A new round of upcoming changes to Hearthstone is being well-received by the game's community, specifically the announcement of a new "Classic Format" that lets players experience Hearthstone as it was when it launched in 2014. The newly added Classic Format uses only the original 240 cards that existed in Hearthstone at the game's launch, and what's more, any changes to those cards that have happened since their initial release have been reverted. That means, for instance, that the Leeroy Jenkins card only costs four mana now instead of five, Warsong Commander can give minions charge, and Holy Smite can target opponents directly instead of just being able to hit minions. Numerous other cards are being reverted in different ways to their original forms, including cards like Leper Gnome, Fiery War Axe, Hex, Innervate, Ironbeak Owl, Mana Wyrm, and Knife Juggler -- all once-staples of decks that have been changed over the years. Classic Format appears to be following in the footsteps of World of Warcraft: Classic, which launched in 2019 as a way for players to enjoy World of Warcraft in its original form and has since received regular content updates in the order the original game saw, maintaining an active player community alongside the retail version of the game. And like its WoW predecessor, the new Hearthstone format is already being celebrated across social media. At the time of publication, replies on the Twitter announcement of the changes are almost all positive, top comments on a link to the announcement on the Hearthstone subreddit are praising the move, and the memes are looking pretty good too. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=069fd53b-fbdd-4299-bf45-d32c8766436a"] Alongside existing players who are excited for the new format, some discussion also revolves around the new format's potential to draw in players, both veterans who may have lapsed over the years as well as new players. To the latter point, several note that Hearthstone has become increasingly complex and expensive over the years with its many modes and the need to constantly catch up with new expansions. Classic decks can often be cheaper to make, and many of their components are available to players for free by virtue of being a part of the class sets players can earn by leveling up characters through play. Classic Format isn't the only update to Hearthstone Blizzard announced. In another celebrated change, it's increasing the total number of slots for saved decks players can have from 18 to 27. And as it nears the release of a new expansion, Hearthstone is shaking up all its formats by introducing a new Core Set of cards that will be free for all players. The Core Set consists of 235 cards -- including returning cards from previous sets, reimagined cards, and 29 brand new cards -- that can be earned by leveling up each Class in Hearthstone. Core Set cards will be updated and rotated in and out on an annual basis. Meanwhile, Blizzard is moving all its old Basic and Classic cards that aren't staying with the Core Set into its existing anything-goes Wild Format under a new name: the Legacy Set. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/09/hearthstone-madness-at-the-darkmoon-faire-deck-of-lunacy"] Put simply, this means Hearthstone will have three game modes going forward. Standard will include the aforementioned Core Set and whatever expansion sets are current, right now Legacy of the Phoenix and whatever new expansion Blizzard announces at BlizzCon next week. Wild Format will include all Core Set cards, as well as just about every other older expansion of cards from over the years: so all Classic cards, retired expansions, and just about everything else. And Classic Format will only have the original cards from when the game launched in 2014. Blizzard is expected to announce more details about these changes at BlizzCon on February 19. Late last year, Blizzard dropped a new battle pass in Hearthstone that was not nearly as well-received as today's changes, with Blizzard acknowledging after its launch that it had communicated the pass' rewards poorly and that its requirements and benefits weren't laid out in a clear way to players before they spent their money. Blizzard has since been working to address these issues, and earlier this year launched the game's first "mini-set" of 35 cards: The Darkmoon Races. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

For the first time since 2019, Telltale Games’ Tales From the Borderlands series is coming back to stores on February 17.

Borderlands series developer Gearbox announced the news Wednesday on the official Borderlands Twitter account.

Tales from the Borderlands returns to storefronts February 17! Set between Borderlands 2 and 3, Tales from the Borderlands follows the stories of Rhys, a Hyperion suit, and Fiona, a con artist, on a quest borne of greed but destined for greatness. pic.twitter.com/6L1O5fTm0i

— Borderlands 3 (@Borderlands) February 10, 2021

Gearbox didn’t confirm which digital storefronts Tales would be returning to, but the game previously released on Steam. Borderlands 3 also ended up on both Steam and the Epic Games Store. Gearbox also didn't provide any pricing information. Tales From the Borderlands was one the many casualties of the now infamous shuttering of Telltale Games in 2018. After mass layoffs, many of the studio’s games were pulled from digital storefronts or, if they were in development (like The Wolf Among Us 2), canceled. Tales From the Borderlands actually managed to escape the first round of Steam removals, but both Valve and Good Old Games removed Tales from their platforms in mid-2019 for unexplained reasons. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/11/13/rewind-theater-tales-from-the-borderlands-trailer"]

Tales From the Borderlands originally released on November 25, 2014 to high praise for its comedic storytelling and classic Telltale strengths. Set after Borderlands 2, Tales follows the adventures of two Hyperion employees and a con artist hunting down a mythical vault, spurring numerous hilarious diversions along the way. It features voice acting from the likes of Troy Baker, Laura Bailey, Chris Hardwick, Ashley Johnson, and Patrick Warburton.

A number of Telltale’s pre-Walking Dead catalog remains unavailable on Steam, including Back to the Future and Game of Thrones.

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

Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Charisma Carpenter has spoken out against Joss Whedon in support of Ray Fisher. In a two-part Twitter message on Wednesday, Carpenter, who worked alongside Whedon on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel, shared her alleged truth as she accused the director of creating "hostile and toxic work environments since his early career," reflecting back on her own experiences from being on set with Whedon. She claimed to have experienced the toxicity of his work environment "first-hand, repeatedly," as she accused Whedon of "abusing his power on numerous occasions." She then proceeded to list some examples of the alleged abuse, which included "passive-aggressive threats" to fire her, being "mean and disparaging" about others, and "pitting people" against one another.

pic.twitter.com/Fw0SkHU87c

— charisma carpenter (@AllCharisma) February 10, 2021

She captioned the tweets with "#IStandWithRayFisher," as a show of public support for the Cyborg actor who has been battling Whedon in a months-long investigation after he alleged that the filmmaker was abusive on the set of the Justice League reshoots. In her statement, Carpenter directly addressed Fisher and the investigation, which she claimed to have participated in. "Recently, I participated in WarnerMedia's Justice League investigation because I believe Ray to be a person of integrity who is telling the truth," she wrote. "His firing as Cyborg in The Flash was the last straw for me. Although I am not shocked, I am deeply pained by it. It troubles and saddens me that in 2021 professionals STILL have to choose between whistleblowing in the workplace and job security." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/07/ray-fishers-cyborg-cameo-reportedly-written-out-of-the-flash-movie"] An earlier report stated that insiders with purported knowledge of the situation claimed that Cyborg had been written out of The Flash movie screenplay. It was understood that Fisher's role had been cut and that he would not be replaced by another actor in the upcoming DC movie — despite the character's inclusion in the long-gestating DCEU installment dating back to 2016. This came shortly after Fisher stated that he would no longer participate in any productions associated with DC Films president Walter Hamada. "Walter Hamada is the most dangerous kind of enabler," Fisher tweeted. "His lies, and WB PR's failed Sept. 4th hit-piece, sought to undermine the very real issues of the 'Justice League' investigation. I will not participate in any production associated with him." A week later, it was announced that Hamada had renewed his deal with DC, and would be continuing as president of the studio through to 2023. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=justice-league-snyder-cut-all-the-known-differences-from-the-theatrical-version&captions=true"] Fisher's Cyborg/Victor Stone character may not be appearing in The Flash but he will be back for Zack Snyder's Justice League, which will be debuting on HBO Max in March. Snyder's R-rated cut is said to feature over 150 minutes of unseen footage, and won't be using a "single frame" from Whedon's theatrical version of the movie. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Humans colonizing the asteroid belt might sound like sci-fi – The Expanse, to be exact – but Pekka Janhunen, an astrophysicist with the Finnish Meteorological Institute, wants to make it a reality. He recently published a paper theorizing about the feasibility of a “megasatellite” settlement, tethering together tens of millions of square miles of habitats, high in the orbit of dwarf planet, Ceres.

Located hundreds of millions of miles from Earth, Ceres is found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Even powerful telescopes have difficulty getting a clear image of its surface. Janhunen envisions using its resources to build rotating habitats that generate artificial gravity by completing a full rotation every 66 seconds. A 636-mile elevator cable would help bring supplies from Ceres to the settlements.

“Ceres has nitrogen for making the habitat atmospheres, and it is large enough to provide almost unlimited resources,” Janhunen told Universe Today. Each habitat would be similar to the population density of the Netherlands (around 13,000 people per square mile), with the 56,700 residents getting around 21,500 square feet of space, each.

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The habitat would have both rural and urban spaces. Strategically aimed mirrors would help provide sunlight, though the urban areas would be artificially lit and windowless. In addition to a way to shield inhabitants from radiation, these floating worlds would need oxygen.

Janhunen told LiveScience construction could begin within 15 years, and it would take another 22 years on top of that to actually build the elevator, power system, and habitats. It would be an enormous undertaking, and Florida Institute of Technology astrobiologist Manasvi Lingam foresees a few potential issues with Janhunen’s timeline.

"The first is a question of other essential elements, other than nitrogen,” Lingam told LiveScience. It’s not clear how inhabitants would get something like phosphorus, for example.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/15/the-expanse-season-5-exclusive-official-amos-clip"]

The 22-year estimate also assumes the operation runs smoothly, something even Janhunen isn’t sure about. “It is likely, of course, that the actual bootstrapping timescale would be longer, or much longer, and instead of physics, it would be driven by technological delays and the logistics of transporting the inhabitants from Earth,” he wrote in the paper. Another potential issue for the habitats are asteroids, though Janhunen thinks it would be easy enough to move the habitat out of its path or evacuate residents to safety.

In 2015, the Dawn space probe orbited around the protoplanet, gathering most of the information we have on its topography. Dawn’s images were illuminating, but much about Ceres is still unknown. A recent Astronomy article about the dwarf planet is full of words like "mystery, hints," and is unclear. The first residents would have a lot to learn before starting construction in its orbit.

For more on space news, read the details of how possible signs of life on Venus were detected back in 1978, and that scientists claim they found evidence of a parallel universe where time runs backward. Studies also recently found the Moon is rusting, and it may be Earth's fault.

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Jenny McGrath is a science writer for IGN. She never tweets, but here she is @JennyMcGeez.

HBO Max has announced series orders for three new adult animated shows, including a Scooby-Doo spinoff that will tell the origin story of Velma Dinkley, and a revival of Clone High. The original and comedic series, aptly titled Velma, will unmask the complex and colorful past of the underappreciated brains of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang, Velma Dinkley, voiced by executive producer Mindy Kaling (The Office). Charlie Grandy, Howard Klein, and Sam Register will also be serving as executive producers on the 10-episode series, which is being produced by Warner Bros. Animation. In addition to Velma, HBO Max ordered two seasons of Clone High, a reimagining of the Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Bill Lawrence 2002 series set at a high school for clones of historical figures. As well as writing the series, Lord and Miller will be reteaming with Lawrence to serve as executive producers on the MTV revival, with Erica Rivinoja assigned as showrunner. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/30/hbo-max-streaming-service-review"] The streaming company further filled out its adult animation slate with Nate Sherman and Nick Vokey's Fired on Mars, an existential workplace comedy set on the Martian campus of a modern tech company; SNL's Pete Davidson will be lending his voice to one of the characters. HBO Max also renewed JG Quintel's adult-animated comedy Close Enough for two more seasons. "It is a tremendous privilege to build on the 100 year-plus legacy of 'cartoons' at this company. We can draw a straight line from our hundreds of childhood hours spent watching Bugs outwit Elmer to the current slate of adult animated projects we are building here at HBO Max and we think fans will agree," said Suzanna Makkos, HBO Max's EVP of Original Comedy and Adult Animation. "We are proud to introduce this distinctive group of series from a wide range of diverse creators that will form a first stop destination for animation lovers everywhere." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=close-enough-season-1-photos&captions=true"] These new projects join an already-packed slate of upcoming adult animated shows, with the likes of Harley Quinn, The Prince, Santa Inc., 10 Year Old Tom, and The Boondocks previously announced by the network, as well as an all-new roster of HBO Max adult animated originals, including Hello Paul, Obi, Uncanny Valley, and Cover, which are all currently in development. For more on the adult animated shows mentioned in this article, read about why we think Clone High is a binge-worthy series, check out our review of Close Enough Season 1, which we called "effective and entertaining" for a certain demographic, and then discover which other animated sitcoms we think should be given a revival series. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Netflix is developing a feature film and TV series based on Brian Jacques' Redwall books. According to Variety, the streaming giant recently inked a deal with Penguin Random House Children to secure the rights to the sprawling 22-book Redwall saga, which follows the fantastical adventures of the anthropomorphic animals living at Redwall Abbey. On the back of this deal, Netflix has already revealed plans to develop an animated feature and an event series from the franchise. Check out Pierre Breton's visual development art for the adaptation below: [caption id="attachment_2471717" align="alignnone" width="2000"] Image Credit: Pierre Breton/Netflix[/caption] The animated film is being penned by Patrick McHale, the writer of Guillermo del Toro's forthcoming stop-motion Pinocchio, and will adapt the first book in Jacques' series, titled Redwall, while the TV series will be based on the character of Martin the Warrior, the mouse co-founder of Redwall Abbey, who headlined the sixth Redwall novel. "We couldn't be more delighted to announce this deal," said Ben Horslen, fiction publisher at Penguin Random House Children's."These perennially popular stories have been etched onto the hearts of millions of readers, and we are thrilled to partner with Netflix to bring those beloved characters on screen for families worldwide to enjoy." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=netflix-spotlight-february-2021&captions=true"] The deal between Netflix and Penguin Random House Children marks the first time that film rights to the entire book series have been held by the same company, and it's the first time that any of Jacques' works have been adapted into a feature film, per Variety's report. However, three of the books were previously adapted for television — that animated series ran for three seasons from 1999-2002. Netflix's Redwall adaptations join a slate of upcoming animated features on the streaming service, including Richard Linklater's Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Adventure, Chris Williams' The Sea Beast, Nora Twomey's My Father's Dragon, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, an Aardman sequel to Chicken Run, and an all-new animated Sonic the Hedgehog series, which is set to premiere worldwide in 2022. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

A US law firm that has already filed a class action lawsuit against Nintendo for Joy-Con drift is now "investigating" a similar case against Sony, alleging analog stick drift in the PS5 DualSense controller. Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP has set up a questionnaire page, asking for PS5 owners to report instances of drift (in which the console registers stick input, even if the controller isn't being touched). "CSK&D is investigating a potential class action based upon reports that Sony PS5 DualSense controllers for the PlayStation 5 console can experience drift issues and/or fail prematurely," reads the page introduction. "Specifically, it is reported that the joystick on certain PS5 DualSense controllers will automatically register movement when the joystick is not being controlled and interfere with gameplay." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/06/ps5-dualsense-controller-review"] Reports have begun to emerge around alleged drift on PS5 DualSense controllers in recent days, although it's not clear how widespread an issue it is at this point. CSK&D's questionnaire is likely an effort to find out just that, before embarking on any formal legal proceedings. CSK&D is in the midst of a class-action suit against Nintendo, which was compelled to arbitration after a judge refused to dismiss the case – a case which began with a similar survey of users. It's one of a number of worldwide cases about and investigations into drift on Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers. Recent patents have suggested Sony may be looking to upgrade the DualSense, although those patterns did not mention changes to analog stick design. We awarded the DualSense a 9/10 review, saying "Sony has both made a more comfortable gamepad for traditional gameplay, and introduced some very exciting features." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Sonic the Hedgehog is getting a sequel, and it is - somewhat obviously - called Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The name, with its Tails-inspired logo, was revealed on Twitter, along with a release date: April 8, 2022. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/10/sonic-the-hedgehog-2-title-announcement"] The announcement came with a short ten-second video clip of the title being revealed, which plays a version of the Emerald Hill Zone music as the letters form. The logo itself is the same as that used for the original 2020 film, but with a yellow '2' featuring Tails' twin fox tails.

Groundbreaking. Thought provoking. Extremely obvious. Presenting the official title of the #SonicMovie sequel: Sonic the Hedgehog 2! Catch #SonicMovie2 in theatres in 2022. pic.twitter.com/SlVk7fakp3

— Sonic the Hedgehog (@SonicMovie) February 10, 2021

  That's as much confirmation as you could need that Tails will star in the sequel, if the events of the original film hadn't already convinced you. As for other characters, current rumours suggest Knuckles This story is breaking...

Epic Games has announced its newest tool to help game developers and creators realize their visions called MetaHuman Creator, a browser-based app that lets developers create 3D characters and models far more quickly and easily than previously possible. You can check out videos of the tool in action below. MetaHuman Creator lets developers create new characters that can be sculpted and crafted as desired. Developers can create single characters or scale up to make many; all with different features, hair-styles, and body types. These models can then be animated or motion-captured or work with a variety of other programs including Apple's ARKit. “Up until now one of the most arduous tasks in 3D content creation has been constructing truly convincing digital humans. Even the most experienced artists require significant amounts of time, effort, and equipment, just for one character,” Says Vladimir Mastilovic, vice president of Digital Humans Technology at Epic Games. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/10/epic-games-announce-metahuman-creator-an-advance-character-creation-tool"] With MetaHuman Creator, Epic Games is offering a tool that can speed up a key process in game development, though MetaHuman Creator can also be used for non-gaming projects as well. Ultimately, it's about streamlining development, something Epic is already doing with easily imported environment models and lighting with Unreal Engine 5. “Essentially the product that we’re launching now… is replacing hundreds of man-days that we typically need to invest into building a single asset, into a tool where people can do it themselves and literally within minutes get results that we would otherwise work for months to achieve,” Mastilovic tells IGN at a media briefing. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/10/epics-metahuman-creator-character-demo"] "Vlad has built a very streamlined and efficient process for making characters," says Epic Games CTO Kim Libreri. Together Epic and Mastilovic set out to build a tool that can take out the "complexity and the drudgery of making great digital characters out of the equation." Although the characters created for Epic's demo aim for realism, characters aren’t limited to the semi-photoreal style shown today in Epic's trailer. “We aimed for photo-real, but not strictly photo-real,” says Mastilovic. “With these assets, we’re not claiming to have crossed the uncanny valley. We are kind of targeting that sweet spot of being stylized just enough. So for example The Last of Us 2, they’re not fully photoreal but they’re appealing digital characters.” In terms of achieving further stylization, Mastilovic says this is a priority for the team in future builds but not something fully-fleshed out currently. “These assets will take a certain amount of stylization without breaking that’s for sure,” Mastilovic says, “But if you wanted to convert them into something cartoony that’s not something we have done with this first version but it’s certainly something we’re looking at as a high priority for the future.” But there is hope for developers and creators looking to use MetaHuman Creator to make the next anime fighting game or something with a more stylized aesthetic. Libreri says “users are free to change the textures, change the shading, exaggerate proportions, change the hair from strand-based hair to some crazy anime-style." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=metahuman-creator-epic-games-character-creator&captions=true"] MetaHuman Creator is a tool for both game developers and content creators and from professionals to hobbyists. “It doesn’t require any sort of full professional pipeline. So if you have an iPhone and basic knowledge of [Unreal Engine] you should be able to use this,” Mastilovic says. One practical example Libreri provided is creating a character to serve as a virtual host for someone's YouTube channel. MetaHuman Creator will release two fully finished sample characters to modify and use in projects running on Unreal Engine 4.26.1 and will be available in Early Access sometime in the next few months. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Scalpers are taking advantage of a McDonald's loophole to snap up Pokemon 25th anniversary trading card packs inside Happy Meals, then selling them online for extortionate prices, leaving fans disappointed. McDonald's customers (as reported by Kotaku and Polygon) have taken to social media to vent their fury at the practice, which has seen boxes of Pokemon cards posted on websites, such as eBay, for eyewatering fees of up to $1,500.

@McDonalds @Pokemon I sure hope you do some form of inventory control for your promo Pokémon cards as some of your stock is being sold in sealed boxes which means they’re not even making it to your stores Though same thing happened with Tim Hortons Hockey too. Retail $1.99 pic.twitter.com/kX8qZyRX2V

— redphoenixsportscards (@redphoenixcards) February 9, 2021

The limited-edition packs, which are being sold at select McDonald's restaurants as part of the franchise's landmark birthday, are supposed to come as part of McDonald's Happy Meals. Per the Pokemon website's official announcement, Happy Meal purchasers will receive a 25th anniversary trading card booster pack that contains four exclusive cards. There are 50 cards for fans to collect - all 24 starter Pokemon and Pikachu in standard and foil versions - but, like other Pokemon trading cards packs, the ones you get are entirely random. Buying McDonald's Happy Meals should be the only way to collect them all, but scalpers are bypassing this, via a loophole, that allows them to buy the packs in bulk. According to Kotaku, each McDonald's restaurant seems to have a different policy on how these packs are being sold, which is enabling scalpers to get their hands on them with relative ease. Some are buying Happy Meals en masse to get the packs before throwing the food away. Others, meanwhile, are simply showing up at McDonald's and asking to buy whole boxes, or turning up at 5 AM so they can purchase packs before anyone else. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/29/pokmon-sword-and-shield-the-crown-tundra-dlc-review"] Naturally, angry parents and other trading card fans have taken to Twitter to express their dismay at how the packs are being sold. Clearly, there's only a certain amount of stock to go around, and children and other ardent Pokemon fans are missing - or even being priced - out of acquiring the cards for themselves. Some Twitter users, including @The3Composer, have claimed that some McDonald's outlets are restricting people to five packs at a time, but even those limits have only been put in place after one scalper bought over 450 packs in a single visit.

My mom works at a McDonalds in southern Indiana, and her store is limited to only selling 5 packs per person per day, because someone bought 3 cases (around 450~ packs) from another area store, which was all they had

— Jake Jacobson (@Th3Composer) February 9, 2021

Plenty of Twitter users have demanded that McDonald's implements a company wide limit on how many packs one person can purchase, but so far their efforts have fallen on deaf ears. We've contacted McDonald's for comment. In other 'extremely expensive Pokemon cards' news, a box of original Pokemon TCG booster packs recently sold for $400,000, and rapper Logic bought a single shiny Charizard for over $200,000 last year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Tom Power is a UK-based freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter.