Bungie has announced that it will close its Halo archive in February, which will mean player stats, screenshots, and files from the developer’s Halo games will be gone forever. Detailed as part of the studio’s weekly update blog post, Bungie explained that on February 9 the halo.bungie.net website will be taken offline permanently. Player stats, files, and screenshots from Halo 2, Halo 3, ODST, and Reach are currently stored on the website, although those archives have not been updated in almost nine years. For the best part of a decade, the website has effectively been in stasis, acting as a memorial for Bungie’s pre-Destiny years. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/07/07/bungie-25-years-in-25-seconds"] Players now have until February 9 to save their stats and files, should they wish. Bungie notes that this only applies to player data; news articles, forums, and groups from the Halo-era were imported into the current Bungie.net website in 2013, and so will remain online. Bungie’s current long-term project is, of course, Destiny. You can see what we made of its latest expansion in our Destiny 2: Beyond Light review, and catch up with the latest developments in our Fireteam Chat podcast. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Bungie has announced that it will close its Halo archive in February, which will mean player stats, screenshots, and files from the developer’s Halo games will be gone forever. Detailed as part of the studio’s weekly update blog post, Bungie explained that on February 9 the halo.bungie.net website will be taken offline permanently. Player stats, files, and screenshots from Halo 2, Halo 3, ODST, and Reach are currently stored on the website, although those archives have not been updated in almost nine years. For the best part of a decade, the website has effectively been in stasis, acting as a memorial for Bungie’s pre-Destiny years. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/07/07/bungie-25-years-in-25-seconds"] Players now have until February 9 to save their stats and files, should they wish. Bungie notes that this only applies to player data; news articles, forums, and groups from the Halo-era were imported into the current Bungie.net website in 2013, and so will remain online. Bungie’s current long-term project is, of course, Destiny. You can see what we made of its latest expansion in our Destiny 2: Beyond Light review, and catch up with the latest developments in our Fireteam Chat podcast. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

The fighting game community is taking steps to adopt and standardize a code of conduct to make the community safe and more welcoming. The code of conduct aims to make official best practices on matters ranging from abuse and harassment to personal hygiene. As reported by Kotaku, the Code of Conduct was crafted by a community of volunteers, reviewed by peers, and agreed to by community leaders to get tournament organizers [TO] to sign on and adopt the measures. “This is the Fighting Game Community Code of Conduct. Its goal is to prevent and expel predatory behavior and emotional, sexual, verbal, and physical abuse to create a safer and more inclusive [Fighting Game Community] in which more people can enjoy the fun, exciting, grassroots spirits of our community,” the Code’s preamble says.

A collective of community volunteers have written the Fighting Game Community Code Of Conduct.

This document is an open resource and was created to help community members take confident and uniform action against abuse and misconduct in the scene.https://t.co/IZ8vksozAA — FGCoC Communications (@FGCoC) January 13, 2021

The Code was developed in the wake of several high-profile scandals that rocked the fighting game community [FGC], particularly scandals related to sexual abuse. Allegations regarding sexual impropriety dogged the community in 2019, and allegations against Evo organizer Joey Cueller in 2020 ended plans to host a digital Evo Online event that year. Most recently, the Super Smash Bros. community has dealt with a widespread sexual abuse scandal that resulted in Nintendo issuing a statement to IGN on the matter. The Super Smash Bros. community in particular has never had official support from Nintendo, which longtime members say is partly due to the disorganized and grassroots nature of the scene. David “UltraDavid” Graham, a fighting game player, attorney, commentator, and Governing Signatory of the Code of Conduct went further in-depth on the process of drafting and creating the Code of Conduct. “This is the product of the last half year of discussions by volunteer TOSs, players, streamers, etc who wanted to help our community improve & move forward after the terrible acts that came to light last summer.” Graham says that the list should be “largely uncontroversial,” outlining clear violations and enshrining enforceable rules. The Code was drafted “based on previous codes of conduct” Graham drafted for legal clients in the past. “So why do this? Because our old piecemeal system put too much pressure on individual TOs to make community-wide decisions and incentivized a dog-piling type of enforcement that nobody enjoyed,” Graham says. “Having more (but not exclusively) uniform rules/enforcement can avoid this problem.”

