Update: Kratos is officially available in Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 5. Epic Games released a short trailer showcasing the God of War in the battle royale game, and he's available as a skin now in the Item Shop. What's more, the Kratos skin isn't a console exclusive, so anybody playing Fortnite can charge onto the island as the God of War. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/04/fortnite-kratos-skin-reveal-trailer"] Players can get the Kratos skin on its own or as part of the Kratos Bundle which comes with the full Oathbreaker Set.  This includes the Guardian Shield Glider, Leviathan Axe Pickaxe, and Mimir Back Bling. There's also a custom Kratos emote as part of the set. Fortnite players matchmaking on a PlayStation 5 will also unlock the Armored Kratos Style bonus skin after purchasing the Kratos Outfit. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Original Story: Kratos from God of War looks to be headed towards Fortnite according to a variety of leaks and teases. He’ll join The Mandalorian as one of the new skins for Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 5. The news that a Kratos skin is coming to Fortnite has sprung from a variety of sources and a mix of both leaks and official teases. Starting with official sources, the newest season of Fortnite is themed around getting the most elite hunters from across the multiverse onto the Island. The official Fortnite Twitter account has been posting audio logs from Jonesey (now voiced by Troy Baker) as he scours the universe for hunters to join him. One of the audio logs, published on the official PlayStation Twitter account, mentions a man who has defeated gods with his bare hands. Sound familiar?

Incoming audio transmission from @FortniteGame pic.twitter.com/SdpmU7OmkM

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) December 2, 2020

The secret wasn’t kept for long as Twitter user @Hypex, a Fortnite leaker who accurately leaked The Mandalorian skin before it was announced, revealed Kratos is coming to Fortnite. And a second leak, this time on the PlayStation Store also claimed the God of War is coming to the Island.

Kratos will be a skin soon! (Reposted for a better image) pic.twitter.com/S6lgYMcGJR

— HYPEX (@HYPEX) December 2, 2020

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 5 is the latest event following the Nexus War which was Fortnite’s major crossover with the Marvel Universe. This newest event seems to be focused less on one particular property, but instead on the theme of badass hunters. So Mandalorian is one, and Kratos looks to be another. Who else could join this growing roster? [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/02/fortnite-season-5-the-mandalorian-skin-gameplay"] Fortnite players can immediately unlock The Mandalorian Beskar armor skin by purchasing the Battle Pass. After completing 100 levels, players will unlock a Baby Yoda back bling. Fortnite also recently announced a monthly subscription service that comes with the latest battle pass as well as exclusive cosmetics for a recurring monthly fee. Check out IGN’s Fortnite wiki for more on Epic’s growing, multi-reality battle royale. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Update: Kratos is officially available in Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 5. Epic Games released a short trailer showcasing the God of War in the battle royale game, and he's available as a skin now in the Item Shop. What's more, the Kratos skin isn't a console exclusive, so anybody playing Fortnite can charge onto the island as the God of War. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/04/fortnite-kratos-skin-reveal-trailer"] Players can get the Kratos skin on its own or as part of the Kratos Bundle which comes with the full Oathbreaker Set.  This includes the Guardian Shield Glider, Leviathan Axe Pickaxe, and Mimir Back Bling. There's also a custom Kratos emote as part of the set. Fortnite players matchmaking on a PlayStation 5 will also unlock the Armored Kratos Style bonus skin after purchasing the Kratos Outfit. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Original Story: Kratos from God of War looks to be headed towards Fortnite according to a variety of leaks and teases. He’ll join The Mandalorian as one of the new skins for Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 5. The news that a Kratos skin is coming to Fortnite has sprung from a variety of sources and a mix of both leaks and official teases. Starting with official sources, the newest season of Fortnite is themed around getting the most elite hunters from across the multiverse onto the Island. The official Fortnite Twitter account has been posting audio logs from Jonesey (now voiced by Troy Baker) as he scours the universe for hunters to join him. One of the audio logs, published on the official PlayStation Twitter account, mentions a man who has defeated gods with his bare hands. Sound familiar?

