PS5 exclusive and February PlayStation Plus game Destruction AllStars is a car combat game filled with several modes designed to let you cause as much destruction as possible. It’s also designed to let players get out of their cars, and run around on foot as one of a number of different hero characters. Keeping both types of gameplay fun, connected, and meaningful was a key component of Lucid Games’ development on AllStars, and it’s something that’s been core to the new game since its earliest days. “The characters were in from month one of development,” Game Director Colin Berry told IGN in an interview ahead of AllStars’ launch. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/destruction-allstars-s-ranked-mayhem-gameplay"] And to create those heroes, who were most recently highlighted in AllStars’ State of Play presentation, Lucid and Sony XDEV actually wanted to make these characters from around the world respectful and authentic to where they were based. “We contacted a bunch of artists from around the world who don't work in video games, [people who work in] comic book, graphic novels, and so on. And we gave them a really simple brief of the game and what we thought these characters would be like in terms of personality,” Sony XDEV Senior Producer John MacLaughlin told IGN. “We contacted so many different people from around the world; South America, Africa, Japan, the Middle East, Russia, Eastern Europe, and we got this wild, eclectic bunch of art through with these characters.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=destruction-allstars-game-modes-reveal&captions=true"] And those concepts found their way into the game thanks to the many diverse artists - key aspects of character designs like Genesis, who has blades instead of legs, came from the imagination of the artists rather than as mandates from the development team. And while players will spend plenty of time behind the wheel as these characters, one of AllStars’ unique hooks is letting players jump out of their cars and run around on foot. Able to pull off unique hero moves, some impressive parkour, and more, playing as these characters is integral to the experience, and pretty much always was throughout development. Though it definitely took some tuning to get the on-foot gameplay right. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/destruction-allstars-ps5-gameplay-in-4k-60fps"] “For quite a while in the project, we had a really good sense of what the play is like in a vehicle. We want the vehicles to be super agile, even the heavy ones are more agile than you'd see in a racing game,” Berry explained. “Now we've got characters [and] we can't just have them vulnerable because then it's going to be no fun. But we can't have them too powerful. We're not going to give them rocket launches because that's a completely different game. So we need them to be these hyper-real athletic characters.” And as the team discovered how to weave the character and vehicle gameplay together so they went hand-in-hand, it helped the team also understand how to build arenas that would suit both types of gameplay without ever letting one get too far away from the other in the multiplayer-focused experience. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=%E2%80%9CWe%20didn't%20want%20to%20separate%20the%20characters%20from%20the%20vehicle%20too%20much.%22"]“We didn't want to separate the characters from the vehicle too much. We didn't want skyscrapers, even though that could be cool to climb to the top of and dive into the arena, because while you're climbing a skyscraper, climbing's quite solitary,” Berry explained. “If you've got 16 characters and four of them are out of the vehicles and they're climbing up a skyscraper, they're not really involved in a multiplayer game at that stage.” Berry explained how, while the early test versions of levels could be quite large and quite tall, Lucid did work to scale the arenas into more focused combat zones to keep players, both in and out of vehicles, as connected to the combat at all times as possible. Players can see this for themselves now, as Destruction AllStars is available on PS5 and is included in this month's PS Plus lineup. For more on the new PS5 exclusive, learn about why Destruction AllStars' delay helped set it up for a PS Plus launch, and stay tuned to IGN for more on the new game. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=6dd2b926-8863-4080-99b2-d08eb61f67f6"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

In the Heights and Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu is set to direct the film adaptation of Wicked, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Chu is replacing Stephen Daldry (director on The Crown, Billy Elliot), who exited the project back in October after scheduling changes conflicted with Daldry’s commitments.

Chu departed from his role as director on Disney Plus’ Willow sequel series in early January.

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The Wicked film, based on the hugely popular Broadway musical that itself is a retelling of the Wizard of Oz from the point-of-view of the witches, was originally set to release on Dec 22, 2021. Universal has since delayed the movie to an indeterminate date due to ongoing COVID-19 closures for theaters and production sets.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/man behind the curtain for IGN.