The @FGCoC group has put out its Fighting Game Code of Conduct!

This is the product of the last half year of discussions by volunteer TOs, players, streamers, etc who wanted to help our community improve & move forward after the terrible acts that came to light last summer. https://t.co/97AzXGGf8q — Just UltraDavid (@ultradavid) January 14, 2021

Since the Code was unveiled last night, there have been some discussions regarding the rules on Twitter and other social media sites. The Code of Conduct has a feedback page that encourages users to submit suggestions, and it does appear the document has been revised since going live after taking into consideration the suggestions. Although the Code of Conduct is a community measure, it is encouraging to see steps being taken by tournament organizers to clean up its spaces and take steps towards enshrining official rules regarding abuse, harassment, and personal conduct. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

The fighting game community is taking steps to adopt and standardize a code of conduct to make the community safe and more welcoming. The code of conduct aims to make official best practices on matters ranging from abuse and harassment to personal hygiene. As reported by Kotaku, the Code of Conduct was crafted by a community of volunteers, reviewed by peers, and agreed to by community leaders to get tournament organizers [TO] to sign on and adopt the measures. “This is the Fighting Game Community Code of Conduct. Its goal is to prevent and expel predatory behavior and emotional, sexual, verbal, and physical abuse to create a safer and more inclusive [Fighting Game Community] in which more people can enjoy the fun, exciting, grassroots spirits of our community,” the Code’s preamble says.

A collective of community volunteers have written the Fighting Game Community Code Of Conduct.

This document is an open resource and was created to help community members take confident and uniform action against abuse and misconduct in the scene.https://t.co/IZ8vksozAA — FGCoC Communications (@FGCoC) January 13, 2021

The Code was developed in the wake of several high-profile scandals that rocked the fighting game community [FGC], particularly scandals related to sexual abuse. Allegations regarding sexual impropriety dogged the community in 2019, and allegations against Evo organizer Joey Cueller in 2020 ended plans to host a digital Evo Online event that year. Most recently, the Super Smash Bros. community has dealt with a widespread sexual abuse scandal that resulted in Nintendo issuing a statement to IGN on the matter. The Super Smash Bros. community in particular has never had official support from Nintendo, which longtime members say is partly due to the disorganized and grassroots nature of the scene. David “UltraDavid” Graham, a fighting game player, attorney, commentator, and Governing Signatory of the Code of Conduct went further in-depth on the process of drafting and creating the Code of Conduct. “This is the product of the last half year of discussions by volunteer TOSs, players, streamers, etc who wanted to help our community improve & move forward after the terrible acts that came to light last summer.” Graham says that the list should be “largely uncontroversial,” outlining clear violations and enshrining enforceable rules. The Code was drafted “based on previous codes of conduct” Graham drafted for legal clients in the past. “So why do this? Because our old piecemeal system put too much pressure on individual TOs to make community-wide decisions and incentivized a dog-piling type of enforcement that nobody enjoyed,” Graham says. “Having more (but not exclusively) uniform rules/enforcement can avoid this problem.”

The @FGCoC group has put out its Fighting Game Code of Conduct!

This is the product of the last half year of discussions by volunteer TOs, players, streamers, etc who wanted to help our community improve & move forward after the terrible acts that came to light last summer. https://t.co/97AzXGGf8q — Just UltraDavid (@ultradavid) January 14, 2021

Since the Code was unveiled last night, there have been some discussions regarding the rules on Twitter and other social media sites. The Code of Conduct has a feedback page that encourages users to submit suggestions, and it does appear the document has been revised since going live after taking into consideration the suggestions. Although the Code of Conduct is a community measure, it is encouraging to see steps being taken by tournament organizers to clean up its spaces and take steps towards enshrining official rules regarding abuse, harassment, and personal conduct. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

For those eager for their next MCU fix and wondering what time Marvel's WandaVision comes out each week, the new Disney Plus series is being released Fridays at midnight PT/3am ET. WandaVision has already released its first eight episodes, which began to drop on Friday, January 15, followed by one new episode every week for the remainder of its release schedule.

