A new report from researchers at the universities of Plymouth and Wolverhampton have discovered that loot boxes "are structurally and psychologically akin to gambling." As reported by BBC, this new research was commissioned by the GambleAware charity, and some of the results discovered include the following;

• Of the 93% of children who play video games, up to 40% opened loot boxes
• About 5% of gamers generate half the entire revenue from the boxes
• Twelve out of 13 studies on the topic have established "unambiguous" connections to problem gambling behaviour
• Young men are the most likely to use loot boxes - with young age and lower education correlating with increased uses

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/20/ea-defends-loot-boxes-calls-them-surprise-mechanics"] The study also found that many games use a "psychological nudge" which encourages those to purchase loot boxes in an attempt to instill the fear of missing out on limited-time items or deals. "Many gamers do ascribe discrete financial values to loot box contents - based on purchase or resale price - suggesting that many loot boxes meet existing criteria for gambling regulation," the authors wrote. As for the 5% of those who generate half the entire revenue for the boxes - who are sometimes called whales - they can spend more than £70 or $100 per month on these loot boxes. What makes this a problem is these aren't necessarily wealthy people, but those who may have problems with gambling. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/13/esrb-announces-new-ratings-label-for-loot-boxes-ign-news"] "Our research therefore demonstrates that games developers, unwittingly or not, appear to be generating outsized loot box profits from at-risk individuals (these are likely to include both people with gambling problems or problematic patterns of video gaming) - but not from wealthy gamers," it concluded. These "at-risk individuals" make disproportionate contributions to loot box revenues and are these practices are said to feed into the dangers of gambling. As for possible solutions, the report recommends that loot boxes be included in game labeling and age ratings, that the odds of winning specific items are clearly shown, that spending limits are established, and more. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/07/nintendo-sony-microsoft-working-on-loot-box-odds-policy"] For more on loot boxes, check out our look at how these microtransactions can cause addiction that can destroy lives, ESRB's announcement on its new ratings labels for loot boxes, and how Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony are working on a new policy for loot box probability. [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.

Zendaya, the Emmy-winning actress who has starred in Euphoria, Spider-Man: Far From Home and more, is set to voice Lola Bunny in Space Jam: A New Legacy. EW exclusively revealed the news on the same day that the official trailer for Space Jam: A New Legacy was released. [caption id="attachment_249596" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Zendaya Image Credit: Steven Ferdman/Getty Images[/caption] Zendaya's casting is part of director Malcolm D. Lee's goal to introduce a more "fully-realized" Lola than what was seen in the original Space Jam from 1996. Lee did not see the original Space Jam until 2019, and the portrayal of Lola left him "flummoxed." "Lola was not politically correct," Lee said in EW's New Legacy cover story. "This is a kids' movie, why is she in a crop top? It just felt unnecessary, but at the same time there's a long history of that in cartoons." To help reimagine Lola and "reflect the authenticity of strong, capable female characters," Lee decided to reintroduce Zendaya's Lola alongside the Amazons of Wonder Woman. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/03/space-jam-a-new-legacy-official-trailer"] Zendaya joins Kath Soucie, Kristen Wiig, and others who have lent their voice talents to the character of Lola Bunny. Space Jam: A New Legacy will be released in theaters and on HBO Max on July 16, 2021. [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.

Update: In a rather colorful tweet, the Outriders Twitter account has announced servers for the US and worldwide should be back up and running. The Outriders online teams will continue to monitor the situation, but for now, players looking to jump back into Outriders should be able to do so now.

"US Outriders - Get back in there and f**k sh*t up," the Outrider Twitter account writes. "Apart from our servers please. We need those. Our teams will continue to monitor the overall situation. Sorry we kept you waiting. Godspeed Outriders."

