After rumours that Elden Ring would be shown at an Xbox event this month, Xbox Marketing Boss Aaron Greenberg has said that there is "nothing coming soon" with regards to Xbox events that would "feature game announcements or world premieres like this." Greenberg made the comments on Twitter while rebuffing reports that claimed a new trailer for Elden Ring - the hotly anticipated collaboration between From Software and George R. R. Martin - would be showcased during a rumoured March 23 Microsoft event. Fans have been clamouring for more Elden Ring information to follow-up on the tantalising clip shown during E3 2019. "Just to set expectations: this is not happening," Greenberg said, before going on to explain that while "there are always things we have in the works," there are no events coming soon that would feature 'world premieres' or game announcements of a similar calibre.

Just to set expectations: this is not happening. There are always things we have in the works, but nothing coming soon that would feature game announcements or world premieres like this. https://t.co/nO868SCbpZ

— Aaron Greenberg U (@aarongreenberg) February 28, 2021

This suggests that we won't see a 'big' Microsoft reveal event for some time. Microsoft reporter Paul Thurrott had previously made the claim that an Xbox event would be held on March 23. Rumours about Elden Ring have also been swirling recently, with Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier recently tweeting "there is strong evidence floating around that the game will be shown relatively soon." GamesBeat's Jeff Grubb also said on a recent podcast that we could potentially see more of the game by the end of March. In other Elden Ring news, here's an article covering the game's wild subreddit, which has been dealing with the lack of information in a number of interesting ways. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer said in November 2020 that he had played "quite a bit" of the game, calling it Miyazaki's "most ambitious" project yet. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/09/elden-ring-official-reveal-trailer-e3-2019"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

After rumours that Elden Ring would be shown at an Xbox event this month, Xbox Marketing Boss Aaron Greenberg has said that there is "nothing coming soon" with regards to Xbox events that would "feature game announcements or world premieres like this." Greenberg made the comments on Twitter while rebuffing reports that claimed a new trailer for Elden Ring - the hotly anticipated collaboration between From Software and George R. R. Martin - would be showcased during a rumoured March 23 Microsoft event. Fans have been clamouring for more Elden Ring information to follow-up on the tantalising clip shown during E3 2019. "Just to set expectations: this is not happening," Greenberg said, before going on to explain that while "there are always things we have in the works," there are no events coming soon that would feature 'world premieres' or game announcements of a similar calibre.

Just to set expectations: this is not happening. There are always things we have in the works, but nothing coming soon that would feature game announcements or world premieres like this. https://t.co/nO868SCbpZ

— Aaron Greenberg U (@aarongreenberg) February 28, 2021

This suggests that we won't see a 'big' Microsoft reveal event for some time. Microsoft reporter Paul Thurrott had previously made the claim that an Xbox event would be held on March 23. Rumours about Elden Ring have also been swirling recently, with Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier recently tweeting "there is strong evidence floating around that the game will be shown relatively soon." GamesBeat's Jeff Grubb also said on a recent podcast that we could potentially see more of the game by the end of March. In other Elden Ring news, here's an article covering the game's wild subreddit, which has been dealing with the lack of information in a number of interesting ways. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer said in November 2020 that he had played "quite a bit" of the game, calling it Miyazaki's "most ambitious" project yet. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/09/elden-ring-official-reveal-trailer-e3-2019"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

