CD Projekt Red has confirmed that its Unreal Engine 5 remake of 2007's The Witcher will be fully open world.

Revealed during its third quarter financial results, CD Projekt Red briefly mentioned its announcement of The Witcher Remake, saying that it will be a "story-driven, single player open world RPG".

The studio had previously only confirmed that it would be another "full-fledged" Witcher game, but as the original is not open world, there was still speculation whether or not the remake would resemble the 2007 version or something closer to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

CD Projekt Red didn't say anything else about the new game, reiterating its point made in October that "it's gonna be a while until we can share more details."

"The Witcher is where it all started for us, for CD Projekt Red. It was the first game we made, ever, and it was a big moment for us then. Going back to this place and remaking the game for the next generation of gamers to experience it feels just as big, if not bigger,” added studio head Adam Badowski at the time.

The original Witcher saw Geralt adventure around the Temerian capital of Vizima, a location briefly visited in The Witcher 3. While players could only access the royal castle in the third game, however, the entirety of Vizima, its outskirts, and more will be opened up in The Witcher remake.

Each of these areas was broken up as a different level in the original and, for the most part, once one had been completed players couldn't go back. With the remake though, it appears that all of these areas will be connected, and players can walk in and out of Vizima the same way they do Novigrad in The Witcher 3.

In our 8/10 review of the original, IGN said: "The Witcher really is a good game and one that PC RPG fans will surely enjoy. It combines some entertaining and fast-paced combat with a well realized world and pretty decent story that branches and can end in three different fashions."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has confirmed that the new DC film universe will be linked to future video games that exist in the same canon.

As reported by Eurogamer, Gunn was asked on Twitter if the DCEU (which now seems to be rebranded as just the DCU) will incorporate more forms of entertainment down the line, to which he replied, "yes, most definitely.

"The DCU will be connected across film and TV (and animation)," he added. When another fan asked if there are plans for games to be connected to the DCU too, Gunn replied plainly: "Yes."

Yes.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 27, 2022

Nothing else was said, but it does confirm a trend away from Marvel's strategy of building a shared universe across its films and a separate one across its games. We do know that Gunn and co-CEO Peter Safran begun work on an eight to ten year plan for DC films, TV shows, animation, and more, however, meaning we'll likely see a game or two materialise in this time too.

The upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League game won't be part of this universe, however, as developer Rocksteady Studios has already confirmed it's part of the Arkham world that includes Arkham Asylum and Gotham Knights.

Only time will tell exactly how the DCU's shared universe plan will turn out, but it could lead to some interesting crossovers such as Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam appearing in a video game, or a video game-first character moving on to star in a movie.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

The rarest card in Magic: The Gathering's pricey Anniversary Set has a pull-rate of one in every 410 packs, meaning players would need to spend more than $100,000 on average to find one.

Statistics provided to IGN by Magic: The Gathering drafting website DraftSim show that one retro Black Lotus card - a reprint of the most coveted trading card of all time - is present in exactly $102,897 worth of booster packs.

Wizards of the Cost is only selling the Anniversary Set as a $999 product containing four booster packs with random cards. Despite the high price, however, the Black Lotus (alongside every other card) is only a proxy version and therefore can't be used in tournament play, and it's currently unknown if they will be worth anything to collectors.

Normal versions of each retro card, which feature a modern Magic: The Gathering style compared to the classic look, are also available at a slightly increased rate, but this version of the Black Lotus is still only available in every 95 booster packs (so 96 given they're four per set), meaning $23,976 worth.

These packs are completely random though, meaning players may pull a Black Lotus after buying one set at $999 or may not even pull one after dropping the $100,000. Using binomial distribution to calculate the risk, DraftSim shows there's still a 36% chance of not getting a normal Black Lotus after 96 packs and a 1% chance of not getting the retro after opening 410 packs.

The Anniversary Set caused frustration for Magic: The Gathering players when it was announced in October, with YouTuber PleasantKenobi saying what's claimed to be a "celebration" of the game only reinforces fan concerns that Wizards of the Coast are sacrificing its quality for the sake of making big money.

