Bethesda has revealed The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood, a new story chapter that serves as a prequel to the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It will launch on separate dates in June for PC and consoles. Revealed in a livestream on the Bethesda Twitch channel, the chapter will launch on PC on June 1 and June 8 on consoles. Blackwood will task players with "uncovering the schemes of the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon," who served as the primary antagonist of Oblivion. 30 hours of story content is set to be added to the game, set over 800 years before the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/27/the-elder-scrolls-online-gates-of-oblivion-blackwood-expansion-trailer"] This update will also introduce Oblivion Portal World Events, quality-of-life features and a Companions system similar to the single-player Elder Scrolls games, where players will be able to recruit, develop and customize NPCs to fight alongside them. It's all part of a year-long 'Gates of Oblivion' content roadmap for Elder Scrolls Online. The expansion will send players to famous locations related to the fourth Elder Scrolls game, including Leyawiin and Blackwood itself, which is "caught between the Argonian homeland and Imperial province of Cyrodiil." The Blackwood narrative will kick off with the Flames of Ambition DLC, which adds new dungeons that "reveal the threat of Mehrunes Dagon". Flames of Ambition is set to launch on March 8 for PC, Mac and Stadia and March 16 for Xbox and PlayStation consoles. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/11/the-elder-scrolls-online-gates-of-oblivion-cinematic-trailer"] Bethesda's stream also teased an "end-of-year story DLC" which will take players to the Deadlands, Mehrunes Dagon's personal realm. In other Bethesda news, a Naughty Dog veteran recently joined Elder Scrolls Online developer Zenimax Online to work on a "new, unannounced AAA IP." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Godzilla vs. Kong promises to be the first big blockbuster movie of 2021. And like any good blockbuster, there will be toys. IGN can exclusively reveal a new line of Funko POP figurines inspired by Godzilla vs. Kong, as the company applies its trademark cutesy vinyl approach to this epic monster movie mash-up. Revealed as part of the Funko Fair 2021 event, the Godzilla vs. Kong line will feature several variations on the two beasts. In addition to the traditional 4.5-inch POP scale, Funko will release oversized 10-inch figures and smaller POP Keychain figurines. You can check them all out in the slideshow gallery below: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=godzilla-vs-kong-funko-pop-figures-revealed&captions=true"] Fans are waiting to see if any other monsters show up in Godzilla vs. Kong besides the titular duo. But assuming these two icons will eventually put aside their differences to fight a villain like Mechagodzilla. fans may have to wait longer before that battle is immortalized in Funk POP form. Funko also recently unveiled a line of Deadpool 30th Anniversary POP figures. You can preorder both series, along with other new reveals, through Walmart's Funko Fair 2021 portal [note - the Godzilla vs. Kong figures will be added at 8am PT on January 27]. Godzilla vs. Kong will debut in theaters and on HBO Max on March 31, several days later than its previous release date. For more on the new movie, check out our breakdown of every monster in the MonsterVerse and an explanation of why Kong is so much bigger in this sequel. Also, be sure to cast your vote and let us know who you think will win in this titanic matchup: [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=3cbd7961-dad2-44a2-8b3e-8cf1466039d8"] [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.

Microsoft has posted record profits this quarter, including a boom in its gaming sector which has revenues up 51%. The company as a whole posted a record-breaking $43.1 billion in revenue. In the most recent financial earnings report for the period ending on December 31, 2020, Microsoft shared that revenue increased by 17% to reach $43.1 billion and $15 billion in profit. As per the case for the last several quarters, profits were driven by Microsoft’s cloud platform, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t other successful ventures. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"] Hardware saw the biggest growth thanks to the launch of the Xbox Series X|S. Microsoft says the gaming hardware segment grew 86% thanks to the new hardware, though the company hasn’t shared exact numbers. Meanwhile, Microsoft reported that revenue has grown 51% overall in games, with Xbox content and services revenue up 40%. The growth has been attributed to third-party titles, Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, and first-party titles. News of Microsoft’s successful quarter has pushed up Microsoft stock. The success of the company is of course based on a broad array of product and offerings, not just gaming. Microsoft’s line encompasses software, apps, home computers, and more; while the R&D department dabbles in projects like putting servers underwater. For more, check out IGN’s review of the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S review, and details on a new Halo Infinite info drop later this week. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him @lawoftd on Twitter.

A TV series based on The Great Gatsby is in the works with Vikings showrunner, Michael Hirst. Hirst is teaming up with A+E Studios and ITV Studios America to create a miniseries based on the 1925 novel of the same name from author F. Scott Fitzgerald, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Hirst will write the script and serve as an executive producer alongside Groundswell Productions' Michael London. Blake Hazard, a great-granddaughter of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, is a trustee of the Fitzgerald estate and she will serve as a consulting producer for the show. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-character-in-vikings-valhalla&captions=true"] "I have long dreamt of a more diverse, inclusive vision of Gatsby that better reflects the America we live in, one that might allow us all to see ourselves in Scott's wildly romantic text," Hazard said. "Michael brings a deep reverence for Scott's work to the project, but also a fearlessness about bringing such an iconic story to life in an accessible and fresh way. I'm delighted to be a part of the project." Hirst said that it's now, "the perfect moment to look with new eyes at this timeless story, to explore its famous and iconic characters through the modern lens of gender, race, and sexual orientation." This miniseries will explore New York's Black community in the 1920s, according to THR, and its musical subculture. Columbia University William B. Ransford professor of english and comparative literature and African-American studies, Farah Jasmine Griffin, will serve as a consultant. A network for the series has not yet been tapped, but THR reports that the miniseries' co-producers plan to shop the show around to premium cable and streaming outlets. THR's report also states that sources say A+E studios have had the rights to the novel for decades and that this miniseries adaptation has been in the works for at least three years. The news of this series comes just a few weeks after The Great Gatsby's copyright expired, which put the novel into public domain. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2013/04/04/new-great-gatsby-trailer"] While waiting for this series to come to life, check out our review of 2013's The Great Gatsby movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and then check out this cast announcement for Netflix's upcoming Vikings prequel, Vikings: Valhalla. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Skydance Media is said to be looking to relaunch the Spy Kids franchise with both Spyglass Media Group and original creator Robert Rodriguez. As reported by Deadline, Rodriguez will return to write and direct the next film, which is said to "revolve around the activities of a multicultural family." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2011/08/02/spy-kids-blu-ray-feature-sharks"] Spyglass is the current owner of the IP and Skydance hopes to add Spy Kids to its list of upcoming films to "diversify its slate." Skydance will be the lead studio and will oversee development and production, while Spyglass' Gary Barber and Peter Oillataguerre will executive produce. The first Spy Kids film was released in 2001 and saw many sequels and and a TV series in the following years. The first film earned $112 million at the domestic box office and the following three sequels brought in $550 million at the worldwide box office. Rodriguez has previously been known for his adult action films like Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn, but this project was something he wanted to do for his kids. Spy Kids' whole premise is that two children - Carmen and Juni - have to rescue their parents who were spies that were captured. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=2021-movies-preview&captions=true"] Rodriguez recently directed the sixth episode of The Mandalorian's second season - The Tragedy. In our review, we said, "confidently directed with a spectacular eye for action by Robert Rodriguez, "The Tragedy" sets up a high-stakes endgame for Season 2 that we can't wait to see unfold." [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.

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has revealed the finalists for the 24th annual D.I.C.E. Awards, which will take place virtually on April 8. Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II leads the way with 11 nominations, followed by Ghost of Tsushima with 10. Hades, IGN's pick for 2020 Game of the Year, is up for 8 awards. Here is the full list of nominees: Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Final Fantasy VII Remake
• The Last of Us Part II
• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Spiritfarer

  Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• The Last of Us Part II
• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps

  Outstanding Achievement in Character

• Eivor, Assassin's Creed Valhalla
• Zagreus, Hades
• Abby, The Last of Us Part II
• Ellie, The Last of Us Part II
• Miles, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

  [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/12/the-last-of-us-part-2-review"] Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• Carrion
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Little Orpheus
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• The Pathless

  Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

• Dreams
• Ghost of Tsushima
• The Last of Us Part II
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure

  Outstanding Achievement in Story

• 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
• The Last of Us Part II

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/29/ghost-of-tsushima-photo-mode-challenge"] Outstanding Technical Achievement

• Dreams
• Ghost of Tsushima
• The Last of Us Part II
• Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
• Microsoft Flight Simulator

  Action Game of the Year

• Doom Eternal
• Hades
• Half-Life: Alyx
• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Nioh 2

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=hades-screenshots&captions=true"] Adventure Game of the Year

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
• The Last of Us Part II
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps

  Family Game of the Year

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Astro's Playroom
• Dreams
• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure

  Fighting Game of the Year

• EA Sports UFC 4
• Granblue Fantasy Versus
• Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
• Them's Fightin' Herds

  Racing Game of the Year

• Dirt 5
• F1 2020
• Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/14/mario-kart-live-home-circuit-review"] Role-Playing Game of the Year

• Cyberpunk 2077
• Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Persona 5 Royal
• Wasteland 3
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon

  Sports Game of the Year

• EA Sports FIFA 21
• MLB The Show 20
• NBA 2K21
• PGA Tour 2K21
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2

  Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• Crusader Kings III
• Desperados III
• Microsoft Flight Simulator
• Monster Train
• Per Aspera

  Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

• Half-Life: Alyx
• Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
• Museum of Other Realities
• Paper Beast
• Tempest

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-modern-ign-1010-and-where-to-play-them&captions=true"] Immersive Reality Game of the Year

• Down the Rabbit Hole
• Half-Life: Alyx
• Paper Beast
• The Room VR: Dark Matter
• The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners

  Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

• Coffee Talk
• Hades
• If Found…
• Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
• Noita

  Mobile Game of the Year

• HoloVista
• Legends of Runeterra
• Little Orpheus
• Song of Bloom
• South of the Circle

  Online Game of the Year

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War
• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Tetris Effect: Connected

  Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• Half-Life: Alyx
• The Last of Us Part II
• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/13/animal-crossing-new-horizons-exploring-january-trailer"] Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• Half-Life: Alyx
• Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition
• The Last of Us Part II

  Game of the Year

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Hades
• The Last of Us Part II

  Last year, Untitled Goose Game took home the D.I.C.E. Game of the Year award. For more, you can check out IGN's complete selection of 2020 award winners. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and the Production Assistant for Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN's weekly Nintendo show. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has been delayed to 2022. Nacon, the new publisher, announced the news on Twitter, confirming the company's involvement alongside developer Daedalic. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/24/the-lord-of-the-rings-gollum-teaser-trailer"] "We are forming a fellowship with @Daedalic to publish The Lord of the Rings: Gollum," Nacon's tweet reads. "The game will be released in 2022 on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, Nintendo Switch and PC. More news to come in the future."

We are forming a fellowship with @Daedalic to publish The Lord of the Rings™: Gollum™.

The game will be released in 2022 on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, Nintendo Switch and PC. More news to come in the future. pic.twitter.com/gpdClPVaok — Nacon (@Nacon) January 26, 2021

The game's 2021 release window was first announced in 2019. This is the first major word we've gotten since last August, when Gollum's developers spoke to IGN about the game's stealth mechanics and branching narrative. The Gollum-focused adventure will blend Prince of Persia's parkour with stealth mechanics. Lead game designer Martin Wilkes told IGN that players will mostly sneak around levels but will also be tasked with taking down some enemies. "The game mixes stealth with vertical climbing parkour," Wilkes said to IGN last year. "If you want a reference you might think of it as similar to Prince of Persia. It is mostly a non-combat game, but Gollum will be able to stealthily take out enemies. However, this will not be easy and always come with big risks. We want players to carefully weigh these encounters. After all, Gollum’s strengths lie in cunning not combat." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=lord-of-the-rings-gollum-11-screenshots&captions=true"] The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is one of many Lord of the Rings projects in development right now. Amazon is working on a TV series taking place thousands of years before The Hobbit. Additionally, never-before-seen Middle-earth writings from J.R.R. Tolkien are being released in a new book in June. Lord of the Rings actors and artists also recently came together to support a fundraiser to buy the house where J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit and some of The Lord of the Rings. The fundraiser would turn the house into a Tolkien sanctuary but hasn't reached its goal yet. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who is very, very excited for all of this Lord of the Rings stuff. Please don't be like The Hobbit movies.

Kevin Hart has officially joined the cast of the Borderlands movie. Hart has been cast as Roland, a character from the first two Borderlands games and The Pre-Sequel. The press release announcing Hart's casting only references that Roland is an "ex-soldier turned mercenary" which lines up with the character's backstory in the game. In the games, Roland was honorably discharged from the military unit, Crimson Lance, and turned to a life of loot-hunting with the help of shotguns, turrets, and assault rifles. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-video-game-movie-in-development-almost&captions=true"] Hart will star in the movie with Cate Blanchett as the thief-siren Lilith. The movie will be directed by Hostel director, Eli Roth. Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford is an executive producer on the movie. “I’m thrilled to be working with Kevin,” Roth said in a press release. “Borderlands is a different kind of role for him, and we are excited to thrill audiences with a side of Kevin they’ve never seen before. He’s going to be an amazing Roland.” Hart is best known for his stand-up comedy, but has led the box office with multiple action-comedy movies over the past decade, including the Jumanji movies. Hart also appeared in the Ride Along franchise with Ice Cube and Central Intelligence with Dwayne Johnson. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/08/borderlands-cast-play-tiny-tinas-bunkers-badasses-rpg-in-real-life"] The Borderlands movie will be written by Craig Mazin, who recently wrote HBO's critically-acclaimed Chernobyl miniseries. Mazin is currently developing a Last of Us miniseries for HBO as well. The press release also announces the Borderlands franchise has surpassed 66 million units sold worldwide. Borderlands 2 is the biggest game in the franchise with 24 million copies sold. The most recent title, 2019's Borderlands 3, has sold over 11 million units. Here is a list of every video game that is currently being adapted as a movie. That list includes the Uncharted movie, which was just delayed into 2022. Roth has also said that he wants to put Borderlands cosplayers in the movie as a way to honor the fans. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN. If Claptrap is in this movie, then I'll go see one of the other dozen video game movies that will be in theaters.

A huge Anglo-Saxon burial site in Northamptonshire in the United Kingdom was recently discovered and archaeologists unearthed over 3000 pieces of jewellery, weapons, and more. There are about 154 burials at this site and these burials and the nearly 3000 objects found within the span of them date back to around 1,500 years ago, according to LiveScience. These burials and objects were spread across a 15-hectare site that includes a 4000-year-old Bronze Age burial site as well. Seven different structures – three burial mounds and four other buildings – were discovered at this Bronze Age site. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/09/assassins-creed-valhalla-review"] "The Overstone Leys site contains by far the biggest Anglo-Saxon cemetery ever found in Northamptonshire," Project Manager at Museum of London Archaeology, Simon Markus, said in a MOLA release about the discovery. "It is rare to find both an Anglo-Saxon settlement and a cemetery in a single excavation. The excavations will help us understand the way people lived in both the Anglo-Saxon period, around 1,500 years ago as well as the Bronze Age, nearly 4,000 years ago." Markus said the human remains, objects, and buildings found at the site will help them learn more about the Anglo-Saxon and Bronze Age diets, health, origins, and day-to-day life of the people that lived during that period of history. Fifteen rings, 150 brooches, 2,000 beads, 75 wrist clasps, 15 chatelaines, 40 knives, 25 spears, 15 shield bosses, and an assortment of other things like cosmetic kits and bone combs were unearthed at the site, according to the MOLA. The archaeologists also uncovered Anglo-Saxon textiles preserved after becoming mineralized by being buried next to a metal brooch. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-ign-assassins-creed-review&captions=true"] These sites don't feature anything from the Vikings side, but is within the same era that Assassin's Creed Valhalla takes place. And who's to say that a trip to an Animus wouldn't uncover something secretive within these buried objects? For more history and science, check out this story about some Viking DNA discovered that reveals most weren't blond or blue-eyed and then read about how scientists extracting DNA from insects preserved in resin have no intention to raise dinosaurs using it. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

This week in Red Dead Online, claim free rewards for logging in, crafting items at Campfires or Gus' store, and much more.