A Nintendo Direct Mini will air later today, showcasing titles from non-Nintendo developers and publishers. It will go live at 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern / 3pm UK / midnight AEST, and should last roughly 10 minutes. The Nintendo Direct Mini July Showcase was revealed on Twitter by the Nintendo of America account, and it apparently the first in a series of broadcasts to come. Today's show will "share a few updates on a small group of previously-announced Nintendo Switch games." According to Nintendo Japan, the Direct Mini will run for 10 minutes.

On 7/20 we'll debut the first #NintendoDirect Mini: Partner Showcase, a series focused on titles from our development & publishing partners. We'll share a few updates on a small group of previously-announced #NintendoSwitch games. Check out the full video release at 7am PT. pic.twitter.com/GbEbxVL6fD

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 20, 2020

Per previous showcases, you'll most likely be able to catch it on Nintendo's official YouTube account. The Twitter account behind HiRez Studios' upcoming team-based multiplayer shooter Rogue Company quoted Nintendo's tweet with some cryptic wording, suggesting the game may appear during the show. A few games that may well qualify for this direct include Bayonetta 3 and Shin Megami Tensei V - which are developed by Nintendo's partners, and are yet to be revealed in any great depth. In other Nintendo news, check out our review of Paper Mario: The Origami King, which we gave a 7, praising its "personality and visual design." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

SPOILERS AHEAD for The Last of Us Part 2. While The Last of Us Part 2 is, at its core, a dark story that deals with loss and revenge, a possible original ending could have led it down an even darker road. As reported by GameSpot, That Last of Us Part 2 director Neil Druckmann and narrative lead Halley Gross spoke with Game Informer about the game's ending, discussing how, until about half-way through production, Ellie would have actually killed Abby at the end of the game. "When I signed on a lot of it was very similar," Gross revealed. "We did a lot of iterations on what that last act looked like, but the final beat was that Ellie would kill Abby. About halfway through production, we changed that and had Ellie let go at the last second to [illustrate] that some little part of the old Ellie, the Ellie with humanity, the Ellie that is impacted by Joel, still exists within this character who has been so overtaken by her quest for revenge." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/20/14-brilliant-little-details-in-the-last-of-us-part-2"] The change of heart happened when the narrative team was working through the fates of both Lev and Yara, who also lived/died in earlier drafts of the story. Once it was decided that Lev would survive, Druckmann felt the right decision was to ensure Ellie didn't actually kill Abby and complete her tale of revenge. Gross was taken aback by the notion that this was even an option, but it allowed for Ellie to hold on to some of her humanity and avoid being lost completely. "Letting Abby live felt wrong thematically initially," Druckmann said. "But at the end of the day, it felt more honest for the character. The theme [and] what we're trying to say shifted a little bit, but our top priority always is are we being honest to the character? There's certain things we are trying to hit but they can only work if we're consistent with the character we're writing." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-last-of-us-part-2-review-screenshots&captions=true"] This was one of the many changes that occurred during The Last of Us Part 2. In our interview with Druckmann, he explained how The Last of Us Part 2 was once more open world and that players would have spent a lot more time in Jackson. [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.

SPOILERS AHEAD for The Last of Us Part 2. While The Last of Us Part 2 is, at its core, a dark story that deals with loss and revenge, a possible original ending could have led it down an even darker road. As reported by GameSpot, That Last of Us Part 2 director Neil Druckmann and narrative lead Halley Gross spoke with Game Informer about the game's ending, discussing how, until about half-way through production, Ellie would have actually killed Abby at the end of the game. "When I signed on a lot of it was very similar," Gross revealed. "We did a lot of iterations on what that last act looked like, but the final beat was that Ellie would kill Abby. About halfway through production, we changed that and had Ellie let go at the last second to [illustrate] that some little part of the old Ellie, the Ellie with humanity, the Ellie that is impacted by Joel, still exists within this character who has been so overtaken by her quest for revenge." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/20/14-brilliant-little-details-in-the-last-of-us-part-2"] The change of heart happened when the narrative team was working through the fates of both Lev and Yara, who also lived/died in earlier drafts of the story. Once it was decided that Lev would survive, Druckmann felt the right decision was to ensure Ellie didn't actually kill Abby and complete her tale of revenge. Gross was taken aback by the notion that this was even an option, but it allowed for Ellie to hold on to some of her humanity and avoid being lost completely. "Letting Abby live felt wrong thematically initially," Druckmann said. "But at the end of the day, it felt more honest for the character. The theme [and] what we're trying to say shifted a little bit, but our top priority always is are we being honest to the character? There's certain things we are trying to hit but they can only work if we're consistent with the character we're writing." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-last-of-us-part-2-review-screenshots&captions=true"] This was one of the many changes that occurred during The Last of Us Part 2. In our interview with Druckmann, he explained how The Last of Us Part 2 was once more open world and that players would have spent a lot more time in Jackson. [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.

