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Valheim‘s first big content update will expand your options when building the ultimate Viking purgatory residence, adding new features and objects for developing your bases in the open-world survival game. It’s called Hearth and Home, and it’s specifically aimed at base improvements, as well as adjustments to food that should make survival in the wilds of Valheim a little more practical.

Since Valheim has racked up some six million players, developer Iron Gate Studio has said it’s mostly focused on bug fixes, and the massive influx of players has been more than the developer anticipated. But right now, there are four big updates planned for the game, with Hearth and Home being the first. Here’s everything we know about it so far.

Valheim Hearth And Home Release Date

Back in February, Iron Gate released a roadmap of planned additions for Valheim that are coming to the game as it continues in Early Access. That roadmap includes several updates for 2021, the first being Hearth and Home. The roadmap doesn’t include firm dates, but given that Hearth and Home was the first on the list, we can probably expect it sooner rather than later.

The question is how much bug-fixing work Iron Gate feels the need to do. Like the rest of the games industry, the team is also working from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which might contribute to the time it takes for the new update to get out. That said, Iron Gate had ambitious plans for Valheim in early access, with multiple updates slated for this year, so it seems likely we won’t have to wait long for Hearth and Home to come to the game.

What Hearth And Home Entails

Valheim’s first update is focused on base-building. While players have already created some huge and impressive Viking strongholds, but Iron Gate is looking to expand on all those capabilities in a number of ways. We don’t have exact details about what the update will entail, but the developer has said the major push is to add more crafting assets for houses. That means you can likely expect more building materials, more kinds of walls, doors, floors, roofs, and more decorations for inside your buildings. Iron Gate also told PC Gamer that the intention is to add “more stuff to do in and around your house,” which will be a nice addition given that right now, you can really only sit, sleep, or craft in your base.

Iron Gate has also said that Hearth and Home will focus on food. Expect food to be rebalanced and more food to be added, which should give more solid combinations to keep you alive in the field and give you specific buffs, like stamina regeneration. There could also be new cooking stations to go with the new materials. Again, Iron Gate hasn’t given us much in the way of details, but we know the update will give you more things for your home, so expecting to do more cooking for more specific buffs seems reasonable.

What’s After Hearth And Home?

Valheim’s roadmap is very thin on details, but we can get a sense of what else is slated for 2021 based on the names of each expansion. Here they are, in order:

• Update 1: Hearth and Home
• Update 2: Cult of the Wolf
• Update 3: Ships and the Sea
• Update 4: New Biome — Mistlands

Updates 1, 3, and 4 are pretty clear, at least thematically, so we can expect more to do on the oceans (and probably more scary monsters to face) and a new biome to explore, with all the resources, crafting upgrades, and enemies that entails. Update 2 is the one that leaves the most to speculation–Cult of the Wolf could pertain to things like Wolf armor, or it could lean into the taming system that already lets you turn wolves into your pets and combat companions.

In addition to those four major updates, the roadmap includes some other improvements that could come to the game “if Odin wills it.” These are:

• Multiplayer interactions
• Combat improvements
• Moon phases
• Tarpits
• Vendor inventory expansion
• Svartalfr brigands
• More unique locations
• Sandbox mode
• Munin (which is Odin’s other raven)

With more than six million players having bought into Valheim, one assumes most of these upgrades are probably on the table.

We’ll continue to update this article as more information about Hearth and Home becomes available. With so many Vikings flooding into Valheim, though, it seems likely there won’t be long to wait for the first early access expansion.

This is a review of the Season 1 premiere of The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, which is currently available to stream on Disney+.

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It’s been almost 30 years since Minnesota’s favorite youth hockey team first skated into our hearts with its compelling underdog story that’s deeply relatable, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartwarming. Now, Disney+ hopes to recapture all of those “good feels” from the ’90s with its updated take on the franchise, titled The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. In the series premiere, co-creators Steven Brill, Josh Goldsmith, and Cathy Yuspa manage to successfully balance the series’ corny charm with real moments of tenderness and heart.

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If this is your first time watching something set in The Mighty Ducks universe, the first episode does a solid job of explaining its legacy through exposition that’s not overly drawn out. Throughout the three films in the ’90s, The Mighty Ducks were the up-and-coming team who had to prove that they were worthy of competing against the very best young hockey players the world had to offer. Jump ahead a few decades to the series premiere of Game Changers, and the Ducks are now a hockey powerhouse, winning 10 State Championships in a row.

This intriguing twist on the franchise’s narrative offers a unique point of view on the Ducks, who are now (at least in the first episode) perceived as the oppressors, with a win-at-all-costs mentality. Most of the story is told through the lens of Brady Noon’s Evan Morrow who, after getting cut by the Ducks, decides to build a team of misfits with the help of his mom, Alex (played by Parenthood and Gilmore Girls’ Lauren Graham). While the overarching story isn’t completely original, it differentiates itself enough from the original films to make it worth the watch.

And like its big-screen predecessors, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers has a dynamic cast of kids with refreshing personalities. One of my favorites from the premiere is Luke Islam’s Koob. He’s a homebody who would rather stay in his family’s basement playing video games than go outside and engage with people. However, he’s also blessed with lightning-fast reflexes that make him an ideal goalie for the team. There’s also De-Jon Watts’ Sam, an aspiring daredevil who loves taking risks but doesn’t enjoy following the rules.

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The premiere adequately serves its purpose in getting the viewer acquainted with the world and its characters as Evan builds his team, but we don’t get a lot of hockey during its 38-minute runtime. This is by no means a deal-breaker, especially since there are still nine more episodes for plenty of action-packed Ice Capades to feast our eyes on. If anything, the series premiere plays everything a bit too safe with its tried-and-true underdog formula.

Returning Mighty Ducks alum Gordon Bombay (portrayed once again by Emilio Estevez) is more of a secondary character in the first episode, playing the owner of a decrepit hockey rink. Bombay has no interest in coaching Evan’s team, but we don’t yet know the reason why. Estevez is (as always) solid in his portrayal of the ex-pro hockey player, but I really wanted him to be more grouchy and callous (a la Mark Hamill’s Luke in The Last Jedi). Still, I am looking forward to seeing how his relationship with Alex (Evan’s Mom) evolves as the season progresses. Will they pursue something romantic, or just be friends? Time will tell.

While the characters are entertaining to watch, the show still feels a bit like it’s stuck in the ’90s. Where Netflix’s excellent Cobra Kai reboot found a way to bring its 35-year-old story into the present by discussing complex adult family dynamics and the redemption of a seemingly washed-up high school bully, Game Changers never quite feels like there’s really anything at stake. Its sweetness and innocence deftly pulls on the heartstrings, but the series is missing some much-needed tension (for now) to make Game Changers stand out from similar underdog stories.

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Welcome back to Game Scoop!, IGN’s weekly video game podcast. This week your Omega Cops — Daemon Hatfield, Sam Claiborn, Justin Davis, and Mark Medina — are discussing the latest Nintendo Switch Pro rumors, the Ghost of Tsushima movie, favorite video game easter eggs, and more. And, of course, they play Video Game 20 Questions.

Watch the video above or hit the link below to your favorite podcast service.

Listen on:

Apple Podcasts

YouTube

Spotify

Stitcher

 

Find previous episodes here!

A pair of top Apex Legends ranked players, or Apex Predators per the game’s tier system, have been banned by developer Respawn Entertainment for DDoSing an Xbox server.

A couple of videos hit the Apex Legends subreddit that showed an in-progress game crash after an Apex Predator was knocked down. When the server reconnected, the knocked Apex Predator was revived and standing over the player responsible. The fourth and sixth ranked players in the match were then accused of colluding and performing the “distributed denial of service” (DDoS) attack that overloaded the Xbox servers.

The usernames of the Apex Legends players have not been revealed, but the two have been banned, according to Respawn security analyst Conor “Hideouts” Ford

It also seems DDoSing is rampant in Apex Legends on consoles. Some users report frequent attacks that result in timed penalties and a loss of reputation points due to server disconnects.

Respawn has responded by prepping a “console reckoning” for those who perform DDoS attacks in Apex Legends. Ford said on Twitter that cheaters “can’t hide any” of the DDoS attacks they participated in.

In other Apex Legends news, Respawn brought heat shields back with a nerf to fast-healing. Elsewhere, the studio has added an option that once again lets players more easily inspect their weapon mid-match.

Microsoft’s ID@Xbox event on Friday featured a great many independent games–in total, the company showed off more than 60 games that are coming Xbox and PC in the future. More than 20 of these are launching day one on Xbox Game Pass.

If you missed the broadcast or need to catch up, a selection of 50+ games is below. The list includes higher-profile games like Among Us from developer Innersloth and the new D&D game Dark Alliance from Wizards of the Coast and Tuque Games. STALKER 2 is also on the list, as is the intriguing-looking top-down interactive thriller 12 Minutes from Annapurna.

This was the first ID@Xbox showcase from Microsoft and its streaming partner Twitch. Microsoft said it will share more details on these games and others later in 2021 and beyond. Outside of indie games, Microsoft will host some kind of news event this summer where it will talk about its own upcoming games and new projects from its recently acquired studio, Bethesda.

All The ID@Xbox Games From March 26 Event

• Adios (Mischief)
• Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield (Headup Games)
• Airport for Aliens Run By Dogs (Strange Scaffold)
• Alba: A Wildlife Adventure (Plug In Digital, ustwo games)
• Alchemic Cutie (PM Studios, Viridian Software, Vakio)
• Among Us (Innersloth)
• Art of Rally (Funselektor)
• Astria Ascending (Dear Villagers, Artisan Studio)
• Atrio: The Dark Wild (Isto)
• Blaster Master Zero (IntiCreates)
• Chivalry 2 (Koch Media, Tripwire Interactive, Torn Banner Studios)
• Cloud Gardens (Noio Games)
• Clouzy! (TinyMoon)
• Craftopia (Pocketpair )
• Dark Alliance (Wizards of the Coast, Tuque Games, ForwardXP)
• Death’s Door (Devolver Digital, Acid Nerve)
• Demon Turf (Fabraz)
• Despelote (solimporta)
• Echo Generation (Cococucumber)
• Enlisted (Gaijin Distribution, Darkflow Software)
• Exo One (Future Friends Games, Exbleative)
• Exomecha (TwistedRed, Nail AKINCI)
• Griftlands (Klei Entertainment, Skymap Games)
• Hello Neighbor 2 (tinyBuild)
• Iron Corbo: Kung Fu Janitor (2DOS Games )
• Knight Squad 2 (Chainsawesome Games)
• Lake (Whitethorn, Gamious)
• Last Oasis (Snail Games, Donkey Crew)
• Lawn Mowing Sim (Curve Digital)
• Little Witch in the Woods (SKT, Sunny Side Up)
• Loot River (straka.studio)
• Lost Eidolons (Ocean Drive Studio)
• Mad Streets (Craftshop Arts)
• Moonglow Bay (Coatsink Software, Bunnyhug)
• Narita Boy (Team17, Studio Koba)
• Nobody Saves the World (Drinkbox Studios)
• Omno (Studio Inkyfox)
• Onsen Master (Whitethorn, WakingOni)
• Princess Farmer (Whitethorn, Samobee Games)
• Rust (Double11, Facepunch Studios)
• Second Extinction (Systemic Reaction)
• Song of Iron (Escape)
• Soup Pot (Chikon Club, Chryse)
• Spaceline Crew (Coffeenauts)
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (GSC Gameworld)
• Super Space Club (GrahamOfLegend)
• The Ascent (Curve Digital, Neon Giant)
• The Big Con (Skybound Games, Mighty Yell Studios)
• The Forest Cathedral (Whitethorn, Wakefield Interactive)
• The Last Stop (Annapurna Interactive, Variable State)
• The Riftbreaker (Exor Studios)
• The Wild at Heart (Humble Bundle, Moonlight Kids)
• Twelve Minutes (Annapurna Interactive, Luis Antonio)
• Voidtrain (HypeTrain Digital, Nearga)
• We are the Caretakers (Heart Shaped Games)

Katana Zero is still getting its free DLC, but the project has grown dramatically in scope according to its developer.

In a new blog post, Katana Zero creator Askiisoft explained that the size of the DLC for the 2D action game has grown by six times, with the entire thing about half as long as the original game. This has delayed the release of the DLC a bit, the blog goes on to confirm that the content is locked and won’t be expanding any further.

“The game is progressing at a healthy pace, and the whole dev team is working full steam on production,” the post reads. “The DLC won’t be expanding anymore either–the plan is set and now we’re focused on finishing it.”

Despite the increase in scope, the DLC will remain free for all Katana Zero players as initially promised. There’s also a tease of what will be included, with some first looks at new weapons that will allow the assassin to carve through enemies with a plasma blaster or return shot to them with a robotic gravity arm. Both look like slick additions to the fast-paced hack and slash action of the original adventure.

Katana Zero is out on PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch and is as fast as it is clever. Like Hotline Miami, Katana Zero puts you in incredibly dangerous scenarios where one mistake will get you killed, challenging you to intelligently dispatch enemies with dexterous attacks. Our 8/10 Katana Zero review reads, “Katana Zero is bloody and brutal, but it’s also a heartfelt tale that you shouldn’t overlook lightly.”