The world of Apex Legends is rich with lore, but the frantic, fast-paced nature of a battle royale shooter doesn't necessarily allow for a story-driven experience. That's where Apex Legends: Overtime comes in. This comic book spinoff digs deeper into the Apex: Legends/Titanfall universe for a story that brings all 16 Legends together for a common goal. Apex Legends: Overtime is a four-issue limited series written by Titanfall veteran Jesse Stern and drawn by Neil Edwards (Assassin’s Creed), with inks by Keith Champagne (Stranger Things), colors by Antonio Fabela (Skyward) and letters by Nate Piekos (The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys). [caption id="attachment_2487446" align="aligncenter" width="1561"] Art by Bengal. (Image Credit: Dark Horse/Respawn Entertainment)[/caption] Here's Dark Horse's official description for the series:

Apex Legends is a squad-based battle royale experience where players select from one of 16 Legends – each with their own unique abilities and playstyles – and the last team standing wins. In the comic series, the Legends find themselves pulled together to rescue the city from Mad Scientists, brutal assassins, and the sudden and sinister grip of The Syndicate, a corrupt cabal attempting to “fix” arena outcomes in their favor. Will the Legends hold up to their celebrity status and be the heroes Solace needs?

Not counting the previously released lore book Apex Legends: Pathfinder's Quest, this is the first time the game's storyline has been spun out into other media. We'll have to wait and see if Overtime is the start of a a recurring line of Apex Legends spinoffs at Dark Horse, similar to how the publisher continues to expand on the world of Blizzard's Overwatch. Apex Legends: Overtime #1 will release in print and digital formats on June 2, 2021. Until then, why not check out IGN's updated 2021 review of Apex Legends? [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/12/apex-legends-nintendo-switch-performance-review"] Apex Legends isn't the only battle royale game getting the comic book treatment in 2021. DC and Epic have teamed up for Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point, a comic book crossover that includes new cosmetic items to use in the game. IGN recently spoke with the creative team to learn more about how Batman is helping to expand the Fortnite multiverse. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