CD Projekt Red said Cyberpunk 2077 players should use caution when downloading mods and custom saves for the game after community members discovered a save file exploit that could harm your PC. Reportedly there is a bug that allows hackers to hide malicious executables within certain mods. Eurogamer talked with CDPR, and the developer said the issue is linked to the external DLL files the game uses. DLL stands for Dynamic-link library, which is a library containing data that multiple programs can access and use at the same time. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/10/cyberpunk-2077-pc-review"] Cyberpunk 2077 community member PixelRick discovered the issue, and explained that the issue makes non-executable files executable, which could carry out "any locally executed virus." "You should be able to trust data file mods to be harmless, and only be skeptical about executables in general," PixelRick said to Eurogamer. "This vulnerability makes it impossible to really trust any modded data file for this game until [the] patch." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-examples-of-visual-bugs&captions=true"] CDPR thanked the community for flagging the issue and said they are working on a fix, saying, "We advise everyone to refrain from using files obtained from unknown sources. Anyone who plans to use mods or custom saves for Cyberpunk 2077 should use caution until we release the aforementioned fix." A temporary fix was already made for Cyber Engine Tweaks, a popular modding tool for the game. Cyberpunk 2077 has been no stranger to bugs and issues since its launch late last year. The backlash regarding the game's performance on last-gen consoles caused CDPR to offer refunds for the game, which led to Sony delisting the digital version from PlayStation Network. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/15/cyberpunk-2077-for-xbox-one-and-playstation-4-review"] Last month, CD Projekt Red co-founder Marcin Iwiński apologized on behalf of the company and announced that Cyberpunk 2077's free next-gen upgrade is set to launch in the second half of 2021. Despite all this, Cyberpunk 2077 reportedly had the biggest digital game launch of all time. For more, check out our Review Crew discussion on Cyberpunk 2077: One Month Later. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and the Production Assistant for Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN's weekly Nintendo show. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.

Scott Snyder has been at the helm of some of the biggest DC Comics stories of the last decade, but in 2021 he's focusing his attention on his new creator-owned imprint, Best Jackett Press. As we previously announced, the first project to launch under that imprint will be Snyder and Tony Daniel's Nocterra, a post-apocalyptic horror series set in a world of constant darkness. Now IGN can debut new cover art for Nocterra #1. Check out the slideshow gallery below for a closer look at the first issue of Nocterra, including these new covers and several previously released interior pages: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=nocterra-1-preview-a-new-post-apocalyptic-horror-saga-begins&captions=true"] The series is set in a world where the sun's light mysteriously vanished ten years ago. This never-ending shroud of darkness transforms humans into terrifying shades and forces survivors to hide from the monsters all around the world. The only way to travel safely is by enlisting the aid of "ferrymen" who travel in illuminated transport vehicles. The series' main protagonist, Valentina "Val" Riggs, is one such ferryman, and she takes on a new job with the promise of a true sanctuary awaiting on the other side of the Rocky Mountains. "The inspiration for this one was both simple and personal," Snyder told IGN. "As a kid, I had an intense fear of the dark.  About a year ago one of my sons developed a pretty intense fear of the dark himself, and  lying in bed with him one night, the idea just sort of hit me: what if tomorrow morning sunlight just stopped reaching the earth? And what if this new darkness we found ourselves in was far scarier than anything we imagined as kids? A darkness that changes every living creature into a monster called a shade. The only way to avoid being turned into a shade is to stay lit by whatever illumination you can find." “I’m so inspired by this story and the ideas its giving me for the various characters as well as the monsters," said Daniel. "I usually am not so excited to draw background characters, they’re usually just filler to the main image,  but I love drawing the various background characters in this series.  I look for any excuse to squeeze more and more in! Each one has their own style and story behind them in my mind and that makes it so enjoyable.” While originally launched as a Kickstarter release, Nocterra will also be published monthly through Image Comics. The first issue is due to hit stores on Wednesday, March 3. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/22/comixologys-snow-angels-exclusive-official-trailer"] Snyder has already teased his second Best Jackett Press series with artist Ariela Kristantina, a blood-soaked and mysterious comic called Chain. Meanwhile, Snyder's frequent collaborator Jock is also pivoting to creator-owned horror comics in 2021, as he and writer Jeff Lemire join forces on the comiXology Unlimited-exclusive series Snow Angels. All three projects were among the picks in our 21 Most Anticipated Comics of 2021 list. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Build-a-Bear has once again expanded its collection of Pokémon plushes, this time by adding the mythical Pokémon Mew -- complete with a pair of new themed outfits and a special Mew sound effect.