Incoming audio transmission from @FortniteGame pic.twitter.com/SdpmU7OmkM

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) December 2, 2020

The secret wasn’t kept for long as Twitter user @Hypex, a Fortnite leaker who accurately leaked The Mandalorian skin before it was announced, revealed Kratos is coming to Fortnite. And a second leak, this time on the PlayStation Store also claimed the God of War is coming to the Island.

Kratos will be a skin soon! (Reposted for a better image) pic.twitter.com/S6lgYMcGJR

— HYPEX (@HYPEX) December 2, 2020

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 5 is the latest event following the Nexus War which was Fortnite’s major crossover with the Marvel Universe. This newest event seems to be focused less on one particular property, but instead on the theme of badass hunters. So Mandalorian is one, and Kratos looks to be another. Who else could join this growing roster? [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/02/fortnite-season-5-the-mandalorian-skin-gameplay"] Fortnite players can immediately unlock The Mandalorian Beskar armor skin by purchasing the Battle Pass. After completing 100 levels, players will unlock a Baby Yoda back bling. Fortnite also recently announced a monthly subscription service that comes with the latest battle pass as well as exclusive cosmetics for a recurring monthly fee. Check out IGN’s Fortnite wiki for more on Epic’s growing, multi-reality battle royale. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

There's a lot going on in the Marvel Universe lately, what with the end of the X of Swords crossover and the start of the long-awaited Venom epic King in Black. But the biggest twist in the entire Marvel Universe this week actually takes place within the pages of Daredevil. Warning: this article contains full spoilers for Daredevil #25!  [poilib element="accentDivider"] Things are looking pretty bleak in Matt Murdock's world these days, which is basically par for the course for Marvel's most chronically miserable hero. The previous issue saw Matt finally accept the consequences for his unintended act of manslaughter. He's now serving out a two-year prison sentence, albeit still wearing his Daredevil mask. Hey, after all the trouble he went through to restore his secret identity, why throw it away now? The question now is who will protect Hell's Kitchen with Daredevil in the slammer. The answer? None other than Matt's former flame Elektra. She's even dressed for the part: [caption id="attachment_2446878" align="aligncenter" width="923"] Art by Marco Checchetto. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption] What's motivating Elektra to give up a lucrative career as a ninja assassin and play the thankless role of Hell's Kitchen's vigilante hero? While this issue hints at a larger conspiracy at play involving The Hand and its newly discovered antithesis, The Fist, Elektra seems to genuinely want to prove she can be a hero. That means no more killing, no matter how much the criminals of New York might tempt her. Elektra also has a vested financial interest in protecting Hell's Kitchen now. The series' previous story arc dealt with Daredevil and Elektra battling the wealthy Stromwyn family, which had been hiring supervillains to terrorize the neighborhood in order to drive out Hell's Kitchen's inhabitants and snatch up cheap real estate. Matt thought he had saved the day by convincing Tony Stark to buy up the properties and sell them back to their former owners at cost. But at the last minute, Tony was outbid by Elektra. Hell's Kitchen now literally belongs to Daredevil, and she's going to do everything she can to save her new home. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-comics-of-the-decade-2010-2019&captions=true"] This isn't the first time Matt has put the mantle and responsibilities of Daredevil in someone else's hands. Iron Fist also briefly filled in as Daredevil last time Matt was imprisoned, a storyline explored in Daredevil: The Devil in Cell Block D. Later, Black Panther became the temporary protector of Hell's Kitchen in the aftermath of 2010's Shadowland crossover, with the monthly Daredevil comic being relaunched as Black Panther: The Man Without Fear. It remains to be seen just how long this new status quo will last, but given that Matt is serving out a two-year sentence, it's entirely possible the series will unfold in real time and Elektra will remain in her new role until the end of 2022. In other Daredevil news, fans have launched a #SaveDaredevil campaign now that the rights to the character have reverted from Netflix back to Marvel Studios. Netflix canceled its Daredevil series in November 2018, beginning a two-year wait for Marvel to regain control of the character in live-action form. It remains to be seen how Daredevil and his supporting cast will be worked into the MCU and if Marvel will continue the continuity established on the Netflix series or reboot Daredevil from scratch. Vincent D'Onofrio has made it clear he wants to continue playing Kingpin. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/11/30/netflix-cancels-daredevil-season-4"] Are you intrigued by the thought of Elektra taking over the mantle of Daredevil? let us know in the comments below. [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.