UPDATE March 17, 2021: A representative for Mattel reached out to let us know the Amazon listing was an error, and the set won't actually be available for pre-purchase until later this year. The full statement: "Hot Wheels new Mario Kart Rainbow Road track set was mistakenly posted for pre-sale on Amazon over the weekend. While we love to see fans’ excitement about the new product, it was listed in error. Customers who purchased it via pre-sale can receive a full refund by requesting one on Amazon. The Hot Wheels Mario Kart Rainbow Road track set will be available for purchase this summer, so fans can keep an eye out for more details in the coming months." Read the original story below. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Hot Wheels and Mario Kart have been in cahoots for a while now, but this morning a new Mario Kart Rainbow Road set mysteriously appeared on Amazon without any sort of major fanfare. It's a shame, too, because it looks extremely awesome and collectible. The Hot Wheels Rainbow Road set comes out May 29 and includes "Mario and King Boo karts," as well as being reconfigurable into a straight-line track. [poilib element="commerceDeal" parameters="slug=mario-kart-rainbow-road-hot-wheels-track"] The playset will set you back $119.99 and you can preorder it from Amazon right now. The nice thing about preordering from Amazon is you won't get charged until the item ships, and if the price goes down after you've preordered, you'll get it for the lowest price. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=hot-wheels-mario-kart-rainbow-road&captions=true"] Sometimes Amazon will drop the price on preorder items for just a single day, or even a few hours, but as long as you preordered before the price drop, you lock in that price. Not saying this set will have a pricedrop: it's a Nintendo licensed product, after all. But if it does... We've reached out to Mattel for more info on this set, and we'll update the story with any new info. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Seth Macy is IGN's Executive Editor, IGN Commerce, and just wants to be your friend.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier writer Malcolm Spellman has indicated that viewers should approach Marvel Studios' follow-up to WandaVision with very different expectations. Speaking to Inverse, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's creator, showrunner, and head writer Spellman explained how the upcoming Disney+ series will offer a different type of experience for the MCU fans and casual viewers who previously tuned into WandaVision. He said the show will present a much more linear story rather than being a breadcrumb trail of a mystery that sparks multiple theories each week. "It's not about figuring something out, it is about characters," Spellman explained. "One of the primary themes of this series is identity and the fact that Zemo, Sharon Carter, Bucky Barnes, and Sam Wilson all saw themselves as one way at the beginning of the story. This is about a muscular story forcing these characters to rethink how they see themselves and confront how the world sees them." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/16/marvels-the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-the-mantle-of-captain-america"] In fact, Spellman described Falcon and Winter soldier as the exact opposite of Wandavision. While he hinted that the Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier miniseries might have a dash of mystery, he stressed that it isn't a driving force in the show's plot, which features "outward and and of-the-moment" scenes in order to properly achieve the emotional experience of the characters' journeys. "One thing Marvel knew they wanted before I ever walked through the door was they wanted a buddy two-hander," Spellman revealed, discussing the studio's approach to the project. "And when I say 'buddy two-hander,' I mean the energy and vibe of those things and the way buddy two-handers are able to deal with issues of the moment while keeping them fun. "The other thing about buddy two-handers, if you've seen any of them, is there's really not a mystery to them. They're all character-first. They're all about the emotion and connection, or lack of connection, between characters, and that's something I do as a writer and it's something that the genre wants. As amazing as WandaVision was, this is an antithesis in every single way." "There is no mystery," Spellman stated flatly, before suggesting that his statement might not actually be entirely correct, "well, I shouldn't be saying that." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/14/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-timeline-so-far"] While Marvel's WandaVision provoked numerous theories about everything that was going on with Wanda Maximoff and her husband Vision each week, it also attempted to deliver an intimate story about family and grief that will no doubt have lasting ramifications on not just these characters but the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe as it heads further into the rest of Phase 4. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is the next project in the MCU pipeline, and given that both Sam and Bucky were snapped away, they've probably got plenty of their own issues to sort out. Ultimately, WandaVision gave us the confidence that when it does come time for these boys to talk about their feelings, they'll be given the proper weight and care... if they ever stop bickering. To revisit the journeys of these characters before The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premieres on March 19, you may want to start streaming Marvel Studios' Legends series. The individual Falcon and Winter Soldier character episodes debuted on Friday, March 5, while the Sharon Carter and Zemo episodes dropped last Friday, March 12, offering fans a short refresher before the next big MCU show arrives. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

A feature coming soon to the Xbox platform will allow users to suspend their games, allowing them to download at higher speeds. The news was revealed by Xbox Engineering lead Eden Marie on Twitter. The feature is already available to users in the Xbox Insider Program, who should be able to find a 'Suspend my game' option on the 'Manage Queue' page if they're signed up to preview dashboard changes early. Xbox consoles will automatically lower download speeds when a game is open to allow online features to function without interruption. Marie says that if this option is picked, players will suspend the game currently running to boost download speeds on the console. The best part about it is that you won't lose your place – the game will still be resumable, or Quick Resume-able on Xbox Series X and S.

Hey Xbox Insiders! Did you notice these changes rolling out now? Suspend in the queue will let you download at full speed while making sure your game remains resumable (or quick resume-able on Series X|S). New banners in the Full Library will take you to more useful categories! pic.twitter.com/L49winRpM0

— Eden Marie (@neonepiphany) March 16, 2021

Insider Program features usually see a full release a few weeks after being tested, so it shouldn't be too long until we see this roll out to all users. Another new feature available to Insiders is a set of banners that appear on the Game Pass library page, pointing players towards games that are leaving soon, or those that have been recently added. Useful if you feel overwhelmed looking at the growing library of games on Game Pass. In other Xbox news, Microsoft told IGN that VR is not in the works "at this time" after IGN Italy spotted a prompt referring to a "VR Headset" when testing the Xbox Wireless Headset. Here's our review of the Xbox Wireless Headset, which we scored an 8, noting that it delivers "a well-rounded audio setup" for consoles. [poilib element="accentDivider" Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Square Enix launched a new digital event where it will be delivering the latest updates, announcements, news, and previews of its games. Officially named Square Enix Presents, it will take the form of a digital series that Square Enix intends to host at regular intervals, much like Nintendo Direct, Inside Xbox, and Sony State of Play. Luckily, IGN will be carrying the stream and as usual, we’ll provide you with everything you need to know to watch, including when it starts, a list of places you can watch it with us, and dive into what you can expect to see at the show.

