Tencent has acquired a majority stake in Klei Entertainment, the studio behind such games as Don't Starve and Mark of the Ninja. Klei Entertainment founder Jamie Cheng took to the the studio's forums to announce the news and to assure its fans that "as part of this agreement, Klei retains full autonomy of creative and operations across all aspects of the studio, including projects, talent, and more." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/04/05/dont-starve-nintendo-switch-edition-trailer"] As for what's going to change, Cheng mentions that while there are some "boring accounting changes" that will need to be adjusted to, he will still be running the studio as before, with "no changes to staffing, projects, or other operations." Cheng continued to discuss why this decision was made and, among other things, how it will help Klei Entertainment continue to do what it does best - "making unique experiences that no one else can." "Klei has been around for 15 years, and we have made many changes over the years in order to respond to a changing world," Cheng wrote. "Consistently, my wish has been to enable people to do their best creative work, to learn and grow, to not have to worry about finances, and be able to enjoy their lives outside the studio. This has not changed. This partnership helps us navigate a changing industry, and helps us focus on what we do best: making unique experiences that no one else can." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2012/09/07/mark-of-the-ninja-video-review"] Tencent, which has invested in other companies that have produced such titles as Path of Exile, League of Legends, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Clash of Clans, Fortnite, and more, helped Klei distribute its games in China in 2016. Furthermore, Don't Starve Together was the first game to launch on Tencent's WeGame platform. These past collaborations helped make the decision for Klei to allow this acquisition, as Cheng feels that it is the only company that "would let us retain the level of control that we demand." Klei Entertainment's newest title, Griftlands, is currently available on PC in Early Access and is also expected to be released on Nintendo Switch later this year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/28/griftlands-nintendo-switch-edition-announcement-trailer"] [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.

We've all seen Tom Holland absolutely nail his audition for the role of Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War -- and if you haven't watched it you can check out those Spider-Man screen tests here -- but there happens to also be a very specific reason why Holland was confident he'd secured the part after reading lines with MCU star Robert Downey Jr. In a recent edition of Variety's Actors on Actors, Tom Holland and Get Out/MCU star Daniel Kaluuya chatted about their respective careers and famous roles, and during this session Holland explained why he thought he was a shoe-in for the part after veering off-script, even when he'd been instructed not to. "My agents told me that Marvel likes you to learn the words exactly," Holland explained. "You can’t improvise." "And then, on the first take, Downey just completely changed the scene. We started riffing with each other, and I mean, to sound like a bit of a dick, I rang my mum afterward and was like, ‘I think I’ve got it.’" [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=2021-movies-preview&captions=true"] As you can see, if Holland had listened to his agents, and not improvised with Robert Downey Jr., he wouldn't have landed Downey's seal of approval and also shown that he was talented enough to roll with the punches and change his performance quickly if called for. The third MCU Spider-Man film, which is still slated for December 17, 2021 at this time, will be bringing back Jamie Foxx's Electro from 2014's Amazing Spider-Man 2 as well as, reportedly, Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus from 2004's Spider-Man 2 and Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange. On top of this, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, and Kirsten Dunst will reportedly reprise their former Spider-Man movie roles in the film as well. It all works to quasi-confirm that the Far From Home sequel will heavily involve the multiverse (or Spider-Verse!) and help usher in Phase 4's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - as Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently teased that the multiverse will be a running theme now in the MCU. This past week, Tom Holland's Uncharted movie was pushed back from July 16, 2021 to February 11, 2022. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/10/is-spider-man-3-also-adding-daredevil"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