Analysts agree, as earlier in November the stock price of Wizards of the Coast's parent company Hasbro dropped nearly 10% after Bank of America criticised its handling of the trading card game.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Developer Offworld Industries has announced Starship Troopers: Extermination, an upcoming 12-player PvE first-person shooter for PC that's inspired by the cult-classic 1997 sci-fi film. It's due to launch into Early Access sometime in 2023. Take a look at the announcement trailer above and the first screenshots in the gallery below.

Starship Troopers: Extermination promises squad-based, large-scale battles against the bugs you remember from the movie. You'll play as a trooper in the elite Deep Space Vanguard as one of three playable classes: Assault, Support, and Defense. New perks and gear will unlock as you progress in the persistent class progression system.

More details: Extermination will have a Titanfall-like ping system for easier player-to-player communication in the middle of a firefight, while tougher bugs will start swarming as the threat level increases. You'll also need to build and maintain your own defenses – erecting walls, ammo stations, lookouts, and more.

A huge five-zone map promises a scale of grandeur as you battle five different bug types. Check out the first gameplay teaser and some exclusive concept art below:

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.

The Gran Turismo racing series could make the leap from PlayStation to PC according to series' creator Kazunori Yamauchi.

As reported by PC Gamer, Yamauchi told GTPlanet at the Gran Turismo World Finals that developer Polyphony Digital would consider bringing the racing franchise to PC, saying "yes, I do think so", when asked if it was a possibility.

However, the PlayStation exclusive series would only make the leap if they thought that a port could be developed to meet their standards.

"Gran Turismo is a very finely tuned title," said Yamauchi. “There are not many platforms which could run the game in 4K/60p natively, so one way we make that possible is to narrow down the platform. It’s not a very easy subject, but of course, we are looking into it and considering it."

PlayStation has brought a number of first party and console exclusive games to PC since 2020 including titles from the Horizon and God of War series. It also plans to continue its hybrid console and PC strategy going forward, and may even be working on its own PC launcher, at least according to files found in the PC version of Spider-Man Remastered.

IGN awarded Gran Turismo 7 a 9/10 when it was released earlier this year, noting that “with gorgeous graphics, a fantastic driving feel, and racing options galore, it’s the best the series has been since its dominant PlayStation 2 era."

The series is also set to make the leap to the big screen in 2023 with a live action movie based on the exploits of Jann Mardenborough, who became a real world racing driver after winning a series of Gran Turismo tournaments.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer

When James Gunn approached Kevin Bacon to join The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, he didn’t have to pitch very hard. Bacon had one response: I’m in.

“I didn't really read the script,” Bacon recently tells IGN in a new interview. “I just said, ‘Oh yeah, that sounds great.’ In fact, I don't even know initially if I knew if I was playing myself. I'm trying to remember, because it's been quite a few years since the idea first arrived. It took some time to get it off the ground because of COVID and other kinds of things. But yeah, I was thrilled when I read the script and then when he later on told me that I was also going to sing, I was like, ‘This is really fun.’

In The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Kevin Bacon stars as… Kevin Bacon. The 40-minute seasonal special, which releases today on Disney+, is an extended payoff for a joke from the original Guardians of the Galaxy in which Peter Quill [Chris Pratt] praises Kevin Bacon as a “great hero” and describes Footloose as a movie that “teaches an entire city full of people with sticks up their butts that dancing, well, is the greatest thing there is.”

"My jaw dropped"

When Bacon first saw that scene, he says his “jaw dropped” because he didn’t know that it would be in the movie. He remembers how strange it was to hear himself name-dropped out of nowhere in the midst of an MCU movie.

“If you can imagine sitting there in a dark theater and all of a sudden hearing yourself name dropped in that kind of way, it's a very, very, very strange experience, but cool,” Bacon says. “I mean, I loved it, because I love the movie and there is something that's kind of symbiotic about the whole thing, because James really loves music, and Footloose was a music-based movie. And I walked out of the theater and called my wife and I said, ‘I'm going to go back and see this movie. It's a great movie, and there's a little surprise in there for you, you'll see.’"

Bacon’s wife, Kyra Sedgwick, also happens to be in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, albeit as a voice-only cameo.

Bacon says he ultimately had a great time making The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, likening the entire experience to a company Christmas party. He even got to meet Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, calling him “very sweet.”

“A lot of these people have been a part of it for years and years and years, starting with one, and now they were in the middle of shooting [Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3], and we stopped… or they stopped and paused to do the special,” Bacon says. “And it was as though you'd been working in an office all year, and all of a sudden you had the Christmas party. That was the vibe on the set, so everybody had a blast, and most of all, me.”