The Inaugural Square Enix Presents Date and Start Time

The first-ever Square Enix Presents event will take place on March 18, 2021. The stream is scheduled to start at 10am PST/1pm EST/6pm BST and will be about 30 minutes long.

How to Watch Square Enix Presents March 2021

IGN plans to carry the Square Enix Presents stream which means we'll have it available on a variety of platforms. Here’s the full list of places you can watch the Square Enix event with us:

• IGN.com (homepage)
• IGN's Facebook Channel
• IGN’s Twitter
• IGN's Twitch Channel
• IGN’s Youtube Channel
• IGN's iOS App
• IGN's Android App
• IGN's PlayStation 4 App
• IGN's Xbox One App
• Roku
• IGN App for Android TV
• IGN for Amazon Fire TV
• Apple TV
• IGN 1 on Samsung TV Plus
• Pluto TV
• Plex Live TV

What to Expect at Square Enix Presents March 2021

Square Enix hasn’t been shy about teasing what games it plans to include in the show. The lineup includes Outriders, Marvel’s Avengers, Tomb Raider 25th Anniversary, Just Cause Mobile, Balan Wonderworld, and new Square Enix Montreal games. The headliner, however, is a world premiere of a new and upcoming Life is Strange game, which Square Enix has confirmed will have “a brand new cast, power, and story.” In our coverage of the Square Enix Presents announcement, we pointed out that it falls just two weeks shy of the Outriders release date (April 1). It also airs on the same day Marvel Avengers comes to the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and launches Hawkeye DLC. We could hear more about both of these events at the show. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/16/marvels-avengers-operation-hawkeye-future-imperfect-trailer"] As for Balan Wonderworld, it’s due to launch this month on March 26 so it’s possible we’ll hear some news related to that. Square Enix recently published a blog post announcing Balan Wonderworld will have a day one patch that adjusts camera movement, controls, and balances difficulty. It also revealed a little bit about the game’s first three worlds. There will be some mobile game news based on the inclusion of Just Cause Mobile and “new Square Enix Montreal games." If you’re unfamiliar, Square Enix Montreal is the mobile game developer behind Lara Croft Go, Deux Ex Go, Hitman Sniper, and more. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-tomb-raider-review-ever&captions=true"] Last but certainly not least, is the Tomb Raider 25th Anniversary, which Square Enix previously launched a dedicated site for and revealed would be getting a year long celebration with various looks back at some Tomb Raider games. It’s possible we’ll hear more about what Square Enix has in store for that, as well. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Felicia Miranda is SEO Editor at IGN. You can find her gushing about Final Fantasy games at @FeliciaVagabond on Twitter.

