While he may not have played his character, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier almost featured Ben Barnes, the actor who played Jigsaw in Netflix's The Punisher. As reported by GamesRadar, Barnes appeared on an Instagram Live session with Rotten Tomatoes and explained how Kari Skogland, who directed every episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, mentioned there may have been a role for him in the Disney+ series. [caption id="attachment_2504081" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Ben Barnes as Jigsaw in Netflix's The Punisher[/caption] "Kari Skogland, who's directing every episode of Falcon and Winter Soldier, directed every episode of a miniseries I did called Sons of Liberty where I played Sam Adams," Barnes said in an Instagram Live session with Rotten Tomatoes. "And she actually messaged me saying she was doing Winter Soldier and that there might be a character for me in it. And I was just about to do Shadow and Bone so I didn't even know what it might be, and I still don't know really." While it's unclear whether or not Barnes would be reprising his role as Jigsaw, especially considering the uncertainty surrounding the Netflix series connection to the MCU, it would be another example of these Disney+ Marvel shows bringing in actors from other comic shows/movies. Evan Peters, who starred as Quicksilver in Fox's X-Men franchise, made an appearance in WandaVision, although he ended up not really being Quicksilver in the show. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/18/falcon-and-winter-soldier-episode-5-whats-in-the-box-from-wakanda-mcu-canon-fodder"] Even though Barnes didn't make it into the first season of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, fans will be able to check him out in Netflix's Shadow and Bone, which debuts on Netflix tomorrow, April 23. In our review of Shadow and Bone's first season, we said, "Netflix maintains its great track record of adapting fantasy action books to screen with Shadow and Bone, a fun, action-packed series based on Leigh Bardugo’s best-selling Grishaverse books." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/21/shadow-and-bone-season-1-review"] [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.

The newest season of Call of Duty: Warzone is officially out and it comes with a major overhaul of its Verdansk map. Now, it’s Verdansk ‘84. This week, Call of Duty: Warzone began to ramp up towards its new season starting with the Destruction of Verdansk event. This ended with the map being nuked, putting the future of Verdansk in doubt. From this rubble, Warzone travels back in time to Verdansk back in 1984, a new version of the map where every building and object has traveled back in time. The run-down buildings are newer, the streets more vibrant, and there’s grass and flora everywhere. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/22/call-of-duty-warzone-verdansk-84-trailer"] The new Warzone map has a fully-revitalized Airport (destroyed in the previous Verdansk map) a new Airport control tower, an in-construction Verdansk Stadium, a newly accessible Gora Summit, the new Airplane Factory, Radar Array, and more. Call of Duty began the groundwork for Verdansk ‘84 for weeks. It began with a surprise zombie outbreak in Warzone. As the outbreak intensified, Verdansk was nuked to cleanse the area, and players were then left to fight on Rebirth Island before time-traveling back to Verdansk. Also new in the season is the Operator Wraith from Mt. Yamantau, Sticks and Stones returns as a multiplayer mode, the new 2v2 Gunfight map Diesel which also turns into a 6v5 map, and the Strafe Run scorestreak. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/22/call-of-duty-warzone-7-minutes-of-verdansk-84-gameplay-with-commentary"] There were some wait time issues affecting players as they tried to log into the Destruction of Verdansk event, but with over 100 million players the popularity of Warzone is likely the least of Call of Duty’s problems. Check out IGN’s Warzone review for our full take on the massive battle royale mode. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor.

Destiny 2 is finally adding a transmog system that will let players change an armor's appearance to another desired one, but it's a bit of a hassle. As detailed by Bungie, Destiny 2's upcoming transmog system arrives in "a few short weeks" and is called Armor Synthesis, but it takes a bit of work to actually use it. The first step in the process requires players to collect Synthstrand from defeating enemies. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=destiny-2s-armor-synthesistransmog-system-screenshots&captions=true"] Once 150 Synthstrand is earned, players can visit Ada-1 in the Tower to acquire class-specific bounties that reward Synthcord upon completion. There will be five categories of Armor Synthesis bounties, including Vanguard, Crucible, Gambit, Destinations, and Raids and Dungeons. A few examples of these bounties are as follows;

• Complete playlists strikes using specific subclasses.(Vanguard)
• Accumulate points in Nightfall strikes. (Vanguard)
• Capture zones in Crucible Control matches. (Crucible)
• Complete Crucible matches and defeat opponents using specific damage types as a team. (Crucible)
• Send and defeat blockers in Gambit. (Gambit)
• Defeat Primeval Envoys, high value targets and Primevals in Gambit. (Gambit)
• Defeat Nightmares on any destination or in Nightmare Hunts. (Destinations)
• Defeat bosses while defending the Blind Well within the Dreaming City. (Destinations)
• Complete the final encounter of any Raid or Dungeon. (Raids and Dungeons)
• Generate Orbs of Power in raids or dungeons. (Raids and Dungeons)

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/15/destiny-2-season-of-the-chosen-guardian-games-trailer"] Once enough is gathered, players will need to convert the Synthcord at the Loom in the Tower into Synthweave, which can then be used to convert an unlocked armor appearance (Legendary quality or lower) from Collections into a Universal Armor Ornament. Players will be able to earn up to ten Synthweave per class, per season, except in the Season of [REDACTED] which will let players earn ten additional Synthweave per class via an introductory experience. There are also other exceptions that apply to this Armor Synthesis process, including that Exotic armor pieces can not take on the appearance of another armor set as "we want to maintain their appearance for players to quickly identify and understand what Exotic perks a player may have in all activities." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/24/destiny-2-season-of-the-chosen-new-strike-proving-grounds-trailer"] Furthermore, Year-1 Armor Ornaments will also not be eligible for transmog, although a fix is in the works for a future Season. Eververse will allow players to purchase Synthweave Templates with real-world money. One template costs 300 Silver and a bundle of five costs 1,000 Silver. For reference, Universal Armor Ornament Bundles cost 1,500 Silver. [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.

After weeks of speculation following the announcement that Russell Crowe was joining the cast of Thor: Love and Thunder, we now know who the actor is playing in the sequel: Zeus. This news comes by way of Comicbook.com, which reports that Crowe said he was Zeus in the film during an interview on JOY Breakfast with The Murphys. An earlier report of Crowe's casting stated that his role was intended to be a "fun cameo" kept secret by Marvel Studios until the film's release in theaters. Crowe was spotted with the rest of the film's cast in Australia, however, and the secret got out. Now we know what he was doing on set. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] "I'm gonna get on my bicycle," Crowe said in the interview with JOY Breakfast with The Murphys. "I'm gonna ride up to Disney Fox Studios, and around about 9:15, I shall be Zeus." The actor then said he was at Disney Fox Studios for "Thor," presumably referring to Thor: Love and Thunder, and that it was his last day at the studio "Zeus-ing about." Crowe is one of many celebrities playing small, cameo-sized roles in this sequel to Thor: Ragnarok. Joining him are Matt Damon, Sam Neil, and Luke Hemsworth as in-universe dramatic portrayals of Loki, Odin, and Thor, respectively. Melissa McCarthy will join them as a stage version of Ragnarok's Hela too. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/24/thor-can-love-and-thunder-redeem-jane-foster-the-way-ragnarok-did-thor"] As for whether or not Crowe's Zeus will be a dramatized version or the actual Zeus in the MCU, that remains unknown. Zeus and Thor have been known to get into a scuffle or two in Marvel comics, so perhaps we'll see the two gods face-off against each other.

Thor: Love and Thunder is being directed by Taika Waititi, who also directed Ragnarok. The cast will include Chris Hemsworth, of course, Natalie Portman, who is returning to play the Jane Foster last seen in Thor: The Dark World, Chris Pratt, Tessa Thompson, and Christian Bale as the villain, Gorr the God Butcher. The movie is currently set to hit theaters on May 6, 2022, following the release of Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, and other MCU Phase 4 movies. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

CD Projekt says its Cyberpunk 2077 sales figures should take into account the decisions made by Sony to delist Cyberpunk from the PSN store.

