Chinese police in the city of Kunshan have shut down a video games cheat operation that had amassed $76 million in revenue. The operation, called “Chicken Drumstick”, ran a website that sold cheats to players via subscriptions, according to a report from BBC. These subscriptions, which provided cheats for games such as Overwatch and Call of Duty Mobile, started at approximately $10 per day, and ran up to $200 per month. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/04/03/the-state-of-cheat-codes-game-scoop"] Kunshan police collaborated with Chinese gaming company Tencent to raid the Chicken Drumstick operation, where ten people were arrested and $46 million worth of assets were seized. Among the items seized were a number of luxury sports cars. Cheat manufacturing on an industrial scale has been a problem in gaming for a number of years, spanning from wall hacks for shooters to gold farms for MMOs. Kushan police believe Chicken Drumstick to be the “world’s biggest” cheating operation case because of the huge amount of money involved. The cheats offered by Chicken Drumstick - the sort used to give you an unfair advantage in PvP games - simply makes playing games worse for everyone. That’s not to say there are not acceptable cheats, though; games like GTA: San Andreas have developer-coded cheats built into the game to make things fun for the player. And if you’re stuck in a game and need to ‘cheat’ by looking up the answer, our IGN Game Help page probably has you covered. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

The Mortal Kombat movie is delayed a week after Warner Bros. announced the video game adaptation will now be released on April 23 instead of its original April 16 release date. HBO announced the date change in a press release sent to IGN but did not explain why the date was pushed back a week. The video game adaptation is set to premiere on both HBO Max and in theaters, as per WarnerMedia's strategy of releasing its entire 2021 movie slate in both formats. Directed by Simon McQuoid, Mortal Kombat is a new film adaptation of NetherRealm's popular fighting game series. The movie will include iconic characters like Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Liu Kang, and more as they compete in an otherworldly fighting tournament that will determine Earth's fate.

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During a press tour promoting the movie, director Simon McQuoid promised a true-to-series adaptation that aims to push the R-Rating to its limit without becoming "unreleasable." Each character will also be true to their video game counterparts, and this will be reflected in their introductions and fight scenes. McQuoid is a veteran commercial director who is making his feature film debut with Mortal Kombat. McQuoid previously directed a series of live-action commercials for PlayStation. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/19/mortal-kombat-movie-vs-game-characters-compared"] Meanwhile, WarnerMedia has released several films direct to HBO Max already including Wonder Woman 1984 and very soon Godzilla vs. Kong on March 31. You can check out IGN's Godzilla vs. Kong review here ahead of its HBO Max premiere. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor.

It's been over 100 days since Cyberpunk 2077 was removed from the PlayStation store, and CD Projekt says that it's all up to Sony as to when the game finally returns. In an investor Q&A call today, the game's removal was brought up by a shareholder, with CD Projekt saying that the studio was still patching the game in earnest -- but that ultimately, the decision to return it to the storefront was in Sony's hands. SVP of business development Michał Nowakowski specifically referenced the recent 1.2 patch, saying that each update brings the game closer to re-release on the PlayStation Store, but did not give a specific new timeline. "However, the final decision, you have to understand, belongs to Sony," he said. "We do believe we are closer...but of course the final call is theirs. So let's wait and see." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/18/cyberpunk-2077-being-removed-from-playstation-store"] Later on, this thought was reiterated, but CD Projekt also projected that whenever Sony opted to put the game back on the store, it would likely encourage buyers on other platforms -- resulting in a sales spike for the company. Cyberpunk 2077 was originally removed from sale on PlayStation consoles on December 17, 2020, following numerous performance issues that disproportionately impacted prior-gen consoles. CD Projekt had a number of other Cyberpunk-related announcements today as part of a strategy update presentation today, including plans to develop two AAA games (in The Witcher and Cyberpunk franchises) simultaneously beginning in 2022, promises of better marketing strategies, and an update (or delay, or cancellation) on the status of Cyberpunk 2077's multiplayer. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Scrubs' Donald Faison has been cast as Dr. Utonium in the live-action reboot of The Powerpuff Girls for The CW, which is now simply called Powerpuff. As reported by THR, Faison joins the cast that is led by Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron, and Yana Perrault as Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, respectively. [caption id="attachment_2493973" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Donald Faison Image Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images[/caption] This new Professor Drake Utonium is described as "the quirky, debonair and narcissistic scientific genius who is immensely proud of the three extraordinary girls he created in his lab. Staring down a midlife crisis, he is determined to repair his relationships with his now-adult daughters." The live-action reboot of Cartoon Network's The Powerpuff Girls is set years after the events of the original and follows these three girls who are now "disillusioned twenty-something-year-olds" who resent the fact that they lost their childhoods to crime-fighting. The pilot for the show, which was ordered last month, is being written by Diablo Cody and Heather Regnier. Regnier worked on the Veronica Mars revival and iZombie, while Cody is perhaps best known for writing Juno, where she won the Academy Award for best original screenplay in 2008. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/02/11/the-powerpuff-girls-return-clip-i-am-not-a-princess"] Faison starred as Dr. Christopher Turk in all nine seasons of Scrubs that ran from 2001 to 2010. Faison is also known for his roles in Remember the Titans, Kick-Ass 2, Clueless, Waiting to Exhale, and much more. [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.