Ironically, The Guardian’s the Galaxy Holiday Special was shot in the Spring, wrapping up production in May. Many of the sets were pulled directly from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, saving Marvel a large amount of money and making the special possible. In a separate interview, Gunn described writing the special as incredibly easy compared to the much more emotional Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

"James Gunn is a powerhouse"

Gunn himself is nearly finished with the MCU, taking a position as DC Studios co-lead roughly five months after the holiday special finished filming. Asked for his reaction to Gunn’s new position, Bacon said he’s not surprised.

“James is a powerhouse,” Bacon says. “He's just got a great voice and a great eye, and he's super smart and obviously makes very, very successful movies. I was thrilled to hear that he got his new gig. That's basically what I said, ‘I'm thrilled to hear about your new gig.’

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special ends with Bacon performing a rock-and-roll carol alongside the Old 97s, who are an alien band in the world of the MCU. Bacon praised them as “fantastic,” saying that “all the music in the movie makes it great.”

“When I got the script, [Gunn] had referenced all the tunes, so I immediately made myself a playlist just to feel the vibe of the whole thing and listen to it a lot,” Bacon says. “And it's great, and I love the Old 97s song. It's really hard to write a new Christmas song, and I think it's got a really nice combination of sweetness and sentimentality without being a corny take on Christmas. And it rocks, and I loved it.”

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now available. You can read our full review here, which we praise for delivering “all the Christmas cheer, sentiment, catchy musical numbers, and laugh-out-loud moments you could ask for in a quick 43 minutes.”

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

When James Gunn approached Kevin Bacon to join The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, he didn’t have to pitch very hard. Bacon had one response: I’m in.

“I didn't really read the script,” Bacon recently tells IGN in a new interview. “I just said, ‘Oh yeah, that sounds great.’ In fact, I don't even know initially if I knew if I was playing myself. I'm trying to remember, because it's been quite a few years since the idea first arrived. It took some time to get it off the ground because of COVID and other kinds of things. But yeah, I was thrilled when I read the script and then when he later on told me that I was also going to sing, I was like, ‘This is really fun.’

In The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Kevin Bacon stars as… Kevin Bacon. The 40-minute seasonal special, which releases today on Disney+, is an extended payoff for a joke from the original Guardians of the Galaxy in which Peter Quill [Chris Pratt] praises Kevin Bacon as a “great hero” and describes Footloose as a movie that “teaches an entire city full of people with sticks up their butts that dancing, well, is the greatest thing there is.”

"My jaw dropped"

When Bacon first saw that scene, he says his “jaw dropped” because he didn’t know that it would be in the movie. He remembers how strange it was to hear himself name-dropped out of nowhere in the midst of an MCU movie.

“If you can imagine sitting there in a dark theater and all of a sudden hearing yourself name dropped in that kind of way, it's a very, very, very strange experience, but cool,” Bacon says. “I mean, I loved it, because I love the movie and there is something that's kind of symbiotic about the whole thing, because James really loves music, and Footloose was a music-based movie. And I walked out of the theater and called my wife and I said, ‘I'm going to go back and see this movie. It's a great movie, and there's a little surprise in there for you, you'll see.’"

Bacon’s wife, Kyra Sedgwick, also happens to be in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, albeit as a voice-only cameo.

Bacon says he ultimately had a great time making The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, likening the entire experience to a company Christmas party. He even got to meet Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, calling him “very sweet.”

“A lot of these people have been a part of it for years and years and years, starting with one, and now they were in the middle of shooting [Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3], and we stopped… or they stopped and paused to do the special,” Bacon says. “And it was as though you'd been working in an office all year, and all of a sudden you had the Christmas party. That was the vibe on the set, so everybody had a blast, and most of all, me.”

Ironically, The Guardian’s the Galaxy Holiday Special was shot in the Spring, wrapping up production in May. Many of the sets were pulled directly from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, saving Marvel a large amount of money and making the special possible. In a separate interview, Gunn described writing the special as incredibly easy compared to the much more emotional Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

"James Gunn is a powerhouse"

Gunn himself is nearly finished with the MCU, taking a position as DC Studios co-lead roughly five months after the holiday special finished filming. Asked for his reaction to Gunn’s new position, Bacon said he’s not surprised.

“James is a powerhouse,” Bacon says. “He's just got a great voice and a great eye, and he's super smart and obviously makes very, very successful movies. I was thrilled to hear that he got his new gig. That's basically what I said, ‘I'm thrilled to hear about your new gig.’

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special ends with Bacon performing a rock-and-roll carol alongside the Old 97s, who are an alien band in the world of the MCU. Bacon praised them as “fantastic,” saying that “all the music in the movie makes it great.”

“When I got the script, [Gunn] had referenced all the tunes, so I immediately made myself a playlist just to feel the vibe of the whole thing and listen to it a lot,” Bacon says. “And it's great, and I love the Old 97s song. It's really hard to write a new Christmas song, and I think it's got a really nice combination of sweetness and sentimentality without being a corny take on Christmas. And it rocks, and I loved it.”

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now available. You can read our full review here, which we praise for delivering “all the Christmas cheer, sentiment, catchy musical numbers, and laugh-out-loud moments you could ask for in a quick 43 minutes.”

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Indiana Jones 5 star Harrison Ford didn't think a fifth film was necessary but ended up happy with how it turned out.

Speaking to Empire, Ford said he felt Indiana Jones already had his moment but the new film's script offered an interesting way to extend the character.

"I didn't feel it was necessary to do another one," he said. "I just thought it would be nice to see one where Indiana Jones was at the end of his journey.," adding he would take it on "if a script came along that I felt gave me a way to extend the character."

Despite his doubts, however, Ford appears glad to have shot Indiana Jones 5, even if filming was difficult at times (like when he injured himself during a fight scene on set).

"It's full of adventure, full of laughs, full of real emotion. And it's complex and it's sneaky," Ford said of the film. "The shooting of it was tough and long and arduous, but I'm very happy with the film that we have."

The difficulty was perhaps increased by director James Mangold wanting to use only practical effects, revealing that he turned down proposals to use CGI studios early in the film's production. Indiana Jones 5 finally wrapped filming in February 2022 and will premiere next year on June 30.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Indiana Jones 5 star Harrison Ford didn't think a fifth film was necessary but ended up happy with how it turned out.

Speaking to Empire, Ford said he felt Indiana Jones already had his moment but the new film's script offered an interesting way to extend the character.

"I didn't feel it was necessary to do another one," he said. "I just thought it would be nice to see one where Indiana Jones was at the end of his journey.," adding he would take it on "if a script came along that I felt gave me a way to extend the character."

Despite his doubts, however, Ford appears glad to have shot Indiana Jones 5, even if filming was difficult at times (like when he injured himself during a fight scene on set).

"It's full of adventure, full of laughs, full of real emotion. And it's complex and it's sneaky," Ford said of the film. "The shooting of it was tough and long and arduous, but I'm very happy with the film that we have."

The difficulty was perhaps increased by director James Mangold wanting to use only practical effects, revealing that he turned down proposals to use CGI studios early in the film's production. Indiana Jones 5 finally wrapped filming in February 2022 and will premiere next year on June 30.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Indiana Jones 5 director James Mangold didn't want to use any CGI during the filming of Indiana Jones 5, instead prioritising practical effects.

Speaking to Empire, Mangold explained that he shut down any notions of using volumes - studios that use advanced technology to create artificial backdrops - whenever it came up in production meetings. "If anyone in early meetings brought it up, I'd say, 'no volumes, please'," he said.

Production left the U.S. to shoot in the likes of Sicily, Morocco, and Glasgow as the team sought to create a completely authentic globe-trotting adventure that Indiana Jones films are known for, with scenes shot in crypts, bazaars, and even underwater.

Something brand new, however, is the use of helicopters in set pieces, joining horses, planes, trains, and automobiles. "Every type of vehicle, every country, we have scenes that are recreating really iconic, giant events," added producer Simon Emanuel.

Indiana Jones wrapped filming in February 2022 but won't be released until June 30 next year. Alongside Harrison Ford returning as the titular character (despite not finding a fifth entry necessary), Mads Mikkelsen and Phoebe Waller-Bridge are also starring in the fifth and final film.

Though details are still hazy around the film's plot, we know that at least some of it is set in the past as Ford is confirmed to undergo a de-aging for the opening sequence.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.