WandaVision Episode 9 Release Date and Time

The latest chapter of WandaVision, episode 8, became available on Friday, February 26 at midnight PT/3am ET on Disney Plus. Read our reviews of WandaVision's two-part premiere and episode 7 for a deep dive into the new series, and check out our explainer on when WandaVision takes place in the MCU timeline. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=wandavision-all-the-marvel-and-tv-easter-eggs-in-every-episode&captions=true"] While Disney has not released a synopsis for individual upcoming episodes - opting only to give them blurbs and even names after they've been released - the streamer describes WandaVision as "a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) – two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives – begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems," according to the Season 1 logline.

When Does WandaVision Season 1 Release?

Disney+ is releasing new episodes of WandaVision Season 1 weekly on Fridays, which is a trend the streamer has followed since Disney+ launched back in 2019, instead of opting for Netflix's binge model of releasing a whole season at once. After WandaVision's two-episode premiere on Friday, January 15, Disney+ will air the following seven episodes every Friday until the Season 1 finale, which will release on Friday, March 5, 2021.

What Time Does the New WandaVision Episode Come Out?

The time each new episode of WandaVision Season 1 is expected to drop is at 12am PT/3am ET on Friday morning in the US, which is 8am in the UK and 6:30pm ACT/7pm AET in Australia. WandaVision will be available globally wherever Disney Plus is available. Watch the latest trailer/featurette for WandaVision below: [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/11/marvels-wandavision-stay-tuned-featurette]

How Long are WandaVision Episodes

WandaVision Season 1 episodes have a runtime of around 30 to 40 minutes. Episode 8 has the season's longest runtime (so far), clocking in at 46 minutes.

How Many Episodes of WandaVision Are There Going to Be?

Here's the full WandaVision Season 1 release schedule:

• Episode 1 - "Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience": Friday, January 15 - Available Now
• Episode 2 - "Don't Touch That Dial": Friday, January 15 - Available Now
• Episode 3 - "Now in Color": Friday, January 22 - Available Now
• Episode 4 - "We Interrupt This Program": Friday, January 29 - Available Now
• Episode 5 - "On a Very Special Episode...": Friday, February 5 - Available Now
• Episode 6 - "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!": Friday - Available Now
• Episode 7:  - "Breaking the Fourth Wall": Friday, February 19 - Available Now
• Episode 8: - "Previously On": Friday, February 26 - Available Now
• Episode 9: Friday, March 5 - Season 1 Finale

For more on the imaginative world of Marvel's WandaVison, be sure to read our guide to Wanda and Vision in the comics, as well as our detailed breakdown of the Wanda and Vision MCU timeline so far. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/13/the-wandavision-cast-take-igns-mcu-quiz"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

For those eager for their next MCU fix and wondering what time Marvel's WandaVision comes out each week, the new Disney Plus series is being released Fridays at midnight PT/3am ET. WandaVision has already released its first eight episodes, which began to drop on Friday, January 15, followed by one new episode every week for the remainder of its release schedule.

WandaVision Episode 9 Release Date and Time

The latest chapter of WandaVision, episode 8, became available on Friday, February 26 at midnight PT/3am ET on Disney Plus. Read our reviews of WandaVision's two-part premiere and episode 7 for a deep dive into the new series, and check out our explainer on when WandaVision takes place in the MCU timeline. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=wandavision-all-the-marvel-and-tv-easter-eggs-in-every-episode&captions=true"] While Disney has not released a synopsis for individual upcoming episodes - opting only to give them blurbs and even names after they've been released - the streamer describes WandaVision as "a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) – two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives – begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems," according to the Season 1 logline.

When Does WandaVision Season 1 Release?

Disney+ is releasing new episodes of WandaVision Season 1 weekly on Fridays, which is a trend the streamer has followed since Disney+ launched back in 2019, instead of opting for Netflix's binge model of releasing a whole season at once. After WandaVision's two-episode premiere on Friday, January 15, Disney+ will air the following seven episodes every Friday until the Season 1 finale, which will release on Friday, March 5, 2021.

What Time Does the New WandaVision Episode Come Out?

The time each new episode of WandaVision Season 1 is expected to drop is at 12am PT/3am ET on Friday morning in the US, which is 8am in the UK and 6:30pm ACT/7pm AET in Australia. WandaVision will be available globally wherever Disney Plus is available. Watch the latest trailer/featurette for WandaVision below: [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/11/marvels-wandavision-stay-tuned-featurette]

How Long are WandaVision Episodes

WandaVision Season 1 episodes have a runtime of around 30 to 40 minutes. Episode 8 has the season's longest runtime (so far), clocking in at 46 minutes.

How Many Episodes of WandaVision Are There Going to Be?

Here's the full WandaVision Season 1 release schedule:

• Episode 1 - "Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience": Friday, January 15 - Available Now
• Episode 2 - "Don't Touch That Dial": Friday, January 15 - Available Now
• Episode 3 - "Now in Color": Friday, January 22 - Available Now
• Episode 4 - "We Interrupt This Program": Friday, January 29 - Available Now
• Episode 5 - "On a Very Special Episode...": Friday, February 5 - Available Now
• Episode 6 - "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!": Friday - Available Now
• Episode 7:  - "Breaking the Fourth Wall": Friday, February 19 - Available Now
• Episode 8: - "Previously On": Friday, February 26 - Available Now
• Episode 9: Friday, March 5 - Season 1 Finale

For more on the imaginative world of Marvel's WandaVison, be sure to read our guide to Wanda and Vision in the comics, as well as our detailed breakdown of the Wanda and Vision MCU timeline so far. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/13/the-wandavision-cast-take-igns-mcu-quiz"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Disney is officially ending its annual theme park passholder program due to the “continued uncertainty of the [COVID-19] pandemic and limitations and expected restrictions around the reopening of our theme parks.”

Disney announced the news in an email to annual passholders and on Twitter. IGN employees who are annual passholders also received the email. Disney said it will begin processing refunds to Disneyland Resort Annual Passport holders and sunsetting the program as a whole for an indeterminate amount of time.

Disney’s annual passholder program is the theme park’s version of an all-year all-access membership, popular with California residents and Disney diehards. Depending on what tier you purchase, the pass allows holders to visit both Disneyland parks all year, with certain exceptions. It also gives holders certain discounts on Disney merchandise.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"]

People with annual passes as of March 14, 2020 will still receive discounts on merchandise, food, and beverages at select Downtown Disney and Buena Vista Street locations. From January 18 through February 25, 2021, passholders will receive a 30% discounts on select merchandise at the same locations.

“I know that sunsetting the Annual Passport program will be disappointing to many of our Passholders who are just as anxious as we are to reopen our gates and welcome Guests back when the time is right,” Disneyland Resort president Ken Potrock said in a statement.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/14/chris-evans-reportedly-returning-as-captain-america-ign-now"]

Disney says it is spending the interim between now and when the annual pass program resumes on developing new membership programs.

The change does not appear to impact annual passholders for Disney World, Disney’s larger Florida resort, only California’s Disneyland Resort.

Among Disney’s theme parks, Disneyland has seemingly been hit the hardest due to California’s tighter restrictions on business and large-scale crowd management during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disneyland plans to lay off approximately 32,000 employees by the end of the first fiscal half of 2021.

Potrock has previously had harsh words for California Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to restrict theme park openings in the state, alleging that Newsom is holding theme parks to “arbitrary guidelines that it knows are unworkable and that hold us to a standard vastly different from other reopened businesses and state-operated facilities.”

California, particularly Los Angeles County (Disneyland is located in Anaheim, Orange County), is one of the largest hotbeds of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the United States. According to NBC News’ COVID-19 tracker, California has experienced nearly 3 million cases and more than 31,000 deaths.

Disneyland has also recently opened a “super” COVID-19 vaccination site, with plans to vaccinate approximately 7,000 people a day, according to CNN. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/Ziffkateer for IGN.

Disney is officially ending its annual theme park passholder program due to the “continued uncertainty of the [COVID-19] pandemic and limitations and expected restrictions around the reopening of our theme parks.”

Disney announced the news in an email to annual passholders and on Twitter. IGN employees who are annual passholders also received the email. Disney said it will begin processing refunds to Disneyland Resort Annual Passport holders and sunsetting the program as a whole for an indeterminate amount of time.

Disney’s annual passholder program is the theme park’s version of an all-year all-access membership, popular with California residents and Disney diehards. Depending on what tier you purchase, the pass allows holders to visit both Disneyland parks all year, with certain exceptions. It also gives holders certain discounts on Disney merchandise.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-delayed-movie-due-to-coronavirus-so-far&captions=true"]

People with annual passes as of March 14, 2020 will still receive discounts on merchandise, food, and beverages at select Downtown Disney and Buena Vista Street locations. From January 18 through February 25, 2021, passholders will receive a 30% discounts on select merchandise at the same locations.

“I know that sunsetting the Annual Passport program will be disappointing to many of our Passholders who are just as anxious as we are to reopen our gates and welcome Guests back when the time is right,” Disneyland Resort president Ken Potrock said in a statement.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/01/14/chris-evans-reportedly-returning-as-captain-america-ign-now"]

Disney says it is spending the interim between now and when the annual pass program resumes on developing new membership programs.

The change does not appear to impact annual passholders for Disney World, Disney’s larger Florida resort, only California’s Disneyland Resort.

Among Disney’s theme parks, Disneyland has seemingly been hit the hardest due to California’s tighter restrictions on business and large-scale crowd management during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disneyland plans to lay off approximately 32,000 employees by the end of the first fiscal half of 2021.

Potrock has previously had harsh words for California Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to restrict theme park openings in the state, alleging that Newsom is holding theme parks to “arbitrary guidelines that it knows are unworkable and that hold us to a standard vastly different from other reopened businesses and state-operated facilities.”

California, particularly Los Angeles County (Disneyland is located in Anaheim, Orange County), is one of the largest hotbeds of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the United States. According to NBC News’ COVID-19 tracker, California has experienced nearly 3 million cases and more than 31,000 deaths.

Disneyland has also recently opened a “super” COVID-19 vaccination site, with plans to vaccinate approximately 7,000 people a day, according to CNN. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/Ziffkateer for IGN.

Axiom Verge — the critically-acclaimed Metroidvania — has released its first free content update six years after its release, a Randomizer Mode for all the speedrunners out there. Developer Tom Happ is busy working on the sequel Axiom Verge 2, but as a recognition of Axiom Verge’s popular speedrunning community, he has released a Randomizer Mode as a free update. The mode will let players randomize the items they get as they progress in the game. But instead of just a simple jumbler, the mode is “smart enough to know that in certain areas you need weapons with certain characteristics to progress.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/10/axiom-verge-2-announcement-trailer"] As par for the genre, players will need certain items to backtrack and access previously inaccessible areas. And the Randomizer will take this into account while still adding an element of chaos and difficulty for speedrunners. The Randomizer Mode is currently only available on Epic Games Store and Steam copies of Axiom Verge, with a console release slated for a later date. Epic Games Store users will find a beta version of Axiom Verge with the new mode automatically in their library. On Steam, players will right-click their copy of Axiom Verge in their library, go to Betas, and select the new version with the Randomizer update. Happ says he’s adding the “finishing touches” to Axiom Verge 2 and there will be an update on it soon. Check out IGN’s review of Axiom Verge for more. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Axiom Verge — the critically-acclaimed Metroidvania — has released its first free content update six years after its release, a Randomizer Mode for all the speedrunners out there. Developer Tom Happ is busy working on the sequel Axiom Verge 2, but as a recognition of Axiom Verge’s popular speedrunning community, he has released a Randomizer Mode as a free update. The mode will let players randomize the items they get as they progress in the game. But instead of just a simple jumbler, the mode is “smart enough to know that in certain areas you need weapons with certain characteristics to progress.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/10/axiom-verge-2-announcement-trailer"] As par for the genre, players will need certain items to backtrack and access previously inaccessible areas. And the Randomizer will take this into account while still adding an element of chaos and difficulty for speedrunners. The Randomizer Mode is currently only available on Epic Games Store and Steam copies of Axiom Verge, with a console release slated for a later date. Epic Games Store users will find a beta version of Axiom Verge with the new mode automatically in their library. On Steam, players will right-click their copy of Axiom Verge in their library, go to Betas, and select the new version with the Randomizer update. Happ says he’s adding the “finishing touches” to Axiom Verge 2 and there will be an update on it soon. Check out IGN’s review of Axiom Verge for more. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.