Microsoft and Bang & Olufsen have revealed the Beoplay Portal Wireless Headphones for Xbox that cost $499 USD, which just so happens to be the same price as the Xbox Series X. These new high-end headphones are the first product for the Designed for Xbox Limited Series program, which Microsoft says "communicates how closely we have worked with our partners on each product to test quality, performance, safety, and security with all Xbox hardware experiences." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=designed-for-xbox-limited-series-bang-olufsen-beoplay-portal-headphones&captions=true"] Bang & Olufsen's headphones come in Black Anthracite, Grey Mist, and Navy Brass and are available for pre-order today. In the US and Canada, the Black headset is available for purchase today, March 30, while the Grey and Navy variants will ship in May. The Beoplay Portal headphones will be released globally from April 29, 2021. While they offer a "sophisticated aesthetic and can be used in any situation," they also offer easy access to gaming features like customized game/chat balance, mute, and volume on the headset itself or from the Bang & Olufsen audio app. They are made to easily connect to your Xbox Series X/S or Xbox One with lossless 2.4HGz Xbox Wireless connectivity, but they also are compatible with gaming PCs and mobile devices with Bluetooth 5.1 and aptX Adaptive. Charging only takes 3 hours, and the Beoplay Portal offers "12 hours of battery life when using Xbox Wireless, Bluetooth and active noise-cancellation, and 24 hours when only using Bluetooth and active-noise cancellation." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/15/xbox-wireless-headset-review"] Its virtual boom arm provides "reliable microphone performance without the intrusive design of a physical boom arm" that can amplify your voice while cancelling out background noise. The previously mentioned Bang & Olufsen app is available on iOS and Android phones and allows for user to "quickly swap between pre-set game modes, like RPG or FPS, adjust adaptive active noise-cancellation, mic monitoring, mic tone and game/chat balance." As far as design goes, the Beoplay Portal "combines Scandinavian design values with the world of gaming." Designed by Jakob Wagner in partnership with Bang & Olufsen's design team, these over-ear headphones feature lambskin ear cushions for great sound isolation and fully immersive audio. They also have calfskin leather on the exterior headband with bamboo fiber textile on the inside band, and the cushions on the top of the headband help prevent fatigue and head pain from long-use. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/13/essential-xbox-series-x-s-accessories"] These more expensive headphones give Xbox fans a new option to go alongside the more affordable Xbox Wireless Headset that was revealed earlier this month. [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.

"In a sense, it all started with Undertale," Chris Nordgren, a VFX artist and co-founder of Foreign Gnomes, tells me of music battler RPG Everhood. It's kind of the elephant in the room (or email, in this case) when I interview him about the game, which shares obvious, immediate visual similarities with Toby Fox's 2015 indie darling. That's on purpose. It's also not where the similarities end. "[Undertale is] a game that I’ve very much admired," Nordgren says. "But before I first played it, I admit that I looked down on Undertale because of its minimalist art direction. As a visual effects artist, it worked against my interests at the time, but that perception completely shattered when I actually started playing Undertale! [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/04/everhood-launch-trailer"] "We’re not afraid to say what’s inspired us. It was a deliberate choice to make our game share some aesthetic similarities with Undertale. Some people might say we did that too much—and maybe they’re right in a few instances—but we wouldn’t want to change anything. "The entire game is really compressed into great moments from other games. If you really scour every scene in Everhood, you’ll likely find a reference to another game, even if it looks completely different." [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=But%20before%20I%20first%20played%20it%2C%20I%20admit%20that%20I%20looked%20down%20on%20Undertale...but%20that%20perception%20completely%20shattered%20when%20I%20actually%20started%20playing."] It would do Everhood a massive disservice, however, to accuse it of being some kind of copy of Undertale. Having played it through to one of its multiple endings, it's more appropriate to call Everhood a response to Undertale, especially with regards to how the player interacts with the beings they encounter throughout the titular world. Without spoiling Everhood: you play as a puppet-like character who simply goes by Red. In the opening of the game, your arm is stolen from you by Blue Thief, and delivered to a greedy villain named Gold Pig. The first half of the game consists of you meeting the game's cast and seeing the sights while you try to get your arm back. The second half of Everhood gives you a very different goal -- one some players may not want to carry out. There are multiple possible ways to approach the second half of the game, and while they may be challenging to find, there are routes available for those who don't want to embrace the quest given to them. Nordgren says the team leaned heavily on playtesting to make sure people didn't feel entirely stuck. "But if a player decided to stop playing the game at that point, I think it creates a unique gaming experience in its own right," Nordgren continues. "That decision says a lot about the person who made it, and that’s really powerful." Another absolutely critical difference between Everhood and just about anything else is its battles. They take place on a screen not unlike a Guitar Hero song, with the enemy dancing along to the music just like they're playing a rhythm game. But the player is on the receiving end of those notes, and must dodge them in order to survive the encounter. [poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=It%E2%80%99s%20a%20musical%20game%20that%20isn%E2%80%99t%20outright%20tied%20to%20rhythm%2C%20it%E2%80%99s%20more%20like%20being%20in%20an%20interactive%20music%20video."] "It’s a musical game that isn’t outright tied to rhythm, it’s more like being in an interactive music video," Norgren describes, saying that making the battle system for Everhood was actually fairly easy. "Every time I listened to music, I would imagine it as a music video. I would make a mockup, send it to Jordi, and see if he could get the battle working." In fact, Everhood's music was composed before any of its game locations were designed, and he and fellow Foreign Gnomes co-founder Jordi Roca pieced together the context of these fights once the music was done. "The amazing artists that collaborated with us for Everhood usually created a certain piece of music that was planned to capture a theme or feeling and from there it was a matter of trying to fit it into the game. "When it came to a lot of the final battles, I took a different approach than the more freewheeling method I mentioned before. For the pivotal battles, the music was carefully composed and orchestrated to really deliver on specific story beats and twists!" Everhood is the first game that Nordgren and Roca have worked on together, and according to Nordgren (who also works at Mojang on games like Minecraft Dungeons), it came together in a bit of an unusual way. The story, he says, was largely improvised as he and Roca went along, for instance. "We just tried to create interesting scenes with the hope that we’d find the overarching story along the way. Sometimes it felt like I was being contacted by something divine that guided me towards what felt right. I’m sure a lot of creatives can relate to that feeling. "Everhood’s main theme became obvious to me somewhere during the middle of production. Once I had a sense of what everything was really about, I started to adjust details and point towards the bigger picture." Everhood is a strange, thoughtful experience. It asks players to consider carefully what it means to live, die, and kill within an RPG framework, and frequently interrupts the story with strange sequences where unseen beings ask the player to contemplate immortality and humanity. Though multiple sequences seem to call to mind specific philosophical traditions or schools of thought, Norgren says he had no specific ones in mind when he was making Everhood. Rather, he was very focused on the idea of an endless journey or quest. He says he wishes he was more educated on some of the individual schools of thought, but then counters, "That would also defeat the purpose somehow, wouldn't it?" "I think of it more like a journey to find what works for you. Everhood is a collage of ideas and in the end, it’s more in the eye of the beholder. Everhood’s message is that I am convinced the journey is something we should cherish." Everhood is out now on Steam and Nintendo Switch, though having played it I recommend players with any photosensitivity issues heed the warnings in the opening. Norgren confirms he and Roca are sending the game for photosensitivity tests, though, and plan to incorporate options to turn off certain effects. "Making sure that everyone can safely experience Everhood is a primary focus for us right now," he says. Beyond that, Norgren says he feels there may be more to explore in the world of Everhood, though he and Roca will need to experiment more before they can confirm anything new -- and if they make anything more, it will of course take time. For now, Norgren hopes those interested will play Everhood at their own pace. "I recommend not rushing through the game. Make sure to play Everhood when you feel ready!" [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

A Disney internal meeting has revealed that its efforts to increase its diversity internally and externally are also key in the company's plans to grow and sustain the number of Black subscribers to streaming platforms like Disney+ and Hulu.

Specifically, Disney is trying to “close the gaps in streaming to create value” for a bigger subscriber base, according to internal documents shown at a town hall meeting for employees and obtained by IGN. One slide specifically touted “retaining Black subs at the same rate of white subs” for Hulu, while the main priority for Disney+ is “increasing Black subs to 13%, similar to competitive platforms,” according to the documents. The slides were brought up as part of a presentation on how Disney’s Media and Entertainment Division (everything from streaming to studio releases and Disney’s TV and cable businesses) can better reach Black communities in the United States. The goal is to seemingly create more content that appeals to a wider demographic, and ensure that needs from across its consumer base are met by the shows and films the company produces. Disney declined to comment when reached by IGN. Currently Disney+ has more than 100 million subscribers worldwide. Hulu has 39.4 million subscribers (combined streaming only and streaming with its live, virtual TV package), while ESPN+ has 12.1 million customers. On the ESPN+ front, Disney’s goal is to “match Black subs to ESPN linear (cable) viewership at 18%," according to documents. Executives did not suggest specific new initiatives during the town hall to increase subscriber acquisition (the number of people who sign up for a streaming service like Disney+, ESPN+, or Hulu) and increase retention (the number of people who keep an active subscription every month or year). It’s an ambitious goal, and one that speaks to the company’s overall effort of increasing its focus on bettering diversity. Disney has outlined new priorities to increase diversity both on and behind the camera for its series and films over the past year. For Disney, that also means starting at the very top. In late 2019, then Disney CEO Bob Iger “vowed” to increase diversity in the company’s executive ranks. Iger told the New York Times that diversity in his C-suite (top executive ranks) was “lacking” at the time. New slides shown during Monday’s town hall show that 38% of its executives globally are female, while people of color make up 23% of the executive ranking in the United States. Employees have asked for a more detailed breakdown of Disney’s employee rankings (including executives, managers, and below manager positions) “for a long time” as one employee told IGN. Earlier this year, Iger (now executive chairman) and CEO Bob Chapek announced they will spearhead two new councils centered on increasing diversity within the company and within Disney’s actual content. The move follows the company’s announcement that it was launching a specific hub for its diversity and inclusion initiatives called Reimagine Tomorrow, scheduled to go live this spring. Part of the website’s goal is to “celebrate the diversity of the human experience,” according to internal memos viewed. “The goal of all of our endeavors is to ensure that our workforce and our creative content reflect the rich diversity of our audiences, storytellers and the world that we live in,” Chapek reiterated at the company’s annual shareholder meeting this year. “As Bob [Iger] said earlier, 'While we have made progress, there is still much more to be done.'" There is plenty of opportunity in the months ahead for Disney to increase the diversity of its talent both on and off-screen. The company is currently developing a Lando Calrissian series spearheaded by Dear White People creator Justin Simien. Ms. Marvel, which stars Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan is set to debut later this year on the streaming platform, and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan in the titular roles, is currently airing. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Julia Alexander is IGN's top streaming editor. Have a story tip? DM her on Twitter @loudmouthjulia or request her Signal number by emailing julia_alexander@ziffdavis.com. 

Fortnite on Nintendo Switch is getting a significant upgrade that will improve the battle royale game’s overall graphical performance, Epic announced Tuesday.

As of today, a new update to Fortnite on Switch is upgrading the resolution and framerate on both docked and handheld mode. Handheld mode is moving from 1000x560 to 1170x660, while docked mode’s resolution is moving from 1390x780 to 1560x880.

If those numbers mean nothing to you, Epic has provided an image to illustrate the upgrade’s effects. You can obviously see a decent upgrade to the foliage of the tree in the foreground, allowing for sharper looking leaves and other details.

[caption id="attachment_2493771" align="alignnone" width="418"] Before[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2493770" align="alignnone" width="419"] After[/caption]

As for framerate, Epic promises “fewer hitches, resulting in a smoother experience overall.” Fortnite on Switch features dynamic resolution to help ensure a consistent framerate, but Epic says this will be less necessary with the new update.

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One final change is that the new update frees up about 140MB of storage. That’s not a lot by any stretch, but every byte counts on the Switch’s smaller internal storage.

Don’t forget to check out our Fortnite hub for more quest walkthroughs and skin guides. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer for IGN, and he's gonna chug jug with you.

Cyberpunk 2077 was supposed to get a multiplayer mode, at some point, though at most recent check-in likely not until 2022 or beyond. But now, it's possible we may not see this mode at all -- or at least, CD Projekt is being a bit cagey about how or when it might be implemented in the future. In a strategy update from CD Projekt today, president Adam Kiciński said the studio was adjusting its strategy around online experiences in its games, saying it was focusing on bringing online into all its franchises one day and working on an online technology that can be integrated into all its games. But, he continued, that means a change of some sort to how Cyberpunk 2077's planned multiplayer mode might be implemented. As Kiciński put it: "Previously we hinted that our next AAA would be a multiplayer Cyberpunk game, but we have decided to reconsider this plan given our new more systemic and agile approach instead of primarily focusing on one big online experience or game we are focusing on bringing online into all of our franchises one day." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/02/what-will-cyberpunk-2077-multiplayer-be-like-unlocked-472"] This doesn't exactly clarify the nature of what's going on with Cyberpunk multiplayer, though. Earlier this year, Michał Nowakowski confirmed that this mode was the "triple-A" title CD Projekt Red was developing previously in parallel to Cyberpunk 2077. But now, it's not clear if multiplayer has been delayed even further, or if it simply will not be implemented at all. We do know that CD Projekt is setting up to start developing games in two AAA franchises -- The Witcher and Cyberpunk -- simultaneously, beginning in 2022, and is staffing up and working on technology and support systems to enable that. It's also going to be far more cautious about its marketing going forward, including how early it announces new games. In response to IGN's request for comment or clarity, CD Projekt Red PR manager Radek Grabowki said that the statements in the video were "all we have to say." He did hone in on one additional quote from the presentation that he said gave some context to the company's plans for its online approach: "We are building an online technology that can be seamlessly integrated into development of our future games. This technology will power online components we choose to introduce in our games, and will ensure we can do so without any great technological debt," said Kiciński in the presentation. "With this technology in place, we can start to grow an online community — powered by our own GOG GALAXY platform — which connects gamers both inside and outside of our games." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

CD Projekt Red says The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's next-gen update will arrive in the second half of 2021.