Sony’s PlayStation division is considering the possibility of mergers and acquisitions as it looks ahead to the future of PlayStation 5. The comment came from PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, who hinted at the strategy as one way Sony could grow its first-party studio output.
Ryan told Reuters that the company plans to grow its studios organically, but added that “where we can bolster our in-house capability with selective M&A [mergers and acquisitions] that might be possible.”
In the same interview, Ryan said that the company is seeing “very considerable” demand, but is aiming to get enough stock on store shelves to meet that demand. He said that it’s possible that some people who want to buy on launch day won’t be able to find it.
Sony could be eyeing the acquisition strategy as it seeks to more directly compete with Microsoft, which has had a series of high-profile acquisitions in the last few years. In 2018 alone, Microsoft acquired Ninja Theory, Playground Games, Undead Labs, Compulsion Games, inXile, and Oblivion. In 2019 it acquired Double Fine, and most recently it acquired the entire ZeniMax/Bethesda portfolio. All of this seems aimed at making its first-party offerings–and its Game Pass subscription service–a force to be reckoned with.
Sony has been less quick to snatch up studios. Its latest high-profile acquisition was in 2019, when it purchased Insomniac, the studio behind the Ratchet & Clank series and Spider-Man.
Sony is coming out with a new line of 4K UHD Blu-rays aimed at PlayStation 5 owners. Called the “PS5 4K Movie Essentials” line, it contains reissues of movies Sony thinks gamers are likely to enjoy. And judging by the picks, Sony is probably right. You’ll find new editions of films like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Venom, Baby Driver, Hellboy, and more. We have Amazon links for the whole line below.
Amazon has them listed with December 1 release dates, and the majority of them are going for $30.99. All of the movies come with a 4K UHD disc, plus a standard Blu-ray disc and a digital copy of the movie. If you place a preorder and the price comes down before release, you’ll only have to pay the lowest price it drops to, even if it goes back up.
Also of potential interest to anyone getting a PS5 or Xbox Series X in the near(ish) future, a whole mess of great movies and TV series are coming out in the fourth quarter of this year. Here’s a look at some of the most exciting upcoming collections.
Amazon is having a 1-day sale today on Seagate external hard drives. Score a 5TB portable drive for under $100 or a massive 10TB desktop drive for under $170. You can use these for your PC or for the next generation consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X. For Nintendo Switch gamers, there’s an excellent deal on a Samsung MicroSDXC card as well.
Seagate Backup Plus 5TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive for $98.49
PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X Compatible
This diminutive yet spacious drive can increase your storage capacity for your PC, PS4, or Xbox One. It will also be compatible with the upcoming PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles. Portable drives are completed USB powered so there’s no second power cable required. They’re also much smaller than standard external drives and performance-wise they are equally capable.
The Switch only comes with 32GB of onboard storage. Increase your storage capacity 8-fold for under $30. For most people this card alone is more than enough capacity. This is a faster U3 card compared to other budget cards (which are U1) so it’s good for smartphones and GoPros as well.
______________________________ Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends roughly 1/4 of his income on stuff he posts. Check out his latest Daily Deals Article and subscribe to his IGN Deals Newsletter.
Cyberpunk 2077 will be delayed again by 21 days, with a new release date set for December 10, 2020.
CD Projekt Red announced the news in a statement on Twitter citing the immense task of shipping Cyberpunk 2077 across nine consoles and two generations of hardware.
CD Projekt Red has announced that Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed by 21 days and will now launch on December 10. It was originally set for release on November 19 but, according to a statement from studio execs Adam Badowski and Marcin Iwinski, shipping the game on PS4/Pro, Xbox One/X, and PC, alongside next-gen versions for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Stadia has been a challenge, especially under work from home conditions.
“Since Cyberpunk 2077 evolved towards almost being a next-gen title somewhere along the way, we need to make sure everything works well and every version runs smoothly,” the statement continues. “We’re aware it might seem unrealistic when someone says that 21 days can make any difference in such a massive and complex game, but they really do.”
The pair also clarified that recent news that the game had gone gold doesn’t mean work on the game was complete, as the team is able to continue refining the experience. The time the studio had allotted to doing this post-certification work is what was miscalculated, thus resulting in the delay. You can read the full statement from Badowski and Iwinski below.
“These last 6 weeks are our final sprint on a project we’ve all spent much of our lives on,” Badowski wrote. “Something we care for deeply. The majority of the team understands that push, especially in light of the fact that we’ve just sent the game to cert and every day brings us visibly closer to shipping a game we want to be proud of.”
It is expected that, like many games, Cyberpunk 2077 will have a day-one patch but CDPR hasn’t confirmed what to expect in it. Although the game will be playable on Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5, it won’t be native to those consoles. CDPR has promised free upgrades are coming for the new consoles, but has not set a release target for those versions.
“Today, we’ve decided to move the release date of Cyberpunk 2077 by 21 days. The new release date is December 10th. Most likely, there are many emotions and questions in your heads, so, first and foremost, please accept our humble apologies.
The biggest challenge for us right now is shipping the game on current-gen, next-gen, and PC at the same time, which requires us to prepare and test 9 versions of it (Xbox One/X, compatibility on Xbox Series S|X, PS4/Pro, compatibility on PS5, PC, Stadia)…while working from home. Since Cyberpunk 2077 evolved towards almost being a next-gen title somewhere along the way, we need to make sure everything works well and every version runs smoothly. We’re aware it might seem unrealistic when someone says that 21 days can make any difference in such a massive and complex game, but they really do.
Some of you might also be wondering what these words mean in light of us saying we achieved gold master some time ago. Passing certification, or ‘going gold,’ means that the game is ready, can be completed, and has all content in it. But it doesn’t mean we stop working on it and raising the quality bar. On the contrary, this is the time where many improvements are being made which will then be distributed via a Day 0 patch. This is the time period we undercalculated.
We feel we have an amazing game on our hands and are willing to make every decision, even the hardest ones, if it ultimately leads to you getting a video game you’ll fall in love with.”
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It’s like Sacha Baron Cohen and Borat never went away. Despite his Kazakh journalist character’s 14-year absence, Borat is now seemingly everywhere–or at least being discussed almost everywhere–since the runway to the recently released Amazon Prime sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Without a doubt, one of the biggest sources of controversies surrounding the movie is presidential lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s appearance in the film. If you still haven’t seen it, all you really need to know is that the former New York City mayor is pretty skeezy in it and unaware he’s being pranked.
In an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Cohen (as himself) shares behind-the-scenes details into what really went down with Giuliani. In response to fans who were skeptical about Borat’s ability to leave, then suddenly reappear at opportune (read: misopportune) moments to push Giuliani over the edge, Cohen told Colbert that throughout the scene he was waiting in a “hideaway” in a closet in the hotel room where the infamous scene took place. It seemed like the scene might not work out when, Cohen explains, Giuliani brought an ex-policeman in to do a sweep before sitting outside “ensuring that no one could come in and out.”
But even more harrowing, Cohen explained, was the fact that when in the hideaway, there was a basic logistical issue that could have sabotaged their planned sabotage–when in hiding, the only way Cohen had to be updated on what was happening elsewhere in the suite was via text messages from the director. But when Cohen got into the closet and turned on his phone, he learned he had 3% battery life.
“Hold on, we’ve got Rudy Giuliani. We’ve got the president’s lawyer. We’ve got this scene–this is the climax of the movie–and no one thought it might be worth charging the phone,” Cohen said.
When asked if he had any response for President Trump’s comments that Cohen is a “creep” and a phony,” he replied: “Well, I’m sure when he was hanging out with his good friend Jeffrey Epstein, they probably spent a lot of time talking about how creepy I am.”
Super Mario 3D All-Stars might feature two beloved classics featuring everyone’s favorite Italian plumber–as well as Super Mario Sunshine–but the collection has attracted controversy since its announcement. Now, Nintendo has announced that players will have the option of inverting camera controls in all three of the collection’s games, Super Mario 64, Galaxy, and Sunshine starting on November 16.
Inverted camera controls weren’t included in any of the original versions of the games, but have become a standard option in many 3D games since their release. Since Super Mario 3D All-Stars was ostensibly intended as an updated collection of these games, the lack of customizable camera controls was noticeable. Many players have complained about grappling with the primitive camera controls of Super Mario 64 in particular, which were designed prior to the advent of stick-based camera control. Poor Lakitu.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars also garnered criticism for Nintendo’s decision to make the game only available for digital purchase through March 31, 2021, as well as the lack of extra features compared to simply playing the games in a high-end PC emulator. The lack of Super Mario Galaxy 2 was also noted. While most agree that these are great games that stand the test of time, compared to flashier remakes like the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, it becomes apparent that Nintendo isn’t necessarily interested in updating the look of these games to take advantage of newer hardware.
In GameSpot’s Super Mario 3D All-Stars review, critic Kevin Knezevic called the game a fitting tribute to Mario’s durable legacy.
“Taken all together, Mario 3D All-Stars is a worthwhile collection, featuring the best versions of Mario 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy to appear on a Nintendo system,” he wrote. “Although the individual games have been sparingly touched up and there’s little in the way of ancillary material to pore over, the titles themselves hold up well and are a delight to revisit. Despite their age, the games are still rife with inventive ideas and surprises, which more than makes up for the collection’s presentational shortcomings.”
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Batman: Three Jokers has been busy exploring one of the more significant twists to hit the Batman franchise in years – Batman’s discovery that there are three Jokers active in the DC Universe. That strange case finally comes to a close in Three Jokers #3. But what is the true secret of the Three Jokers, and how will this mystery impact the Batman line going forward?
Read on for a full breakdown of the Three Jokers finale, but beware of full spoilers ahead!
As issue #3 opens, only two of the original three Jokers are left standing, after Jason Todd executed “The Clown,” the Joker who left him for dead back in 1988’s Batman: A Death in the Family. The remaining two Jokers, The Golden Age-inspired “The Criminal” and “The Comedian” of Batman: The Killing Joke fame, are ready to carry out their final plan. They’ve kidnapped Joe Chill and brought him to the abandoned movie theater where the Waynes were killed, all with the intent of submerging him in toxic chemicals and creating the ultimate Joker.
Art by Jason Fabok. (Image Credit: DC)
As The Criminal explains, he wants Joker to mean something more to Batman. Rather than be an agent of chaos with no defined past or motivations, The Criminal wants to create a Joker who’s fundamentally linked to Batman. The ultimate Joker is the Joker who took Bruce Wayne’s family away and started him on the path to being Batman.
That’s the plan, anyway. Batman is able to rescue Chill from falling into the chemicals and apprehend The Criminal. But just as it seems the three Jokers’ plan has been foiled, The Criminal is betrayed by his own partner-in-crime. The Comedian shoots him through the head, leaving only one Joker left standing.
Joker vs. Joker
Even though The Criminal seemed to be the ringleader of the three Jokers, it turns out The Comedian has been manipulating his “brothers” all along. He doesn’t want Joker to be someone whom Batman knows and despises on a personal level. However, he does want Joker to matter more to Batman than anyone else.
The Comedian’s true goal in all of this was to arrange a reconciliation between Batman and Joe Chill. During his investigation, Batman discovers a series of unfinished letters Chill attempted to write to Bruce Wayne, apologizing for his crimes and admitting he only killed the Waynes because he was jealous of their wealth and privilege. Only later did Chill come to realize how much Thomas and Martha had done to help Gotham’s downtrodden citizens. Batman also saves Chill’s life more than once during the course of issue #3, even accepting Chill’s gratitude and finally putting aside years of hatred and trauma. With no childhood villain left to demonize, Batman can now focus all of his attention on his real enemy – The Joker.
Art by Jason Fabok. (Image Credit: DC)
For now, The Comedian is content to return to Arkham Asylum and plot his next escape. Bruce later pays a visit to a terminally ill Chill, accepting his apology and allowing Chill to die in peace.
This is a stark change from how Chill’s story arc is usually depicted in the various Batman comics. Traditionally, his story ends when a young Batman confronts Chill and reveals his identity. A distraught Chill flees, raving to his compatriots that he was the one who created Batman. In response, they murder Chill as punishment for creating this new scourge of the underworld. In one version, Batman himself stalks Chill until the psychologically battered criminal finally takes his own life. Three Jokers seeks to give Joe Chill a much happier ending, one in keeping with the series’ larger theme of overcoming trauma.
By the end, it seems the usual Batman/Joker status quo is restored. There’s only one Joker again, and the Bat-family is seemingly no closer to uncovering his true identity. But that’s not actually true. In a heartfelt conversation with Alfred, Batman reveals his deepest and most carefully guarded secret – he knows The Comedian’s identity. In fact, it only took him one week to solve that seemingly impossible riddle.
Here the series references the flashback storyline from Batman: The Killing Joke, which suggested Joker was originally a chemist and failed comedian who turned to crime after his pregnant wife was killed in a freak accident. While The Killing Joke is intentionally ambiguous about whether that backstory is real or just a figment of Joker’s deranged imagination, Three Jokers suggests it did actually happen.
Art by Jason Fabok. (Image Credit: DC)
But as it turns out, Joker’s wife never died in that accident. Fearful of raising a child in an abusive home, she turned to her friends in the GCPD for help. They helped her flee Gotham and fed her husband a fake story about a baby bottle warmer accident to mask her trail. Joker’s wife and son have been living in Alaska all this time, happy and free from his long shadow.
Unfortunately, we never actually learn Joker’s real name (though the initials “JW” can be seen monogrammed on his wife’s suitcase). As Batman reminds Alfred, Joker’s identity was never important. Sharing his name or the existence of his family only puts an innocent mother and son in danger, which is why Batman has never told even his closest allies.
It’s important to remember that while Three Jokers seemingly cements the possible origin story introduced in The Killing Joke, the origins of the other two Jokers remain shrouded in mystery. Nor is it clear which of these three villains was the original Joker. In many ways, Joker remains as mysterious as ever despite having a more tangible origin.
Art by Jason Fabok. (Image Credit: DC)
In another secret identity-related surprise, we also learn Commissioner Gordon knows his daughter is Batgirl. This is another plot point that’s always been fairly vague in past stories, but Batgirl specifically refers to Gordon as “Dad” when driving away and shrugging off his pleas to stay away from Red Hood.
At this point you may be wondering how Three Jokers will impact the larger Batman franchise. Will the reveal that Batman knows the Joker’s true identity play into their next confrontation, one that’s already being teased in the aftermath of Joker War? Is Three Jokers even taking place in the traditional DC Universe?
There’s no denying the series has a fairly nebulous place in DC continuity. Even writer Geoff Johns and DC’s editorial staff have downplayed the book’s connection to the larger Batman line. Though the original Three Jokers reveal happened in 2016’s Justice League #50 and DC Universe Rebirth #1, the twist hasn’t really been referenced anywhere else since, even as Batman and Joker have had several major battles in stories like Dark Nights: Metal and Joker War. Three Jokers doesn’t necessarily align with current Batman continuity, either in terms of the costumes being worn or the fact that Alfred is still alive. It’s also published under the DC Black Label imprint, which tends to focus on standalone, continuity-free stories.
Art by Jason Fabok. (Image Credit: DC)
That all being said, the ending to Three Jokers is very true to the Joker himself. It’s malleable and ambiguous enough that the series could either be part of official Batman lore or simply a standalone, alternate universe tale. It’s really up to future creators to decide if they want to reference the events of Three Jokers, like Red Hood’s act of murder and the fact that Batman knows his worst enemy’s true name. The fact that he’s been hiding that secret all along is a joke greater than anything the Joker himself could ever manage.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
Critical Role, the company behind the beloved livestreamed D&D show, has branched out in numerous ways over the last year, and is doing so yet again with a brand new board and card game publishing brand, Darrington Press.
Darrington Press, of course sharing a name with Sam Riegel’s Taryon Darrington from the Vox Machina campaign, is set to launch four new games in 2021, one a quarter, with a host of game types and themes planned. Some games will be set within the world of Exandria, the home to Critical Role’s campaigns, while others will stretch outside that established world. Darrington Press will be run by Ivan Van Norman, and creative advisor (and Critical Role CCO and Game Master) Matthew Mercer.
Here’s a breakdown of all four newly announced games:
Uk’otoa
(Q1 2021) is the first game from Darrington Press, and will cost $29.99 and be recommended for 3 – 5 players, ages 12+.
Featuring estimated 30-45 minute gameplay sessions, Uk’otoa is “A battle for life and death on the high Lucidian seas! This flagship title from Darrington Press is a tactical game of semi-cooperative card play as factions of sailors vie to be the last claimed by the raging sea leviathan Uk’otoa. As the ship slowly falls into the ocean, you’ll have to run, push, and sacrifice others to win! Fans of Critical Role know Uk’otoa as the ex-patron of warlock Fjord (played by Travis Willingham). Who could say whether these tales hold any truth? Fjord isn’t telling.” The game was created by Jeb Haven (Burrows, Mother Sheep, You Don’t Know My Life!), with additional game design by Gabriel Hicks (Roll20, Paizo, Mythic Grove), art by Critter Hannah Friederichs, as well as Uk’otoa Sculpt by Niklas Norman (Runewars, Imperial Assault, Fallout: The Board Game) and layout by Vee Hendro (Good Society: A Jane Austen RPG, Visigoths vs Mall Goths, and Lost Roads).
Speaking to IGN via email, Ivan Van Norman, the head of Darrington Press, explained that Jeb Havens’ idea for the game concept actually came about long ago, and the two finally found an ideal home for it in Critical Role.
“I was holding onto the game design that would become Uk’otoa for years, as I first found the game when I was going to Google Game Nights and met Jeb Havens there (fun fact: originally the sea monster was a giant squid). Jeb had been playing this game with his co-workers for a while, and I loved it so much we made a deal shortly afterwards to let me pursue the opportunity of making it a game,” Van Norman said. ‘Years later, when we started talking about the games in our first lineup, I brought up this concept to both Matt and our development team – and before the pitch was even out of my mouth we all collectively said ‘Uk’otoa!’ After everyone had a chance to play it, it was a done deal from there.”
As for why it’s the first game in the linup, Van Norman said “It’s a quick-to-play, tactical card game that spotlights an amazing character in the world of Critical Role, but still serves a very relatable theme (giant sea serpent smashing boats and eating sailors) for gamers. It really does help us give people a taste of the world, while at the same time providing a fun game that Critters (and non-Critters) can play with their friends and family.
“Also, who doesn’t want to paint a 52mm sea serpent miniature for their games?”
Critical Role Adventures
Critical Role Adventures (Q2 2021) is the second game from Darrington Press and will put players in the shoes of Vox Machina themselves. The official description reads: “Embark on your own journey through Exandria with Critical Role Adventures! Play as the upstart adventurers Vox Machina and overcome treacherous challenges. This cooperative legacy-lite campaign game uses a unique narrative social, and combat mechanic, luring you back session after session. Within this enormous box, you’ll find a host of hidden treasures and a rich storybook to guide you through thrilling combat, dynamic character growth, and tales worthy of the name Vox Machina.”
Van Norman explained that CRA is still “heavily in development” and so not too much can be said about what players can expect beyond the announcement info. But he did confirm that “the focus will be on exploring new stories, instead of just ‘playing through Campaign I.'” And as for replayability, Van Norman said “As a legacy lite game, we want folks to both have a narrative rewarding playthrough, but also feel comfortable playing with a new group of friends should they want to.”
Syndicult
Syndicult (Q3 2021) is “an original modern magic roleplaying game designed by Matthew Mercer in which mob families jealously guard secrets and battle it out for power on the city streets. Featuring a simple storytelling dice mechanic, Syndicult is a low magic world where all bets are off.”
Van Norman said Syndicult will mark the first game outside of Exandria for Darrington Press, but it is “still within the comfortable, familiar mind of Matthew Mercer.”
Guardians of Matrimonia
Guardians of Matrimonia (Q4 2021) “is a cooperative card game where players have pre-built decks that are pitted against a deck of monsters (party crashers). If your deck runs out, everyone loses. But if you battle your way through the entire party crasher deck, everyone wins!”
Welcome to IGN Unfiltered, our monthly interview series where we sit down with the best, brightest, and most fascinating minds in the video game industry. (Catch up on the other 50-plus episodes here.) My guest this month is Brian Raffel, cofounder of Raven Software, makers of this year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War campaign plus a legion of other beloved games such as Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Heretic, Hexen, and more. Brian discusses starting Raven with his brother in Wisconsin, partnering with Doom creators id Software early on, and subsequently working with giant pop culture brands like Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, and Call of Duty. Raven is the lead developer on the single-player campaign in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which will be released on November 13.
Check out the full episode in the video above, but if you’d prefer to listen to the hour-long interview, here’s an audio-only podcast download link. One way or the other I hope you’ll check out the interview!
Here’s a preview clip, in which Raffel discusses the studio being back in the driver’s seat on Black Ops Cold War after serving as a Call of Duty support studio for the previous decade:
And if you missed it, here’s the previous episode of Unfiltered, in which The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley discusses his life covering the video game industry:
Catch up on every episode of IGN Unfiltered here, including conversations with Bethesda game director Todd Howard, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, former PlayStation boss Jack Tretton, Journey creator Jenova Chen, Halo boss Bonnie Ross, and many more!
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.