The Mew Build-a-Bear is already available online as part of an online exclusive bundle that includes the 13-inch stuffed Mew plush (no, you cannot purchase an unstuffed Mew... skin), a Master Ball-themed hoodie, a Mew cape, and a 5-in-1 sound effect inside the Mew plush. The bundle costs $61.

Mew can also be purchased as a standalone Build-a-Bear in stores, but the cape, hoodie, and sound effects are online-exclusive. All items are currently only available in the United States.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/15/top-5-pokemon-show-seasons-power-ranking"]

This latest release is tied in with Pokemon's 25th-anniversary celebrations this year, and could also possibly be connected with the current Pokémon anime series, Pokémon Journeys. In this series, Ash travels through previously-visited Pokémon regions with a new companion named Goh -- whose goal is specifically to find and capture Mew. The series was on hold for a period of time last year due to COVID-19, but a new wave of English dubbed episodes launched on December 4, 2020 in the US on Netflix, and new episodes continue to air in Japan.

Build-a-Bear has been releasing Pokémon plushes and associated outfits and sound chips since 2015, with a collection that thus far includes Pikachu, Eevee, Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporeon, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Meowth, Vulpix, Alolan Vulpix, Jigglypuff, Piplup, Psyduck, Snubbull, Snorlax, Pichu, and most recently Dragonite. Currently, only Pikachu, Eevee, Mew, Snubbull, and Dragonite are available online, while retail store availability will likely vary.

Other themed Build-a-Bears released over the years have included sets from Super Mario, Doctor Who, Frozen, How to Train Your Dragon, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Mandalorian, and Sonic the Hedgehog.

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Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter with IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

For the first time since 2013's NCAA Football 14, EA Sports is returning to College Football. Announced on Twitter via a small tease that "College Football is coming back," EA revealed it will be partnering with CLC - the nation's leading collegiate trademark licensing company - to become the exclusive developer of simulation college football video game experiences. The EA Sports college football franchise garnered "tens of millions of sales" during its run from 2005 to 2014 and was a "top-five sports title in North America." EA Sports College Football will include "the rights to more than 100 institutions featuring logos, stadiums, uniforms, gameday traditions and more that fans have come to know and love." EA does note that "while this college game will not include student-athlete names, images and likenesses, EA SPORTS is continuing to watch those developments closely." No further information was given on the reboot of the franchise, but EA encourages fans to follow @EASPORTSCollege on Twitter for more updates in the future. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/08/13/ea-sports-boss-ncaa-lawsuit-ripped-heart-and-soul-out-of-studio-but-had-silver-lining-ign-unfiltered"] "We’ve heard from the millions of passionate fans requesting the return of college football video games,” said Cam Weber, EA SPORTS EVP and GM. “We love the energy, tradition and pageantry of college football and I am beyond thrilled to say we are back in development. We have a lot of really exciting work ahead of us, and a great team that is eager to bring a new game to players in the next couple of years.” In 2013, the NCAA decided not to renew the EA Sports contract over the ongoing legal issues regarding the use of player's names and likenesses in the game. EA struck a new three-year deal with the CLC to continue making college football games following its loss of the NCAA license, but many of the big conferences, including the SEC, decided against licensing their trademarks for use in EA Sports game, which contributed to the eventual cancellation. These legal disputes and a settlement ended up costing EA over $40 million. The settlement was in regards to former college athletes alleging that EA had used their likenesses (sizes, skin colors, home states, and jersey numbers), but not their names or permission. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2013/07/05/ncaa-football-14-one-hour-of-gameplay"] In our NCAA Football 14 review, which featured Michigan's Denard Robinson on the cover, we said "NCAA Football is hitting the glass ceiling of this console cycle. The gameplay itself is better and more refined each time the game is released, but when it’s surrounded by dated visuals, dated audio, dated modes, what’s a fan to do? There’s a good football game here, but it’s far from an impressive package." For more on the EA Sports College Football saga, check out our IGN Unfiltered episode with EA Sports EVP and GM Cam Weber on how the NCAA lawsuit ripped the "heart and soul" out of the studio, but how it also had a silver lining. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Zack Snyder has teased a new look for the Joker, who will make an appearance in his upcoming cut of Justice League.