There's a lot going on in the Marvel Universe lately, what with the end of the X of Swords crossover and the start of the long-awaited Venom epic King in Black. But the biggest twist in the entire Marvel Universe this week actually takes place within the pages of Daredevil. Warning: this article contains full spoilers for Daredevil #25!  [poilib element="accentDivider"] Things are looking pretty bleak in Matt Murdock's world these days, which is basically par for the course for Marvel's most chronically miserable hero. The previous issue saw Matt finally accept the consequences for his unintended act of manslaughter. He's now serving out a two-year prison sentence, albeit still wearing his Daredevil mask. Hey, after all the trouble he went through to restore his secret identity, why throw it away now? The question now is who will protect Hell's Kitchen with Daredevil in the slammer. The answer? None other than Matt's former flame Elektra. She's even dressed for the part: [caption id="attachment_2446878" align="aligncenter" width="923"] Art by Marco Checchetto. (Image Credit: Marvel)[/caption] What's motivating Elektra to give up a lucrative career as a ninja assassin and play the thankless role of Hell's Kitchen's vigilante hero? While this issue hints at a larger conspiracy at play involving The Hand and its newly discovered antithesis, The Fist, Elektra seems to genuinely want to prove she can be a hero. That means no more killing, no matter how much the criminals of New York might tempt her. Elektra also has a vested financial interest in protecting Hell's Kitchen now. The series' previous story arc dealt with Daredevil and Elektra battling the wealthy Stromwyn family, which had been hiring supervillains to terrorize the neighborhood in order to drive out Hell's Kitchen's inhabitants and snatch up cheap real estate. Matt thought he had saved the day by convincing Tony Stark to buy up the properties and sell them back to their former owners at cost. But at the last minute, Tony was outbid by Elektra. Hell's Kitchen now literally belongs to Daredevil, and she's going to do everything she can to save her new home. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-comics-of-the-decade-2010-2019&captions=true"] This isn't the first time Matt has put the mantle and responsibilities of Daredevil in someone else's hands. Iron Fist also briefly filled in as Daredevil last time Matt was imprisoned, a storyline explored in Daredevil: The Devil in Cell Block D. Later, Black Panther became the temporary protector of Hell's Kitchen in the aftermath of 2010's Shadowland crossover, with the monthly Daredevil comic being relaunched as Black Panther: The Man Without Fear. It remains to be seen just how long this new status quo will last, but given that Matt is serving out a two-year sentence, it's entirely possible the series will unfold in real time and Elektra will remain in her new role until the end of 2022. In other Daredevil news, fans have launched a #SaveDaredevil campaign now that the rights to the character have reverted from Netflix back to Marvel Studios. Netflix canceled its Daredevil series in November 2018, beginning a two-year wait for Marvel to regain control of the character in live-action form. It remains to be seen how Daredevil and his supporting cast will be worked into the MCU and if Marvel will continue the continuity established on the Netflix series or reboot Daredevil from scratch. Vincent D'Onofrio has made it clear he wants to continue playing Kingpin. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/11/30/netflix-cancels-daredevil-season-4"] Are you intrigued by the thought of Elektra taking over the mantle of Daredevil? let us know in the comments below. [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.

Aardman, the British animation studio behind characters like Wallace and Gromit, has announced a partnership with Bandai Namco Europe to develop a new, multimedia project. If you haven’t heard of Aardman before, you’ll likely have seen their distinctive claymation work from the Wallace and Gromit shorts, as well as movies like Chicken Run and Shaun the Sheep. Aardman says that the collaboration’s first major project will exist across multiple media, which likely covers film and video games given the partnership. Aardman says it will lend its talents in “creating characters and worlds,” to “create stories tailored for current and future platforms.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/11/09/11-11-memories-retold-launch-trailer"] This isn’t Aardman’s first foray into video games, either. Aside from licensing out its most well-known properties for video game spinoffs, Aardman and Digixart co-developed 11-11: Memories Retold, a narrative third-person adventure set in World War I. In a statement, Aardman Managing Director Sean Clarke says, "Interactive Entertainment is a huge growth area within the entertainment world, and with new emerging technology blurring the lines of watching and playing." Clarke adds that the studio will embrace "this new world and cement our studio's reputation as a multi-disciplinary creative hub." Aardman says the first collaboration will begin development in early 2021. While details remain secret, the project will be a completely new IP, so not based on any previous Aardman or Namco Bandai creation. And no, this likely has nothing to do with Elden Ring. Who knows where that game is? [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Aardman, the British animation studio behind characters like Wallace and Gromit, has announced a partnership with Bandai Namco Europe to develop a new, multimedia project. If you haven’t heard of Aardman before, you’ll likely have seen their distinctive claymation work from the Wallace and Gromit shorts, as well as movies like Chicken Run and Shaun the Sheep. Aardman says that the collaboration’s first major project will exist across multiple media, which likely covers film and video games given the partnership. Aardman says it will lend its talents in “creating characters and worlds,” to “create stories tailored for current and future platforms.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/11/09/11-11-memories-retold-launch-trailer"] This isn’t Aardman’s first foray into video games, either. Aside from licensing out its most well-known properties for video game spinoffs, Aardman and Digixart co-developed 11-11: Memories Retold, a narrative third-person adventure set in World War I. In a statement, Aardman Managing Director Sean Clarke says, "Interactive Entertainment is a huge growth area within the entertainment world, and with new emerging technology blurring the lines of watching and playing." Clarke adds that the studio will embrace "this new world and cement our studio's reputation as a multi-disciplinary creative hub." Aardman says the first collaboration will begin development in early 2021. While details remain secret, the project will be a completely new IP, so not based on any previous Aardman or Namco Bandai creation. And no, this likely has nothing to do with Elden Ring. Who knows where that game is? [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

The final ten episodes of Vikings will be all made available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video before they are aired on History Channel. On December 30, all of the final episodes of Vikings Season 6 will be made available on Amazon Prime Video. This is counter to the show’s traditional format, which sees episodes released weekly on History Channel before they are then made available on streaming platforms. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/24/vikings-season-6-official-clip-comic-conhome-on-ign"] "Prime Video has already delighted Prime members with all five and a half seasons of Vikings," said Brad Beale, VP worldwide content licensing at Amazon. “On Dec. 30, Prime members in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Austria and Ireland will be the first to learn the fates of the beloved characters as the epic drama concludes in the final 10 episodes." At present, it is yet to be determined the date when History Channel will air the remaining ten episodes, but it will be sometime in 2021. With Vikings concluded, showrunner Michael Hirst will move onto production on a sequel spin-off show for Netflix, as well as a limited series about the bubonic plague in 17th century London for History Channel. For more, check out how DNA proves that real vikings didn’t actually look like Ragnar Lothbrok in the show, as well as catch up on who survived Vikings Season 6’s midseason finale. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

The final ten episodes of Vikings will be all made available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video before they are aired on History Channel. On December 30, all of the final episodes of Vikings Season 6 will be made available on Amazon Prime Video. This is counter to the show’s traditional format, which sees episodes released weekly on History Channel before they are then made available on streaming platforms. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/24/vikings-season-6-official-clip-comic-conhome-on-ign"] "Prime Video has already delighted Prime members with all five and a half seasons of Vikings," said Brad Beale, VP worldwide content licensing at Amazon. “On Dec. 30, Prime members in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Austria and Ireland will be the first to learn the fates of the beloved characters as the epic drama concludes in the final 10 episodes." At present, it is yet to be determined the date when History Channel will air the remaining ten episodes, but it will be sometime in 2021. With Vikings concluded, showrunner Michael Hirst will move onto production on a sequel spin-off show for Netflix, as well as a limited series about the bubonic plague in 17th century London for History Channel. For more, check out how DNA proves that real vikings didn’t actually look like Ragnar Lothbrok in the show, as well as catch up on who survived Vikings Season 6’s midseason finale. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Gaming phones and smartphones have been getting better every year thanks to faster and faster chips and now Qualcomm has unveiled its latest mobile processor, the Snapdragon 888. The Snapdragon 888’s new Kryo 680 CPU now tops out at 2.84GHz to generate up to 25% more processing power. The new Adreno 660 GPU, meanwhile, stacks on 35% faster graphics rendering than the previous chip. For even more gaming performance, Qualcomm has introduced Variable Rate Shading to mobile devices. This technology essentially tells the GPU to render details closer to the foreground at their maximum detail and resolution while relaxing quality in the background and more muted areas of the frame like the sky or similar textures. We’ve seen variable rate shading in PC games and on consoles, but this will be the first time it has come to mobile games. At the same time, the Snapdragon 888 introduces Qualcomm Quick Touch, which reduces touchscreen latency and will reportedly improve responsiveness in games by 20%. Gaming phones have come with high-polling rates that are double to quadruple that of regular smartphones and this new feature should make mainstream handsets feel more responsive to taps and swipes – of course, specialized gaming phones will feel even faster. Another notable feature is this mobile component brings is an integrated 5G modem. The previous Snapdragon 865 required manufacturers to include a separate modem chip, so this should make 5G connectivity a universal feature on more Android phones in the coming year. The Snapdragon 888’s new Triple Image Signal Processor will allow Android phones to record video and capture images with all three cameras at the same time. Qualcomm claims the chip will even be capable of handling three 4K HDR video recordings at the same time. Qualcomm’s new chip announcement sadly doesn’t coincide with any new smartphones announced today. However, we should see a fleet of new Snapdragon 888-powered flagships launch soon with MWC usually kicking off in late February to early March. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam

Gaming phones and smartphones have been getting better every year thanks to faster and faster chips and now Qualcomm has unveiled its latest mobile processor, the Snapdragon 888. The Snapdragon 888’s new Kryo 680 CPU now tops out at 2.84GHz to generate up to 25% more processing power. The new Adreno 660 GPU, meanwhile, stacks on 35% faster graphics rendering than the previous chip. For even more gaming performance, Qualcomm has introduced Variable Rate Shading to mobile devices. This technology essentially tells the GPU to render details closer to the foreground at their maximum detail and resolution while relaxing quality in the background and more muted areas of the frame like the sky or similar textures. We’ve seen variable rate shading in PC games and on consoles, but this will be the first time it has come to mobile games. At the same time, the Snapdragon 888 introduces Qualcomm Quick Touch, which reduces touchscreen latency and will reportedly improve responsiveness in games by 20%. Gaming phones have come with high-polling rates that are double to quadruple that of regular smartphones and this new feature should make mainstream handsets feel more responsive to taps and swipes – of course, specialized gaming phones will feel even faster. Another notable feature is this mobile component brings is an integrated 5G modem. The previous Snapdragon 865 required manufacturers to include a separate modem chip, so this should make 5G connectivity a universal feature on more Android phones in the coming year. The Snapdragon 888’s new Triple Image Signal Processor will allow Android phones to record video and capture images with all three cameras at the same time. Qualcomm claims the chip will even be capable of handling three 4K HDR video recordings at the same time. Qualcomm’s new chip announcement sadly doesn’t coincide with any new smartphones announced today. However, we should see a fleet of new Snapdragon 888-powered flagships launch soon with MWC usually kicking off in late February to early March. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam