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Black Ops Cold War‘s Zombies storyline is set to conclude with a final map in Call of Duty Season 6, and Treyarch tweeted a teaser to reveal the setting and some vague details for this upcoming round-based map.

The tweet shows an image that players will be familiar with if they played the Black Ops Cold War campaign. The large building in the photo is the Soviet military training facility in Ukraine that operators Woods and Bell work to infiltrate in Cold War’s Operation Redlight, Greenlight mission.

There is a note scribbled on the picture that says, “Weaver, This is the place. We must make our stand here. -Ravenov.”

In addition to revealing this new map location, Treyarch posted two more teasers on social media. Treyarch’s Instagram has a similar black and white photo of something that looks like a vault door.

The caption on this image says, “Kravchenko plans to open a special gateway. They are trying to find him.”

On Facebook, another black and white image shows a device that looks similar to the machine on Cold War’s Die Maschine map, which is used to open the portal to the Dark Aether.

The caption reads, “Omega’s next operation is already underway. They have been constructing for months.”

Black Ops Cold War’s Zombies storyline has been a constant chase as the CIA’s Requiem research team works to stop the Omega Group, who are responsible for all the Dark Aether portals and zombie chaos. These notes presumably show Requiem is now in a race to stop Omega from opening an even bigger portal at the Ukraine training facility, as story clues hint that Omega are attempting to capture and harness the power of a monster living within the Dark Aether.

There’s no release date for this next and final round-based survival map, but Treyarch confirmed the map would arrive with Season 6. There are still 22 days left of the Season 5 battle pass, so Season 6 won’t begin until around the first week of October.

The Season 5 Reloaded update recently added new Outbreak content to Zombies, with a new map, Black Chest world event, and more.

In other news, early access to Call of Duty: Vanguard’s beta went live on PlayStation from September 10-13, but there’s still another opportunity to play. Next weekend will feature a cross-play beta for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC players. Here are our thoughts on Vanguard after getting hands-on with the beta.

Call of Duty: Vanguard will arrive on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and PC on November 5. The release is still on schedule as Activision Blizzard faces a lawsuit from the state of California over harassment and discrimination against women.

A new trailer for Star Wars Hunters–the upcoming multiplayer action game from Zynga–has been released, showcasing eight of the game’s playable warriors for the first time.

The cinematic trailer introduces multiple playable characters in the middle of an intense battle. We first see Rieve, an adept lightsaber user and follower of the dark side, taking fire from a Mandalorian called Aran Tal. After a while a Wookiee called Grozz, A Rebel fighter named Zaina, and even some Jawas stacked under one hood all make an appearance on the battlefield.

In all eight characters are shown in the trailer, but we also get a look at the planet Vespaara hosting the battles, including a side view of the full arena map as well as a Hutt Ship hovering overhead. The game’s newly revamped website has a profile on all eight of these playable characters, as well as more information about the arena itself.

“Today’s reveal gives viewers their first look at the Arena, a competitive, spectator stadium attracting Hunters from the far reaches of the galaxy to seek their fortunes,” President of Publishing at Zynga Bernard Kim said in the official release. “Giving a brief glimpse of the Arena’s high-stakes, team-based action, this trailer showcases just a few of the dynamic characters inspired by the Star Wars galaxy that fans will experience in the game.”

Star Wars Hunters is an upcoming multiplayer arena combat game set in the Star Wars universe. It was first announced during the February 17 Nintendo Direct as a Nintendo Switch console exclusive. The game will launch on both the Switch and mobile devices in 2022.

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts has brought back skate.Reel, a website that players could access to upload clips of Skate gameplay for the community to see. The original service was shut down back in 2014.

Now that the new site is back up, players can submit clips, screenshots, and fan art that can then be shared with EA’s social channels or on the featured section of the skate.Reel page. In order to do submit an entry, players need an EA account, along with a URL of their creation like a link to a YouTube video. The submission also requires a PSN ID, Xbox Gamertag, or EA ID.

