It's been over a decade since the original Avatar hit theaters, and now James Cameron has confirmed that Avatar 2 has finished filming ahead of its expected 2022 release. Furthermore, Cameron also confirmed that Avatar 3 is nearly done filming as well. As reported by CinemaBlend via an interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger during the 2020 Austrian World Summit, Cameron provided fans an update on the status of the upcoming films. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-actor-and-character-confirmed-for-the-avatar-sequels&captions=true"] "The day we deliver Avatar 2, we’ll just start working on finishing Avatar 3," Cameron said. "So where we are right now, I’m down in New Zealand shooting. We’re shooting the remainder of the live-action. We’ve got about 10% left to go. We’re 100% complete on Avatar 2, and we’re sort of 95% complete on Avatar 3." After a delay in filming earlier this year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Cameron and his team returned to New Zealand, the same location where the original Avatar was filmed, to complete filming for Avatar 2 and Avatar 3. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/08/tease-for-avatar-sequels-shows-new-wonders-of-pandora-ign-now] Details have begun trickling out about Avatar 2's plot which will focus heavily on Jake Sully and his new family as they explore new areas of Pandora. Producer Jon Landeau explained that "Jake and Neytiri have a family in this movie, they are forced to leave their home, they go out and explore the different regions of Pandora, including spending quite a bit of time on the water, around the water, in the water." We've already seen some of the concept art depicting Pandora's expansive water landscapes as well as concept art for The Crabsuit — a large, crablike submarine showcasing one of the many new vehicles that will be seen in the upcoming Avatar sequels. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=avatar-sequels-concept-art-revealed&captions=true"] Avatar 2 is currently slated for a December 16, 2022 release date with Avatar 3 expected to arrive two years later on December 20, 2024 after Disney pushed back its release schedule earlier this year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] 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 over a decade since the original Avatar hit theaters, and now James Cameron has confirmed that Avatar 2 has finished filming ahead of its expected 2022 release. Furthermore, Cameron also confirmed that Avatar 3 is nearly done filming as well. As reported by CinemaBlend via an interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger during the 2020 Austrian World Summit, Cameron provided fans an update on the status of the upcoming films. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-actor-and-character-confirmed-for-the-avatar-sequels&captions=true"] "The day we deliver Avatar 2, we’ll just start working on finishing Avatar 3," Cameron said. "So where we are right now, I’m down in New Zealand shooting. We’re shooting the remainder of the live-action. We’ve got about 10% left to go. We’re 100% complete on Avatar 2, and we’re sort of 95% complete on Avatar 3." After a delay in filming earlier this year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Cameron and his team returned to New Zealand, the same location where the original Avatar was filmed, to complete filming for Avatar 2 and Avatar 3. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/08/tease-for-avatar-sequels-shows-new-wonders-of-pandora-ign-now] Details have begun trickling out about Avatar 2's plot which will focus heavily on Jake Sully and his new family as they explore new areas of Pandora. Producer Jon Landeau explained that "Jake and Neytiri have a family in this movie, they are forced to leave their home, they go out and explore the different regions of Pandora, including spending quite a bit of time on the water, around the water, in the water." We've already seen some of the concept art depicting Pandora's expansive water landscapes as well as concept art for The Crabsuit — a large, crablike submarine showcasing one of the many new vehicles that will be seen in the upcoming Avatar sequels. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=avatar-sequels-concept-art-revealed&captions=true"] Avatar 2 is currently slated for a December 16, 2022 release date with Avatar 3 expected to arrive two years later on December 20, 2024 after Disney pushed back its release schedule earlier this year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] 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.  

Yuji Naka, creator of many famous games for Sega such as Sonic the Hedgehog and NiGHTs Into Dreams, joined IGN Japan in the studio during a live Tokyo Game Show 2020 broadcast to discuss his new project, Balan Wonderworld, and how it makes use of the PS5's unique capabilities. He also spoke about his self-assessed "one chance" to make a platform action game for his new employer, Square Enix.

In Balan Wonderworld, players are able to change their costumes to enable new actions, similar to how Mario’s abilities change when he throws Cappy at an NPC in Mario Odyssey. But what's interesting is that the player decides which costumes are used instead of having specific costumes assigned to certain stages or bosses. "Even during test play, I saw everyone use different strategies," said Naka.

Of course, the fun of these 80 types of abilities is shared across all platforms, but they are exceptional on the PS5 and other next-generation consoles according to Naka. "An action game in 4K at 60 frames per second is incredible. It feels so smooth," he said.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/balan-wonderworld-announcement-trailer"]

Balan Wonderworld also utilizes the adaptive triggers that are a feature of the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller. Adaptive Triggers have been introduced as a new sensation unique to PS5 that allows players to feel resistance in some PS5 titles, and Naka said that for Balan Wonderworld all 80 abilities will feel distinct in players’ hands thanks to those adaptive triggers. "I think players will be really surprised by it," Naka said.

For Naka, who joined Square Enix in 2018, Balan Wonderworld will be his first full-scale platform game in quite some time. "I think Square Enix has an RPG image," Naka said, "but I don't think I'd be good at making RPGs." Of course, Naka has made RPGs, such as Phantasy Star and Phantasy Star Online. However, the genre he feels he is most skilled at is still platform games. Therefore, he received permission from the company president to make a full-scale platform game with the condition that it was his "one chance".

Of course, nothing would make fans happier than more Naka platform games, but whether there's another game is likely dependent on the popularity of Balan Wonderworld. Naka is confident, however; even though there is no guarantee that there will be another title, he has launched a new brand called Balan Company. "Such is my enthusiasm for continuing to make action games," he said.

It's tempting to declare a game like Balan Wonderworld a culmination of platform games, as this one title contains 80 varieties of action abilities. But while that's an easy statement to make, it should be a pretty high hurdle to clear. "During the proposal stage I wrote down that it would have 80 different types of action, but I thought that once I actually started making the game, I would run out of steam at around 40," said Naka, who confessed that he exaggerated a bit in his proposal. However, in the end, the planning stage's goal of 80 was achieved.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/17/balan-wonderworld-nintendo-switch-announcement-trailer"]

Balan Wonderworld looks to be a must-see title for platform game fans, but it also features strong storytelling, which is characteristic of Square Enix. "Square Enix's management philosophy is 'to contribute to the wellbeing of people all over the world by providing the best stories.' When I joined the company and heard that, I was like 'Stories, huh...'" Naka said. "To be honest, I'm not really the type of developer who focuses on a game’s script. I always emphasize how the game feels and the action, while the story may be a bit weak. I wasn't very good with stories."

Naka read up on the well-respected Hero's Journey theory to study storytelling. While focusing on storytelling without the use of words for the actual game, a rare effort is being put forth to create a novelization of Balan Wonderworld simultaneously with the development of the game. Authored by another former Sega employee, Soshi Kawasaki (known for the Long Arms series), the book is planned to be released alongside the game in English and Japanese. Reading the novel will deepen your understanding of its world, and events which follow the events of the game are also depicted.

"A lot of popular games these days are based on shooting, but I always want to make pure action games," Naka said of his love for the genre. It definitely seems that he is taking his "one chance" from the president of Square Enix seriously, doing everything to deliver a game experience packed with all the elements of platform games.

Balan Wonderworld launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch on March 26, 2021.

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. Follow him on Twitter here! 

Yuji Naka, creator of many famous games for Sega such as Sonic the Hedgehog and NiGHTs Into Dreams, joined IGN Japan in the studio during a live Tokyo Game Show 2020 broadcast to discuss his new project, Balan Wonderworld, and how it makes use of the PS5's unique capabilities. He also spoke about his self-assessed "one chance" to make a platform action game for his new employer, Square Enix.

In Balan Wonderworld, players are able to change their costumes to enable new actions, similar to how Mario’s abilities change when he throws Cappy at an NPC in Mario Odyssey. But what's interesting is that the player decides which costumes are used instead of having specific costumes assigned to certain stages or bosses. "Even during test play, I saw everyone use different strategies," said Naka.

Of course, the fun of these 80 types of abilities is shared across all platforms, but they are exceptional on the PS5 and other next-generation consoles according to Naka. "An action game in 4K at 60 frames per second is incredible. It feels so smooth," he said.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/balan-wonderworld-announcement-trailer"]

Balan Wonderworld also utilizes the adaptive triggers that are a feature of the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller. Adaptive Triggers have been introduced as a new sensation unique to PS5 that allows players to feel resistance in some PS5 titles, and Naka said that for Balan Wonderworld all 80 abilities will feel distinct in players’ hands thanks to those adaptive triggers. "I think players will be really surprised by it," Naka said.

For Naka, who joined Square Enix in 2018, Balan Wonderworld will be his first full-scale platform game in quite some time. "I think Square Enix has an RPG image," Naka said, "but I don't think I'd be good at making RPGs." Of course, Naka has made RPGs, such as Phantasy Star and Phantasy Star Online. However, the genre he feels he is most skilled at is still platform games. Therefore, he received permission from the company president to make a full-scale platform game with the condition that it was his "one chance".

Of course, nothing would make fans happier than more Naka platform games, but whether there's another game is likely dependent on the popularity of Balan Wonderworld. Naka is confident, however; even though there is no guarantee that there will be another title, he has launched a new brand called Balan Company. "Such is my enthusiasm for continuing to make action games," he said.

It's tempting to declare a game like Balan Wonderworld a culmination of platform games, as this one title contains 80 varieties of action abilities. But while that's an easy statement to make, it should be a pretty high hurdle to clear. "During the proposal stage I wrote down that it would have 80 different types of action, but I thought that once I actually started making the game, I would run out of steam at around 40," said Naka, who confessed that he exaggerated a bit in his proposal. However, in the end, the planning stage's goal of 80 was achieved.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/17/balan-wonderworld-nintendo-switch-announcement-trailer"]

Balan Wonderworld looks to be a must-see title for platform game fans, but it also features strong storytelling, which is characteristic of Square Enix. "Square Enix's management philosophy is 'to contribute to the wellbeing of people all over the world by providing the best stories.' When I joined the company and heard that, I was like 'Stories, huh...'" Naka said. "To be honest, I'm not really the type of developer who focuses on a game’s script. I always emphasize how the game feels and the action, while the story may be a bit weak. I wasn't very good with stories."

Naka read up on the well-respected Hero's Journey theory to study storytelling. While focusing on storytelling without the use of words for the actual game, a rare effort is being put forth to create a novelization of Balan Wonderworld simultaneously with the development of the game. Authored by another former Sega employee, Soshi Kawasaki (known for the Long Arms series), the book is planned to be released alongside the game in English and Japanese. Reading the novel will deepen your understanding of its world, and events which follow the events of the game are also depicted.

"A lot of popular games these days are based on shooting, but I always want to make pure action games," Naka said of his love for the genre. It definitely seems that he is taking his "one chance" from the president of Square Enix seriously, doing everything to deliver a game experience packed with all the elements of platform games.

Balan Wonderworld launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch on March 26, 2021.

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Esra Krabbe is an editor at IGN Japan. Follow him on Twitter here! 

Yakuza Studio head Toshihiro Nagoshi has said that the Yakuza movie will only be made if "it's really good".

Yakuza Studio head Toshihiro Nagoshi has said that the Yakuza movie will only be made if "it's really good".

A new Netflix show, Resident Evil Infinite Darkness, has been announced at Tokyo Games Show 2020. As part of the Capcom TGS Live 2020 stream, the show's executive producer, Hiroyuki Kobayashi, announced Resident Evil Infinite Darkness, which is a CGI episodic series coming to Netflix in 2021. The show features Leon S Kennedy and Claire Redfield as its lead characters, but nothing is known of the story or setting so far. The only things that are not a mystery is that Leon and Claire both have new looks; Mr. Kennedy is sporting a suit, while Claire has a refreshed version of her classic red jacket. Kobayashi announced that the show will be available worldwide on Netflix in 2021. News of the show broke ahead of the official Capcom reveal stream thanks to a video on Netflix Portugal. The tweet announcing the show on Netflix Portugal's account was pulled, presumably because we shouldn't have known about the show until today. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/resident-evil-8-village-gameplay-trailer"] It should be noted that this is not the same show as the Resident Evil Netflix series announced back in August. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

A new Netflix show, Resident Evil Infinite Darkness, has been announced at Tokyo Games Show 2020. As part of the Capcom TGS Live 2020 stream, the show's executive producer, Hiroyuki Kobayashi, announced Resident Evil Infinite Darkness, which is a CGI episodic series coming to Netflix in 2021. The show features Leon S Kennedy and Claire Redfield as its lead characters, but nothing is known of the story or setting so far. The only things that are not a mystery is that Leon and Claire both have new looks; Mr. Kennedy is sporting a suit, while Claire has a refreshed version of her classic red jacket. Kobayashi announced that the show will be available worldwide on Netflix in 2021. News of the show broke ahead of the official Capcom reveal stream thanks to a video on Netflix Portugal. The tweet announcing the show on Netflix Portugal's account was pulled, presumably because we shouldn't have known about the show until today. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/resident-evil-8-village-gameplay-trailer"] It should be noted that this is not the same show as the Resident Evil Netflix series announced back in August. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Capcom has announced that Vergil will be made playable in the current generation versions of Devil May Cry 5 via a paid-for DLC pack. As part of the Capcom TGS Live 2020, producer Matt Walker and DMC5 director Hideaki Itsuno announced the DLC after having discussed the new features coming as part of the next-gen Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition. While many of its new improvements are unable to be added to the PS4 and Xbox One versions due to tech limitations, making Vergil playable is coming via DLC. “People have been asking to play as Vergil since DMC5 came out, so I’m happy we can finally answer those requests,” said Walker. No date was announced, but the DLC is paid-for, and so current-gen users will need to pay up to add Vergil to their game. Just ten seconds of Vergil gameplay was shown so it’s yet to be confirmed what his move-set is, but we were able to see an ability in which Virgil surrounds himself with spinning blue swords that strike enemies that get close to him. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/devil-may-cry-5-special-edition-ps5-gameplay-trailer"] Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition was announced for next-generation consoles at the latest PS5 livestream event. It will release on the day of launch for both Xbox Series X and PS5; November 10 and November 12 respectively. To see what we thought of the original version, check out our Devil May Cry 5 review. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Capcom has announced that Vergil will be made playable in the current generation versions of Devil May Cry 5 via a paid-for DLC pack. As part of the Capcom TGS Live 2020, producer Matt Walker and DMC5 director Hideaki Itsuno announced the DLC after having discussed the new features coming as part of the next-gen Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition. While many of its new improvements are unable to be added to the PS4 and Xbox One versions due to tech limitations, making Vergil playable is coming via DLC. “People have been asking to play as Vergil since DMC5 came out, so I’m happy we can finally answer those requests,” said Walker. No date was announced, but the DLC is paid-for, and so current-gen users will need to pay up to add Vergil to their game. Just ten seconds of Vergil gameplay was shown so it’s yet to be confirmed what his move-set is, but we were able to see an ability in which Virgil surrounds himself with spinning blue swords that strike enemies that get close to him. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/devil-may-cry-5-special-edition-ps5-gameplay-trailer"] Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition was announced for next-generation consoles at the latest PS5 livestream event. It will release on the day of launch for both Xbox Series X and PS5; November 10 and November 12 respectively. To see what we thought of the original version, check out our Devil May Cry 5 review. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.