes watched
7. Shameless (Netflix) – 18.2 billion minutes watched
8. New Girl (Netflix) – 14.5 billion minutes watched
9. The Blacklist (Netflix) – 14.4 billion minutes watched
10. Vampire Diaries (Netflix) – 14.0 billion minutes watched

Top Streaming Content of 2020: Original Series

1. Ozark (Netflix) – 30.4 billion minutes watched
2. Lucifer (Netflix) – 18.9 billion minutes watched
3. The Crown (Netflix) – 16.2 billion minutes watched
4. Tiger King (Netflix) – 15.6 billion minutes watched
5. The Mandalorian (Disney+) – 14.5 billion minutes watched
6. The Umbrella Academy (Netflix) – 13.4 billion minutes watched
7. The Great British Baking Show (Netflix) – 13.2 billion minutes watched
8. Boss Baby: Back in Business (Netflix) – 12.6 billion minutes watched
9. Longmire (Netflix) – 11.3 billion minutes watched
10. You (Netflix) – 10.9 billion minutes watched

Top Streaming Content of 2020: Movies

1. Frozen 2 (Disney+) – 14.9 billion minutes watched
2. Moana (Disney+) – 10.5 billion minutes watched
3. The Secret Life of Pets 2 (Netflix) – 9.1 billion minutes watched
4. Onward (Disney+) – 8.3 billion minutes watched
5. Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (Netflix) – 6.1 billion minutes watched
6. Hamilton (Disney+) – 6.1 billion minutes watched
7. Spenser Confidential (Netflix) – 5.3 billion minutes watched
8. Aladdin (2019) (Disney+) – 5.1 billion minutes watched
9. Toy Story 4 (Disney+) – 4.4 billion minutes watched
10. Zootopia (Disney+) – 4.4 billion minutes watched

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For more on The Office, which has officially left Netflix for Peacock, check out our ranking of the top 25 Office episodes of all time.

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