There are also several style options to choose from to indicate what kind of creation the submission is, such as Realistic, Casual, or Offboard. Other well-known Skate community creators including Calplex, Nebula, Skate3Tommy, and KellyLitz have already started sharing content on the new website.

Skate and Skate 3 are available to play on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S via backward compatibility as well as EA Play. Additionally, Skate 3 can be played on PC through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate’s cloud gaming feature.

EA is also working on a new entry in the series. There’s no confirmed release date or platforms yet other than PC for now, which is a first for the series.

Today Plex brought back its annual 20% off discount on the very popular Plex Lifetime Pass. If you’ve built yourself a sizeable digital collection of movies or music, this service is totally worth investing in. For those of you who are looking to upgrade your PS5 internal storage, the WD SN850 solid state drive (with heatsink) is back in stock at the WD Store, with the 500GB and 2TB models cheaper than anywhere else, even Amazon. Last but not least, score a free Newegg gift card when you purchase an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset or its accessories.

20% Off Plex Pass Lifetime Subscription

Plex hosts this offer only once or twice a year, and it’s the best deal you’ll find for a Plex Pass subscription. A lifetime sub normally costs $119.95, so you’d be paying a one time only fee of $95.99 after the discount. Plex is an incredibly useful service that lets you organize your movies, TVs, podcasts, and music from all of your different sources into one centralized location, and then stream them to any of your devices, like your TV, PC, or phone.

New Oculus Quest 2 VR Headset with More Storage, Same Price, and Bonus Newegg Gift Card

The Oculus Quest 2 has so far been the best value when it comes to VR gaming. It’s hundreds of dollars cheaper than its competitors, it has phenomenal tracking, it doesn’t need to be tethered to a PC, and it boasts a huge library of games (even Half Life: Alyx is easily playable on the Quest 2). Now, Oculus has re-released its Oculus Quest 2 VR headset with double the storage (128GB vs 64GB) for the exact same price. There’s even less of a reason now to pick something else. I purchased an Oculus Rift when it first launched, played the heck out of it, and now own a Quest 2. In my opinion, and with price factored in, it’s far and away the best VR headset to get into Beat Saber.

Buy Quest 2 Accessories, Get a Newegg Gift Card

The Oculus Quest 2 is a bargain at $299, and thanks to the low price, you can pick up some very convenient accessories without having to feel like you just stepped out of your budget. Newegg is offering a bonus gift card when you purchase any of the accessories below. That includes the Elite Strap, the Elite Strap with Battery Pack, the Link Cable, and more.

Back in Stock (Including 1TB Model): WD Black SN850 M.2 SSD with Heatsink

The Western Digital official storefront has all models of the SN850 SSD with heatsink in stock right now, and that includes the extremely hard to find 1TB model. This is currently the most popular (and probably the best) SSD to get for your PS5 storage upgrade. It’s blazing fast drive with transfer speeds rated at up to 7,000 MB/s and a PCIe Gen4 interface and it comes preinstalled with a heatsink. It’s also confirmed by Western Digital themselves to be compatible with the PS5.

Apple AirPods Pro Noise-Cancelling Earbuds

If you regret not picking the Airpods Pro up on Amazon Prime Day, here’s your chance to get it today for an even lower price. Today the price of the AirPods Pro has dropped $70, or 28% off. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for a brand new pair of these highly rated earbuds. The AirPods Pro is considered by many to be the best truly wireless noise-cancelling in-ear headphones you can get, and a very big step up in quality from the standard AirPods.

$2,600 Off Lenovo ThinkPad 15″ 4K RTX 3080 Laptop

Update: The ship date listed on Lenovo’s site shows 4+ months, and that seems to be exaggerated. Some buyers have reported receiving their laptops in about 2-3 weeks.

