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Microsoft shocked the gaming world this week with the announcement it had acquired ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda, in a $7.5 billion cash deal. The move adds eight more studios to Xbox’s first-party portfolio, including Bethesda Game Studios (The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and the upcoming Starfield), id Software (Doom), Arkane (Prey, Dishonored), MachineGames (Wolfenstein), Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within), and more.

There is a lot to digest here, both about the immediate deal itself as well as the short- and long-term fallout (yes, pun intended). For now, though, in the immediate wake of the announcement, here are my five big takeaways, thoughts, and questions.

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The Elder Scrolls 6 (Among Others) Might Be an Xbox Exclusive Now

We do know that the previously announced deals for timed PS5 exclusivity on Arkane’s Deathloop and Tango’s Tokyo Ghostwire will be honored, but beyond that, Microsoft will have a lot of options. Take The Elder Scrolls VI, the next game from Todd Howard and his team at Bethesda Game Studios following Starfield, which was revealed in 2018 and is expected in either late 2021 or sometime in 2022. While it’s technically been announced, nothing about it is known, let alone set in stone. Microsoft could opt to hold onto it forever as a console exclusive. Or it could make it a timed exclusive and release it on PS5 a year later. Or it could just make it multiplatform from the jump and offer the day-one Game Pass incentive for Xbox players. Odds are Microsoft will choose the most lucrative path – it’s got a $7.5 billion expenditure to recoup, after all – and there’s a case to be made either way. Microsoft could use The Elder Scrolls, already one of the biggest franchises in gaming, as a massive carrot to dangle at the end of the stick for players not yet in the Xbox ecosystem, particularly given that by the time Elder Scrolls 6 releases, it will have been more than a decade since Skyrim. Or it could just put it out on PS5, which is certain to have a very large installed base, and reap a publisher’s cut of every copy sold there. It’s going to be fascinating to see how it all unfolds.

Todd Howard Is Probably Contractually Locked-in

Executive Producer at Bethesda Game Studios Todd Howard was no doubt already making an excellent living at Bethesda, and deservedly so given his accomplishments. He’s also been an employee for 25 years. And while Bethesda was a private company up until now, it’s possible that Howard has equity in the company, given both his tenure and his stature. If so, he stands to make a lot of money out of this. Like, “F*** it, I’m going to go buy an island and live on the beach forever” kind of money. Odds are, this acquisition specifically locks Howard (and possibly some other senior creatives) in for a minimum number of years, with possible escalator payouts in place the longer they stick around as newly minted Microsoft employees. Simply put, Microsoft won’t want him to leave immediately. He is an immense part of BGS’s value to Microsoft. We seemingly saw something similar back when BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk both left their studio exactly five years after EA acquired it. Hopefully, Howard still wants to continue making games, but I’d set a reminder in your calendar for five years from now to see if we see a similar retirement announcement from him.

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Did This Deal Come About After Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Came Off the Table?

It seems like just yesterday that Microsoft was in the mix to acquire Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and its handful of exceptionally talented studios, including Rocksteady, Monolith, and NetherRealm. Parent company AT&T seems to have pulled any possible deal off the table, and so it’s fair to wonder: did Microsoft move quickly on Bethesda in the aftermath? A trusted source tells me that, in fact, a Microsoft-Zenimax deal was almost locked  two years ago, but fell apart. It’s obviously done now, though, and so the question flips: is it possible that Microsoft could’ve had both Bethesda and WB?

Xbox Is Now the Home for Western RPGs

Sure, PlayStation’s got Final Fantasy XVI, but if you like Western RPGs, Xbox is now the definitive home for those. Microsoft now owns the following studios and IPs: Bethesda Game Studios (The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Starfield), Obsidian (Avowed, Pillars of Eternity, The Outer Worlds), inXile (Wasteland), and Playground (Fable). That’s just nuts – particularly when you factor in the fact that every single one of those expansive RPGs will be available on Day One as part of your Game Pass subscription.

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Any Argument Against Xbox Game Pass Is Null and Void

There simply is no argument against Xbox Game Pass left. While I’d see some folks online bemoaning the lack of AAA games as part of the service, that is now dead and buried. Regardless of whether or not Microsoft chooses to keep future Bethesda games off of PlayStation 5, the fact of the matter is that the following megafranchises will now see all future entries launch day and date into Game Pass: Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Starfield, Doom, Wolfenstein, Quake, etc. That’s on top of the Halos, Fables, Avoweds, etc. that are already on the way. If it wasn’t already, Game Pass is now a required $10 per month expense for all serious gamers, because the value in return for that $120 per year is through the roof.