Benedict Cumberbatch has found another wizard's robe to slip into. Director Colin Trevorrow reportedly is set to direct the actor in War Magician, per Deadline. The long-gestating Studiocanal project will be written by Nicholas Mariani and is based on the book of the same name by David Fisher. War Magician will follow the story of Jasper Maskelyne, an illusionist who volunteered in the British Army during World War II. Stationed in Egypt, Maskelyne used his methods to develop camouflage for vehicles, fake bomb craters, and create a dummy army to deceive the Axis forces. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/14/what-is-doctor-strange-2s-multiverse-of-madness"] Cumberbatch has been attached to the project since 2015, even before he began his tenure as the MCU's resident sorcerer Doctor Strange. The actor will reprise that role in Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is set to be released on March 25, 2022. Recently, Cumberbatch shot down Star Wars fans' hopes that he would play Grand Admiral Thrawn in an upcoming project, admitting he had no idea who the character is before saying "There's no way I want to be turned blue." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-deaths-in-the-jurassic-park-movies&captions=true"] Trevorrow has also been a much-discussed topic amongst Star Wars fans. The director was originally attached to direct Episode 9, which would've been titled "Star Wars: Duel of the Fates." A fan recently adapted a leaked script from the axed project into a comic book. Trevorrow is also attached to direct a science-fiction thriller about the underwater city of Atlantis for Universal. Additionally, the filmmaker has been busy helming Jurassic World: Dominion through various COVID-19 safety protocols. The production wrapped its 18-month production in November and will bow on June 10, 2022. The film has been teased as a "culmination" of all six Jurassic movies, with Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Omar Sy, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill all reprising their roles from previous entries. [poilib element="accentDivider"] J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer. (Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Disney has shared its slate of upcoming shows coming to Hulu and Disney+ in April, and one of the new additions is Genndy Tartakovsky's animated Clone Wars series. On April 2, Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume I and II will arrive on Disney+ along with Star Warks: Ewoks seasons 1 and 2 and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. Tartakovsky is best known as the creator of the Samurai Jack animated series. Star Wars: Clone Wars premiered on Cartoon Network in 2003. The series is set between Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones and Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith and introduces characters like General Grievous who would go on to appear in the live-action movie. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"] Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi lead the cast of characters, but Tartakovsky managed to get most of the main characters in his series, which lasted for three seasons. Each episode was about three minutes each and showcased small story snippets that build up into a whole. The third season featured extended runtimes with episodes lasting as long as 12 minutes. Clone Wars, like Tartakovsky's other animated work, was critically acclaimed and won several Emmy Awards for best animated program. The distinct, 2D art style was a new take for the Star Wars universe, and some say Star Wars should revisit the style again for future shows. Me, I'm saying that. Tartakovsky has since kept himself busy with new animated shows like Primal, a new season of Samurai Jack, and feature films like Hotel Transylvania. As for Star Wars, the newest season of The Mandalorian wrapped on Disney Plus earlier this year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor.

Update: In the wake of news of layoffs at Activision-Blizzard affecting between 50 and 190 employees, it’s being reported that Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick could be set to pocket a payout of up to US$200 million based on a stock-related incentive clause in his employment contract. According to Kotaku, union-sponsored pension fund advocacy organization CtW Investment Group has claimed Activision’s currently soaring stock price – which has climbed throughout the pandemic – will see Kotick benefit from the “Shareholder Value Creative Incentive clause” of Kotick’s 2016 employment agreement. This payout would allow Kotick to collect incentive bonuses he missed in previous years. CtW Investment Group alleges this windfall could total up to US$200 million. According to the firm’s website, CtW Investment Group seeks to hold “directors accountable for irresponsible and unethical corporate behavior and excessive executive pay.” IGN has contacted Activision-Blizzard for comment. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Activision-Blizzard has reportedly laid off nearly 190 employees, including 50 employees from the company's esports division. Bloomberg reports that the layoffs affected less than 2% of the company's employees — two percent translates roughly to 190 employees. Fifty of those employees worked in Activision's esports division. U.S. workers laid off will receive a minimum of 90 days of severance and health benefits for up to a year, according to Bloomberg, and each employee laid off was given $200 in gift cards to Battle.net, which is the company's online video game storefront. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/02/26/activision-ea-ceos-found-to-be-among-most-overpaid-in-us"] Sports Business Journal reports that Activision executive, Tony Petitti, said the 50 esports-specific layoffs are a result of the company's attempt at reinventing its esports division amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic. Petitti told SBJ that the company is planning for a future where Activision's esports look different and are "less dependent on live events." Activision said the employees laid off will receive "proper severance packages," according to SBJ, and that despite the company's shift in its esports focus, which heavily centers on the Overwatch League and the Call of Duty League, it doesn't plan to move away completely from live events. Both the Overwatch League and the Call of Duty League shifted from live in-person events to online-only events during the past year and SBJ reports that it's possible Activision could continue down this route for future events. Petitti said the layoffs are partly because of a need to reduce costs and another part a means to free up resources to reallocate to other areas of the company, but it's important to note that he was speaking to SBJ about the 50 esports layoffs — Pettiti didn't speak to SBJ about the other layoffs Bloomberg reported as having happened. He said the company "learned a lot last year in terms of how the leagues can be structured for online play" and that it will "look to carry forward the best practices from that." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/02/12/activision-blizzard-begins-laying-off-workers"] "In terms of timing, it's a reaction to the realities of how the leagues are playing and what resources we need to allocate to best serve the league, owners, teams, and fans," Petitti said. An Activision spokesperson told Bloomberg that "players are increasingly choosing to connect with our games digitally and the e-sports team, much like traditional sports, entertainment, and broadcasting industries, has had to adapt its business due to the impact the pandemic has had on live events." This is the company's second large round of layoffs in the past few years. Activision-Blizzard laid off nearly 800 employees back in March of 2019, including 209 employees from Blizzard. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

MoviePass may be making a return. A new website with the MoviePass name features a countdown timer with a cryptic message: "The movie is about to start." Notably, the countdown is featured on the website MoviePass.ventures and not the official MoviePass website. As of this writing, MoviePass.com still features a letter from the company's former CEO Mitch Lowe explaining details on the service's disruption in 2019. However, this mysterious countdown reads 5 days and 18 hours, signaling that whatever MoviePass has in store, if anything, will be revealed in the morning on Monday, March 22. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/08/01/moviepass-was-dead-the-whole-time] The countdown has appeared at a time when lockdowns have begun to ease across the United States as COVID-19 vaccinations become available to the public. This month, movie theaters were allowed to reopen in both New York City and Los Angeles at limited capacity. Were MoviePass to relaunch, the company would be doing so at a particularly unique time for filmgoing. MoviePass was originally launched in 2014, offering subscribers unlimited movie tickets at a price that could range anywhere from $7 to $50 in monthly fees based on one's location. However, the company decided to rebrand drastically after being acquired by analytics firm Helios and Matheson in August 2017, shifting its model to a nationwide price of $9.95/month. The decision proved less than sustainable. While subscriber numbers initially skyrocketed, MoviePass later began to implement methods to curb its unlimited access, price-surging popular releases and timeslots, limiting its daily selection of films and even changing some users' passwords to prevent them from accessing their account. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=2021-movies-preview&captions=true"] MoviePass officially shut down its services in September 2019. However, the service's popularity prompted theater chains like AMC and Cinemark to launch their own subscription-based programs. When the service shut down, MoviePass suggested it would be "continuing its efforts to seek financing to fund its operations." While that promise might be fulfilled by whatever is at the end of this countdown, the fact that it isn't on MoviePass' official website suggests it might be best to not get too excited at the moment. [poilib element="accentDivider"] J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer. The summer of MoviePass was his Woodstock. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)

A Microsoft spokesperson has told IGN that VR is not coming to the Xbox Series X|S at this time after it was reported the Xbox console referred to a VR peripheral. IGN Italy reported that while testing the new Xbox Wireless Headset a prompt appeared on their Xbox Series X system saying their "VR Headset" needs an update. This suggests the Xbox Series X supports VR peripherals in some capacity. However, a Microsoft Spokesperson says this is not the case. In a statement to IGN, the company says, "The copy in this error message is inaccurate due to a localization bug. VR for console is not a focus for us at this time." [caption id="attachment_2487185" align="alignnone" width="906"] Source: Giovanni Marrelli, IGN Italy[/caption] Microsoft has been asked in the past whether it will bring VR to the Xbox, but the company has been cool on the idea. Ahead of the Xbox Series X reveal in 2019, Phil Spencer said that VR is not part of its next-gen plans because "nobody's asking for it." Compare this with PlayStation which has been an early adopter of console VR, and fairly successful with its venture to boot. The company recently announced a new VR headset for the PlayStation 5. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-wireless-headset-review&captions=true"] Meanwhile, Microsoft isn't completely out of the VR game though most, if not all, of its efforts, are entirely on the PC side of things. Windows mixed reality platform works with VR games, and the HoloLens AR headset recently revealed a Pokemon demo created in partnership with Niantic using the Microsoft Mesh mixed reality platform. So at this time at least, Microsoft seems content keeping AR/VR on PC while focusing on other ventures for its Xbox Series X hardware. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor