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In celebration of both Xbox Game Pass and the upcoming premiere of Free Guy in theaters, Xbox and Ryan Reynolds have teamed up to present the first-ever Xbox Game Pass Non-Player Character (NPC) Awards.

Free Guy, which stars Ryan Reynolds as a bank teller who realizes he is an NPC in an open world video game that will soon go offline, is set to be released in theaters on August 13, 2021, and Guy himself is one of the lucky nominees. Alongside Guy in the voting is Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal’s Samuel Hayden, The Outer World’s Parvati Holcomb, and Sea of Thieves’ Chief Trader Mollie.

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All of the previously mentioned characters, minus Guy, are from games that are currently available on Xbox Game Pass. The full descriptions of each nominee is as follows, in case you are unfamiliar;

• Samuel Hayden, Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal – A high ranking UAC official who may or may not be entirely machine at this point. He’s always watching.
• Parvati Holcomb, The Outer Worlds – Everyone’s favorite shy and empathetic mechanic. She’s the heart of the ship and the crew, and she’s the NPC for you.
• Chief Trader Mollie, Sea of Thieves – Animal lover and vendor for the Merchant Alliance, she always has a voyage for you!
• Guy, Free Guy – Portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, Guy is a creature of habit. He has the same daily routine and has never done anything all that extraordinary. Outgoing and perpetually cheerful, but a tad naïve, Guy is a teller in a big city bank who is a fan of mid-90s pop divas.

If you want the chance to vote for your favorite NPC, be sure to vote in Xbox’s Twitter poll that is now live until August 3.

For more on Free Guy, check out our IGN Premiere exclusive clip from the film below.

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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.

Madden NFL 22‘s ratings rollout continued on Wednesday with the announcement of the next 99-rated player, Travis Kelce, along with the top 10 tight ends in the professional football game.

Leading the group is Kelce (99 OVR), followed by George Kittle (96 OVR), Darren Waller (93 OVR), Mark Andrews (88 OVR), and Hunter Henry (87 OVR). Others tight ends making the top 10 list this year included Austin Hooper (86 OVR), Rob Gronkowski (86 OVR), Mike Gesicki (85 OVR), T.J Hockenson (85 OVR), and Dallas Goedert (84 OVR).

You can see the full top 10 list for highest-rated tight ends below, while more Madden NFL 22 player ratings are available further down the page.

Top 10 Highest-Rated Tight Ends In Madden NFL 22

• Travis Kelce: 99 OVR
• George Kittle: 96 OVR
• Darren Waller: 93 OVR
• Mark Andrews: 88 OVR
• Hunter Henry: 87 OVR
• Austin Hooper: 86 OVR
• Rob Gronkowski: 86 OVR
• Mike Gesicki: 85 OVR
• T.J. Hockenson: 85 OVR
• Dallas Goedert: 84 OVR

For more Madden 22 ratings, check out the highest-rated wide receivers, best edge-rushers, top defensive linemen, and our overall roundup of all the Madden 22 ratings announced so far.

Madden NFL 22 launches on August 20 across console, PC, and Stadia, with Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes sharing the cover. For more, check out GameSpot’s Madden 22 preorder guide.

Back 4 Blood’s upcoming early access beta will officially start on August 5 through August 9, with access coming from preorders of the game. An open beta will be held from August 12-16, with both betas being playable on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms.

As for the content, Back 4 Blood’s betas will feature two co-op maps where you can fight back against the Ridden and the PvP mode Swarm, a competition that has players battle it out as the Cleaners versus the Ridden to see which team can last the longest against the infected hordes.

Since it was revealed earlier this year, developer Turtle Rock’s has been dropping details on its cast, modes, and generous system for handling DLC purchases to its spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead. Back at E3 2021, the studio confirmed that DLC such as maps and gameplay additions will be available to all party members as long as the group leader owns it.

PC players can also look forward to a number of supported features for the co-op first-person shooter, such as 4K resolution, an uncapped framerate, and more.

Back 4 Blood launches on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC via the Microsoft Store, Steam, and the Epic Games Store on October 12. Back 4 Blood will be available on both Xbox and PC day one via Xbox Game Pass.

The Fortnite August Crew Pack has been revealed, and it makes for yet another fan-made cosmetic set in a game well-populated with fan creations. Once named Ava by the original artist, Summer Skye is the character’s official name, meaning she’s actually a reimagining of a previous Battle Pass character. Here’s everything you’ll find in the August Crew pack for Fortnite.

August Crew Pack – Summer Skye

Summer Skye is a new alternate skin for Skye first developed by nollobandz, a fan artist who has been featured in the game before, most recently for their original character Eco. The young gamer character first featured in the Chapter 2 Season 2 Battle Pass. Summer Skye will include a full range of cosmetics to round out her set. Included with August Crew membership are the following items:

• Summer Skye outfit
• Cursed Eagleshield Back Bling
• Epic Sword of Might Pickaxe
• Pspspsps! Wrap
• Cattitude Wrap
• Afternoon Quest Loading Screen

If that’s not enough, Skye will also include an alternate style Stormy Skye. One of each included weapon and vehicle Wrap is meant to pair with one of Skye’s two new styles. For those feeling nostalgic, Skye’s classic hat can be put on or off with any style.

Fortnite Crew is a monthly subscription that gives players access to exclusive cosmetics, a monthly stipend of 1,000 V-Bucks, and unlocks the latest Battle Pass. For players who already have the active Battle Pass when they join Fortnite Crew, a one-time refund of 950 V-Bucks is deposited into their in-game accounts.

The July Crew Pack was the second to include a licensed character–Marvel’s Loki–but most months have featured original creations from the Fortnite universe. Summer Skye marks the first fan-made skin to headline a Crew Pack monthly bundle. To date, Epic has never made Crew cosmetics available outside of membership, and it’s unlikely that will change.

The Fortnite world never sleeps, so we’ve got a full slate of news and guides for you to catch up with. Don’t miss the Week 8 Alien Artifacts, the Week 8 challenges, or the swirling rumors of an Ariana Grande concert, which seems to tie into the new countdown timer appearing in-game following the 17.21 patch.

Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life premieres on Disney+ on July 28 with new episodes weekly. 

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It’s wild to realize that Chip and Dale are now older than most of their audience. Created 78 years ago, the troublemaking chipmunks first ran amok in Disney short films, playing adorable antagonists for the likes of Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Pluto the dog. Over the years, their appearance has evolved, reflecting the animation style du jour, be it naturalistic, anthropomorphic, or three-dimensional CGI. With Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life, they are re-imagined once more, offering fans an intoxicating blend of new-school style and old-school substance that is wonderfully entertaining and downright addictive. 

Directed by Jean Cayrol, Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life takes its titular critters back to basics: two fun-loving chipmunks run wild in a city park (and sometimes onto the sidewalks and streets beyond.) Made up of three 7-minute shorts, the premiere episode offers an enticing taste of this nutty new incarnation. In “Thou Shalt Nut Steal,” Chip and Dale rile poor Pluto by pilfering a stash of acorns, which he intended to feed to his hungry pups. This seems a suitable premise for the ever-hungry heisters, who’ve often snatched snacks from classic Disney characters. But in a defiant contrast to their antagonist origins, the duo is more mistaken than malicious. So, instead of snickering at Pluto’s misfortune, they plot how to give the stolen goods back without ending up a snack themselves. In this way, the show blends elements of their classic antics with the more modern incarnations, where they were plucky — though chaotic — heroes (or Rescue Rangers, if you will). 

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Successive shorts “The Baby Whisperer” and “It Takes Two to Tangle” go zanier in concept. The former features the daffy duo riding unsupervised babies as if they are bucking broncos. The latter tests their bond when they are literally connected at the hip (or — more specifically — knitted together by the tail). Each story offers a stellar setup for sight gags wacky and wild, like Pluto’s floppy ears being spun above his bulbous brow to transform him into a soaring helicopter. With such outlandish gags, the show swiftly establishes that anything can happen when this dynamic duo puts their heads together. True to form, they are still an affable odd couple: Chip is intelligent and fastidious; Dale is an impulsive free spirit. Of course, they sometimes squabble. Yet the assurance that they are ever a team establishes a heartwarming theme, which throbs powerfully at the show’s emotional core. 

Simply put, this a kinder, cuddlier, more self-aware version of Chip and Dale than their classic models. Likewise modern is their latest look, which has the sharp black lines and vivid shading of a digital pencil. Flat backgrounds with few details make for a pared-down aesthetic that comes alive in a hip, jewel-toned color palette. Here, the emotions of the chipmunks might be reflected in the intense hues that surround them, be they serene nighttime blues or fiery reds of their tree trunk home. Meanwhile, a savvy sound design pleasantly harkens back to their early years. 

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Forget the chipmunks whose dialogue was remotely intelligible. These clamoring creatures communicate in dramatic gasps, comedic squeals, and a chatter so high-pitched and fast-paced that we’re not meant to comprehend it. Vincent Artaud’s pronounced musical score adds context, bolstering emotional moments, be they of regret, elation, or panic. Chiefly, however, Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life leans hard into visual storytelling. Cayrol and France’s Xilam Animation team carefully crafted slapstick comedy that won’t be lost in translation. Expressive gestures, surreal illustrations, and strategic storyboarding make sure we never miss a beat — or a punchline — of these silly yet smartly executed stories. 

Developers from the teams behind The Last of Us, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, God of War, Destiny, and more have come together to form That’s No Moon, a new studio working on a single player, third-person, action-adventure game, and backed with a $100 million investment.

As announced in a press release, That’s No Moon comes with huge AAA pedigree, with many of its senior figures coming from a background at PlayStation studios. Michael Mumbauer (formerly head of PlayStation’s Visual Arts Group) is CEO, and Tina Kowalewski (formerly head of product development at Sony Santa Monica) is Chief Strategy Officer.

Although details are scant, the studio’s first game will be “an ambitious, new action-adventure game that will push the limits of both gameplay and story.” Taylor Kurosaki will serve as creative director, and Jacob Minkoff will be game director – the duo previously worked together at Infinity Ward and Naughty Dog on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and The Last of Us. That’s No Moon says the wider development team’s credits include, “God of War, Fortnite, The Last of Us Part II, Destiny, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and many more.”

That’s No Moon has received a $100 million investment from Smilegate (creator of the Crossfire series), which will also be acting in a partnership role. The partnership aims to “create new experiences that will inspire empathy and deeper personal connections with players around the world.”

Interestingly, while the studio is working on a game, the announcement press release mentions That’s No Moon “rests at the intersections of games, film, and TV,” although it’s not clear if that’s a creative philosophy, or representative of the actual kinds of projects it aims to work on. Based in Los Angeles and San Diego, the studio aims to build a team of 100 developers by 2022.

CEO Mumbauer was reported to have been working on a remake of The Last of Us before that project ran into roadblocks – it seem That’s No Moon represents what the former Visual Arts Group studio head went on to do next. Game leads Minkoff and Kurosaki announced that they had left Infinity Ward in May to “pursue a rare and exciting new opportunity”.

It marks yet another new studio being built by notable developers that made their names on major franchises. In recent years we’ve seen Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime found Dreamhaven and Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser seemingly open Absurd Ventures in Games, among many others.

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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

The PlayStation 5 has officially sold 10 million units, but Sony Interactive Entertainment boss Jim Ryan has acknowledged that there still aren’t enough consoles available.

Sony’s newest gaming console surpassed the milestone as of July 18, and the hardware continues to outpace PS4 in terms of sales in the same period of its lifecycle. The news comes less than a day after Microsoft reported that its Xbox Series X/S are now the fastest-selling Xbox consoles to date.

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While this is a major milestone for Sony, the company is still dealing with the hardships of making enough supply to upkeep the demand amid an ongoing global chip shortage and could remain an issue until 2023.

“While PS5 has reached more households faster than any of our previous consoles, we still have a lot of work ahead of us as demand for PS5 continues to outstrip supply,” Ryan said in a press release. “I want gamers to know that while we continue to face unique challenges throughout the world that affect our industry and many others, improving inventory levels remains a top priority for SIE.”

Ryan separately pointed out that those that do manage to get hold of the console are using it more than the previous Sony machine. “Engagement on the platform is the highest that we’ve ever seen whichever way you look at it,” Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz. “Whether it’s the number of people measured by a metric such as MAU [Monthly Active Users], or whether it’s the time that these people spend playing games. Both of these metrics are showing very significant double-digit growth compared to the launch window of PS4, the previous high-water mark.”

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In addition to sharing how many PS5s have been sold, Sony also shared sales figures for several games under the PlayStation Studios umbrella. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart launched last month and has already sold over 1.1 million copies, while Housemarque’s Returnal has surpassed 560,000 copies sold.

Sony also notes that Spider-Man: Miles Morales has sold over 6.5 million copies since launching on PS4 and PS5 in November of last year, while MLB The Show 21 – which is the first entry in the series to launch on non-PlayStation hardware – has become the fastest-selling title in franchise history, with more than 2 million copies sold as of July 18 across all platforms. According to Sony, the baseball title “has reached more than 4 million players” since its release in April, which is likely due to the game also being available on Xbox Game Pass since release.

With the PS5 already selling 10 million consoles, this helps the company build momentum as several high-profile games are slated to release on the console, such as the timed-exclusive Deathloop, which will launch on September 14. More first-party exclusives are expected to launch within the next year, such as a sequel to God of War, Horizon Forbidden West, and Gran Turismo 7.

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Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Koei Tecmo has announced that Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water will launch just in time for Halloween on October 28 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. It will be a digital-only title.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water takes place on Hikami Mountain, an infamous place for supernatural occurrences connected with local bodies of water. It follows three protagonists: Yuri Kozukata, Ren Hojo, and Miu Hinasaki. Yuri has the ability to bring people back to the real world from the shadow world, while Ren is a friend who accompanies her in order to research his new book. Miu is the daughter of Miku Hinasaki, who is a recurring protagonist of the series.

This version of the game will include new costumes and a photo mode. Those who purchase the game within two weeks of launch will receive a free Ryza outfit from Atelier Ryza.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water was originally a Wii U exclusive that launched back in 2014 in Japan and 2015 in the West.