While we still wait for any news of a Bloodborne 2, Yarntown, a free indie game that is available now, looks to help fill the void with a The Legend of Zelda-inspired top-down 2D reimagining of Central Yharnam from Bloodborne. As reported by Kotaku, Yarntown is developed on the Solarus engine by Max Mraz and is available for free on Itch.io. Alongside featuring many of the gameplay mechanics of Bloodborne like blood vials, lamps, quicksilver bullets, stamina and dodge rolls, Yarntown also includes most of what was featured in Central Yarnham, including rabid dogs, huntsman, brick trolls, and even the Cleric Beast and Father Gascoigne boss fights.

So I made Bloodborne but it's super cute and it's also kinda Zelda. And it's out!:https://t.co/cjx5zz5lvC#screenshotsaturday #pixelart #indiegame #bloodborne#solarus pic.twitter.com/033IVYfHlp

— Max Mraz (@11Mraz) July 18, 2020

Players start in the Hunter's Dream area, complete with The Doll, and can level up as they would in Bloodborne and fortify their weapons. I had a chance to try the game, and while it hasn't quite reached the difficulty of a game like Bloodborne, that atmosphere and the world recreated is a wonderful homage and is definitely worth a look. Bloodborne, which made it all the way to #3 on our latest Top 25 PS4 Games list, was released in 2015, and we believe a second entry would be one of the 9 Sequels that Would Make PS5 a Force to Reckon With. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=yarntown-screenshots&captions=true"] [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.

While we still wait for any news of a Bloodborne 2, Yarntown, a free indie game that is available now, looks to help fill the void with a The Legend of Zelda-inspired top-down 2D reimagining of Central Yharnam from Bloodborne. As reported by Kotaku, Yarntown is developed on the Solarus engine by Max Mraz and is available for free on Itch.io. Alongside featuring many of the gameplay mechanics of Bloodborne like blood vials, lamps, quicksilver bullets, stamina and dodge rolls, Yarntown also includes most of what was featured in Central Yarnham, including rabid dogs, huntsman, brick trolls, and even the Cleric Beast and Father Gascoigne boss fights.

So I made Bloodborne but it's super cute and it's also kinda Zelda. And it's out!:https://t.co/cjx5zz5lvC#screenshotsaturday #pixelart #indiegame #bloodborne#solarus pic.twitter.com/033IVYfHlp

— Max Mraz (@11Mraz) July 18, 2020

Players start in the Hunter's Dream area, complete with The Doll, and can level up as they would in Bloodborne and fortify their weapons. I had a chance to try the game, and while it hasn't quite reached the difficulty of a game like Bloodborne, that atmosphere and the world recreated is a wonderful homage and is definitely worth a look. Bloodborne, which made it all the way to #3 on our latest Top 25 PS4 Games list, was released in 2015, and we believe a second entry would be one of the 9 Sequels that Would Make PS5 a Force to Reckon With. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=yarntown-screenshots&captions=true"] [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.

Fans anticipating the perennially postponed Godzilla vs. Kong -- the sequel to both Godzilla: King of Monsters and Kong: Skull Island -- can now catch a glimpse of the movie via some sneak peek art spotted on the back of Playmates Toys' figure packaging. The film, directed by Adam Wingard (You're Next, The Guest), was originally slated to release this past March. Bumped to November, the movie was then moved again and is now scheduled to hit theaters on May 21, 2021. Here's a look at the art, courtesy of @KaijuNewsOutlet (which has been previewing toys and merchandise for the movie), showing the two titan terrors battling near, or atop, an aircraft carrier... Godzilla vs. Kong stars Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, and Eiza González. With the wait now being even longer for Godzilla vs. Kong, here are some articles to help survive the stretch, including 10 giant movie monsters that could beat up King Kong and a breakdown of every major monster in the Kong/Godzilla Monsterverse. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/24/godzilla-kong-in-5-minutes"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Fans anticipating the perennially postponed Godzilla vs. Kong -- the sequel to both Godzilla: King of Monsters and Kong: Skull Island -- can now catch a glimpse of the movie via some sneak peek art spotted on the back of Playmates Toys' figure packaging. The film, directed by Adam Wingard (You're Next, The Guest), was originally slated to release this past March. Bumped to November, the movie was then moved again and is now scheduled to hit theaters on May 21, 2021. Here's a look at the art, courtesy of @KaijuNewsOutlet (which has been previewing toys and merchandise for the movie), showing the two titan terrors battling near, or atop, an aircraft carrier... Godzilla vs. Kong stars Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, and Eiza González. With the wait now being even longer for Godzilla vs. Kong, here are some articles to help survive the stretch, including 10 giant movie monsters that could beat up King Kong and a breakdown of every major monster in the Kong/Godzilla Monsterverse. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/05/24/godzilla-kong-in-5-minutes"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

At this weekend's virtual Skybound Xpo panel -- Skybound: Past, Present, and Future -- Skybound co-founder and Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman gave fans an update on the Rick Grimes sequel movie, which will follow Andrew Lincoln's character Rick following his departure from the TV series in Season 9. In The Walking Dead's Season 10, star Danai Gurira left the series in an episode where her character, Michonne, discovered that Rick might still be alive. Gurira is expected to join Lincoln in the spinoff movie. "There's tons of stuff going on behind the scenes," Kirkman said. "I don't want anyone to think that we're just kind of waiting around for this pandemic to end." "I would say that, if anything, the pandemic is going to make a lot of movies better," he added. "I think the Rick Grimes movie chief among them, just because we're getting a lot more time to cook this thing and make sure it's perfect." "But when things do quiet down, you guys are going to hear a ton more about this movie." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-death-on-the-walking-dead&captions=true"] The Walking Dead's Season 10 finale never aired, due to the pandemic interrupting the post-production work needed to complete the episode, so fans have been left stranded on the precipice of a brutal war with Beta and his horde of walkers for months now. Also delayed due to COVID-19 is The Walking Dead: World Beyond, the franchise's second official spinoff, which was set to premiere back on April 12. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/25/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

At this weekend's virtual Skybound Xpo panel -- Skybound: Past, Present, and Future -- Skybound co-founder and Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman gave fans an update on the Rick Grimes sequel movie, which will follow Andrew Lincoln's character Rick following his departure from the TV series in Season 9. In The Walking Dead's Season 10, star Danai Gurira left the series in an episode where her character, Michonne, discovered that Rick might still be alive. Gurira is expected to join Lincoln in the spinoff movie. "There's tons of stuff going on behind the scenes," Kirkman said. "I don't want anyone to think that we're just kind of waiting around for this pandemic to end." "I would say that, if anything, the pandemic is going to make a lot of movies better," he added. "I think the Rick Grimes movie chief among them, just because we're getting a lot more time to cook this thing and make sure it's perfect." "But when things do quiet down, you guys are going to hear a ton more about this movie." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-death-on-the-walking-dead&captions=true"] The Walking Dead's Season 10 finale never aired, due to the pandemic interrupting the post-production work needed to complete the episode, so fans have been left stranded on the precipice of a brutal war with Beta and his horde of walkers for months now. Also delayed due to COVID-19 is The Walking Dead: World Beyond, the franchise's second official spinoff, which was set to premiere back on April 12. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/25/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Video game development is, by its nature, a very secretive business. However, Sucker Punch Productions has peeled back the curtain a bit and discussed how the game that ended up as Ghost of Tsushima could have been a game about pirates, Rob Roy MacGregor the Scottish folk hero, or the Three Musketeers. Co-founder of Sucker Punch Productions Brian Fleming took to the PlayStation.Blog to describe the studios thought process in figuring out what its next game would be following inFamous Second Son and First Light. "Early on, we concluded that we wanted to build a large, open world experience — and one that featured melee combat," Fleming said. "But beyond that we were uncertain. Pirates? Rob Roy? The Three Musketeers? All these were considered — but we kept coming back to feudal Japan and telling the story of a samurai warrior. Then one fateful fall afternoon we found a historical account of the Mongol invasion of Tsushima in 1274, and the entire vision clicked into place." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/14/ghost-of-tsushima-review"] While many can envision a pirate game sharing similarities with Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, a tale about Rob Roy could be focused on his "Robin Hood" persona. He was an outlaw who had a larger-than-life story written about him called Highland Rogue while he was alive. This actually helped lead to a Royal Pardon in 1726 while he was still alive, making him a "legend in his own lifetime." The Three Musketeers is obviously the classic tale by Alexandre Dumas about d'Artagnan and his hope to join the Musketeers of the Guard. There have been smaller games focused on this story, such as WiiWare game The Three Musketeers: One for All!, but it has yet to get a AAA re-telling. In the end, Sucker Punch decided to choose the Mongol invasion of Japan that was led by Kublai Khan of the Yuan dynasty following its victory in the Korean kingdom of Goryeo. It knew it wanted to tell the story of the only samurai who survived that initial assault at Tsushima, but wanted to make sure the story had weight. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ghost-of-tsushima-concept-art&captions=true"] Not only did Sucker Punch want to tell a story that featured a "relatable, human experience," it also had to figure out a way to build a world with no technology. This meant "no cellphones to help us communicate with the player," and "no glitzy super-powers to create visual spectacle." One of these workarounds Sucker Punch arrived on was the Guiding Wind feature, that has the in-game wind helping the player find where they need to go, a blend of using modern technology to create a natural solution. All these challenges were made greater by the scale of the game that was "5x, 10x, 20x, even 40x [bigger than inFamous Second Son] in some cases. And none of the tools from inFamous were up to the task... except for our visual effects system." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/15/7-things-to-know-about-ghost-of-tsushima"] Fortunately for us, Sucker Punch made it through the six-year process to bring Ghost of Tsushima to life. In our review of Ghost of Tsushima, we said it is "an enormous and densely packed samurai adventure that often left me completely awestruck with both its visual spectacle and excellent combat." [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.