We've all seen Tom Holland absolutely nail his audition for the role of Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War -- and if you haven't watched it you can check out those Spider-Man screen tests here -- but there happens to also be a very specific reason why Holland was confident he'd secured the part after reading lines with MCU star Robert Downey Jr. In a recent edition of Variety's Actors on Actors, Tom Holland and Get Out/MCU star Daniel Kaluuya chatted about their respective careers and famous roles, and during this session Holland explained why he thought he was a shoe-in for the part after veering off-script, even when he'd been instructed not to. "My agents told me that Marvel likes you to learn the words exactly," Holland explained. "You can’t improvise." "And then, on the first take, Downey just completely changed the scene. We started riffing with each other, and I mean, to sound like a bit of a dick, I rang my mum afterward and was like, ‘I think I’ve got it.’" [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=2021-movies-preview&captions=true"] As you can see, if Holland had listened to his agents, and not improvised with Robert Downey Jr., he wouldn't have landed Downey's seal of approval and also shown that he was talented enough to roll with the punches and change his performance quickly if called for. The third MCU Spider-Man film, which is still slated for December 17, 2021 at this time, will be bringing back Jamie Foxx's Electro from 2014's Amazing Spider-Man 2 as well as, reportedly, Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus from 2004's Spider-Man 2 and Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange. On top of this, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, and Kirsten Dunst will reportedly reprise their former Spider-Man movie roles in the film as well. It all works to quasi-confirm that the Far From Home sequel will heavily involve the multiverse (or Spider-Verse!) and help usher in Phase 4's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - as Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently teased that the multiverse will be a running theme now in the MCU. This past week, Tom Holland's Uncharted movie was pushed back from July 16, 2021 to February 11, 2022. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/10/is-spider-man-3-also-adding-daredevil"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

1997's Batman & Robin, which was director Joel Schumacher's second Bat-flick and star George Clooney's first (and only) at-bat playing Bats, was a box office bust that killed off Warner Bros.' first Bat-franchise, ending the run that began with Tim Burton's Batman in 1989. Recently, George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer, who both starred together in 1996's One Fine Day, appeared together for Variety's Actors on Actors, and during the chat Clooney told Pfeiffer, who herself was in Batman Returns from the same franchise, what he'd learned from being in such an expensive flop. Clooney, who's insisted for many years that his performance was also a big part of the movie's failure, even going so far as to tell Ben Affleck not to play Batman when he was first offered the role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, decided to go forward focusing on entire projects and not just his role in them. "After Batman & Robin came out, and it was a big bomb - you learn from your failures; you don’t learn from successes," he said. "So then I thought, I have to focus really on the script. It’s not just about my part; it’s about the whole movie. The next three films I did were Out of Sight, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Three Kings, which were really great screenplays. They didn’t all do very well financially, but they were all critically well received." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ranking-the-batman-movies&captions=true"] "It became clear to me that you can make a bad film out of a good script, but you can’t make a good film out of a bad script," Clooney added. "I gravitate toward pieces that interest me. They don’t always end up working, because there are so many things that can go wrong, including me." You can read the IGN review of The Midnight Sky here, George Clooney's latest film, which is available to stream on Netflix. Meanwhile, Matt Reeves' The Batman, which has had a turbulent production schedule this past year due to the pandemic, is now due out in 2022, as the movie industry continues adjusting its schedule. And in other DCEU Bat-news, Michael Keaton's Batman is expected to make an appearance in The Flash movie, opposite Ezra Miller's Barry Allen. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/07/how-batman-robin-changed-george-clooneys-career"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

1997's Batman & Robin, which was director Joel Schumacher's second Bat-flick and star George Clooney's first (and only) at-bat playing Bats, was a box office bust that killed off Warner Bros.' first Bat-franchise, ending the run that began with Tim Burton's Batman in 1989. Recently, George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer, who both starred together in 1996's One Fine Day, appeared together for Variety's Actors on Actors, and during the chat Clooney told Pfeiffer, who herself was in Batman Returns from the same franchise, what he'd learned from being in such an expensive flop. Clooney, who's insisted for many years that his performance was also a big part of the movie's failure, even going so far as to tell Ben Affleck not to play Batman when he was first offered the role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, decided to go forward focusing on entire projects and not just his role in them. "After Batman & Robin came out, and it was a big bomb - you learn from your failures; you don’t learn from successes," he said. "So then I thought, I have to focus really on the script. It’s not just about my part; it’s about the whole movie. The next three films I did were Out of Sight, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Three Kings, which were really great screenplays. They didn’t all do very well financially, but they were all critically well received." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ranking-the-batman-movies&captions=true"] "It became clear to me that you can make a bad film out of a good script, but you can’t make a good film out of a bad script," Clooney added. "I gravitate toward pieces that interest me. They don’t always end up working, because there are so many things that can go wrong, including me." You can read the IGN review of The Midnight Sky here, George Clooney's latest film, which is available to stream on Netflix. Meanwhile, Matt Reeves' The Batman, which has had a turbulent production schedule this past year due to the pandemic, is now due out in 2022, as the movie industry continues adjusting its schedule. And in other DCEU Bat-news, Michael Keaton's Batman is expected to make an appearance in The Flash movie, opposite Ezra Miller's Barry Allen. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/07/how-batman-robin-changed-george-clooneys-career"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Microsoft has announced that it is reversing its decision and will not change Xbox Live Gold pricing. Furthermore, free-to-play games will no longer require an Xbox Live Gold membership to play on Xbox consoles. As detailed in an Xbox Wire post, this decision comes after an earlier announcement that it would be raising the prices of Xbox Live Gold, which would mean that $60 would have gotten you only six months instead of 12. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/23/why-xbox-live-gold-price-hike-is-a-bad-look-for-microsoft"] Microsoft's full statement is as follows; "We messed up today and you were right to let us know. Connecting and playing with friends is a vital part of gaming and we failed to meet the expectations of players who count on it every day. As a result, we have decided not to change Xbox Live Gold pricing. "We’re turning this moment into an opportunity to bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the center of their experience. Free-to-play games will truly be free and you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to deliver this change as soon as possible in the coming months. "If you are an Xbox Live Gold member already, you stay at your current price for renewal. New and existing members can continue to enjoy Xbox Live Gold for the same prices they pay today. In the US, $9.99 for 1-month, $24.99 for 3-months, $39.99 for 6-months and $59.99 for retail 12-months." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-games-to-play-on-xbox-series-xs&captions=true"] Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, took to Twitter to apologize for the "angst and emotion" the initial announcement caused and said that the company will learn from it for the future. "Apologies for all the angst and emotion this caused today for our customers," Spencer wrote. "As always, we appreciate the feedback. This is a good learning opportunity for us and we will learn from it." Prior to the reversal, we wrote an opinion piece about how this increase wasn't a great look for Microsoft, especially during the middle of a pandemic. Fortunately, for many around the world, this is now all good news. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/17/the-biggest-games-coming-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.

Microsoft has announced that it is reversing its decision and will not change Xbox Live Gold pricing. Furthermore, free-to-play games will no longer require an Xbox Live Gold membership to play on Xbox consoles. As detailed in an Xbox Wire post, this decision comes after an earlier announcement that it would be raising the prices of Xbox Live Gold, which would mean that $60 would have gotten you only six months instead of 12. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/23/why-xbox-live-gold-price-hike-is-a-bad-look-for-microsoft"] Microsoft's full statement is as follows; "We messed up today and you were right to let us know. Connecting and playing with friends is a vital part of gaming and we failed to meet the expectations of players who count on it every day. As a result, we have decided not to change Xbox Live Gold pricing. "We’re turning this moment into an opportunity to bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the center of their experience. Free-to-play games will truly be free and you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to deliver this change as soon as possible in the coming months. "If you are an Xbox Live Gold member already, you stay at your current price for renewal. New and existing members can continue to enjoy Xbox Live Gold for the same prices they pay today. In the US, $9.99 for 1-month, $24.99 for 3-months, $39.99 for 6-months and $59.99 for retail 12-months." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-games-to-play-on-xbox-series-xs&captions=true"] Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, took to Twitter to apologize for the "angst and emotion" the initial announcement caused and said that the company will learn from it for the future. "Apologies for all the angst and emotion this caused today for our customers," Spencer wrote. "As always, we appreciate the feedback. This is a good learning opportunity for us and we will learn from it." Prior to the reversal, we wrote an opinion piece about how this increase wasn't a great look for Microsoft, especially during the middle of a pandemic. Fortunately, for many around the world, this is now all good news. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/17/the-biggest-games-coming-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.

Following the news that Vicarious Visions has been merged into Blizzard Entertainment, a new report says that the studio was brought into Blizzard to work on on the Diablo franchise, including a planned remake of Diablo 2. As reported by Bloomberg, Vicarious Visions, the studio behind such games as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, has been working with Blizzard since last year, even though the announcement of its merger was only made today, January 22. Up until 2020, the Diablo 2 remake was set to be developed by Blizzard's Team 1, which is located at its Irvine, California campus and was the go-to group for reworking classic games. Its latest title, Warcraft III: Reforged, was not received positively and currently has a 59 on review aggregate site Metacritic, which also happens to be Blizzard's lowest score to date. IGN gave Warcraft III: Reforged a 7/10, saying it "is an uninspiring remaster, but Warcraft 3 itself is still a great game nearly two decades later." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/22/original-diablo-2-creators-share-thoughts-on-rumored-diablo-2-remaster-ign-unfiltered"] Internal documents reviewed by Bloomberg pin the game's failures on "poor planning, miscommunication and a rushed release due to financial pressure from management, among other factors." One example given was that, following the game's reveal in November 2018, it began taking pre-orders for 2019 before letting most of the development team know of the release window. Blizzard and Team 1 obviously didn't want to make the same mistakes with the much-anticipated Diablo 2 remaster, and following a "postmortem," Blizzard ended up pulling the remaster from the team and putting the division behind Diablo IV in charge. Vicarious Visions is also said to be working on this project, which is or was known as Diablo II: Resurrected. In October 2020, Blizzard reorganized the entire division known as Team 1 and members of the team were given opportunities to interview for other positions within the company. Those who did not find a position were eventually let go, while others chose to leave for independent studios like Frost Giant Inc., and DreamHaven Inc., the latter of which was started by Blizzard co-founder and former CEO Mike Morhaime. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-blizzard-game-review&captions=true"] Prior to Warcraft III: Reforged, Team 1 was responsible for both Heroes of the Storm and StarCraft 2. In 2018, Blizzard began scaling down development of Heroes of the Storm, and StarCraft 2 also recently ended content development. For those still playing Warcraft III: Reforged or waiting for any updates, a spokesperson for the company said it is "still committed to updates in support of the community." A report in 2020 stated that the long rumored Diablo 2 remaster was scheduled to arrive in that same year, and it's possible these development shifts and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to its internal delay. [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.

Following the news that Vicarious Visions has been merged into Blizzard Entertainment, a new report says that the studio was brought into Blizzard to work on on the Diablo franchise, including a planned remake of Diablo 2. As reported by Bloomberg, Vicarious Visions, the studio behind such games as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, has been working with Blizzard since last year, even though the announcement of its merger was only made today, January 22. Up until 2020, the Diablo 2 remake was set to be developed by Blizzard's Team 1, which is located at its Irvine, California campus and was the go-to group for reworking classic games. Its latest title, Warcraft III: Reforged, was not received positively and currently has a 59 on review aggregate site Metacritic, which also happens to be Blizzard's lowest score to date. IGN gave Warcraft III: Reforged a 7/10, saying it "is an uninspiring remaster, but Warcraft 3 itself is still a great game nearly two decades later." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/22/original-diablo-2-creators-share-thoughts-on-rumored-diablo-2-remaster-ign-unfiltered"] Internal documents reviewed by Bloomberg pin the game's failures on "poor planning, miscommunication and a rushed release due to financial pressure from management, among other factors." One example given was that, following the game's reveal in November 2018, it began taking pre-orders for 2019 before letting most of the development team know of the release window. Blizzard and Team 1 obviously didn't want to make the same mistakes with the much-anticipated Diablo 2 remaster, and following a "postmortem," Blizzard ended up pulling the remaster from the team and putting the division behind Diablo IV in charge. Vicarious Visions is also said to be working on this project, which is or was known as Diablo II: Resurrected. In October 2020, Blizzard reorganized the entire division known as Team 1 and members of the team were given opportunities to interview for other positions within the company. Those who did not find a position were eventually let go, while others chose to leave for independent studios like Frost Giant Inc., and DreamHaven Inc., the latter of which was started by Blizzard co-founder and former CEO Mike Morhaime. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-blizzard-game-review&captions=true"] Prior to Warcraft III: Reforged, Team 1 was responsible for both Heroes of the Storm and StarCraft 2. In 2018, Blizzard began scaling down development of Heroes of the Storm, and StarCraft 2 also recently ended content development. For those still playing Warcraft III: Reforged or waiting for any updates, a spokesperson for the company said it is "still committed to updates in support of the community." A report in 2020 stated that the long rumored Diablo 2 remaster was scheduled to arrive in that same year, and it's possible these development shifts and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to its internal delay. [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.

1996's Heroes Reborn is among the more infamous Marvel Comics crossovers of the '90s, but that apparently isn't stopping the publisher from capitalizing on the project's 25th anniversary. Marvel has released a series of teaser images hinting at a new spin on the Heroes Reborn concept. So far Marvel has released eight teaser images, all drawn by Carlos Pacheco (Ultimate Avengers). You can check out the slideshow gallery to see all the teasers revealed to date: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=heroes-reborn-marvel-teases-the-return-of-an-infamous-crossover&captions=true"] For those not familiar with the original Heroes Reborn, the crossover was Marvel's short-lived attempt at rebooting the Avengers and Fantastic Four franchises. Following the events of the Onslaught crossover, the world believed both teams had sacrificed their lives to stop the all-powerful villain. But in truth, Franklin Richards used his powers to create a new pocket universe where his friends could lead new lives with no memory of the world they left behind. Relaunched titled like Avengers, Fantastic Four, Captain America and Iron Man effectively restarted their respective characters' stories from square one, sometimes introducing significant changes to established origins. Heroes Reborn was also notable because Marvel - which was in the throes of bankruptcy at the time - outsourced production on the various books to Jim Lee's Wildstorm Productions and Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. Naturally, this change didn't last, and the various heroes were folded back into the regular Marvel Universe the following year with memories restored. Marvel has revisited the Heroes Reborn universe a handful of times since, most notably in 2006's Onslaught Reborn. It remains to be seen how the new Heroes Reborn is meant to connect to the original, if at all. The teasers seem to suggest this will be a brand new story that shares little in common with its predecessor other than name. This Heroes Reborn instead seems to be set in a world where the lives of many heroes and villains have taken different paths. For example, we see what looks to be a powerless Peter Parker photographing Spider-Woman for the Daily Bugle, a version of Alpha Flight with Wolverine still a member and Shaman playing the role of Sorcerer Supreme, Phil Coulson running for President and Ben Grimm and Reed Richards serving as members of SHIELD. Though in other cases it appears as though this project will combine multiple characters into one (a la 2018's Infinity Wars), with Doctor Doom wielding the powers of Juggernaut and an apparent hybrid of Scarlet Witch and Enchantress. Marvel is promising full details on the new Heroes Reborn next week, so we'll keep you updated as we learn more. Whatever this new project is, it'll most likely kick off in April 2021. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/04/what-to-expect-from-marvel-in-2021"] We already have at least one alternate reality Marvel story to look forward to in April. Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow is a What If-style limited series that explores a world where Peter Parker becomes Venom instead of Eddie Brock. That also happens to be the month Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman are wrapping up their Venom run with the Venom #200 anniversary special. Be sure to check out IGN's full breakdown of what to expect from Marvel in 2021. [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.