Original story continues... [poilib element="accentDivider"] While Outriders has been quite popular since its launch earlier this week, many players have reported server issues that are hampering the experience. To resolve these problems, Outriders' servers are being taken down for a short time to "bring it back into a healthy and stable state." Outriders' Twitter account has been very transparent and communicative about these server troubles, and its most recent Tweet confirmed that the team is about to do the "mother of all turn-it-off-and-on-agains." "We are about to do the mother of all turn-it-off-and-on-agains. This will take all servers down for a short duration. The complete downage will allow us to rebuilt and recover server infrastructure in order to bring it back into a healthy and stable state." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/02/outriders-launch-trailer"] Outriders Twitter previously shared that they aren't looking to just solve symptoms, but want to ensure it "can safeguard against such issues in future and are therefore looking into root causes." People Can Fly also shared an apology to all Outriders players, saying Square Enix is doing all it can to "fix it ASAP." "Dear Outriders, we are, unfortunately, fully aware of servers breakdown you are experiencing right now," People Can Fly studio head Sebastian Wojciechowski wrote. "Our partners at Square Enix are trying to fix it ASAP. As developers, who've been working super hard for the last 5 years to make this game awesome, we really hope that you will judge the game rather than those teething troubles related to server issues. It is frustrating for you and it is frustrating for us. We really appreciate your massive interest in Outriders and we hope to see you all on Enoch shortly. Sorry for your inconvenience." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/01/this-outriders-boss-fight-will-make-you-uncomfortable-ign-plays"] Outriders has seen a huge player base since its launch on April 1, with Steamcharts.com showing an all-time peak of 109,553 players. This is an impressive number, especially considering the fact that Outriders is available to all subscribers of Xbox Game Pass at no extra cost. In our Outriders review in progress, we said, "I’m now roughly six hours past where I left off a month ago, and I’m still really enjoying its grisly combo of gunplay and superpowers. The balancing tweaks made since the demo have made larger encounters a bit more challenging to get through solo, though the ever-widening variety of weapons, powers, and gear allow for a lot of strategy adjustments and experimentation to get over those hurdles." [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.

Update (4/3/21 9:25pm PT) - Outriders' Twitter has confirmed that servers are "continuing to improve as the team is working hard to stabilize them in the longterm" and that players should be able to get back online in most cases. Update (4/3/21 9:57am PT) - Outriders is once again experiencing server instability. Outriders' Twitter confirmed that the team is looking into it, but recommends that "this is likely a good time to grab a drink and a snack & take your dog/hyena-looking-cow-thing for a quick walk." "We're working hard on this matter and hope to have news soon," The Twitter account wrote. "We will let you know as soon as we can, but we are unlikely to have news in the next 10-20 minutes, so this is likely a good time to grab a drink and a snack & take your dog/hyena-looking-cow-thing for a quick walk." Update: In a rather colorful tweet, the Outriders Twitter account has announced servers for the US and worldwide should be back up and running. The Outriders online teams will continue to monitor the situation, but for now, players looking to jump back into Outriders should be able to do so now.

"US Outriders - Get back in there and f**k sh*t up," the Outrider Twitter account writes. "Apart from our servers please. We need those. Our teams will continue to monitor the overall situation. Sorry we kept you waiting. Godspeed Outriders."

Original story continues... [poilib element="accentDivider"] While Outriders has been quite popular since its launch earlier this week, many players have reported server issues that are hampering the experience. To resolve these problems, Outriders' servers are being taken down for a short time to "bring it back into a healthy and stable state." Outriders' Twitter account has been very transparent and communicative about these server troubles, and its most recent Tweet confirmed that the team is about to do the "mother of all turn-it-off-and-on-agains." "We are about to do the mother of all turn-it-off-and-on-agains. This will take all servers down for a short duration. The complete downage will allow us to rebuilt and recover server infrastructure in order to bring it back into a healthy and stable state." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/02/outriders-launch-trailer"] Outriders Twitter previously shared that they aren't looking to just solve symptoms, but want to ensure it "can safeguard against such issues in future and are therefore looking into root causes." People Can Fly also shared an apology to all Outriders players, saying Square Enix is doing all it can to "fix it ASAP." "Dear Outriders, we are, unfortunately, fully aware of servers breakdown you are experiencing right now," People Can Fly studio head Sebastian Wojciechowski wrote. "Our partners at Square Enix are trying to fix it ASAP. As developers, who've been working super hard for the last 5 years to make this game awesome, we really hope that you will judge the game rather than those teething troubles related to server issues. It is frustrating for you and it is frustrating for us. We really appreciate your massive interest in Outriders and we hope to see you all on Enoch shortly. Sorry for your inconvenience." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/04/01/this-outriders-boss-fight-will-make-you-uncomfortable-ign-plays"] Outriders has seen a huge player base since its launch on April 1, with Steamcharts.com showing an all-time peak of 109,553 players. This is an impressive number, especially considering the fact that Outriders is available to all subscribers of Xbox Game Pass at no extra cost. In our Outriders review in progress, we said, "I’m now roughly six hours past where I left off a month ago, and I’m still really enjoying its grisly combo of gunplay and superpowers. The balancing tweaks made since the demo have made larger encounters a bit more challenging to get through solo, though the ever-widening variety of weapons, powers, and gear allow for a lot of strategy adjustments and experimentation to get over those hurdles." [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.

A new dinosaur has been discovered in Patagonia and its scientific name translates to "the one who causes fear." The first word of its name, "Llukalkan," translates to "the one who causes fear" in Mapuche, which is the language spoken by the indigenous inhabitants found near the discovery site of this new dinosaur, according to this report from HuffPost. The second word in its name, "aliocranianus," translates to "unusual skull" in Latin, although if you looked at its skull, you'd find that it resembles that of a T-Rex, or maybe even the Indominus Rex found in Jurassic World. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-deaths-in-the-jurassic-park-movies&captions=true"] That's because much like the T-Rex, the Llukalkan aliocranianus was a big-headed dinosaur with small arms and large legs. However, a deeper, more scientific look at the skull reveals that it actually seems to indicate the Llukalkan aliocranianus had better hearing than most other dinosaurs of this type. "A peculiarity of this dinosaur is that it has cavities in the ear area that other abelisaurids did not have, which could have given this species different auditory capacities, possibly a greater hearing range," the National University of San Luis, Argentina, paleontologist, Federico Gianechini, said in their research paper published about this discovery. "This, together with its keen sense of smell, would have given great capabilities as a predator to this species." Many fossilized pieces of this dinosaur, which include teeth, parts of its jaws, the bones around its eye sockets, and more, were discovered in the Bajo de la Carpa Formation in Argentina. This new species of dinosaurs is estimated to have walked the Earth some 80 million years ago, as noted by HuffPost. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/12/new-tyrannosaur-species-discovered-dubbed-reaper-of-death"] According to HuffPost, a press release from Gianechini and their study co-author, Ariel Méndez, reveals that abelisaurids were still alive and well right before all dinosaurs went extinct. It states that as the Tyrannosaurus rex was busy ruling over the Northern Hemisphere, the Llukalkan aliocranianus, which was "one of the 10 currently known species of abelisaurids," was busy "flourishing in the Southern Hemisphere." The press release says  the Llukalkan aliocranianus was "likely among the top predators" in Patagonia "due to its formidable size (up to five meters long), extremely powerful bite, very sharp teeth, huge claws in their feet, and their keen sense of smell." For more dinosaur reading, check out this story about bat-winged dinosaurs that took 150 million years to evolve into expert fliers and then read this story about a T-Rex and Triceratops locked in the same fossil. Check out this story about scientists who say they have "no intention of raising dinosaurs" after extracting DNA from insects preserved in resin. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a news writer, guide writer, and science guru for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

A new dinosaur has been discovered in Patagonia and its scientific name translates to "the one who causes fear." The first word of its name, "Llukalkan," translates to "the one who causes fear" in Mapuche, which is the language spoken by the indigenous inhabitants found near the discovery site of this new dinosaur, according to this report from HuffPost. The second word in its name, "aliocranianus," translates to "unusual skull" in Latin, although if you looked at its skull, you'd find that it resembles that of a T-Rex, or maybe even the Indominus Rex found in Jurassic World. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-deaths-in-the-jurassic-park-movies&captions=true"] That's because much like the T-Rex, the Llukalkan aliocranianus was a big-headed dinosaur with small arms and large legs. However, a deeper, more scientific look at the skull reveals that it actually seems to indicate the Llukalkan aliocranianus had better hearing than most other dinosaurs of this type. "A peculiarity of this dinosaur is that it has cavities in the ear area that other abelisaurids did not have, which could have given this species different auditory capacities, possibly a greater hearing range," the National University of San Luis, Argentina, paleontologist, Federico Gianechini, said in their research paper published about this discovery. "This, together with its keen sense of smell, would have given great capabilities as a predator to this species." Many fossilized pieces of this dinosaur, which include teeth, parts of its jaws, the bones around its eye sockets, and more, were discovered in the Bajo de la Carpa Formation in Argentina. This new species of dinosaurs is estimated to have walked the Earth some 80 million years ago, as noted by HuffPost. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/12/new-tyrannosaur-species-discovered-dubbed-reaper-of-death"] According to HuffPost, a press release from Gianechini and their study co-author, Ariel Méndez, reveals that abelisaurids were still alive and well right before all dinosaurs went extinct. It states that as the Tyrannosaurus rex was busy ruling over the Northern Hemisphere, the Llukalkan aliocranianus, which was "one of the 10 currently known species of abelisaurids," was busy "flourishing in the Southern Hemisphere." The press release says  the Llukalkan aliocranianus was "likely among the top predators" in Patagonia "due to its formidable size (up to five meters long), extremely powerful bite, very sharp teeth, huge claws in their feet, and their keen sense of smell." For more dinosaur reading, check out this story about bat-winged dinosaurs that took 150 million years to evolve into expert fliers and then read this story about a T-Rex and Triceratops locked in the same fossil. Check out this story about scientists who say they have "no intention of raising dinosaurs" after extracting DNA from insects preserved in resin. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a news writer, guide writer, and science guru for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Several popular Star Wars Legends canon novels are being republished with new cover art as part of an “Essential Legends Collection” for the franchise's 50th anniversary, publisher Del Rey announced Friday.

