Disney has revealed an official poster for Star Wars: The Bad Batch ahead of its debut on Disney+ on May 4, 2021. This new poster was shared on Twitter and features the members of the titular Bad Batch - Hunter, Echo, Tech, Wrecker, and Crosshair - alongside the dark presence of the Emperor and the unnamed Kamino child who appears to play a big part in this original series. While not shown, we know this series will also feature Grand Moff Tarkin, a young Saw Gerrera (played by Andrew Kishino, reprising his role from The Clone Wars series) and The Mandalorian's Fennec Shand (played by Ming-Na Wen). Star Wars: The Bad Batch will begin with a special 70-minute premiere on May 4, which also happens to be Star Wars Day, followed by new episodes every Friday starting on May 7. This Bad Batch is a group of five clones that were each created with a specific skill in mind to serve the Empire as Clone Force 99. They also come with a rebellious streak that causes them to become branded as enemies of the state. All five clones are being played by Dee Bradley Baker. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/30/star-wars-the-bad-batch-official-trailer-2"] This new series will act as a continuation of sorts the now-concluded Clone Wars series. It's one of the many Star Wars projects in production, including a Rogue One prequel series focused on Diego Luna's Cassian Andor, an Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor and a mysterious female-led series from Russian Doll's Leslye Headland. [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 1.2 update patch for Cyberpunk 2077 reportedly contains a collection of quest files that seem to point towards some unreleased DLC. As reported by Eurogamer, a data miner has discovered references to “episode one” quests that appear to largely take part in the Pacifica region of Night City. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/30/cyberpunk-2077-update-12-the-biggest-changes-and-updates"] The report describes a variety of quest files and descriptions that have been discovered in the patch 1.2 files, extracted using a modding tool. Within Cyberpunk’s files, main quests are labelled either q00x, q10x, or q20x, which denotes their location in either the prologue, act 1, or epilogue of the game. Within patch 1.2, though, files labelled q301 can be found, which would put these quests beyond the boundaries of Cyberpunk’s original story. They are also labelled “Story-ep1”, suggesting that the (possibly placeholder) name for upcoming quests could be “episode one”. These file names have also been confirmed to IGN by a separate source. Our source explained that files referencing these additional quests have been present since Cyberpunk 2077’s launch version - v1.03 - but the Eurogamer report reveals that an additional 215 files referencing “ep1” have been added in the 1.2 update. The contents and descriptions for many of these files feature links to Mr. Hands, the NPC Fixer who provides side quests in the Pacifica region of Night City. While many of the files apparently contain just placeholder text, some include descriptions, objectives, or even email messages between characters. Among the quest details discovered through these files is a storyline in which the player is apparently asked to rescue a character called Anthony Anderson from the Scavengers gang. There are also descriptions and some objectives for quests involving a hostage situation and finding a den of hidden netrunners. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/29/cyberpunk-2077-12-patch-notes-released-includes-hundreds-of-changes-ign-news"] Eurogamer’s data miner source notes that new Cyberpunk files are normally written in Polish, but their translation into English could point to them being closer to completion. As well as seemingly being a step towards DLC, Cyberpunk 2077 v1.2 is also a step towards bringing the game back to PlayStation Store, from which it was removed from sale shortly after launch. The update also introduced a host of new bugs, but a 1.21 hotfix has recently been deployed to help counter this. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Sony has announced that the PlayStation-exclusive Days Gone will officially be making its way to PC on May 18, 2021 with 21:9 ultra-wide monitor support, an unlocked framerate, and more. Sony revealed the date alongside a new trailer and further details on what fans can expect from this PC version, including allowing for the use of 1st and 3rd party controllers or mouse and keyboard. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/15/days-gone-pc-features-trailer"] There will also be new display customization options that include increased level of detail, foliage draw distances, and graphical customizations. A new "super resolution photo mode" will also be available that will allow you to capture images of Deacon St. John and the up to 500 Freakers that can be on screen at once. Days Gone was released on PS4 in 2019, and in our review, we said "Fun in small bursts, but Days Gone's repetition, bland world, and meandering story make for an unremarkable ride." Days Gone, which is currently available on PlayStation Plus until May 3, is another example of Sony's commitment in bringing its first-party games to PC, just as it did with Horizon Zero Dawn. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/25/days-gone-review"] This news also follows a report that states, despite positive fan reception and respectable sales numbers, a pitch for Days Gone 2 from Sony Bend was rejected. The same report says Bend is allegedly working on a new original game, although it isn't clear if it is Days Gone 2, an new IP, or a revival of a classic franchise. Days Gone is available for pre-order on digital storefronts like Steam and the Epic Games Store for $49.99 USD. [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 Haunting of Hill House creator Mike Flanagan is slated to direct an adaptation of Christopher Pike's The Season of Passage, a sci-fi horror novel set on Mars. According to Deadline, Flanagan will not only direct the movie but also produce alongside his Intrepid Pictures partner Trevor Macy, together with Universal Pictures after the studio acquired the feature pitch from a "competitive situation." Christopher Pike will team up with Melinda Nishioka to executive produce the adaptation of his 1992 novel, which tells the story of a manned expedition to Mars. Flanagan is co-writing the screenplay with his brother James Flanagan, though plot specifics are being kept secret for now. The novel itself centers around Dr. Lauren Wagner, an astronaut and medical officer who became a global celebrity following her involvement in the second crewed mission to the red planet after all contact with the first mission had been lost. According to the official synopsis for The Season of Passage, the "whole world admired and respected" Lauren in the aftermath of her space adventure, "but Lauren knew fear. Inside ― voices entreating her to love them. Outside ― the mystery of the missing group that had gone before her. The dead group. But were they simply dead? Or something else?" Shortly after the project was announced, Flanagan took to Twitter to share his excitement for the adaptation. "This project has been a dream of mine since I was a teenager," he wrote. "I'm so excited to be collaborating with my brother James, and my partner in crime Intrepid Pictures on this epic horror movie - in space - for Universal Pictures." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=20-hidden-horror-gems-worth-streaming&captions=true"] The Season of Passage isn't the only Christopher Pike novel that Flanagan is adapting, as he's also currently at work on The Midnight Club for Netflix. The series takes place at Rotterdam Home, a hospice run by an enigmatic doctor, where a group of terminally ill patients regularly meet up at midnight to exchange scary stories with one another. Before that, Flanagan brought cinematic scares to Netflix with The Haunting of Bly Manor, a follow-up anthology series to 2018's The Haunting of Hill House. He also spearheaded Stephen King's The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep, which became one of IGN's best-reviewed movies of 2019 after we awarded the movie an 8.5 for being "consistently terrifying, visually impressive, and soulful in equal measure." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/07/a-directors-journey-to-becoming-the-new-king-of-horror"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Resident Evil Village has a cooking system where players will have to kill the animals in the village to make meals. As revealed by Game Informer, protagonist Ethan Winters can kill animals in the world take them to a kitchen to be cooked up into stat-enhancing meals. Creatures such as fish, pigs, goats and chickens can be dispatched in a less-than-humane fashion (AKA shooting them), and then the player can pick up those ingredients and take them to The Duke’s Kitchen. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/21/resident-evil-village-story-trailer"] Ingredient assortments can be turned by The Duke into special dishes which offer permanent upgrades to the player. For example, four Poultry and one Meat makes a Bird and Beast Pilaf, which provides the benefit: “Damage taken when guarding decreases permanently.” As well as making food with The Duke, players will be able to buy supplies and talk with the Gunsmithy at The Duke’s Emporium to upgrade weapons. The currency in Village is called ‘Lei’, which is earned from killing enemies. In other Resident Evil Village news, check out all of our new and exclusive info about the game here, as part of our IGN First coverage. The beta of the game’s multiplayer mode RE: Verse was recently suspended due to matchmaking issues. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

