Hitman 3 is a major success for developer IO Interactive, which has already recouped all of its development costs for the game. Those costs were recouped just under seven days after the release of Hitman 3, according to GamesIndustry.biz. The success of this game is even more important for the studio as Hitman 3 is the first game in the series self-published by IO Interactive. IO Interactive CEO, Hakan Abrak, told GamesIndustry.biz that keeping the game's marketing and PR close to the development team was a huge benefit to Hitman 3's success. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=hitman-3-playstation-5-screenshots&captions=true"] "We have been really happy with the Hitman 3 journey," Abrak said. "It has been a labor of love between our fans and everyone at the studio. As the developer and publisher, we are immensely proud that we can say Hitman 3 is already profitable. We have recouped the total project costs in less than a week." Abrak said that this success puts IO Interactive in a "really good place" and allows the studio to "confidently move forward with (its) ambitious plans for future projects." Abrak is likely alluding to the James Bond game in the works that was recently announced. The CEO said creating a game that can be brought to audiences in the most direct way possible — self-publishing — was very effective as it allowed the creative and development sides of the studio to work closely with the publishing and marketing arms throughout the entire project. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/25/hitman-3-accolades-trailer"] "We need that collaboration because we all want to create a quality product," Abrak said. "We demand of each other that our games are hand-crafted, meticulously detailed, and unique. At this point, we'd be doing our community a disservice if we delivered anything less than that." You can read our thoughts on the game in IGN's Hitman 3 review. Watch this video showcasing the top 13 crazy Hitman 3 kills and takedowns after that and then read about how IO Interactive's 007 game will feature a James Bond that won't be based on any previous actor. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Hitman 3 is a major success for developer IO Interactive, which has already recouped all of its development costs for the game. Those costs were recouped just under seven days after the release of Hitman 3, according to GamesIndustry.biz. The success of this game is even more important for the studio as Hitman 3 is the first game in the series self-published by IO Interactive. IO Interactive CEO, Hakan Abrak, told GamesIndustry.biz that keeping the game's marketing and PR close to the development team was a huge benefit to Hitman 3's success. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=hitman-3-playstation-5-screenshots&captions=true"] "We have been really happy with the Hitman 3 journey," Abrak said. "It has been a labor of love between our fans and everyone at the studio. As the developer and publisher, we are immensely proud that we can say Hitman 3 is already profitable. We have recouped the total project costs in less than a week." Abrak said that this success puts IO Interactive in a "really good place" and allows the studio to "confidently move forward with (its) ambitious plans for future projects." Abrak is likely alluding to the James Bond game in the works that was recently announced. The CEO said creating a game that can be brought to audiences in the most direct way possible — self-publishing — was very effective as it allowed the creative and development sides of the studio to work closely with the publishing and marketing arms throughout the entire project. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/25/hitman-3-accolades-trailer"] "We need that collaboration because we all want to create a quality product," Abrak said. "We demand of each other that our games are hand-crafted, meticulously detailed, and unique. At this point, we'd be doing our community a disservice if we delivered anything less than that." You can read our thoughts on the game in IGN's Hitman 3 review. Watch this video showcasing the top 13 crazy Hitman 3 kills and takedowns after that and then read about how IO Interactive's 007 game will feature a James Bond that won't be based on any previous actor. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

A Tomb Raider anime series is in development at Netflix, and will be set after the events of Crystal Dynamics' most recent trilogy of games. The streaming service announced the news in a press release on Wednesday. Tasha Huo, who is working with Netflix on The Witcher: Blood Origin, will write and executive produce. Legendary Entertainment is working with Netflix on Tomb Raider after previously working with the streamer on the Lost in Space remake. It was also announced on Wednesday that Legendary is working on a Skull Island anime series at Netflix. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/01/shadow-of-the-tomb-raider-developers-react-to-48-minute-speedrun"] dj2 Entertainment is also working on the Tomb Raider anime. It's the latest in a long line of video game adaptations for the company following the Sonic the Hedgehog movie. They have a movie based on Sleeping Dogs in development along with TV shows based on My Friend Pedro, Disco Elysium, Life is Strange, and more. There's no word yet if Camilla Luddington, who played Lara Croft in the reboot trilogy, is part of this project. The actress is currently starring on Grey's Anatomy and recently played Zatanna in the animated Justice League: Dark movie from 2017 and its 2020 sequel, Apokolips War. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-anime-series-on-netflix-right-now&captions=true"] Shadow of the Tomb Raider was the last game released in the series. It came out in 2018 and earned mostly positive reviews from critics. IGN's Shadow of the Tomb Raider review praised the game and said, it "convincingly leaves her in a place resembling where she was when we were first introduced to her more than 20 years ago." The Tomb Raider movie franchise is also still in full swing. The sequel will be written and directed by the creator of Lovecraft Country with Alicia Vikander once again playing Lara Croft. Anybody looking for some current anime recommendations on Netflix can check out IGN's updated list of the best anime on Netflix. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

A Tomb Raider anime series is in development at Netflix, and will be set after the events of Crystal Dynamics' most recent trilogy of games. The streaming service announced the news in a press release on Wednesday. Tasha Huo, who is working with Netflix on The Witcher: Blood Origin, will write and executive produce. Legendary Entertainment is working with Netflix on Tomb Raider after previously working with the streamer on the Lost in Space remake. It was also announced on Wednesday that Legendary is working on a Skull Island anime series at Netflix. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/01/shadow-of-the-tomb-raider-developers-react-to-48-minute-speedrun"] dj2 Entertainment is also working on the Tomb Raider anime. It's the latest in a long line of video game adaptations for the company following the Sonic the Hedgehog movie. They have a movie based on Sleeping Dogs in development along with TV shows based on My Friend Pedro, Disco Elysium, Life is Strange, and more. There's no word yet if Camilla Luddington, who played Lara Croft in the reboot trilogy, is part of this project. The actress is currently starring on Grey's Anatomy and recently played Zatanna in the animated Justice League: Dark movie from 2017 and its 2020 sequel, Apokolips War. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-anime-series-on-netflix-right-now&captions=true"] Shadow of the Tomb Raider was the last game released in the series. It came out in 2018 and earned mostly positive reviews from critics. IGN's Shadow of the Tomb Raider review praised the game and said, it "convincingly leaves her in a place resembling where she was when we were first introduced to her more than 20 years ago." The Tomb Raider movie franchise is also still in full swing. The sequel will be written and directed by the creator of Lovecraft Country with Alicia Vikander once again playing Lara Croft. Anybody looking for some current anime recommendations on Netflix can check out IGN's updated list of the best anime on Netflix. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has packed on the praise for Eternals filmmaker Chloé Zhao and, more specifically, the pitch that she delivered for her upcoming MCU Phase 4 movie. Rolling Stone magazine recently published a profile piece on Zhao, featuring insight from Feige and others in the industry about the process of bringing her visions to life on the big screen. Feige commended the Eternals helmer for catching his attention with her ideas for the upcoming MCU entry, as he apparently referred to "Zhao's pitch for the movie the best he'd ever heard." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/08/03/marvels-eternals-movie-explained"] "Not only does Chloe make remarkable, small, personal movies in a remarkable, small, personal way, but she thinks in grand, cosmic, gigantic terms, which fit perfectly with what we wanted to do," Feige explained, speaking about Zhao's journey to the MCU. "Eternals is a very big, sweeping, multimillennial-spanning story. And she just got it." During last year's D23 Marvel panel, Disney officially revealed the celestial costumes for Thena, Ikaris, Ajak, Phastos, Kingo, and the rest of the Eternals. Despite being a clan of god-like beings, Rolling Stone says Zhao wanted to keep the story grounded and experimental, "like you're right there in this space with these characters," so she shot the movie with the same rig she used for her indie film Nomadland. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-actor-and-character-confirmed-for-marvels-eternals-movie&captions=true"] Marvel's Eternals, the third film in the MCU's Phase 4, features a stellar cast consisting of Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kit Harington. Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, and Salma Hayek. Reportedly the most "sci-fi" movie of the MCU, Eternals follows the exploits of an immortal alien race created by the Celestials as they reunite to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants. Sadly, Eternals was part of the huge slate of Disney movies that were delayed towards the end of last year, with the movie now scheduled to arrive on November 5, 2021. For more on Marvel Studios' future slate of projects and releases, read our breakdown of the biggest and most noteworthy developments in the MCU, on Disney+, and in Marvel's comics this year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has packed on the praise for Eternals filmmaker Chloé Zhao and, more specifically, the pitch that she delivered for her upcoming MCU Phase 4 movie. Rolling Stone magazine recently published a profile piece on Zhao, featuring insight from Feige and others in the industry about the process of bringing her visions to life on the big screen. Feige commended the Eternals helmer for catching his attention with her ideas for the upcoming MCU entry, as he apparently referred to "Zhao's pitch for the movie the best he'd ever heard." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/08/03/marvels-eternals-movie-explained"] "Not only does Chloe make remarkable, small, personal movies in a remarkable, small, personal way, but she thinks in grand, cosmic, gigantic terms, which fit perfectly with what we wanted to do," Feige explained, speaking about Zhao's journey to the MCU. "Eternals is a very big, sweeping, multimillennial-spanning story. And she just got it." During last year's D23 Marvel panel, Disney officially revealed the celestial costumes for Thena, Ikaris, Ajak, Phastos, Kingo, and the rest of the Eternals. Despite being a clan of god-like beings, Rolling Stone says Zhao wanted to keep the story grounded and experimental, "like you're right there in this space with these characters," so she shot the movie with the same rig she used for her indie film Nomadland. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-actor-and-character-confirmed-for-marvels-eternals-movie&captions=true"] Marvel's Eternals, the third film in the MCU's Phase 4, features a stellar cast consisting of Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kit Harington. Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, and Salma Hayek. Reportedly the most "sci-fi" movie of the MCU, Eternals follows the exploits of an immortal alien race created by the Celestials as they reunite to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants. Sadly, Eternals was part of the huge slate of Disney movies that were delayed towards the end of last year, with the movie now scheduled to arrive on November 5, 2021. For more on Marvel Studios' future slate of projects and releases, read our breakdown of the biggest and most noteworthy developments in the MCU, on Disney+, and in Marvel's comics this year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Sony has revealed that Destruction AllStars, Control: Ultimate Edition (PS4 and PS5!), and Concrete Genie are the PlayStation Plus games for February 2021. Announced on PlayStation.Blog, all three games will be available on February 2, 2021. While Control: Ultimate Edition and Concrete Genie will only be available until March 1, Destruction AllStars will stay until April 5. Alongside this news, PlayStation also shared its newest State of Play, and it is focused entirely on Destruction AllStars. It lasts nearly eight minutes, and gives an in-depth look at the "car-smashing, heart-pounding, thrill-seeking world of Destruction AllStars." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/27/destruction-allstars-state-of-play-video"] Control: Ultimate Edition is a welcome one, as there was a bit of controversy over the fact that this version was the only one that would get the next-gen upgrades. Those who purchased the base game would have to buy Control again to get these improvements. Control was our game of the year in 2019, and in our review, we said "thanks to a strong supporting cast, a well-written script, and plenty of intriguing breadcrumb trails, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my adventure through the shifting rooms of Oldest House. Jesse’s personal story feels like an afterthought next to that, but there’s enough to Control’s world that I remain invested in uncovering every secret, even though the story’s over." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/10/why-control-is-igns-game-of-the-year-for-2019"] Concrete Genie was released on PS4 in 2019, and in our review, we said "Short and very sweet, Concrete Genie is a spellbinding experiment in player creativity." Concrete Genie also includes two additional modes that were designed for PS VR. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/08/concrete-genie-review"] [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.

Warner Bros. has released a sizzle reel of its upcoming movie releases, which includes new snippets of Mortal Kombat and The Suicide Squad, among others. The reel, showing off the movies that will arrive in theaters and on HBO Max on the same day, includes several shots of Mortal Kombat, including new looks at an unmasked Scorpion sword fighting with masked attackers, and Sonya Blade pointing to the words "Motal Kombat" on a picture and saying, "It's an invitation to Mortal Kombat" (just in case you didn't understand what the movie was called, I guess).

This year every @WBPictures movie will be in theaters and streaming exclusively on HBO Max.

The biggest premieres every single month. pic.twitter.com/5ipY3x4mBi — HBO Max (@hbomax) January 27, 2021

As for The Suicide Squad, we see a familiar rainy long shot of the titular squad, set to the words, "So this is the famous Suicide Squad" (also just in case you didn't guess), as well as Idris Elba's Bloodsport saying, "no one likes a show-off", to which John Cena's Peacemaker replies, "Unless what they're showing off is dope as f-", before being cut off. We also see a split-second of Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn escaping a collapsing building. The reel comprises a huge list of movies coming from Warner Bros. and HBO Max: The Little Things, Judas and the Black Messiah, Tom & Jerry the Movie, Godzilla vs. Kong, Mortal Kombat, Those Who Wish Me Dead, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, In the Heights, The Suicide Squad, Reminiscence, Cry Macho, King Richard, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Malignant, The Many Saints of Newark, Dune, and the untitled Matrix 4 (no footage of that one, I'm afraid). [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-suicide-squad-whos-who-full-cast-and-character-reveals&captions=true"] Mortal Kombat will arrive on April 16, and we recently got new images and details, including a mention of the fatalities. The reboot includes Mehcad Brooks as Jackson "Jax" Briggs, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, Josh Lawson as Kano, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Max Huang as Lung Lao Max, and Lewis Tan as an all-new character. The Suicide Squad, from director James Gunn, is described as a gritty war movie, and has a truly bonkers cast, from Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, to John Cena as Peacemaker, to Idris Elba as Bloodsport, to Sylvester Stallone and Taika Waititi. It will arrive on August 6. Warner Bros.' decision to release its movies in theaters and streaming has been highly controversial, with director Christopher Nolan saying "they don't understand what they're losing". [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.

Netflix has announced Skull Island, a new anime series set in the Legendary MonsterVerse. It will be produced by Powerhouse Animation, the studio behind Castlevania.

A shipwrecked crew, an island of monsters, and one king to rule them all. Skull Island is a new anime series set in @Legendary’s Monsterverse from @PowerhouseAnim.

— NX (@NXOnNetflix) January 27, 2021

As detailed by the tweet, the series will involve a shipwrecked crew landing on an island full of monsters, where one king rules them all. That 'king' is likely to be King Kong himself, considering Skull Island is the giant gorilla's home. Skull Island has been featured in numerous films, starting in the 1933 movie King Kong. Most recently, it was the setting of Kong: Skull Island, and modern film fans will also recall it being a large part of Peter Jackson's King Kong. The Kong: Skull Island version of the setting is officially part of the Legendary MonsterVerse, and so may well be the starting point for this show, which is also an official part of the universe. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/24/godzilla-vs-kong-official-trailer"] No images or artwork has yet been shown, but Powerhouse Animation has produced a variety of well-liked shows, including Netflix's Castlevania adaptation and Blood of Zeus. The studio is based in Austin, Texas, but has produced animation in a similar style to Japanese anime studios. For more, check out our look at every monster in the MonsterVerse, why Kong is so big in the upcoming Godzilla vs. Kong movie, and vote in our survey on who you think will win the epic monster battle.  [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

EA has announced the newest studio in its stable, Full Circle, and the Vancouver-based, but also globally focused, studio will be the team behind the recently announced new Skate game. While it remains unclear whether the newest entry in the Skate franchise will be Skate 4, or reboot of the franchise, or something else, EA confirmed the Full Circle team will be led by Daniel McCulloch, the former Head of Box Live at Microsoft. Returning Skate producers Deran Chung and Cuz Parry remain on board, having appeared in the Skate sequel's announcement video at EA Play 2020. [caption id="attachment_2465615" align="alignnone" width="720"] Full Circle's Studio Logo[/caption] “The fans wished Skate back into existence and we want them to feel involved in the process from development to game launch and beyond. We want them to feel like they are a part of Full Circle,” McCulloch said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “We’re all about having fun and making great games that people want to play with their friends. And, we’re looking for more developers to help us build compelling worlds for players to explore.” The new studio is currently hiring for various positions including artists, designers, and engineers, and while it's based in Vancouver, is "embracing a geo-diverse team" with members involved in development "around the globe." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/untitled-skate-game-announcement-trailer-ea-play-2020"] Full Circle joins EA Sports and Respawn Entertainment as the third EA Studio in the Canadian city. Unfortunately, there's no new word on development on the next Skate thus far, or any additional details about the vision for the upcoming game, but late last year we learned the new Skate may have a focus on user-generated content. At the time, EA's Andrew Wilson discussed how the new Skate was in "very early development" but that trends within the skateboarding world could fit into the scope of the new game. "You take a game like Skate, and while skateboarding in and of itself has tremendous appeal to a huge, global audience, there’s another secular trend that’s happening inside our industry around user-generated content, open-world, and interaction,” Wilson said last June. “So for many people, you think about skating as a starting point that has appeal, but you start to build in user-generated content, exploration, and community on top of that and that expands the opportunity exponentially." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.