In the company’s first investors call after the incredibly troubled release of the sci-fi roleplay game, a CDPR executive implied that Sony’s decision to pull Cyberpunk 2077 off of the PlayStation Store influenced sales on other platforms.

“In general I would say that the sentiment about Cyberpunk and the situation with the Sony digital storefront — the fact that we were cut off from large portions of the market which may have also indirectly affected gamers’ decision to purchase the game on other platforms — definitely influenced the sales,” the CDPR executive said.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/30/cyberpunk-2077-update-12-the-biggest-changes-and-updates"]

Sony took Cyberpunk 2077 off of its storefront on December 17, 2020, following widespread criticism of the role-playing game’s dismal performance issues on consoles compared to PC. This was an incredibly rare move by Sony, considering the huge sales potential even despite criticism of the game. CDPR also launched its own unprecedented refund policy and on Thursday, CD Projekt estimates it has issued 30,000 refunds thus far.

CD Projekt Joint Chief Executive Adam Kicinski told Reuters that March’s big 1.2 patch is a step towards getting Cyberpunk 2077 back on the PlayStation Store. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/01/cyberpunk-2077-ps4-ps5-xbox-series-xs-console-performance-review-patch-12"]

PlayStation’s decision certainly had some sort of effect on Cyberpunk 2077 sales — one doesn’t simply disappear from one of the biggest gaming storefronts without some impact — but CD Projekt still reported that Cyberpunk 2077 sold 13.7 million copies in 2020.

That’s still short of what analysts forecasted, an average of 14.5 million copies estimated. The comparatively lackluster sales resulted in CD Projekt losing 50% of its market value. Despite all that, 2020 was still CD Projekt’s best financial year ever.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/netjogger for IGN.

In the first earnings call since the release of Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red revealed that it processed approximately 30,000 refund requests for the struggling sci-fi RPG. CDPR calculated the number based on the roughly $2.23 million spent on its "Help Me Refund Program," which it launched soon after the release of Cyberpunk 2077. Refunds were issued in response to complaints of poor performance and a heavy number of bugs, particularly on base consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The process proved chaotic, as customers had to navigate different refund portals depending on the version they purchased. This was on top of Sony removing Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store entirely. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/07/cyberpunk-2077-review"] All things considered, it's a fairly low number given how much attention was given to Cyberpunk 2077's various issues, especially given that CDPR was able to sell some 13.7 million copies of the game through the end of 2020. Cyberpunk 2077 sales ultimately helped CDPR set a full-year record for revenue. The future is a bit murkier. CDPR continues to work to improve Cyberpunk 2077, releasing multiple patches over the course of 2021, but significant issues remain. Multiplayer also remains a massive question mark. None of this has been helped by the substantial cyberattack that took place in February, in which hackers were able to make off with the source code for both Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. But one way or another, CDPR is in it for the long haul with Cyberpunk 2077, with plenty of add-ons due in the future. A next-gen update is also expected some time in the second half of 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN.

The Haunted Mansion has found its 1000th happy haunt in Dear White People director, Justin Simien, who has been tapped to direct a new movie based on the classic Disney ride. It was reported last year that a new Haunted Mansion movie was in the works with Katie Dippold, who was one of the writers on 2016's Ghostbusters remake, and the movie is closer to coming to life now that it's found its director in Simien. This news comes by way of Deadline, which reports that Disney is in negotiation with Simien to direct the film. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-disney-live-action-remake&captions=true"] Simien will join Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, who are producing the movie under their Rideback productions banner, and Nick Reynolds of Rideback, who is executive producing the film, alongside Dippold. Details for this project are sparse, but Deadline reports that insiders say "this will be a completely different take as a film that stands on its own." Deadline also says that Disney was circling Simien for quite some time, with him meeting for multiple other projects before going with The Haunted Mansion following a recent pitch for how he sees this movie's story going. As for what this story could be, considering it's based on the classic Disneyland ride, which has unique iterations at multiple other Disney theme parks around the world, it's probably safe to say it will be about a mansion filled with ghosts. Oh, and there will probably be a glowing, floating ball with a head inside that says spooky things to the people inside the house...as haunted mansions do. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2010/07/24/the-haunted-mansion-del-toro-movie-sdcc-10-guillermo-del-toro"] The 2003 Haunted Mansion movie directed by Rob Minkoff made over $150 million at the worldwide box office, which is better than the $18 million gross of The Country Bears (another movie based on a Disney ride), but not nearly as big as the $650 million made at the worldwide box office by Pirates of the Caribbean, a film based very loosely on the ride of the same name. Before Simien's Haunted Mansion comes to life, Disney has a movie adaptation of its classic Jungle Cruise ride coming to theaters this July starring Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson. Check out the official Jungle Cruise trailer before reading IGN's thoughts on Simien's Dear White People. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN who loves all things Haunted Mansion. Seriously, even his living room is Haunted Mansion-themed. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Hades has continued its sweep of gaming awards ceremonies, after winning in five categories at the 24th annual D.I.C.E. Awards, including Game of the Year. The awards also saw a number of wins for PlayStation exclusives, with Ghost of Tsushima taking home four awards, The Last of Us Part 2 taking two, and Dreams and Spider-Man: Miles Morales each earning one. It's been a huge year for Hades, the fan-favourite game from Supergiant, which has taken home game of the year awards from IGN, BAFTA, SXSW, The Gayming Awards, and is up for the category in the Game Developers Choice awards. You can check out the full list of categories and winners below. Winners are marked in red. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/hades-igns-2020-game-of-the-year"]

Game of the Year

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades - WINNER
• The Last of Us Part II

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades - WINNER
• Half-Life: Alyx
• Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
• The Last of Us Part II

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades - WINNER
• Half-Life: Alyx
• The Last of Us Part II
• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Action Game of the Year

• Doom Eternal
• Hades - WINNER
• Half-Life: Alyx
• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Nioh 2

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/the-last-of-us-part-2-review"]

Adventure Game of the Year

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla
• Ghost of Tsushima - WINNER
• Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
• The Last of Us Part II
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Family Game of the Year

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons - WINNER
• Astro's Playroom
• Dreams
• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Fighting Game of the Year

• EA Sports UFC 4
• Granblue Fantasy Versus
• Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate - WINNER
• Them's Fightin' Herds

Racing Game of the Year

• Dirt 5
• F1 2020
• Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit - WINNER

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/14/mario-kart-live-home-circuit-review"]

Role-Playing Game of the Year

• Cyberpunk 2077
• Final Fantasy VII Remake - WINNER
• Persona 5 Royal
• Wasteland 3
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Sports Game of the Year

• EA Sports FIFA 21
• MLB The Show 20
• NBA 2K21
• PGA Tour 2K21
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 - WINNER

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• Crusader Kings III
• Desperados III
• Microsoft Flight Simulator - WINNER
• Monster Train
• Per Aspera

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

• Down the Rabbit Hole
• Half-Life: Alyx - WINNER
• Paper Beast
• The Room VR: Dark Matter
• The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/half-life-alyx-review"]

Mobile Game of the Year

• HoloVista
• Legends of Runeterra - WINNER
• Little Orpheus
• Song of Bloom
• South of the Circle

Online Game of the Year

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War
• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout - WINNER
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Tetris Effect: Connected

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Final Fantasy VII Remake
• The Last of Us Part II - WINNER
• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Spiritfarer

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Ghost of Tsushima - WINNER
• Hades
• The Last of Us Part II
• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/14/ghost-of-tsushima-review"]

Outstanding Achievement in Character

• Eivor, Assassin's Creed Valhalla
• Zagreus, Hades
• Abby, The Last of Us Part II
• Ellie, The Last of Us Part II
• Miles, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales - WINNER

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• Carrion
• Ghost of Tsushima - WINNER
• Little Orpheus
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• The Pathless

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

• Dreams
• Ghost of Tsushima - WINNER
• The Last of Us Part II
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Outstanding Achievement in Story

• 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
• The Last of Us Part II - WINNER

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/13/dreams-review"]

Outstanding Technical Achievement

• Dreams - WINNER
• Ghost of Tsushima
• The Last of Us Part II
• Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
• Microsoft Flight Simulator

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

• Half-Life: Alyx - WINNER
• Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
• Museum of Other Realities
• Paper Beast
• Tempest

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

• Coffee Talk
• Hades - WINNER
• If Found…
• Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
• Noita

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Update:

It's been noted by users who tested the INSTAX Mini Link, which is identical to the one currently available in retailers just without any special Nintendo or Pokemon branding, that the upcoming app is not required to print screenshots from your Switch to a polaroid.

Instead, the upcoming app will give users the option to add Pokemon or Nintendo-themed frames to their photos. But for users who want to just print out screenshots from their Switch, they can do so already by transferring their screenshots to their smartphones, and using an INSTAX Mini Link to print the photo directly without any special frame.

Original Story Continues...

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Nintendo and Fujifilm are teaming up to make a new miniature printer and smartphone app that will let you take snapshots in Nintendo games and print physical versions.

Dubbed the “INSTAX Mini Link for Nintendo Switch Smartphone Printer,” the palm-sized device lets you take the pictures you shoot in games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Mario Odyssey, and New Pokemon Snap and print out polaroid versions. You can also add Nintendo characters, filters, and 59 frames to your photos via the smartphone app.

Check out some images of the new Switch-themed printer below. You can also check out the official trailer here. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=instax-mini-link-for-nintendo-switch-printer&captions=true"]

You can transfer screenshots from your Switch to the Instax Mini Link app by scanning a QR code.

The actual mini printer is identical to Fujifilm’s other Instax Mini Link, but it comes with a red and blue trim that’s similar to the Switch’s original Joy-Con controllers. There’s also a bundle available that wraps the Instax Mini Link in a Pikachu-shaped case.

Fujifilm says the new Instax Mini Link will be released on April 30, while the Pikachu bundle will release “in a limited quantity several weeks after release of the Mini Link Special Edition.” The Mini Link itself will cost $100, but the Pikachu bundle is only a bit more at $120. The app itself is free to download and works with other Instax Mini Link printers.

The new Fujifilm printer is itself sort of a spiritual successor to the iconic Game Boy Printer (or Pocket Printer in Japan), released by Nintendo in 1998. Designed to be used alongside the Game Boy Camera, the printer allowed players to make physical photos of game screenshots with a roll of 38mm proprietary thermal paper, which were sold in white, blue, cream, red, and yellow variants. It worked on a number of early Pokemon games, including Yellow, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/snapper for IGN.

YouTube creators will soon be able to easily change their channel name and profile picture without needing to update the name and picture associated with their Google account, the company announced today. This new feature will begin rolling out to creators tomorrow, April 23, and the process is as simple as clicking on to your profile picture in the top right corner and tapping on "Your Channel." The feature is considered one of the most requested, according to YouTube. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/31/100-billion-hours-were-spent-watching-gaming-content-on-youtube-in-2020-ign-news"] It's important to note that if creators with a verification badge change their channel name, they will lose their badge and will need to reapply. There is no impact to a creator's custom URL or Official Channel Music Note if they do decide to change it. The goal is to allow for channels to be "more reflective of the content they create," according to the company. Changing the names of channels/accounts is an ongoing, big request — and not just on YouTube. Platforms like the PlayStation Network finally allowed for name changes in 2018 for the first time since its launch in 2006. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=9-youtube-channels-that-are-just-as-addictive-as-netflix&captions=true"] Twitch also allows for username changes every 60 days. While a streamer's channel URL will not redirect to the new name, Partners will not have to worry about their revenue being impacted or their old name being used by someone else. [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.