Lenovo ThinkPad laptops are known for their best-in-class ruggedness and reliability, and even if it ever breaks down, Lenovo offers the best customer service in the business. Usually there’s a steep price premium for this. Today, however, this $5000 MSRP laptop is discounted by $2600 thanks to a combination of an instant discount and a new coupon code that popped up today. If you’re looking to purchase a ThinkPad that’s got the power to do some serious gaming, you won’t find a price like this anytime soon.

Dell XPS Intel Core i7 RTX 3060 Ti PC for $1369

Enjoy high end PC gaming on a budget. There is one of the best deals we’ve seen for an RTX 3060 Ti equipped PC and handily beats out a similar deal we saw on Labor Day by over $100. The RTX 3060 Ti is a very powerful video card; it’s better than the previous generation’s RTX 2080! It’s a big upgrade from the 3060 non-Ti model and the one to get if you’re going to play games at resolutions of 1440p or higher. This particular deal is found on the Dell Small Business site, but anyone can purchase there just like on Dell’s regular site; you can treat Dell Small Business as exactly the same as Dell Home.

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.

Video Game Deals

More Daily Deals for September 14

Norm Macdonald, known for his acerbic wit and jabs at conventional comedy, has died. He was 61.

Deadline broke the news that Macdonald died after a nine year battle with cancer, which he has kept largely private. Producing partner and friend Lori Jo Hoekstra told Deadline that he wanted to focus on his comedy.

“He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him,” Hoekstra said. “Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly.”

Comedians and other influential figures on social media quickly paid tribute to Macdonald.

Plus do yourself a favor and pick up @normmacdonald ‘s book. One of the funniest things I’ve ever read. I have only called a handful of funny people a genius, he was one of them. I love you, Norm. RIP, you delightful weirdo.

— Brian Posehn (@thebrianposehn) September 14, 2021

Norm Macdonald was a comedians comedian. One I would listen to in the car at least once a month. His takedown of a school teacher who tried to heckle him will remain comedy gold for the rest of time. RIP Norm 🙁 pic.twitter.com/ymz6nXPcII

— Kidbehindacamera (@Lyricoldrap) September 14, 2021

Of the many addictive rabbit holes you can disappear down on the internet, the most pleasurable is ‘Norm MacDonald chat show appearances’. Thanks for all the laughs Norm, very sorry to see you go. https://t.co/ahxZNRdJEw

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) September 14, 2021

Macdonald is best-known for his stint on Saturday Night Live between 1993 and 1998, where he hosted Weekend Update in an era in which figures like O.J. Simpson and Bill Clinton loomed large. His savage sense of humor and penchant for pushing boundaries won him many fans, among his greatest moments being his utter destruction of ESPN’s Award Show as its host in 1998. That same sense of humor reportedly resulted in his firing from SNL, as he wouldn’t stop insulting O.J. Simpson, much to the reported displeasure of NBC president Don Ohlmeyer.

Outside of Saturday Night Live, Macdonald’s work included appearances in films including Billy Madison and The People vs. Larry Flynt, as well as a recurring role in The Orville as the voice of Yaphit. As recently as last year, Macdonald hosted a YouTube talk show called Quarantined in which he interviewed various celebrities such as Chevy Chase.

Macdonald was born in Quebec, Canada. He is survived among others by Neil Macdonald, a well-known Canadian journalist.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN.

Netflix has added the acclaimed Dark Horse series Grendel to its ever-growing lineup of comic book adaptations. The streamer has greenlit an eight-episode season centered around the comic’s original protagonist, Hunter Rose.

Grendel will be written by Supernatural veteran Andrew Dabb, who is also serving as showrunner and executive producer. The series is also executive produced by Grendel creator Matt Wagner and Dark Horse Entertainment’s Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg and Chris Tongue.

Abubakr Ali (Power: Book II) has been tapped to star as Hunter Rose. A gifted fencer and acclaimed novelist, Rose is driven by a mixture of boredom and vengeance to become a costumed vigilante, before ultimately taking control of the city’s criminal underworld. Jaime Ray Newman (Dopesick) has been cast as Hunter’s mentor Jocasta Rose. Julian Black Antelope plays Hunter’s heroic nemesis, Argent, a centuries-old Native American man transformed into a werewolf.

The Season 1 cast also includes Madeline Zima (Californication) as Liz Sparks, Kevin Corrigan (Scenes from an Empty Church) as Barry Palumbo, Emma Ho (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) as Stacy Palumbo, Erik Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Teddy Ciccone, Brittany Allen (What Keeps You Alive) as Annabelle Wright and Andy Mientus (The Flash) as Andy Stohler.

Grendel originally debuted in 1982’s Comico Primer #2, with Wagner later expanding on his original, unfinished story in the graphic novel Grendel: Devil by the Deed. Since then, the Grendel saga has continued at Dark Horse through various ongoing and limited series, the most recent of which was 2019’s Grendel: Devil’s Odyssey. While the early Grendel tales focus on Hunter Rose’s rise and fall, Wagner’s story often jumps forward in time to explore other characters taking up the Grendel mantle and the the never-ending cycle of violence and aggression Rose leaves in his wake.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled about the Grendel saga, one of the longest-running independent comics series, finally being translated into live-action for the screen,” said Wagner in a statement. “Under the sharp guidance of showrunner Andrew Dabb, our incredible creative team, sure-to-be stellar cast and Dark Horse Entertainment have teamed with Netflix to produce this provocative adaptation that will bring my characters and concepts to an all new audience and yet still provide excitement and surprises for die-hard fans. I’m especially excited to see Abubakr Ali bring the character of Grendel/Hunter Rose to life — he has the charisma, style and vital edginess that I’ve been envisioning in the role for years.”

Grendel marks the latest collaboration between Netflix and Dark Horse. The streamer announced Umbrella Academy: Season 3 in November 2020, and we have some ideas for where the story is headed next. Netflix is also developing an animated adaptation of Stan Sakai’s Usago Yojimbo comics dubbed Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Platinum Games’ Hideki Kamiya (studio creative director) commented on the frenzy and the sky-high prices attached to certain “vintage” video games, expressing understanding but also pointing out the problems obscenely high prices attached to older games causes–it makes it harder for players to experience classic titles, and this is in his view, “holding game culture back.”

In an interview with VGC, Kamiya stated, “As a collector myself, I understand the lure of wanting to have that game in the sealed package,” Kamyia stated. “People want the value of that package and not necessarily of the game itself. But as a fan, it’s a problem if somebody wants to play a game but they can’t get it because it’s being traded in these ridiculous marketplaces.”

He continued, “And the responsibility for keeping those games available belongs to the company that owns the IP. If people want to play a classic game and they can’t, because it’s not available on new platforms and can’t be found in its original form either, that’s like a threat … it’s holding game culture back. The people who own the rights to these games should be actively making moves to preserve game culture and making games available to everyone who wants to play them.”

In the same interview, Kamiya and Platinum Games’ Atsushi Inaba (studio head) covered other ground, including the question they both probably expected: Any Bayonetta updates? Short answer: No.

It largely sounds out of Inaba and Kamiya’s hands on what Bayonetta details–including an approximate timeline–they can reveal. Kamiya commented, ” … If you remember last time, I said that even though everyone was asking about Bayonetta 3, maybe you should tell everyone to forget about it for a while. I kind of need to keep to that stance for now because ultimately, it’s not our decision what to say and when to say it.”

In other Bayonetta 3 news, original Bayonetta voice actress Hellena Taylor gave a pretty indirect, sort-of, comment on her involvement in the upcoming game. In response to a fan saying that they could not imagine anybody else voicing Bayonetta, Taylor replied, “Well you might have to.” Asked to further clarify, Taylor responded, “I’m not at liberty to say.” She later replied to another tweet asking about her involvement in the project, stating “I so wanna answer that one but I’m bound by confidentiality agreement.”

Sol Cresta–a retro vertical shooter–is Platinum Games’ next big release and will launch on December 9. It will retail for $40 and be available on PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.