Joseph Gordon-Levitt believes that video games are the future of storytelling, not movies. Gordon-Levitt was recently interviewed while eating extremely spicy wings on First We Feast's Hot Ones YouTube interview series. The 25-minute interview broached a number of topics but stayed close to what Gordon-Levitt is best known for: entertainment. When asked by Hot Ones host Sean Evans about storytelling in media, the actor said he sees video games as the future, as spotted by GameSpot. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/06/11/joseph-gordon-levitt-announces-hit-record-in-beyond-good-and-evil-2"] "The future of storytelling, it's going to be video games," Gordon-Levitt said. "I don't think it's going to be filmmakers who figure out how to do that. But (video games) feels like kind of the most groundbreaking storytelling." The actor continued and said the storytelling happening in video games is in a "whole different realm than anything we've seen before." It's what video games are doing differently in the realm of storytelling that makes Gordon-Levitt believe storytelling's future isn't necessary in the "feature film form." While Gordon-Levitt is best known for his work in the film industry, he's not a stranger to games. He's the founder of HitRECord, which is an open online community for creative collaboration, and it's this company that Gordon-Levitt has found himself associated with games like Beyond Good and Evil 2. He was, however, criticized by game developers for utilizing "spec work" in HitRECord's partnership with BG&E2 back in 2018. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=watch-dogs-legion-official-screenshots&captions=true"] HitRECord struck up another deal with Ubisoft to get music created for Watch Dogs: Legion, which was met with similar criticism. The actor has even lent his voice to a couple video games before, namely 2002's Treasure Planet: Battle at Procyon and 2009's G.I.: Rise of Cobra. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN who wishes Gordon-Levitt got to portray Batman after events of The Dark Knight Rises. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Drake Hollow, the village-building action game, is available...today! Check out a new launch trailer for the game below, and prepare to jump in with Drake Hollow available on Xbox and PC starting today. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/28/raise-plant-monsters-build-a-base-and-defend-it-with-others-in-drake-hollow"] Following a preview weekend in June, and its reveal at E3 2019, Drake Hollow is now available after a previously planned July release. Players can team up with friends while protecting villages of vegetables, the titular Drakes, from evil beasts in The Hollow. For more on the developer, The Molasses Flood, be sure to read IGN's The Flame in the Flood review. And stay tuned to IGN for more from Gamescom 2020. There's much, much more to come from gamescom 2020 on IGN - check out our full gamescom schedule to find out what else is on the way. And be sure to check out the gamescom 2020 highlights so far. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Drake Hollow, the village-building action game, is available...today! Check out a new launch trailer for the game below, and prepare to jump in with Drake Hollow available on Xbox and PC starting today. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/28/raise-plant-monsters-build-a-base-and-defend-it-with-others-in-drake-hollow"] Following a preview weekend in June, and its reveal at E3 2019, Drake Hollow is now available after a previously planned July release. Players can team up with friends while protecting villages of vegetables, the titular Drakes, from evil beasts in The Hollow. For more on the developer, The Molasses Flood, be sure to read IGN's The Flame in the Flood review. And stay tuned to IGN for more from Gamescom 2020. There's much, much more to come from gamescom 2020 on IGN - check out our full gamescom schedule to find out what else is on the way. And be sure to check out the gamescom 2020 highlights so far. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Sea of Thieves is adding a shaggy new addition to your pirate crew in its September update. In a new state of Sea of Thieves video premiered during Gamescom 2020, developer Rare outlined some of the progress the open seas adventure game has made since its Steam launch, and what the developers have in store for next month. Chief among the new additions will be the inclusion of new dog companions that players can now have aboard their ships. And while these lovable companions can be pet, show affection, and generally appear as a cute friend, they're also inclined to, well, take care of business. So watch where you step. Additionally, a new permanent Voyage type is being added for Gold Hoarders, but more information about it will be coming closer to its launch. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/28/the-state-of-sea-of-thieves-next-year-will-be-the-biggest-one-yet"] As Rare looks ahead to monthly updates, executive producer Joe Neate said the team is looking to add new features, quality of life improvements, bug fixes, and a focus on live events, with the aim to "have something unique for players to do throughout the month and not just looking toward the next monthly update." Neate also looked at the game's recent Steam success, explaining that about 20-30 percent of the current player base is from that PC version, but enjoys cross-play with all others. With its arrival on Steam, Neate noted that players ask about other potential platforms, and he explained that "the most important thing is that any new players can play via Xbox Live with the rest of our community," when it comes to the team deciding on where to bring the game next. IGN's Sea of Thieves re-review this year praised the game's advancements since launch, saying "Sea of Thieves presents an endless sea of possibilities full of exciting encounters with other players and a never-ending list of fun things to do." IGN also spoke with the dev team earlier this year to look at how Rare successfully reinvented Sea of Thieves. Sea of Thieves is set to be optimized for Xbox Series X. There's much, much more to come from gamescom 2020 on IGN - check out our full gamescom schedule to find out what else is on the way. And be sure to check out the gamescom 2020 highlights so far. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Sea of Thieves is adding a shaggy new addition to your pirate crew in its September update. In a new state of Sea of Thieves video premiered during Gamescom 2020, developer Rare outlined some of the progress the open seas adventure game has made since its Steam launch, and what the developers have in store for next month. Chief among the new additions will be the inclusion of new dog companions that players can now have aboard their ships. And while these lovable companions can be pet, show affection, and generally appear as a cute friend, they're also inclined to, well, take care of business. So watch where you step. Additionally, a new permanent Voyage type is being added for Gold Hoarders, but more information about it will be coming closer to its launch. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/28/the-state-of-sea-of-thieves-next-year-will-be-the-biggest-one-yet"] As Rare looks ahead to monthly updates, executive producer Joe Neate said the team is looking to add new features, quality of life improvements, bug fixes, and a focus on live events, with the aim to "have something unique for players to do throughout the month and not just looking toward the next monthly update." Neate also looked at the game's recent Steam success, explaining that about 20-30 percent of the current player base is from that PC version, but enjoys cross-play with all others. With its arrival on Steam, Neate noted that players ask about other potential platforms, and he explained that "the most important thing is that any new players can play via Xbox Live with the rest of our community," when it comes to the team deciding on where to bring the game next. IGN's Sea of Thieves re-review this year praised the game's advancements since launch, saying "Sea of Thieves presents an endless sea of possibilities full of exciting encounters with other players and a never-ending list of fun things to do." IGN also spoke with the dev team earlier this year to look at how Rare successfully reinvented Sea of Thieves. Sea of Thieves is set to be optimized for Xbox Series X. There's much, much more to come from Gamescom 2020 on IGN - check out our full Gamescom schedule to find out what else is on the way. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Haak, the stylish Metroidvania from Blingame, will be released into Steam Early Access on September 16. Announced as part of Gamescom Studio, a new trailer showed off the game's frenetic combat, platforming inovations using the games energy hook item, and a little hint at how exploration will work. Check out the new gameplay below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/28/haak-is-a-fast-paced-2d-metroidvania-with-a-badass-cape-gameplay-trailer"] Haak is set in an apocalyptic wasteland, as the mysterious lead character seeks to learn what happened to the world around them, all while avoiding the clutches of the shadowy organisation on their tail. There's much, much more to come from gamescom 2020 on IGN - check out our full gamescom schedule to find out what else is on the way. And be sure to check out the gamescom 2020 highlights so far. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Haak, the stylish Metroidvania from Blingame, will be released into Steam Early Access on September 16. Announced as part of Gamescom Studio, a new trailer showed off the game's frenetic combat, platforming inovations using the games energy hook item, and a little hint at how exploration will work. Check out the new gameplay below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/28/haak-is-a-fast-paced-2d-metroidvania-with-a-badass-cape-gameplay-trailer"] Haak is set in an apocalyptic wasteland, as the mysterious lead character seeks to learn what happened to the world around them, all while avoiding the clutches of the shadowy organisation on their tail. There's much, much more to come from Gamescom 2020 on IGN - check out our full Gamescom schedule to find out what else is on the way. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Stronghold: Warlords, the castle-building sim coming to PC on January 26 2021 (after a recent delay), will get a digital special edition release with a number of bonuses. Revealed at Gamescom 2020, the upcoming strategy game will bring a special edition on Steam, priced at $49.99 USD / £39.99 (Australian prices not available at time of writing), including a copy of the game, a soundrack, an art book and a documentary. You can check out the full contents at the bottom of this story. We also got a look at the game's Japanese faction's campaign mode, which you can watch below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/28/strongholds-warlords-is-an-rtscastle-sim-with-deep-mechanics-developer-walkthrough-trailer"]

Stronghold: Warlords Digital Special Edition Contents

• Full Steam copy of the game

• Soundtrack

  • Completely new full soundtrack

  • Same Stronghold atmosphere and epic battle feeling, but with a completely new set of instruments and historical inspirations

  • Created by fan-favourite series composer Robert Euvino, who has scored every Stronghold game to date

  • Based on music Japanese, Chinese, Cambodian, Mongolian and Vietnamese culture

  • Taking influence from musicians like Yo-Yo Ma and master Shakuhachi players

  • Cover a wide geographical area and hundreds of years of history

  • Available in high quality original format

• Art Book

  • Over thirty pages of original Stronghold artwork from the game's artists

  • Everything from 2D concepts and character models to in-game renders, environmental illustrations and more

  • Includes key art created by polish artist Mariusz Kozik

  • Insight into Firefly's artistic process and the way art functions in an RTS

  • Exclusive game art not available in any other format

• Making of Documentary

  • Total runtime of 90 minutes

  • Covering 3 years of development

  • Mix of behind the scenes footage and interviews with key Firefly staff

  • designers, coders, artists, composers, producers and even lowly marketers talk about their experience developing, revealing and releasing Stronghold: Warlords

  • An honest look at modern indie game development at a small studio during a global pandemic

There's much, much more to come from Gamescom 2020 on IGN - check out our full Gamescom schedule to find out what else is on the way. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Humankind, the upcoming 4X strategy game, has detailed its Religion system, and explained how wildly it can alter your path through human history. Explained during IGN's Gamescom Studio show, Religion will be tied into every civilization into the game, with each culture beginning the game with a different religion. Religion begins when a civilization has a high enough population, and can be strengthened over time by adding Tenets, which grant bonuses. You can check out developers from Amplitude explaining the system in the video below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/28/humankind-religion-devs-breakdown-how-your-choices-can-bring-chaos-or-unity-to-civilizations"] With increased Faith (earned by building holy sites, choosing Civics and more), you religion will spread to adjacent territories and, if your Faith stats are high enough, your beliefs may begin to convert other religious populations, and become entire other civilizations' religions (and if yours is too low, other religions may sweep across your territory). Religion can be used as a tool of war or control, or used to create a more open and accepting culture. Some cultures will be able to spread religion more effectively, while others can gain combat or science bonuses by engaging with it. However, players can choose not to embrace in a state religion at all, letting their population accept any belief they want and taking the benefits of it along the way. Religion is just one of many systems used throughout Humankind, a game we've already said "feels like its own branch of historical 4X separate from the Civilization series in mechanics, aesthetics, and philosophy." There's much, much more to come from gamescom 2020 on IGN - check out our full gamescom schedule to find out what else is on the way and our roundup of gamescom 2020 highlights. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Serene, infuriating, excellent cycling game Lonely Mountains: Downhill has announced a new DLC mountain, Eldfjall Island, as well as new daily challenges and an intriguing 'ASMR soundtrack'. Shown off on IGN's Gamescom show today, Eldfjall Island is 'coming soon', and will be the largest mountain in the game so far. It will feature 4 new trails, with new challenges and resting spots, and include unique new effects like thunderstorms and volcanic eruptions. You'll also be able to earn new cosmetic items, including Viking-themed gear. Check out a trailer below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/28/lonely-mountains-downhill-eldjfall-island-dlc-trailer-getting-back-on-the-bike"] The game will also soon add a new free feature in the form of Daily Rides. Every day, Daily Rides will add a new cross-platform challenge for randomly selected trails (including new obstacles and shortcuts), with leaderboards tracking the world's fastest riders. The top players at the end of 3-8 week seasons will earn unique rewards for their trouble. And alongside all this, publisher Thunderful has revealed that the game will get an 'ASMR soundtrack', due for release this September. As those who have played will know, Lonely Mountains doesn't include music, but that hasn't stopped the developers. The soundtrack will include a 5-minute track for each of the game's mountain, including environmental and bike sounds, as if a player's making it to the bottom of the trail with no crashes. On top of that, there will be a "story mode" track, giving the feeling of the player visiting every mountain in the game, including the sounds of vehicles transferring the rider from location to location. This one does include crash sounds, and even an ambulance. The soundtrack will be released digitally on Steam in September, and a limited edition vinyl will arrive later this year. There's much, much more to come from gamescom 2020 on IGN - check out our full gamescom schedule to find out what else is on the way and our roundup of gamescom 2020 highlights. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.