Amazing character you created. Honored to have our worlds collide. @DavidAyerMovies @JaredLeto pic.twitter.com/6FubzkPh4Y

— Zack Snyder (@ZackSnyder) February 2, 2021

Posted to Twitter, the image shows the Joker holding up a Joker playing card in a rubber gloved hand. His face is blurred by depth-of-field, but we can just about make out his trademark white face and wide smile, as well as white clothing. A straight jacket, perhaps, or hospital gown? It's unclear from this image how different Joker, who will once again be portrayed by Jared Leto, will look compared to his appearance in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. However, dark shapes around the sides of his head do suggest he could have longer hair than the slicked-back style worn in Suicide Squad. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=justice-league-snyder-cut-all-the-known-differences-from-the-theatrical-version&captions=true"] Previously, Snyder has described the Joker's look for Justice League as "road-weary". We still don't know how the Joker will fit into the Snyder Cut of Justice League, but we do know that he's not the only character getting a new look: Steppenwolf has also been pretty much totally redesigned. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Crunchyroll has announced that it has partnered with Idris and Sabrina Elba, in conjunction with Idris' Green Door Pictures and Sabrina's Pink Towel Pictures, to develop "Dantai," a dark fantasy animated series for the streaming service. Alongside the news, Crunchyroll has also revealed that the service has surpassed the four million subscriber milestone in January 2021, just six months after breaking the three million subscriber mark. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-25-best-anime-series-of-all-time&captions=true"] Dantai, which is a working title, is an "Afro-futuristic science fiction series" that is "set in a city where the rise of biotechnology has created an ever-widening gap between the haves and have-nots. Two rising stars from either side of this divide are pitted against each other in a story that will ultimately explore equality and kinship within a corrupt society." “We’re really excited to be announcing this deal on our first anime," The Elbas said. "We’re both fans of the genre and see a huge opportunity to create something unique for a powerhouse like Crunchyroll. The story of ‘Dantai’ is our first collaboration as producers together and is one that is close to our hearts.” Funimation, which itself is owned by Sony, recently acquired Crunchyroll and its 100 million registered users for $1.2 billion. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/25/top-10-best-anime-series-of-all-time"] Image credit: Getty Images/Gareth Fuller - WPA Pool. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

This week in Red Dead Online, claim a special celebratory gift bundle, double rewards in the featured Hardcore Series, and much more.

Though Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will be forward-compatible with PS5 and Xbox Series X when it launches this year, BioWare currently has no plans for a dedicated next-gen release or an eventual optimization patch. In an interview with IGN, director Mac Walters said that a full-on next-gen launch of the collection was "just a bridge too far." "To me if I'm buying a game on this next-generation of hardware, I expect a lot from it, and I think it's more than what we could have pushed [Unreal Engine 3] to do, and again more than we could've done with a true remaster," he said. "To me it would have felt a little disingenuous. I think it's better suited for the next Mass Effect." Walters also denied that BioWare was considering an eventual optimization patch instead -- at least not for the time being. However, he added that the game would experience some next-gen hardware perks for those playing on PS5 or Xbox Series X. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/30/mass-effect-legendary-edition-is-now-available-for-preorder"] "We'll wait and see," he said. "But we have some targeted unleashing of the game so that it will leverage a little bit more power of the next-gen series beyond just the faster load times you'd expect from SSD. There are some things that'll let you get to higher framerates, keep resolution higher, and stuff like that. So it should be a more optimized experience, but at this point nothing in the future." Today, BioWare also announced that Mass Effect: Legendary Edition will officially launch on May 14, 2021. The collection includes all single-player base content and DLC from the first three Mass Effect games, and will feature improved framerates and 4K Ultra HD optimization. Though it is officially launching on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, BioWare confirmed in its original announcement that it will be forward-compatible on next-gen consoles with some "targeted enhancements." You can pre-order Mass Effect: Legendary Edition using our pre-order guide. BioWare also announced a new Mass Effect game at last year's The Game Awards, which is currently in "early production." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter with IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.