If you’re reading this, Cyberpunk 2077 has officially launched across the globe. With the launch of perhaps the most anticipated game of the year, it appears that the sudden rush of players attempting to boot up and/or download the game has resulted in Steam and CD Projekt's GOG experiencing some persistent technical issues. This has resulted in at least some players being unable to finish downloading Cyberpunk 2077’s day one patch or sync up with GOG’s cloud.

As of 4:30 P.M. PST, Steam’s own data statistics page shows the service is experiencing a peak bandwidth consumption of 17.7 terabytes per second. Basically, that’s a lot of people “jacking in” to the game. Some players are even experiencing a sudden pause near the end of the 60GB download.

DownDetector's Steam page also reported approximately 23,000 reports of Steam issues as of 4:50 P.M. PST.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a video game launch without many fans taking to social media to lament their momentary inconvenience. At least there’s some gems.

  Notably, it appears Steam's storefront page is experiencing intermittent blackouts as well. We tested this out on one PC of our own and noticed the storefront page struggle to load, if it would load at all for a time. Odds are by the time you read this, CD Projekt, Steam, and GOG may have solved their technical issues, and downloading Cyberpunk 2077 may not be an issue. Of course, Cyberpunk joins the long list of massive AAA releases that experience launch issues thanks to the sudden influx of excited players. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/07/cyberpunk-2077-review"] IGN gave Cyberpunk 2077 a 9 out of 10, calling it a "beautiful and dazzlingly dense cityscape" with "a staggering amount of choice" marred by frequent bugs. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/narcoleptic samurai for IGN.

AT&T has announced that it will sell its Crunchyroll animation business to Funimation, which itself is owned by Sony. In a deal worth almost $1.2 billion, Crunchyroll, one of the leading anime streaming services will now be owned by Funimation, another North American bastion for anime. Crunchyroll reports that it has 90 million registered users in over 200 countries. “We are excited to embark on this new journey. Crunchyroll has built a world-class brand with a passionate fan-base of over 3M subscribers, 50M social followers and 90M registered users. These amazing fans have helped to propel anime into a global phenomenon,” says Crunchryoll general manager Joann Waage. “Combining the strength of the Crunchyroll brand and the expertise of our global team with Funimation is an exciting prospect and a win for the incredible art form of anime.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-25-best-anime-series-of-all-time&captions=true"] In a separate statement from Funimation, company CEO Colin Decker says, “The union of Funimation and Crunchyroll is a win for anime fans around the world that will elevate the art and culture of this medium for decades to come. Combining these two great companies will be a win for fans and enable us to compete at a truly global scale.” Both Crunchyroll and Funimation offer direct-to-consumer anime streaming services with monthly subscription costs. In recent years Crunchyroll has dabbled in producing its own anime with titles like Tower of God and God of High School. Meanwhile, Funimation offers day 1 English dubs for its exclusive shows. Both services were once available together on the VRV service, but that is no longer the case. It’s unclear what the path forward will be for the two anime streaming services now that they’re under the same company. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Tom Marks to discuss Tom's Cyberpunk 2077 review (and it's all spoiler free!). We dive into his thoughts on the world design, freedom of choice, gameplay, and more. Plus, we talk a bit about Persona 5 Strikers coming to the west, the future of BioWare, and more! And yes, Max finally gets to talk about how much he enjoys Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Watch the new episode above. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cyberpunk-2077-pc-gameplay-screenshots&captions=true"]

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Podcast Beyond! is live every Wednesday. For more on PS5, check out our PS5 console review, and our PS5 wiki guide if you're picking one up this week.   [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

The Federal Trade Commission and 46 states are suing Facebook, claiming the social media company is maintaining a social networking monopoly. The FTC is recommending Facebook to divest its assets, including Instagram and WhatsApp. In a press release, the FTC claims Facebook is a social network monopoly “through a years-long course of anticompetitive conduct.” The investigation by the FTC, 46 states, and Guam, claim moves like the 2012 acquisition of Instagram, and the 2014 acquisition of WhatsApp created anti-competitive conditions. The FTC is looking to receive a permanent injunction in federal court that “could, among other things: require divestiture of assets, including Instagram and WhatsApp; prohibit Facebook from imposing anticompetitive conditions on software developers; and require Facebook to seek prior notice and approval for future mergers and acquisitions.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/03/26/facebook-is-being-investigated-by-the-ftc"] In the same statement, FTC’s bureau of competition director Ian Conner says, “Facebook’s actions to entrench and maintain its monopoly deny consumers the benefits of competition. Our aim is to roll back Facebook’s anticompetitive conduct and restore competition so that innovation and free competition can thrive.”

The FTC began investigating Facebook in 2018 over consumer privacy concerns, but the social media company has been in the spotlight of the government for years now. Concerns over data privacy, its effects on the U.S. and other elections worldwide, and information safety have all put eyes on Facebook.

In response, Facebook’s vice president and general counsel Jennifer Newstead calls the suit “revisionist history.” “Antitrust laws exist to protect consumers and promote innovation, not to punish successful businesses. Instagram and WhatsApp became the incredible products they are today because Facebook invested billions of dollars, and years of innovation and expertise, to develop new features and better experiences for the millions who enjoy those products,” says Newstead. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time followed up one beloved mascot platformer's original trilogy (and its recent remakes) with a great new sequel. And based on the art book for Crash 4, Activision may be teasing that it's prepping to do the same for Spyro the Dragon. In the newly released The Art of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time from Crash 4 and Spyro Reignited Trilogy devs Toys for Bob, a host of concept art, character designs, and more showcase the work the team did to modernize the bandicoot. But on one particular page, a hint at Spyro could potentially be teasing a similar Spyro 4 treatment may be on the way. Or we're just really reading into a sign. (H/T to @SpyroUniverse on Twitter for first tipping us off to the tease, originally spotted by @CrashyNews.) [caption id="attachment_2449790" align="alignnone" width="720"] From The Art of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2449791" align="alignnone" width="720"] A close-up of the potential Spyro 4 tease in The Art of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time[/caption] In a two-page spread featuring art from The SN@XX Dimension level and Frank's Plump Wieners Kioskbot, a large splash page of concept art includes a Spyro marquee nestled in amongst the futuristic cityscape. Right below him is his name and what appears to be most of the number "4" right below that. The accompanying text on the page by artist Brun Coes says "It was fun to combine Dingo's Diner with the futuristic element, to have those cars flying with the city down below... and a little hint at Spyro." Activision had no comment on the future of Spyro in relation to the potential tease, but IGN has verified the page in the art book itself. No plans for a continuation of the Spyro franchise have been announced, but developer Toys for Bob, from which the art book stems, also developed the Reignited Trilogy and has long shephered Spyro during Activision's ownership of the property, having previously developed the Skylanders franchise. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/01/crash-bandicoot-4-its-about-time-review"] As for now, there's no other word on a Spyro continuation, but given Activision's recent interest in reviving both his and Crash's franchises, the purple dragon may have the chance to return beyond Easter eggs in Crash 4. The Art of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is currently available on Amazon and features a ton of artwork and insight into the creation of Crash Bandicoot 4 from artists and other Toys for Bob team members, with writer Micky Neilson and a foreword by Josh Nadelberg. The studio also released The Art of Spyro Reignited Trilogy earlier this year. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-art-of-spyro-reignited-trilogy&captions=true"] For more on Toys for Bob's latest work, check out both our Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time review and our Spyro Reignited Trilogy review. And be sure to watch the Crash 4 developers react to a speedrun, and check out our Crash 4 wiki guide if you're aiming to 100% it! [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Avengers writer Jason Aaron has been busy rewriting the history of the Marvel Universe, with the series dropping bombshells like Odin leading a team of prehistoric Avengers and Mephisto being the secret hand guiding countless acts of villainy throughout the eons. And now the series is at it again, revealing the X-Men are much, much older than we realized. Keep reading to learn the secret history of mutants in the Marvel U., but beware of full spoilers for The Avengers #39 ahead! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-avengers-39-preview-lady-phoenixs-origin-revealed&captions=true"] Issue #39 acts as a prelude to Aaron's next major story arc, which will reveal the next Marvel character destined (cursed?) to become the host for the Phoenix Force. This chapter provides an origin story for Lady Phoenix, the very first Earthling to bond with the Phoenix and a member of Odin's Avengers of 1,000,000 BC. Lady Phoenix's life has been marked by tragedy from day one. Because of her fiery red hair, her parents left her for dead in a sacrificial pit known as "the burnt place." However, she was rescued and raised by wolves until the day she encountered a telepathic mutant. This mutant, a Professor X-like figure Lady Phoenix eventually comes to know as Highwalker, gathers other genetic outcasts and teaches them to use their special gifts to defend prehistoric mankind. They don't call themselves the X-Men, but rather the Tribe Without Fear. [caption id="attachment_2449725" align="aligncenter" width="929"] Art by Dale Keown. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption] Traditionally, Marvel has depicted mutants as being a much more recent phenomenon, with the oldest mutants like Apocalypse and Selene measuring their lifespans in thousands of years rather than millions. But now we know mutants have been around basically as long as mankind, even before the rise of Homo sapiens. As you might expect, early man is no more tolerant of these proto-mutants than modern man is of the X-Men. A rival tribe attacks Highwalker, who attempts to respond with compassion and reason. But after being distracted by Lady Phoenix, Highwalker is mortally wounded by a spear and the two tribes proceed to slaughter one another. A grieving Lady Phoenix returns to the burnt place hoping to finally die. Instead, the Phoenix is attracted to her psychic outburst and claims its first host. While briefly consumed with the desire to extinguish all life on Earth, Lady Phoenix regains control after seeing one of her wolf companions. She instead decides to continue Highwalker's mission of defending the planet and begins recruiting a team. Her first ally? None other than Odin, proving that it wasn't the Allfather who originally formed the Avengers after all. [caption id="attachment_244972" align="aligncenter" width="926"] Art by Dale Keown. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption] It's interesting to note the many similarities between Lady Phoenix's origin and that of Wolverine, including her kinship with wolves and her habit of outliving her loved ones. With Aaron depicting Wolverine as the final host of the Phoenix in the far future, we can't help but wonder if Logan might turn out to be a distant descendant of Lady Phoenix. It would certainly explain his fascination with redheads... This is just the latest new wrinkle for the X-Men franchise, which kicked off a bold new status quo in 2019's House of X and Powers of X. Recently, Marvel has shown the tragic secret behind Apocalypse's villainy and revealed one of the world's most powerful mutants isn't actually a mutant at all. Will this latest history-changing twist impact the rest of the X-Men line? Perhaps we'll get a better sense of that once "Enter the Phoenix" begins in The Avengers #40, due out on December 30. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/09/marvels-x-men-now-have-a-bold-new-status-quo-ign-now"] [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.

A new generation of gaming has arrived, and one of the most anticipated games of the decade is finally here, so your friends Run The Jewels want to help you celebrate by giving away an Xbox Series X, Cyberpunk 2077, and some awesome Run The Jewels swag. IGN is proud to present a Run The Jewels x Cyberpunk 2077 giveaway. Just fill out this competition form for a chance to be entered and be the lucky winner of: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=run-the-jewels-and-cyberpunk-2077-giveaway-items&captions=true"]

• An Xbox Series X
• A copy of Cyberpunk 2077 for Xbox
• a Run The Jewels hoodies
• a Run The Jewels T-shirt
• a copy of RTJ4 on 2x LP vinyl
• a Run The Jewels Mug

The contest will run between now and Monday, December 14 at 10 am PT, so enter now for a chance to win. One lucky winner will be chosen on December 14 and notified by email. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/07/cyberpunk-2077-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Competition is available only to U.S. residents aged 18 years or older. Check out the full rules of the sweepstakes here.

Update (12/13/20) - Insomniac Games has released the 1.002 update for Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered on PS5 and it also brings a 60fps ray tracing mode to the game. Original story follows. [poilib element="accentDivider"] A new update for Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales brings a 60fps ray tracing mode to the game on PlayStation 5. Before today's update, which is already live, PS5 players had to choose between a resolution mode and a performance mode. The resolution mode featured 4K visuals with ray tracing while the performance mode dropped ray tracing in favor of a steady 60fps. Players can now have the best of both modes with the new "Performance RT" mode that features both 60fps and ray tracing.

Our new update overnight introduced Performance RT mode on PS5. 60fps and ray-tracing! https://t.co/SSRy9vq9Aw

— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) December 9, 2020

This new mode adjusts scene resolution, reflection quality, and pedestrian density in order to achieve ray tracing at 60fps, according to the in-game description of the mode. The word "adjusts" in this description presumably means "lower." While this might be noticeable to some players, Miles Morales is so fast-paced, especially while swinging through New York City, that you'll likely see the benefits of 60fps and ray tracing more so than the lower quality reflections and more minimal pedestrian count. The update is already live and weighs in at roughly 262MB. Once you've got the update downloaded and installed, restart Miles Morales and then head to the visual settings in the game's main menu to select the new Performance RT mode. Like with the previous two modes, you can also switch between this new mode and the game's resolution mode from the start menu while playing the game. This news comes the same day that PlayStation announced that Miles Morales was the number one game at the top of the PS Store's first-ever PS5 downloads chart. Miles Morales beat out other November titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, PS5-exclusive Demon's Souls, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/11/the-first-22-minutes-of-spider-man-miles-morales-on-ps5"] For more of the game, check out the official Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales vinyl soundtrack announced yesterday and then read the official IGN Miles Morales review after that. For a look at how the game looks on PS5, PS4 Pro, and PS4, check out IGN's Miles Morales performance review video. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. He is sad this update came after he already obtained the game's platinum trophy. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

A True Blood reboot is reportedly in early development at HBO, with Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa set as an executive producer. According to TVLine, Aguirre-Sacasa is expected to co-write the series pilot with Jami O'Brien, who also joins the project as an executive producer alongside original series creator and five-season showrunner Alan Ball. At this time, however, HBO has not made any official announcements about the rumoured new iteration of the fantasy drama series. The original True Blood series, based on the novel series Southern Vampire by Charlaine Harris, aired between 2008-2014 and comprised of seven seasons and 80 episodes in total. Anna Paquin starred as telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who found comfort in the company of vampires. The show also starred Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgård, Joe Manganiello, and Sam Trammell, amongst others. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/03/20/joe-manganiello-on-the-end-of-true-blood"] In our review of the season finale, we noted that the episode provided "an amusing final few minutes" despite "an abundance of slow-roasted idiocy." We acknowledged that "everyone wound up happy and/or successful" in the show's closing moments, even though we didn't necessarily agree with all of the characters' final fates. If you want to know more about the show's final episode, read the full review HERE or check out our thoughts on Season 7 as a whole. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-15-best-horror-tv-shows-of-the-last-10-years&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.