A team of scientists working as part of Uber AI Labs has taught an artificial intelligence to complete 1980s platformers, such as Pitfall. The scientists have created a series of algorithms that are able to create archives of their previously explored areas, allowing the AI to effectively remember where it has been in a level. It can then use that knowledge to further explore new, not yet investigated locations. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/07/10/history-of-awesome-pitfall"] This method differs from the traditional AI approach of intrinsic motivation, which rewards an AI for finding new areas. But this system can result in the AI effectively forgetting about places it has already been and potential avenues branching from those areas that it has yet to take. By using this new method, the team have been able to teach the AI how to beat games such as Montezuma’s Revenge, Freeway, and Pitfall; all tricky gaming classics from the Atari era of gaming. "Our method is indeed pretty simple and straightforward, although that is often the case with scientific breakthroughs," said scientists Adrien Ecoffet, Joost Huizinga and Jeff Clune in an interview with BBC. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-platformers-of-2020&captions=true"] Key to how the new design, known as Go-Explore, works is that it is able to separate the process of exploring new areas and returning to old ones, and uses different methods to achieve those two goals. As is often the case in science, this research is being done with a much larger goal of just teaching a computer how to play video games. The team says that the algorithms could be used for guiding robots within industrial locations, such as robotic baristas in a coffee shop. "In addition to robotics, Go-Explore has already seen some experimental research in language learning, where an agent learns the meaning of words by exploring a text-based game, and for discovering potential failures in the behaviour of a self-driving car," the team added. Perhaps the next stage is to progress to 3D platformers? With that in mind, here's some classic 3D platformers that we'd love to see rebooted. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

A team of scientists working as part of Uber AI Labs has taught an artificial intelligence to complete 1980s platformers, such as Pitfall. The scientists have created a series of algorithms that are able to create archives of their previously explored areas, allowing the AI to effectively remember where it has been in a level. It can then use that knowledge to further explore new, not yet investigated locations. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/07/10/history-of-awesome-pitfall"] This method differs from the traditional AI approach of intrinsic motivation, which rewards an AI for finding new areas. But this system can result in the AI effectively forgetting about places it has already been and potential avenues branching from those areas that it has yet to take. By using this new method, the team have been able to teach the AI how to beat games such as Montezuma’s Revenge, Freeway, and Pitfall; all tricky gaming classics from the Atari era of gaming. "Our method is indeed pretty simple and straightforward, although that is often the case with scientific breakthroughs," said scientists Adrien Ecoffet, Joost Huizinga and Jeff Clune in an interview with BBC. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-platformers-of-2020&captions=true"] Key to how the new design, known as Go-Explore, works is that it is able to separate the process of exploring new areas and returning to old ones, and uses different methods to achieve those two goals. As is often the case in science, this research is being done with a much larger goal of just teaching a computer how to play video games. The team says that the algorithms could be used for guiding robots within industrial locations, such as robotic baristas in a coffee shop. "In addition to robotics, Go-Explore has already seen some experimental research in language learning, where an agent learns the meaning of words by exploring a text-based game, and for discovering potential failures in the behaviour of a self-driving car," the team added. Perhaps the next stage is to progress to 3D platformers? With that in mind, here's some classic 3D platformers that we'd love to see rebooted. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

It's Golden Globes time! There were a lot of surprises this year at the Golden Globes as Nomadland took home Best Motion Picture (Drama) and Best Director, Andra Day won Best Actress (Drama) for The United States vs Billie Holiday, and Rosamund Pike captured Best Actress (Musical or Comedy) for I Care a Lot. David Fincher's Mank, which led in movie nominations, was shut out, along with The Father, Promising Young woman, and One Night In Miami. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm took home two Golden Globes, for Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) and Best Actor (Comedy or Musical) for star Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen's co-star Maria Bakalova did not win in her category however. Pixar's Soul also won two Globes, for Best Animated Feature and Best Score. Chadwick Boseman won a posthumous Best Actor Golden Globe for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom while Mark Ruffalo won Best Actor for a Limited Series, for I Know This Much Is True. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=2021-movies-preview&captions=true"] In TV, Netflix's The Crown cleaned up in most of the acting categories, including a Supporting Actress award for Gillian Anderson. Schitt's Creek continued its win streak, picking up Best TV Comedy and a Best TV Actress (Comedy or Musical) trophy for Catherine O'Hara. Jason Sudeikis won Best Actor for the titular role in Ted Lasso. Netflix's The Queen's Gambit did well for itself too, winning Best Limited Series and a Best Actress in a Limited Series award for Anya Taylor Joy.

