Save the date(s): IGN is excited to bring you a whole new way to celebrate all of your favorite games, movies and TV series: IGN Fan Fest. On February 26 and 27, the free, two-day digital event will feature exciting first looks, exclusive gameplay, cast reunions, new details, and interviews from around the world, spotlighting some of the biggest and most anticipated entertainment and games of the year. The virtual event will be streamed across IGN's website, social and video platforms, apps and even on your Samsung TV (here’s a full list of how and where to watch IGN Fan Fest). And it's not just about the news, exclusives, and sneak peeks – IGN Fan Fest is all about the fans. See which titles will be spotlighted and how you can submit fan questions for IGN Fan Fest below.

IGN Fan Fest 2021: Full Lineup and Schedule

IGN Fan Fest will bring you panels for some of the biggest upcoming games, movies, and TV series. Each panel will boast exclusive interviews with cast members and creative teams, as well as exciting new footage debuts and behind-the-scenes first looks. Check out the full list of headliners below, and stay tuned for more exciting updates and schedule announcements about the IGN Fan Fest lineup in the coming weeks!

• Batman Beyond - Cast Reunion and Table Read
• Bethesda's DEATHLOOP
• Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla vs. Kong
• Amazon Prime Video's Invincible
• Netflix's Jupiter's Legacy
• Netflix's Shadow and Bone
• Zack Snyder's Justice League
• & more surprises!

Keep reading for more information on each panel:

Batman Beyond: Cast Reunion and Table Read

Relive the beloved animated series in a whole new way with the cast reunion of Batman Beyond. Join stars Kevin Conroy and Will Friedle, casting and voice director Andrea Romano and more special guests as they perform a table read of a fan-favorite Batman Beyond episode.

About Batman Beyond: Batman Beyond recently celebrated its 20th anniversary with the release of Batman Beyond: The Complete Animated Series Limited Edition, a six-disc Blu-ray special edition featuring approximately 1,500 minutes of entertainment, including two new inside looks at the beloved television series, led by Nostalgic Tomorrow, a gathering of Batman Beyond production talent and cast led by executive producer Bruce Timm and actors Kevin Conroy and Will Friedle, the voices of Batman and Terry McGinnis, respectively. Batman Beyond made its anticipated debut on the WarnerMedia streaming series HBO Max in January 2020, where it is available to stream in its entirety.

An Inside Look at Bethesda's DEATHLOOP

The developers behind DEATHLOOP, Game Director Dinga Bakaba and Art Director Sebastien Mitton, will take you deeper inside the innovative first-person shooter with an exclusive inside look at the new title from Arkane Lyon, the award-winning studio behind the critically acclaimed Dishonored franchise. DEATHLOOP will continue Arkane’s signature gameplay design, challenging gamers to play their own way.

About DEATHLOOP: As Colt, players are trapped in a time loop on the enigmatic island of Blackreef, doomed to repeat the same day for eternity. The only chance for escape is to break the loop by assassinating eight key targets before the day resets. However, lurking in the shadows is rival assassin Julianna, equipped with her own equally powerful abilities and weapons, on a mission to protect the loop by assassinating Colt, and restarting the cycle. DEATHLOOP is launching exclusively for PlayStation 5 and PC on May 21, 2021.

Godzilla vs Kong: Breaking Down Cinema's Biggest Brawl with Adam Wingard

Director Adam Wingard takes fans behind-the-scenes of the BIGGEST showdown of the year in an extended Q&A about Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla vs. Kong, answering fan questions and offering a sneak peek at the super-sized blockbuster ahead of its March release in theaters internationally and in the U.S., and in the U.S. on HBO Max for 31 days from theatrical release.

About Godzilla vs. Kong: From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures comes the long-awaited face-off between two icons in the epic adventure Godzilla vs. Kong, directed by Adam Wingard. Legends collide in Godzilla vs. Kong as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The epic clash between the two titans -- instigated by unseen forces -- is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the core of the Earth.

Amazon Prime Video's Invincible: Extended Sneak Peek

Join creator Robert Kirkman and the stars of this superpowered lineup for a preview of Amazon Prime Video's new, action-packed adult animation series, Invincible -- plus, get an exclusive extended look at the first episode!

About Invincible: From The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, and based on the Skybound/Image comic of the same name by Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley, Invincible is an adult animated superhero show that revolves around seventeen-year-old Mark Grayson (Yeun), who’s just like every other guy his age — except that his father is the most powerful superhero on the planet, Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons). But as Mark develops powers of his own, he discovers that his father’s legacy may not be as heroic as it seems.

Introducing Netflix's Jupiter's Legacy

Ahead of the upcoming epic new superhero series Jupiter’s Legacy, comic creator Mark Millar and series star Josh Duhamel come together for the exclusive first interview about the highly anticipated project. In this exclusive conversation, we’ll get new details from Millar and Duhamel on how the expansive graphic novels jumped from page to screen in Netflix’s new series. New character details, new plot details and an Easter egg from Frank Quitely, we’re delivering answers on this superhero saga that has been years in the making.

About Jupiter's Legacy: After nearly a century of keeping mankind safe, the world's first generation of superheroes must look to their children to continue the legacy. But tensions rise as the young superheroes, hungry to prove their worth, struggle to live up to their parents' legendary public reputations — and exacting personal standards. Based on the graphic novels by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, Jupiter's Legacy is an epic superhero drama that spans decades and navigates the complex dynamics of family, power, and loyalty. From executive producers Mark Millar, Frank Quitely, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, Dan McDermott, Steven S. DeKnight, James Middleton, Sang Kyu Kim, Jupiter’s Legacy stars Josh Duhamel, Leslie Bibb, Ben Daniels, Elena Kampouris, Andrew Horton, Mike Wade, Matt Lanter and Tenika Davis.

Netflix's Shadow and Bone: Exclusive Cast Q&A and Sneak Peek

Prepare to enter the Grishaverse. We’re bringing the cast and creators of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone together for their first group appearance to offer an exclusive sneak peek at the epic fantasy series, discover how the show will adapt Leigh Bardugo’s ambitious novels for the screen, and will peel back the curtain on some of your most burning questions.

About Shadow and Bone: Based on Bardugo's worldwide bestselling Grishaverse novels, Shadow and Bone finds us in a war-torn world where lowly soldier and orphan Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) has just unleashed an extraordinary power that could be the key to setting her country free. With the monstrous threat of the Shadow Fold looming, Alina is torn from everything she knows to train as part of an elite army of magical soldiers known as Grisha. But as she struggles to hone her power, she finds that allies and enemies can be one and the same and that nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. There are dangerous forces at play, including a crew of charismatic criminals, and it will take more than magic to survive.

Justice League: Inside the Snyder Cut with Zack Snyder

Zack Snyder will offer fans an inside look into the making of the Snyder Cut, answering all of our questions -- and yours! -- about the HBO Max release of Zack Snyder's Justice League.

About Zack Snyder's Justice League: In Zack Snyder's Justice League, determined to ensure Superman’s (Henry Cavill) ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) aligns forces with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions. The task proves more difficult than Bruce imagined, as each of the recruits must face the demons of their own pasts to transcend that which has held them back, allowing them to come together, finally forming an unprecedented league of heroes. Now united, Batman (Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and The Flash (Ezra Miller) may be too late to save the planet from Steppenwolf, DeSaad and Darkseid and their dreadful intentions.

This article was updated on February 10th to include the addition of Godzilla vs. Kong to IGN Fan Fest's lineup.

IGN Fan Fest is a virtual event where fans from all over the world can come together and celebrate their most anticipated games, movies, and TV shows. From Zack Snyder’s Justice league to Arkane’s Deathloop, we’re super excited to bring you exclusive content like interviews with cast members of upcoming shows, new gameplay from unreleased games, and first looks at some exciting projects coming later this year. If you don’t want to miss it, here’s everything you need to know to join in on the fun.

IGN Fan Fest 2021 Dates and Start Time

IGN Fan Fest 2021 will take place over the course of two days and will start on February 26 and run through February 27. We’re still locking in the details of our schedule, but we’ll add all the information here once the times are set. We previously announced the lineup of IGN Fan Fest panels and teased there will be more surprises coming soon. Below, we’ve included a list of panels already confirmed for the event and we’ll continue to update this list as we learn more: Panels confirmed for IGN Fan Fest:

• An Inside Look at Bethesda's Deathloop
• Invincible: Extended Sneak Peek
• Introducing Netflix's Jupiter's Legacy
• Netflix's Shadow and Bone: Exclusive Cast Q&A and Sneak Peek
• The Snyder Cut: In Conversation with Zack Snyder
• Batman Beyond Cast Reunion and Table Read

How to Watch IGN Fan Fest 2021

As a free and live virtual event, IGN Fan Fest will be streamed across IGN.com and all of our social channels. We’ll also be embedding the stream in this article, so feel free to bookmark this page for easy access. Here’s the full list of places we’ll be streaming IGN Fan Fest so you can watch it on your preferred platform:

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

IGN Fan Fest 2021 Schedule

Make sure to check back as we’ll be updating the official schedule below with the days and times of our IGN Fan Fest programming.

February 26

Schedule information coming soon.

February 27

Schedule information coming soon. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Creative Assembly has announced Total War: Warhammer 3, which will arrive in 2021 for PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store). "In Total War: WARHAMMER III each choice you make will shape the reality-shattering conflict to come," reads the trailer's description, "from the mysterious Lands of the East to the daemon-infested Realms of Chaos. Will you conquer your daemons? Or command them?" A trailer (below) shows a battle between the Kingdom of Kislev and a Khorne-aligned Chaos force, with teases for Nurgle, Slaanesh and Tzeentch Chaos forces, and a final peek at a Cathay faction: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/03/total-war-warhammer-iii-announce-trailer"] This will be the video game debut for Kislev and Cathay factions, and publisher Sega promises, "players will wage war with the most diverse array of legendary heroes, gargantuan monsters, flying creatures and magical powers that the series has ever seen." As for the new campaign, Sega says players will be tasked with "saving or exploiting the power of a dying god. Each race offers a unique journey through the nightmarish Chaos Realm, culminating in an endgame that will determine the fate of the world." “Our vision, from the start, was to create a series that felt like an incredible journey through this world we all loved.,” said game director, Ian Roxburgh in a press release. “The enormous support of our players in ensuring the success of the first two instalments has pushed our ambition to new heights, and we can’t wait for everyone to experience it.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/09/25/total-war-warhammer-2-review"] We awarded Total War: Warhammer 2 a huge 9.1/10 review, saying, "The story and objective-driven campaign is a league above anything we’ve seen in the entire Total War series before in both design and presentation." We weren't the only people to like it: Superman himself, Henry Cavill is a huge fan, and ended up becoming an Easter egg in his own favourite game. [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.

2K has confirmed that it will remain the publisher of the Borderlands games, despite the recent announcement that Gearbox has been acquired by Embracer. In a statement sent to IGN, a 2K spokesperson said: "As the proud publisher of the Borderlands franchise, we are happy for our partners at Gearbox and this exciting new chapter for their organization. The merger does not change 2K’s relationship with Gearbox nor our role as the publisher for the Borderlands IP or any other projects we are currently working on with the studio. We look forward to continuing our long-term partnership with this incredibly talented team and delivering many more exciting entertainment experiences to gaming fans around the world.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/10/borderlands-3-review"] Embracer, a video games holding company, publishes games via THQ Nordic, its primary publishing subsidiary. As such, some may have wondered if Borderlands would switch from being published by 2K to THQ Nordic or Deep Silver, another publishing company owned by Embracer. But, as 2K have now made clear, that will not be the case. Embracer recently acquired 13 companies in one day, but Gearbox signals the company's highest profile developer catch so far. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

The nominees for the 78th Golden Globe Awards have been announced, with David Fincher's Mank leading the pack with six nominations. This year's nominees were announced by Sarah Jessica Parker and Taraji P. Henson on an E! News simulcast of the TODAY Show on Wednesday. Mank took home nominations for Best Picture and Best Director, together with Best Actor (Gary Oldman), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Amanda Seyfried), Best Screenplay (Jack Fincher), and Best Original Score (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross). Other hot contenders in the film category included Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7, which picked up five nominations, and Chloé Zhao's Nomadland, Anthony Hopkins The Father, and Carey Mulligan's Promising Young Woman, which followed closely behind with four nominations apiece. Each of these titles also made an appearance in the Best Picture - Drama category. Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in August of last year, received a posthumous Golden Globes nomination in the Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama category for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Viola Davis also received a Best Actress nomination for her role in the film, which is based on the play of the same name by August Wilson. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/08/ma-raineys-black-bottom-got-talent-official-clip"] The Golden Globe nomination ceremony also made history this year, as three women were recognized in the Best Director category - which is the first time that more than one female has been shortlisted for the category in a single year. Emerald Fennell, Regina King, and Chloé Zhao all received nominations. They were joined by David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin. Meanwhile, The Crown led the TV nominations, scoring six in total, including Best Television Series, Best Actor (Josh O'Connor), Best Actress (Olivia Colman, Emma Corrin), and Best Supporting Actress (Gillian Anderson, Helena Bonham Carter). The historical drama series is going up against The Mandalorian, Lovecraft Country, Ozark, and Ratched in the Best Television Series - Drama category. As a distributor, Netflix topped the list with 42 of its titles nominated across the board, including 22 in the film category and 20 on the television side of the proceedings. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=igns-best-reviewed-movies-of-2020&captions=true"] The complete list of nominees follows:

Best Motion Picture – Drama

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

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

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

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

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

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

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

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

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

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
• Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma

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
• Jared Leto, The Little Things
• Bill Murray, On the Rocks
• Leslie Odom, Jr., One Night in Miami

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

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

Best Director – Motion Picture

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

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

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

Best Motion Picture – Animated

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

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language

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

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
• Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Mank

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
• 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

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/29/new-to-netflix-for-february-2021"]

Best Television Series – Drama

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

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

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

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

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

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Drama

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

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

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

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

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

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
• Jane Levy, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will host the 78th Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, February 28, 2021, on NBC. Stay tuned to IGN for coverage of the awards. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Today, we have your exclusive first look at the new trailer and poster for Cosmic Sin, an upcoming sci-fi action movie starring Bruce Willis and Frank Grillo. Set in the year 2524, four hundred years after humans colorized the outer planets, Cosmic Sin follows James Ford (Willis), a retired general called back into service after soldiers on a remote planet are attacked by a hostile alien fleet. With the threat of interstellar war rapidly escalating into a seeming inevitability, General Ford joins forces with General Eron Ryle (Grillo) and a team of elite soldiers to stop the attack before it's too late. Watch the exclusive trailer for Cosmic Sin in the player below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/03/cosmic-sin-exclusive-official-trailer"] In addition to Willis and Grillo, the cast includes Brandon Thomas Lee, Perrey Reeves, Corey Large, Lochlyn Munro, Costas Mandylor, CJ Perry, and Adelaide Kane. Edward Drake directs Cosmic Sin from a screenplay by Edward Drake and Corey Large. Here's the exclusive official poster for Cosmic Sin: The film, which runs 90 minutes, is rated R for language, some sexual references, and violence. Saban Films is slated to release Cosmic Sin in theaters, On Demand, and On Digital on March 12, 2021.

Over the course of almost four years, developer Experiment 101 has revealed slivers of information about Biomutant, its bonkers open-world adventure. Those tidbits of knowledge form a scattershot, incomplete picture of a freeform RPG that might be a bit Zelda-y. But, thanks to a recent chat with Experiment 101 studio head Stefan Ljungqvist, we now have a more comprehensive understanding of what Biomutant is. “If you like Breath of the Wild, or that type of structure, I think you're really going to enjoy this game,” Ljungqvist tells me, confirming that Zelda suspicion. But as he continues to paint a picture of Biomutant, plenty more games come to mind; Far Cry, Mad Max, Monster Hunter, and even Fallout among them. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/24/biomutant-10-minutes-of-new-gameplay-footage"] Biomutant is built around three “facets”; a Tribe War, the world-sustaining Tree of Life, and your character’s backstory. A linear mission chain, designed specifically to provide some structure to the otherwise freeform world, forms the main storyline, and will guide players into these three facets. The open-world nature of the game, though, means you can interact with these aspects however you please, within reason. “There's six tribes in the world,” says Ljungqvist, beginning his breakdown of these facets. “It's kind of a Shadow of Mordor-lite thing going on. I start by allying with one leader from a tribe.” The world is filled with outposts, each owned by one of the six tribes. Conquer these for your chosen tribe, and you’ll begin to amass favour with your new allies. “You gradually become the tribe's champion,” Ljungqvist explains. “You'll be awarded the tribe's special weapon, learn their Wung-Fu style [a special combat technique], and new shops open in respective outposts.” Some outposts even provide access to special mounts, such as the bizarre giant clockwork hand that allows you to scuttle over the landscape akin to Thing from The Addams Family. With all three of a rival tribe’s outposts conquered, you’ll be able to assault their fortress. “At the end of that you can decide the destiny of the rival tribe's Sifu [leader], and that plays back into the choices that you are making that tie into the end-game,” reveals Ljungqvist. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=biomutant-screenshots&captions=true"] Those decisions relate to the second facet, the Tree of Life, the fate of which will ultimately dictate the destiny of Biomutant’s world. To help contextualise your decisions, the tribes you can ally with are either working towards good or evil goals. “A light or ‘good’ tribe wants to unite the other tribes,” Ljungqvist says. “And they want to make sure that the Tree of Life survives, because they believe that you can have a restart in the world that currently is. Whilst the dark tribes believe you have to destroy what you have in order to start anew.” Allying with a light tribe doesn’t permanently lock you into a ‘good’ path. Rather, you can abandon a tribe at any time should you have a change of heart. However, you’ll have to then re-conquer previously dominated outposts in the name of your new tribe. Taking over outposts is a permanent achievement, though, so you won’t have to worry about re-taking camps from counter-attacks. “You don't want to have Starcraft in Zelda,” sums up Ljungqvist. There are bigger foes than just rival tribes, though. The Tree of Life has four roots that span across the world, each leading to a ‘World Eater’ boss; huge monster battles that demand particular tactics and equipment. “You take them on by using a specific vehicle,” explains Ljungqvist. “It can be the Mekton [a mech] or Googlide, which is the water-ski, or a submarine.” “To get those [vehicles], you'll interact with other key characters in the game, to help and get them ready for the fight,” he adds. “Once you've fought those four big World Eaters, and depending on the tribes, or on your light or dark Aura [karma], the destiny of those four World Eaters might be different. Will you allow them to live or not, to destroy the Tree or not?” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/08/22/15-minutes-of-new-biomutant-gameplay-gamescom-2018"] The final of the three facets is your character’s backstory, which - naturally - Ljungqvist is keeping a mystery. “Who are you, and where did you come from?” he asks rhetorically. “That's the third leg of completing this whole main story, and hopefully people will go out into the world and explore that.” Uncovering that backstory will lead you deeper into Biomutant’s world of strange characters, beasts, and cultures. It’s all built on an eight square-kilometer base; a small map by the standards set by Ljungqvist’s previous work on Just Cause, but still big enough to pack in numerous different biomes. “The world is diamond shaped,” says Ljungqvist. It’s a design chosen to add a natural sense of direction to the player’s journey. “You start in the bottom corner, and the game will become more difficult once you reach the top corner of the diamond,” he explains. By having ‘narrow’ start and end points, you have specific locations for player on-boarding and a story climax. Between those points, the world expands to its furthest reaches, providing the more freeform meat of the adventure. While players are free to explore anywhere on the map after exiting that narrow tutorial corner, some zones are gated and can’t be accessed until later in the story. Well, sort of. “For example in the Dead Zone, you are deprived of oxygen,” says Ljungqvist. “If you get the mech, you can go deeper into the Dead Zone without suffocating.” That mech is provided to you by a character in the story, thus meaning the Dead Zone is a later game location. But curious players may find a way into the Dead Zone hours before the story dictates. “It's open-world, and you can go to any of these characters in any order,” Ljungqvist teases. “Even if you have a main quest marker, you can choose to not take that and meet another character.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2017/09/02/25-minutes-of-biomutant-gameplay-pax-2017"] Alternatively, players can instead use Biomutant’s gear and mutation systems to help them into those areas. In terms of the Dead Zone, you may be able to find a gas mask. It’s no mech, and so the zone’s biggest challenges may still be beyond you, but at least the air won’t kill you. For areas that demand a little extra height, players without access to the air balloon may seek out the ability to place bouncing mushrooms, or learn to levitate, or use telekinesis, or glide over the obstacle using a wingsuit. It’s in these multiple methods to overcome challenges that you can see Experiment 101’s Breath of the Wild-like aspirations shine through. Many of the aspects that Ljungqvist describes to me in our chat do not break new ground. At least, not on their own. But there’s something about their interconnectedness that intrigues me. In education, 101 typically refers to the first lesson in a subject. The basics. True to its name, Experiment 101 seems to be, well, experimenting with a variety of basic open world ideas in pursuit of something more. There’s a surprising amount of moving parts packed into Biomutant’s modestly sized map, all seemingly linked together. And with its bright, furry aesthetic and kung-fu inspired animation, these familiar parts could come together to feel experimental and new. That’s the feeling on paper. I’ve yet to play Biomutant, so I have no idea if what’s in my head is reflected in the game. But after my chat with Ljungqvist, I believe that Biomutant has much more going for it than just its striking key art and saturday morning cartoon weirdness. I’ll find out if that’s true when it releases in May. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

EA has made over $3 billion from its slate of Star Wars titles, and it isn't planning on slowing down development for how many games it makes within that license – even if it no longer holds the exclusive rights to make them. Speaking during yesterday's EA earnings call (as transcribed by Seeking Alpha), EA CEO Andrew Wilson was asked if the company would be changing how it develops games after seemingly losing the exclusive license to create Star Wars games. "I don’t think you should imagine that the fact that some other people will build some Star Wars games is going to change our commitment to that IP or our ability to build the appropriate number of games," replied Wilson. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/13/open-world-star-wars-game-in-the-works-at-ubisoft-ign-news"] Wilson made clear how valuable Star Wars has been to the company, pointing out that EA Star Wars games have brought in "over $3 billion in net bookings" and 52 million sales since EA began making them (including before that exclusivity deal). Mobile game Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes has brought in $1 billion of that amount on its own. Wilson then made clear that the company has no plans to slow down its Star Wars games production: "We’re excited by what we’ll be able to do in the future. But you shouldn’t read this as necessarily us building [fewer] titles." Wilson added that EA will continue to invest in the franchises it's created (we've already got a sense that we'll see a Jedi: Fallen Order sequel), "as well as some new experiences across platforms for the future." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/07/star-wars-jedi-fallen-order-start-of-new-franchise-ea-confirms-ign-news"] Star Wars' gaming future has been left wide open after Lucasfilm Games returned as a brand and announced an Ubisoft open world Star Wars game. EA subsequently made clear that it would continue to make Star Wars games. Given that it's aiming to make just as many as it has been, we might be seeing a lot of new Star Wars games in the next few years. Ubisoft Massive's game is still relatively unknown, but job listings have hinted at a few features. Lucasfilm says it has more games to announce as the year goes on. [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.

The game files for Rare’s cancelled GoldenEye 007 Remaster have been shared onto the internet. The remaster, originally planned for release on Xbox 360 via XBLA but eventually cancelled due to a rights issue, was brought to everyone’s attention once again last month via a video showing a full playthrough. But now the files have been posted to archive and sharing sites on the internet, allowing the public to get their hands on the doomed project. As demonstrated by the video uploaded to YouTube, this remaster allows you to swap between original and upgraded visuals, much like the Halo remasters. It runs at 60FPS and can be played at 4K, which is quite a leap beyond the capabilities of the Xbox 360 console for which it was built. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/10/13/history-of-awesome-goldeneye-007"] In the YouTube video of the remaster, uploader Graslu00 says that they were told the game would be possibly released in some form to the public in 2021. It appears that release has come very quickly. Playing this version requires the use of an emulator or a modded Xbox 360, so it’s important to note that anyone wishing to seek the files out will be dabbling in murky legal waters, not to mention the fact that the game itself has likely leaked from within Rare and can thus be considered stolen property. For legitimate Bond, we can all look forward to Project 007 from Hitman developer IO Interactive. The studio has certainly proven its Bond credentials in Hitman 3. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

IGN spoke exclusively with Quantic Dream's David Cage about how the developer's new studio affects its future, its unannounced AAA game, and its working culture.