No matter how you look at it, Microsoft acquiring one of the industry’s fellow major publishers and suite of developers is a seismic event – one whose ramifications could affect the industry for years to come. Just when we thought 2020 couldn’t possibly have any surprises left in store for us, this happens. Generation 9 is going to be a fun one.

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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.

During Sony’s PS5 event, the company revealed that a remastered version of Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PS5 will be included in the Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate edition bundle.

Developer Insomniac shared through Twitter a few new pieces of info about the remastered game. The PS5 version of Marvel’s Spider-Man will not be getting a physical release, and saves will also not transfer from the original game to the remastered edition, so you’ll have to restart Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered on the PS5 even if you’ve made progress on the original PS4 game.

Insomniac also acknowledged players who wanted to know if they could still upgrade the PS4 version of Marvel’s Spider-Man if they already owned it and did not purchase the game as part of the Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate edition bundle. Though the developers did not give an answer yet, they’ve promised to release more information regarding that specific situation soon.

The remastered version of Marvel’s Spider-Man will include improved facial features and animation as well as ray-traced reflections, ambient shadows, and enhanced lighting. Three new Spider-Man suits, new photo mode features, and new trophies will also be a part of the remastered game.

The Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate edition bundle, which, as stated before, includes Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered and three DLC packs that make up the Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps, retails for $70. The standard edition that only includes Spider-Man: Miles Morales retails for $50. Both will be released along with the PS5 on November 12. Preorders are now available and you can check out GameSpot’s pre-order guide to the standard and Ultimate editions of Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

We’re live with Unlocked a day early to cover the massive news of Microsoft acquiring Bethesda and the rest of ZeniMax Media. Ryan, Miranda, Brandin, and Destin discuss what it means for franchises like The Elder Scrolls, Doom, and the upcoming Starfield to be under the Xbox umbrella, options for exclusivity, Game Pass, and more!

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, or grab an MP3 download of this week’s episode. For more awesome content, check out the latest episode of IGN Unfiltered, featuring an interview with Geoff Keighley, the creator and host of The Game Awards.

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It’s already been an incredibly fun year of Xbox coverage, and the best is yet to come. Join us! Oh, and feel free to leave us a video Loot Box question below using Yappa and you might be featured on an upcoming episode!

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Miranda Sanchez is the executive editor of guides at IGN. You can chat with her about video games and anime on Twitter.

With no new Star Wars movie on the immediate horizon, all eyes are on The Mandalorian: Season 2 right now. And unsurprisingly, Hasbro is betting big on all things Mando and Baby Yoda for its upcoming toy and collectible releases.

As part of the first weekly Mando Monday event, Hasbro revealed a huge bounty of Mandalorian toys in the works for Fall 2020. From new additions to the Black Series and Vintage Collection lines to a Mandalorian-themed version of Monopoly, there’s a little something for every Star Wars fan here. Check out the slideshow gallery below for a closer look at everything:

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Perhaps the coolest reveal in this new batch of figures is the Star Wars: The Black Series Credit Collection. While these various 6-inch Mandalorian figures have all been released as part of the regular Black Series in the past, the Credit Collection rereleases update those figures with new weathered paint scheme designed to mimic the stylish end credits of The Mandalorian. They also come packaged in vintage-inspired boxes (similar to the recent The Empire Strikes Back 40th Anniversary figures) and each include a different replica of an Imperial credit.

Similarly, while the 3.75-inch Vintage Collection series has seen several Mandalorian figures in the past year, the Carbonized Collection updates those figures with metallic paint jobs.

These weren’t the only new Mandalorian toys revealed as part of the first Mando Monday. Baby Yoda is getting his own LEGO set, and he still looks adorable in block form.

In other The Mandalorian news, we’ve got a breakdown of all the characters and cameos in the series so far, including some new reveals from the Season 2 trailer. And Temuera Morrison, the actor who portrayed Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones, was recently cast as Boba Fett in the second series of the show.

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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.

If you’ve been having a hard time trying to order the new Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card, you’re not alone. Nvidia has issued a formal apology to those impacted by the overwhelming demand for the card.

Nvidia put the new card on sale last week, September 17, and production has been in full swing for the RTX 3080 since cards began shipping to retail partners in August and supply is being increased each week to meet the demand.

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Nvidia revealed its next generation of graphics cards earlier this month and immediately had the internet abuzz, and for good reason. The RTX 3080 offers more than twice as much power as its predecessor at almost half the price.

The company reported more than four times the traffic on its website as compared to the 20-series launch, and stated that over 50 retail partners “reported record traffic to their sites, in many cases exceeding Black Friday.”

Many people woke up early hoping to secure their orders only to find the graphics cards were sold out almost instantly, with many taken by bots. RTX 3080s were being listed on eBay shortly after for thousands of dollars above the retail price.

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Nvidia is aware of the many bots attempting to place orders and has assured potential buyers that it is doing everything in its power to reduce the amount of successful bot sales.

“This is the first time that we have seen bots at this scale and sophistication,” Nvidia stated in its blog post. “While individuals using bots may have shown images of email inboxes filled with confirmed orders, NVIDIA has cancelled hundreds of orders manually before they were able to ship.”

Additional security has been implemented on the backend of its website, as well. “We have been quickly working on numerous security upgrades, including CAPTCHA,” Nvidia said. “We will also continue to manually monitor purchases to help ensure cards get in the hands of legitimate consumers.”

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Expect a similar demand for the RTX 3090 which is available to order beginning September 24, but hopefully this time Nvidia’s additional security measures will ensure those eager to purchase the card will be more successful this time around.

Looking to order an RTX 3080 when it’s back in stock? Check out our handy guide for where to preorder the RTX 3080. Also, check out our reviews for the NVIDIA RTX 3080 Founders Edition and the MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio.

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Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, and Reviews writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.

It’s been a rough couple of years for the WWE 2K series, with the switch port of WWE 2K18 being a nearly unplayable mess and the buggy disaster (on all platforms) that was WWE 2K20, which has led to the mainline series taking a much needed year off. In its place is WWE 2K Battlegrounds, a cartoony and arcadey take on professional wrestling where wrestlers can jump 50 feet in the air, swing opponents like rag dolls, toss them into the waiting jaws of alligators, and so on. On paper, that sounds like an exciting departure from the simulation-focused main series in favor of something more akin to 2011’s underappreciated WWE All Stars… but there’s virtually nothing beyond the flashy animations. It may be easy to pick up and play, but it lacks any sort of depth to either its combat or its roster of 70 wrestlers, a large majority of which are locked behind a microtransaction-infested barrier.

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The one thing that WWE Battlegrounds has going for it is that unlike many other wrestling games, it’s immediately intuitive. You don’t have to worry about chain wrestling, timing-based pin minigames, cat-and-mouse submission minigames, how to set up and climb ladders in ladder matches, how to place your opponent on a table in a table match, etc. To tell someone how to play, all you need to do is show them a controller and say “Here’s your punch button, here’s your kick button, this is how you throw, this is how you block, remember to press the button on screen when you get grabbed to do a reversal, and if someone tries to pin or submit you, just mash these buttons.” Done.

[poilib element=”quoteBox” parameters=”excerpt=The%20movelist%20for%20every%20character%20is%20extraordinarily%20short.”]This puts Battlegrounds in a unique position of being by far the most approachable wrestling game for complete newcomers in years, but it also comes with a pretty substantial sacrifice. Namely, any semblance of depth or complexity to its combat.

The movelist for every character is extraordinarily thin for a wrestling game, even an arcadey one, with each wrestler only having a small handful of basic combos and throws. Worse still, these moves are copied and pasted onto virtually every wrestler that falls within the same class of either Powerhouse, Brawler, All-Rounder, Technician, or High-Flyer. So Shinsuke Nakamura has almost the exact same moves as the Miz, Charlotte Flair has almost the exact same moveset as Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H has almost the exact same moves as Andre the Giant. There are some slight differences, with a few select characters having one or two moves that are unique to only them, and every character has their own signature and finishing move. But aside from that, these characters play exactly the same.

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There are, at the very least, a few meaningful differences between each of the five classes. Powerhouses are slow, but have attacks that can power through their opponent’s strikes; Brawlers can create weapons like steel chairs and motorcycles out of thin air and have extra power on their strikes; Technicians have extremely powerful throws and can even cause limb damage, which will cause opponents to stagger around briefly; High-Flyers can jump off the ropes, use running throws, and get to the top rope faster than other classes; and All-Arounders can do a little bit of everything. It’s similar to what WWE All Stars did with its class system, but here it’s less about defining a style of play and more about defining what specific cool things you can and can’t do.

That said, my biggest gripe with the gameplay of Battlegrounds, aside from the poor hit detection, is the reversal system. It simply gives you way too much time to reverse throws and attempts to balance that by having throws cost a portion of your Heat meter, which is what’s used to execute your signature and finishing moves. As a result, many of my most competitive online matches of Battlegrounds were also among the most miserable: we just took turns reversing everything, with neither of us making much progress toward ending the match.

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One final notable wrinkle on the arcadey nature of Battlegrounds’ combat is the powerups, of which you can select three before each match. These are temporary buffs that can either increase the damage of your strikes, give you some health regeneration, or make all of your attacks unblockable. Some are extremely powerful, with my favorite being a buff that adds another layer to the pin minigame, forcing your opponents to mash even faster if they want to break a pin. Of all of the mechanics Battlegrounds brings to the table, powerups are by far the best, and the one that fits best with its overall theme. What it all boils down to is that Battlegrounds’ combat is totally passable as a quick party game that you play for an hour or two and then move on to something else, but measured by any other sort of standard, it falls flat on its face.

To tie those matches together, Battlegrounds has an equally shallow campaign mode. The premise of the story is that Paul Heyman decides to create his own new brand of pro wrestling that has him traveling around the world, recruiting wrestlers, and having them fight in a ring on their own home turf. Thus the Battlegrounds brand is born.

It doesn’t take itself seriously and is fully aware of how cheesy and silly it all is, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that it is incredibly cheesy and silly. The art style also lacks any flair or charm, and the characters you control are all as one dimensional as you’d expect, given the fact that they are only given two comic book pages worth of story at the beginning of each chapter to establish who they are and why you should care about them.

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The gameplay of the campaign doesn’t do much to pick up the slack dropped by the story either. It’s just a long string of matches against various superstars, with occasional rewards such as new battlegrounds, new power ups, and – most substantially – new characters. Eventually, after hours of the same match types and having to use the same boring characters, I started to lose interest and just worked to mainline it towards the end, which took about eight or so hours to get through.

[poilib element=”quoteBox” parameters=”excerpt=There%E2%80%99s%20currently%20an%20easily%20exploitable%20bug%20that%20lets%20you%20eliminate%20players.”]Things don’t get much better in the other modes, either. Battleground Challenge is basically the campaign mode minus the story, and plus your own created character that you improve via a microtransaction-riddled progression system. King of the Battlegrounds is conceptually a neat idea that challenges you to stay alive as long as you can in a battle royale, with new players being teleported in as others get eliminated, but the problem is that there’s currently an easily exploitable bug that lets you eliminate players without ever having to even go through the elimination minigame by pushing them through the ropes.

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Then there’s the usual assortment of match types like steel cage matches, triple threats, fatal fourways, and the like. The problem with all of these is that the gameplay of Battlegrounds is tuned in such a way that characters get up super quickly after getting knocked down; this makes match types like traditional tag matches, Triple Threats, and Fatal Fourways, where the first player to get a pin wins a nightmare because it’s so dang hard to keep everyone down long enough for you to secure a three-count. The mainline WWE 2K series addressed this years ago by forcing you out of the ring and making you take a quick rest if you take too much damage, but Battlegrounds has no such mechanic.

[poilib element=”quoteBox” parameters=”excerpt=It%E2%80%99s%20just%20one%20flub%20after%20another.”]And finally, as much as I love Mauro Ranallo and Jerry Lawler, their commentary is brutal to listen to. Not because of their performances – they actually do a great job in bringing their on-camera energy to the voice over – but because their calls are so frequently off the mark. Whether it’s calling out the wrong moves, constantly reacting to something super late, repeating dialogue, or overreacting to a normal move, it’s just one flub after another.

Mobile streaming provider Quibi, or “Quick Bites,” is reportedly exploring options to sell the company just six months after its launch.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Quibi is considering “several options” to keep the company afloat, including going public via a merger, selling, or raising additional funds. THR goes on to say that while a Quibi spokeswoman declined to comment, she did release this statement:

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“Quibi has successfully launched a new business and pioneered a new form of storytelling and a state-of-the-art platform,” she told THR, adding “Meg and Jeffrey are committed to continuing to build the business in the way that gives the greatest experience for customers, the greatest value for shareholders and greatest opportunity for employees.”

When the streamer debuted back in April 2020, co-founder Jeffery Katzenberg told the Los Angeles Times he hoped Quibi would become “the third generation of film narrative,” by combining the strengths of movies and episodic television into one cohesive force. The service launched with $2 billion in financial resources, however, the company has seen diminishing returns with 4.5 million initial app downloads and 1.6 million subscribers according to THR.

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In our review of the streaming platform, we say, “Quibi checks all the boxes when it comes to its smooth user interface and reasonable pricing but lags behind Netflix and Amazon in terms of quality original series.”

Do you think Quibi still has a fight in the Great Streaming War? Let us know in the comments.

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David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He’s also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.