Winners:

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
• Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah - WINNER
• Jared Leto, The Little Things
• Bill Murray, On the Rocks
• Leslie Odom, Jr., One Night in Miami

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• John Boyega, Small Axe - WINNER
• Brendan Gleeson, The Comey Rule
• Dan Levy, Schitt's Creek
• Jim Parsons, Hollywood
• Donald Sutherland, The Undoing

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Lily Collins, Emily in Paris
• Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
• Elle Fanning, The Great
• Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek - WINNER
• Jane Levy, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist

Best Motion Picture – Animated

• Soul - WINNER
• Onward
• Wolfwalkers
• Over the Moon
• The Croods: A New Age

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/14/how-pixar-designed-the-ethereal-characters-of-soul-ft-director-pete-docter"]

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

• Bryan Cranston, Your Honor
• Jeff Daniels, The Comey Rule
• Ethan Hawke, The Good Lord Bird
• Hugh Grant, The Undoing
• Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True - WINNER

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

• Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
• Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7 - WINNER
• Jack Fincher, Mank
• Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton, The Father
• Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

• Olivia Colman, The Crown
• Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
• Emma Corrin, The Crown - WINNER
• Laura Linney, Ozark
• Sarah Paulson, Ratched

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

• Fight for You from Judas and the Black Messiah - H.E.R., Dernst Emile II, Tiara Thomas
• Hear My Voice from The Trial of the Chicago 7 - Daniel Pemberton, Celeste
• Io Si (Seen) from The Life Ahead - Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, Niccolò Agliardi - WINNER
• Speak Now from One Night in Miami - Leslie Odom Jr., Sam Ashworth
• Tigress & Tweed from The United States vs. Billie Holliday - Andra Day, Raphael Saadiq

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

• Alexandre Desplat, The Midnight Sky
• Ludwig Göransson, Tenet
• James Newton Howard, News of the World
• Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste, Soul - WINNER
• Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Mank

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso - WINNER
• Eugene Levy, Schitt's Creek
• Nicholas Hoult, The Great
• Ramy Youssef, Ramy
• Don Cheadle, Black Monday

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/21/ted-lasso-creator-reacts-to-best-tv-show-2020-win"]

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Emily in Paris
• The Flight Attendant
• The Great
• Ted Lasso
• Schitt's Creek - WINNER

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

• Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
• Kate Hudson, Music
• Michelle Pfeiffer, French Exit
• Rosamund Pike, I Care A Lot - WINNER
• Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Drama

• Jason Bateman, Ozark
• Josh O'Connor, The Crown - WINNER
• Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
• Matthew Rhys, Perry Mason
• Al Pacino, Hunters

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language

• Another Round
• Minari - WINNER
• Two of Us
• The Life Ahead
• La Llorona

Best Television Series – Drama

• The Mandalorian
• The Crown - WINNER
• Lovecraft Country
• Ozark
• Ratched

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
• Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian - WINNER
• Amanda Seyfried, Mank
• Helena Zengel, News of the World
• Olivia Colman, The Father

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Gillian Anderson, The Crown - WINNER
• Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
• Julia Garner, Ozark
• Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek
• Cynthia Nixon, Ratched

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/04/netflixs-the-crown-explores-princess-diana-charles-bad-romance-in-season-4"]

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

• Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit - WINNER
• Shira Haas, Unorthodox
• Nicole Kidman, The Undoing
• Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
• Daisy Edgar-Jones, Normal People

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Normal People
• The Queen's Gambit - WINNER
• The Undoing
• Small Axe
• Unorthodox

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
• Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - WINNER
• Anthony Hopkins, The Father
• Gary Oldman, Mank
• Tahar Ramin, The Mauritanian

Best Director – Motion Picture

• Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
• David Fincher, Mank
• Regina King, One Night in Miami
• Chloé Zhao, Nomadland - WINNER
• Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

• Borat Subsequent Moviefilm - WINNER
• Hamilton
• Music
• Palm Springs
• The Prom

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

• Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm - WINNER
• James Corden, The Prom
• Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
• Andy Samberg, Palm Springs
• Dev Patel, Personal History of David Copperfield

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/21/borat-subsequent-moviefilm-review"]

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Viola Davis, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
• Andra Day, The United States vs Billie Holiday - WINNER
• Frances McDormand, Nomadland
• Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
• Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman

Best Motion Picture – Drama

• Nomadland - WINNER
• Mank
• The Father
• Promising Young Woman
• The Trial of the Chicago 7

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=igns-best-reviewed-movies-of-2020&captions=true"]

It's Golden Globes time! There were a lot of surprises this year at the Golden Globes as Nomadland took home Best Motion Picture (Drama) and Best Director, Andra Day won Best Actress (Drama) for The United States vs Billie Holiday, and Rosamund Pike captured Best Actress (Musical or Comedy) for I Care a Lot. David Fincher's Mank, which led in movie nominations, was shut out, along with The Father, Promising Young woman, and One Night In Miami. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm took home two Golden Globes, for Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) and Best Actor (Comedy or Musical) for star Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen's co-star Maria Bakalova did not win in her category however. Pixar's Soul also won two Globes, for Best Animated Feature and Best Score. Chadwick Boseman won a posthumous Best Actor Golden Globe for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom while Mark Ruffalo won Best Actor for a Limited Series, for I Know This Much Is True. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=2021-movies-preview&captions=true"] In TV, Netflix's The Crown cleaned up in most of the acting categories, including a Supporting Actress award for Gillian Anderson. Schitt's Creek continued its win streak, picking up Best TV Comedy and a Best TV Actress (Comedy or Musical) trophy for Catherine O'Hara. Jason Sudeikis won Best Actor for the titular role in Ted Lasso. Netflix's The Queen's Gambit did well for itself too, winning Best Limited Series and a Best Actress in a Limited Series award for Anya Taylor Joy.

Winners:

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
• Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah - WINNER
• Jared Leto, The Little Things
• Bill Murray, On the Rocks
• Leslie Odom, Jr., One Night in Miami

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• John Boyega, Small Axe - WINNER
• Brendan Gleeson, The Comey Rule
• Dan Levy, Schitt's Creek
• Jim Parsons, Hollywood
• Donald Sutherland, The Undoing

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Lily Collins, Emily in Paris
• Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
• Elle Fanning, The Great
• Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek - WINNER
• Jane Levy, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist

Best Motion Picture – Animated

• Soul - WINNER
• Onward
• Wolfwalkers
• Over the Moon
• The Croods: A New Age

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/14/how-pixar-designed-the-ethereal-characters-of-soul-ft-director-pete-docter"]

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

• Bryan Cranston, Your Honor
• Jeff Daniels, The Comey Rule
• Ethan Hawke, The Good Lord Bird
• Hugh Grant, The Undoing
• Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True - WINNER

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

• Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
• Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7 - WINNER
• Jack Fincher, Mank
• Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton, The Father
• Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

• Olivia Colman, The Crown
• Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
• Emma Corrin, The Crown - WINNER
• Laura Linney, Ozark
• Sarah Paulson, Ratched

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

• Fight for You from Judas and the Black Messiah - H.E.R., Dernst Emile II, Tiara Thomas
• Hear My Voice from The Trial of the Chicago 7 - Daniel Pemberton, Celeste
• Io Si (Seen) from The Life Ahead - Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, Niccolò Agliardi - WINNER
• Speak Now from One Night in Miami - Leslie Odom Jr., Sam Ashworth
• Tigress & Tweed from The United States vs. Billie Holliday - Andra Day, Raphael Saadiq

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

• Alexandre Desplat, The Midnight Sky
• Ludwig Göransson, Tenet
• James Newton Howard, News of the World
• Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste, Soul - WINNER
• Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Mank

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso - WINNER
• Eugene Levy, Schitt's Creek
• Nicholas Hoult, The Great
• Ramy Youssef, Ramy
• Don Cheadle, Black Monday

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/21/ted-lasso-creator-reacts-to-best-tv-show-2020-win"]

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Emily in Paris
• The Flight Attendant
• The Great
• Ted Lasso
• Schitt's Creek - WINNER

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

• Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
• Kate Hudson, Music
• Michelle Pfeiffer, French Exit
• Rosamund Pike, I Care A Lot - WINNER
• Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Drama

• Jason Bateman, Ozark
• Josh O'Connor, The Crown - WINNER
• Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
• Matthew Rhys, Perry Mason
• Al Pacino, Hunters

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language

• Another Round
• Minari - WINNER
• Two of Us
• The Life Ahead
• La Llorona

Best Television Series – Drama

• The Mandalorian
• The Crown - WINNER
• Lovecraft Country
• Ozark
• Ratched

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
• Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian - WINNER
• Amanda Seyfried, Mank
• Helena Zengel, News of the World
• Olivia Colman, The Father

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Gillian Anderson, The Crown - WINNER
• Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
• Julia Garner, Ozark
• Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek
• Cynthia Nixon, Ratched

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/04/netflixs-the-crown-explores-princess-diana-charles-bad-romance-in-season-4"]

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

• Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit - WINNER
• Shira Haas, Unorthodox
• Nicole Kidman, The Undoing
• Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
• Daisy Edgar-Jones, Normal People

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Normal People
• The Queen's Gambit - WINNER
• The Undoing
• Small Axe
• Unorthodox

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
• Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - WINNER
• Anthony Hopkins, The Father
• Gary Oldman, Mank
• Tahar Ramin, The Mauritanian

Best Director – Motion Picture

• Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
• David Fincher, Mank
• Regina King, One Night in Miami
• Chloé Zhao, Nomadland - WINNER
• Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

• Borat Subsequent Moviefilm - WINNER
• Hamilton
• Music
• Palm Springs
• The Prom

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

• Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm - WINNER
• James Corden, The Prom
• Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
• Andy Samberg, Palm Springs
• Dev Patel, Personal History of David Copperfield

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/21/borat-subsequent-moviefilm-review"]

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Viola Davis, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
• Andra Day, The United States vs Billie Holiday - WINNER
• Frances McDormand, Nomadland
• Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
• Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman

Best Motion Picture – Drama

• Nomadland - WINNER
• Mank
• The Father
• Promising Young Woman
• The Trial of the Chicago 7

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=igns-best-reviewed-movies-of-2020&captions=true"]

Multiple reports have come out detailing Google Stadia's troubles that include everything from internal struggles on the development team to "tens of millions" of dollars spent on AAA games like Red Dead Redemption 2 to  development roadblocks created by Google itself. Bloomberg reported that, despite all the hype built up by Google for Stadia's reveal, gamers around the world were disappointed. This led to a lackluster launch and Stadia is said to have "missed its targets for sales of controllers and monthly active users by hundreds of thousands." Not even games from some of the best publishers like Ubisoft and Take-Two Interactive Software could help turn the tide for Stadia. Those games didn't come cheap either, as sources from Bloomberg say it cost "tens of millions" of dollars to bring games like Red Dead Redemption 2 to the platform. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/22/google-stadia-review"] Wired also share some of the struggles at Stadia that ultimately led to the closure of Google Stadia's internal studios. Many of these issues stemmed from Google creating roadblocks for these employees who were trying to staff up to build AAA games. Google is known for its long and involved hiring process that can take anywhere from six to nine months. On top of that, Google had to change its hiring standards as it was looking to bring in game developers and hadn't traditionally hired for those positions. While there were around 150 employees impacted by the closure of Stadia's internal studios, two sources had said the goal was to bring in over 2,000 over five years. Above and beyond hiring concerns, sources discuss that "Stadia's game development process felt stapled on." Many of the developers felt that "Google wasn't funding games to sell games; it was funding games to sell Stadia." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/17/google-stadia-gm-says-microsofts-bethesda-acquisition-partly-responsible-for-stadia-studio-closures-ign-news"] Instead of giving the devs the freedom to truly create what they wished, they were told to "design prototypes that showcased Stadia technology like Google’s cloud computing capacity or State Share." These issues were undoubtedly frustrating, but many felt secure in their positions at Google, with high paychecks and what felt like little fear of being laid off, which can be a rampant problem at other studios. Then the COVID-19 pandemic began. Following the start of the pandemic, Google implemented a hiring freeze for all departments except a "small number of strategic areas where users and businesses rely on Google for ongoing support, and where our growth is critical to their success.” Gaming was not one of these areas. “If the company was OK putting us on a hiring freeze, they were also OK with damaging our ability to build content,” says one source. “The studio was not yet fully formed and ready to produce games. That put on the brakes, and was a statement. We interpreted it as a lack of commitment from Google to make content.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/08/the-unexpected-reason-terraria-on-stadia-is-canceled-ign-now"] In late January, Google's vice president of Stadia and GM Phil Harrison e-mailed employees and praised the platform's technology, and said that "Stadia Games and Entertainment had made 'great progress building a diverse and talented team and establishing a strong line up of Stadia exclusive games.'" Five days later, Harrison gathered the employees and let them know the internal studios were shutting down. VGC reported on a few of Stadia's possible cancelled projects and proposals, and one of them was allegedly an episodic horror game from Kojima Productions. That particular proposal was said to have been "blocked by Stadia GM Phil Harrison last year." Another was said to be from Shenmue's Yu Suzuki. A sequel to Journey to the Savage Planet was also said to be in the works by the team formerly known as Typhoon, and a multiplayer action game codenamed Frontier was being developed and was led by former Splinter Cell and Assassin's Creed: Syndicate producer Francois Pelland. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-2021-games-with-confirmed-release-dates&captions=true"] A Google Stadia spokesperson responded to VGC's story, saying that it does not "have anything, nor have announced anything, with Kojima or Yu Suzuki." "We talk to partners all the time in situations that don’t result in a project or even a proposal," The spokesperson said of the alleged Kojima project." This is very common. Speculating that two parties that speak regularly in this industry leads to proposals or otherwise, is inaccurate.” Even though Stadia's internal studios have been closed, Google has reassured those that own Stadia that the platform will get "more than 100 games" in 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.

Multiple reports have come out detailing Google Stadia's troubles that include everything from internal struggles on the development team to "tens of millions" of dollars spent on AAA games like Red Dead Redemption 2 to  development roadblocks created by Google itself. Bloomberg reported that, despite all the hype built up by Google for Stadia's reveal, gamers around the world were disappointed. This led to a lackluster launch and Stadia is said to have "missed its targets for sales of controllers and monthly active users by hundreds of thousands." Not even games from some of the best publishers like Ubisoft and Take-Two Interactive Software could help turn the tide for Stadia. Those games didn't come cheap either, as sources from Bloomberg say it cost "tens of millions" of dollars to bring games like Red Dead Redemption 2 to the platform. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/22/google-stadia-review"] Wired also share some of the struggles at Stadia that ultimately led to the closure of Google Stadia's internal studios. Many of these issues stemmed from Google creating roadblocks for these employees who were trying to staff up to build AAA games. Google is known for its long and involved hiring process that can take anywhere from six to nine months. On top of that, Google had to change its hiring standards as it was looking to bring in game developers and hadn't traditionally hired for those positions. While there were around 150 employees impacted by the closure of Stadia's internal studios, two sources had said the goal was to bring in over 2,000 over five years. Above and beyond hiring concerns, sources discuss that "Stadia's game development process felt stapled on." Many of the developers felt that "Google wasn't funding games to sell games; it was funding games to sell Stadia." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/17/google-stadia-gm-says-microsofts-bethesda-acquisition-partly-responsible-for-stadia-studio-closures-ign-news"] Instead of giving the devs the freedom to truly create what they wished, they were told to "design prototypes that showcased Stadia technology like Google’s cloud computing capacity or State Share." These issues were undoubtedly frustrating, but many felt secure in their positions at Google, with high paychecks and what felt like little fear of being laid off, which can be a rampant problem at other studios. Then the COVID-19 pandemic began. Following the start of the pandemic, Google implemented a hiring freeze for all departments except a "small number of strategic areas where users and businesses rely on Google for ongoing support, and where our growth is critical to their success.” Gaming was not one of these areas. “If the company was OK putting us on a hiring freeze, they were also OK with damaging our ability to build content,” says one source. “The studio was not yet fully formed and ready to produce games. That put on the brakes, and was a statement. We interpreted it as a lack of commitment from Google to make content.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/08/the-unexpected-reason-terraria-on-stadia-is-canceled-ign-now"] In late January, Google's vice president of Stadia and GM Phil Harrison e-mailed employees and praised the platform's technology, and said that "Stadia Games and Entertainment had made 'great progress building a diverse and talented team and establishing a strong line up of Stadia exclusive games.'" Five days later, Harrison gathered the employees and let them know the internal studios were shutting down. VGC reported on a few of Stadia's possible cancelled projects and proposals, and one of them was allegedly an episodic horror game from Kojima Productions. That particular proposal was said to have been "blocked by Stadia GM Phil Harrison last year." Another was said to be from Shenmue's Yu Suzuki. A sequel to Journey to the Savage Planet was also said to be in the works by the team formerly known as Typhoon, and a multiplayer action game codenamed Frontier was being developed and was led by former Splinter Cell and Assassin's Creed: Syndicate producer Francois Pelland. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-2021-games-with-confirmed-release-dates&captions=true"] A Google Stadia spokesperson responded to VGC's story, saying that it does not "have anything, nor have announced anything, with Kojima or Yu Suzuki." "We talk to partners all the time in situations that don’t result in a project or even a proposal," The spokesperson said of the alleged Kojima project." This is very common. Speculating that two parties that speak regularly in this industry leads to proposals or otherwise, is inaccurate.” Even though Stadia's internal studios have been closed, Google has reassured those that own Stadia that the platform will get "more than 100 games" in 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.

According to Los Angeles city documents, E3 2021's physical event has officially been cancelled. As spotted by VGC, a new report published by the Board of Los Angeles Convention and Tourism Development Commission states that the E3 2021 live event is cancelled and that the city is "working with the production team on broadcast options at LA Live/LACC." Furthermore, its working with the ESA on licenses for both 2022 and 2023. This follows ESA's confirmation that E3 2021 would still be happening and that the ESA would be "transforming the E3 experience for 2021." "We can confirm that we are transforming the E3 experience for 2021 and will soon share exact details on how we’re bringing the global video game community together." A spokesperson from the ESA previously said. "We are having great conversations with publishers, developers and companies across the board, and we look forward to sharing details about their involvement soon." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-2021-games-with-confirmed-release-dates&captions=true"] While many assumed this meant E3 would be going digital amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the ESA never explicitly said the live event was cancelled. A report from VGC also detailed some E3 2021 pitch documents that revealed this revamped show would include "multiple two-hour keynote sessions from game partners, an awards show, a June 14 preview night and other smaller streams from game publishers, influencers and media partners." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/27/heres-every-game-we-reviewed-last-month-in-one-video"] [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.

According to Los Angeles city documents, E3 2021's physical event has officially been cancelled. As spotted by VGC, a new report published by the Board of Los Angeles Convention and Tourism Development Commission states that the E3 2021 live event is cancelled and that the city is "working with the production team on broadcast options at LA Live/LACC." Furthermore, it its working with the ESA on licenses for both 2022 and 2023. This follows ESA's confirmation that E3 2021 would still be happening and that the ESA would be "transforming the E3 experience for 2021." "We can confirm that we are transforming the E3 experience for 2021 and will soon share exact details on how we’re bringing the global video game community together." A spokesperson from the ESA previously said. "We are having great conversations with publishers, developers and companies across the board, and we look forward to sharing details about their involvement soon." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=all-2021-games-with-confirmed-release-dates&captions=true"] While many assumed this meant E3 would be going digital amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the ESA never explicitly said the live event was cancelled. A report from VGC also detailed some E3 2021 pitch documents that revealed this revamped show would include "multiple two-hour keynote sessions from game partners, an awards show, a June 14 preview night and other smaller streams from game publishers, influencers and media partners." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/27/heres-every-game-we-reviewed-last-month-in-one-video"] [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.