The upcoming remake of 2010’s Nier will feature a “powerful new boss” and an extra, retroactive link to the 2017 sequel, Nier Automata. Nier producer Yosuke Saito revealed the news in an interview with PCGamesN about Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139..., which is set to launch on April 23 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. He revealed that as well as the game’s aesthetic upgrades, “there are some extra story sections that we were unable to put in the original. There is also a heartrendingly sad but unbelievably powerful new boss lying in wait for you somewhere.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/29/nier-replicant-ver-122474487139-the-final-preview"] Naturally the full details on this added content are being kept under wraps, but it’s an exciting prospect for Nier series fans who may not have been expecting new elements in the remake. Saito also told PCGamesN that the game will retroactively reference the sequel, Nier Automata. As well as “something” regarding a beloved Nier character, Saito says that there is “a new story, an extra link to Automata, and something for fans of ‘Dad Nier‘ too.” With ‘Dad Nier’, Saito is referencing the fact that in the west, the protagonist of 2010’s Nier was a father figure to Yonah, while in the Japanese version the player character is her older brother. In the remake Nier Replicant, the decisions was made to make the protagonist the older brother from the Japanese version of the game for all audiences. You can check out our final preview of Nier Replicant here, and check out the cheeky April Fool’s trailer Square Enix made for the game. That should keep you sated ahead of the game’s launch on April 23. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

The new Scream movie reportedly has multiple scripts and various edits to keep the movie from being spoiled by leaks. The filmmakers behind the upcoming slasher sequel reportedly confirmed the news to Bloody Disgusting who shared that "there are not only multiple versions of the Scream screenplay, but also the movie" in existence to prevent fans from getting any spoilers ahead of Scream's theatrical release, which is currently slated for January 2022. Scream producer William Sherak previously confirmed that the movie had decoy scripts in circulation, telling CinemaBlend, "There are multiple versions of the draft out there and most of the cast don't know if they have the right version or not. So we've been playing that game with them as well. The fun of a Scream movie is that everyone is guilty until proven innocent." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=horror-movie-franchises-that-never-stopped-being-entertaining&captions=true"] The element of surprise is often critical when constructing a story for the Scream franchise, but unfortunately, plot leaks have been a problem for the creators in the past. Most notably, a Scream 2 draft leaked online after it had transferred to production, causing writer Kevin Williamson to conduct extensive rewrites of the script, changing much of the movie's plot and the roles of the characters. News of a fifth Scream movie came early last year when it was reported that Spyglass Media Group would produce the film. The movie will be directed by Ready or Not's Matthew Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett of the filmmaking group Radio Silence and will mark the return of David Arquette as Dewey Riley,  Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers, and Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott. Scream is currently in post-production, having wrapped filming in November of last year. The movie is scheduled to arrive in theaters on January 14, 2022, which is almost 11 years after Scream 4 was released and about 25 years after the original Scream, directed by Wes Craven. The next installment is said to be a "relaunch" of the iconic slasher franchise. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Lucy O'Brien to talk through all the biggest PlayStation news, including the launch of the PlayStation 5's first big update. We discuss the good and bad of what's here in the PS5 firmware update, along with what's missing that we hope to see sooner than later. Plus, the cast dives into the latest report about PlayStation's alleged first-party, internal focuses, including the reported shifting of a Last of Us remake, a Days Gone 2, and much more, and what we think this means for Sony as it moves more fully into the PS5 era. After that, we discuss what we're playing, including Disco Elysium, Sekiro, It Takes Two, and more, plus a pair of Memory Card stories! Watch the new episode above! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"]

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Podcast Beyond! is live every Wednesday. For more on PS5, check out our PS5 console review and our PS5 wiki guide for tips on how to best use your system. And for more Beyond, be sure to watch the first episode of our Bloodborne let's play! [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.

The House of the Dead: Remake, an updated version of the classic 1996 on-rails arcade shooter, is coming to Nintendo Switch.

Announced as part of Nintendo’s Indie Showcase on Wednesday, The House of the Dead Remake promises updated graphics, updated controls, multiple endings, and the ability to play solo or two-player co-op. The trailer’s description also includes mentions of a “new entourage and gameplay changes,” so it’s possible we’ll see new characters replace the old cast.

That said, Dr. Curien, the first game's antagonist, makes an appearance at the end of the trailer, so at least one familiar face is returning. The remake is being developed by MegaPixel Studios, the team behind the Panzer Dragoon remake.

Check out the screenshots below.

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The trailer shows briefly shows off a reimagined version of the opening cutscene, as well as what appears to be the main entrance to the titular house, appropriately surrounded by undead. We also get a quick look at some interior locations, like a lab, as well as some sort of large greenhouse.

The original House of the Dead was released in 1996 by Sega, using a lightgun accessory to let players blast their way through undead. The original game spawned five more core sequels, as well as numerous spinoffs, like well-regarded Typing of the Dead, and the considerably less well-regarded Uwe Boll film.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/14/the-house-of-the-dead-remake-nintendo-switch-trailer"]

The House of the Dead Remake is scheduled to launch on Nintendo Switch sometime in 2021. MegaPixels has yet to say anything regarding other platforms, or if lightgun peripherals will be useable.

Don't forget to check out everything announced at Nintendo's Indie World Showcase if you're in the mood for some indie gems.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN. Hold your fire with him on Twitter.

Apex Legends has officially hit 100 million players, developer Respawn announced Wednesday. Respawn also appears to be teasing a new character, and potentially some sort of new location for players to compete in.

100 million strong, and we're just getting started. Thank you, Legends! pic.twitter.com/FlINru0lx5

— Apex Legends (@PlayApex) April 14, 2021

The character in question appears at the 43-second mark, flying over the sky as Mirage exclaims “somebody got the party started.” The figure, shrouded in darkness, appears to be flying upward, or at least in a gentle arc. Aside from Horizon, who can use a jetpack while falling, no other character in Apex Legends really has that kind of maneuverability.

We also see what looks like a new or modified location in Kings Canyon, although it only appears for literally half a second after the new character appears in the sky. Here’s a quick screenshot.

Unfortunately, there’s not much more to go on, but we do know that Apex Legends season 9 will feature Titanfall, Respawn’s original shooter franchise, in some capacity. Don’t forget that you can play Apex Legends on the Switch now, so read our review to see if it holds up. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/Lifeline for IGN.