Heir to the Empire, Darth Bane: Path of Destruction and the Mace Windu-focused Shatterpoint will be the first books to be republished and made available for purchase on June 15. Shatterpoint will also receive a brand new unabridged audio edition.

Additional Legends canon novels will be republished this fall, Del Rey says. For what it’s worth when a Twitter user jokingly requested that the X-Wing series of novels be republished, Del Rey responded “stay tuned.”

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-legends-republished-books-for-50th-anniversary&captions=true"]

The books will be published as trade paperbacks, about an inch-and-a-half taller than their mass-market paperback versions.

Heir to the Empire, published in 1991, is the first book of the Thrawn trilogy, which follows the blue-skinned Chiss officer who became a key rival of the Rebel Alliance thanks to his masterful military strategizing. Thrawn recently reentered the current Star Wars canon thanks to both Rebels and The Mandalorian’s second season, being the target of Ahsoka Tano.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/12/the-history-of-star-wars-on-tv-from-the-holiday-special-to-disney-plus"]

Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, published in 2006, follows the Sith lord responsible for creating the Rule of Two that came to define the power structure of the franchise’s antagonists.

Shatterpoint follows Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu as he attempts to rescue his former padawan.

The Legends canon, previously known as the Star Wars Expanded Universe, was retconned in 2014 after Lucasfilm announced plans for the sequel trilogy. The old canon encompasses countless novels, games, comic books, and even radio plays. If you're curious about new Star Wars literature, read the first chapter of the High Republic - Light of the Jedi.

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

Several popular Star Wars Legends canon novels are being republished with new cover art as part of an “Essential Legends Collection” for the franchise's 50th anniversary, publisher Del Rey announced Friday.

Heir to the Empire, Darth Bane: Path of Destruction and the Mace Windu-focused Shatterpoint will be the first books to be republished and made available for purchase on June 15. Shatterpoint will also receive a brand new unabridged audio edition.

Additional Legends canon novels will be republished this fall, Del Rey says. For what it’s worth when a Twitter user jokingly requested that the X-Wing series of novels be republished, Del Rey responded “stay tuned.”

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=star-wars-legends-republished-books-for-50th-anniversary&captions=true"]

The books will be published as trade paperbacks, about an inch-and-a-half taller than their mass-market paperback versions.

Heir to the Empire, published in 1991, is the first book of the Thrawn trilogy, which follows the blue-skinned Chiss officer who became a key rival of the Rebel Alliance thanks to his masterful military strategizing. Thrawn recently reentered the current Star Wars canon thanks to both Rebels and The Mandalorian’s second season, being the target of Ahsoka Tano.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/12/the-history-of-star-wars-on-tv-from-the-holiday-special-to-disney-plus"]

Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, published in 2006, follows the Sith lord responsible for creating the Rule of Two that came to define the power structure of the franchise’s antagonists.

Shatterpoint follows Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu as he attempts to rescue his former padawan.

The Legends canon, previously known as the Star Wars Expanded Universe, was retconned in 2014 after Lucasfilm announced plans for the sequel trilogy. The old canon encompasses countless novels, games, comic books, and even radio plays. If you're curious about new Star Wars literature, read the first chapter of the High Republic - Light of the Jedi.

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

The PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3, PSP, and PS Vita is coming to a close, and while not a lot of folks are still making games for the PS3 or PSP these days, there are still games for the Vita very much in development. And according to their developers, they found out about the PSN closures right around the same time as everyone else. On March 29, the same day IGN reported on the PlayStation Store closure, Lillymo Games announced that it canceled the Vita version of its next game because the store will be closed before the game will be ready for release. In a DM to IGN, Barry Johnson from Lillymo Games says that the studio was “not warned about the closing of the Vita store in any way.” In fact, Johnson says they purchased a second Vita devkit just last month. “When word came out that it was happening through that story at TheGamer we reached out to Sony for clarification and were given no response. We found out at the same time as the public did that we would have to cancel our Vita version of our next game.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2013/08/19/ps-vita-summer-select-trailer"] TheGamer, which initially reported on the PlayStation store for legacy Sony consoles closing, also spoke with multiple developers who were working on PS Vita games for future release. One of those developers is Miguel Sternberg, game designer at Spooky Squid. Sternberg is currently working on a port of their game Russian Subway Dogs and is trying to get the Vita version out before the store closes in August. “I’ve been working on porting the game to PS4, Xbox One, and Vita, switching back and forth every few weeks,” Sternberg said in a message to IGN. “It was some serious emotional whiplash going from being happy about new improvements I’d implemented [to the Vita port] over the weekend, to learning it might be too late to release the game, and now knowing it’s possible but only if I can hit that deadline. I miss it for whatever reason and all that work is for nothing!” IGN has learned separately what these deadlines look like for Vita developers thanks to an email PlayStation sent to developers that IGN acquired and independently verified. According to this email, the final date to submit games to the PS Vita store is on July 12, and the final day to release content on the PS Vita is on July 20. The final date to submit a game to Sony’s global quality assurance is July 6, though Sony says it can’t guarantee slots for review. The short window for the developers has been incredibly frustrating. Johnson says there were already issues such as their games not appearing in the latest release section on the PS Vita store, but the lack of warning was an even greater surprise. “Having to find out through a news story that the store was closing was not something I expected. I would have hoped to receive something like a year’s warning to finish up all projects,” Johnson laments. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-playstation-5-games&captions=true"] Sternberg says that he’s in a luckier position, being close enough to be able to release the game if he hits the deadline. But the lack of warning has “added a lot of stress and unpredictability to what was a fun passion project I was working on while getting ports for the big consoles finished,” he says. “Now I either throw that work away and cancel the Vita version, or I make it my priority for the next couple months and hope nothing unexpected gets in the way.” [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor.

The PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3, PSP, and PS Vita is coming to a close, and while not a lot of folks are still making games for the PS3 or PSP these days, there are still games for the Vita very much in development. And according to their developers, they found out about the PSN closures right around the same time as everyone else. On March 29, the same day IGN reported on the PlayStation Store closure, Lillymo Games announced that it canceled the Vita version of its next game because the store will be closed before the game will be ready for release. In a DM to IGN, Barry Johnson from Lillymo Games says that the studio was “not warned about the closing of the Vita store in any way.” In fact, Johnson says they purchased a second Vita devkit just last month. “When word came out that it was happening through that story at TheGamer we reached out to Sony for clarification and were given no response. We found out at the same time as the public did that we would have to cancel our Vita version of our next game.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2013/08/19/ps-vita-summer-select-trailer"] TheGamer, which initially reported on the PlayStation store for legacy Sony consoles closing, also spoke with multiple developers who were working on PS Vita games for future release. One of those developers is Miguel Sternberg, game designer at Spooky Squid. Sternberg is currently working on a port of their game Russian Subway Dogs and is trying to get the Vita version out before the store closes in August. “I’ve been working on porting the game to PS4, Xbox One, and Vita, switching back and forth every few weeks,” Sternberg said in a message to IGN. “It was some serious emotional whiplash going from being happy about new improvements I’d implemented [to the Vita port] over the weekend, to learning it might be too late to release the game, and now knowing it’s possible but only if I can hit that deadline. I miss it for whatever reason and all that work is for nothing!” IGN has learned separately what these deadlines look like for Vita developers thanks to an email PlayStation sent to developers that IGN acquired and independently verified. According to this email, the final date to submit games to the PS Vita store is on July 12, and the final day to release content on the PS Vita is on July 20. The final date to submit a game to Sony’s global quality assurance is July 6, though Sony says it can’t guarantee slots for review. The short window for the developers has been incredibly frustrating. Johnson says there were already issues such as their games not appearing in the latest release section on the PS Vita store, but the lack of warning was an even greater surprise. “Having to find out through a news story that the store was closing was not something I expected. I would have hoped to receive something like a year’s warning to finish up all projects,” Johnson laments. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-playstation-5-games&captions=true"] Sternberg says that he’s in a luckier position, being close enough to be able to release the game if he hits the deadline. But the lack of warning has “added a lot of stress and unpredictability to what was a fun passion project I was working on while getting ports for the big consoles finished,” he says. “Now I either throw that work away and cancel the Vita version, or I make it my priority for the next couple months and hope nothing unexpected gets in the way.” [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor.