Originally scheduled as a day-one PS5 launch exclusive, Lucid Games’ Destruction AllStars was pushed into February for a planned debut as a PlayStation Plus game. And ss Lucid and Sony XDEV team members tell IGN, the delay was in part to properly allow for that PS Plus launch, with the added benefit of making some adjustments that might have needed to wait for post-launch updates. “It made sense [to delay and go to PS Plus] just as a predominantly online multiplayer game. It absolutely made sense to go out to that widest audience possible. And what better way to do that than to the PlayStation Plus audience,” XDEV Senior Producer John MacLaughlin told IGN in an interview ahead of AllStars’ launch. MacLaughlin also noted that the developers have taken that time to prep their backend and servers accordingly to handle the potentially larger audience. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/27/destruction-allstars-state-of-play-video"] And AllStars Game Director Colin Berry noted how the move was something the Lucid and XDEV teams were eager to pursue. When it became a reality, it meant the team could prep for a launch that gives this new franchise its “best possible chance to succeed.” “It gives us the most people playing it, the most eyes on it, which means we get the most feedback, not just in terms of raw data and analytics, but we get feedback from the player saying, ‘We love this character and we want more of this.’ Or, ‘We like this or this isn't quite working how we wanted because the balance of this.’” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=destruction-allstars-game-modes-reveal&captions=true"] And that decision to delay to allow for a launch via PS Plus, which entitles all subscribers of the service to a copy of AllStars, makes a lot of sense when considering there are over 40 million PS Plus subscribers by Sony’s last announced count, which gives this brand new franchise quite the built-in audience. But Berry also explained how the delay did give the team time to make adjustments that will benefit players as they jump right into the car combat action. “One of the main things that we polished in that time period was, um, the onboarding, the messaging of the game rules to people,” Berry said. “We had a couple of systems in for the tutorial that were working, but we knew it wasn't quite right. We knew we had plans for post-launch, we'll do this and we'll do this. And then suddenly, we don't have to wait for post-launch now, let's get all that stuff in.” Players will be able to see just what awaits them shortly, as Destruction AllStars will be available as a PS5 exclusive on February 2. For more on this week's PS5 exclusive release, check out the latest on Destruction AllStars' modes, currency, and more. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

HBO Max has revealed Batman: The Audio Adventures, which is a comedic take on the Caped Crusader featuring Jeffrey Wright as the voice of the Dark Knight. This news comes by way of The Hollywood Reporter, which also reports that longtime Saturday Night Live writer, Dennis McNicholas, will write and direct the multi-episode podcast series. It will hit HBO Max sometime in 2021 and is being produced under the Warner Bros. Blue Ribbon Content banner. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/23/the-batman-trailer-dc-fandome-official-footage"] McNicholas' history with SNL shines through in the cast of this podcast, which is filled with SNL alum amongst others. Alongside Wright, who will voice the titular character, the audio cast includes Rosario Dawson, who has voiced Wonder Woman in previous DC projects and Batgirl/Barbara Gordon in The LEGO Batman Movie, Seth Myers, Jason Sudeikis, Alan Tudyk, Chris Parnell, Melissa Villaseñor, Kenan Thompson, Heidi Gardner, Brooke Shields, Tim Meadows, Fred Armisen, Brent Spiner, John Leguizamo, Ike Barinholtz, Bobby Moynihan, Paul Scheer, Ray Wise, Ben Rodgers, Katie Rich, Pete Schultz, Paula Pell, Toby Huss, and McNicholas as well. Who these actors are voicing has not yet been announced. Details regarding the plot of Batman: The Audio Adventures are unknown at this time, but it is meant to be a more comedic take on the otherwise very-dark Dark Knight, which is reflected in the SNL-centric cast. McNicholas is producing the podcast with Angela Petrella and Justice League producer, Jon Berg, will serve as the executive producer. The podcast is expected to launch this year on HBO Max. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=7-detective-stories-the-batman-could-adapt&captions=true"] While this will be Wright's first time stepping into the Batsuit, it's not his first stroll through Gotham. He's playing James Gordon in the upcoming Matt Reeves-directed movie, The Batman, which stars Rob Pattinson in the role of a Batman earlier in his career. While waiting for Wright's Batman podcast, check out the first trailer for The Batman and then watch this video breaking down every clue hidden within that trailer. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Google Stadia, the tech giant’s video game streaming platform which launched in 2019, is shutting down its internal game development studios and refocusing on offering its tech platform to third-party publishers, the company announced Monday.

As first reported by Kotaku, Google will close its two Stadia Games & Entertainment studios located in Los Angeles and Montreal. The closure will impact approximately 150 employees, one source told Kotaku. Google says it will try to find new roles at the company for those impacted.

"With the recent successful launch of Cyberpunk 2077 on Stadia, gameplay on all types of devices, including iOS, growing our slate of YouTube integrations, and our global expansions, it’s clear that Stadia’s technology has been proven and works at scale," Google's vice president of Stadia and GM Phil Harrison said in a statement. "Having games streamed to any screen is the future of this industry, and we’ll continue to invest in Stadia and its underlying platform to provide the best cloud gaming experience for our partners and the gaming community. This has been the vision of Stadia since the beginning."

Jade Raymond, the noted producer who helped bring Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise to life, is also departing from her role as head of game development at Google.

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What does this mean for Stadia subscribers? Google states that players can still access their games on Stadia (or the $10-a-month Stadia Pro), and that third-party games will continue to release on the service. It’s unclear how many third-party games Google plans on hosting on Stadia.

A key pillar of Google’s new strategy is offering up Stadia’s game streaming technology to other interested companies. Google’s head of Stadia operations, Phil Harrison, will lead that initiative.

Google Stadia launched with some serious hype, but a rocky start plagued by technical issues and a thin library of games proved to be the service’s downfall. Ironically, Cyberpunk 2077’s Stadia version proved to be one of the more reliable platforms to play the notoriously buggy open-world RPG on.

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Google also undercut its own Stadia Pro subscription plan by eventually offering a free version of the service in April 2020. Though Google gradually chipped away at its list of missing features and conveniences, its distinct lack of first-party games proved to remain a concern. In IGN’s own review, we saw absolutely no reason to subscribe to Stadia Pro while the free service remained equally viable. Stadia also saw stiff competition from Microsoft’s XCloud service, which similarly streamed a wide variety of games to almost any device provided the internet connection was strong enough. A common concern among Stadia skeptics was whether or not Google would invest long enough in the service for it to realize its potential, a fear that seems justified now.

Despite Google’s seemingly immense influence on the world of technology, the company appeared to lack the resources or ship any major game. One source familiar with Stadia’s first-party work told Kotaku: “Google was a terrible place to make games. Imagine Amazon, but under-resourced.”

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

The Walt Disney Company has announced that a new Disney+ series is in development with Black Panther director Ryan Coogler that is based on the Kingdom of Wakanda. This Kingdom of Wakanda series will be part of Disney's five-year overall exclusive television deal with Coogler's Proximity Media. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] "It’s an honor to be partnering with The Walt Disney Company. Working with them on Black Panther was a dream come true. As avid consumers of television, we couldn’t be happier to be launching our television business with Bob Iger, Dana Walden and all the amazing studios under the Disney umbrella. We look forward to learning, growing, and building a relationship with audiences all over the world through the Disney platforms. We are especially excited that we will be taking our first leap with Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and their partners at Marvel Studios where we will be working closely with them on select MCU shows for Disney+. We’re already in the mix on some projects that we can't wait to share,” stated Ryan Coogler on behalf of Proximity Media. No further details were given regarding the Kingdom of Wakanda series, but Disney has already made clear that it will not recast the late Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa following the actor's death for Black Panther 2, so it can be assumed the same will be true here. In late 2020, a report claimed that Black Panther 2 would begin filming in Atlanta in July 2021, with a shoot that could last up to six months under the director of Coogler. Furthermore, it is said that Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke and Angela Bassett will all be returning, with Wright's Shuri possibly taking on a much more prominent role. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/every-marvel-announcement-from-disneys-investors-call"] [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.

Santa Monica Studio has officially announced that God of War's PS5 patch will be released tomorrow, February 2, and will bring a 4K/60 FPS mode to the PlayStation exclusive. Announced on Santa Monica Studio's blog, this free update will replace the current video graphics mode option with a new default setting that "will offer the best of both performance and resolution to our PlayStation 5 players." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/12/21/why-god-of-war-is-igns-2018-game-of-the-year"] On the PlayStation 4 Pro version of 2018's God of War, players would have to make a choice between a graphics mode that favored performance and one that favored resolution. Now, no sacrifice needs to be made. God of War's Enhanced Performance Experience offers the following;

• Syncs to 60 FPS
• 4K Checkerboard Resolution
• 2160p

There will also be an Original Performance Experience that can be selected at any time and will represent the PlayStation 4 'Favor Resolution' video graphics mode. This mode offers 4K Checkerboard Resolution synced up to 30 FPS. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"] Around the launch of the PS5, Santa Monica Studio announced that God of War would be able to run at 60 FPS in the 'Favor Performance" mode on Sony's next-gen console. Furthermore, save transfers are supported from PS5, so players can jump right back in to their game with these improvements whenever they wish. If you have yet to try God of War, which we crowned our 2018 Game of the Year, be sure to check it out through the PlayStation Plus Collection. God of War and many of the best PlayStation games are available for download if you are a subscriber to PlayStation Plus. [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.

Saved by the Bell Star Dustin Diamond has died, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Diamond, who played the young Samuel “Screech” Powers on NBC’s Saved by the Bell sitcom, died Monday morning due to complications from stage 4 lung cancer, a representative told TMZ.

[caption id="attachment_246800" align="alignnone" width="720"] SAVED BY THE BELL -- Pictured: Dustin Diamond as Screech Powers -- Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank .[/caption]

Diamond was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in early January and was admitted to a Florida hospital after experiencing unusual physical pain. According to TMZ, Diamond’s condition had greatly declined since last week, and the former child star was taken off a breathing machine in order to transfer him to hospice care.

Diamond’s Hollywood career largely centered on his role as Screech on Saved by the Bell, which originally ran from 1989 to 1993. Diamond joined the cast again for the follow-up series Saved by the Bell: The College Years in 1993. Diamond also appeared as Mr. Belding’s assistant in seasons 2-7 of Saved by the Bell: New Class, which ran from 1993 to 2000.

A sequel series dubbed “Saved by the Bell” was launched on NBC’s Peacock in 2020, and featured many of the original cast, but Diamond was not recast much to the actor’s vocal disappointment.

Diamond’s career was also marred by his appearance in a 2006 sex tape (Diamond later said it was a body double), lawsuits involving delinquent taxes, foreclosure proceedings over missing mortgage payments, and a four-month jail sentence for his part in a bar stabbing. Diamond also appeared on a number of reality shows, including the 12th season of Big Brother, Celebrity Fit Club, The Weakest Link, and Celebrity Boxing 2, where he acquired a reputation for being confrontational with other cast members.

Diamond was 44.

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Blizzard is celebrating its 30th anniversary this February. While the company is promising more surprises at this year’s free BlizzCon Online, Blizzard is getting the festivities started early with a series of Celebration packs with in-game goods for all Blizzard games like Overwatch and Hearthstone, as well as offering an exclusive Arthas Helm of Domination replica. The helm measures almost 17-inches tall when placed on its stand and will be available beginning February 19 in the online BlizzardGear store. Check out the gallery below to see images: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=warcraft-arthas-helm-of-domination-blizzard-replica&captions=true"] As part of the Celebration Collection, there are three different “Packs” of in-game goods that are available now in the Blizzard Shop. The more premium packs will include all the goods in the previous packs, but with added bonuses. The first is the Essentials Pack which comes with:

• a Moon-Touched Netherwhelp pet in World of Warcraft
• Tracer’s OSV-03 Rogue mount with Tracer Hero in Heroes of the Storm
• 30th Anniversary Overwatch player icon and spray plus five loot boxes
• StarCraft 2 and StarCraft: Remastered portraits
• 10 Madness at the Darkmoon Faire card packs in Hearthstone
• A pet and portrait in Diablo 3

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=blizzard-30th-anniversary-digital-rewards&captions=true"] The next tier, Heroic Pack, comes with everything in the Essentials Pack plus:

• Snowstorm mount in World of Warcraft
• Raynhardt Legendary skin in Overwatch
• Random Madness at the Darkmoon Faire Legendary card
• Diablo 3 wings

And finally, the Epic Pack includes everything in the other packs, plus:

• 30 days of World of Warcraft game time
• 5 Golden Madness at the Darkmoon Faire card packs in Hearthstone
• 3 Golden Loot Boxes in Overwatch
• Diablo 3 Transmog Items

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/01/diablo-4-reveal-trailer"] Purchasing any of the three Celebration Packs will also nab you a 15% discount code for the Blizzard Gear Store, which is usually stocked with new items during BlizzCon. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Blizzard from hosting a live BlizzCon last year. Instead, Blizzard will host a completely digital BlizzCon later this month and you can watch the entire opening ceremony right here on IGN. Blizzard typically reserves its biggest announcements for BlizzCon, so expect game news, reveals, and more. As a reminder, Blizzard currently has several projects in development, including Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4. Expect new updates on those when IGN covers BlizzCon Online later this month. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Update: Paramount+ has officially greenlit a Frasier revival series, with star Kelsey Grammer set to return. The new series is written by Chris Harris (How I Met Your Mother) and Joe Cristalli (Life in Pieces). Harris and Cristalli will also executive produce the series alongside Grammer and Grammnet Productions' Tom Russo and Jordan McMahon. "Having spent over 20 years of my creative life on the Paramount lot, both producing shows and performing in several, I'd like to congratulate Paramount+ on its entry into the streaming world," said Grammer in a statement. "I gleefully anticipate sharing the next chapter in the continuing journey of Dr. Frasier Crane." The original story is below: [poilib element="accentDivider"] Dr. Frasier Crane may soon be making house calls again. TV Line reports a revival of the critically acclaimed sitcom Frasier is currently in development at Paramount+. While it sounds as though the new series is in the early stages of development and hasn't yet been given an official greenlight, star Kelsey Grammer is said to be attached. Production could begin as early as this summer, once Grammer finishes filming his upcoming ABC sitcom with costar Alec Baldwin. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=12-cancelled-tv-shows-wed-love-to-see-revived&captions=true"] TV Line's sources note Paramount is also hoping to bring back costars David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves and Peri Gilpin "in some capacity." Unfortunately, with the passing of John Maloney in 2018, the revival will have to write out his character, Martin Crane. Word of a possible Frasier revival first surfaced in 2018. At the time, Deadline reported the new series would be set somewhere other than Seattle, paving the way for a new supporting cast. It's unclear whether that's still the plan with the current incarnation of the series. But with Frasier making IGN's list of cancelled shows that deserve revivals, we're just glad to see progress on the new series. Frasier itself is a spinoff of the NBC sitcom Cheers. In both shows Grammer played Dr. Frasier Crane, a psychiatrist who hosts a call-in radio show. Grammer won four Emmys for his portrayal, as did Pierce, who played Frasier's younger brother, Niles Crane. The show aired for 11 seasons from 1993 to 2004 on NBC. If you're wondering why the revival series is in the works at Paramount+ rather than NBCUniversal's own Peacock, Paramount holds the rights to Frasier. Paramount+ launches on March 4. This new streaming service is essentially a rebranding of the current CBS All Access service, and will "feature content from ViacomCBS’ leading portfolio of broadcast, news, sports and entertainment brands." Paramount+ is also scheduled to launch in international markets in 2021, beginning with Australia, Latin America, and the Nordics. The service will launch alongside the streaming debut of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/07/25/kelsey-grammer-eyeing-frasier-reboot"] [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 2/5: In addition to the two films in the works and a limited series TV show also being fast-tracked, another project around the GameStop stock moves has been revealed. Deadline reports that Console Wars director Jonah Tulis is working on a documentary around the events that saw GameStop and AMC stocks soar. No release date or filming plans have been announced, but the documentary joins the several projects around Hollywood aiming to capture the story of users on the r/WallStreetBets subreddit who shocked Wall Street earlier this year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Update 2/1: As if two different GameStop stock movies weren't enough, Deadline is reporting a limited series TV series is also in the works from industry newcomer Pinky Promise. Tentatively titled, "To The Moon," the limited series is being fast-tracked through the development and will cover the r/WallStreetBets drama. This is the third project on the Wall Street news to go into development with the two others being films. The first is a film from MGM based on a book proposal by the author of The Social Network's inspiration, and the other movie will be from Netflix starring Noah Centineo written by the writer of The Hurt Locker. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Original Story: Soon after MGM announced a GameStop stock movie from the author of the book The Social Network was based on, Netflix is coming in with its own GameStop stock movie. Deadline reports that Netflix is talking with The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty writer Mark Boal to write a movie based on the big financial conundrum. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before star Noah Centineo is also attached to play a major role in the film. Centineo will also be seen in the upcoming Black Adam movie starring Dwayne Johnson as the character Atom Smasher. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=gamestop-in-the-news-timeline&captions=true"] Netflix also tapped NYU professor Scott Galloway to serve as a consultant on the script. Galloway has been tweeting about the GameStop stock situation from his personal Twitter account. MGM already announced it acquired the film rights for a book proposal from New York Times author Ben Mezrich titled The Antisocial Network. Mezrich pitched the book proposal sometime last week and MGM bought the film rights on Friday. Mezrich is re-teaming with MGM’s Michael DeLuca who worked with him to adapt Mezrich’s book The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal, into the movie The Social Network directed by David Fincher. GameStop’s stock prices have surged in the past weeks from around $3 a share in 2020 to over 1,700% as short-sellers face the subreddit r/WallStreetBets in the financial sector. Other underperforming stocks like AMC and BlackBerry have surged as well on the backs of day traders from Reddit. The story of GameStop stock has rattled Wall Street and finance observers and has been called by the media a David vs. Goliath story. And given this intense interest, authors and filmmakers are moving in fast to capitalize on what is certainly one of the biggest and strangest news stories in 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

WandaVision has officially kicked off Phase 4 of the MCU, and the next big Marvel project isn't far behind. Ahead of the March premiere of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Topps has given fans their first looks at the new costumes for two key characters, Baron Zemo and John Walker. The reveals come as part of Topps' Marvel Collect! app, which is adding a set of new digital trading cards featuring concept art from the Disney+ series. Get a look at Zemo and Walker, along with the updated costumes for the titular superheroes, in the slideshow gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-new-mcu-costumes-revealed&captions=true"] These cards will be added to the Marvel Collect! app once per week, beginning with Zemo on February 1. Topps is also teasing a future "Who Will Wield the Shield?" trading card wave that digs even deeper into the characters and plot points of the series and tackles that all-important question - who will replace Steve Rogers as Captain America? This isn't the only unexpected preview of the new series we've gotten lately. A leaked action figure may have revealed a major Falcon and the Winter Soldier plot point. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier stars Anthony Mackie as Falcon, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes and Daniel Brühl as Zemo. Wyatt Russell makes his MCU debut as John Walker, a patriotic hero better known as US Agent in the comics. Though his trading card calls into question whether he'll actually be using that codename in the show. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/marvels-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-official-trailer-1"] For more, check out what to expect from the MCU in 2021, as well as the cast and characters from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier revealed so far. And if you have Disney+, be sure to read our review of WandaVision's season premiere. [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.